Sunday, September 10, 2023

David Eugene Edwards - Weaver's Beam

 
Late last week, David Eugene Edwards dropped another new track from his upcoming album Hyacinth. "Weaver's Beam" is DEE through and through, his ear still pressed firmly to the dark ghosts of the Earth, summoning energies in his music no one else is privy to in the music world (that I know of anyway). 

Hyacinth drops September 29th and you can pre-order it HERE.


Watch:

Kurt Russel and John Goodman in a series that looks like it was at least partially inspired by Warren Ellis and John Cassady's comic Planetary, specifically issue #2 of the series, "Island."

 
This is the second trailer in the last week or so that has made me realize that the Kaju craze is kind of working its magic on me of late; I didn't grow up super exposed to Godzilla and his siblings, however, current approaches to the ideas - a genre I would argue was changed for the better after the original Cloverfield film -  really get me excited at the possibilities.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters drops November 17th on Apple TV.


Read:

While in Chicago recently, I stopped in at Amazing Fantasy Books & Comics in Frankfort and my good friend Mike Shin recommended Robert Kirkman's new book Void Rivals. Already three-issues in, I'd seen the title but passed on it. Then Mike told me the book launched and, without warning, serves as the unexpected announcement that Kirkman and his company Skybound have secured the rights to Transformers and G.I.Joe, rolling out a new continuity called The Energon Universe


Void Rivals is also in this universe - Kirkman isn't just revamping the original franchise continuity, he's doing something completely new, incorporating his own creations as well. Thus, issue #1 of Void Rivals features a scene where the two characters - each a pilot from two warring races of space civilization living in "The Great Ring," crash land on a desolate planet and are forced to work together to survive. During their endeavors, they discover what appears to be a long-abandoned ship. When the two successfully reactivate the vessel, it transforms into Jetfire of the Autobots and flies off.


I was kinda of blown away. I mean, imagine had I picked up that first issue and discovered this reveal au natural, in the moment? If only. I'm 'spoiling' this now because three months in, I must be about the last person in Western culture who cares to find out. After reading those three issues, I immediately added Void Rivals and October's new Energon Universe: Transformers #1 - written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson, no less - to my pull.

I'm pretty psyched about this approach Kirkman is taking, primarily because it's not just another reimaging or reboot of the pre-existing properties. By weaving his own creations into this mythos, I really think we're going to be getting a very fresh take on two properties I love but that have largely been put through the reboot ringer. Plus, all this new, Kirkman-created mythology is very cool, lining up exactly with that 80s "Hobby Shop SciFi" I've mentioned in these pages multiple times before. 



Playlist:

Zeal & Ardor - Eponymous
Steve Moore - Christmas, Bloody Christmas OST
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Eagulls - Eponymous
Godflesh - Songs of Love and Hate
16 Horsepower - Secret South
16 Horsepower - Low Estate
Rodney Crowell - The Chicago Sessions
Repugnant - Epitome of Darkness
Witchfinder - Hazy Rites
The Obsessed - Lunar Womb
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Nahab
David Eugene Edwards - Hyacinth (pre-release singles)



Oracle:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE.  Just a reminder that Grimm's new Tarot Deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot, is both gorgeous and live on Kickstarter right now. Here's the LINK.


• XIII: Death
• Five of Cups
• XIV: Temperance (Art)

Five of Cups suggests storm and strife, and taken with Death and Temperance - which I always just read as Thoth's "Art," suggests this strife will lead to the end of an endeavor or, possibly, the patience required to continue with the endeavor. Straight forward, doubly so because two of my current backburner projects at the moment feel as though they are held together by the weakest of gossamer.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

Before Ghost there was Repugnant


Before Ghost, Tobias Forge was in a band named Repugnant? I had NO IDEA, so thanks to THIS article on Metal Sucks. Death Metal isn't really my jam, but this... not too bad. And from the opening guitar, you can 100% hear that it's Forge's writing. So here's them playing live and that guy that looks kind of like he could be in the Misfits? That's Papa! Always cool to see where our beloved musical icons come from. 



