Really, what more can I say? Not all that killin much about this year. There were some personal highlights: 1. After four years, I retired from baristadom; now I am just a coffee snob. 2. I started listening to both real black metal (all the fvcking time..), and real DJ's. Thus falling further down the slippery slope of friendless music jerk (and that's fine with me....) 3. I finally got my own frikkin theatre company. (more on that later) 4. I finally nailed down a serious relationship with an adorable girl who I really get along with. (HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Fuck no that didn't happen....Maybe '08 will bring a worthy opponent.)
I'm already on the bandwagon for resolutions, or, more to the point, I should say proclamations. I've had it, in general, with everything. 2008 (incidentally, the year I hit the big three-oh) will be the year of massive changes. I finally feel like I've been owed alot more, and I'm cashing in my chips all at once.
One big thing that I'm toying with is taking a year off of theatre. For the past ten years it has brought me nothing but frustration. Few and far between projects that I have worked on have really felt fulfilling. It's very hard for me to straighten out what in my brain, I personally could do, and maybe a year or so off would give me clarity in this. Even the company that I helped found, under the very clear vision of Dan VanHoozer, will A. only be around for one season. and B. Has put itself into such a situation right now that is making me want to pull my teeth out one by one. I've been thinking about what I would focus on instead (because I am not capable of just taking time off...) and I think maybe music and/or other art is the answer. I have recently started a band, and though the timing has kept us from practicing alot lately, when we do I feel the kind of excitement that I so desperately look for in theatre. I would also love to toy around with learning how to DJ. Beyond that, I'd love to start screening my own shirts and hoodies, and beyond that, maybe dabbling in the plastic arts some. Who knows, maybe Kylos can start filming that movie that I'm supposed to star in......Whatever I do, at the very least, it will need to be arts related, as I do know that makes me happy.
I'm always broke as hell, but maybe I'll travel more. I finally got my passport in the mail the other day, so the rest of the world can no longer keep me out. First stop: Chiapas, Mexico, which is where I will hopefully be spending most of my April.
Alright jerks, that's it. I need to get ready for the typical lame new years in DC. Tonight I will be going into battle, and then going to a hopefully small but rockin' DJ party at Pharmacy, and then off to the Cat for the aftermath.
As for you: crush it, kill it, destroy it, and get the hell out of my way......
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Well here we are again....
So, here I am am with another seasonal, I suppose, blog. One day I will make myself write at least one small paragraph a week, but until then.........
So, what's new, you don't ask? Well, alot, and nothing.
Currently I am writing on my brand new computron. My poor, sad, old computron put up a good fight, but sadly, went the way of Chrystal Clear Pepsi. My new fangled Mac (hey, I did say it was a computer...) is not a "pro," like it's predecessor, but it is quite amazing. I got the high-end macbook (wait for it......yes, the black one....). Let's see, it's black, everything goes together with these adorable magnets, it has a camera built into it, and jesus christ on a blind date with the holy ghost, it has a REMOTE CONTROL!?!? (omgwtfbbq right?!) So, this should placate me for a while.
Which, I suppose takes us right on into music. Since my life is a perfect concoction of pink cupcake surprises and happy pony hop along dances, I would have no need to fill the void where, surely, a large red heart is embroidered into my white circular belly. In which case I would certainly not need to do anything like, oh say, compulsively bid on black metal albums on ebay. I would never do this, but if I did need this distraction from mortality, I would certainly grab gems like these:
1. Furze-Trident Autocrat MLP (!!!!!!!) (Go find a copy yourself, oh wait, you can't!!)
2. Furze- "S" 7"
3. Bone Awl-At The Ellipse's Arc 7" (What, not cassette you say? No indeed, a 7".)
4.XIBALBA-Ah Dzan poop Ek Double LP (Whenever this comes in......I'm getting worried.)
5.Nachtmystium-Reign of the Malicious PicLP (Awesome.....Just awesome...)
6.Xasthur/Striborg Split 7" w/shirt (maybe not so awesome...I need the new Striborg 7" split on Southern Lord....)
I mean, hey, if I was to do this sort of thing it would be okay because I certainly wouldn't pay say, over $40 for a 7". And even if I NEEDED to, that also would be okay, since I have all this money.......
Beyond that, I've gotten some old (for me) records out and can safely say:
Time Will Fuse It's Worth is a frikkin killer record; 100% solid.
Flowers in the Attic may well have been one of the most underrated bands on the entire east coast. I believe, with (forgive me) trends being what they are now, had they been a west coast band, every kid with the word "doom" on his tongue would own the entire discography (and no, they were not, per se, a "doom" band.) I don't know how many people actually bought their last album, especially considering the problems that the band was having, but it's a solid hell-stomper.
There have been a ton of year end lists floating around, so here is my super ADD, top ten songs of the winter:
1.Agalloch-"Falling Snow"
2.Furze-"Witchboundator"
3.Urfaust-"Der Halbtoten Dichters Schein-Existenz"
4.(DON'T EVEN, EVER ASK!!!) Tegan and Sara-"Dark Come Soon"
5.Bathory-"Die in Fire"
6.Joy Division-"Digital" (DIE YOU HIPSTER SCUMFUCKS DIE!)
7.Saxon-"Denim and Leather"
8.M.I.A.-Paper Planes
9.L'Acephale-"Book of Lies"
10.Weakling-""Dead as Dreams"
Also, I'm still trying to help out Time of the Wolf . I gave their full length another listen the other day, and even with all the insane black metal that I have been listening to these days, it's a solid album. I just need to find more places to send it to. Since the Wargoat radio information has not been updated on the website, I have no idea if Dimitri ever played it there, I never heard back from blackmetalradio.com, and Aquarius is knee deep in both records to review and holiday sales to mail out (mine included!). I wish I knew where to send it to get it reviewed for play on XM. God knows I used to live within walking distance of their DC headquarters, and TOTW beats 99% of the crap they play on "liquidmetal." I should also just suck it up, and send a copy to Oaken Throne. I mean, the chances that it will get reviewed are slim to none, but I suppose it's worth a shot.
It is also worth mentioning that I myself have formed a band. No, it's not black metal, but, shock and surprise, it is droney, doomey, metal-cuspy-and heavy as fvck. It has two basses and no guitars. It's an allstar lineup as well. My friend Adrian, who plays in a noise driven two man piece called Brontosaurus, as well as his awesome solo project Stymphalian Birds & White Stags; my friend Rusty, of Twats fame, now with rock joint, Sons of Guns; and John "Hellhammer Junior" Seager, who drumms for the ever blazing DC crust band Aghast. Truth be told, we have only practiced twice, once to figure out what we were doing, and again, to lay down the beginning of a track. Whatever this beast turns out to be, it will be crushing and epic. I'm excited to say the least.
Theatre: Don't get me started on theatre right now. Except to say that, in true DC fashion, even my own company is trying, with it's own strong breath, to force feeble mortal air into the long dust encrusted lungs of the dead in a pathetic attempt to bring life back into them.
Beyond that, it's alot of biking, and walking dogs. God, I just hope my passport comes through so I can go to Chiapas in March...........
