Lustmord Lombardo

When From the recently released The Pulse of Atoms, out last Friday on Ipecac Recordings. Order a copy HERE. 

The idea of these two juggernauts teaming up blew my mind when I first caught wind of this as an upcoming release earlier in the year, and the end result does not disappoint.

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31 Days of Halloween:

When I first saw the trailer for Beware Boiúna at the theatre last month, I was torn. Creature features are not always my jam, and with the unavoidable surface-level comparison to Anaconda - a film I've still never seen and have no intention of seeing - I wasn't very jazzed. That said, there was something about this trailer that felt a bit like Thai/Indonesian Horror. Specifically, David Sodergren's Death Spell. That may be way off, but it flashed through my brain and kept me at least somewhat interested. Then I saw that Mike P. Nelson Directed this. His Silent Night Deadly Night reimagining last year was one of my favorite films (I LOVE seeing nazis die, and that movie had a lot of that!). So last night, I caught a late-ish screening.

The jungle. That's what gives me those creepy, Indo-Thai vibes. The two regions share the geography of hell - i.e. jungle so thick and hot and wet and filled with alien species it would break a westerner like me in probably minutes. And Nelson's film perfectly telegraphs that. Also, it's not just a creature feature; there's some pretty smart human drama going on in the spine of this thing. And gore! This may be the most visceral theatrical viewing since Primate earlier in the year.

Overall, I very much enjoyed it am definitely glad I caught it on the big screen. I'd love to see a making of featurette on this one, just to see/hear what filming was like and how they did some of it. 

1) George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead

2) V/H/S/ playlist (Amateur Night; Safe Haven; Slumber Party Alien Abduction; Bone Storm; Dreamkill)

3) The Warriors

4) Big Trouble in Little China

5) Dreamscape

6) Infirmary

7) Beware Boiúna

8) Milk & Serial

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Read:

So here's something I did not expect. I ended up grabbing copies of Marvel's three new "Midnight" series debuts this past Wednesday. The X-Men and Spider-Man aren't really worth talking about, but holy cow did I dig this one:

So let me clarify. It's not like the X-Men: Midnight and Spider-Man: Midnight were bad; they were fine. But FF really grabbed me. Imagine Reed as a pill-poppin' scientist obsessed with opening a rift between worlds and willing to do anything - including sacrifice his assistant Victor - to do so. Now imagine Sue Storm as the head of a dangerous corporation who also want that door between dimensions open, plucking Richards from the maw of the law and putting him to work on this dangerous project, probably for nefarious ends.

Yeah, this one I'll be reading.

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Playlist:

Lustmord & Dave Lombardo - The Pulse of Atoms

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Shapes of Midnight

Swallowed - Lunaterial

Joy Division - Closer

Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

The Sword - Age of Winters

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Blood Lust

Testament - Para Bellum

The Cramps - Gravest Gravy

Ritual Howls - Ruin

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Eldritch Lace Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• 16: The Tower

* Five of Swords

• Five of Cups

Change sometimes begins as a disappointing defeat, but to use that as the beginning of something new...

A definite reference to an endeavor I've had a hand in over the last year coming to an end. Or is it?

Ready or Not, Rip The God

 

Last week, another song from the Melvins/Napalm Death collaboration album, Savage Imperial Death March, dropped and it's another doozy. There's still time to order the album, which is out April 10th on Ipecac Records, HERE. Technically, this is a reissue, as this one was originally released last year on Amphetamine Reptile and sold out in seconds. But those AMREP releases don't get digital distro, so, if like me, you weren't one of the lucky ones who acquired a copy in those few moments before the record sold out, this is the first chance we've had to hear this stuff and it's awesome!

Can't wait for this full album!

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Watch:

Last night, K and I hit the local theatre for Radio Silence's Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come. I have to say, as usual with RS, I was subjected to this trailer ad nauseam leading up to this film's release; however, it did not ruin anything about the film. This has been true of pretty much every RS film, so that's a rare bird, indeed. Here's one of those trailers.

I will say, at first, the idea that Samantha Weaving's character survives the first film only to go directly back into the exact same scenario seemed like a bit of a, "Dad, your hands in the toaster! Dad - You're hands in the toaster again!" idea, but as usual, the trailer tells you only a fraction of what you think it does. Also, HUGE props for putting Kathryn Newton in the mix as Faith's sister is a much-welcome move and their chemistry - it just works SO WELL!

We did a Horror Vision episode on the flick right after the viewing, and one thing Ray brought up that I hadn't thought of - it's been a minute since we had that Samara Weaving savage scream in a flick. The last Horror film she did was 2024's Azrael, and she didn't speak in that. Impressive, for sure, for an actress with such a fantastic grasp of dialogue (The Babysitter, anyone?). But it was great to hear that soul-searing Samara scream again tonight. 

