From the forthcoming album Synthesizer, out October 4th on Dedstrange. Pre-order HERE.
NCBD:
Throwing a couple of last-minute titles on the list this week. Here we go:
How can I pass up a facsimile edition of the first appearance of Swamp Thing in The House of Secrets #93 when I just finished reading all six volumes of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing? The short answer is, I can't.
This new Werewolf By Night series is apparently the first "Red Band" Marvel book, so I have to check it out. Okay Marvel, Thrill me.
More Shockwave. More! More! That's still not enough Shockwave! MORE!!!
This series is seriously unnerving me. Reminds me a lot of Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy, which I read earlier this year. Call it the junction point where Cosmic Horror meets Body Horror. Science Horror? Any way you call it, I'm digging Into the Unbeing.
Playlist:
Final Light - Eponypous
Shellac - To All Trains
QOTSA - In Times New Roman
Assembly Line People Program - Eponymous EP
Zeal & Ardor - Eponymous
The Darts - I Like You But Not Like That
Dead Milkmen - Quaker City Quiet Pills
T. Rex - The Slider
Amigo the Devil - Yours Until the War is Over
Barry Adamson - Cut to Black
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Mr. Bungle - Disco Volante
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE. Also, Grimm's Kickstarter for the Hand of Doom Tarot Art Book is up for five more days. Check it out HERE.
• XIV: Temperance (aka ART)
• Knight of Wands
• Four of Cups
Elements previously thought divisive begin to fall into a cooperative allure, creating stability previously overlooked or unfounded.
Despite all my bitching about amazon of late - there's a lot to bitch about - I'm acting as a total hypocrite and released my new short story collection Vol. 4 as a Kind Exclusive. This was meant to be a free collection. However, I realized too late that Amazon requires a minimum purchase price of $0.99. So there it is and here's a link. Cover concept by me, actual artistic execution by Jonathan Grimm Art - whose Kickstarter for the Art of the Bound Tarot book is still running.
I rewatched Richard Bates Jr.'s Excision (a perfect film) this past Saturday night, and it put me back on the White Lung. I don't think I'd ever seen this video, taken from 2016's Paradise (a perfect album), directed by Bates and starring Excision's Pauline, AnnaLynne McCord.
I miss this band.
Watch:
I did a couple of Virtual Screenings at Ft. Lauderdale's Popcorn Frights Film Fest this past Friday. First up, Luke Bursaća's Videoteka.
I really liked a lot about this film, but found it's pacing to be off. I think the script either wasn't quite right, or there was something lost in the translation between Serbian culture and my own. Still, let me lay out the accolades because there are many: The lighting is exquisite! The Acting is all top-notch, the sound design and score are fantastic, and the locations and set/production design really transport you to the world of the film. I think the trouble lay in balancing a wrap-around with three fairly lengthy films within the film. That's definitely not an easy format to work with, and I'd say Mr. Bursaća did a pretty damn good job. Can't wait to see what he does next.
Next up, Michael Varrati's There's a Zombie Outside. No trailer up yet for this one that I could find, so here's the poster:
A very meta take on doing a zombie film about a guy who makes a zombie film and then fears that will be his high point. In that way, this is more a contemplation on the interior pressures of an artist than a straight horror film, but it was fun and had some great ideas, even if not everything worked all the time. Overall, a definite recommend, especially if you dig films like 2018's You Might Be the Killer; I feel like that would make a perfect double feature with this film.
Popcorn Fright Film Fest runs through August 18th. I don't think I'll have a chance to see any more virtual films, but if you're looking for some new Horror/Genre, check the fest out HERE.
Read:
I tore through the final three volumes of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing saga over the weekend, and I can say that due to some neglect years before, I don't think I'd ever actually read the final three issues of the run. As the trajectory Moore and his artists create in the earlier volumes, their tenure on Swamp Thing more than lives up to the expectations they set at the outset redefining the character from Once-Man-Now-Monster to something God-like and, ultimately, Cosmic. The final two volumes especially really stretch Moore's concepts as far as they can go - like allll the way across the DCU's cosmic breadth. I wasn't huge on the Brujeria Cosmic World Ending Crisis storyline, but then me and world-ending cataclysms in comics reached saturation at least a decade ago. That said, it's still cool to see the template for what DC has been trying to refine into their "Dark Justice League" since the New 52 here in its inception and see it done flawlessly, no less.
