Human Impact - Lost All Trust

 

The final song on Human Impact's new album Gone Dark, which dropped this past Friday, October 4th. Fantastic record and the final two tracks really seal the deal. I knew this was former Unsane guitarist/vocalist Chris Spencer's band. However, I did not realize that the other members hail from equally awesome groups, with Cop Shoot Cop's Jim Coleman on Electronics, Daughters' drummer Jon Syverson and Eric Cooper from Made Out of Babies. Syverson and Cooper replaced Drummer Phil Puleo and bassist Chris Pravdica, both of whom previously played with Swans.

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31 Days of Halloween:

Holy cow. What. A. Fucking. BANGER!

I don't know what to say other than what I always say: I went in 100% blind, you should too!!!

1) The Killing of a Sacred Deer

2) The Houses October Built (2011)/Texas Chainsaw Massacre (50th-anniversary theatrical screening)

3) Loop Track

4) It's What's Inside/LONGLEGS

5) The Babysitter/Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

6) The Hitcher/Lost Highway

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Read:

I pulled out some of my old issues of Craig Miller and John Thorne's Wrapped in Plastic to prep for a new episode of The Horror Vision Presents: Elements of Horror, where we're going to deep-dive David Lynch's Lost Highway. 

If you don't know, Wrapped in Plastic was a bi-monthly magazine published by Win-Mill Productions, which also published Spectrum magazine. WIP was published for 13 years, from 1992 - 2005. I came into it around issue 17 in 1995. This was pre-internet for me, and I no longer even remember how I became aware of the publication, although smart money is on Amazing Fantasy Books & Comics - still my Chicagoland shop of choice - as I remember them having it on their shelves, and '95 would have been about the time I began frequenting A-F every week. Issues 28 and 29 hit hot on the heels of Lost Highway's theatrical release, and I probably read these issues half a dozen times each. My idea in pulling them out was to supplement this next viewing with some outside analysis, and I have to say, it added a lot.

Incidentally, WIP went digital a few years ago, and you can now buy a digital bundle on their website HERE.

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Playlist:

Moon Wizard - Sirens 

Zeal & Ardor - Eponymous

The Mystery Lights - Purgatory

Human Impact - Gone Dark

Double Life - Indifferent Stars

Ministry - Hopium for the Masses

System Of A Down - Eponymous

The Mysterines - Afraid of Tomorrows

Various - Lost Highway OST

Wilco - A Ghost is Born

Iggy Pop & James Williamson - Kill City

Ministry - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste

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Card:

My card today for exploration today is 7 of Cups - Debauch:

I think I've found a better way to do these research entries. I've been treating them like a Pull, in other words random. Here now, though, I think grouping them from here out might be better. I didn't pull this card from the deck today, I specifically chose it to follow the 7 of Swords.

From Crowly's Book of Thoth: "The Seven of Cups... its mode is poison, its goal madness. It represents the delusion of Delirium Tremems and drug addiction." False pleasure.

New Music from The Horrors!

 

From the forthcoming album Night Life, out March 21st. Pre-order HERE. Been a minute since I caught up with The Horrors. In that time, according to this video, the singer turned into Alice Cooper. Pretty cool, just like the song.

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31 Days of Halloween:

I woke up while it was still dark Wednesday morning. Couldn't fall back asleep, so I do what I always do in that situation - headed up into my office/nerd dungeon, flipped out the sofa bed and fired up Shudder TV. I can usually find something I've seen and then I just pass back out. At that time, , however, there wasn't really anything on Shudder TV, and I saw they'd added a metric shit-ton of flicks for October, so I chose The Houses October Built. Not the two made in 2014/2016. No, this is the original low-budget mockumentary-found footage film from 2011 that scored enough attention to get the filmmakers the dough to make those other flicks. I knew nothing about this franchise - I've never seen any of them. 

Man, I don't know if it was going in with low expectations or the middle-of-the-night thing, but this really stayed with me. There are those who will bemoan the ending, and yeah, there could have been more. However, I dug it. Reminded me of the end of the original Blair Witch Project, which is a film I like, so that's a good thing.

Also, got to see the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre on the big screen as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration. How awesome is that?

This flick is still, fifty years after its release and twenty-something years after my first viewing, completely unhinged, frightening, and, still feels dangerous. There are not many films that I'll watch that I can say that about. William Lustig's Maniac springs to mind. And honestly, that's one of the things I've grown to appreciate about Damien Leone's Terrifier series - the only modern films that don't cross my major lines but come close enough to remind me of that dangerous, transgressive feeling films like Maniac and TCM inspire in me (to this day).