Is Ready or Not 2 as good as the original film? Maybe not, but it's close, and this one has a third act that goes bigger in the best possible way. Do yourself a favor and see this on the big screen. 

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Playlist:

The Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop OST

Drug Church - Prude

Motörhead - 1916

Carpenter Brut - Blood Machines

High on Fire - Electric Messiah

Atticus Derrikson - Black Phone 2 OST

Dreamkid - Daggers

Mountain Realm - Stoneharrow

Gnarls Barkley - Atlanta
Sinoa Caves - Beyond the Black Rainbow OST

High on Fire - Luminiferous

High on Fire - The Art of Self Defense

High on Fire - Surrounded By Thieves

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• Prince of Swords

• Prince of Cups

• 8 of Swords: Interference

Lots of big ideas, but something's getting in the way.

Mclusky

Mclusky is the closest thing I've seen to the old Butthole Surfers. Thanks to Mr. Brown and Jacob for sending this my way, because this band was not on my radar at all. 

New album, "the world is still here and so are we" is out now on Ipecac Recordings; order a copy HERE.

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NCBD:

I love that this week's pull is two super indie Horror books and one major. Makes me feel like maybe the indie comics world is making a new push. Let's do everything we can to help it succeed.

Barstow is so goddamn odd and I have loved every freakin' minute of it. A Desert X-Files analogue, except darker, weirder and a helluva lot bloodier than Mulder and Scully ever saw. This appears to be the final issue, but damn would I love to see a 'second season.'

I know nothing about Plague House by Michael W. Conrad and Dave Chisholm, but Oni Press has really been knocking it out of the park lately, so I'm on board to check this out. Here's the solicitation blurb from League of Comic Geeks:

"Thirteen years ago, Orin McCabe was a family man living a privileged life in the suburbs. Today, he’s condemned to death row for murdering his entire family in an unexpected fit of hammer-wielding brutality. In the aftermath of his heinous crime, it’s fallen to a trio of eclectic, but dedicated, ghost hunters—Jacob, the holy man; Holland, the skeptic; and their leader, Del, a true believer in the occult and worlds beyond—to surveil the abandoned McCabe home in search of proof for the existence of the undead . . . and whatever supernatural source may have possibly fueled McCabe’s inhuman massacre. But this ill-matched and uneasy squad of investigators is about to discover something much more terrifying than any ordinary spirit. . . . Something much more pernicious, much more contagious, that if not contained, could take full advantage of America’s unquenchable appetite for violence and deliver a plague of blood unto us all . . ."

Sounds f'king awesome, right?

Finally, thinking of picking this up:

Larry Hama's GIJOE: ARAH is doing this weekly event "Silent Missions," and while I probably won't pick up the all, I have a soft spot for Beach Head, so I'm in on this one.

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Watch:

I caught the trailer for the new film by Talk to Me's Danny and Michael Philippou once in the trailer last month and it was enough to convince me that I would henceforth be in rabid expectation. 

Great title, too. The Philippou's are fantastic filmmakers who earned their first hit and will likely continue to make them. There's an interview with the brothers up on Indie Wire that I haven't had a chance to read and likely will avoid until after the film's theatrical release on May 30th, which you can bet your arse I'll be sitting in a seat at my Regal for.

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Playlist:

Pink Floyd - Umma Gumma

Alice Donut - Dry Humping the Cash Cow

The Kills - Live at Third Man Records

Arcade Fire - Everything Now

Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power

Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears

Melvins - Thunderball

Mclusky - the world is still here and so are we

Various – The Daptone Super Soul Revue Live! At The Apollo

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• XXI: The World

• VIII: Strength

• King of Pentacles

XXI: The World (The Universe in Thoth) can sometimes indicate a happy ending. Combined with Strength and King of Pentalces - financial security - indicates, to me at this time, stay the course and things will work out. Really interesting developments after my recent pontifications on work and corporate life (anti-life), and I can't help but feel this pull is a direct response. 

New Music from The Jesus Lizard!!!

 I'm behind everything by a couple of days. Had a friend in town earlier in the week, and between catching up at work after a few days off, digging back into finishing Black Gloves & Broken Hearts after five days away at a crucial point in the novel, and recording podcasts for both MaXXXine and Longlegs, I just haven't had time to do anything else. So here's some awesome new music by one of my all-times. You can pre-order the new album RACK from Ipecac Records HERE, it drops September 13th.

