Tag Archives: synths

ALBUM REVIEW: Big|Brave – Nature Morte

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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: Ithaca – They Fear Us

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Following the release of their debut album The Language Of Injury in 2019, Ithaca quite rightly found themselves labelled as one of the new up and coming buzz bands in the UK’s Metal scene. The album was a furious slice of post-hardcore / metalcore, full of great riffs and powerful vocals delivered by singer Djamilla Boden Azzouz, which saw them saw them gain comparisons with the likes of other heavy, strong bands including Svalbard and Employed To Serve. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Porcupine Tree – Closure – Continuation

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“Progressive rock” is a term that can encompass a wide variety of sounds. At one point or another in their 35-year history, Porcupine Tree — the brainchild of Steven Wilson — have probably touched upon most of these. Having put out several albums of electronica-infused psychedelic space rock since their formation in 1987, the band reached a peak of critical and commercial success in the 2000s with the metal-influenced experimental songcraft exemplified by In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet. By the start of 2011, however, Porcupine Tree appeared to be no more, with Wilson announcing a hiatus to focus on his solo career; he stated as recently as 2018 that getting the band back together “would seem like a terribly backward step”.

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ALBUM REVIEW: In Hearts Wake – Kaliyuga Booster Pack

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Eighteen months after the release of their fifth album, Australian metalcore merchants In Hearts Wake have nicked a trick from the Roadrunner Records playbook of the nineties with the Kaliyuga Booster Pack (UNFD) and are re-releasing their 2020 opus with a handful of goodies ahead of hitting the road in 2022.

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EXCLUSIVE STREAM: Chalk Portraits – “Memory III”

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When we last brought you news of Chalk Portraits, the ambient music instrumental project from New Jersey musician Greg Kennelty, we shared the full EP stream of his debut, No Visibility. Now returning with a new release, Memory, we hear the sound evolving in a more cinematic style. Listen to “Memory III” now!

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EXCLUSIVE EP STREAM: Chalk Portraits – “No Visibility” Full EP Stream

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Ghost Cult is proud to present the full EP stream of No Visibility, from Chalk Portraits, an ambient music instrumental project from New Jersey musician Greg Kennelty. Reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails’ Ghosts albums, Wendy Carlos, synth-laden spacey Pink Floyd, and the solo work of Mike Armine (Rosetta), Chalk Portraits mines a musical inner space for the listener to contemplate. Alternately boxing you into an uncomfortable space, but also possessing moments of chilled-out resolve, in just four short tracks, No Visibility takes you on an epic mini-emotional journey. The EP can be purchased at Bandcamp and streamed on all DSPs today. Stream the EP now at Ghost Cult. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: The Body – I’ve Seen All I Need To See

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Metal, for all its anti-establishment credentials, can often be quite conservative. Many of the same old tropes have been rolled out again and again for the past four decades or so. Whilst that’s not a major problem for many metal fans, it is arguable that the same recycled ideas just don’t have the same impact that they once did. What once seemed impossibly heavy, deafeningly loud, even shocking or transgressive, can now be played on mainstream radio without anyone raising an eyebrow.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Elder – Omens

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Did you daydream as a kid? Just stare off into nothing and let your imagination run wild? I did. A lot of my early childhood was spent amazed at what my mind could cook up with if I had a lack of books or toys, and before my soul was captured by music. Laying on my back in the grass, seeing shapes in the clouds or constellations at night, that was pure happiness as a kid. I never really stopped chasing that vibe as an adult, because I still drift off and let my brainwaves go crazy. Expect nowadays my field is my headphones and a turntable, and the clouds my mind is chasing down are inside of my eyelids, and not the sky. If you are looking for the ultimate “drop out, tune in, and turn on” soundtrack for 2020, it is definitely going to be Elder’s new opus, Omens (Armageddon Shop/Stickman Records).Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Infinity Shred – Forever, A Fast Life

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Infinity Shred‘s Forever, A Fast Life (3DOT Recordings) is like if Health had their own interpretation of Deafheaven‘s Sunbather. Yeah, I never thought I’d type out a such a sentence and half of the readers have probably walked away at this point but hear me out. Again, imagine Sunbather, but only strip away George Clarke‘s corrosive vocals and replace them with copious amounts of synths. Again, not the best sentence to describe Infinity Shred, so I’m going to need you to put on some headphones and take this thing for a test drive.Continue reading →


EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Overththetop -“Fact/Trust”

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Members of New York city metal bands Alekhine’s Gun, Desolate and Severed, have come together in a new group Overthethetop! Mashing up brutal grindcore and tasteful synthwave, Overthetop comes off like the bastard child of Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Carpenter Brut. The band is preparing their debut album for release this summer. Check out their new single “Fact/Trust” right now!Continue reading →