Last night, I watched Loop Track on Shudder. This was one I saw added a few weeks back, but the name is off-putting, to say the least. Turns out, I really liked this one. 

I'd post the trailer, but after watching it just now, it gives away too much. I went in knowing fuck all, and I would suggest others do the same. Really tense psychological thriller that becomes something completely different in the third act and still manages to be fun. 

1) The Killing of a Sacred Deer

2) The Houses October Built (2011)/Texas Chainsaw Massacre (50th-anniversary theatrical screening)

3) Loop Track

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Playlist:

Beastmilk - Climax

Fields of the Nephilim - The Nephilim

Gwar - Scumdogs of the Universe

Ian Lynch - All You Need Is Death OST

Bauhaus - Gotham Live

Ritual Howls - Rendered Armor

Moon Wizard - Sirens

Hellbender - Side A

Misfits - Collection One

Miranda Sex Garden - Carnival of Souls

George Thoroughgood and the Destroyers - Greatest Hits

Deftones - B-Sides & Rarities

Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me

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Card:

Today's card: 7 of Swords - Futility:

Sevens line up with Netzach on the Sephirotic Tree of Life, and thus, my initial reading always entails Victory. That said, one of my big take-aways from Crowley's The Book of Thoth is, "This card... suggests the policy of appeasement." In other words, compromise. So this is a Victory by compromise, which might not really feel like a Victory at all. 

New Music From A Place To Bury Strangers

 

From Synthesizer, out digitally this Friday, 10/04, with the vinyl to follow on 10/27. You can pre-order the standard album HERE or the insane edition that has a build-your-own synthesizer as the cover direct from Oliver Ackerman's Death By Audio HERE. They even have a test video demonstrating the synthesizer.

   

I'm probably not springing for this, but hot damn, I am tempted.

 

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NCBD:

Really cool pull this week. 

Issue three. This one is taking a bit to get rolling, but tension is beginning to build. 

My money's on an insane body count for the final issue of Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows' Get Fury. Look at that cover!

One more issue after this one. Better to leave us wanting more than to over stay your welcome, but man, it's going to suck seeing this one go.

Something new from Brian Azzarello and Vanesa R. Del Rey. I'm looking forward to giving this one a shot. From the solicitation by way of League of Comic Geeks:

"In nature there are gods older than the devil... Nothing can prepare you for what's coming in this violent, electrifying descent into this bloody, black metal-infused revenge saga. Val, an American metalhead attending a festival in Oslo, begins her penumbrous pilgrimage into the vast depths of vengeance. After her victimization at the hands of a charismatically vile local band, the Old Gods of Norse Mythology guide her along her path in the name of women everywhere."

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31 Days of Halloween:

Regal has partnered with A24 during the month of October for "Eerie Series," a weekly program of A24 films that pair nicely with the season. Last night, I caught Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of A Sacred Deer. This was my second time seeing the film, first time on a big screen. 

I haven't seen all this man's films, but I can pretty much guarantee this is always going to be my favorite. It has such a tense, unyielding eye. The camera moves almost all the time; shots start close and slowly zoom out or start afield and slowly crop in. There's such an ominous feeling of dread, and everyone acts slightly out of whack. It all adds up to an offputting, sometimes hysterical experience in trauma voyeurism, and I love it. 

1) The Killing of a Sacred Deer

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Playlist:

Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies EP

Dead Man's Bones - Eponymous

Misfits - Static Age

A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head

Cristobal Tapia De Veer - Smile OST

Flipper - Album - Generic Flipper

Odonis Odonis - Post Plague

Beastmilk - Climax

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Card:

Today's card is the 5 of Disks - Worry in the Thoth deck:

Fives represent complications or imbalance; the perfection of the fours shivers with an added element - change is constant, nothing coasts for very long. This creates worry in some, however, this is down to how we look at change. Fives tell us to be ready, roll with the punches, adapt and thrive. Applied to Disks, the change we can expect is usually in terms of monetary or Earthly matters. 

The Cramps Live, 1986

 

The Cramps, live in 1986. One of my greatest musical regrets is not seeing these guys live. Goddamn.

Posted to YouTube by Travisbickle1963. Check out their channel HERE - LOTS of awesome stuff.

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Watch:

Robert Eggers' Nosferatu gets a trailer (that I'm not watching yet, as this will likely be inescapable in the theatres for the next three months):

Curiosity is driving me mad, but I'm going to attempt to stick to my guns here. I'm really looking forward to this one; I loved The Northman, The Lighthouse and The Witch, and what little imagery we've seen of this remake so far has done nothing to convince me I won't love this as well. 