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Watch:

In the past week I have seen three movies that I expect will define much of 2024 for me. First, MaXXXine, which I've now seen twice on the big screen and am planning for another round:

I'm in the final stages of editing a HUGE episode The Horror Vision just did on this one. Ti West has been a favorite of mine since I first saw The Roost in 2005, and to see his very distinct filmmaking on the big screen for the first time since I caught The House of the Devil back in 2009 at the old Laemmle's on Sunset (after waiting for it for something like 3 or 4 years), but with a much bigger budget and not in a limited art-house release (I'm in Clarksville for hell's sake; I seriously doubt Hosue of the Devil played in Clarksville, haha) was an awesome experience. MaXXXine has some issues, but none that blind my love for it or the director.

Although I saw Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's Kill last September at opening night of Beyondfest 2023, I am counting my viewing this past Sunday on a big screen in Nashville as the first salvo of what may very well be my favorite film of the year.

This film takes the "Surprise, I'm getting married" trope of Indian Cinema and uses it to propel the best Action-Horror film I've seen since Dog Soldiers, easy. See this on the big screen if you can, and don't worry about the run time. It's a little over two hours, and I won't feel it AT ALL.

Finally, Oz Perkins' Longlegs... I'm not really sure how I feel about this flick after seeing it last night. It's fantastic, no doubt, but something about all of Perkins' films creates a disconnect in me. 

You'll read this is the scariest movie of the decade. I think that's a bit much. But it is extremely unnerving, and everyone turns in a fantastic performance, especially Nick Cage, who defies all possible expectation and description with his performance.

The only other really big films I'm still waiting on for the year are Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus, Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, and Robert Eggers' Nosferatu. I know there will be other, unexpected greats that filter in here and there, but for now, those are the horizon line. All in all, so far it's been a pretty great year, with Kill and Stop Motion duking it out for my favorite thus far.

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Playlist:

Various Artists - The Void

High on Fire - Cometh the Storm

Dean Hurley - Anthology Resource Vol. 1: △△

Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes (single)

Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurrican (single)

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• XIV: Temperance

• XX: Judgement

• Page of Wands

XIV is Art in the Thoth deck, a variation that projects a slightly different connotation for me. Having only used Thoth for the first 17 or so years I've been familiar with the cards, this recent switch is something I've not quite worked out yet. Art usually suggests synchronization, often of disparate elements into a pleasurable outcome. Temperance, on the other hand, suggests Balance, which is and is not the same. Seeing this card here and thinking about it, I take this as a definite nod to balance some of the uneven and, frankly, negative emotions/thoughts that have ruled my head of late. Taken with XX - ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES - and the Page (Princess) of Wands, or the Earthly aspect of Fire, I'd say this is a Pull that suggests I really have some work to do on myself in order to regain the mental/emotional balance I've kind of misplaced the last two weeks or so

New music from Human Impact!!!

 

New music from Human Impact! This band's debut hit right around the time the pandemic began, and I remember it quickly became a fairly regular and significant piece of music for me. However, in the last few years, they kind of slipped from my radar. Now, their sophomore album Gone Dark drops October 4th on Ipecac; pre-order HERE.

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New Music from The Jesus Lizard!!!

 

Wednesday was an incredible day for new album announcements. I'd been expecting David Lynch to drop something because of a video he posted last week, but The Jesus Lizard's Rack from Ipecac was 100% surprise. This is the band's first album since 1998's Blue, and while there is a lot I do like about their two Capitol Records, I can already tell by this first single "Hide & Seek," that I like Paul Allen's production on this one way better (RIP Steve Albini, who produced their iconic albums for Touch & Go back in the 90s). 

Also, Mac is back! That's right, original drummer Mac McNeilly is once again behind the skins. The stars have aligned!

Pre-order from Ipecac Recordings HERE.

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Watch:

Last night, K and I went to see Ishana Shyamalan's The Watchers. 

Despite seeing this or a slightly different trailer before pretty much every movie I've attended in the theatre for the last month or two, I went in with a fairly open mind. All I'll say is, if you're an M. Knight fan, you'll probably dig this. It was very well made and had excellent performances, but I did not care for the script, characters or the film overall. I kind of felt a weird parallel to when I saw The Village, back on opening night in 2004. With it in a half-arsed kind of way until the last act, when I kind of just want to get up and walk out.

* My good friend Missi laughs at my growing frustration at pre-show "entertainment." She cooly arrives at just the right time every time she goes to the theatre (about as often as us), but somehow, I just can't time that right. 

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Playlist:

The Jesus Lizard - Show

Shellac - To All Trains

Big Black - Lungs

Various - The Lounge Ax Defense and Relocation Compact Disc

Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity

Black Pyramid - The Paths of Time are Vast

The Raveonettes - Chain Gang of Love

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

• Knight of Swords

• Five of Wands

• Queen of Wands

Perhaps cryptically, I have "Motivation as Will" written in the Grimoire for Knight of Swords. This is the Firey aspect of Air, or the Will as applied to Intellect. Five of Wands is Conflict in Earthly matters, and Queen of Wands, or the Emotional aspect of Will.

