ALBUM REVIEW: New Years Day – Half Black Heart


New Year’s Day helped pave the path for today’s female-fronted nu-metal bands who balance hard rock aggression with pop hooks. Having emerged from the days of Myspace, they have refined the weighty grooves of that era to transcend the bandwagon of their peers. This is largely due to frontwoman Ash Costello. On Half Black Heart (Century Media Records) Costello’s voice finds more piercing power. She knows how to pack a punch without resorting to screaming. This helps their songs avoid the modern rock formula that is wearing thin. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: KMFDM – Let Go


KMFDM is celebrating forty years of conceptual continuity with the release of their twenty-third album Let Go (Metropolis Records). Let’s give that one some thought. Forty years holding to a musical concept throughout 23 albums is an achievement not many bands of their ilk can boast, as how many of their peers are this prolific? The sticking point on Let Go might be how continuous that concept is, and at what point are we weighing it against? Continue reading


INTERVIEW: Joey Diabolic on New Music, Horror, and Living in Hollywood


Ghost Cult Keefy caught up with Joey Diabolic last year, to discuss his latest album “Just Drive!” Joey is a multi-hyphenate talent: music, composing, producing, visual arts, graphic design, web design, musicians services and more! We talked to Joey about his decision to relocate to Los Angeles from New York, his love of horror, his new album, and much more!Continue reading


INTERVIEW: From Goth Legends to a New Album: Lol Tolhurst and Budgie Share Their Journey


Ghost Cult caught up with Lol Tolhurst (founding drummer of The Cure ) & Budgie (ex Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Slits) legends of Goth and alternative Rock last fall for a chat. Lol released his book “GOTH: A History,” via Hachette Books last fall and it is a personal and deep account Goth music and the greater culture. Budgie wrote the forward of the book and both gents shared their knowledge about the scene and history! They also released a collab album last last year as Lol Tolhurst x Budgie x Jacknife Lee debut album “Los Angeles,” which we also discussed as well.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Darkplace – About the End of the World


 

There are a few artists in history whose identity is shrouded in secrecy – The Residents, Buckethead, the majority of Goat and Darkplace. In an age where social media is so prevalent and where privacy is seemingly such a dirty word, it’s refreshing that Darkplace has chosen to keep himself/herself(?) anonymous so as to let the music do the talking. Based in Sweden About the End of the World (Icons Creating Evil Art) marks the mysterious entity’s debut full-length.

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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Cuffed Shares a new single and Video for “Visitors”


 

Dark Synth-Pop artist Cuffed has teamed up with Ghost Cult to share a new single and music video today, “Visitors!” The track will stream tomorrow on all DSPs. Cuffed comes from the visionary mind of Los Angeles artist Tyler “Fournames” Fortney –channeling all the synthwave, Goth, and 1980s electronica goodness evoking smokey clubs, flashing lights, and all night parties! Watch the clip now!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Crosses – Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete


 

Chino Moreno has never been shy at exploring his mellower side away from Deftones, and over the years has dipped into the Post-Rock, Shoegaze and Trip-Hop genres providing us with some highly refined music by way of projects such as Team Sleep and Palms, his collaboration with three former members of Post-Metal kings Isis. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Fearing – Destroyer


 

Do you like to dress in black? Do you prefer a solitary pint of cider in the back of a smoky bar? (the smoky part might be hard to fashion in this day and age) Do you favour wearing a trenchcoat? Do you feel in a state of perpetual ennui? Maybe you are a Berliner! Or perhaps you’re a member of a Darkwave band… maybe both!

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CONCERT REVIEW: Stabbing Westward – The Hunger – Unitcode:Machine Live at Scout Bar


 

This weekend saw fans of Industrial music flocking to a pair of shows in Texas. A three-band bill consisting of Unitcode:Machine, The Hunger, and headliner Stabbing Westward promised an evening not soon forgotten. Friday night was in San Antonio at Paper Tiger and Saturday was the Scout Bar in Houston. Both are one thousand plus capacity (at least according to fire code) and feature powerful sound systems that render earplugs inadequate. Tying all everything together is the fact that lead singer for Stabbing Westward, Christopher Hall, has been working with the other two bands on their music and even producing the latest albums from both of them. The setlists and performances stayed the same at both locations and were well worth seeing twice.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Liv Kristine – River Of Diamonds


 

Gothic rock Norwegian heroine Liv Kristine is integrity personified when it comes to representing her chosen genres, the ideal ambassador of grace, fun, shimmery, and shadowy melodic reflection. River Of Diamonds (Metalville Records ) is one of her most digestible yet nonetheless compelling efforts yet, the closest comparison is a merging of a lighter variant of the love rock of H.I.M. with the captivating gothic roots she is known for.

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