Dear dark-lord, please help me think of a better name for this stupid blogggggggg
So, what's new, you don't ask? Well, alot, and nothing.
Currently I am writing on my brand new computron. My poor, sad, old computron put up a good fight, but sadly, went the way of Chrystal Clear Pepsi. My new fangled Mac (hey, I did say it was a computer...) is not a "pro," like it's predecessor, but it is quite amazing. I got the high-end macbook (wait for it......yes, the black one....). Let's see, it's black, everything goes together with these adorable magnets, it has a camera built into it, and jesus christ on a blind date with the holy ghost, it has a REMOTE CONTROL!?!? (omgwtfbbq right?!) So, this should placate me for a while.
Which, I suppose takes us right on into music. Since my life is a perfect concoction of pink cupcake surprises and happy pony hop along dances, I would have no need to fill the void where, surely, a large red heart is embroidered into my white circular belly. In which case I would certainly not need to do anything like, oh say, compulsively bid on black metal albums on ebay. I would never do this, but if I did need this distraction from mortality, I would certainly grab gems like these:
1. Furze-Trident Autocrat MLP (!!!!!!!) (Go find a copy yourself, oh wait, you can't!!)
2. Furze- "S" 7"
3. Bone Awl-At The Ellipse's Arc 7" (What, not cassette you say? No indeed, a 7".)
4.XIBALBA-Ah Dzan poop Ek Double LP (Whenever this comes in......I'm getting worried.)
5.Nachtmystium-Reign of the Malicious PicLP (Awesome.....Just awesome...)
6.Xasthur/Striborg Split 7" w/shirt (maybe not so awesome...I need the new Striborg 7" split on Southern Lord....)
I mean, hey, if I was to do this sort of thing it would be okay because I certainly wouldn't pay say, over $40 for a 7". And even if I NEEDED to, that also would be okay, since I have all this money.......
Beyond that, I've gotten some old (for me) records out and can safely say:
Time Will Fuse It's Worth is a frikkin killer record; 100% solid.
Flowers in the Attic may well have been one of the most underrated bands on the entire east coast. I believe, with (forgive me) trends being what they are now, had they been a west coast band, every kid with the word "doom" on his tongue would own the entire discography (and no, they were not, per se, a "doom" band.) I don't know how many people actually bought their last album, especially considering the problems that the band was having, but it's a solid hell-stomper.
There have been a ton of year end lists floating around, so here is my super ADD, top ten songs of the winter:
1.Agalloch-"Falling Snow"
2.Furze-"Witchboundator"
3.Urfaust-"Der Halbtoten Dichters Schein-Existenz"
4.(DON'T EVEN, EVER ASK!!!) Tegan and Sara-"Dark Come Soon"
5.Bathory-"Die in Fire"
6.Joy Division-"Digital" (DIE YOU HIPSTER SCUMFUCKS DIE!)
7.Saxon-"Denim and Leather"
8.M.I.A.-Paper Planes
9.L'Acephale-"Book of Lies"
10.Weakling-""Dead as Dreams"
Also, I'm still trying to help out Time of the Wolf . I gave their full length another listen the other day, and even with all the insane black metal that I have been listening to these days, it's a solid album. I just need to find more places to send it to. Since the Wargoat radio information has not been updated on the website, I have no idea if Dimitri ever played it there, I never heard back from blackmetalradio.com, and Aquarius is knee deep in both records to review and holiday sales to mail out (mine included!). I wish I knew where to send it to get it reviewed for play on XM. God knows I used to live within walking distance of their DC headquarters, and TOTW beats 99% of the crap they play on "liquidmetal." I should also just suck it up, and send a copy to Oaken Throne. I mean, the chances that it will get reviewed are slim to none, but I suppose it's worth a shot.
It is also worth mentioning that I myself have formed a band. No, it's not black metal, but, shock and surprise, it is droney, doomey, metal-cuspy-and heavy as fvck. It has two basses and no guitars. It's an allstar lineup as well. My friend Adrian, who plays in a noise driven two man piece called Brontosaurus, as well as his awesome solo project Stymphalian Birds & White Stags; my friend Rusty, of Twats fame, now with rock joint, Sons of Guns; and John "Hellhammer Junior" Seager, who drumms for the ever blazing DC crust band Aghast. Truth be told, we have only practiced twice, once to figure out what we were doing, and again, to lay down the beginning of a track. Whatever this beast turns out to be, it will be crushing and epic. I'm excited to say the least.
Theatre: Don't get me started on theatre right now. Except to say that, in true DC fashion, even my own company is trying, with it's own strong breath, to force feeble mortal air into the long dust encrusted lungs of the dead in a pathetic attempt to bring life back into them.
Beyond that, it's alot of biking, and walking dogs. God, I just hope my passport comes through so I can go to Chiapas in March...........
Dear dark-lord, please help me think of a better name for this stupid blogggggggg
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Well, it's time to justify having a blog again....
So, I'm just dropping a quick "hi" to pacify the blogger masses. I suppose too much has gone on to explain in detail here, especially since I don't have the time. So here are the highlights:
This year I'm helping plan NCOR, the National Conference on Organized Resistance.
Or, as it's trying to rename itself right now:
NCRO, The National Conference Resisting Organization (instance 1: shoot me!)
I am also working with the same group I did last year, in theatre. I suppose I should call it "my group" as we are like minded colleges who formed our own "company." I also suppose I should not call it a "theatre company," as right out of the box, we have transcended that concept. Our first project for the season, is going to be a very interesting photo installation. We are each evolving our own concept for the piece, and when mine got done someone kept using the word "drone" to describe it. The group also looked like they'd just been told that their entire family had been burned to death in a terrible accident. Perfect.......And yes, we have no name.
I'm also trying to learn Spanish. I cannot hear, and it occurs to me that one cannot learn a language without that trait. Most of my tutoring at this point has been comprised of reading complex political arguments, picking out the words that look familiar, and then trying to explain what the article is about. (instance 2: shoot me) At this point, I am either going to have *HUGE* "aha," or a tear-riddled-breakdown.
I am still walking the walk, talking the talk, and sticking it to the man.
Music, music, music, music
Here is the smallest synopsis that I can muster:
Baltimore gutter is amazing. Big hearts Aaron LaCrate.
I cannot stop listening to amazing dj mixes featuring lot's of gun cock and firing effects, and guest tracks by Roxy Cottontail.
Black Boned Angel-Eternal Love/Eternal Hunger, is the best drone album I have heard in a long time. It's so immediate, yet ambient, and viscerally responsive.
L'Acephale is absolutely amazing. I have Mord und Totschlag, and I cannot stop listening to it. It's an incredibly well crafted combination of experimental and true kvlt. I cannot stop, it is so good.
I actually like the new Xasthur album. It is looooooooong, it is aaaaaaammmmmbient. And in a certain mind set, I would cry if I had to listen to this, but as it is, Defective Epitaph and I are in the same place.
I also got the newest Caacrinolas album, Vargtimmen, and likewise I cannot stop listening to it. It's got such a perfect, minimal, eerie, and clinical sound. Rather like an alien operation, full of strange language and tools, only you are the unwilling patient. fantastic.