Watch:

I've struggled with Demián Rugna's 2017 film Terrified multiple times. I liked it, but I didn't feel for it as others who seemed to feel it was the scariest film in years did. My theory is this is due to the fact that I fell asleep during my first viewing (not the film's fault at all), and that tends to rob some film's impact for me. It happened to Duncan Jones's Moon, it happened to Denis Villeneuve's Arrival, and I'm pretty sure it happened to Terrified. Regardless of how I felt about it as far as being "scary," Rugna definitely crafted a confident, competent Horror film that I wouldn't hesitate to others. So it is with no small amount of fervor that I came upon Bloody Disgusting's posting of the trailer for his new film, Where Evil Lurks. Here's the trailer:


I was torn on actually watching this; as you know if you've been reading these pages lately, I've become very anti-trailer. In spite of that prejudice, and cautious that I might once again rob Rugna's film of power, I watched it and can happily confirm this is truly a 'teaser.' Well done, IFC. I can also say I am 100% in just for the sound design alone. Where Evil Lurks is supposed to have a theatrical run starting on October 6th, and will hit Shudder on the 27th of the same month.



Read:

Almost two years ago, I posted about giving up on Clive Barker's Scarlett Gospels. Well, I decided recently to give it another shot. 


I'm not really far enough to pass judgment again, but this definitely still feels less elegant than any other Barker I've read. The opening scene sees the five remaining Black Magicians in the world (?) resurrect a sixth, more powerful one to try and survive a culling carried out by The Priest (don't use that other nickname!), who is now working separately from The Order of the Gash, attempting to amass all the world's Magickal knowledge for some as yet unknown purpose. The scene begins rather poorly and doesn't really feel like Barker until "The Demon" shows up. Here, I still get a sense that Barker is overdoing the gross-out factor in a misguided attempt to recapture something of his past works - which were all elegantly revolting and not nearly as gauche - but I'm hanging in and hopefully coming to terms with this in a way that will allow me to A) finish the novel this time and, B) enjoy it. Reminder to self: This man is a genius, an icon, and any Barker is better than no Barker.




Playlist:

The Lucid Night - The Mystic Journey EP
The Lucid Night - The Celestial Voyage (single)
Lord Huron - Long Lost
Low Cut Connie - Tough Cookies: The Best of the Quarantine Broadcasts
Godflesh - Songs of Love and Hate
Repugnant - Epitome of Darkness
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror



Oracle:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE. Just a reminder that Grimm's new Tarot Deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot, is both gorgeous and live on Kickstarter right now. Here's the LINK.


• Page of Cups
• X: Wheel of Fortune
• Queen of Swords

The Page or Princess of Cups is a card I associate with inner vision, and taken with the Wheel in this case, I see ideas growing to fruition. Therefore, good day to write. Balance all that out with the Watery aspect of Fire and I'm reminded I have a major distraction going on in Chicago at the moment. Reading all these together then, tells me to get the writing in where/when I can today - even a little will be productive.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

The Lucid Night

 
My good friend and fellow cohost on The Horror Vision Horror Podcast sent me this track a couple days ago, and I just got around to listening to it. Outstanding! I'm working my way through the entire The Mystic Journey EP from 2020, which can be purchased directly from the band HERE.



NCBD:

Here's the list for this week's NCBD picks:


The finale for Pat O'Malley's Popscars! I've been waiting for this one for some time, and issue five really just threw gas on that fire. Such a great book, and if you didn't read it monthly, I happen to know the TPB is being released from Sumerian next month!


After dropping off Ed Piskor's Red Room after the first four-issue series, I'm super happy I came back for this final four-issue run. Crypto Killaz has been a crazy ride; this book takes me back to the glory days of 80s indie comics, and despite its ultra-disturbing subject matter, Piskor's Harry Crumb-esque art style really makes for something new. I just booked a trip to LaLaLand in a few weeks, so while I'm there, I'll be stopping by The Comic Bug to pick up that second-season trade and complete the Red Room saga.


Due to my own misjudgment of interest in this series, I did not end up getting a copy of last week's penultimate Weapons of Vengeance chapter in Wolverine #36. Rick's Comic City ordered one for me, though, so hopefully, I'll be able to grab that as well as this final chapter there today.

I'm a bit confused why this Emma Stone/Tony Stark wedding is happening in the midst of the Mutants' darkest hour, but I'm sure Gerry Duggan and crew will make it work.


