New Music from Mars Red Sky!

From the upcoming album Dawn of the Dusk, out December 8th on MRS and Vicious Circle. For whatever reason, I can't seem to find a link to pre-order the physical media, but I'm sure that will arrive before the record's release. In the meantime, digging this new track.

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31 Days of Halloween:

My friends and I had the absolute privilege of rounding our 2023 Beyondfest out with a double feature at the lovely Los Feliz 3. 

First up, Documentarian Paul Duane's first narrative film, All You Need is Death. Please believe me when I say this one was revelatory! 

If you search go HERE, you'll see the inception of my stated fascination with "British Occult Films" - this is what I was using to discuss what has essentially become branded as modern entries in the resurgence of Folk Horror. Back when I was seeking out films like The Droving, Without Name, and the like in the wake of seeing Ben Wheatley's Kill List, Folk Horror hadn't yet become a household word, so English or UK Occult. Regardless of genre tags, these films were entries in a much more nuanced attempt to use the pre-Christian origins of modern society as the soil from which to mine Horrors born of folklore and the swirls mists of the pre-English, pre-industrialization world. That is very much the impetus for Duane's All You Need is Death, which explores the world of people who collect ancient folk songs. There's no trailer for this one yet, as in talking to Mr. Duane after the film he stated XYZ Films is releasing All You Need Is Death to the U.S. in mid-March. I'll definitely be watching for it, so when more info becomes available, I will post it here. In the meantime, here's a poster:

Next up was the new remaster of Maurice Devereaux's 2001 game show parody Slashers. This is one Terror Vision is putting out on BluRay in a couple of months. I couldn't find a trailer I could report, so here's the opening sequence:

This is a fun little gem from the early 00s and also, a movie my good friend Dennis had recommended to me over and over back when we'd hang out once or twice a week and watch flicks. I never saw it back then, and it had actually been on my mind about a week before Beyondfest announced this screening; fortuitous indeed.

The tally for 31 Days of Halloween so far:

1) When Evil Lurks/VHS 85/Adam Chaplin

2)Tales From the Crypt Ssn 1, Ep 6 "Collection Complete"

3) VHS

4) All You Need is Death

5) Slashers (2001)

6) The Beyond/Phenomena

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Read:

I'm still slogging through Clive Barker's The Scarlet Gospels; truth be told, I haven't had much chance to read since I've been in LaLaLand, but there's also not a lot of excitement for me to finish the final 80% of the book. That said, I saw my A Most Horrible Library cohost Chris Saunders the other night, and as he always does, Chris gifted me a small handful of books he found thrifting. I'm mailing most back home to Tennessee so I don't have to weigh my luggage down with them, however, one that I'm keeping out in case I have some time and can't bring myself to return to the Gospels is this old gem: 

Originally published in 1990 and edited by Steve Niles long before he hit it big with 30 Days of Night,  I've seen this one around for years. I might have even had a copy at some point. Either way, what a great line-up of authors for one Anthology. Pretty excited to dig into this. 

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Playlist:

Led Zeppelin - Get the Led Out Playlist

Spotlights - Seance EP

Mars Red Sky - Dawn of the Dusk (pre-release singles)

Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Data Doom

The Damned - Evil Spirits

Wire - Pink Flag

Pigface - Notes From the Underground

Gang of Four - Entertainment!

Drug Church - Hygiene

Gang of Four - Songs of the Free

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Talk About the Weather

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Card:

Sometimes, what looks like defeat is actually a breakthrough (if you're wise enough to see that). Not entirely certain what this is in reference to. I'm tempted to read everything as being about work at the moment, but that's just because I'm on-site in person and a little baffled by the manner in which things are changing. I guess we'll leave it at that.

Leaders of Men

 

I don't have a lot in me at the moment, so here's some old-school Joy Division, one of my favorite tracks from the Warsaw days.

