ALBUM REVIEW: Moonlight Sorcery – Horned Lord of the Thorned Castle


 

Most extreme metal fans who survived the mid to late nineties will remember just how crucial Finland became in the emergence of the more melodic and experimental side of black metal. While Norway and Sweden clearly held the upper hand in terms of bigger names, their non-Scandinavian neighbours certainly contributed more than their fair share to this exciting new movement.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Dawn Ray’d – To Know The Light


 

The black metal scene has often, and justifiably, been accused of being overly conservative and restrictive. Attempts to make progress within the style or to fuse it with other kinds of music have been met with resistance. Worse still, the stain of far-right politics that has marred certain bands and fans has never been truly rinsed out.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Mork – Dypet


 

At this point, I’m really not sure if Norwegians are resilient, tough, or just plain masochistic. Three months into a year that has already seen record-low temperatures set across the globe and they seem quite happy to let it stay that way. Forget thoughts of spring or summer, Thomas Eriksen, the mastermind behind black metal act Mork, seemingly wants the world to remain in perpetual winter, grimmer and more frostbitten than your average Immortal video.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Enslaved – Heimdal


 

At this point some thirty years into their illustrious career, Enslaved have truly transcended into their own musical entity. Creating a genre in their own image with a highly unique sound that still stays true to their extreme metal roots, but also blends the darkness with the light of progressive rock, and providing two distinct and opposing vocal styles in a way that no other band does.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Tómarúm – Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons


Tómarúm is a band tailor-made for extensive, elaborate compositions, overflowing with equal parts technicality and atmospherics. The Georgia-based progressive black metal group put the general public on notice with their scintillating debut full-length, Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons (Prosthetic). Just as each glance at the album cover (courtesy of Mariusz Lewandowski) presents new findings, so to does each listen trigger new emotions.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Gaahls Wyrd – The Humming Mountain


Having been involved in making underground music for nigh on thirty years, vocalist Gaahl has amassed a body of work ranging from high voltage Black Metal with Gorgoroth and the less polished Trelldom, to the traditional folk stylings of Wardruna, ramping up his progressive blackened leanings with God Seed, before releasing GastiR – Ghosts Invited (Indie Recordings), the debut offering of current vehicle Gaahls Wyrd, in 2019.

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False – Portent


Minneapolis is not a frigid northern waste year-round, but it’s a good stand-in for Scandinavia on a frosty winter day. The music that comes from there often conjures the heartless sounds of the birthplace of Black Metal. While also being home to the funky sex god Prince (RIP), the region has notably given us many great modern USBM bands to hand our hats on. The greatest may very well be False, as the sextet continues to hone their sound to perfection. I won’t event front, I have been a huge fan for some time and while they are “emerging” to mainstream ears, I have been down since the beginning, with several EP’s and splits most prized among my collection. So of course, I was amped for the release of Portent (Gilead Media), their new full-length album, so I got ready to dive in hard. Continue reading


Ghost Cult Album Of The Year 2015 Countdown: 10 – 2


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Part five of the Ghost Cult Album of the Year countdown for 2015.

One staff team. Over 550 albums covered by Ghost Cult over the last twelve months. One epic race to be crowned Album of the Year.

Read on to dive deep into the Ghost Cult Top 10…

 

10. My Dying Bride – ‘Feel The Misery’ (Peaceville)

“When the history of doom metal is written, English miserabilists My Dying Bride will have their own chapter; preferably written in gothic script by a quill. After twenty-five years in the game, their long march towards the sinister continues and Feel the Misery has to rank among their best works.”

Review by James Conway here

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9. Cattle Decapitation – ‘The Anthropocene Exctinction’ (Metal Blade)

“The grind influences which the band are largely known for are present here, but combine with a number of other reference points and styles in a way that transforms them quite beyond the ordinary. The base-line style throughout is a crunchy, Grind-touched Death Metal that’s as comfortable with punishing grooves and sinister melodies as it is with blasting, but they expand their palette further with quasi-“industrial” effects, atmospheric passages and creepily-effective clean vocal sections.”

Review by Richie HR here

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8. Paradise Lost – ‘The Plague Within’ (Century Media)

“Not a descent into the darkest bowels of harrowing Death-Doom, then, but expecting it to be would be rather silly. What The Plague Within offers is a sincere, heartfelt amalgam of older influences and current songwriting from a band who have always had the courage to follow their own muse where it leads them, even if it seems to lead them back.”

Review by Richie HR here

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7. Faith No More – ‘Sol Invictus’ (Reclamation/Ipecac)

Ghost Cult Album of the Month – May “The band picks up basically where they left off with 1997’s Album of The Year. After all; resurrection may be for those who got it wrong the first time, but the same cannot be said of Faith No More whose return is a welcome and worthy one. Let’s hope it lasts as long as it can.”

Review by Keith Chachkes here

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6. Iron Maiden – ‘The Book Of Souls’ (Parlophone/Sanctuary/BMG)

“For a band with such a celebrated history, it is a joy and delight to confirm that The Book Of Souls stands resolute as one of the best things the band has produced. Ever. An album that works on a number of levels – the strength of the songwriting, the collective and individual musicianship, the range and power of the entire album are all deeply impressive. The Book of Souls is the collective endeavour of a band still resolutely in love with music and still gracious and humble enough to want to share that with its audience. Happy and glorious, from epic start to bombastic end.”