Watch:

A few nights ago, I watched Riley Stearns's 2014 film Faults. Here's the trailer:

 

Leland Orser spent a lot of time owning the small, supporting roles he is known for - several of which I would argue are iconic - so it's great to see him in the lead, where he turns in one hell of a performance as Ansel Roth, Cult and Mindcontrol expert. Hired to deprogram an older couple's runaway daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who also turns in an outstanding performance), things are not quite what they seem, and Ansel ends up in a series of pretty rough situations. As hysterical as it is disturbing, Faults is a fantastic film. Currently streaming on Freevee, you can also pick up the Blu-Ray for a pretty good price over at Vinegar Syndrome.




Playlist:

Rodney Crowell - Ain't Living Long Like This
Rodney Crowell - The Houston Kid
Extreme - Six
The Lucid Night - The Mystic Journey
16 Horsepower - Secret South
Low Cut Connie - Tough Cookies: The Best of the Quarantine Broadcasts
Metallica - ... And Justice For All
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Nahab
Blut Aus Nord - Triunity
Godflesh - Songs of Love and Hate
Captain Jack - Pure Electric



Oracle:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE, and his Kickstarter for The Hand of Doom tarot is now live! Click HERE and be blown away!!!


• Ace of Wands
• King of Wands
• Page of Wands

It's all about Will today, eh? Okay, good to know. Now, let's go a little bit deeper...

I generally read all Aces as Breakthroughs, and the King of Wands as a firm hand. Page or (Princess in Thoth) is a pragmatic application, so this would appear to be outlining a course of action: Applying Will in the proper place and without judgment, but with the understanding of when to back off may lead to a break-through. 

Rodney Crowell - Ever the Dark


My favorite track from a fantastic summer album Mr. Brown recently recommended to me, Rodney Crowell's The Chicago Sessions, produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. 

Crowell has been kicking around for decades; his debut record, Ain't Living Long Like This came out in 1978, but I don't remember ever being exposed to his music until Brown sent me a copy of his 2018 Christmas Record Christmas Everywhere last year. Working backward, there's a wealth of fantastic material (especially on that first record and 2001's The Houston Kid). Crowell spent some time in the mid-to-late 70s in Emmylou Harris's backing band, and they did an album together in 2013 that's also on my list to check out.


Watch:

I've never really been a Godzilla fan, but I have to admit, I think I'd probably be a fool not to see Godzilla Minus One when it opens this December:
 
I'm assuming it was lack of exposure to Godzilla flicks as a kid that is the reason they don't really resonate with me. I remember when the trailer for that first Legendary film with Brian Cranston popped up before something in the cinema - that trailer made me think the new approach would be a lot more in the Cloverfield vein, and that sounded really cool at the time. Then several of my friends saw it and reported back that if I was looking for something new, this wasn't it. I let that film come and go, then tried to watch the second one on HOBOMAX a few years ago and actually fell asleep for lack of Godzilla. Will this return to Toho ignite a love for these films? Well, it's not likely to move the needle backward, but you have to admit, this looks pretty badass, so I'll check it out. What I'm really hoping is all my Godzilla-loving friends come away super happy with this one; the buzz of the franchise's return to its original home Toho seems like a good omen for sure. 


Read:

I finished Nathan Ballingrud's The Strange, and as I suspected, I'm having a difficult time choosing a book to move to next, simply because The Strange was so damn good. Officially, as of right now, this is the best novel I've read in 2023 (new or old):


Described by the Author in the afterword as "The Martian Chronicles meets True Grit," I think that says it all. This is a coming-of-age story shaped by loss and the quiet, frustrating echoes of it that resound forward through our lives and shape who we become, especially for those loss touches at a young age. Annabelle Crisp is a protagonist for the ages, and I loved the brief 'wraparound' that Ballingrud employs so we could 'hear' a grown Belle relate the events of her 14th year on Mars, 1931. 



