Well, I had a completely different set of expectations heading into Loathe‘s I Let It in and It Took Everything (SharpTone Records). See, one of my co-DJs on my radio show Stress Factor (cheap plug) had played ‘Gored’ and ‘Broken Vision Rhythm’ a few weeks back so I thought I was headed face-first into a sea of gnarly down-tuned Hardcore riffs with some Industrial elements tossed in for good measure. Not quite. Continue reading
Proggy post-Black Metal band Karg is back with a new full-length album Traktat, out this Friday, February 7th, 2020, via AOP Records. The evocative, inspirational project started out in 2006 as a solo endeavor from J.J. of Harakiri For The Sky in Salzburg Austria but is now more of a fleshed-out, full-band project. Fans of atmospheric Black Metal, post-Metal, Blackgaze, prog, and drone styles will love the emotional ebb and flow of Traktat with all the gravitas of the greats of the genre. The band will celebrate the release with a European tour, kicking off tomorrow night in Oberhausen, Germany at Helvete. You can stream the entire new album, right here at Ghost Cult, right now! Continue reading
I think it goes without saying at this point that Finish melodeath collective Insomnium is one of the most respected and consistent names in their genre. While Scandinavia is no stranger to exports of high-quality melodic death metal, many of the genre’s biggest names like In Flames and Children of Bodom have either compromised their distinctive sound in favour of more accessible elements, or in some cases, no longer exist. Insomnium however, has continued to fine-tune the gloomy atmosphere they first presented almost two decades ago in 2002’s In The Halls of Awaiting. Now, boasting a total of eight melancholic yet undeniably gorgeous releases under their belt, the band has done the UK and Ireland the honour of a nationwide tour in support of their latest opus, Heart Like a Grave (Century Media). An album that is less sprawling and proggy than Winter’s Gate (Century Media), but is an equally if not more epic and melodic record, packed with more guitar leads and solos than anything they have released to date. Certainly, it is the kind of material that you would expect to excel in the live environment, and so on a bleak Monday night in winter, I ventured out to Manchester Academy 3 for a necessary dose of metalised depression. Continue reading
It’s time for another Ghost Cult “End Of Year” Guest post! We’ll be sharing lists, memories, and other shenanigans from our favorite bands, partners, music industry peers, and other folks we respect across the globe. Today Tom Begley of Bossk shares ten albums that didn’t leave the playlist in 2019! Be on the lookout for a new Bossk album in 2020 via Deathwish Inc. label. Continue reading
Seattle’s BlackQueen have, in all official communication, always described their music as Witch Metal, a sonic amalgamation of Black Metal, Death Metal, Hardcore, post-Metal, and everything possible in between. This stylistic mash-up is housed within a cocoon of horror soundtrack-esque atmosphere and spiritually and thematically based around whatever founding member Pete Jay happens to be delving into at the time of writing. With their new album, The Destructive Cycle (Roman Numeral Records), they look deeply into the Taoist five element theory and how it relates to the human condition, from creation to destruction and ultimate rebirth. Sounds a bit heavy, I know, but the music offsets the deep concept with kickass riffs and general headbangery.
London-based post-Metal and Sludge grind dealers Beggar have shared a new single and video for their track ‘Nine Atmospheres’. The track is the first salvo in their new album dubbed Compelled to Repeat to be released via APF Records in April of 2020. The album was recorded with Wayne Adams (responsible for recent works by Green Lung, 11Paranoias and Terminal Cheesecake) at Bear Bites Horse, London and mastered by the master of noise himself, James Plotkin (Sunn O))), ISIS, Pelican and Earth). Watch the clip now!
Metal Blade Records has shared a video of The Ocean performing ‘Ordovicium’, live in India. It’s pretty amazing. Check it out! Continue reading