All any of this tells me at the moment - when it's 12:47 AM and I'm tired as hell -  are we're all a big o' mess O' trouble. Contradictions and good intentions, but if you recognize that and we start there, we can move on and perhaps conquer and shape some of what makes us indecisive and try and turn conflict into stability.

New Melvins!!!

 

From the upcoming Tarantula Heart, available April 19th from Ipecac Records. Pre-order HERE.

LOVE this track! I'm a Melvins fan, but the group has always proved too prolific (I know, no such thing) for me to keep up with everything they do. This one caught me on exactly the right day at the right time, and I instantly fell for lead "single" "Working the Ditch." Didn't hurt that I was able to snag the limited edition, Puke Green vinyl.

The line-up for this album is a throwback to Melvins' two-drummer paradigm; current Ministry drummer Ray Mayorga plays alongside mainstay Dale Crover and just from this track, I feel like we're hearing some really interesting rhythmic ideas. Aside from Houdini, the two drummer years are my favorite of the band, and this already reminds me of (A) Senile Animal, probably my second favorite of the group's albums.

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Watch:

I've held off on learning too much about upcoming Horror/Thriller Long Legs because this one is generating a lot of hype, and as well we know, that is a surefire way to kill a film before it is even released (looking at the marketing team for Evil Dead Rise). That said, I'm leaving this teaser here unwatched, with my fingers crossed:

I've seen two of Oz Perkins' previous films, and didn't care for either. The Blackcoat's Daughter straight-up cheats with its casting as a way to deliver its twist, and Gretel & Hansel, while pretty, bored me to tears. Regardless, I'm very much hoping Long Legs will rule and, thus, maybe inspire me to rewatch one or both of those (although I've rewatched The Blackcoat's Daughter three times and each viewing just leaves me scratching my head at why the film is held in such high regard. It is entirely possible that I'm missing something, but I don't think so).

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Playlist:

Turnstile - Glow On

Witchfinder - Hazy Rites

Genghis Tron - Board Up the House

Zombi - Shape Shift

Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

FACS - Still Life in Decay

Daemien Frost - Spirito di daemo

Daemien Frost - Corpus Daemo

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Spotlight on Stephen King's Fairy Tale

 

Really digging this new EP from Spotlights. Order from Ipecac Records HERE.

 

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NCBD:

As of Monday, I'm finally back from my two weeks in LaLaLand. Trapped up in West L.A./Santa Monica at the Sonder hotel at Found, I didn't get a chance to hit up my beloved Comic Bug until my final day in town, but I saw some old friends and got to pick up a few books that weren't on my list. Also, will be returning to Rick's Comic City today to grab my Pull-List books from the last two weeks, so here's everything I will have acquired starting back on NCBD 3/08/23:

This Week's Pull 3/22/23:

Last week's Pull, 3/15/23:

This, the penultimate issue of Hulk, is one I actually missed out on; I never added to my Pull, and The Bug was sold out, so I'll have to find it online somewhere.

The only one I've read at the point of reading this, I started out feeling pretty non-plussed, but ending up really liking where this second issue of Immoral X-Men went. I don't love Sins of Sinister, however, I'm reading through it simply to see the pretty big-swing ideas the X-writing stable are taking with it.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover!

Two Weeks Ago, 3/08/23:

Based on the Master of Reality and now Back in Black homage covers, I am SO hoping they do one for Mercyful Fate, Don't Break the Oath on a future issue of this series!

I'm glad this regular X-Men book isn't adhering or pausing for Sins of Sinister. With issue 19's start of a Brood-based story, I thought I was going to roll my eyes, however, the entire set-up was fantastic (the Nowhere thread is amazing!). I'm really looking forward to this one!

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Read:

While in LaLaLand, I had a couple of occasions to catch up and hang out with my good friend Chris Saunders, formerly of The Thirsty Crows, and my co-host on the hiatus-ending-soon podcast A Most Horrible Library. Chris gifted me a beautiful Hardcover copy of Stephen King's newest novel Fairy Tale, and at ~120 pages into its ~600 pages, I'm hooked!

I haven't read a new King novel since 2010's Doctor Sleep (thanks to Mr. Brown!) and reading Fairy Tale makes me remember how much I adore the man's prose. I'm realizing now that one of the everlasting endearments of King's mind and how it translates to the page is he writes about a world that, while modern and incorporating modern elements (the internet, online shopping, current cultural establishments), King's world still feels very much like the world I grew up in, the one-two weeks in LaLaLand convinced me did not exist at all anymore. That's a very welcome refresher at the moment, as it gives me hope humanity isn't as far gone as it often feels when in a high-population center or tooling around online.

