Dear friends, living or dead,

it’s cold. In my tomb it’s even much more colder than cold. Everywhere is this white mass people call snow. Sometimes it’s pretty nice to look at, but if you cannot feed on humans because nobody is out with this weather it begins to tremble on my nerves. On one of these boring days I checked all my web presences and tried to see how much THE STORY OF DAGON has spread.

And I like what I have seen. From my website and from Jamendo people downloaded the album 315 times. Thats pretty good for making no advertisements at all. That’s how it should work, if you ask me.

Besides that nearly all of the books has gone. I was pretty surprised that people still an exclusive a little expensive edition of a release when the music is available for free. But that’s todays standard, I guess.

However. I have decided to add some new sites on the web. It’s Facebook, and you should all know about it. I do not plan to use this as my primary communication tool, but try to keep it up to date.

Here are the links:

Besides that, I have reactivate a forum. I usually get tons of e-mail and would like to utilize that forum to bring you all together. I think most of you have same interests. It’s there:

http://ghul.org/forum.html

This message board is hosted at nabble.com. If you already have a account there, you can use it easily. For all others – nabble is one of the old dinosaurs on the web. As far as I know 100% reliable on privacy and such. This board is free for all topis, so don’t hesistate to free your mind there. Hope to see you on the board!

Best regards,

Cy Ghul

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THE MUMBLES release their new album by end of november. Before that, I got it for a prelistening. And I was very surprised of what I got. They call them self keyboard driven rock’n'roll – I coll em Gothic Rock without guitars. Followers of my site know that I am a great supporter of the “guitar free” scene .

If it didn’t come out clearly: THE MUMBLES are only two quite young lads from england (surprise) which are playing SISTERS OF MERCY styled gothic rock, but without guitars. They are on stage with only vocals and a keyboard. And they don’t seem that want to change this.

And I think they are right. They music got a very extraordinary sound. It’s gothic rock clearly. I mean, if the SISTERS would drop dead except for Andrew Eldritch (and the immortal Doktor Avalanche), this would be THE MUMBLES. Hm, after i wrote it – maybe THE MUMBLES are the Sisters? Who knows! Looking at their promotional pics, they guys even look like a young version of Sisters. For me, a long term Sisters fan and supporter of strange ideas like rock music without guitars, they are totally welcome.

All the songs are well done. I cannot claim about it. The voice of Robert is brilliant and the guy is a very good singer. While I enjoyed the songs structures, I need to say that I sometimes miss the steam which comes out from a good bass player or maybe even a guitarist. The whole record could need more bass freqs. More kick, more bass guitar! The songs itself already have steam and power, but the production does not support it totally. This is a pity! Sometimes THE MUMBLES use distorted keyboards for guitar replacement. I experimented with that stuff myself, but I think it sounds to clean for using. Better leave guitar sounds off and use something which sounds like a fat synthesizer.

However, besides this comments: I would buy a CD copy if I would seen them live. I think if you are interested in young but very promising bands and like the SISTERS, you should risk an ear. Good songs, good musicians, great idea. Some more kicks are needed for major success, but this will come in future. Definitly a band one needs to follow. Let’s hope they get an bassplayer on board and they buy a bus and start touring through UK. We know what the end of this story is. And after Andrew Eldritch begins to smell like a zombie, we urgently need some fresh blood.

Offical The Mumbles Website

Offical MySpace

the new CULTES DES GOULES album has been released today! Since now you are able to download the whole album for free.

Please visit: http://www.cultesdesgoules.org

If you prefer a physical release, you are invited to visit the Ghul Shop at: http://www.ghul.org and buy it. This time the release comes as a book with 52 pages and the CD-R included. Inside the book you’ll find the original story DAGON of H. P. Lovecraft and a translation of it, done by Cy Ghul and his good friend Tim Eichhorn.

Illustrations are done by Seth Benneth, who is a rising star in the world of underground metal releases. Thanks Seth! As usual, photographs are taken by N. Michejew.

I have been working for this album for more than a year now. It’s in the kind of a radioplay. It’s a bit unusual, since there a more orchestral and depressing elements in it than rock basses. But I hope you like this musical experiment as I do and are willing to follow me this depressive path.

Please feel free what you think about this album and don’t be shy when it comes to recommendations.

Here are some links to give away:

* http://ghul.org/downloads.html
* http://www.lastfm.de/music/Cultes+Des+Goules/The+story+of+Dagon

Till we meet again,
Cy Ghul

fresh new meat for you Ghul-aholics!

