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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
Sunn O))) will host a U.S. listening session in addition to their events in London and Paris in the lead up to the release of Life Metal, due out April 26th, via Southern Lord. The listening session will happen on April 13th, in Brooklyn listening session at Future Space in collaboration with Southern Lord Recordings and The Tinnitus Music Series. The experience will feature a tower of loudspeakers, engulfing walls of fog, and throbbing color. This event is free, open to the public and available on a first come, first serve basis. RSVP now below.Continue reading
Enigmatic doom legends SUNN O))) have announced two new albums. Life Metal, the first due out this April via Southern Lord Recordings. Recorded simultaneously with a second “more meditative” LP dubbed Pyroclasts, both albums created by Steve Albini in parallel, and which will be revealed in autumn 2019. All music performed by Stephen, Greg, T.O.S., Tim Midyett, and Hildur Guðnadóttir. Their first new music in four years will be fully supported by their first US tour since 2017 and the premier US tour of their 2019-2020 season, including stops at The Masonic Lodge in Detroit, Howard Theatre in Washington, DC, Agora Theatre in Cleveland, Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago, The Caves in Pelham, and Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn. More tour dates coming soon. Watch the album trailer now!Continue reading
It has been a bloody long time since the last record from Sludge Metal veterans Deadbird. Ten, count them, years have passed, and even though genre as a collective has been in a rut for some time, the band has seen fit to stick to their guns on new record III: The Forest Within The Tree (20 Buck Spin).Continue reading