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31 Days of Halloween:

1) When Evil Lurks/VHS 85/Adam Chaplin

2)Tales From the Crypt Ssn 1, Ep 6 "Collection Complete"

3) VHS

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NCBD:

Here's what's waiting for me when I finally make it into a comic shop:

I still haven't started this series yet, so I will inevitably wait for all five issues to come out before I read. That kind of sucks, but the fact is this had a crazy low print run, thus my problems acquiring issue one (which I still don't have, hence why I haven't started it).

Finally: Apocalypse!!! I have no idea where this is going to lead; I'd originally expected old En Sabbah Nur to show up in X-Men: Red, where his wife is waging war on Storm and her people. Having him show up here has me questioning a lot of what I thought was going on. 

Daniel Warren Johnson doing a new Transformers comic that takes place in Robert Kirkman's Energon Universe? No way I'd miss this. I'm pretty selective with what I acknowledge, let alone spend time/money on as far as The Transformers; the only books I've read are the original Marvel comic and the Simon Furman continuation of that about ten years ago, Regeneration. Movie-wise, it's just 86 and the cartoons that predated it. Nothing else, so the fact that this ties into that world - or at least as far as I think I understand this Energon Universe - is a pretty big selling point. Of course DWJ at the helm is the other.

We finally get to see more of what Orchis is doing to Scott. There was a time I would have welcomed his torture, but call me crazy, Cyclops has actually become a pretty solid character in the post-Hickman continuity. I love how all the characters I found the least interesting or downright annoying are now stalwarts of my interest.

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Playlist:

Damone - From the Attic

Ruby the Hatchet - Fear is a Cruel Master

Umberto - Prophecy of the Black Widow

Spotlights - Seance EP

Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun

Young Widows - Old Wounds

Siouxsie & The Banshees

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No Sleeping at Beyondfest Triple Feature!

The only time I'd ever heard of Sleep Token before this past Saturday night was when my friend Josh asked if I'd heard of them, as his algorithm maintained a consistent recommendation. Driving back from a friend's house in Santa Clarita, my friend Bridget played several songs, and I almost instantly became intrigued. When Ray dropped me off at the hotel, I had a head full of smoke and laid down with their first album, Sundowning, on my headphones. I was transported somewhere I had never been before. This is the reaction I am most fond of with music, and based on that, I'm kind of an overnight fan here, despite the fact that some of the textures Sleep Token employs in its genreless music are coopted from styles of music I don't particularly care for. That said, in the context of this band's music and mythology, most of it works. 

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31 Days of Halloween:

Thanks to Beyondfest, I was able to kick off 31 Days of Halloween yesterday with a triple-feature over at the Aero. Here's what we saw:

 

Having just rewatched Demián Rugna's 2017 film Terrified, I wasn't entirely certain what I was in for with When Evil Lurks. Turns out, When Evil Lurks won the day. This film is relentlessly dark, it doesn't hold your hand, and it pays back what it demands of the audience with one of the most original and gnarly Horror flicks of the year, if not of the last few.

Next, the latest installment in the V/H/S series:

 

As I've stated here previously, this series is always a mixed bag for me. When I saw Gigi Saul Guerrero, David Bruckner and Scott Derrickson attached to direct segments in V/H/S/85, I had hope for a really solid anthology film, and I got one.

The one thing about the VHS that still wears on me is how they play with the mechanism of the format. Tracking lines, pops, squiggles, dither and interrupted interstitial elements - these contrived artifacts add little at this point, and I think take up far too much time. I know having these creates the VHS illusion. However, they're just such a given at this point it does nothing for me. I also thought a few of the shorts had some pacing issues, but overall, this is easily my favorite all-around entry into the series since the original. Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill's "Dreamkill" was easily my favorite here, with its bloody set pieces that felt right out of an early 80s Video Nasty.

 Finally, the night ended with Emanuele De Santi and Giulio De Santi's 2011 bloodbath, Adam Chaplain:

This movie would make an absolutely perfect double feature with Gabriel Bartalos's Skinned Deep. It's low on budget but a veritable "how to" lesson on shooting and FX when you have more Will than money.