SKADY – Eyn Raunen Im tannicht
MOLOCH – A journey to the vyrding
SHADOWDREAM – Part of the infinity
SPELL FOREST – Lucifer Rex

9 Euro each – please visit my shop.

THE LAST CRY is quite a new band from UK. It formed somewhere in 2006 and now I hold WALKING TO THE EDGE in my hands. Its very impressiv how quickly this band could develop- just three years and produce so cool music? Incredible! But first step first: WALKING ON THE EDGE is album which would come as a digipack. It contains 12 songs and has a total running time of 58 minutes, which is very long these days! And now the best: THE LAST CRY has reckognized that labels are overrated these days and seem to be their own label. This is very good for the price – its just 9.99 pounds including P and P. That’s a totally acceptable price – a download usually isn’t cheaper. However, full respect to this step to produce this without label, let’s move on to the music.

THE LAST CRY is some mix of THE CURE and DEPECHE MODE (so they say). They were on tour with THE MISSION and THE SKELETAL FAMILY, and yes, that fits too. Sometimes music is going to sound a little bit more to DEPECHE MODE – electronic rythms, synths, less guitars – sometimes it sounds like THE CURE in their good days. One example for that is PRISON OF DREAMS as the electronic song, OUT OF THE SKY as the more traditional one.

Whatever style they are currently doing in my player, everything sounds very professionel and perfectly produced. I cannot name a single thing on production which disturbs me. Everything is in place at a good volume. Sound is brilliant and clear. I have nothing to add – the studio is a very good one.

The vocalist sometimes sound totally like Robert Smith (THE CURE). Not to bad I say – with the impressive compositions and the modern influences definitly not a copy but more a fresh way of presenting the style THE CURE invented. There is only one strange thing on the vocals. On DEVASTATE I thought I need to get used on the style of vocalizing. Something made me feel strange. But after a few songs I felt better and better and the vocals grew more into the music. I switched back and had the same feeling again. I am not sure why this is, but I would swear the DEVASTATE is one of their early songs. On later songs the guitars support more the kind of voice. Esspecially in REBEKKA you see a perfect integration of the vocals. But that are guesses, maybe I need to ask the people directly.

From the rest of the band I think I do not need to speak much. Theircompositions are great and they performed very well. I didn’t reckon one single error or some timing issue which disturbed me in enjoying this CD. Everything there.

That beeing said, I would compare this band also to THE DRAGONS and of course to mighty JOY DIVISION (at least a bit).

Last but not least, I would like to say that this is – even with modern sound – anoldschool music genre. If you like dark rock music, you should immediatly buy this CD. It’s totally recommended. This CD of course is not done for fans like, uh, what are they named? Elektro-something? Whatever – very good and tight rock band. I am sure live they will rock like hell, you better go out and grab your tickets. And vote for them to play on the WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN.

THE GREAT KAT and Beethoven – as I first heard of that by a newsletter I simply deleted the e-mail. I did so the next 7 times, until I took some time and visited the homepage. Honestly, the homepage is very ugly and totally overloaded with content. I really didn’t have a clue about this was about. But I kept on going and after a while I noticed that THE GREAT KAT is a female violinist who also plays guitar.

But she is more than a guitarist. Based on Paginis (*1742, died 1840) techniques she managed it to play both, violin and guitar on a very, very high speed level. And now she banned her talent on a DVD.

And its good that she did. The whole DVD is very short, maybe 20 minutes. I put the DVD in and – up and down, up and down – the great Kat is completly insane. She is penetrating her guitar like a true maniac. I never saw such a guitar play before and I think I will never see it again. Incredible technique!

When listening a bit more in detail, you can hear not only one guitar, but also violin (besides drums, bass of course). The great Kat managed to play guitar at the highest speed possible (at least for now) AND playing the second voice in violin. I really thought that nothing else that guitar shredding will be heard, but actually these are complete songs in a complete line-up. And she is precise like a clock (I mean an atom-clock here). That beeing said, the great kat is maybe one of the best guitar plays on this globe. Her technique is incredible, shows years of practicing and cannot be copied by most of the guitarist out there.

I enjoyed the technical shredding very much. But there are also contras for this music. The stuff on this DVD feels more like a presentation of finger techniques than a real release in the “metal sense”. Thats a pretty good minus, because songs like BLOOD or ISLAMOFASCIST are definitly worth hearing. Those songs are not partitures from classical componist (well, maybe I don’t know them, but I am pretty sure) but come from the feather of Kat herself. The two could be a mix of hardcore and grindcore with unbeatable guitarwork. Kat would really have the chance to give grindcore a totally different face.

But honestly – I would prefer to have a complete album in the way of speed metal. Think on a faster riffing than on EXODUS – BONDED BY BLOOD. Wouldn’t that be great? Please Kat, go on and build up a real band! A bit less shredding and you are into play. Probably every professional band on this planet would like to have you as a lead guitarist.