Finally, fuck a bunch of love life, fuck it, fuck it, fuck it, fuck it, repeat, repeat, repeat, ad nauseum........ (instance 3: shoot me)
well, this could be a whole book if I went into more detail with any of these. Who knows, maybe I will later. In the meantime, keep listening to Weakling, Dead as Dreams
This year I'm helping plan NCOR, the National Conference on Organized Resistance.
Or, as it's trying to rename itself right now:
NCRO, The National Conference Resisting Organization (instance 1: shoot me!)
I am also working with the same group I did last year, in theatre. I suppose I should call it "my group" as we are like minded colleges who formed our own "company." I also suppose I should not call it a "theatre company," as right out of the box, we have transcended that concept. Our first project for the season, is going to be a very interesting photo installation. We are each evolving our own concept for the piece, and when mine got done someone kept using the word "drone" to describe it. The group also looked like they'd just been told that their entire family had been burned to death in a terrible accident. Perfect.......And yes, we have no name.
I'm also trying to learn Spanish. I cannot hear, and it occurs to me that one cannot learn a language without that trait. Most of my tutoring at this point has been comprised of reading complex political arguments, picking out the words that look familiar, and then trying to explain what the article is about. (instance 2: shoot me) At this point, I am either going to have *HUGE* "aha," or a tear-riddled-breakdown.
I am still walking the walk, talking the talk, and sticking it to the man.
Music, music, music, music
Here is the smallest synopsis that I can muster:
Baltimore gutter is amazing. Big hearts Aaron LaCrate.
I cannot stop listening to amazing dj mixes featuring lot's of gun cock and firing effects, and guest tracks by Roxy Cottontail.
Black Boned Angel-Eternal Love/Eternal Hunger, is the best drone album I have heard in a long time. It's so immediate, yet ambient, and viscerally responsive.
L'Acephale is absolutely amazing. I have Mord und Totschlag, and I cannot stop listening to it. It's an incredibly well crafted combination of experimental and true kvlt. I cannot stop, it is so good.
I actually like the new Xasthur album. It is looooooooong, it is aaaaaaammmmmbient. And in a certain mind set, I would cry if I had to listen to this, but as it is, Defective Epitaph and I are in the same place.
I also got the newest Caacrinolas album, Vargtimmen, and likewise I cannot stop listening to it. It's got such a perfect, minimal, eerie, and clinical sound. Rather like an alien operation, full of strange language and tools, only you are the unwilling patient. fantastic.
Finally, fuck a bunch of love life, fuck it, fuck it, fuck it, fuck it, repeat, repeat, repeat, ad nauseum........ (instance 3: shoot me)
well, this could be a whole book if I went into more detail with any of these. Who knows, maybe I will later. In the meantime, keep listening to Weakling, Dead as Dreams
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
*SSSSHHHHH!!* Don't tell anyone I have a crush....
....On every single member of the Rentals.
That's right, last Sunday I parted ways with one arm and one leg for the sake of seeing one band, and above and beyond any expectations, did they ever deliver.
I have to admit, I was "that guy" for the first two bands. I stayed upstairs, looked zombified with boredom, generally forgot to clap, but hey, generally, this was not my scene. Then, after all the hemming and hawing, I finally went down to the stage for the main event as it were. Let me just say, I have never seen a band obviously having so much fun playing, in my entire life. The Rentals put on a show that felt less like the headlining of a large venue, but more like a band hanging out in their practice space and working on some new tunes after having invited all of their friends over to watch.
As black, cold, and dead as my heart is, after the first recognizable chord, it welled up with warmth, and bubbled up beyond a lively red, all the way into a hot, throbbing pink. I was elated, and danced uncontrollably until the bittersweet end. It is a rare show indeed where I wish the band would just come back and play the entire set again.
It was obvious that they had played these songs over and over and over a million times, so they did the only thing they could do, they goofed off. There were tones of in-jokes, winked looks, and out and out shenanigans going on for the whole shebang. But it was always sincere, and inclusive of the audience. Their melodramatic, moog-power-pop just hit you over the head like so much cheap valentines day candy, then fluttered across you like waves of half dead rose petals.
No one acted like a rockstar, and you could tell that they were genuinely excited about playing the new numbers for the crowd. At one point they even covered a Weezer song just to watch everyone freak out. Playing just about everything in toto, they hit the entire first record (of course), mixed in songs from the second, and did all the songs off of the new EP (which is okay, but I enjoyed the new songs better when they were live).
All in all, it was the most fun I'd had all week, and absolutely went down on the list of amazing shows that I've been privy to this year.
It's true:
I don't think
I'll find the love I want
The love I'm searching for
In this machine-oh
oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oooooo-oooooooo
That's right, last Sunday I parted ways with one arm and one leg for the sake of seeing one band, and above and beyond any expectations, did they ever deliver.
I have to admit, I was "that guy" for the first two bands. I stayed upstairs, looked zombified with boredom, generally forgot to clap, but hey, generally, this was not my scene. Then, after all the hemming and hawing, I finally went down to the stage for the main event as it were. Let me just say, I have never seen a band obviously having so much fun playing, in my entire life. The Rentals put on a show that felt less like the headlining of a large venue, but more like a band hanging out in their practice space and working on some new tunes after having invited all of their friends over to watch.
As black, cold, and dead as my heart is, after the first recognizable chord, it welled up with warmth, and bubbled up beyond a lively red, all the way into a hot, throbbing pink. I was elated, and danced uncontrollably until the bittersweet end. It is a rare show indeed where I wish the band would just come back and play the entire set again.
It was obvious that they had played these songs over and over and over a million times, so they did the only thing they could do, they goofed off. There were tones of in-jokes, winked looks, and out and out shenanigans going on for the whole shebang. But it was always sincere, and inclusive of the audience. Their melodramatic, moog-power-pop just hit you over the head like so much cheap valentines day candy, then fluttered across you like waves of half dead rose petals.
No one acted like a rockstar, and you could tell that they were genuinely excited about playing the new numbers for the crowd. At one point they even covered a Weezer song just to watch everyone freak out. Playing just about everything in toto, they hit the entire first record (of course), mixed in songs from the second, and did all the songs off of the new EP (which is okay, but I enjoyed the new songs better when they were live).
All in all, it was the most fun I'd had all week, and absolutely went down on the list of amazing shows that I've been privy to this year.
It's true:
I don't think
I'll find the love I want
The love I'm searching for
In this machine-oh
oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oooooo-oooooooo
More, more, more
It must be your lucky-little-day, because you are getting a two for one. (or hell maybe a three or four before we're all said and done today)
The Application:
Please fulfill all of the following criteria to be considered as an applicant:
1. I am, or am near the age of 30
2. I am vegan
3. I am straight edge (or sober)
4. I do not believe in the capitalist system
5. I am not a christian
6. I am into, or am understanding of people who are into hard, abrasive, or confounding music
7. I ride a bicycle
8. I like to dance
9. I am female
10. I am single
11. I am attracted in some capacity to boys
Thank you for your time
Number of applications sent: ?
Number of applicants fulfilling the following criteria: 0
One: At what point does the blueness of the skin, and the stars clouding the vision let one know that one's breath has been held too long?
And Two: Is there such a thing as a non-christian nun?
