ALBUM REVIEW: Rock Band From Hell – Music For Late Night Activities


 

There was either a miscommunication with the final product, or Rock Band From Hell made a head-scratchingly curious production decision as Music For Late Night Activities (Universal/Central Line) sounds like half of it was recorded on Windows Media Player with those calculators that stand themselves up hydraulically.

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ALBUM REVIEW: While She Sleeps – Sleeps Society


While it may be OK to not be OK, as the main refrain of the thumping anthemic opener ‘Enlightenment?’ insists (and while it absolutely is, we still have much work to do as a collective mass to support each other), Sleeps Society (Sleeps Brothers, in assoc. with Search & Destroy, Spinefarm, UNFD, Universal) takes a step and seeks to provide a place, a community packed with a kinship of like-minded souls who will be there with and for each other. It would be easy for the Sleeps Society (a Patreon-based family) to be empty words and hollow platitudes, but there is integrity to the missives that are as important to the overall point of While She Sleeps in 2021 as the songs. Continue reading


The Music Industry Will Lead a Blackout In Solidarity With Black Community Following George Floyd Death


A number of record labels and other music industry members have joined forces to make June 2 “Black Out Tuesday” in response to the killing of George Floyd and nationwide protests. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis by a police officer in an incident caught on camera. The officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for nearly ten minutes while Floyd was handcuffed. Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Warner Records, Universal, Sony, Interscope Geffen, and Columbia are among the labels that have pledged to “disconnect from work and reconnect with our community” on Tuesday.Continue reading


Apocalyptica Live at Tennessee Performing Arts Center


The Tennessee Performing Arts Center rests directly in the heart of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Known for hosting all the Broadway shows that come through Music City, this cultural center is a venue that caters to a variety of performances. Including an occasional Heavy Metal show. The Finnish act, Apocalyptica came to town last Tuesday to celebrate the anniversary of their debut album, Plays Metallica by Four Cellos (Mercury/Universal). This acclaimed group of guys, known for their unique use of the Cello, came out with their first record just over twenty years ago and have been on the road all around the world honoring its notable significance.Continue reading


Employed to Serve To Tour The UK Next Fall with Bury Tomorrow


Employed to Serve is riding on top of huge praise for their new album Eternal Forward Motion (Spinefarm/Universal). The band has already booked major festivals (Hellfest, Glastonbury, All Points East, and Jera On Air) and a headline tour. Now they will embark on a UK tour supporting Bury Tomorrow late in the year. All tour dates are on sale now. Continue reading


Rammstein Enters The Studio To Record Possible Final Album


Rammstein has entered the studio to begin recording their new album expected in 2018. In an interview given at Spain’s Resurrection Fest this summer, guitarist Richard Kruspe cast doubt on a follow-up after this new release. More details below.Continue reading


The Sword – Greetings From…


Greetings From… (Universal) is the latest live offering from The Sword. Greetings From… tries to capture the swank and swagger from The Sword’s live show and condense it into album form. It’s a combined hit and a miss. Some parts translate beautifully, while others, not so much. Let’s examine Greeting From… shall we.Continue reading


Rob Zombie- Korn – In This Moment, Live At The Xfinity Center


Rob Zombie, by Emma Parsons Photography

Rob Zombie, by Emma Parsons Photography

 

One of the top tours Ghost Cult covered this year was the Return Of The Dreads tour from Rob Zombie, Korn, and In This Moment. All three bands put on a big show and none bigger than Zombie who has projected his larger than life, splatter film inspired, b-movie femme fatal tunnel vision into our brains for over 25 years now. Often a big tour like this is fraught with egos and drama to match the spectacle, but by all accounts all these bands have been classy and great to each other, and to the fans every night. Continue reading


Evanescence To Release The Ultimate Collection Vinyl Box Set


Evanescence, photo credit by Michael-Weintroub

Evanescence, photo credit by Michael-Weintroub

Recently reactivated new millenium rockers Evanescense will release The Ultimate Collection, a 6-LP Vinyl Box Set on December 9th. Continue reading


P.O.D. – The Awakening


The_Awakening_by_P.O.D

For a veteran radio rock band producing a heady concept album may seem strange, but San Diego’s P.O.D. has made a career of making left turns seem right. They have been able to shift chameleon-like from their early days as So-Cal hardcore punks, to Nu Metal, to active rock torchbearers while still writing big hits. When you are a band at this level, the choice to make a concept album at this stage of the game is a curious move, but a welcome one.

Following a day in the life of the main protagonist, with all the moral choices a person has to make daily, The Awakening (T-Boy/Universal) is tied together with little vignettes in the form of the intros and outros of tracks. Some of the acting is hammy in places, but in the context of the album, it works. Without being too preachy, the long running Christian act continues to ply its faith through lyrics firmly on each track. Opening with the posi-rock of ‘Am I Awake’, the track sets the tone. I expect arena rock ready hit single ‘This Goes Out To You’ to be heard in the PA system of every NFL stadium this fall. It’s an homage to the SoCal lifestyle the band grew up with and their fans.

The broody ‘Rise of NWO’ is going to be a hit with the bro in your life that follows Facebook groups and Reddit threads about The Illuminati, and False Flag nuts. The track is heavy and features Sonny Sandoval’s deft rhyming. Marcus Curiel, along with help from drummer Wuv Bernardo have done some of the best guitar work in the history of the band on The Awakening. ‘Criminal Conversations’ features In This Moment’s Maria Brink in the lens of an adulterous relationship. Musically the ballad works, and I can see it being a hit with fans, but I wasn’t crazy about the collabo. One exciting thing about the album is the band reconnects with its punk roots on ‘Speed Demon’ and ‘Revolución,’ which features Lou Koller from Sick Of It All. The most surprising track on the album is ‘Want It All’. In addition to the heart tugging vocals and lyrics covering the “why are we all here” stuff, it is a slick Jazzy tune, complete with smokey horns and vibraphone parts that chill you way out.

The Awakening feels like a comeback album for a band that didn’t need to make one. It’s cool to see them challenge themselves and their listeners at a time when many other bands just mail it in.

7.0/10

KEITH CHACHKES