But back to the DVD. For my taste, there is too much cliche. So much inverted crosses, blood, insects, brutality and so on. It obvious that one need a good sense of humour, because it doesn’t feel “serious”. To be honest, this cliche is maybe one of her trademarks, but would have prevented me from buying this. The days of VENOM are over, but THE GREAT KAT is the perfect continuation to that band.

I am also not sure if the drums and the bass guitar you are hearing on the video are really played by humans. The instruments are more than usual mixed into the background which gives more space to the (still incredible) guitars. Its good to hear the fine work of master Kat. But it also makes one feel that drums are a bit dry and mechanic. The small parts on the video showed me, that the man on the video is playing other stuff than the actuall drummer did – but that might be because of the synchronisation. I will pass this through because I think its very difficult to get a perfect sync at this extreme speed.

All the videos look like done with stage actors, not musicians. The “band” is usually totally hidden behind masks and obviously does only have some kind of siderole. As already said, I really would like to see Kat in a true band. Or live in a classical orchestra.

Whereever Kat develops, I will have an eye on her now. What she did is of interest for each metal-guitarist out there. Every guitar hero fan can enjoy watching this. But this is – in my eyes – some kind of demo and now I am waiting for the real release with real songs and a real band. And finally – if that is possible with that speed – a real tour. If she does that, she probalby doesn’t need all that cliche stuff

However: one of the best guitarist on this planet. Recommend buy for guitar fetishists.

Offical The great Kat Website

please read the following e-mail from U.D.O.. I think they have deserved our support for this. Thanks for bringing in these thoughts into metal.

Cy

On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 4:06 PM, ITM Agency  wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> U.D.O. the band around metal icon and german metal tank Udo Dirkschneider
> announces cooperation with PETA2.de, the youth campaign of animal rights
> organization PETA Deutschland.
>
> Please click on below listed link and you can watch the first result (done
> together with a few other brilliant artists)
>
> www.peta2.de/atbhbandvideo
>
> The band wants to help to support organizations fighting for the rights of
> humans, animals and nature.
>
>
> First official statement of the band:
>
> Dear Fans of U.D.O.
>
> the band always supported different organisations helping nature,
> animals and humans. We have been private about our beliefs and not done this
> publicy because we never wanted to receive more promotion for the band just
> while helping the poorest creatures on this planet. F.e. only a few people
> know what Fitty did for some russian children…..!
>
> Now we changed our mind and have decided  to use our limited influence to
> generate more interest in the work of this wonderful organisations worldwide
> and to make sure they can continue with their work. We don´t care if the
> organisations support campaigns in Russia, Germany or South America. We´re
> all people of  the ONE planet and we have to take care that this fragile
> planet has a chance to survive. It´s up to every single individual to save
> this
> world. YES WE CAN!!!!!
>
> The band travels a lot and we see many problems all over this planet and in
> nearly every country children, nature and animals get treated very badly,
> even our closest friends like dogs, cats and apes. It´s not just in the
> neighbourhood like Spain, Rumania, Russia, Italy but also in Germany. It is
> everywhere and
> animals have NO rights. Animals have NO lobbyism at all and get treated in
> the worst possible way. EU politicians f.e. discuss if a stupid banana has
> to be straight or how much it might be crooked to be allowed to be sold in
> the EU but they are not willing to create a european wide law to save the
> animals……???? How stupid is that? It´s just because of money and power.
>
> Each cigarette you smoke cuts down your lungs. What can you do without your
> lungs? You die…but at the end of the day THIS is your personal decision
> (by the way a lot of animals have to die and suffer because of the damn
> cigarette industrie…..)!
>
> BUT each tree we cut down in South America (or anywhere else on this planet)
> will cut
> down our oxigen! Well you all know what will happen without oxygen! Right,we
> ALL gonna DIE!!!! So please help to save the lungs of the world, help to
> stop the criminals who are cutting off the lungs of the world!!!
>
> Friends and fans, we want you to help this organisation to score all their
> goals. Support them (and support doesn´t just mean to spend money) of course
> they need money as well. They need YOUR help writing protest mails to
> politicians and responsible people, support them with your vote and your
> voice. Don´t buy
> any products just because they are cheap. “Cheap” most likely means that
> someone else has to pay the difference with deepest pain! Take care about
> the environment, help to avoid garbage and try to save water. Be fair to
> other humans and treat the animals like friends and not like shit! There are
> so many things we have to take care of…..
>
> Don´t look away! The pain is everywhere and children, nature and animals
> can´t help themself against the exploitative business guys and politicians.
> They need our help!!!!!
>
> Further activities will follow during the tour. Watch out!
>
> best regards

SKELETAL FAMILY are back! Yes, its true. Four years after SAKURA they recorded a new album with the name SONGS OF LOVE, HOPE AND DESPAIR. And lucky as I am, I could listen to it before it’s available on Amazon. Isn’t it great to be an undead?