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Playlist:

Le Butcherettes - A Raw Youth

Screaming Females - Desire Pathways

Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy

SQÜRL - Silver Haze

The Police - Regatta de Blanc

Burial - Untrue

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right To Children

Boards of Canada - Geogaddi

Wayne Shorter - The All Seeing Eye

Spotlights - Seance EP

Spotlights - Love & Decay

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Card:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.

Emotional security leads to an Emotional breakthrough that ultimately could turn into a profitable partnership. 

New Dead Cross!!!

 

More new Dead Cross! I'm digging what I'm hearing from this second album more than I did the first, can't wait to hear the entire thing, which is out October 14th on Ipecac Recordings. Pre-order a copy HERE. 

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Watch:

This dropped yesterday:

 

As far as Teaser Trailers go, I think this is perfect. Of course, there's the part of me that wants to see more, but really, I'd rather wait and get it all at once in my first viewing. Hey, it's gotta be better than most of the Dimension sequels, right? Let's hope this 20th Century Fox/HULU pairing the Mouse has going will turn out another unexpectedly fantastic sequel, like Prey.

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Quote:

"Having made the world lousy, imagine ye are of significance to Heaven?"

                                                         - Austin Osman Spare, Anathema of Zos: The Sermon of the Hypocrite

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Playlist:

Soundgarden - Super Unknown

Various - Every Day (Is Halloween) Playlist: Small Cat, Big Yard

Suburban Living - Always Eyes EP

Suburban Living - Cooper's Dream EP

True Widow - As High As the Highest...

Nirvana - With the Lights Out

Nirvana - Lithium single

Suburban Lawns - Eponymous

Ministry - Moral Hygiene

Ministry - Everyday (Is Halloween) The Lost Mixes

Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

Small Black - Cheap Dreams

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Card:

I returned to the Raven Deck this morning, and The Hermit sprung out at me:

Second time this week, so I pulled a clarifying card from my Thoth:

So I have some work to do, and isolation will definitely be a part of it. 

Block Island Tomahawks

 

The new Tomahawk is out and it's super fun! Favorite track so far? Probably still Business Casual, but from the stuff I've only been living with for twenty-four hours, I'll point to the almost prog-rock guitar of Tattoo Zero. Meanwhile, Predators and Scavengers has an old school Jesus Lizard feel at times, and they released a video. 

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Watch:

Block Island Sound - which is currently streaming on Netflix - already feels like a frontrunner for movie of the year. Of course it's my way to make bold statements like that in March and April, so we'll see.

 

Too soon to tell or not, I fully expect the McManus Brothers' latest foray into Horror to be in my top ten at the very least. It's such an ominous film, dread dripping into all the little corners of one family's life.

 

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Playlist:

Drab Majesty - Modern Mirror

Flogging Molly - Float

Cocteau Twins - Garlands

Kate Bush - The Dreaming

Deftones - Covers

The Replacements - Tim

Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA

Thievery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy

Deftones - No Koi Yokan

Belong - October Language

The Black Queen - Infinite Games

Ulver - Teachings in Silence

Tomahawk - Tonic Immobility

Dance with the Dead - B-Sides: Vol. 1 

 

 

Tomahawk - Dog Eat Dog

 

New Tomahawk track gets a music video! Can't wait for this record.

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Watch:

Last night, K and I watched the original Black Narcissus film from 1947. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, I'd never heard of this one before seeing the trailer for last year's remake.

 

The original is beautiful. Shot in Technicolor, the film earned cinematographer Jack Cardiff an Academy Award that was well warranted. Also on display are the extensive matte paintings. It's a gorgeous film, although acting-wise, it's a bit over-the-top drama for my tastes. Also, I am going to assume the plot will far much better in the newer version (if it doesn't get carried away).

We finished the film and went directly into the first episode of the three-episode FX mini-series remake. Also visually stunning, where the matte paintings are replaced by aerial drone shots of no small ambition. 

I think together, these will make perfect counter-points to one another.

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Playlist:

Tomahawk - Tonic Immobility (pre-release singles)

Tomahawk - Mit Gas

Queensrÿche - Jet City Woman (single)

Blanck Mass - Animated Violence Mild

Odonis Odonis - Post Plague

PJ Harvey - Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea

Nothing - The Great Dismal

Realize - Machine Violence

 

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Card:

Always a favorite card. That Boaz and Jacin behind her, the pillars from King Solomon's temple. I did a lot of research on these about 17 years ago (!?), but most of it's a fog now. Interesting though, this might run parallel to some of the content in Shadow Play, so I'll take this as a nod to dig up my notes.

New Music from Tomahawk!!!