As with last year's 31 Days, I'm aberrating my usual a-movie-a-day format due to the fact that I'll still be in a hotel room until the evening of the ninth. I always bring my firestick with me when I travel, however, working and seeing people come first, so I cannot guarantee I'll have the time every single day to watch something. With that said, Day #1 takes care of the next 3 days (not to say I won't try to watch something every day, it's just doubtful.

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Playlist:

Jóhann Jóhannsson - Mandy OST

Deth Crux - Mutant Flesh

Baroness - Stone

The Warlocks - Vevey Live

Sleep Token - Sundowning

Sleep Token - Take Me Back to Eden

Voyage - Paradise (single)

Voyage - Second Light

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Card:

I'm on the road, so all my Pulls will be from my mini Thoth deck for the next two weeks. Not a bad thing, but wanted to put up a reminder that Grimm's new Tarot Deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot, is both gorgeous and live on Kickstarter until Tuesday, October 3rd. Here's the LINK.

• II: The Priestess

• Three of Cups: Abundance

• IX: The Hermit

Another pretty easy one - an abundance of emotion can lead to isolation. This is, I believe, another tip for dealing with issues at work. It's pretty easy to become overwhelmed and transported right back into the "Manager Mode" that made me successful while I was still living and working here in L.A. That's a mistake, and I appreciate the Universe's constant reminders that is no longer my role. 

Sonar Deceit

 

Thanks once again to Mr. Brown, I once again found an album that has immediately made my entire life better. The Damned's 2018 Evil Spirits is so good it's helped keep me afloat while I suffer from mild insomnia this first week in L.A. The Damned is a band I missed altogether when I was younger. Hell, it wasn't until sometime around 10 years ago that Mr. Brown came out to visit me, we hit Amoeba, and he picked up a three-disc set that included the first album, Damned Damned Damned, and I'm not really sure what else. This is the only Damned I knew until Sunday when, on the way to Cold Waves in Mr. Brown's car, he popped this in. I was blown away from the opening track, "Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow," all the way through to the last track, and I've listened to it almost every day since, sometimes multiple times. "Sonar Deceit" is, I believe, my favorite track, but the entire album is just so damn good, pun intended. The thing that

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Watch:

I had two nights to just kind of chill in my hotel room, despite the fact that doing so was exactly what I didn't want to happen (for a fairly heavy account of my pontifications walking the street of West L.A./Santa Monica, check out the most recent Every Day (Is Halloween) newsletter, which you can sub to HERE and comes complete with a playlist). I'm okay, though, and despite suffering from mild insomnia this last week, I'm maintaining and actually welcomed the respite. Here's what I watched while vegging in bed, NOT sleeping:

First up, Jeff Lieberman's 1977 weirdo slasher(?) Blue Sunshine. Here's the trailer:

 

This one is such a strange film; there's a fairly large scope to Blue Sunshine that kind of peters out at the end, but I love it nonetheless. The opening has stayed with me since the first time I watched it. Blue Sunshine is available on Blu-Ray from the fine folks at Film Centrix. 

 Next, I caught Mark Rosman's The House on Sorority Row on Shudder TV:

 

Not great, but then, it doesn't try to be. The House on Sorority Row knows exactly what it is - a film made to cash in on the early 80s Slasher craze, and in those terms, it does its job in a pretty entertaining way. There are elements of this that I really like to think were lifted from Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1966 film Diabolique, and that actually makes me like Sorority Row more than I probably should. 

Finally, in anticipation of seeing Demián Rugna's new film When Evil Lurks tomorrow at Beyondfest, I rewatched his 2017 film Terrified.

