Stranded Below Update: Took a break to go on vacation (saw a giraffe) and think a little bit about the format for the content. There's a lot I want to talk about, so new stuff coming this week!
Druid Lord: Grotesque Offerings (2018) – for 9C
Over at Nine Circles I love the cover but bemoan the lack of spark in the doom sections of Druid Lord's new full length Grotesque Offerings. There is a lot that works, but there's also a lot that feels hashed together: all frayed edges and rough ideas. Comes together in the faster moments, though. You... Continue Reading →
Brandon Sanderson: Oathbringer
There was a time, a long time, where I didn't read any fantasy. It was my lifeblood as a kid, reading and re-reading Tolkien, Terry Brooks's Shanara series, and dozens upon dozens of careful perusals through my tattered copies of my Dungeons & Dragons tombs. I used to take colored pencils so I could bring... Continue Reading →
Pillärs: Abandoned (2018) – for 9C
Over at Nine Circles I fall hard for the crust-punk hardcore doom charge of Cleveland, Ohio trio Pillärs. Debut full-length Abandoned is a righteous voice rising above the tumultuous thrum of 2018, with lyrics that touch on everything from loss to spiritualism and faith, but never loses sight of the fact it has to first... Continue Reading →
Djinn and Miskatonic: Even Gods Must Die (2018) – for 9C
Over at Nine Circles I dove dark into the Lovecraftian murk of Even Gods Must Die, the new album from Djinn and Miskatonic. Crushingly heavy but willing to let a wink slide into their stoner/sludge blend of doom, the band takes the best parts of prime Electric Wizard and marries it to the rock stomp... Continue Reading →
Tag (2015)
Sometimes a director's vision strikes you in such a way you'll follow them even if the direction they're moving in feels a little, well...off. Such is the case with Sion Sono, whose Love Exposure was a giddy, surreal ride with a central conceit so insane I was instantly hooked. Working in the same absurdist realm... Continue Reading →
