ALBUM REVIEW: The Body and Dis Fig – Orchards Of A Futile Heaven


The Body, who are comprised of Rhode Island duo Lee Buford (drums/programming) and Chip King (guitars/vocals), are a Metal band, but not as we know it (to paraphrase Star Trek). Continue reading


Sunn O))) Book UK and EU “Shoshin Duo” Live Dates


Photo credit: Angela Betancourt

Photo credit: Angela Betancourt

Cult drone metal unit, SUNN O))), have just announced a series of live dates in Spring 2024 as part of their Shoshin (初心) Duo tour. Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley will be performing as a pair, “immersed in profound valve amplification, spectral harmonics, distortion, and volume.” The shows also feature an on-tour only option to buy the 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo limited edition LP. Head into the article below for more details.Continue reading


Sunn O))) Announce 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP and Kick Off US Tour


Cult drone metal band, Sunn O))), have announced an exclusive split-label release from Southern Lord records and Ideologic Organ records; the 25th Anniversary Rehearsal Demo LP. Limited to 1,000 machine numbered copies, it is only available on tour, and core members, Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley, have just set out on a US run. Find more details below.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Helen Money and Will Thomas – Trace


 

Helen Money, aka Alison Chesley, is a cellist who has worked with some pretty heavy hitters in the alternative/underground scenes including Jarboe, Bob Mould, Steve Albini, and Neurosis. In addition to these, she has also released music as part of the band Verbow and as a composer for film, theatre, and dance.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Tom Osman vs Existent / Nonexistent – Industrial State of Mind


 

Tom Osman in case you weren’t aware is a writing colleague over here at Ghost Cult and looking at the albums he’s reviewed previously, I can see he has a tendency towards for the most part the more esoteric and avant-garde as evidenced by names such as REZN, Fågelle, Soothsayer Orchestra, Holy Fawn and Black Magnet. Prior to Industrial State of Mind (Drama Recorder), Tom had recorded and released the so much for all in a day’s work album in the early part of 2022.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Big|Brave – Nature Morte


 

Big|Brave, along with recent collaborators The Body (on Leaving None But Small Birds), Sunn O))) and Earth, are one of those bands whose music while fundamentally heavy and ‘Metal’ (for all intents and purposes) nonetheless expands far beyond the sometimes self-imposed conservative restrictions of the genre. Being a somewhat inactive member of a Metal group on Facebook, I am all too familiar with the more traditional brand of Metalhead for whom the genre stopped being ‘true’ after Iron Maiden‘s Somewhere In Time or Metallica‘s …And Justice For All. If you are of that ilk therefore, I have a sneaking suspicion that this album possibly won’t be for you.

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ALBUM REVIEW: The Lord (Greg Anderson) – Forest Nocturne


 

Forest Nocturne (Southern Lord) is the debut full-length LP from The Lord, a solo project of the ever-prolific Greg Anderson, perhaps best known for his work with Sunn O))). The press release uses words like “pictorial” and “cinematic”, and mentions the influence of film composers such as John Carpenter and Bernard Hermann. Continue reading


Artist Stephen Kasner (Sunn O))), Integrity, Justin Broadrick) Dead at age 49


Iconic artist Stephen Kasner who came out of the underground scene to create horror-themed art for films, books, and avant-garde and metal artists’ albums, died on Christmas Day. He was just 48. In addition to painting, art and other mixed media, Kasner also made music under the Blood Fountains moniker. He created art for albums from a variety of artists such as Khlyst, Sunn O))), Integrity, Lotus Eaters, Skullflower, Justin Broadrick, Subarachnoid Space, and Martin Grech among others. Kasner released the book Stephen Kasner Works: 1993 – 2006 (Scapegoat Publishing, 2007), a lavish career retrospective with text by various artistic luminaries and collaborations with Seldon Hunt, David D’Andrea, Dwid Hellion, Steven Leyba, and Steven Cerio. Dwid’s Integrity band posted a remembrance of Kasner on Social Media. Continue reading


GUEST POST: Stephen O’Malley of Sunn O))) Shares His Eleven Most Loved Albums in 2019


Underground music legend Stephen O’Malley is perhaps best known for his work with Drone Metal gods Sunn O))), but has had a hand shaping heavy music in one form or another as an artist, producer, and label owner for three decades. Sunn O)))’s 2019 release Life Metal drew universal acclaim. Stephen has been kind enough to share eleven albums he loved in 2019 with our readers. Some of these albums are not from this year, or even recent decades, but are all albums he vibed with and worth checking out. Continue reading


SunnO))) – Life Metal


Secrecy surrounds the release of Sunn O)))‘s latest opus Life Metal (Southern Lord Records), aimed for a limited release on Record Store Day. Who can blame them? With albums by megastars falling victim to hacks and illegal leaks, it’s frustrating but somewhat understandable to be reviewing a product after it’s initial release. Whatever the strategy an epic journey is guaranteed and, with four tracks spanning seventy minutes, the album doesn’t disappoint in that regard.Continue reading