Black Sabbath in 1970, photo by Warner Brothers Records
On the sleeve: a grainy picture of a woman dressed in black. A stagnant pond. A creepy looking mill house.
And two words. Black Sabbath.
On the record: Rain. Thunder. A tolling bell. Those three notes. That voice.
And just like that, in February of 1970 – appropriately enough on the 13th – the face of music was changed forever.
You’ve got to hand it to Poland’s Arkona, flying their black metal freak flag for over twenty-five years, weathering changes in tastes, technology, and personnel without wandering a smidge from their original Mephistophelian masterplan. Their unique blend of earthy black metal and fancypants symphonic trappings has corrupted many a vulnerable mind over the last couple of decades, leaving their victims humming wicked hooks long after the chaos has ended. The combination of beaut and brute still can’t be slowed by conventional weapons, despite their mix of Polish/ English lyrics and their release history of obscure splits and full-lengths on tiny labels – this is a band fighting the good (bad) fight. Continue reading
Decibel has announced the final bands for their annual Metal and Beer Festival in Philadelphia. The final bands on the bill are Midnight, Gatecreeper and Necrot have joined the lineup of Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore Philadelphia on April 3-4, 2020. All tickets are on sale now for April. The second edition of their Los Angeles Fest is just weeks away and tickets are moving fast. The headliners for the fest include Napalm Death performing a special one-time-only set of exclusively Harmony Corruption and Utopia Banished songs, Converge playing Jane Doe in its entirety for their first time ever in the USA, and Pig Destroyer will help to present sponsors Relapse Records celebrate their 30th anniversary with the first-ever performance of PD’s game-changing Prowler in the Yard !Continue reading
Decibel Magazine’s flagship Metal and Beer fest in Philadelphia will host amazing bands, brewers and fans in 2020. Booked for April 3-4 at The Fillmore, and the lineup looks sick with full-album sets from Converge (playing 2001’s Jane Doe), Pig Destroyer (playing 2001’s Prowler in the Yard in full for the first time), and Napalm Death (playing a one-time-only set of 1990’s Harmony Corruption and 1992’s Utopia Banished), plus Mayhem, Satan, Night Demon, Haunt, Magic Circle, Un, and more TBA.Continue reading
Yeah, this sounds fucked upcoming from me the advocate of all things Death Metal, loud and slamming drums, but young extreme bands need to learn when to hold them and when to fold them. There are many moments of technical brilliance – leads and solos in particular – to be found in Vitriol’s To Bathe from the Throat of Cowardice (Century Media Records), but they tend to get lost in a monochromatic cement sea. Continue reading
Ghost Cult got to catch up with Twin Temple recently at their sold out show at Saint Vitus Bar, in Brooklyn. We chatted with the group about their new album, … Brings You Their Signature Sound: Satanic Doo-Wop, their new record deal with Rise Above Records, the principles that propel the band, their influences, their extremely NSFW music video, and more. Continue reading
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Thirty-five years ago, 1980s glam rock and heavy metal leaders Mötley Crüe released their excellent second album Shout At The Devil (Elektra). Following up from their solid debut Too Fast For Love, this album has gone on to legend status over the years for breaking the band through to bigger audiences. It was definitely a commercial breakthrough and fan-favorite, although it was critically drubbed by some at the time. The next step in band mastermind Nikki Sixx’s plan for world domination (and to be the next KISS), it’s full of classic Crüe songs, memorable choruses, and some killer musical performances from the band. Continue reading
As summer swings round towards autumn, there are no shortage of odes and tributes to the Gods of power and glory that brought us traditional and classic Heavy Metal. Ghost Cult dives in amongst the raised fists and studded wristbands to round-up the latest album releases.
Deicide will release a new album on September 14th from their long-time label Century Media. Overtures Of Blasphemy will be their first album in five years, since In The Minds Of Evil. They just dropped a new single, ‘Seal The Tomb Below’, which you can stream now. Continue reading
