Ghost Cult was honored to catch up with John Cobbett of Hammers of Misfortune, Ludicra, and Vhol to discuss the new Hammers album, “Overtaker!” John discussed the new album in detail, the gap between albums, moving to Montana from the Bay Area with his family, the challenges of the music industry, going DIY, and more! Continue reading
Harm’s Way, following their full-length album in 2018 have released a special remix EP PSTHMN, with remixes by such names as Justin Broadrick and Sanford Parker. PSTHMN follows the vision of Posthuman and sheds light on influential aspects that have shaped the sound and aesthetic of Harm’s Way. Purchase and stream PSTHMN now at the link below. The vinyl edition is limited to 499 copies worldwide, so be sure to order your copy now!Continue reading
Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Corrections House, Bloodiest) will embark on a run of North American live dates this fall alongside Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia, Gorguts, Sabbath Assembly). The tour runs from September 29th in Brooklyn through October 16th in Chicago. See all confirmed dates below. Continue reading
Chicago post-metallers The Atlas Moth has named Coma Noir the titled of their new album, due for release on February 9, 2018 via their new label, Prosthetic Records. The band has also announced a tour with openers such as Royal Thunder and Mirrors of Psychic Warfare this winter.Continue reading
Enigmatic indie rock geniuses Wovenhand have released a new track from their forthcoming album, Star Treatment. You can hear ‘The Hired Hand’ at this link here or below:
Star Treatment will be available on Sargent House will be available worldwide excluding Europe on LP, CD and download worldwide, except in Europe, where it will be released by longtime Wovenhand label Glitterhouse Records on September 9th. The band previously premiered another album track Stereogum previously premiered the album track ‘Come Brave’.
The band kicks off an extensive tour this weekend, perfroming at Psycho Las Vegas ahead of a huge European tours, with support from Emma Ruth Rundle (also a Sargent House artist).
The driving force of is songwriter/multi-instrumentalist David Eugene Edwards (16 Horsepower). The rest of the band’s current lineup includes guitarist Chuck French, bassist Neil Keener (both of Planes Mistaken For Stars) and drummer Ordy Garrison, now joined by piano/synth player Matthew Smith (Crime & The City Solution). Star Treatment was recorded at Steve Albini’s legendary Electrical Audio in Chicago with engineer Sanford Parker, who also helmed Wovenhand’s 2014 album Refractory Obdurate.
Edwards commented on Star Treatment:
“It’s ethereal in its concept. There are many layers, as always. I’ve been paying attention to the stars in the sky and in literature, and it’s a theme throughout the album.” He adds, “There’s more love song style on this in general, which is nice. The idea of what love is and how it’s expressed and all these different atmospheres.”
Wovenhand – Star Treatment
01. Come Brave
02. Swaying Reed
03. The Hired Hand
04. Crystal Palace
05. Crook and Flail
06. The Quiver
07. All Your Waves
08. Golden Blosson
09. Go Ye Light
10. Five by Five
11. Low Twelve
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Chicago post-metal band Bloodiest, which counts Bruce Lamont of Yakuza in its lineup are streaming their entire self-titled new album, ahead of their release this Friday from Relapse Records. The album was produced by Sanford Parker (Corrections House, Minsk). You can hear the stream at this link or below:
http://soundcloud.com/relapserecords/sets/bloodiest-bloodiest/s-51Wlh
The band will embark on a short tour this March with Electric Hawk and Sweet Cobra.
Mar 03: UFO Factory – Detroit, MI
Mar 04: The Hard Luck -Toronto, ON
Mar 05: Gorham Brothers Music – Syracuse, NY
Mar 06: Bar Le Ritz – Montreal, QC
Mar 07: St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY
Mar 08: Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
Mar 11: Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH
Mar 12: Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
Bloodiest is:
Bruce Lamont – Vocals
Cayce Key – Drums
Tony Lazzara – Guitar
Eric Chaleff – Guitar
Colin Dekuiper – Bass
Nandini Khaund – Piano/Synth
Pre-order CD/LP/Digital via Relapse: http://bit.ly/BloodiestPreOrder
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Know How To Carry A Whip is Corrections House‘s second album following on from 2013’s unique Last City Zero (both Neurot). Colder, Harder, Bleaker than before, Know How To Carry A Whip takes that what they did before and refines it.
A potent mix of clashing styles hung together with a framework of pounding industrial beats and loops, punctuated with mechanical clanking courtesy of Sanford Parker, leave the listener on the back foot as the rhythm travels down the off-beaten track. This mechanical cacophony brings to mind the factory sounds of the industrial English midlands which famously inspired Black Sabbath and continued with bands like Godflesh of which this shares a sense of aesthetics.