Thank you for your time
The Application:
Please fulfill all of the following criteria to be considered as an applicant:
1. I am, or am near the age of 30
2. I am vegan
3. I am straight edge (or sober)
4. I do not believe in the capitalist system
5. I am not a christian
6. I am into, or am understanding of people who are into hard, abrasive, or confounding music
7. I ride a bicycle
8. I like to dance
9. I am female
10. I am single
11. I am attracted in some capacity to boys
Thank you for your time
Number of applications sent: ?
Number of applicants fulfilling the following criteria: 0
One: At what point does the blueness of the skin, and the stars clouding the vision let one know that one's breath has been held too long?
And Two: Is there such a thing as a non-christian nun?
Thank you for your time
B[l]ack log
So, I suppose it's reached the six month point again....that must mean it's time to drop a few lines....BUT WAIT! I HAVE. Sadly, only on myspace. So for all the people that can't hold the unrine in to see what I've been up to, well, mostly obsessing over black metal, but anywho, here ya go:
Black Metal is the new.....well.....you know......
Category: Religion and Philosophy
So, I know I'm all over that band wagon right about now, but as of late I cannot get enough black metal. It's true that when you read Lords of Chaos they say that Amerikkka is the last country to catch the dark-wave, but who thought that in ten years we'd be the ones hanging ten, leading the pack? I mean, the only thing crazier than that is the fact that all the really good stuff (holding it's own might I add, on the world scene) is coming from the west coast!?!
First there is my horrible new, late night, random vinyl purchasing addiction. At this rate I will soon have to learn how to make shelter out of my records. Last night for instance, I came across (lucifer, most of this stuff comes from the Aquarious Records page.) an amazing new find, Amocoma. You'll have to scroll down to find the records, but do it so you can listen to the samples. It hardly qualifies and BM, but more like a quality midwest noise band trying their hand at some of the more popular fuzzed out variety. I mean, you can hardly hear the "anything" in the mix, which for me right now is quite an addictive sound. Let's hope the entire cd-r feels that way. I also grabbed a couple of vinyl releases from the mysterious Bone Awl a band that you either like because you are mesmerized by the music, or because you are even more mesmerized by their cult following. Needless to say, by the time they processed the order, one of the records was already sold out. It's not like they haven't released much material. If you're curious, it's off kilter, lo-fi (there it goes again) black thrash. It's primitive, chaotic, and evil to be sure. I also took a chance on a not so black metal cd-r by a band called Cambodia , who describe themselves as hardcore/metal/shoegaze, and it is rather like a sludge band trying their hand at shoegaze. The misanthropy on their myspace page (they claim to only add people they know as friends. We'll see if they add me. Maybe I should say that I used to help Magrudergrind set up shows in DC; apparently they played together(!?!?)) makes the average black metaler look like a depression councilor. Still and all, I hope for good things from the whole album after getting a crack at a few of the tracks.
In the meantime, I should back up to other recent purchases. I just received the final release from Xasthur on Moribund records. While it is a full lp, it is technically an mlp, since it only has three tracks (and not in a drone kinda way). That aside, it is an addictive album. Simply called Xasthur, I get the feeling he was only trying to fulfill a contract obligation. However Xasthur can't even cop out under those circumstances. There's alot going on here. It's clearly classic black metal, but deeply overlaid with samples, and soundscapes in way that is woven together, and not distracting. The whole album could really be one long track, as that's the way it feels. It even cuts off abruptly on the first side. The vinyl itself is of course, collectable green, and the layout is a simple yet amazing black and white photo of arctic stalactites. I can't seem to get it off my record player. However, it has had to take turns with Leviathan's The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide double LP. I know, I know, I know, that EVERYONE is doing double lp releases these days (I mean, I even bought the Sunn 0)))/Boris collaborative TRIPLE LP! but it was totally worth it...), however Wrest is actually able to make it work. I dropped it again today, and realized how well crafted the Introit to Fucking Your Ghost in Chains of Ice (How metal is that for a song title???) beginning is. From the there it just pounds the life out of you, before you hit the other side and fall into a more ambient, melodic aftermath. All in all, the whole record is like this, sort of a mini-tour of the genre and artist. Once again, it's a great record, and more proof that the US west coast is where the black metal of today is.
I also bought the new Wolves In the Throne Room double LP release, Diadem of Twelve Stars. It's good, very good. It runs the gamut of the other end of the genre, mixing quality black metal with alot of the popular Neurot Records sound that is frikkin everywhere these days. But don't let that give you a bad impression, this album is all of those things crafted together as they should sound (and not like the last time I saw Pelican live...*yuck!*). Although I'm sort of in a different place with BM right now (really lo-fi, buzzy, experimental), I'm sure I will keep coming back to this album again and again.
I was listening to the newest Wargoat Radio podcast today, and I could not help but notice how many bands on it sounded like Furze a project that I find myself more and more into these days. I can't quite figure it out, except that Woe j. Reaper (really) has mastered the catchiest black metal guitar hooks this side of a nintendo game. Really, the intro to Witchboundator gets stuck in my head all the time. Now I'm not claiming that Woe J. is the originator of this sound; he just seems to be the most popular purveyor of it at present.
Other than that, I just keep searching through the infernal hordes for valiant stand outs. I need to keep myself (or just let go) from buying all those vinyl re-releases of Velvet Cacoon records. I am also hoping to get my hands on the new Deathspell Omega album. Does anyone know if Weakling ever put out a vinyl version of their record? I'd love to get my hands on that......right after I mortgage our rented apartment......
In the meantime
In nomine Dei nostri Satanas Luciferi excelsi!
Denman
Shemhamforash!
Currently Listening to:
Weakling- Dead as Dreams
8:20 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove
August 10, 2007 - Friday
I suppose it’s that time again...
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural
So, it's been several months. You know what that means, it's time to post a new blog. So here's what's been going on in my off-kilter world.
First, the good news: I'm not depressed. I don't know what happened, but one day I woke up, and it was just gone. Maybe the CIA chip finally hit a glitch, and until they fix it I can live a normal life again. It's been great except for the comming to, looking around, and going,"what the fuck!? Has anyone been doing any upkeep here!?" So, now I just need to start putting things back together.
Which brings me to the past several months, when I willfully invited the work monster to bring his fat ass right on in, and sit on me.
First, after four years I bid farewell to baristadom. In, maybe, an odd turn of events, I've joined a (basically, anarcho, me included) dog-walking-workers-collective. It's a very progressive, positve situation, that more people should look into. A company, where everyone is co-owner. This means that we all depend on one another to maintain the infratructure, and in turn, we all reap the benefits. Be the middle-man. And, I might add, as of late, no dog has questioned my ability to walk them (as opposed to say, the questioning of my ability to even work a microwave by your typical, spoiled, middle-class cafe customer.) I think this will be good for me, and I'll be happy doing this for a while. Then I will plan the next step.