Of particular note in these volumes is issue 60, Loving the Alien. Named after Bowie song, this is unlike any other mainstream American comic at this time (that I know of, at least).
A tale of techno-organic lust, the words flow more like William Burroughs than anything Moore did in Swamp book's done previously and the art... to say John TotLeben redefines what a DC comic can look like here is an understatement. This was such an interesting period in comics.
Around the same time, Barry Windsor Smith did Uncanny X-Men #205, and there's a throughline here. This is where that Métal Hurlant influence really creeps into the establishment in the states, and it's glorious.
Now to move seamlessly into Neil Gaiman's Sandman, which in many ways picks up and continues some of the smaller threads of Moore's Swamp Thing. I'll admit, I'd also like to look into what followed this groundbreaking run.
Playlist:
QOTSA - Villains
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Anthrax - Sound of White Noise
Amigo the Devil - Born Against
Chris Isaak - Heart Shaped World
Chris Isaak - Speak of the Devil
Slayer - Live Undead/Haunting the Chapel
Danzig - Danzig 4
Stephen Sanchez - Angel Face
Roy Orbison - Greatest Hits
Calexico - Even Sure Things Fall Through
Melvins & Lustmord - Pigs of the Roman Empire
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments
Final Light - Eponymous
Willie Nelson - Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin
Simon Waskow - Luz OST
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE. Also, Grimm's Kickstarter for the Hand of Doom Tarot Art Book is up. Check it out HERE.
• XVIII: The Moon
• Knight of Swords
• Eight of Wands
Something obscured from sight (or neglected) will provide motivation for transformation.
Can it get any more vague than that? Probably not, but my head's only half in this at the moment, so I'll be chewing on that all day.
Full confession - I am not familiar with Azam Ali's music at all. My good friend Dennis sent me this video a few weeks back and it just got lost in the shuffle of the day-to-day. I realized my negligence this morning and fired "Tender Violet" up and was pretty much completely blown away.
Link to the full youtube video in the playlist below.
Watch:
Last night K and I went to see Tilman Singer's new film, Cuckoo.
The night before, I finally watched Singer's first film, 2018's Luz. Having now seen both in tight succession, I can say I will follow this man wherever he goes from here out.
There's definitely something about Singer's work that gives me a hint of Nicolas Winding Refn, but it's just a hint, a sort of Hauntology flavor that doesn't overpower everything else like the current crop of films I would describe using the same reference does. In Singer's work, there's just as much classic Horror and, after seeing Cuckoo I have to say it, 80s action mixed in. What that more subtle predilection for hazy, contemplative tempos and outdated locations/set design does for the film is anchor the story and characters in a recognizable, relatable world, even as the plot and FX push the film into some super bizarre territory. And Cuckoo is bizarre, make no mistake about it. Luz is, too, but in a much smaller way. Cuckoo is, well, a bit cuckoo.
Singer brings along several repeat collaborators, chief among them Production Designer Dario Mendez Acosta, Cinematographer Paul Faltz, and composer Simon Waskow. Waskow's work, in particular, has begun to greatly interest me; the Luz score is something to behold and has made it into regular, daily rotation. Cuckoo's score will no doubt follow.
NCBD Addendum:
I wasn't expecting to pick up the first issue of Spider-Man: Black Suit and Blood this past week, but dammit do I love Black Suit Spidey, so yeah, I did.
I've enjoyed all of the Marvel "Black, White and Blood" books I've picked up since they started the series a few years back, and especially when I saw J. M. Dematteis' name on this one, I just couldn't pass it up. There are four stories included of varying lengths. Here's what I thought of each.
