ALBUM REVIEW: Skáld – Huldufólk


Steeped in Nordic mythology, France’s Skáld draw extensively on traditional folk music and employ the Old Norse language for many of their lyrics. Huldufólk (Decca / Universal Music) is the group’s fourth full-length release and is themed around the subject of its title: huldufólk, or “hidden people” is the name given to the mythical beings — elves, dwarves, trolls — that populate Nordic folklore. Moreover, according to the press release accompanying this record, the work honours “an entire people in whom many Scandinavians still believe”.

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INTERVIEW: PODCAST: Episode #168: Billy Howerdel – The Ghost Cult Interview


Ghost Cult caught up with Billy Howerdel (also of a perfect circle) to discuss his new solo album – What Normal Was (Alchemy Records, Rise Records, BMG). Billy discusses his career up to now, the choice to use his own name instead of Ashes Divide, letting his 1980s influences fly on the new album, his upcoming tour dates, and some plans for a perfect circle too. Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Billy Howerdel – What Normal Was


Billy Howerdel is best known as the songwriter and guitarist for A Perfect Circle, the band he created with his good friend James Maynard Keenan (Tool / Puscifer) after they met when Tool were supporting Fishbone for whom Howerdel was a guitar tech in the early nineties, before sharing a house together in the Hollywood Hills. Howerdel would work on his early material while also engineering for the likes of David Bowie, Guns n’ Roses, and Nine Inch Nails.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Marissa Nadler, Amenra, Cave In – Songs of Townes Van Zandt Vol. III


I’ve been a fan of Townes Van Zandt for some time now after a chance hearing some years ago of ‘Pancho & Lefty’ on a movie or film I’ve long since forgotten the name of. This combined with a love of all things Yob eventually led me to Mike Scheidt’s contribution to Vol. II of this wonderful series of tributes released in 2014 also on Neurot Recordings and My Proud Mountain: needless to say, I was hooked. Eight years on, I wasn’t expecting a Vol. III but I’m very glad that it has arrived.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Converge – Bloodmoon: I


After the four-year gap since their last studio album, Massachusetts hardcore/metalcore act Converge return with something quite different. A collaborative effort, Bloodmoon: I (Epitaph Records) sees the band joining forces with Chelsea Wolfe, Ben Chisholm plus Cave In singer/guitarist Stephen Brodsky, the seven individuals all contributing to something a little out of their usual comfort zones.

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Watch Deftones New Video for “Teenager (Robert Smith Remix)”


Deftones have shared another new remix track/video combo from their upcoming album, White Pony 20th Anniversary/Black Stallion (Reprise Records). The new track is “Teenager” as remixed by Robert Smith of The Cure. Deftones previously announced the long-rumored reissue of their classic White Pony as well as their planned Black Stallion Remix album! The set will be released on December 11th via Reprise / Warner Records. An All-star cast of peers and other legends including DJ Shadow, Mike Shinoda, Clams Casino, Phantogram, Tourist, and more will reimagine White Pony for its 20th Anniversary (read our retrospective here); Pre-orders are live at the link below.Continue reading


Stabbing Westward Drops Surprise Covers EP – Streaming Now


Industrial Metal legends Stabbing Westward have shared a brand new Halloween covers EP dubbed Hallowed Hymns! The release, a gift to their die-hard fans and new ones too, is streaming and physical copies are for sale from their new label COP International at the link below. The covers include new takes on old Industrial and post-Punk/Goth classics from Ministry, The Cure, and Echo and the Bunnymen. The EP was produced by their longtime collaborator John Fryer, who worked on the band’s early classic albums. Fryer and Stabbing Westward are in the studio now working on a new full-length album for release in 2021. Purchase and stream the EP now!