Playlist:

Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Soul Coughing - El Oso
Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Type O Negative - Life is Killing Me
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Nahab
Lustmord - Berlin
Metallica - The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited
Various - Apple Yacht Rock Essentials
Bria - Cuntry Covers Vol. 2
The Ravenonettes - In and Out of Control
T. Rex - The Slider
Rodney Crowell - The Chicago Sessions
Bluekarma - The Frictin, The Pain
Zeal and Ardor - Eponymous
Southern Fried True Crime Podcast - Episodes 180, 182 and 190



Oracle:

From Jonathan Grimm's Bound Tarot, which you can buy HERE. And as of 5:00 PM Central Time today, September 5, 2023, you can head over to Kickstarter and back Grimm's new deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot. Check it out HERE.




• Eight of Cups
• Six of Pentacles
• IV: The Emperor

Right off the bat (and probably because I'm tired and have a lot of work-work in front of me), I'm reading this with a squint, which is to say, I'm not even looking past the fact that there's only one Major here, and it's telling me to sit quietly and hammer out my work before even thinking about the creative and emotional threads that will emerge as the day lengthens. 

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Rote Hexe - Black Wood Becomes White Wood


It'd been a while since I last jammed Rote Hexe's debut 12" Red Witch, a surprise find back at the old Amoeba Records somewhere in 2015, and which included a 7" flexi that had the above song on it. 

This one slams! I love the mixture of Doom and experimental Black Metal this two-piece traffics in. I wish I could find more music by them, however, from what I'm seeing online, this is it. That's cool - releasing an EP this great and dropping the mic just means they're legendary.

You can listen and purchase Red Witch on Rote Hexe's Bandcamp HERE, and check out their label Cricket Cemetery's site HERE.


Watch:

Man, I feel like it's been a short eternity since Butcher from The Horror Vision saw Writer/Director Bomani J. Story's debut feature, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster. Ostensibly a new take on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I've heard nothing but good things about this one. Here's the trailer (that I haven't watched, which probably explains why it's taken me this long to post it here):


The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster hits Shudder on 9/22, however, it's currently a $5.99 rental on Prime, and I think I'd like to give my money to this one. Pretty excited.



Playlist:

Jóhann Jóhannsson - Mandy OST
Dream Division - Beyond the Mirror's Image
Rote Hexe - Red Witch w/ 7" Flexi
Genghis Tron - Dead Mountain Mouth
Zombi - Shape Shift
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
Blut Aus Nord - Disharmonium: Nahab
Fuck Buttons - Streeting Horrrsing
Michael Kiwanuka - KIWANUKA
Ghost - Impera
Anthrax - Among the Living
Bohren and Der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission




Oracle:

Ugh - pardon the flash-accentuated picture:


• Queen of Cups - Water of Water, Emotional aspect of Emotion
• Seven of Disks - Failure: a Victory in its own right
• XIII - The Devil - Information - Good or Bad - from a suspect source

Jesus. This is my upcoming weekend in a nutshell. Things will get overly complicated emotionally if I fail to recognize a crucial piece of information as either valid but from a suspect source (I already have them in mind), or invalid from a trusted source (the worse of the two scenarios). 

New Music from Wolves in the Throne Room!!!

A gorgeous new video from Wolves in the Throne Room's upcoming EP Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge, out September 29th on Relapse Records. You can pre-order a copy HERE.

Also, and as an aside, pretty sure that's Zartan making an appearance in the video at 2:11.




Watch:

It's been a slow week for watching stuff; after hearing John Trafton talk about how he's not streaming new content until the WGA strike is over, I decided to follow suit. So no new shows for the last few weeks, which isn't nearly as bad as some might think - yeah, I'm behind or half-complete with several shows - Justified, Secret Invasion - but honestly, I don't really care at all. 

I couldn't make the same pledge for films simply because of everything we cover on The Horror Vision (although if things get too rough for the writers, I may vote to stop covering new studio films altogether and redirect the focus of the show to reassessing older titles). This break in the ouroboros of media consumption has led K and I back outside, where the cooler weather this week has weakened the presence of the marauding mosquitos and allowed us to enjoy our backyard again. Last night, however, the bugs were bad, and we folded back into our couch and watched a flick the other members of The Horror Vision were talking about: Adam Schindler's 2015 home invasion film Intruders.