I also did "butt-loads" of theatre last season. I did a nude Macbeth (FOR EVER) that racked up quite alot of attention, even American Theatre Magazine. It was a great a cast, a great director, and it turned out, well.....you know....Besides that, I embarked on, what went from a fun project, to a serious collaboration. A very artistically trusted friend of mine asked me to hop on board an idea he had. The idea was to do an hour long, original production of Marlowe's DR. Faustus, and hand out popcorn and beer to the audience (well, hey at least popcorn is good). We spent a couple months, "in the room" hammering out the script, and then realized that combined with the rest of our production ideas, had a very good piece on our hands. So we took a month off, and then attacked it like locust. Several more amazing people came on board at that point , to complete the process. We hit the road doing a mini tour of several DC spaces, and by the time we hit the Capitol Fringe Fest, we were playing to sold out, standing room only houses (okay, so the seating was limited, but hey, let me roll around in this for awhile). I made this wack-job lighting rig out of boarderline theatrical fixtures, and random everyday crap. It was all portable, and could be set up anywhere. I then wired it all to reistats (those little dimmery lightey switches you have in your house to "set the mood."), and became part of the show, running the whole thing from the playing space. Plus I regularly got up to confess sins durring the audience participation part of the show, once again, pressing the limits of free speech, and bringing about heretofore uknown grimaces of horror from the crowd. All-in-all, it was one of the most positve theatrical experiences I've ever been a part of. So clearly, we are taking a month off, and then getting the remaining team back together to talk about next season. Awesome.
And speaking of awesome, let's talk about my new musical love. (Well, besides international-indie-dance-music. I love you forever Bonde do Role!!!!!) I cold-heart, black metal. I know it's painfully (pun intened) popular right now, but since it's still in the underground, it's so (add lot's of "O"'s here) good. I remember listening to some black metal in college, but half of it was poser crap, and this was before the new wave of early 2nd wave puritst came out. (If there is no corpse paint and foot long nail gauntlets, there is no balck in that metal!) And while I still need to stay on my toes ethically, I find myself listening to these unholy hordes all the frikkin time. In fact, I'm listening to the Leviathan The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide double LP right now (and it's amazing!). At this rate, I will soon forfeit my entire band account to bizzare, collectible vinyl. I just got that record the other day (after a looooong fight with UPS) along with my new treasured children, Wolves in the Throne Room Diadem of 12 Stars double LP on green vinyl, and the Horn of Dagoth rehearsal cdr II, totally numbered, and decorated IN THEIR OWN BLOOD!!!(REALLY!!!). Not that it's BM, but I even got the new Sunn 0))) Oracle LP (sweeet sweeet drone will eventually get me evicteeeeeeeeed.) I need to stop now; Just ordered the TRIPLE LP!!! Boris/Sunn 0))) colaboration and the final Xasthur Xasthur MLP. Oh (dark)god, but it's all so good.
I have also been thinking more about politics lately. I am, of course, still correct in my views, but I've decided to educate myself more on them. Study more the beliefs I hold dear. Plenty of kids with a Nausea shirt will just retort,"because it's right." but that doesn't get you very far, even with yourself. I've also decided to try to be a little more DIY. I'm thinking about makeing screens to print shirts, and hoddies for all the random-off-the-radar black metal I've gotten into (just in time for our hoary lords' season of gray despair). Also, I'm looking into cleaning alternatives. I don't care what label says, nothing in there is healthy for you. I cleaned the bathroom with white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice. Whadaya know, cleanest it's ever been, without cleaning years off my life. Maybe I will get into more trouble. Could be fun.
I suppose the only bad news was that it was my ten year high school reunion this weekend. Of course there was more chance of me going to mass than that god-forsaken thing. I saw pictures.....everyone looked old....really old....and bad.....reeeeaaaaally baaaad....ugly, scary bad. And then I felt old, and bad, and ugly.......I talked to the only person I really give a damn about from those years, Kyle. After a long overdue conversation I remembered that though I am old, I don't look old, I certainly don't act old, and damn gurl, I look good. (though everyone should donate to the "Feed the Denman Foundation." Oh, and cure Crohn's Disease.) So at 29 I'm an anarcho-straight-edge-vegan-bike-ridding-hxc-punk-(black)-metal-loving-dog-walking-indie-dj-night-scenester. I'm sure as hell not a married-accountant-fat-bald-"tanned"-with-two-point-five-kid-church-going-zombie. And everyday that I wake up still evading that fate I should thank the universe.*WHEW!*
Well that's it for now. I have to go walk some dogs before going to A Different Kind of Dude . It's gonna rock hard.
Werd to yer mother,
Denman
Black Metal is the new.....well.....you know......
Category: Religion and Philosophy
So, I know I'm all over that band wagon right about now, but as of late I cannot get enough black metal. It's true that when you read Lords of Chaos they say that Amerikkka is the last country to catch the dark-wave, but who thought that in ten years we'd be the ones hanging ten, leading the pack? I mean, the only thing crazier than that is the fact that all the really good stuff (holding it's own might I add, on the world scene) is coming from the west coast!?!
First there is my horrible new, late night, random vinyl purchasing addiction. At this rate I will soon have to learn how to make shelter out of my records. Last night for instance, I came across (lucifer, most of this stuff comes from the Aquarious Records page.) an amazing new find, Amocoma. You'll have to scroll down to find the records, but do it so you can listen to the samples. It hardly qualifies and BM, but more like a quality midwest noise band trying their hand at some of the more popular fuzzed out variety. I mean, you can hardly hear the "anything" in the mix, which for me right now is quite an addictive sound. Let's hope the entire cd-r feels that way. I also grabbed a couple of vinyl releases from the mysterious Bone Awl a band that you either like because you are mesmerized by the music, or because you are even more mesmerized by their cult following. Needless to say, by the time they processed the order, one of the records was already sold out. It's not like they haven't released much material. If you're curious, it's off kilter, lo-fi (there it goes again) black thrash. It's primitive, chaotic, and evil to be sure. I also took a chance on a not so black metal cd-r by a band called Cambodia , who describe themselves as hardcore/metal/shoegaze, and it is rather like a sludge band trying their hand at shoegaze. The misanthropy on their myspace page (they claim to only add people they know as friends. We'll see if they add me. Maybe I should say that I used to help Magrudergrind set up shows in DC; apparently they played together(!?!?)) makes the average black metaler look like a depression councilor. Still and all, I hope for good things from the whole album after getting a crack at a few of the tracks.
In the meantime, I should back up to other recent purchases. I just received the final release from Xasthur on Moribund records. While it is a full lp, it is technically an mlp, since it only has three tracks (and not in a drone kinda way). That aside, it is an addictive album. Simply called Xasthur, I get the feeling he was only trying to fulfill a contract obligation. However Xasthur can't even cop out under those circumstances. There's alot going on here. It's clearly classic black metal, but deeply overlaid with samples, and soundscapes in way that is woven together, and not distracting. The whole album could really be one long track, as that's the way it feels. It even cuts off abruptly on the first side. The vinyl itself is of course, collectable green, and the layout is a simple yet amazing black and white photo of arctic stalactites. I can't seem to get it off my record player. However, it has had to take turns with Leviathan's The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide double LP. I know, I know, I know, that EVERYONE is doing double lp releases these days (I mean, I even bought the Sunn 0)))/Boris collaborative TRIPLE LP! but it was totally worth it...), however Wrest is actually able to make it work. I dropped it again today, and realized how well crafted the Introit to Fucking Your Ghost in Chains of Ice (How metal is that for a song title???) beginning is. From the there it just pounds the life out of you, before you hit the other side and fall into a more ambient, melodic aftermath. All in all, the whole record is like this, sort of a mini-tour of the genre and artist. Once again, it's a great record, and more proof that the US west coast is where the black metal of today is.