Another film that sets up a larger incident than it resolves, I dig this film quite a  bit but have never understood the proclamations that it's one of the scariest films of all time.  Terrified definitely hits a bunch of the "scariest scenarios ever" checklist (something under the bed you're sleeping in; dead child back from the grave, malevolent spirits watching you while you sleep, etc.), but I guess because I've seen all those before, it doesn't move the fear needle. That's not a criticism because most movies don't scare me. Not because I'm tough, but, you know, it's 2023 - we've seen a lot scarier shit in the real world. Still, a great film I recommend to all. 

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Playlist:

T. Rex - The Slider

Fvnerals - Let the Earth Be Silent

Bell Witch - Future's Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate

Joy Division - Substance 1977-1980

The Damned - Evil Spirits

Witchskull - The Serpent Tide

Godflesh - Purge

Dio - The Last In Line

Various - Every Day (Is Halloween) Playlist #7

The Damned - Phantasmagoria

Nerver & Chat Pile - Brothers in Christ split EP

Chat Pile - God's Country

IDLES - Joy as an Act of Rebellion

Wytch Finger - The Dance EP

FFS - Eponymous

Screaming Females - Desire Pathway

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Card:

I'm on the road, so all my Pulls will be from my mini Thoth deck for the next two weeks. Not a bad thing, but wanted to put up a reminder that Grimm's new Tarot Deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot, is both gorgeous and live on Kickstarter until Tuesday, October 3rd. Here's the LINK.

• Six of Swords: Science

• Five of Swords: Defeat

• Three of Disks: Work

Wow. Really easy to read this one: The changes I'm trying to inspire being back at work on-site are just not going to happen and are not worth fighting about. That actually takes a lot of stress off me. 

It's Beyond Me, the Way That We Use it

If you know me, you will be surprised to see me posting an Eric Clapton track here. Outside of "Layla", I am NOT a fan. But a few days ago, Mr. Brown showed me Rick and Morty's "The Vat of Acid Episode," where they use this track from Clapton's 1986 album August for a hilarious montage sequence. This is full-blown, mid-80s, mid-life crisis EC, and it's... well, I can't really talk all that much shit about it at the moment because a combination of R&M and nostalgia for the world as it was in 1986 (to a degree) has it in regular rotation inside my head. This has made me question something about myself: my cynicism. I'll write more about this soon - I'm running on 12 hours of sleep TOTAL over the previous 72 hours, and I just don't have the mental capacity to explain my thoughts because, you know, it's in the way that you... yeah. 

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Beyond:

Tuesday night, running on next to no sleep, my friend Jesus, Horror Vision Ray and I attended the opening night of Beyondfest with Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's new film Kill. There's no trailer yet, so here's a poster:

This one BLEW ME AWAY. I’m fairly certain I won’t see a movie I like more over the next two weeks, maybe not for the rest of the year. Kill provoked a standing ovation and a whole lot of encouraging "fuck yeahs" from this guy right here. I felt like I was at a freakin' metal show it pumped me up so much.

Kill instantly became my third favorite action movie ever (Predator and Die Hard being one and two). Also, though I don't want to give too much away, Kill becomes something of a “reverse slasher” in the last half and is apparently the "bloodiest film to ever come out of India." Of that, I have no doubt. If you are lucky enough to get a chance and see this on the big screen whenever it comes out, do yourself a favor and do just that. Outstanding!!!

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NCBD:

Here's an amalgam of what will be waiting for me at Rick's Comic City when I return to Clarksville, as well as what I'm planning on picking up while I'm on the road:

Probably the book I am most anticipating this week. I really dug the previous arc of The Stuff of Nightmares, and from the brief synopsis I saw months ago that stated this is a Horror story that takes place at a Horror Convention - not to mention this Barbarian-homage cover - Red Murder really has me excited. Funny then, that when I first heard the creator Goosebumps had a Horror Comic on the way, I wrongfully dismissed it; I grew up a voracious reader, but born in '76, I was too old for that kid-driven series, and honestly, I was reading Horror novels from the Worth Library's paperback spinner racks that were probably way advanced for me at the time, subject matter-wise.