1) Losing Face - J.M. DeMatteis/Elena Casagrande
A fantastic story that spins off of a minor event at the beginning of DeMatteis' seminal Spider-Man Story Kraven's Last Hunt, which admittedly is getting a bit saturated with continuity spin-offs and references of late, however, this was tight and really sweet.
2) Inside the House - Alyssa Wong/Fran Galán
A quick little "It's coming from inside the house" type story set during the end of Peter's relationship with the symbiote. Very cool.
3) Dysmorphia - Dustin Nguyen
Very short but effective exploration of the inherent body horror in the human/symbiote bonding.
4) Fade to Black - J. Michael Straczynski/Sumit Kumar/Craig Yeung/Dono Sánchez-Almara
I know JMS has one of the historic runs with Spidey, but I've never read any of it, so I wasn't sure how this would play out for me. Happy to report, I really dug it. A kind of current continuity reassessment of Peter's time with the b
Overall, a great issue that has me pulling out my Spidey short box to dig back into some old Black Suit issues. Can't wait for issue two on September 11!
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE. Also, Grimm's Kickstarter for the Hand of Doom Tarot Art Book is up. Check it out HERE.
• Two of Wands
• Four of Cups
• Five of Wands
Two of Wands tends to suggest avoiding a single-minded Willful push. In other words, there may be more ways to get what you want than the one you're focusing on. Four of Cups in emotional stability, so moving from middle to left I'm getting a "Don't make decisions based on emotion." The five of Wands, then, is a break in emotional stability. This shores up the idea that a big, premeditated decision made in an overly emotional state can be as destructive as not making a decision. More sometimes. Now, what this applies to in my own life at the moment... nope. Never mind. It's work. Loud and clear.
From Man...or Astro-Man?'s 2022 12" Distant Pulsar, available over on MOAS?'s Bandcamp HERE. Love these guys, and been listening to them more lately than I have in some time. Feels good to reconnect with an old favorite.
NCBD:
This week's Pull (still haven't stopped in to pick up last week's yet!):
I have to say, I don't really give a toss about this Scarlett series. That said, I'm in for the bigger picture of the Energon Universe, so I'm hanging in there. Maybe I'll be surprised.
This is probably the best series I read on a monthly basis at the moment. I love The Deviant and can't wait to see how this all pans out. Only two issues left after this one...
Going to be sad to see this one go. The Principles of Necromancy has been the sleeper hit of 2024 for me. I knew nothing going in - hell, I know nothing from issue to issue - and maybe partially because of that, I'm staggered by this book every time I pick it up. The premise is nuts and Eamon Winkle's art is out of this world; his concepts are like nothing I've ever seen before.
Play:
More Puppet Combo for Switch!
I'm not certain, but judging by the face designs, I'd say this is possibly another Torture Star game, which means I might have an actual chance in hell of playing it through. The rule of thumb thus far with the games Puppet Combo releases seems to be if Torture Star is involved, it's beatable (for me); otherwise, not really. But this looks AWESOME! A lot of elements from Stay Out of the House, a game I adore but can't get very far in.
Rewind or Die drops next Friday, August 16th and will be available for Xbox and Playstation as well.
Playlist:
QOTSA - Villains
Black Venus - Eponymous
Man... Or Astro-Man? - Distant Pulsar 12"
Jerry Cantrell - Vilified (pre-release single)
Windhand - Grief's Infernal Flower
Zombi - Direct Inject
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Simon Waskow - Luz OST
Forhist - Eponymous
Danzig - Danzig III
Deftones - Live @Lollapalooza 2024
Fright Night - Some Are Born to Endless Night
QOTSA - In Times New Roman
David Bowie - Heathen
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE. Also, Grimm's Kickstarter for the Hand of Doom Tarot Art Book is up. Check it out HERE.
• Page of Wands
• Knight of Swords
• Wheel of Fortune
The Physicality of the Will. The Intellect, raw and pure. The tides of time and fate mixed with chance and served up as a cocktail brimming with potential.
