Bear

This release is gorgeous. It's got that nice, epic Summoning feeling written all over it, but that's just good IMO. Superb cover art too. Really does nail the feeling of the music itself.

Two tracks from the upcoming Mare Cognitum and Spectral Lore split. Sounds very, very good!

I see. I'd totally recommend diving deep into their whole discography. They've always been a unique band. 

Barathrum: V.I.T.R.I.O.L. is a unique death metal album. It's dark and furious, but epic at the same time.

The Sun of Tiphareth is still a unique album, but more black and thrash metal influenced than the debut. Still epic, but less so than the debut.

The Third Storm of Cythrául is even more thrashing and less epic, but still unique as hell. But it's still epic tho. Aggressive, dark and furious as fuck.

Tara is just...holy fuck. One of the most intense black/thrash metal albums ever. Less epic but with the intensity turned up to 11. Pay close attention to Proscriptor McGovern's drumming. One of the best drum performances on a metal album ever? It's...impressive. And even more impressive is it that he plays this shit live WHILE handling the vocals. That's just outrageous.

On 1/28/2020 at 5:21 PM, Jigsaw9 said:

Hell nooo, Absu!  I wasn't a big fan of them or anything, but they always delivered quality (well, mostly anyway). Saw them once live too, really crazy energy! They will be missed.

What have you heard?

This shit, man. One of the best fucking black thrash metal songs ever. Well, the entire album is an absolute beast of an album. Still super unique to this day, 23 years after it was still released. 

Terminator Genisys - The first reboot of the franchise, and the first movie/series in the Terminator franchise since 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines featuring Arnold. This follows Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Is it good? Nah, not at all. But it's OK entertainment anyway. Arnold is king tho!

Terminator: Dark Fate - It's four years later, and time for another reboot of the series. This ALSO following Terminator 2: Judgment Day. That's fucking hilarious! This also featuring Arnold, as well as Linda Hamilton, and this is actually a pretty good film. Way too much CGI of course, but it's pretty entertaining and fun. Arnold is king! Easily the best Terminator movie since Terminator 2: Judgement Day. It is, however, not better than Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles tho. Which is so fucking underrated.

Hold the Dark -  Jeremy Saulnier's (Murder Party, Blue Ruin, Green Roon) first production for Netflix is a strange one. It's slow-burning, dark and incredibly atmospheric. It's psychological and nothing within this movie is as it seems, so you gotta pay close attention to details and shit. But I fucking loved it! Another Jeremy Saulnier flick that's exceptional.

That scene, tho. HOLY FUCK!!! If you've seen this you know what I am talking about. HOLY FUCK!!!

PS: was completely shocked when I heard Evilfeast's "Summoning The Splendour Once Fallen" in the movie. Obscure Polish black metal in a movie like this? Weird as fuck, but it is a fitting sound to the movie's atmosphere.

The Lighthouse - Slow-burning atmospheric piece that feels original and weird, and incredible. This was such an experience! Career highlights for both Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as both act their fucking brains out. That's some incredible performances, guys. Magnificent!

Galaxy of Horrors - An 8 part anthology sci-fi horror movie where the films are between 10 and 15 minutes long. Like most anthologies it's a bit up and down, but overall it's really fun.

Wraparound Segment - It's simple and kinda uses the same joke over and over again, but it's alright. 6/10

Eden - Interesting idea, but it's not really more than ok. 5/10

Iris - Pretty fun with STRONG Black Mirror vibes all around. 7/10

Flesh Computer - Pretty good movie with strong visuals and some damn nice special effects. 7/10

Pathos - This was just boring. 3/10

Eveless - Cool concept, great visuals. Enjoyable stuff! 7/10

They Will All Die In Space - Probably the best short in the entire movie. It's black and white sci-fi that's kinda familiar, but really well executed. 8/10

Entity - Easily the second best of the entire thing. The visuals are just incredible, especially considering the low budget this must've had. Looks STUNNING! 8/10

Kingz - Cool concept, but not well enough executed. Feels way too cheap to me. 6/10

Freddy vs. Jason - Watched this with a mate and had a blast. Didn't remember it as very good, but it was a lot better than I remembered. Really fun, although very flawed. Robert Englund and Ken Kirzinger gives us two damn fine performances as Freddy and Jason, but the teenagers are pretty disappointing. Both as characters, but also the way they're acted. Jason Ritter is just fucking AWFUL!