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Playlist:

Deth Crux - Mutant Flesh

Ritual Howls - Turkish Leather

Various - Rocktober Blood OST

The Cramps - RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealandXXX (Live)

The Jesus Lizard - Rack

Ritual Howls - Rendered Armor

Ganser - Odd Talk

White Hex - Gold Nights

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Alice in Chains - Sweet Leap Live 1991

 

Discovered this randomly yesterday. Badass - to hear Layne do Ozzy's introductory, "All right now!" just puts a Horror-movie-sized SMILE on my face! It's not the full track, but it's enough. This video was posted by Nerojotun on their Youtube channel, which is filled with Alice in Chains stuff. Check them out HERE.

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Watch:

K and I rewatched Jordan Peele's NOPE Saturday night. Hot damn - this movie is absolutely my favorite of Peele's films, and that's saying something because I really dig all of them.

All the characters are so endearing and relatable, human and distinct. It doesn't 'give' the viewer anything - totally drops everything in front of you the entire time and just lets you either pick it up and piece it together or not. Peele's not concerned with convincing or converting anyone; he just wants to make killer cinema. And he does. 

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Play:

Cosmic Horror Metroidvania for Switch? Holy shit, sign me up:

Voidwrought hits Switch on 10/24. Thanks to Bloody Disgusting for posting about this one, as it was not on my radar at all. 

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Playlist:

Trust Obey - Fear and Bullets (1998 Edition)

Cold Cave - Cherish the Light Years

Crystal Castles - (II)

Fvnerals - Let the Earth be Silent

Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium Undreamable Abysses

Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium Nahab

Deth Crux - Mutant Flesh

Intronaut - Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words with Tones)

Alice in Chains - Dirt

The Replacements - Tim

Silent - Modern Hate

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Card:

Card for today:

"Structure, time and space. Laws of growth and decay. Completion." - That's from a book I have named Keywords for the Crowley Tarot. I like this because, to me, Fortune - The Wheel in traditional Tarot - is an example of the laws of space and time. Simply put, what goes around comes around. I don't believe in Karma, per se, but as a concept, I think it's close (I just don't like the word, probably because hippies adopted and ruined it). 

Alice in Chains Dirt - 32 Years Old Today

 

One of those records that changed my life. Happy Birthday, Dirt. Love You!!!

The Mystery Lights - Cerebral Crack

Another fantastic find courtesy of Mr. Brown. I love this record! It reminds me a bit of The Monks' Black Monk Time, a bit of The Black Lips, and a bit of a general "Nuggets" era garage band or bands I can't quite put my finger on. Order the new album Purgatory directly from the band's Bandcamp HERE, from Daptone's new Rock subsidiary Wick Records HERE.

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Watch:

Last night, K and I went to the theatre to see the new E.L. Katz/Simon Barrett film Azrael. Solid Post- Apocalyptic Survival flick. It's also part of what I've come to think of as the "Subtraction Apocalypse" subgenre - you take an apocalyptic event and then remove a sense from the survivors. Josh Malerman's Birdbox takes sight, A Quiet Place takes sound, Azrael has its own spin.

If you're even remotely interested in seeing Azrael in the theatre, do so soon - this one is definitely not going to last past next Thursday on the big box screens. That said, it's another Shudder/IFC collaboration, so it should be on Shudder in 2-3 months.

Also, Coralie Fargeat's Reality+ short film was the subject of a recent article on Bloody Disgusting (read the article HERE), and while I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, I wanted to leave it here as a placeholder. 

I haven't found a Director whose work has grabbed me like this in a very long time.

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Playlist:

Bauhaus - In the Flat Field

Ministry - The Mind Is A Terrible Thing to Taste

White Zombie - Astro Creep 2000

The Damned - A Night of A Thousand Vampires

Joy Division - Still

Type O Negative - Dead Again

The Mystery Lights - Purgatory

METZ - Up On Gravity Hill

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New Music from The Cure!!!

 

New music from The Cure! From the album Songs Of A Lost World, out November 1st. Pre-order HERE. I definitely wasn't expecting to see this today. I'd heard some titterings that amounted to, "The Cure are up to something," but that's about the extent of any foreknowledge I had of a new album. Full Disclosure: I can't remember the last new Cure record I listened to, kind of left them at Blood Flowers - which I don't know hardly at all - but I'm curious. 

