PODCAST: Episode 5 Jean-Paul Gaster of Clutch Talks Touring, Drumkit Specs and More!


Clutch continues to tour in support of their excellent 2018 album, Book of Bad Decisions (Weathermaker Music). Recently, Ghost Cult scribe DJ Astrocreep caught up with drummer Jean-Paul Gaster at the O2 Academy in Manchester, UK to chat about the band, how his approaches his live drum sound, the specs of his kit, the bands’ own label Weathermaker hitting the ten year mark, the twenty-fifth anniversary of their debut Transnational Speedway League (EastWest), recording in the same place as their heroes and contemporaries Melvins and Sleep, being influenced by Jazz drummers, and much more! Check it out! Continue reading


Bloodstock Open Air 2017 – Part 2


Day 3.

SATURDAY

If you were one of the first hundred people to enter the New Blood tent on Saturday morning, then first band of the day Ward XVI (8/10) would reward you with a goodie bag full of stuff like CDs, stickers and t-shirts etc. I strolled over to the tent a good half an hour before they were due on, only to find that half the festival was already in there. It’s amazing how people, no matter how tired or hungover, will always drag themselves out of bed on the promise of free stuff. Goodie bags aside, Ward XVI were a great way to start the Saturday fun. Eclectic and fun, they combined chuggy metal riffs with bouncy Psychobilly, creepy gothic melodies, and at one point, what appeared to be Russian folk. The band’s costumes and make-up were interesting, but like vocalist Psychoberrie‘s strait-jacketed ballad (Alice Cooper and ‘The Ballad of Dwight Frye’ anyone?) they all felt a little too familiar.Continue reading


Bloodstock Open Air 2017 – Part 1


Thursday

For anyone looking for early indicators that Bloodstock 2017 would be as ridiculous and over the top as usual, then surely the sight which would have greeted many – a group of people in the field acting as the event’s main car park, cheering on a Red Power Ranger as he gyrated and danced on top of a car – would have been as good a first sign as any.Continue reading


FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Bloodstock Open Air 2017


The time is nigh! The largest and possibly best independent metal festival in the world, Bloodstock Open Air is upon us once again. A year of planning and waiting has come to pass and now the weekend is here, with 1000s of heshers and hesherettes descend on Walton on Trent in Derbyshire, UK ready to celebrate all that is heavy music in the UK over the long weekend. When your motto is “By The Fans For The Fans”, and you can honestly say they have delivered this year in and year out, one needs to show respect. Get hyped with our preview, and check back soon for our full review with photos in case you can’t make it out. Continue reading


Bloodstock Open Air Day Tickets On Sale Tomorrow, Art Show Confirmed


Gojira at BOA 2016, photo credit Bloodstock Open Air on Facebook

Bloodstock Open Air continues to close in with day tickets releasing their at 9am tomorrow, 30th June! Weekend tickets are apparently selling faster than ever this year and may well sell out entirely before the festival weekend, so don’t delay if you want to guarantee a spot at the UK’s best metal festival!Continue reading


Bloodstock Open Air Adds More Bands, Tickets Moving Fast


Havok, by Rich Price Photography

Bloodstock Open Air 2017 is coming up fast with just under 7 weeks to go for the festival first band to plug in and rock! The fest has added more bands to the bill including Havok, Fallujah, Shrapnel, Bloodoath, Criminal and more!Continue reading