As we barrel into the new year we want to take one last look at our most popular news stories (by topic) on our website in 2019. Thanks for being here with us and choosing us for your music news, interviews, reviews and other entertaining content we try to provide daily!Continue reading
Being As An Ocean just released their slamming new album Proxy: An A.N.I.M.O. Story! and are currently getting ready for a month of dates for their new European tour kicking off on November 1st. Joel Quartuccio has checked in with not one, but two of his favorite concert memories ever in a guest post for Ghost Cult! Continue reading
Imagine someone stuffing your body into a laundry dryer and then turning on.
You’re trapped, surrounded by noise, your mind and body is spinning at the speed of light. A thrilling experience, however maybe your last surge of adrenaline ever. This was the experience I got from the debut Serpent of Gnosis album As I Drink From The Infinite Well Of Inebriation (1126 Records).
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We normally don’t go in for rumors like our peers in this business, but this one is too good to not share. We have been hearing for a while from sources close to the band that Job For A Cowboy are plotting a legit comeback with new music (an EP) and possibly some shows. Members of the band have been sharing music from their side project Serpent of Gnosis lately and that has renewed interest in the missed but of the missed but most loved bands of the last generation. The band has suddenly been active on their Facebook for the first time in three years, which isn’t enough evidence, but we’d like to see the band come back in a big way. We last heard from the band with 2014’s underrated but excellent Sun Eater album on Metal Blade.Continue reading
Bringing together members of Job For A Cowboy and Black Dahlia Murder, Serpent of Gnosis is here! The band announced their existence and their very first track today over at Decibel! There debut release As I Drink From The Infinite Well Of Inebriation is coming June 14th at 1126 Records. Listen to ‘The Colorless Capsules’ and prepare to lose your mind to the heavy! Continue reading
Carnifex’s latest LP, Slow Death, is nothing if not about getting down to brass tacks. Quick off the blocks, the San Diego natives jump into the two strongest bangers of the batch, ‘Dark Heart Ceremony’ and ‘Slow Death.’ While doing so, they also set the template of what else to come in the remaining 29 minutes; Carnifex gonna be Carnifex.Continue reading
Job For A Cowboy bass wunderkind Nick Schendzielos (ex-Cephalic Carnage) have released the off-beat and disturbingly funny ‘Newborns’ video on his YouTube channel, Bassfordays. Brought to life with the versatile Dave Davidson of Revocation, as well as Landon Meier and Matthew Zinke, watch it if you dare to be royally weirded out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXMH_0gRapc
Here are the “Top 25″ albums I heard this year that didn’t quite make my Top 25. Maybe there’s something in this for you to check out?
As is always the way I’m discovering more great albums from this year now from everyone else’s lists, so, looking forward to checking out Code Orange, Indian, Krokodil, Hark all amongst others!
ANAAL NATHRAKH – Desideratum
Relentless anarchic vitriolic mix of black metal and intense industrial. Reviewed this one – you can read the review here: https://ghostcultmag.com/anaal-nathrakh-desideratum/
ANTROPOMORPHIA – Rites ov Perversion
Old school influenced Death Metal. Good vibe. Nowt new, but bloody well done. Reviewed this one n’all: https://ghostcultmag.com/antropomorphia-rites-ov-perversion/
ARCH ENEMY – War Eternal
Best one they’ve done since Burning Bridges. New vocalist is better than Gossow too. Ha, another I reviewed if you’re interested. https://ghostcultmag.com/arch-enemy-war-eternal/
ARTIFICIAL BRAIN – Labyrinth Constellation
Mental Death Metal.
AUTOPSY – Tourniquets, Hacksaws & Graves
More great Autopsy, innit
COFFINWORM – IV.I.VIII
Hateful, with big, skull crushing riffs. Heavy, weighty. Bit of sludge, bit of doom.
CONAN – Blood Eagle
Epic, heavy doom, innit. Reviewed n’all: https://ghostcultmag.com/conan-blood-eagle/
DARKEST ERA – Severance
Bit of trad, bit Celtic, good riffs, strong vocals. Promising. Good band, good album. Another I wrote about. https://ghostcultmag.com/darkest-era-severance/ (Not necessarily the song I’d have chosen for a vid, but decent enough)
DELAIN – The Human Contradiction
Poppy, bit more symphonic than I was expecting. Went down a storm at Wembley with Within Temptation too.