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Watch:

Ready to have your heart ripped open again? The Last of Us season two is coming. Here's the teaser, which I'm not even going to bother to watch.

 

As I'm sure I mentioned here previously, I have never played the Last of Us game, so the storyline is completely new to me. I dig it; however, I will say it's A LOT emotionally, and season one took me a bit to get through. It's more difficult to watch a post-apocalyptic story with such emotional weight when you basically live in a post-apocalyptic world.

 

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NCBD Addendum:

A quick word on the new DSTLRY book, The Missionary, that I mentioned yesterday. Stay away. Awful. Reminds me of when Todd McFarlane and a bunch of the other "hot" artists at the moment split off and formed Image. Yes, Image Comics ended up being a very good thing, but most of those first gen guys should have stuck to art, as they really only approached writing as a means to string a bunch of awesome pictures together. Which, admittedly, was the comic zeitgeist at the time; however, that was also mainly because of them.

Anyway, I couldn't even make it through the first issue of The Missionary. I might try again - Jason Howard's art is fantastic - but man, it's just not good. There's a scene early on with the demon possessing the main character, where they're having this interior monologue back-and-forth that just feels so cheesy; I experienced a similar cringe to the one Beetlejuice Beetlejuice inspired in me several nights ago. Maybe it's because I'm a little over half through my third reading of China Miéville's Perdido Street Station, wherein the prose is intelligent and elegant, to say nothing of the plotting and storytelling. Miéville's work unfolds so intricately that I don't have time for a book that seems to be shooting for a goofy take on Angels and Demons, wearing a sort of artistic clumsiness on its sleeve as part of its style. 

No thanks.

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Playlist:

Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses (Suspended in Dusk Edition)

Type O Negative - Origin of the Feces

The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose

The Coasters, The Brains & Rezurex - Yakety Yak (single)

Rezurex - Bat Music for Bat People

Beastmilk - Climax

Various - Return of the Living Dead OST

Various - Rocktober Blood OST

Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me

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John Bonham

44 years ago today. Damn. Maybe When the Levee Breaks is old hat to some, but I'll never get tired of this song, and what's more, this song IS the drums. Not just how they're played, but how they're recorded. 

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Steely Dan - Schlitz Jingle

 Thanks to my good friend Seth for sending this my way, catchiest thing I've heard in some time.

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NCBD:

An interesting haul awaits me later today. Let's see what I'm bringing home for NCBD:

The first issue of Michael Walsh's Frankenstein brought great joy to our house! K loved it, I loved it, and we're both rarin' for more.

Saga issue 69 gets the most appropriate and Saga-like celebration of the number I could have hoped for. I still love this book, despite the cooling of the fervor that settled in with all the hiatuses. 

Ryan Stegman's art on Donny Cates' Venom run a few years ago drew me into that title, and now he's writing a book with Jason "Trees" Howard on art? Definitely picking up this first issue, at the very least. Also, this will be my first Dstlry book. Here's the solicitation, cribbed from League of Comic Geeks:

"Bryce Hunter is a devoutly religious man whose faith is shattered when he catches his wife being...Intimate with an Elder from his church. This harrowing event sends Bryce spiraling into the hands of a demonic entity named Uvydus, Instead of rejecting possession, Bryce ACCEPTS Uvydus. Bryce wants to learn to be “bad” and Uvydus wants to be “less than completely evil.” But before Bryce can use this new partnership to finally live a little, the world's greatest Exorcist sees Bryce as his greatest challenge. But that's not even the worst of it as a murderous group of demons breaks free from Hell and threatens to re-shape earth into a kingdom over which they rule!"

The penultimate issue. Let's see that boom stick, sir!

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Watch:

Another Autumn is upon us, so that means a new V/H/S flick is just around the corner.

 I dug last year's, but these are still usually a mixed bag for me. Still, taking the idea of "Beyond" to this series might make for some very cool ideas. 

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Playlist:

Eldovar - A Story of Darkness and Light

Type O Negative - Life is Killing Me

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Card:

Today's card for study is I: The Magus.

Skill and/or Wisdom. Magick. Take initiative.

You know, when I set out to 'study' these cards more, I had grand designs to really dig deep. I certainly have enough stores of knowledge on them assembled. That hasn't actually happened, though. I really haven't been doing anything different than I normally do, drawing a card for the day and writing out its interpretation/possibilities. I want to change that, but there's just not enough damn time at the moment. 

Looking at Crowley's The Book of Thoth, I'm reminded that he refers to this card as "The Juggler." 