I also bought the new Wolves In the Throne Room double LP release, Diadem of Twelve Stars. It's good, very good. It runs the gamut of the other end of the genre, mixing quality black metal with alot of the popular Neurot Records sound that is frikkin everywhere these days. But don't let that give you a bad impression, this album is all of those things crafted together as they should sound (and not like the last time I saw Pelican live...*yuck!*). Although I'm sort of in a different place with BM right now (really lo-fi, buzzy, experimental), I'm sure I will keep coming back to this album again and again.
I was listening to the newest Wargoat Radio podcast today, and I could not help but notice how many bands on it sounded like Furze a project that I find myself more and more into these days. I can't quite figure it out, except that Woe j. Reaper (really) has mastered the catchiest black metal guitar hooks this side of a nintendo game. Really, the intro to Witchboundator gets stuck in my head all the time. Now I'm not claiming that Woe J. is the originator of this sound; he just seems to be the most popular purveyor of it at present.
Other than that, I just keep searching through the infernal hordes for valiant stand outs. I need to keep myself (or just let go) from buying all those vinyl re-releases of Velvet Cacoon records. I am also hoping to get my hands on the new Deathspell Omega album. Does anyone know if Weakling ever put out a vinyl version of their record? I'd love to get my hands on that......right after I mortgage our rented apartment......
In the meantime
In nomine Dei nostri Satanas Luciferi excelsi!
Denman
Shemhamforash!
Currently Listening to:
Weakling- Dead as Dreams
8:20 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove
August 10, 2007 - Friday
I suppose it’s that time again...
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural
So, it's been several months. You know what that means, it's time to post a new blog. So here's what's been going on in my off-kilter world.
First, the good news: I'm not depressed. I don't know what happened, but one day I woke up, and it was just gone. Maybe the CIA chip finally hit a glitch, and until they fix it I can live a normal life again. It's been great except for the comming to, looking around, and going,"what the fuck!? Has anyone been doing any upkeep here!?" So, now I just need to start putting things back together.
Which brings me to the past several months, when I willfully invited the work monster to bring his fat ass right on in, and sit on me.
First, after four years I bid farewell to baristadom. In, maybe, an odd turn of events, I've joined a (basically, anarcho, me included) dog-walking-workers-collective. It's a very progressive, positve situation, that more people should look into. A company, where everyone is co-owner. This means that we all depend on one another to maintain the infratructure, and in turn, we all reap the benefits. Be the middle-man. And, I might add, as of late, no dog has questioned my ability to walk them (as opposed to say, the questioning of my ability to even work a microwave by your typical, spoiled, middle-class cafe customer.) I think this will be good for me, and I'll be happy doing this for a while. Then I will plan the next step.
I also did "butt-loads" of theatre last season. I did a nude Macbeth (FOR EVER) that racked up quite alot of attention, even American Theatre Magazine. It was a great a cast, a great director, and it turned out, well.....you know....Besides that, I embarked on, what went from a fun project, to a serious collaboration. A very artistically trusted friend of mine asked me to hop on board an idea he had. The idea was to do an hour long, original production of Marlowe's DR. Faustus, and hand out popcorn and beer to the audience (well, hey at least popcorn is good). We spent a couple months, "in the room" hammering out the script, and then realized that combined with the rest of our production ideas, had a very good piece on our hands. So we took a month off, and then attacked it like locust. Several more amazing people came on board at that point , to complete the process. We hit the road doing a mini tour of several DC spaces, and by the time we hit the Capitol Fringe Fest, we were playing to sold out, standing room only houses (okay, so the seating was limited, but hey, let me roll around in this for awhile). I made this wack-job lighting rig out of boarderline theatrical fixtures, and random everyday crap. It was all portable, and could be set up anywhere. I then wired it all to reistats (those little dimmery lightey switches you have in your house to "set the mood."), and became part of the show, running the whole thing from the playing space. Plus I regularly got up to confess sins durring the audience participation part of the show, once again, pressing the limits of free speech, and bringing about heretofore uknown grimaces of horror from the crowd. All-in-all, it was one of the most positve theatrical experiences I've ever been a part of. So clearly, we are taking a month off, and then getting the remaining team back together to talk about next season. Awesome.
And speaking of awesome, let's talk about my new musical love. (Well, besides international-indie-dance-music. I love you forever Bonde do Role!!!!!) I cold-heart, black metal. I know it's painfully (pun intened) popular right now, but since it's still in the underground, it's so (add lot's of "O"'s here) good. I remember listening to some black metal in college, but half of it was poser crap, and this was before the new wave of early 2nd wave puritst came out. (If there is no corpse paint and foot long nail gauntlets, there is no balck in that metal!) And while I still need to stay on my toes ethically, I find myself listening to these unholy hordes all the frikkin time. In fact, I'm listening to the Leviathan The Tenth Sub-Level of Suicide double LP right now (and it's amazing!). At this rate, I will soon forfeit my entire band account to bizzare, collectible vinyl. I just got that record the other day (after a looooong fight with UPS) along with my new treasured children, Wolves in the Throne Room Diadem of 12 Stars double LP on green vinyl, and the Horn of Dagoth rehearsal cdr II, totally numbered, and decorated IN THEIR OWN BLOOD!!!(REALLY!!!). Not that it's BM, but I even got the new Sunn 0))) Oracle LP (sweeet sweeet drone will eventually get me evicteeeeeeeeed.) I need to stop now; Just ordered the TRIPLE LP!!! Boris/Sunn 0))) colaboration and the final Xasthur Xasthur MLP. Oh (dark)god, but it's all so good.
I have also been thinking more about politics lately. I am, of course, still correct in my views, but I've decided to educate myself more on them. Study more the beliefs I hold dear. Plenty of kids with a Nausea shirt will just retort,"because it's right." but that doesn't get you very far, even with yourself. I've also decided to try to be a little more DIY. I'm thinking about makeing screens to print shirts, and hoddies for all the random-off-the-radar black metal I've gotten into (just in time for our hoary lords' season of gray despair). Also, I'm looking into cleaning alternatives. I don't care what label says, nothing in there is healthy for you. I cleaned the bathroom with white vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice. Whadaya know, cleanest it's ever been, without cleaning years off my life. Maybe I will get into more trouble. Could be fun.
I suppose the only bad news was that it was my ten year high school reunion this weekend. Of course there was more chance of me going to mass than that god-forsaken thing. I saw pictures.....everyone looked old....really old....and bad.....reeeeaaaaally baaaad....ugly, scary bad. And then I felt old, and bad, and ugly.......I talked to the only person I really give a damn about from those years, Kyle. After a long overdue conversation I remembered that though I am old, I don't look old, I certainly don't act old, and damn gurl, I look good. (though everyone should donate to the "Feed the Denman Foundation." Oh, and cure Crohn's Disease.) So at 29 I'm an anarcho-straight-edge-vegan-bike-ridding-hxc-punk-(black)-metal-loving-dog-walking-indie-dj-night-scenester. I'm sure as hell not a married-accountant-fat-bald-"tanned"-with-two-point-five-kid-church-going-zombie. And everyday that I wake up still evading that fate I should thank the universe.*WHEW!*
Well that's it for now. I have to go walk some dogs before going to A Different Kind of Dude . It's gonna rock hard.