Not super sure what to make of Jean Grey number one, other than A) Louise Simonson has returned to B) Whatever happens after Fall of X, pretty sure Jean will be returning from beyond the grave as the Phoenix.

Newburn! That is all. 

LOVING this new Garth Ennis/Jacen Burrows Horror series. 

I know something about issue four of Robert Kirkman's Void Rivals that shocks me into almost placing it above Red Murder #1 on the anticipation scale.

Not going to lie - I need a full-series re-read to reestablish where we're at in What's the Furthest Place From Here. That doesn't lessen my fervor for the book; just makes it difficult to say very much about picking this up today. But pick it up, I shall.

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Watch:

Somehow, I missed the fact that a teaser for Issa Lopez's True Detective Season Four dropped a couple of months ago. I didn't miss this one, though:

So, you know my recent aversion to trailers? I couldn't help but hit "Play" on this; however, I cut out after about half. I mean, I didn't need to see anything at all ahead of time to know I was going to be all-in. I mean, have you seen Tigers Are Not Afraid? Set in Alaska and... well, that's about all I know about this one at this point, other than the fact that it stars Kali Davis, Jodie Foster, John Hawkes and Destro - I mean Christopher Eccleston, and has something to do with the operators of a research station disappearing. Sound familiar? Chances are this won't resemble John Carpenter's The Thing at all, and the comparison I'm actually referencing is the work of Laird Barron, which would fit right in with what I originally thought this show was going to be in Season One. Based on the appearance of a certain symbol, this season is apparently going to tie into one and three. Fine by me - world-build True Detective. Please! 

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Playlist:

Umberto - Prophecy of the Black Widow

Screaming Females - Desire Pathway

Le Butcherettes - A Raw Youth

Mastodon - Leviathan

Eric Clapton - It's In the Way That You Use It (single)

The Damned - Evil Spirits

Danko Jones - We Sweat Blood

Sandrider - Godhead

Blackbraid - Blackbraid II

Pale Dian - Feral Birth

Godflesh - Songs of Love and Hate

Trust Obey - Fear and Bullets (1994 Edition)

Two Minutes to Late Night: Serpents of Christ

Johnny Marr - Somewhere (single)

Mutoid Man - Mutants

Feuerbahn - The Fire Dance EP

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Card:

I'm on the road, so all my Pulls will be from my mini Thoth deck for the next two weeks. Not a bad thing, but wanted to put up a reminder that Grimm's new Tarot Deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot, is both gorgeous and live on Kickstarter until Tuesday, October 3rd. Here's the LINK.

• Eight of Swords - Interference

• X - Fortune

• Ace of Wands

Again, I'm probably too tired at the moment of Pulling and writing this, however, pretty sure this is a work-related issue. The 8 of Swords, combined with Fortune (The Wheel in other decks) which denotes change, and the Willful breakthrough intimated by the Ace of Wands leads me to believe there will be somewhat of a confrontation tomorrow and this is a reminder to handle myself with tact and professionalism.

Weird being on the job site again. 

Godflesh @ Cold Waves 2023!!!

 

This past Sunday, Mr. Brown, Missi Raven and I attended the 2023 Chicago Metro edition of Cold Waves. As with last year - the first one of these I'd managed to make it out to after almost a decade of wanting to - the event was fantastic. We arrived late, so missed several bands, which sucks, but I've been a bit worn down, so it is what it is. We did manage to see Sierra, who was fantastic, Paul Barker's Lead Into Gold, also fantastic and closer Godflesh.

Godflesh closed with"Spite," the opening track from their 31-year-old masterpiece Pure, arguably my favorite Godflesh album (depending on the day, I suppose, but it's up there). 

Here's a recent setlist from Montreal; Chicago's set was identical, except for the two encore tracks, which they didn't have time to play. No complaints - a fantastic sampling of their illustriously pummeling career.