New Music from Dance with the Dead

Okay, newish music from Dance of the Dead, as I've meant to post this one for a while now and keep forgetting. That neon green cross in the thumbnail is something I'd pay to have hanging on my walls, so you can say it caught my eye.

From the new EP Dark Matter, out October 25th. They also have a tour coming up, dates for which you can find HERE. 

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Watch:

Last night, K and I finally saw Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. This will be the last time I give Mr. Burton A) the benefit of the doubt and B) my time. 

 

Such a waste of a great cast. It's painful to realize that Mr. Burton is very clearly not the same person he was when he made his mark on pop culture, and it's even more painful to watch him try desperately to recapture that person and fail every time. The last movie by him I saw was Dark Shadows, and that, too, made me cringe about his entire aesthetic, which honestly has always been his main appeal. The problem with style over content is, eventually, if it wears out, it's welcome for want of substance. 

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Playlist:

The Ritual Howls - Into the Water

Miranda Sex Garden - Suspiria

The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose

The Jesus Lizard - Rack

Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Oz

Eldovar - A Story of Darkness and Light

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Body Count - Comfortably Numb

 Wait... what?

I don't love this, but it's definitely worth posting. "Comfortably Numb" was probably my favorite song when I was a stoned teenager in high school. My friend Anthony and I were obsessed with Pink Floyd, and this song... just moved the world for me. I still love it, but it's not all that often I go back and revisit Floyd in the religious manner I used to. Still, seeing this as a cover by Ice-T's thrash metal band Body Count floored me, and it's definitely worth a listen, as they do some interesting things with the song, which is an advance single from the upcoming album Meerciless, out November 22 on Century Media. Pre-order HERE.

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Watch:

Last night, K and I watched Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist on Joe Bob Brigg's The Last Drive-In Patreon. The original air date of the episode was 4/3/99 - why does the late '90s look so old to me now? - on a TNT series called Joe Bob's Last Call. 

As a huge fan who only ever heard of Joe Bob in 2018 when he hit Shudder with that Marathon (I never had cable growing up), I've obviously become aware of Monstervision and Up All Night, but Last Call was new to me. I'll have to look to see where that slots in between the others. Anyway, Poltergeist is something of an annual or bi-annual Autumn watch for me, and it was especially wonderful watching it with Joe Bob.

This is a perfect film, in my opinion. I never bothered with the 2015 remake, even out of curiosity, and I likely never will. The world on display in Poltergeist is the world I grew up in - early 1980s suburban America - and that's part of what makes it so effective both as a Horror film and a nostalgia piece. Also, I find it super interesting that the first few times I saw this film I was very young and Jobeth Williams was a "Mom" to me, but over the years as I've aged and the version of her in the film hasn't, she's become one of the hottest Horror movie women I've ever seen. 

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Playlist:

The Damned - AD 2022 Live in Manchester

Human Impact - Gone Dark (pre-release singles)

Human Impact - EP01

Mogwai - God Gets You Back (single)

Dale Crover - Glossolalia

The Mysterines - Afraid of Tomorrows

Bauhaus - Go Away White

Aerosmith - Pump

Deafheaven - New Bermuda

Zeal & Ardor - GREIF

Body Count - Comfortably Numb (single)

Body Count - Eponymous

Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom

Jane's Addiction - Nothing Shocking

Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

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Card:

Today's card is the Ace of Disks:

Financial Breakthrough. Successful implementation of new ideas/rules/parameters in matters of Earthly providence. Growth and prosperity.

New Music from Mogwai!

The legendary Mary Anne Hobbs premiered a new track by Mogwai a couple of days ago, and now here's the video! No word on a new album yet, but smart money says it's coming, as the band also announcned a 2025 world tour, details of which are HERE.

 

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Watch:

K and I went to see Coralie Fargeat's new film The Substance last night. Pretty sure I will not see a better film for the remainder of the year; Robert Eggers has Nosferatu coming, but The Substance is just... see it on a big screen, that's all I can say.

 

The term "Batshit crazy" gets thrown around a lot - hell, I do a fair share of the throwing myself - but once in a great while, a film comes along that reminds me I really had forgotten what Batshit Crazy is. This is that film. I cannot believe I saw this in a big box theatre in Middle America. The Substance is absolutely INSANE. It almost wears out its welcome, then doubles down on the crazy and just... it feels like the most Body Horror movie I may have ever seen. And I don't offer that lightly.