Ah, now we're really starting to get into the releases for the new year. The first new album from Tomahawk since 2013's Oddfellows! A bit of a coincidence, as I've had Duane Dennison on the mind and on the spinner, as you'll read below. I'm excited! You can pre-order Tonic Immobility, which you can of course order from the always delightful Ipecac Records, HERE. The record drops March 26th!

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Vinyl:

I managed to score a complete set of what I now believe to be a 2009, Record Store Day reissue set of all The Jesus Lizard's 7" singles from back in the day. Nine in total, I originally thought I was getting the original pressings, which, you know, considering one would have been a split with Nirvana (Puss and Oh the Guilt, the cassette for which I still have) and which the actual 45 for would be worth more than I paid for all nine of these re-presses, makes sense that this is not that. Either way, it was super cool, after a workday that ended with me having to get a COVID test, to come home, open a Sierra Nevada, and fire up Mouth Breather on vinyl! Negative, by the way.

Not a great picture, but you get the point. 
 

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NCBD

Because of the scare, I did not stop in to pick up my comics. However, here's what's waiting for me today:

One issue left! Look at that cover! The greens that often flood Jerome Opêna's art are definitely what pulled me into this series. There's something so 'Sci Fi pulp paperback novel from the 80s cover art' about them. Not the style, but the settings: Swamps, bogs, mountains, etc. 

Love this book, LOVE this cover, too. 

Wow, great covers this week.

These "Best of" books have been the most "pure joy" comic books I've read in years. I don't even bag-and-board these, I have them sitting around just so I can pick them up and hold them every once in a while.  

After issue 3 of We Live, this is the book I think of the most. What started as pure SciFi, really took on a Girl With All the Gifts vibe in its last chapter, and the mash-up works perfectly. Can't wait to see where this goes!

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Playlist:

Ministry - The Last Sucker

Ministry - Rio Grande Blood

Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs

The Jesus Lizard - Mouth Breather 45

The Jesus Lizard - Gladiator 45

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Card:

Today I went for my original, full-size Thoth deck. I don't have very many decks. As much as I love a lot of what I see out there as far as Tarot Deck's, I'm purely a pragmatician with these. Sure, that DC Vertigo deck is amazing, and, well, maybe one day that is one I would grab just to look at, but I started with the Crowley/Harris deck nearly 20 years ago, and it is two of my three decks (Missi also gifted me a pocket-sized Thoth a few years back). So it's Thoth and Raven, that's it.

I can't help but feel this is a direct nod to the COVID scare and the test I took last night. Hearing I might be infected set me on a negative thought tirade - especially when it comes to imagining the beating I would like to issue to the chin-diaper, COVID-denying moron at work who is the 'patient zero' in our building (always gotta be one). That said, I came home, pulled my shit together, found a place to get a rapid test, and just did it.

It's funny how, in moments like those hours where I thought I might have it - which of course the ego immediately translates to I definitely have it - there's such a pull to surrender, to woe is me, to give up.

Fuck that. Science. Or, in the words of the esteemed Mr. Pinkman:

New Melvins!

 

New Melvins? Yes, please!

Pre-order the new album HERE, out February 26 on Ipecac Records!

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Watch:

Friday morning I woke up and rented Bryan Bertino's new film The Dark and The Wicked on Prime. Great flick. I didn't 100% connect with it the way I had hoped, however, I probably had some pretty unrealistic expectations. That said, it's a very well made film, even if I did kind of think all the atmosphere and tension didn't quite "pop" the way it tried to. Definitely worth supporting, though, and Bertino is one of the best modern filmmakers working in Horror, in my opinion. 

I also finally made it around to Benson and Moorhead's episode of this year's season of The Twilight Zone. "8" is great. I still don't dig the overall feel of the series, and as much as I dig Jordan Peele, he just doesn't have the same wry manner needed to fill Rod Serling's shoes, but I did like seeing an Octopus kill off a team of Arctic research scientists. 

Despite my misgivings on the series, I'm glad someone's doing it, because anthology shows like this help employ a lot of filmmakers, and whether I watch them or not, it makes me happy they exist.

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Playlist:

Opeth - Watershed 

Mr. Bungle - The Raging Wraith of the Easter Bunny 

Barry Adamson - As Above So Below 

Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope To the Sky 

Miserable - Uncontrollable 

Anna Von Hausswolff - All Thoughts Fly

Mrs. Piss - Self-Surgery

Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower

Fen - The Dead Light

Hoseback - The Invisible Mountain

Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

Deafheaven - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love

Opeth - My Arms Your Hearse

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Card:

What I've been doing to myself again with writing. I did nail some important backstory in a scene yesterday, but I could have got a lot more done had I not kept flitting around, being distracted by menial tasks that totally could have waited. 