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Watch:

Holy smokes. I did not know this was on the way:  

I've cooled on pretty much everything Mr. Cave has put out since Push the Sky Away. However, I still think he's a genius. And that genius began in a completely raw, primordial form with The Birthday Party, easily one of my all-time favorite bands. Seeing there's a documentary on the immediate horizon makes me insanely happy, even though it plays at my local arthouse theatre in Nashville, The Belacourt, from October 4th through the 8th, and I return from my trip on the 9th. 

Agghh!!!

More information - including all upcoming screenings - is on the movie's website HERE.

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Playlist:

Boards of Canada - Geogaddi

Boards of Canada - A Beautiful Place Out in the Country EP

Canyon - Empty Rooms

Nabihah Iqbal - Dreamer

Godflesh - A World Lit Only By Fire

The Damned - Evil Spirits

Damone - From The Attic

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Card:

I'm on the road, so all my Pulls will be from my mini Thoth deck for the next two weeks. Not a bad thing, but wanted to put up a reminder that Grimm's new Tarot Deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot, is both gorgeous and live on Kickstarter until Tuesday, October 3rd. Here's the LINK.

• Eight of Disks - Prudence

• Ten of Cups - Satiety

• Three of Cups - Abundance

Seriously sleep deprived out here for my first full day in LaLaLand, I'll take this as a reminder to know when enough is enough. Prudence + Satiety = Plenty; have the sense to know when you're done and retire with that. I'd say that's letting me know that I should not work past my 8 hours today but rather return promptly to my hotel and catch a nap, as I'll be attending a 10:00 PM screening of Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's new film Kill tonight at Beyondfest!!!

New Music From The Dandy Warhols!!!

 

From the forthcoming album ROCKMAKER. No pre-order information up yet, so I'm not sure when this is coming out, but I'll definitely have my eyes open for more. In the meantime, digging the new track.

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Watch:

Thursday evening K and I went to the local theatre to see Bishal Dutta's debut feature film It Lives Inside. Here's a trailer:

I adored this flick. It doesn't reinvent the wheel; however, I'm all for seeing more culturally diverse Horror on the big screen, and this is where It Lives Inside offers a welcome new perspective for Horror fans. It also offers a really cool practical FX monster, one of my favorites in a while. 

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Read:

I was finally able to sit down and read Jeremy Haun & Jason A. Hurley's five-issue The Approach in one sitting yesterday. I'd been buying it monthly but had some trouble finding the last two issues. My good friends at Amazing Fantasy Books and Comics in Frankfort took care of that, though, and I started from the beginning and burned through this snowbound powder keg in less than an hour.

Fantastic series with art by J. Hervas, The Approach is a fantastic series that sets everything up in issue one, then just blows through to the end in an escalating storm of Terror and Violence, and I mean that in the BEST possible way. 

The TPB recently went on sale, collecting all five issues - you can grab it directly from Jeremy's website HERE.

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Playlist:

Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me OST

The Coup - Your Parents' Cocaine (single)

Lead Into Gold - The Eternal Present

Godflesh - Recent Setlist Spotify Playlist

WYTCH FINGER - The Dance EP

Godflesh - Songs of Love and Hate

Blut Aus Nord: Disharmonium: Nahab

Lustmord - The Others (Lustmord Deconstructed)

QOTSA - In Times New Roman

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Card:

Well, I'm on the road, so all my Pulls will be from my mini Thoth deck for the next two weeks. Not a bad thing, but wanted to put up a reminder that Grimm's new Tarot Deck, The Hand of Doom Tarot, is both gorgeous and live on Kickstarter until Tuesday, October 3rd. Here's the LINK.

• 0: The Fool

• Princess of Cups

• Nine of Swords

A new journey begins; it will be difficult and emotional, but ultimately I remind myself any new journey is a good thing. Pattern Interrupt is a phrase I've been thinking of/talking about a lot lately. Fitting since I'll be on a plane to LaLaLand for two weeks, a few hours after this Post goes up.