DEVIN – Dark Matters
Aka Ziltoid 2. The heavier, more symphonic, more metally of the two parts of the double album. I like it, just a bit too much monkeying around at the expense of the songs, for me.
DRAGONFORCE – Maximum Overload
Not quite as good as ‘The Power Within’ but still proving they write better songs since changing vocalists. Some belters on here, tbf.
ENGEL – Raven Kings
Like In Flames, but heavier guitars and catchier choruses. I like this one (well, I like them all on here, or they wouldn’t be on here, but this surprised me). Wrote about it, too. https://ghostcultmag.com/engel-raven-kings/
EPICA – The Quantum Enigma
Took a few listens, but once it clicked, there’s a lot going on but it’s bloody massive. Symphonic to the max. Another I wrote about. https://ghostcultmag.com/epica-the-quantum-enigma/
GRAND MAGUS – Triumph & Power
Ronseal Metal. Doesn’t quite compare to Hammer of the North or Iron Will to me, but big Valhalla filling songs. Very enjoyable, if no surprises. Another of mine. https://ghostcultmag.com/grand-magus-triumph-and-power/
I AM HERESY – Thy Will
Haven’t listened to it for a while, but appealed a lot at the start of the year, and a good combo of metal and hardcore that mixes it up a bit. https://ghostcultmag.com/i-am-heresy-thy-will/
JOB FOR A COWBOY – Sun Eater
Took me by surprise this one. Adding a large dose of Ulcerate to their sound, but all the better for it. Rather than rattle clattering through a load of sterile overly tight DM/core, they wrote some (very) heavy songs, too.
KING 810 – Memoirs Of A Murderer
The marmite album of 2014! Ha, I liked it. Big angsty anthems. Not perfect, but some quality tunes. Korn meets Slipknot fo’ sho’, but some different stuff going on too. Another one off the review list! https://ghostcultmag.com/king-810-memoirs-of-a-murderer/
LORDI – Scare Force One
I like Alice Cooper. I love King Diamond. This mixes the two with aplomb, delivering a monster munch bunch of good fun tracks. https://ghostcultmag.com/lordi-scare-force-one/
MORBUS CHRON – Sweven
Interesting album, this one. Don’t think I’ve quite given it all the time it deserves, but another I’ve liked this year that doesn’t just sit in a box. It starts from Death Metal but doesn’t stay there.
OBITUARY – Inked In Blood
Really good comeback album. Big grooves. Big riffs. Great tunes. Well done. Best Obi’s album since ‘Cause of Death’ , for me.
ORIGIN – Omnipresent
This is a relentless fucker, this one. Love the aggression, love the riffing, love the technicality, love how much it just wants to punch you in the ear drums.
SLEEP OF MONSTERS – Produces Reason
Babylon Whores are one of my “hidden treasures”, probably the most underrated band of all time, always loved Ike’s vocals, too. He doesn’t quite hit it with his new outfit, but some cool gothy, dark/death rock going on. Grabbed this one for review as soon as it appeared in the inbox. https://ghostcultmag.com/sleep-of-monsters-produces-reason/
SLUGDGE – Gastronomicon
Only heard this once so far, but really impressed me on first go, will be getting a fair few listens going forward. Interesting modern melodic death metal.
TOMBS – Savage Gold
Black metal meets post-metal. Really good shit.
WITHIN TEMPTATION – Hydra
Started the year with this one. Massive pop-metal. Preferred the last one and Silent Force, but it’s got some big old songs, mofos. https://ghostcultmag.com/within-temptation-hydra/
Steve Tovey
The countdown to the Official Ghost Cult Magazine Album of the Year for 2014 continues. Please consume and enjoy the results of our 2014 Writers’ Poll. We hope it will introduce you to some of the incredible works of art you may have missed that we have had the immense pleasure of listening to and writing about this year.