Werd to yer mother,
Denman
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
battybwoys rize up wit dem gunz dem dancehall bwoys fi die
Okay,
So what's more disappointing than really getting into a genre of music only to discover that it is totally fulled by hate? When I get into music I take it down with a death grip. I find out who is important in the movement, who started it, and then start downloading as many different examples as possible. So when I started getting interested in grime, I knew that I would have to look up it's more interesting roots of dancehall. Doing this, I started downloading alot of Cutty Ranks, some Lil' Vicious, Ninjaman, and my fave Bounty Killer.
While Looking up more interesting info on Bounty Killer I came across some links to queer groups who had started campaigns to ban popular dancehall artists from playing outside of Jamaica. Then I found these lyrics posted in an article on the Amnesty International Website:
"Bun a fire pon a kuh pon mister fagoty, Ears ah ben up and a wince under agony, Poop man fi drown a dat a yawd man philosophy". What does all this Jamaican Dialect mean?........Well they also took the time to "translate" which goes roughly like this:
(Burn gay men, til they wince under agony, gay men should drown, that's the yard man's philosophy)
Jesus, what the fuck?! I, once again, just don't understand how a people that have surely gone through much persecution and strife can then, in turn, shove this same type of hate onto another similar (I know, only in some ways) group?
To a degree it is certainly true that it is not my argument being a white, straight, middle-class background, straight, amerikkkan, male. However, in so much as people are directly being hurt from this, I feel at least entitled to my two cents.
If this is cultural then I don't have any say since people must choose the direction of their own culture, and it is not my place, as an interloper, to shape that change.
However, what I am more inclined to believe, is that this has more to do with religion (which is cultural true, but you can have one even if the other is torn away), the I would say it is not "............No Masters." But it is "No gods No Masters"
This could be one more way that religion tears people apart and breeds nothing but hate. True many other human movements equally cause the same damage, but religion can unify a people behind a dogma with with blind, and life-threatening conviction faster that just about any other "cause" on earth.
So my advice to the queer community in Jamaica is simple: Shoot Back!
So what's more disappointing than really getting into a genre of music only to discover that it is totally fulled by hate? When I get into music I take it down with a death grip. I find out who is important in the movement, who started it, and then start downloading as many different examples as possible. So when I started getting interested in grime, I knew that I would have to look up it's more interesting roots of dancehall. Doing this, I started downloading alot of Cutty Ranks, some Lil' Vicious, Ninjaman, and my fave Bounty Killer.
While Looking up more interesting info on Bounty Killer I came across some links to queer groups who had started campaigns to ban popular dancehall artists from playing outside of Jamaica. Then I found these lyrics posted in an article on the Amnesty International Website:
"Bun a fire pon a kuh pon mister fagoty, Ears ah ben up and a wince under agony, Poop man fi drown a dat a yawd man philosophy". What does all this Jamaican Dialect mean?........Well they also took the time to "translate" which goes roughly like this:
(Burn gay men, til they wince under agony, gay men should drown, that's the yard man's philosophy)
Jesus, what the fuck?! I, once again, just don't understand how a people that have surely gone through much persecution and strife can then, in turn, shove this same type of hate onto another similar (I know, only in some ways) group?
To a degree it is certainly true that it is not my argument being a white, straight, middle-class background, straight, amerikkkan, male. However, in so much as people are directly being hurt from this, I feel at least entitled to my two cents.
If this is cultural then I don't have any say since people must choose the direction of their own culture, and it is not my place, as an interloper, to shape that change.
However, what I am more inclined to believe, is that this has more to do with religion (which is cultural true, but you can have one even if the other is torn away), the I would say it is not "............No Masters." But it is "No gods No Masters"
This could be one more way that religion tears people apart and breeds nothing but hate. True many other human movements equally cause the same damage, but religion can unify a people behind a dogma with with blind, and life-threatening conviction faster that just about any other "cause" on earth.
So my advice to the queer community in Jamaica is simple: Shoot Back!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Let's talk about Black Metal
So I just read the book Lords of Chaos, and being a fan of black metal, found it quite enlightening. Now don't get me wrong I always knew about the rumors of how crazy the Norwegian BM community was, and therefore was weary from time to time of certain bands. However reading this book has put a lot of puzzle pieces together making me pretty fucking cautious about what bands I entertain.
In the back of the book the authors do a brief summary of the movements through out the globe circa about 2000. They mention america, but say that so far the second BM wave had not largely caught on. Let's fast forward to today.
As of now, at least in the musical underground, there has been a huge revival of black metal. Like I've already stated, even I find myself in the eye of this storm. However, I don't think many US kids get what being into some of this scene has meant, and done in other countries. Or if they do, they are not taking it as seriously as their Scandinavian counterparts (which is a travesty).
Black Metal was founded on the idea of turning away from christ and following lucifer in a bloody war against the heavens. I have no problem with this, and in fact, quite the romantic fascination (though I don't really believe in any of it.) In Norway, when they discovered Venom, no one found an ounce of humor in it. Making good on the promises of albums like Welcome to Hell, the Norwegian BM scene unleashed a slew of grave desecrations, ancient church burnings, and eventually several homicides. Needless to say these were mostly perpetrated by angry youths who lived in a country that had all the catatonic boredom of a US suburb. Like it or hate it this type of environment, in recent history, has always produced movements such as this.
Now here comes the part of the, quite true, story that I don't get. When the original founders of the Norwegian BM scene got a little older they turned this love for Satan into a love for Wotan. Not all mind you, but a number of influential names. And the belief system (some type of Asatru) goes a little something like this: (judeo-) Christianity is a plague on the earth, the way to overcome this plague is by returning to the previous culture, to return to this previous culture we must delve into the fatherland, in order to do this we must believe that our fatherland needs to stay pure, in order to keep der faterland pure we must overcome all other lands. In other words, we begin with, destroy christianity, and end with, kill the jews. I have no idea how this came about.
With the ever reaching influence of people like Varg Vikerns (BURZUM YOU IDIOTS! VARG VIKERNS IS BURZUM, AND ALSO A NATIONAL SOCIALIST!!) much of the modern BM scene has at least toyed with the imagery and language involved with asatru/national socialist aryan supremacy. With this increased reach, and ever growing popularity of all BM this point of view has started to permeate even our own backyards.
I remember flipping through the friends of my favorite local black metal band's ( Time of the Wolf, no NSBM just good old satanism. Everyone should check out this awesome band) myspace page looking for other good area black metal, and comming across a symbol I knew to be quite aryan. Below the image was the exclamation,"Wotan Mit Unst!" (Wotan be with us). I sent this statement to an at the time German friend of mine who sent back a reply that started,"Viking Scum!" She went on to explain that this might fly in the US, but was a very serious statement in Germany. At the time I had little grasp of her letter, but after reading Lords of Chaos I know exactly what she means.