Layers are hammered together disjointedly with crushing and oppressive riffs courtesy of Scott Kelly (Neurosis) and Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), which feels like you could imagine Dälek covering Neurosis’ Through Silver In Blood (Relapse) would sound like, whilst also having a similar feel to DHG in the way the styles are shoved together.
Added to this potent mix, Mikey IX Williams (Eyehategod) puts in one of his finest performances to date with his distinctive lyrics and poetry that’s both persuasive and abrasive, a dystopian flow of decadent imagery and sharp-witted wordplay as evidenced on song titles such as ‘Crossing My One Good Finger’ and ‘I Was Never Any Good At Meth’ delivered with fervour of a manic street preacher who’s doing it for his own amusement rather than to save anyone in particular.
This is most notable on the tracks ‘Superglued Tooth’ and ‘Hopeless Moronic’ which contains some Mikey’s more memorable lines, delivered with cold calculated fury and working in tandem with Scott Kelly‘s intoned incantations and reverberating roars: layer upon oppressive layer of jarring discordance and a cold machine-like calculation make this album a step up from their first album.
‘When Push Comes to Shank’ shows more than a smidgen of influence from Joy Division, but with even more despair: love won’t tear you apart it’ll leave you in an alley missing a kidney. The album finishes on the lengthy ‘Burn The Witness’ a bleak meditation on the industrial world grinding to a halt and tearing itself apart with a fury and efficiency, machines drown in a black sludge of despair.
Know How To Carry A Whip sounds like a soundtrack to the end of the world as we know it, and it sounds more relevant with each and every listen.
9.0/10
RICH PRICE
Although they’ve not released a record for seven years, Harrisonburg, Virginia’s Valkyrie haven’t been idle. Guitarist Pete Adams joined Baroness, while fellow Adams brother Jake began a career in teaching. And despite promises to the contrary when Ghost Cult talked to them a couple of years ago, the band have signed to Relapse Records to release their third album, Shadows.
With Sanford Parker (Pelican, Leviathan, YOB) on production duties and backed up by Alan Fary on Bass and Warren Hawkins on drums [the Adams share vocal duties], Shadows is a musical step up. With the exception of rollicking opener ‘Mountain Stomp’ the band have matured their sound and mostly ditched their simple but satisfying approach to song writing. Gone are the Iron Maiden-esque gallops, and in in their place is a complex melody of 80s doom [think St. Vitus/Trouble], classic NWOBHM sensibilities and progressive structures.
There’s still plenty of Thin Lizzy-styled twin leads – fans of Baroness will be find plenty of familiar fret wizardry to enjoy – and plenty of thunderous riffs filling every moment, but the songs are more complex and ambitious. The likes of ‘Temple’ and ‘Wintery Plains’ combine the slow and controlled build up with some stellar intricate musicianship and plenty of melody, and not the kinds of songs you could imagine the band being capable of on their self-titled debut (Twin Earth Records) or the excellent Man of Two Visions (Noble Origin).
It’s the musical muscle that makes Shadows so enjoyable, and the Adams’ guitar work takes centre stage throughout of the entire record. Only one track is less than six minutes long, but they all they devote more time to the altar of the solo than anything else. ‘Shadow of Reality’, ‘Golden Age’ and ‘Echoes (Of The Ways We Lived)’ all combine the meatiness of The Sword circa Age of Winters (Kemado/Toy’s Factory) with the 70s fuzz of classic Witchcraft or Graveyard.
Shadows is seven tracks of guitar acrobatics with real depth. Long-time fans might take a few listens to really acclimatise as the songs aren’t quite as instantaneous as previous albums. But they’ve pushed themselves and created something that is undoubtedly influenced by classic metal but not afraid to show off quite how good they are at that guitar thing. All killer, no filler.
9.0/10
DAN SWINHOE
Chicago progressive/atmospheric doom slayers Taken By The Sun will play a special record release show at Quencher’s Saloon in Chicago this weekend. They are supporting their self titled full length independent release, which was tracked almost entirely live at Steve Albini‘s Electrical Audio Studio, engineered by Sanford Parker (Twilight, Voivod, Eyehategod, Yob etc.) and mastered by Collin Jordan (Eyehategod, Indian, Wovenhand, Voivod etc.) at The Boiler Room, all in Chicago.
May 16: Quenchers Saloon – Chicago, IL (w/ Scientist, Pale Horseman, Making Ghosts, Dethbeds)
Stream “Fuse” here and “Ornaflux” below.