 

Purchase and stream:

https://copinternational.bandcamp.com/album/hallowed-hymns

 

The EP, released on COP International Records, features 4 tracks that were instrumental to the industrial band’s beginnings and conjure the feeling of the season and include original takes on “Burn” from The Cure (famously featured on the soundtrack to The Crow), the classic “Every Day Is Halloween” by Ministry and Echo And The Bunnymen’s eternal hit “Killing Moon.” There is also a special “Devil’s Night Mix” version of Stabbing Westward’s “Burn” cover to round out the surprise release.

 

Stabbing Westward— featuring original founding members Christopher Hall (vocals/guitar) and Walter Flakus (keyboards/programming) as well as longtime bandmate Carlton Bost (bass) and newest member Bobby Amaro (drums)—originally released their cover of “Burn” to much fanfare for the Cold Waves Festival compilation album in September; the track was premiered by Revolver magazine that called it a “reverent cover” that kicked off the compilation “with a bang.”

 

Says frontman Christopher Hall about this special surprise release:

“2020 has been a shit year. We were supposed to release our new album and tour the U.S. to support it. But clearly that’s not happening. We know Halloween is different this year with no parties and no Trick or Treating so we wanted to give fans something special …. something that will help tie you over until we can release some new music.

 

We picked these three tracks because, for us, they represent the feeling of Halloween and they were very important songs during our early musical stages. If there were ever two bands that I would say most influenced Walter and I to form Stabbing Westward it would be Ministry and The Cure. From the earliest days of Ministry’s With Sympathy through the evolution of Twitch, they were the band that opened our minds and hearts to industrial music. To be able to reimagine these songs as Stabbing Westward while still trying to pay homage to the brilliance of the original versions was a terrifyingly fun adventure.

 

We have been working on the album so hard for so long that it was really a joy to take a break and explore all these tracks had to offer. As often as you listen to your favorite songs it’s a totally different experience to take one apart and see how it was built. It gave me such an immense appreciation for what these amazing artists created—especially the Ministry track knowing how primitive the gear was that Al Jourgensen had to work with back then with none of the modern tools we take for granted today. He literally created new techniques in the studio that we still use today. He was light years ahead of his time. We hope you enjoy listening to these tracks as much as we have enjoyed recording them.”

 

The EP’s title coyly illustrates that Stabbing Westward is in fact neither dead nor gone, but rather ready to pick up where they left off after a string of mid-‘90s hits that dominated alternative radio and film soundtracks, including “Shame,” “Save Yourself,” “So Far Away” and “What Do I Have to Do?”, and resulted in two Gold records.

 

(photo credit: @Pharmadiver/Kim Hansen Photography)

Follow Stabbing Westward:

Website: https://www.stabbingwestward.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stabbingwestwrd

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stabbingwestward

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDSEWAjgbzSaEIdbeCOJWXw

 


Behemoth Shares New Single and Video – “A Forest” ft Niklas Kvarforth of Shining


Behemoth will release a new EP, A Forest, on May 29th via Metal Blade Records. The EP’s title track is a cover of The Cure track, and it features a guest appearance by Shining frontman Niklas Kvarforth. The A Forest EP also includes a live version of the title track as well as two previously unreleased BEHEMOTH songs recorded during the I Loved You At Your Darkest album sessions. Watch the video now! Continue reading


CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED: Deftones Released “Diamond Eyes” Ten Years Ago


Deftones, even at their best, have been a band of dichotomies. That is what makes them a special band in the history of heavy music: opposing forces pulling and pushing them apart and back again. They may have been coming apart at the seams in the run-up to making Diamond Eyes (Reprise), and you couldn’t blame them. If you follow the band closely, you know the history. The band was nearly done tracking their highly anticipated album Eros in the fall of 2008, when founding bassist Chi Cheng was in a car wreck, on his way home from a funeral. Chi was left in a vegetative state, and the band was in shock. As Chi fought for his life (he passed in 2013, RIP), the band was left wondering what to do. They wanted to make music, but the experience with their best friend caused them to shelve Eros, never to be heard (almost never). When they came back together, the results were unexpected and wild. Continue reading