The whole album starts with a totally strange and scary arrangments. Later I should know that these disharmonias can be heard on the whole album. So more dark corners you spot, so more disharmonias. Nothing extraordinary for SKELETAL FAMILY. Remember the song freak. Isn’t there something in the song, which makes it sound – special? This exotic spice is what people often call disharmonia. However, this is what the SKELETAL FAMILY makes a very special and a very, very great band. And yes, the good news is, this spice is there and it starts with the first song LOVE, HOPE, DESPAIR and ends with 13, the last song in line.

It’s scary, it’s rock. All songs are straightforward and sometimes remind me on Alice Cooper (Make it alright). Very catchy refrains go straight to your ears. I mean: what can I do to make it alright? This is so simple, I will never forget this phrase again. This is best beeing played very loud – and you need to sing along with. Other songs remind me on Munster and give the listener this feeling of old caves, dusty clubs, goth rock like we had back before ages. Yes, this one is definitly for oldschoolers.

That beeing said, the album is greatly mixed too. There is nothing to hear of the loudness war. There is dynamic, there is life in the whole production. I am glad they did it this way, I am too tired of all that dry, metal-sounding (I mean the chemical element, not the music genre) mixes. SKELETAL FAMILY sound like the elder of us are used too, just a bit better. Execellent mix, warm and bright (please you ghuls out there, sit down, it’s good if something sounds bright, even when music is dark).

Such a great band. It’s pity that I cannot attend the CD launch party. Definitly, this band stands for a great era of UK based music. If somebody says ‘batcave’, then SKELETAL FAMILY come immediatly to my mind. Don’t miss them live, they have played several times in Leipzig at the WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN.

Offical Skeletal Family Website

Offical MySpace

H|Insane is a deathrock band from the city I was born before ages: Regensburg. But this isn’t a plus, since I don’t like too much bands from their. But as soon as I got this little masterpiece into my hands, I felt in love.

Honestly: H|Insane is quite a young band, but those two girls are playing like demons. One could say: that girls really rock. There are metal fans who always tried to rock like em, but never managed to do so.

Devils Network is an EP with only 6 songs. Its selfmade and a demo in first line. This apologizes the sound. Its quite OK mixed and you shouldn’t be afraid to get in touch with this demo. But have in mind, this one is a demo, and demos are allowed to be not perfect. This EP would have needed some good mastering, since there is not too much brilliance in the sound. Everything is a bit dull. High frequencies have died. And its oversteering at some points. You’ll only notice the later one with very good headphones or with playing this record very very loud. Last but not least the whole record could be a bit louder in general. But by all means, the music on it is so good and perfectly enjoyable, that you don’t have to care about the sound.

The songs remind me a bit on the great punk rock like the SCARY BITCHES play. But with good and proper lyrics, no cliche at all (well, a little, but that is what the music stands for, is it?). Even with quite a complex drum programming, all the songs feel like going straight forward all the time. That is good, cause this straight forward kick in the face makes H|Insane a perfect rock machine. Gigs with that band MUST be good. I cannot imagine it otherwise than people totally freaking out when listening to this simple and sometimes disharmonic melodies, the ongoing beat and the young, but yet powerful voice.

Ah, the voice! While guitarworks and bass sound like played from rock gigants (well ok, you know what I mean), the voice is very good too. It needs some more practice. Don’t get me wrong – the girl here is animating you freaks out there to sing along with her. Its perfectly understandable what she vocalizes and all the tunes are in place. One of the best singers I heard from underground bands in the last weeks. But I think she has room to develop in the next months and I am very sure, she will do. So please Ladies and Gentleman prepare for a big deathrock vocalizer in the future.

Just the concept is something I would need a bit more. H|Insane is a very good band, but it needs a bit more face. At the moment everything is a bit usual. Songs about personal presentation and such. Tiny monsters. Nothing we haven’t heard about it in the past. What I really would enjoy is some trademark like Christian Death (sex, anti-christdom) or Scary Bitches (cliche, cliche and cliche) or maybe Fields of the Nephilim (fog, western, supernatural beeings). What is it at H|Insane? I am sure this will develop too. Once the idea has come in the girls mind, we’ll have a band with very big potential.

Its such a pity, that I don’t live in Regensburg anymore. I would apply as a drummer. But well, I will try to attend their gigs from now on. We’ll see you there. I mean, directly before stage.

Offical H|Insane Website

Offical MySpace