Isolation: Day 151

It's official! October 30th, Mr. Bungle's The Raging Wraith of the Easter Bunny is out via Patton's Ipecac Recordings. Thanks to Mr. Brown for the heads up, because I've been slammed all week and would have completely missed the chance to snag a copy of that Ruby Red 2 LP vinyl! Pre-order HERE.
While I've been a Bungle fan since Brown turned me on to their self-titled debut back in High School, and I spent a good deal of my time on Napster in the late 90s downloading bootlegs of their older, demo stuff, I never really got into the original, thrash version of the band. That said, seeing these songs a few months ago, played by musicians who are older and wiser, I became convinced if they recorded it, Easter Bunny had the potential to be one of the greatest thrash records to come out in decades. If Raping Your Mind is any intimation of what is on the rest of the record, I'm pretty sure I was correct.
Sure, I'd love another weirdo Bungle album eventually, but in the meantime, I'm welcoming this one with open arms.
**
NCBD this week was another no-go for my pull, which is fine, because I haven't picked up my books in two weeks now. One of the companies I always look forward to checking is Vault, and this week, I notice a collection for a series I'd not noticed previously. This looks pretty damn interesting, and I've ear-marked it for a little research.

This collection just came out, however, I'm going to look for the individual issues first, as I love the art and design of the originals' covers. Here's an example:

There's such a throw-back feel to this, but not like a comic, more like the old paperback books I used to read as a kid. LOVE this.

**
Playlist:
Concrete Blonde - Eponymous
Concrete Blonde - Free
X - Wild Gift
X - Los Angeles
Plimsouls - Everywhere at Once
Contours - Essential 
Carpenter Brut - Blood Machines OST
X - Under the Big Black Sun
The Birthday Party - Hee Haw
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Hank III - Straight to Hell
Low Cut Connie - Hi Honey
Francesco Zampaglione and Andrea Moscianese - Tulpa OST
Brainiac - Smack Bunny Baby
Vitalic - OK Cowboy
Aerosmith - Pump
Airiel - Molten Young Lovers
Moderat - II
Reverend Horton Heat - Liquor in the Front
Brainiac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture
Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen
The Bangles - All Over the Place

**
Card:

Let's do another multi-deck spread:

For this one, I used one card from the Raven Deck, and two from my mini Thoth - both decks gifts to me from my good friend Missi, who now has my new book Murder Virus - that's the name I'm sticking with - as my first beta reader. Missi Birthday was yesterday, so there's a lot of her energy in this spread. The Tower is a toppling of old conventions, though here I don't take it as pointing to the 'Old Guard' publishing industry, but my perceptions of it. Work is the hard work and determination I need to maintain (another query sent a few days ago), and Lust is a warning about the lust of result. Those of you who know anything about Magick know lust of result is one of the major blockades to achieving one's Will.

Isolation: Day 1 - Human Impact This Dead Sea

The debut album by Human Impact dropped on Ipecac Records today. This one brings me back - there's a little Helmet, a little Quicksand, and an undercurrent of Industrial vibes that makes their sound mildly nostalgic while also cutting edge. Haven't heard anything like this in some time, and Chris Spencer's sweat-and-vitriol laced vocals feel pretty damn timely, while the world seems to curl in from around the edges, like an old photograph in a winter hearth.

**



Nightmare fuel right here. Jesus, this looks insane, and the "bastard child of Ground Hog's Day and The Babadook" quote just seals the freakin' deal.


**

Playlist:

Balthazar - Fever
Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
The Birthday Party - Mutiny/The Bad Seed
Beth Gibbons/Henry Gorecki - Symphony No. 3
Drab Majesty - Modern Mirror
Eagulls - Eponymous
Emma Ruth Rundle - Marked for Death
Jaye Jayle - No Trail and Other Unholy Paths

**

Card:

On this, the second time in three days I've pulled The Emperor, I'm reading on a more Macroscopic level. The Emperor is establishment, social order, social contract. Namely, all the things that feel like they are in jeopardy at the moment. I'm inclined to read this as a nod to the unwavering persistence of these systems we have set up - even though many of them are fucked up or in jeopardy in other ways - and that the current scare will subside without decimating our society. There's a host of conspiracy theories the Mulder in my brain keeps throwing at the back of my eyes, but I'm trying to acclimate to just believing everything will be, relatively, okay. Even if a lot is probably going to change by the end of the year.

Human Impact - E605

Loving this new project from former Unsane frontman. The album drops March 13th on Ipecac Records; you can pre-order it HERE.