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Read:

Sweet little comic shop pickup I wasn't expecting the other day; shout out to Ryan and Rick's Comic City for pulling this aside when they got it in, presumably from someone selling some old comics:

Published by Arrow Comics in 1986, this was a fascinating read. Not nearly as intricate as Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead, this is totally outsider art from before Zombies had become mainstream. A group of survivors make their way through a world not only overrun with Zombies but intelligent zombies. There appears to be a classification here, with the intelligent Dead few and far between but able to manipulate or control the hordes of shambling dead. Very cool concept and execution, a nice piece of the 80s Black and White Explosion's history I'd missed until now. 

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Playlist:

The Jesus Lizard - Rack

Kaiser Chiefs - Employment

Ritual Howls - Rendered Armor

Deth Crux - Mutant Flesh

Bauhaus - Volume One: 1979 - 1983

Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me

Type O Negative - October Rust

The Damned - A Night of a Thousand Vampires

White Hex - Gold Nights

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Ershetu - Ketsurui

 

From the forthcoming record Yomi, out November 8th on Debemur Morti. I just stumbled across Ershetu via the Deber Morti Newsletters. Their first album, 2023's Xibalba, is a confounding puzzle of a record, one in a series of records meant to explore the concept of Death among different cultures. From the press release:

"Cinematic Black Metal project ERSHETU was formed in 2021 by conceptualist/lyricist Void and composer Sacr to explore formulations of Death within particular civilizations or religions. After tackling Mayan mythology via evocative 2023 debut "Xibalba", new album "Yomi" finds the band growing in confidence and stature, heading to deeper and darker climes as they immerse themselves in the death folklore of Japanese Shinto."

Blut Aus Nord's Vindsval is not only once again featured on bass and additional guitars for the new record, but also serves as Ershetu's vocalist on the new album. 

US pre-order HERE

EU pre-order HERE.

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NCBD:

Another Wednesday brings another glorious NCBD. What's in the box for me at Rick's Comic City today? Let's see...

I feel like there's a little bit of an homage to the original Marvel GIJOE: ARAH issue #60, but maybe that's just in my head. I dig the way Hama is basically casting echoes of the original series' Cobra Civil War with this new Battle for Springfield storyline. Lots of factions in Cobra in this series, and Mr. Hama is, as usual, handling them quite deftly.

As I've mentioned, I'm digging the Destro series, and even Scarlett issue 4 turned out pretty good, but the new car excitement has worn off a bit on this new take. I think we're all ready to collapse the Skybound Energon Universe GIJOE storyline down to one monthly comic for a while.

Hellblazer: Dead in America continues to be a wild ride with a ghostly John Constantine and his cohorts through the dark heart of America, and while that's certainly a storyline that's been done in Hellblazer before, this one shares a lot more with classic Vertigo books like Shade The Changing Man: The American Scream than those "New Vertigo" Hellblazer volumes. Nothing wrong with either, but Si Spurrier's ability to hit that classic Vertigo tone on the head rivals Tynion's, and that's saying something. Does that mean a book like this is simply serving a nostalgia purpose? No, I don't think so. John Constantine is one of those characters that got strip-mined by the end of the original Hellblazer series - and certainly since then with all the launches and relaunches, to say nothing of his appropriation into a more recognizable character inside the mainstream DCU - and this series feels like the first new Constantine story I've seen in well over ten years that I actually give a toss about. Maybe it was just luck of the draw for the book, but this book is proving to be very satisfying to this old-school Constantine fan at the moment. 

Finally! The second issue of Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood. Issue #1 was a surprise - I wrote about it HERE - and I've looked forward to the second installment ever since. Also - another jaw-dropping cover!!!
 

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Watch:

I watched Jennifer Kent's 2019 Colonial Australia Opus The Nightengale recently. This is one I was very much afraid of, knowing a bit about the storyline. One of my compatriots from The Horror Vision recently chose this as her pick for an upcoming episode of Elements of Horror, so I steeled myself and fired up Shudder, where Kent's film is currently streaming.

Not an easy watch in any respect. The Nightengale is film I would definitely say needs to be seen. The harsh indictment of Colonialism, as well as just the general disrespect human beings have for each other, is a reminder that, shamefully, we're really not all that far advanced from this yet. 