Found Footage 3D - This found footage horror was damn close to being a god damn masterpiece. A bunch of guys set out to make the first ever found footage movie in 3D. Simple concept, but it's so well-executed. Everything about it, from the horror, to the drama and to the comedy feels so natural. MUST SEE for fans of found footage. Or horror in general.

Texas Death Trippin' - Disappointing low-budget stoner horror comedy. It just feels way too cheap. I thought Daisy Coleman was good, but that's more or less all the positive I found in the movie.

Snatchers - I was a bit sceptical when I started this as it it was very teeny with some corny dialogue, but it didn't take long to make sense  and when it did it just turned into this super 80's horror comedy that brought both the laughs and scares, with some delicious practical special effects and shit. Fucking hilarious and fun as hell! Probably one of the top horror movies of the 2010's. MUST SEE for sure if you're into 80's horror.

Happy you liked it, mate.

Should we start with the good or bad news? Good? Ok:

New Vader track from an upcoming album planned for release in May. Sounds really good, Best track in ages? Like... Litany? That's fucking 20 years.

Saw them live a few months ago too. Was really fucking good!

And the bad news:

Quote

ABSU Dissolves; Statement from Proscriptor McGovern

 

For Immediate Release – January 27, 2020

 

After meager deliberation and zero remorse, I have decided to dissolve ABSU after three decades of existence. Collectively and universally speaking, this decision is finite due to insoluble circumstances, which has led to this ultimate result. No amount of time, exertion, formula or fashion can alter my verdict.

 

Refusing to further comment on the subject, I leave thee with the following enchantment:

 

{Vii} For there are bitter waters of Chaos held immobile under (the) ground – And the Sovereigns, who personify them, reign over Opacities and Beyond.

[II] Beseech these All-Begetters in darkness, outside the circles of time. In Chaos’ sleight of hand, the Deep will respond.”

{Vi} Never Blow Out The Eastern Candle – Proscriptor McGovern (Russ R. Givens)

That fucking sucks! Seems like them kicking Vis Crom out of the band after she came out as a trans woman might have something to do with it.

I thought the last two Absu albums were disappointing, but I've really been waiting hard for their next albums anyways. They were always really unique, and you knew they'd offer something very fresh and original. But everything up until and including Speed n' Spikes Vol. II from 2008 were top notch. This sucks!

Adventure Force 5 - This is basically a child-friendly action-adventure in the vein of Stranger Things, where things goes to hell and it's up to five different type of kids to save shit. Think Stranger Things, Goonies etc. It's got its limitations due to budget, and some of the CGI was pretty poor, but the movie is really good. Highly recommended!

Yeah, it's pretty cool, but still pretty far from their greatest achievement which is Complete and Total Fucking Midnight. It isn't anywhere near Satanic Royalty either. But it's a fun record for sure. Right now I feel like bands like Hellripper, Viölence, Bewitcher, Exorcisme, Hell Poison, Reaper, Diabolic Night, Nuctemeron, Demon Bell and more are making better black speed metal albums, although someone like Hellripper, Exorcisme, Diabolic Night, Nuctemeron, Hell Poison and more are way more furious and speedy, with and less rock 'n' roll than Midnight.

This is way more rock 'n' roll and probably a bit more similar to Midnight, and I feel like they are doing Midnight better than Midnight right now. Really catchy stuff.

And since I am already here:

Spectral Lore / Mare Cognitum - Wanderers: Astrology of the Nine

Split release between cosmic black metallers Spectral Lore and Mare Cognitum, who released a split back in 2013 called Sol. Sol was 3 tracks and 69 minutes long, with both bands having one song each as well as a collaboration between them. This new split however consists of 10 songs and is no less than 2 hours long. Both bands having 4 songs each and two collaboration tracks. Really looking forward to this.