See, this is just further proof that the cards work, but the reason they work is all subconscious to us and not traditional mumbo jumbo (although I would submit for review the idea that our subconscious has A LOT to do with traditional mumbo jumbo). Anyway, the point is, no matter what I draw or how poetic I try and make my interpretation, it's all saying the same thing to me - finish the fucking book. One story left to proofread. The last was easy, the one before it a BEAST that I cut a lot out of. Not story-wise, but syntax and grammar. The stories as narrative are long finished, it's finding the best way to say things that's the hard part.
The second single the band has released from the upcoming album Gone Dark, out October 4th on Ipecac Records. Pre-order HERE.
Watch:
Being that I'm a huge fan of both Black Christmas and Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, I'd been meaning to catch Bob Clark's Death Dream - AKA Dead of Night - for a number of years now. When it landed on Shudder a month or two back, I immediately added it to my list, but it wasn't until a few nights ago when I woke in the middle of the night and found I could not fall back asleep, that I stumbled on it playing from the beginning on Shudder TV.
Not nearly as grand as Clark's other two aforementioned forays into the Horror genre, however, Death Dream did not disappoint, and it's no surprise that William Lustig's Blue Underground restored this one and put it out on disc. Death Dream is pure 70s Cult Cinema, and taken in the mood for such things, I enjoyed it immensely. Even restored there is a palpable darkness the camera and lighting add to the story that almost makes you feel like you're watching it at a Grind House Drive-In circa 1974.
Playlist:
Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
Melvins - Nude With Boots
Opeth - Deliverance
Charles Bradley - Victim of Love
Soul Coughing - Irresistible Bliss
Thou - Umbilical
Zombi - Shape Shift
The Knife - Silent Shout
Blue Meanies - Full Throttle
Mr. Bungle - Eponymous
Mike and the Mevlins - Three Men and a Baby
The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us is the Killer
Melvins & Lustmord - Pigs of the Roman Empire
Perturbator - Lustful Sacraments
Dr. John - Things Happen That Way
James Brown - Funky People Vol. 3
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE. Also, starting today for the next 30, Grimm's Kickstarter for the Hand of Doom Tarot Art Book is up. Check it out HERE.
• IV: The Emperor
• Two of Cups
• Page of Cups
Another late night photo of Grimm's marvelous Hand of Doom Deck. This time, the cards seem to be telling me to, oh gee, lookit that. Finish the book.
This... this is the best video I've seen since Liars stopped making great videos circa 2013. This is just... unreal. Normally, if there's an age restriction on a video and it's only accessible on YouTube, I won't bother to post it. But this? This has to be added to my page.
From the forthcoming album Muuntautuja, which you can bet your sweet ass I just pre-ordered HERE. Out October 11th on Nuclear Blast Records.
These guys have become a staple this past year. I still have so much of their music to dive into, but the Live at Roadburn 2017 album is now irreplaceable in my life. NOTHING sounds like Oranssi Pazuzu.
Watch:
One of the major aspects of the second Terrifier movie I dug was the final girl, played by Lauren LaVera. Bloody Disgusting posted an article about a new film she's in, and honestly, although The Well doesn't look spectacular, the article's headline includes the words "Bloody" and "Italian" and I think I see what the filmmaker is going for. Here, take a look for yourself:
Is it just me, or does this have Michele Soavi written all over it? Based on that, when this drops on September 3rd, I'll probably check it out. You can read the full article on Bloody Disgusting HERE.
Playlist:
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
Japandroids - Celebration Rock
Tim Hecker - Infnity Pool OST
Metropolis - The Darkest Side of the Night (single)
Valkyrie - Fear
Library of the Occult: Dream Division - Wolf
Opeth - §1 (pre-release single)
Oranssi Pazuzu - Valotus (pre-release single)
Ozzy Osbourne - The Ultimate Sin
Card:
From Jonathan Grimm's Hand of Doom Tarot, which you can buy HERE. Also, starting today for the next 30, Grimm's Kickstarter for the Hand of Doom Tarot Art Book is up. Check it out HERE.