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Playlist:

Forhist - Eponymous

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Nell' ora blu

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Blood Lust

Ritual Howls - Scatter the Scars

Ritual Howls -  Their Body

The Jesus Lizard - Rack

Type O Negative - October Rust

The Damned - Night of A Thousand Vampires

The High Confessions - Turning Lead Into Gold with the High Confessions

Neon Nightmare - Lost Silver (pre-release single)

Neon Nightmare - She's Drowning (pre-release single)

Seventh Void - Heaven Is Gone

Type O Negative - Life is Killing Me

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Card:

Today's card for study is IV: The Emperor:

Rules that govern all life. 

This begs the question, is the card a reminder to be mindful of those rules or to seek answers outside their boundaries? The card's visual imagery is overwhelmingly Martial and that can be read as playing by the rules of a situation with the intent of subverting its dogma.

Type O Negative - Die with Me

 

Well, after nearly a week of Autumnal weather, the temperature shifted back into the low 90s yesterday. Doesn't matter - my interior Autumn flourished for 16 years in L.A. and it's firmly intact and engaged. So here's some Type O Negative, from 1996's October Rust.

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Watch:

Longlegs hits Blu-Ray next Tuesday! 

Hail Satan!

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Playlist:

Darkness Brings the Cold - Devil Swank Vol. 1

The Mysterines - Afraid of Tomorrows

Zeal & Ardor - GREIF

Blut Aus Nord - Hallucinogen

Ershetu - Xibalba

Talking Heads - Remain in Light

Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food

Type O Negative - October Rust

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Card:

Today's card for study is the Nine of Cups - Happiness:

Eight of Cups is emotional change, and adding one to that suggests a new stability. There's balance depicted in Lady Freida Harris' design for this card. A lot going on, but it works out. This then suggests if you keep adding, you will have to work at finding symmetry, but it just might surprise you by occurring naturally. 

Mastodon, Lamb of God - Floods of Triton

I know nothing about Lamb of God, but this collaboration with Mastodon is pretty bad ass. Not sure if this heralds a split E.P. or something bigger, but this is pretty cool. Fantastic cover art, as well.  

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Watch:

I am having a very hard time accepting that I might not be going to L.A. for Beyondfest this year, especially since I didn't even realize that Joe Begos had a new movie that is premiering at the Egyptian! There's no trailer for Jimmy and Stiggs yet, no nothing except this image posted yesterday on the Beyondfest schedule:

I'm not certain I will be able to accept not going. We'll see. 

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Playlist:

Mastodon, Lamb of God - Floods of Triton (single)

Pallbearer - Foundations of Burden

Danzig - Black Hell (single)

Spotlights - Seance E.P.

NIN - Year Zero

††† - Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete

Your Black Star - Sound From the Ground

Mastodon - Emperor of Sand

Crystal Castles - II

Crystal Castles - Eponymous

Gourdon Banks - Keep You In Mind (single)

Ghost Cop - Problems (single)

A Place Both Wonderful and Strange - Sorry For Your Loss

In Slaughter Natives - Sancrosancts Bleed

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Card:

Today's card for study is the Two of Swords - Peace:

Rest and recuperate. Perspective. 

New Music From Crippled Black Phoenix!!!

 

From the upcoming album The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature, Out November 29th on Seasons of Mist. Pre-order HERE.

Talk about Epic. The song and the video. Well done.

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Watch:

I rewatched Chris Thomas Devlin and Samuel Bodin's Cobweb last night. This is definitely now an annual Autumn viewing for me. Cobweb has that fairytale gloss over it that I associate with Trick r' Treat and The Mortuary Collection. 

Having just seen Coraline on the big screen for the first time with the recent anniversary screenings, I can make an educated guess Cobweb also shares some DNA with that film, as some key visual and storytelling elements come from similar places. All in all, a very welcome addition to my Autumnal viewing schedule. 

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Read:

The urge had been building for a while, and since I'm in between newly released books at the moment, I decided to reread China Miéville's Perdido Street Station for the third time. 

This is not a light undertaking - the first and my favorite in Miéville's Bas-Lag trilogy, this novel is the very definition of an opus; the plot has so many moving pieces, all of which stay in their own lane and eventually coalesce in a manner I find absolutely stunning. Picking this one up and slipping back into it, I'm also overcome with an unexpected nostalgia; this book was incredibly important to me when I first found it and Miéville back in the early 00s. I was a day-of-release supporter for every book he published from 2005 to 2016 (the trilogy was complete by the time I found it) and only fell off after my life exploded that same year. Since he's published several novels on my list, his most recent a collaboration with Keanu Reeves set in the actor's Bezerker universe. I haven't read the Bezerker comics past the first issue or two of the original series, so this is low on my list. But I'd like to think I'll get to it eventually. 