This viking/wotan/NS craze has started to pop up everywhere. The trouble is, you have to know what you are looking for. For example, I listen to the streaming web Black Metal Radio on a regular basis. I've always assumed it was relatively safe. However tonight a band came on called Breath of Sorrows, who sounded like the real deal. Since I like the original sound better than the newer commodified sound, I decided to look them up. Comming across their myspace profile I could not help but notice that one of their friends was "HLP," and while I had no idea what the other two letters stood for, I could have put money on the first. Well, I was right. It took me straight to the "Heathen (anything 'Heathen' is a dead giveaway, as this is mostly a Vikernes term) Luciferian propaganda Army, who actually had the nerve to put Graveland in their top eight. For those of you who don't know, Graveland is Polands biggest NS, asatru, aryan, 14 word following moron. The FP of "Darken" (who IS the band (yea, Burzum part II)) looks innocent enough. Mostly a bunch of dorky, renfair looking Viking re-enactment photos. But even then if you look at the quirky cultural symbols slapped here and there, you might begin to know that something is up. Sure enough, click on any option of his website, and out comes the hate, from very scary beliefs, to his praising a new band for not be too afraid to praise the white man. (I guess he has lost all memory of Hitler's first empirical action)
All of the above mentioned US groups come from Vegas, and as the right wing leaning bands in the DC area mostly come from the suburbs of VA and MD, you can see the trend starting all over again. A lot of these kids come to shows, are nice and polite, are down with kids who have the right idea, and then sport a Darkthrone shirt (a band who thinks anyone who doesn't like their albums must be jewish). I do not shake my head at inverted crosses, pentagrams, corpsepaint, adorning footlong nails, and brandishing swords and axes, but for christ sake let's not start worshiping Odin for the white race.
In conclusion: SATAN YES WOTAN NO!!
(Some bands are just funny. 1349 claims that their name comes from the year when the plague first invaded Norway.....oh and purely coincidentally, according to Wiki, the same year that the Jewish Population of Basel are (I kid you not) incinerated being believed to have brought the plague to Switzerland, aaaand 2,000 Jews are burned to death in Strasbourg.
I also wonder if I get more trouble from this post from the FBI for visiting these websites, or the NSP for saying the inflammatory things.)
In the back of the book the authors do a brief summary of the movements through out the globe circa about 2000. They mention america, but say that so far the second BM wave had not largely caught on. Let's fast forward to today.
As of now, at least in the musical underground, there has been a huge revival of black metal. Like I've already stated, even I find myself in the eye of this storm. However, I don't think many US kids get what being into some of this scene has meant, and done in other countries. Or if they do, they are not taking it as seriously as their Scandinavian counterparts (which is a travesty).
Black Metal was founded on the idea of turning away from christ and following lucifer in a bloody war against the heavens. I have no problem with this, and in fact, quite the romantic fascination (though I don't really believe in any of it.) In Norway, when they discovered Venom, no one found an ounce of humor in it. Making good on the promises of albums like Welcome to Hell, the Norwegian BM scene unleashed a slew of grave desecrations, ancient church burnings, and eventually several homicides. Needless to say these were mostly perpetrated by angry youths who lived in a country that had all the catatonic boredom of a US suburb. Like it or hate it this type of environment, in recent history, has always produced movements such as this.
Now here comes the part of the, quite true, story that I don't get. When the original founders of the Norwegian BM scene got a little older they turned this love for Satan into a love for Wotan. Not all mind you, but a number of influential names. And the belief system (some type of Asatru) goes a little something like this: (judeo-) Christianity is a plague on the earth, the way to overcome this plague is by returning to the previous culture, to return to this previous culture we must delve into the fatherland, in order to do this we must believe that our fatherland needs to stay pure, in order to keep der faterland pure we must overcome all other lands. In other words, we begin with, destroy christianity, and end with, kill the jews. I have no idea how this came about.
With the ever reaching influence of people like Varg Vikerns (BURZUM YOU IDIOTS! VARG VIKERNS IS BURZUM, AND ALSO A NATIONAL SOCIALIST!!) much of the modern BM scene has at least toyed with the imagery and language involved with asatru/national socialist aryan supremacy. With this increased reach, and ever growing popularity of all BM this point of view has started to permeate even our own backyards.
I remember flipping through the friends of my favorite local black metal band's ( Time of the Wolf, no NSBM just good old satanism. Everyone should check out this awesome band) myspace page looking for other good area black metal, and comming across a symbol I knew to be quite aryan. Below the image was the exclamation,"Wotan Mit Unst!" (Wotan be with us). I sent this statement to an at the time German friend of mine who sent back a reply that started,"Viking Scum!" She went on to explain that this might fly in the US, but was a very serious statement in Germany. At the time I had little grasp of her letter, but after reading Lords of Chaos I know exactly what she means.
This viking/wotan/NS craze has started to pop up everywhere. The trouble is, you have to know what you are looking for. For example, I listen to the streaming web Black Metal Radio on a regular basis. I've always assumed it was relatively safe. However tonight a band came on called Breath of Sorrows, who sounded like the real deal. Since I like the original sound better than the newer commodified sound, I decided to look them up. Comming across their myspace profile I could not help but notice that one of their friends was "HLP," and while I had no idea what the other two letters stood for, I could have put money on the first. Well, I was right. It took me straight to the "Heathen (anything 'Heathen' is a dead giveaway, as this is mostly a Vikernes term) Luciferian propaganda Army, who actually had the nerve to put Graveland in their top eight. For those of you who don't know, Graveland is Polands biggest NS, asatru, aryan, 14 word following moron. The FP of "Darken" (who IS the band (yea, Burzum part II)) looks innocent enough. Mostly a bunch of dorky, renfair looking Viking re-enactment photos. But even then if you look at the quirky cultural symbols slapped here and there, you might begin to know that something is up. Sure enough, click on any option of his website, and out comes the hate, from very scary beliefs, to his praising a new band for not be too afraid to praise the white man. (I guess he has lost all memory of Hitler's first empirical action)
All of the above mentioned US groups come from Vegas, and as the right wing leaning bands in the DC area mostly come from the suburbs of VA and MD, you can see the trend starting all over again. A lot of these kids come to shows, are nice and polite, are down with kids who have the right idea, and then sport a Darkthrone shirt (a band who thinks anyone who doesn't like their albums must be jewish). I do not shake my head at inverted crosses, pentagrams, corpsepaint, adorning footlong nails, and brandishing swords and axes, but for christ sake let's not start worshiping Odin for the white race.
In conclusion: SATAN YES WOTAN NO!!
(Some bands are just funny. 1349 claims that their name comes from the year when the plague first invaded Norway.....oh and purely coincidentally, according to Wiki, the same year that the Jewish Population of Basel are (I kid you not) incinerated being believed to have brought the plague to Switzerland, aaaand 2,000 Jews are burned to death in Strasbourg.
I also wonder if I get more trouble from this post from the FBI for visiting these websites, or the NSP for saying the inflammatory things.)
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