If you're like me, you've seen this thumbnail pretty much every day since 2015. I don't normally gravitate toward Home Invasion as a subgenre, so I know why I passed this one up. That said, finally seeing it, I can say that I really enjoyed it, and it's not what you think it's going to be. I opted to post an image instead of a trailer because I'd be willing to bet the trailer gives too much away; we went in 100% blind and were pleasantly surprised.



Playlist:

The Cure - Pornography
Anthrax - State of Euphoria
Testament - Low
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments
Mastodon - Leviathon
Bluekarma - The Communication



Oracle:

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


• XIV: Temperance (Art in Thoth)
• Ten of Wands
• V: The Hierophant

Easy associations this morning; a reminder to employ patience and consider the ideas of others (my folks) as I barge into the situation this weekend and attempt to fix a problem we have with the person representing the sale of their house. The Hierophant is the dogma of my own ideas, whipping my preconceived notions into a frenzy that, if left untempered, could lead to a Willful disaster. 

Just for perspective, I thought I'd pull Thoth today, as well:


• XVI: The Tower
• Seven of Wands
• XVIII: The Moon

A very similar reading as above (or, I suppose it's just my inclination for interpretation, after all, that's what Tarot is - it's not occult information from an outer source, but a way to bypass the conscious mind with symbols and associations and peak at what's already in your mind that you might be refusing or unaware of).

The Tower here represents the Idea I have in my head (the one that the first Pull warned me against giving too much credence to). The Seven of Wands is a Victory (sevens always are some kind of Victory or turning point because their Sephirotic association is Netzach) over that untempered Dogma (Hierophant). The Moon is almost always a nod to unconsidered or occluded information. I'm taking that to mean that while the person I have an issue with is definitely operating at their own agenda, there's more to the story than just their being a cunt.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

A Darkness At the Heart of My Love


Over a year later and I still just can't play this record enough. So much about this one might have hit me wrong if it hadn't come out exactly when it did. Because of that timing, every listen transports me to someplace very special. I'm not sure if it's because Impera dropped right around the time K and I started venturing out in the aftermath of the pandemic or if it's just down to how incredible this record is. Probably a little from column A and a little from column B. 

I remember those first tentative nights when we discovered that Frejole's of El Segundo - our favorite Mexican Restaurant in proximity to our place in Redondo Beach - had put in a small bar, so that when we went in to pick up our Friday night carry-out, we would stop and have a pint of Santa Monica Brewing's 310, or Lagunitas IPA, then drive home with this or Orville Peck's Bronco blaring, a newfound freedom energizing our long-cocooned weekends. 




NCBD:

My picks for this week's NCBD:


Two issues left of Nightmare Country: The Glass House and I'm not sure how to feel about this second chapter. Of course, I'm hoping there will be more; I've said before that reading this book monthly reminds me SO MUCH of reading Sandman monthly, without being redundant at all. Of all the "Sandman Presents" titles that have come and gone in the last however many years since Gaiman and DC announced his curation of the line, Nightmare Country is the only one that has kept up a consistent feeling of actually being a worthy continuation (that's not to knock the original The Dreaming, which I loved). Anyway, the previous chapter of this story came in the form of that Thessaly one-shot, and now that she's involved, things feel even more on edge. Perfect.

Yeah, this is how they get ya, right? I don't really have any interest in reading a Wolvie book - although the shit I hear that's going on with Beast basically becoming Dark Beast sounds fantastic - but the mini-event "Weapons of Vengeance" is switching to Wolverine this month and I'm reading it. Great series so far, and we finally got the revelation of Weapon Plus: Hellfire Program, so I'm psyched to see where this goes.




Watch:

So when I posted the Black Mold trailer last week, that was kind of a last minute override of another trailer that dropped around the same time. Ladies and Gentlemen, Beaten to Death:  

That title made me think there was no way I was going to step in front of this bus, but the film actually looks excellent, and while you know it's going to be violent AF, watching this leads me to believe it won't be the kind of violence the title first suggested to me.


Playlist:

King Diamond - Them
Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire
Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon: I
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
Dream Division - Beyond the Mirror's Image
Secret Chiefs 3 - Le mani destre recise degli ultimi uomini
Ghost Bath - Moonlover
Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
Ghost - Impera
Anthrax - State of Euphoria