Review by Mat Davies here

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5. Clutch – Psychic Warfare (Weathermaker)

Ghost Cult Album of the Month – October “Thank goodness for Clutch. Clutch aren’t like most bands. Wait: Clutch are not like any other band. Now into their 20-something year of making smart, intelligent rock music, Psychic Warfare sees Neil Fallon and co in the rudest possible health, invigorating and invigorated, creatively refreshed and simply staggering and swaggering. Clutch are a band of sublime brilliance and Psychic Warfare might just be the album you’ve waited all year for. Long may they reign supreme.”

Review by Mat Davies here

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4. Napalm Death – ‘Apex Predator – Easy Meat’ (Century Media)

Ghost Cult Album of the Month – February “That the band still emits a burning intensity, railing against injustice and The Establishment, is reassuring and adds the crucial element of gravity to what is, in essence, a joyous and energising sound. Angry machine gun rattle, powerful skewing punk, flexibility in pace, a hefty boot, veering grind… I bloody love the nose-breaking, careering chaos of it all”

Review by Paul Quinn here

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3. Enslaved – ‘In Times’ (Nuclear Blast)

Ghost Cult Album of the Month – March In Times is a record of staggering, jaw-dropping brilliance. In Times distils the essence of Enslaved in brilliant, grandiose fashion but, like all great albums, suggests new, as yet uncharted opportunities. To use sporting parlance, suggesting that the band are at the top of their game is to truly misunderstand what’s going on here. Enslaved are not just at the top of their game; they are in the process of trying to change the game being played.”

Review by Mat Davies here

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2. Lamb of God – ‘VII: Sturm und Drang’ (Nuclear Blast)

Ghost Cult Album of the Month – August “About halfway through Sturm Und Drang, vocalist Randy Blythe screams: “How the FUCK did you think this would end?!” It’s both a question and a statement of defiance, summing up five years that have been nothing less than challenging for this band. That they have returned and delivered an album this ferocious, this energised, this brilliant, is utterly remarkable and testimony to a sense of collective tenacity and drive that can only be admired. All Heavy Metal records should sound this good.”

Review by Mat Davies here

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PART 1: ALBUMS 50-41

PART 2: ALBUMS 40-31

PART 3: ALBUMS 30-21

PART 4: ALBUMS 20-11

 


YOB – Black Cobra – Lord Almighty – Sea Of Bones: at Brighton Music Hall


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While the fall progresses forward and nature around us slowly dies leading up to another New England winter, nothing seems as appropriate as that of a doom metal show. The Brighton Music Hall was once again the site of another memorable show, this time consisting of Sea of Bones, Lord Almighty, Black Cobra, and YOB. The show was so heavy that I was able to go next door for a slice of pizza and know when a band was sound checking and then playing just from how hard the walls were vibrating. The only downside to such a low-end rich show is the drive home when all I wanted to do was go to sleep from the therapeutic doom riffs felt all night.

Sea of Bones, by Hillarie Jason

Sea of Bones, by Hillarie Jason

Sea of Bones kicked off the night to which I can only say was jaw dropping. Previously, I had never heard anything by the group, but was pleasantly surprised with how heavy they got. A nice mix of doom, drone, sludge, and dashes of Neurosis as well as Author & Punisher all came to mind while experiencing Sea of Bones for the first time. I will certainly be catching Sea of Bones the next time I can.

Lord Almighty, by Hillarie Jason

Lord Almighty, by Hillarie Jason

Local heroes, Lord Almighty, came on next and showcased as much of their full-length début album, Paths, as they could in their relatively short set. The progressive black metal outfit certainly made new fans this evening from all the doom fans in-house for YOB and Sea of Bones as well as the fans who like it a bit faster such as Black Cobra. Boston, once again, can be proud knowing that the city keeps pumping out some seriously fun and interesting heavy metal bands.

Black Cobra, by Hillarie Jason

Black Cobra, by Hillarie Jason

Similar to Sea of Bones, I had never given Black Cobra the time of day, but had heard their name in passing. Regardless of my ignorance to this band, I quickly became a fan of their up tempo doom riffs and pounding drumming. Also, the sound that is generated out of just these two musicians was truly amazing. From down the street you would anticipate that the band playing had five or six guys with multiple guitarists, let alone one guitarist/vocalist and a drummer. Also adding into the instant fan spell that was placed on me, I found Black Cobra to be quite similar to a long time favorite of mine in High on Fire.

YOB, by Hillarie Jason

YOB, by Hillarie Jason

Just when I thought the night could not get any better, out came the guys from YOB to absolutely crush my soul. This having been my third time seeing the Oregon doom threesome this year, I had a good feel of what to expect on the set list. Staple opener, ‘Ball of Molten Lead’ got all heads banging together. ‘In Our Blood’ and ‘Marrow’ were also in the rotation as per the usual off of their latest (and maybe greatest), Clearing the Path to Ascend (Neurot). Some may call it a little much, but I could honestly see YOB live again between now and February 2016 even if that makes it four times in a calendar year. There is just something else that YOB delivers that no other doom bands seem to have. Regardless, another amazing night for heavy music in the Brighton/Allston area which could not make me any happier!

YOB, by Hillarie Jason

YOB, by Hillarie Jason

 

YOB, by Hillarie Jason

YOB, by Hillarie Jason

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WORDS BY TIM LEDIN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HILLARIE JASON