Reaper - Unholy Nordic Noise

These guys released a brilliant black/speed demo last year, and is already back with their debut album. Really looking forward to this. Should be good.

Can't find anything off their new album, but here's the demo:

https://ironboneheadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/reaper-ravenous-storm-of-piss

Hell Poison - Burn With Me

This album is from last year, but seems to have gone under the radar for most people. Raw, wild black speed metal in the vein of Bathory, Hellripper, Hin Håle, old Sodom, Diabolic Night, Nuctemeron, Nocturnal and more. Superb album!

Oath of Cruelty - Summary Execution at Dawn

Deathrash album from last year. Mean and brutal death thrash. Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness meets Morbid Saint's Spectrum of Death. Great album.

In Search of the Last Action Heroes - Oliver Harper helped fund the truly brilliant horror documentary In Search of Darkness, and diretcor of In Search of Darkness, David A. Weiner, helped produce this. And that alone kinda tells you what kind of a documentary this is. In Search of Darkness focused on the different type of horror movies of the 80's, the trends and all that, but In Search of the Last Action Heroes doesn't look too closely into the action movies but rather the actors and the big heroes. It's only two and a half hour long, which feels kinda short, but it does cover a lot of ground and features interviews with actors, producers, directors and composers. Magnificent stuff! Really cool to see Cynthia Rothrock play a big part as she was a huge b-movie action star of the 80's and 90's, and of course total motherfucking legend Al Leong! No one knows this guy by name, but he's one of the greatest of all time and every action movie fan knows his face. C U L T H E R O !

Faster - Cool, fast-paced action-thriller with Dwayne Johnson. Not very original and really predictable, but fun nonetheless.

Savate - Decent, but very disappointing Isaac Florentine western martial arts movie. It's ok and fun enough, but Olivier Gruner just isn't a very good lead, He lacks charisma and star power. But it was OK.

Mission of Justice - Super awesome early 90's action flick starring Jeff Wincott and Brigitte Nielsen. It feels like oe of those really good Cynthia Rothrock movies, just without here. It's really cool, really badass, really fun.

Beirut - Intense political thriller that never gets too deep into the political aspect of it all, which to me is good as that tends to lead movies more towards drama. But this was fast-paced and intense. Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike were both excellent.

The FP - Super cheesy 80's inspired action-ish movie much in the vein of Turbo Kid and the likes. It's flawed and not nearly as good as Turbo Kid, but it's original and fun anyway. Which the whole dancing aspect of it was better executed tho.

FP2: Beats of Rage - More of the same, but slightly better on all aspect. Fun stuff.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot - This is basically the first movie all over again, but without the fun in it. This was super disappointing. Shame really.

Close Range - Isaac Florentine actioner starring Scott Adkins. Super fucking cool tbh. Brutal and wild. Loads and loads of fun!

Sex Education, season 2 - Still charming, still hilarious and still really interesting. Loved the character development in season 2. As good as season 1 for sure. Fantastic!

The Terror , season 2 - Great, but not quite as good as season 1. Season 1 was a bit more traditional horror, while this steps a bit into the world of drama and is way more plot- and character-driven. It's not bad, tho. Not at all. It's quite fantastic! Superb atmosphere, beautifully shot and well put together. Give me season 3 asap!!!

Daybreak  - I did not have big expectations to this, just had to watch something while eating dinner, breakfast and shit. This really caught me off-guard. Really fun apocalyptic take on Ferris Bueller's Day Off or something. A nice, unique twist on the zombie craze. Great stuff!

He surely did not describe Dir en grey's  current sound as psychobilly? That's just fucking dumb. What a moron.

Creepshow - Six-episode long anthology series with two stories in each episode. This isn't brilliant by any means, nor is it flawless, but god damn is it fun. The quality is, as you'd expect from an anthology, a bit up and down, but that's part of the charm imo. Thought this was really fun. Bring on season 2!

The Enfield Haunting  - Three-part mini series based on The Enfield Haunting, same as The Conjuring 2. It's pretty good, but too rooted in drama for my taste. I wish there was more scares, more atmosphere, and less family drama. Timothy Spall is really good tho. Fantastic performance!

Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer - True crime series about a kitty-killer, and how he went from posting videos of killing kittens to something even worse. Dark, grim, and very interesting. Asks some pretty good "what ifs" too.

Netflix' Castlevania is excellent in every single aspect possible. Just gorgeously made and put together. Both seasons are excellent, and I can't wait for the third season which is right around the corner.

Not seen Dracula yet, but looking forward to it. Will watch it as soon as I finish the new Creepshow series. Should be fun.

Sæd.

On 1/1/2020 at 11:47 PM, suji said:

can't wait for An Actual Japanese Person ™ to make japanese synth someday...

 

Yeah, but he's done a very good job tho. Superb release imo.

Something quite different, but speaking of Japanese synth got me thinking of this. Was Mirai (Sigh) and Killjoy's (Necrophagia) synth band from back in the days. Not dungeon synth, but their own horror synth tribute to Goblin, Fabio Frizzi, and John Carpenter.

The Mandalorian - Well, this surely caught me by surprise. Disney have gotten quite a lot of shit for picking up Star Wars and "ruined the franchise", as if it wasn't already fucked up by the man himself George Lucas 20 years ago with his shitty prequel (as well as the "remastered" versions of the originals which is nowhere as good as the actual original movies). So yeah, don't blame Disney if you think this franchise has gone to shit. Blame George Lucas. I personally liked The Force Awakens a lot, Rogue One even more, and I found pleasure in both Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Last Jedi even tho both where flawed. But that's not entirely Disney's fault. They're at fault for choosing the wrong people to work on the franchise, but they have also done a lot right so far.

And guess what, The Mandalorian might be their best work so far. It's at least on par with Rogue One. The Mandalorian sees creator Jon Favreau continue a lot of what George Lucas started in the 70's, namely steal/pay homage/whatever you want to call it from Japanese movies. This time they've taken from the cult classic, super violent exploitation chambara series Lone Wolf & Cub, which I am more than fine with as it's one of my favourite film franchises ever. It's got that same premise of a man with a child roaming around and being hired for different duties to earn a paying. They have, like in the original trilogy, not even tried to hide it, and I fucking love it. Like, it's so clear and obvious. Fantastic!

While Solo: A Star Wars story had a major space western feeling, this taken it even further. This almost cuts out the space feeling and rely more on a Sergio Leone-esque western feeling, than a space opera, even with a soundtrack very, very, very similar to those of Ennio Morricone.

I thought this was amazing. Can't fucking wait for a new season! Go Disney, GO!!!

Pray for Death - Action movie with ninjas and shit, directed by Gordon Hessler who a decade and some earlier made classic horror movies like The Oblong Box, Cry of the Banshee, Scream and Scream Again and Murders in the Rue Morgue, as well as The Golden Voyage of Sinbad among other things. Pray for Death stars none other than legendary ninja actor Sho Kosugi. This isn't a smart movie or a masterpiece by any means, but it's so much fun. Just fun throughout! Love it.

Foolproof - Decent enough mid 2000's heist movie. It features Ryan Reynolds before he became a great actor, and while I was entertained, this isn't all that. It's ok, but that's it.

Tower Heist - Another heist movie, this time starring Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck and more. It's ok. Slightly better than Foolproof, but it's too long and not funny enough. It just lacks those laugh out loud moments. But I was entertained nonetheless.

Martial Law - Early 1990's martial arts action movie starring Chad McQueen, Cynthia Rothrock and David Carradine. A very cool movie, but neither Cynthia Rothrock or David Carradine is given enough screentime, and the plot is a bit too basic for its own good. But it's good alright.

Martial Law II: Undercover - The sequel is way better and gives Cynthia Rothrock a bit more to do. Chad McQueen is replaced by a much better and cooler Jeff Wincott. No David Carradine which is a loss, but the movie is just so much betteron all levels. Really cool film.