Also, since I've ended up kind of listing the author's works, I'd be remiss if I did not mention his truly bizarre revamping of Dial H for Hero, twelve issues published by DC Comics in 2012.

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Playlist:

Jim Williams - Possessor OST

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

The Misfits - Static Age

The Misfits - American Psycho

The Thirsty Crows - Hangman's Noose

Algiers - The Underside of Power

Beastmilk - Climax

Jesu - Sun Down Sun Rise

Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications

The Cramps - RockinnReelininAucklandNewZealandXXX (Live)

The Cure - Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

Bauhaus - Go Away White

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Card:

Today's card for study is the Three of Disks - Works:

A welcome reminder this morning, as well. Success through effort. Balance; solid foundations yield sturdy domiciles. 

Frig off, Beetleman!

 

Just be-fucking-cuz.

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NCBD:

One thing I've learned in life is to have Events to look forward to. They can be daily events (opening that first beer at the end of the day), yearly events (new seasons of a show you love, like, let's say, The Last Drive-In on Shudder, just renewed for season seven), or weekly events, like NCBD. So, what does this week's event look like? Let's take a look...

Having just gotten into The Department of Truth last year and read the first four volumes as trade paperbacks, I have to say, there's a definite adjustment taking it down to single issues every month, but I'm here and I'm ready to continue this slow descent into the Kennedy thing.

The final issue of this Eco-Horror mindfuck, and I'm wondering if the "Part One" on the cover means there will be more? 

I'm digging TMNT being bi-monthly. Give my fucking wallet a break, Kevin Eastman.

The end of the current arc, and I'm thinking, a major turning point. LOVE this cover. 

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Watch:

As someone who pays for The Last Drive-In's Patreon, I have access to all the great, older content Joe Bob and Darcy are posting there. LOTS of stuff from the Monstervision era, which is all new to me. Last night's viewing? Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! And now this will no doubt be in my head for the rest of the week:

Watching this with Joe Bob circa 1997,  I was floored by some of the factoids. Like, Keaton was uninterested until Burton told him he would re-write the script and just let him develop the titular Bio Exorcist's schtick. Boy, did that work! Or that, originally, Burton wanted Sammy Davis Jr. to play Beetlejuice. Can't you kind of picture that? Or even that - and I'm sure I knew this back at the time it came out - this was Burton's second feature! This flick has never meant to me what it does to others, but it's weird AF, and I love it for that. Just the fact that they married Calypso music with Goth overtones reminds me of what a genius Burton was at one time. I'll be seeing the new Beetlejuice sooner or later, and I'm looking forward to it. 

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Playlist:

The Jesus Lizard - Rack

Various - Learn to Relax! A Tribute to Jehu

Type O Negative - Life Is Killing Me

The High Confessions - Turning Lead Into Gold with the High Confessions

Type O Negative - World Coming Down

Blitz/Berlin - Psycho Goreman OST

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RIP John Cassaday

 

The final track on the band's 1985 album The Head On the Door. Such a great outro to an album that goes through all kinds of emotional disturbances. As this sudden shift in the weather from nearly 100-degree days to cool and smokey 70s took me by surprise, it jump-started my internal Autumn. It's been a few years since I was into The Cure like I am at the moment, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

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RIP:

John Cassaday, Age 52. An absolute GIANT - his work with Warren Ellis on Planetary remains the zeitgeist of 00s comics - a book that redefined pretty much everything about the medium. I think the first time I heard the term "Wide Screen Comics" was in regard to Cassaday and Ellis' seminal series. 

Of course, he also worked with Joss Whedon on his beloved Astonishing X-Men, and while I'm not really a fan of that run, Casssaday's art is once again fantastic. 

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Playlist:

Television - Marquee Moon

Garland Jeffreys - Wild in the Streets (single)

The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

Garland Jeffreys - American Boy & Girl

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

The Cure - The Head on the Door

The Jesus Lizard - Rack

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Wild God*

Grinderman - Eponymous

*I only made it two tracks into this one. I'll probably try again, but I'm eternally disappointed that Cave and crew just seem to make the same album over and over again ever since Skeleton Tree and, to a lesser extent, Push the Sky Away, both of which I like upon release, but now feel a lot like Al Pacino's performance in Scent of a Woman - they're just stuck in the same phase. I miss the days when one Bad Seeds record would sound like The Boatman's Call, the next Abbatoir Blues or Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

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Card:

Today's card for study is the Eight of Wands - Swiftness:

Clear communication. Anti Confusion. Be upfront. Be real. Decisiveness.