In our second installment we bring you albums 40 through to 31
40. JOB FOR A COWBOY – Sun Eater (Metal Blade)
“Evolution from deathcore to a more compact, yet technical, death metal… complex and melodic structures accompany a diversified approach” DIOGO FERREIRA 7/10 Full review here
39. AGELESS OBLIVION – Pethos (Siege of Amida / Century Media)
Marrying both technical and atmospheric forms of Death Metal, Ageless Oblivion create their own brand of chilling yet punishing aggression, presented in a show of impressive progression.
38. KILLER BE KILLED – Killer Be Killed (Nuclear Blast)
“Cavalera, Puciato, Sanders, and Elitch put their stamp on this recording, making a memorable, political-flavored, heavy album that certainly lives up to the hype” KEITH ‘KEEFY’ CHACHKES 8.5/10 Full review here
37. AEVANGELIST – Writhes In The Murk (Debemur Morti)
“If you’re able to get past the initial disorientation and look inside, you’ll find an album that follows its own perverse ambition flawlessly, with not a shred of compromise, dilution or failure” RICHIE HR 10/10 Full review here
36. FEN – Carrion Skies (Code666)
“Fen are the rawer, rockier, more achingly human cousin to Tombs’ Neurosis-driven thunder, and among the richest and most emotionally expressive Metal albums of 2014” RICHIE HR 9/10 Full review here
35. JUDAS PRIEST – Redeemer of Souls (Epic/Columbia)
“Judas Priest has released a retrospective that nods to their career, recalling everything that has made them genuine legends of our metal world, Redeemer Of Souls has a beautifully warm and classic Priest feel”. STEVE TOVEY 8.5/10 Full review here
34. COFFINWORM – IV.I.VIII (Profound Lore)
The phrase “Doom” doesn’t do justice to the ugly, polluted, measured sludgy bludgeon of IV.I.VIII; a beautifully horrible record of nihilistic malevolence, that dissolves doom, death, black and sludge in its fetid path.
33. TRAP THEM – Blissfucker (Prosthetic)
“My advice? If you have never listened to Trap Them, get on this bandwagon before these guys run you over with it”. TIM LEDIN 8/10 Full review here
32. YOUNG AND IN THE WAY – When Life Comes To Death (Deathwish Inc)
The hardest of hardcore punk fused with the blackest of Darkthrone’s black metal offspring, creating a crusty hell in aural format.
31. AGAINST ME! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Treble)
The gutsy pop-punk outfit release a cathartic biographical concept album of frontwoman Laura Jane Grace’s experiences for their sixth album.
Ghost Cult ‘Albums Of The Year’ 50-41 here
Compiled by Steve Tovey
Job For A Cowboy have a new album, titled Sun Eater, which is released by Metal Blade Records, and despite the several changes in the lineup – having just the vocalist Jonny Davy as the original member , the band has been cohesive since 2011. Also, in spite of their evolution from deathcore to a more compact, yet somehow technical, death metal, we still can find some old vestiges in this new record.
It may seem mannered, but it won’t be if listened – I mean, we can hear some vocals similar to what Dani Filth used to do in the Damnation And A Day era in Job For A Cowboy’s opening track, ‘Eating the Visions of God’. Another interesting detail can be found in ‘Sun Of Nihility’ as we have a rhythmic guitar which joins the soloist one and suddenly it will be back to its rhythmical role again.
The bass lines are constantly present and the bass will even superimpose the distorted power delivered by the two guitars. The fat, yet perceptible, sound full of rhythmical details is a delight to every bass lover. Sometimes, it is utterly the main instrument performing as the protagonist, like in ‘The Stone Cross’, when the grunted stanzas are delivered by Davy on vocals.
The guitar riffs aren’t always just full-bodied ones comprised by the characteristic death metal power-chords, but we can find complex and melodic structures which accompanies the vocalist in his diversified approach. On other hand, the drums also present some good moments of technical efficacy in which the regular pace can be transformed in a crazy reverie that completely changes the supposed simplicity of the moment, like in ‘A Global Shift’. Generally, the strong double pedals appear with preponderancy in some instants giving fastness to the tracks.
Job For A Cowboy introduced some youngsters to extreme music ten years ago in the USA and even in Europe, but these guys aren’t 15 or 16 anymore, so give them a chance and listen to this new Sun Eater if you like death metal with deathcore roots.
7.0/10
DIOGO FERREIRA