Tiger Claws - Another Cynthia Rothrock movie, this time from 1992. This is probably her best film. Cynthia Rothrock is just fucking cool, Jalal Merhi is not a good actor a damn cool guy anyway, and Bolo Yeung is just a total legend. Fantastic film!

Oh hell yeah! It's been no less than 12 years since Hornets of the Pogrom, so this is great news. Looking forward to this.

Joel Grind - Echoes in a Crystal Tomb

Joel Grind, the brain behind Toxic Holocaust, returns with a new Joel Grind album. It's more in the same vein as Equinox, so it's not metal. But it's damn fucking good. Where Equinox felt like a John Carpenter and Fabio Frizzi-esque horror score, Echoes in a Crystal Tomb feels more like a slow-burning, highly stylized noir/crime movie score. Think Tangerine Dream's score for Thief or something. Fantastic album!

Venomwolf - Bring Down the Axe

https://venomwolf.bandcamp.com/

Dirty, black speed metal punk in the vein of Midnight, Syphilitic Vaginas, Abigail and more. Old school and awesome!

Tristengrav - II - Nychavgé

Deathrocky black metal for fans of Devil Master and Cape of Bats. Really good, atmospheric black metal. Like a soundtrack to an old vampire movie.

Knives Out - Rian Johnson has received a lot of hate for The Last Jedi, rightly so even tho I personally found it entertaining, but with Knives Out he's made one of the best movies of the year. The movie features an ensemble cast including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette and more, and is a modern take on the whodunit that we all know and love. It's familiar, but still a very unique approach to the genre which makes it unique. Exciting, suspenseful, hilarious. Amazing movie!

Daniel Craig completely killed it! His best performance so far? Most likely.

I think the poster tells you everything you need to know about this beautiful documentary. This is a 4 hours and 20 minutes long dive into the world of 80's horror. It goes through bigger and more well-known movies and franchises like the Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, The Shining, Poltergeist, Gremlins and so on, but it also finds time to mention stuff like The Changeling, Maniac, Dressed to Kill, My Bloody Valentine, Christine, Night of the Comet, Fright Night, Chopping Mall, Killer Klowns From Outer Space and more.

It goes through these films, they discuss the special effects, soundtracks, the art, the creation of the movies and the lasting impacts of them.

Features interviews with many, many directors and producers (John Carpenter, Joe Dante, Larry Cohen, Mick Garris, Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna and many more), it features actors and actresses (Jeffery Combs, Barbara Crampton, Tom Atkins, Doug Bradley etc), they talk to Michael Gingold (Editor-in-Chief of Fangoria Magazine), Graham Humphreys (illustrator who made posters for Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elmstreet etc) musicians like Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Spencer Hickman of Death Waltz records who specializes in releasing horror soundtracks on vinyl.

This is a must see for people who are already deep down into 80's horror, but also people who are only slightly interested or is just beginning to appreciate 80's horror.

10/10

The creator of this, David A. Weiner, is also working on a documentary called In Search of Tomorrow which will be all about 80's sci-fi. I expect it to be the same as this, just with sci-fi instead of horror. Can't wait!!!

Minenwerfer - Alpenpässe

WW I-themed atmospheric and semi-melodic black metal. Very different from the more brutal Marduk/Truppensturm/Endstille approach of their earlier albums. By far the best they've done so far. Really, really good album.

Strigoi - Strigoi

This EP was released last year, but it's fantastic throughout. Very old school sounding black/death/thrash that somewhat reminds me a lot of Vampire's 2012 demo "Vampire", as well as stuff like Necrovore, Slaughter Lord, Incubus, Treblinka, Poison, Celtic Frost and the likes. Superb EP!

Hallux Valgus - Demo MMVI

This demo is from 2016, but they released an EP last year as well. Two members from Strigoi among others, and they play somewhat similar music as in old school sounding, but Swedish-sounding and way more death metally. Death Breath, first Morbus Chron, Bastard Priest and so on comes to mind.

https://phantasmagore.bandcamp.com/album/abominations

Phantasmagore - Abominations...

This death metal demo was just released and is great. Think Autopsy, Necrophagia, Nunslaughter, Abscess  and the likes. Good shit!