**

Last night, K and I returned to the theatre for a second viewing of Underwater, and this time we brought a couple of the other fiends from The Horror Vision. The second viewing was almost better than the first, and afterward we recorded a short episode - a spoiler heavy discussion. Also, THV is now available on Stitcher, as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play:

The Horror Vision on Apple

The Horror Vision on Spotify

The Horror Vision on Google Play

**

Playlist:

Butthole Surfers - Psychi... Powerless... Another's Man's Sac

Godflesh - Hymns

Steve Moore - Bliss OST

Card:

Ah yes, that Breakthrough. A well-timed reminder to get my ass out the door and to my writing spot, instead of starting a movie or continuing to sit here reading.

2019: June 8th Spotlights - Mountains Are Forever

Well, thanks to Mr. Brown, I found my album of the year. It's early, so this could conceivably change, but I pretty much always know my album of the year the moment I first hear it, and brothers and sisters - this is it! And to think, I'd never even heard of Spotlights before, a husband/wife duo whose new album Love & Decay is out now on Ipecac Records and can be streamed or purchased HERE.

Love & Decay feels a lot like the MBV album I wanted to hear when I ordered their loooong-awaited follow-up to Loveless back in 2013, the self-titled and unfortunately underwhelming eponymous record. I also hear Soundgarden, Deftones, and a lot of other bands I like in the sound of Spotlights, but never in a way that feels trite or repetitive. This leads me to declare for myself and like-minded music lovers a new classic and a band to follow and be excited for from here out! Always a great day when I can say that!

**

I've talked about Kristen Gorlitz's awesome horror comic The Empties in these pages before, and it's time to talk about it again because Kristen just launched the Kickstarter for issue #3! You can go to the Kickstarter page HERE to read more about it and support it; if you've read the first two issues of The Empties, you'll most likely be like me and not need any more convincing. So good!



**

I finally had the chance to watch the new Criterion Edition of David Lynch's Blue Velvet last night. Wow. Gorgeous transfer. This film never gets old for me; I enjoyed this viewing as much as or more than the countless others I've had since discovering this film back in the mid-90s. What I didn't expect  last night was my reaction to the 53 minutes of deleted scenes included as extras on the disc. I watched a few and really had a sense of inspiration in editing. I mean, you look at all the extra stuff Lynch filmed and you can practically see how making Blue Velvet helped him grow as a filmmaker over the course of its creation; all the Jeffery-at-college and Jeffrey-comes-home stuff that got cut would have, if included, very much weakened the film. The elegance to the progression of events in the version that Lynch released and we all love is so much more apparent and enjoyable after seeing the scenes he cut. And after waiting 20+ years to see this stuff - scenes we never thought we'd see back in the Wrapped in Plastic days - I found I could only watch about twenty minutes of them before I grew exhausted and decided to save the rest for a later date.



**

Playlist from 6/06:

Man or Astro-Man - Intravenous Television Continuum
Spotlights - Love & Decay

Playlist from 6/07:

Man or Astro-Man - Intravenous Television Continuum
Spotlights - Love & Decay
Los Amigos Invisibles - The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera
Pelican - Nighttime Stoties
Bloody Hammers - Under Satan's Sun
Primus - Antipop

Card of the day:

Paradigm shift! Just in time for the next project.

Dead Cross - Live in Santa Ana

Monday was Dead Cross at the El Rey in Hollywood. My friend Keller and I hit it the early and caught Secret Chiefs 3 play a killer set; a great surprise as I didn't even realize they were playing. Spruance and Patton in the same building? FNM reunited, might Bungle one day?

I digress.

After more than a 45 minute wait between bands we became concerned. Our concern was justified when Dave Lombardo and Michael Crain ducked out from behind the curtain and told the crowd that Patton had been injured in a car accident and the show would have to be re-scheduled.

Crap.

Keller and I hit another bar, or rather a Mexican Cantina that appeared out of thin air after we found a strange green ring behind a beat-up old RV covered heavily with surveillance. The rest of that experience is foggy to say the least, but I think I ate a Negro Modelo and drank a chicken fajita.

Fast forward to Tuesday and the rescheduled show was announced for... that very night. Bummer, because there was no way I could make it to Hollywood. I had to miss the show.

Very glad Patton is okay and I hope Dead Cross come back to play LA again VERY soon. The album, which came out on Patton's Ipecac label is among my favorite things he's done in years.

Crystal Fairy - Chiseler

The upcoming Crystal Fairy record, out Feb 24th on Ipecac is quickly becoming my most anticipated record of early 2017. This new song, which the band dropped a couple of days ago, is not only fantastic, but I swear I can hear all or most of the individual musicians's signature sounds mixed up in this potpourri of awesomeness.

Crystal Fairy - Drugs on the Bus

What do you get when you take Buzz and Dale from the Melvins, Omar from Mars Volta/ATDI/Antemasque and Teri Gender Bender from Le Butcherettes?

Fucking magic, that's what.

New record by this left-of-center super group out February 24th on Ipecac.