Danheim is the project of Danish producer Reidar Schæfer Olsen, who has here created an album of what I would describe as cinematic tribal ethnic downtempo - primarily hand drum rhythms and chants, which sound digitally produced and sequenced. It sounds akin to the soundtracks of Hollywood blockbusters like 300 or Gladiator or a show like Game of Thrones. Looking up his credits, he actually did the soundtrack for the show Vikings.

Stärker, a Canadian-French duo, really know what they're doing. Their latest release, the captivating Spectral, is pitch-perfect, each sound source simultaneously exacting and expansive, precise and yet open like a chasm. 

A White Horse Is Not a Horse arrives on CD in a card gatefold wallet from the esteemed ESP-Disk, featuring five tracks varying from about four minutes in length to twenty-four minutes. Tang and Golden present improvised pieces which largely revolve around similar sounds and techniques - certainly from Tang, who performs with electric guitar, piano, electric keyboard, vocals, and small percussion, whilst Golden assaults the drums

The Shadow And The Wind: 1973- 1974 is a five-CD set looking at both the live and studio output of British rockers/ proto heavy metal merchants/approachable prog dealers, Uriah Heep in the early/ mid 70’s. The primary focus here is live material, with three of the five discs taken up by live albums, showing the five pieces as confident and versatile performers.

Five Thousand Pretenders Who Passed the Test By Luck Alone is a new(ish) long-form work from Massachusetts-based drone maker/moody noise creator Howard Stelzer. The single, just over fifty-minute track moves through a fair bit of varied sonic territory, from ringing and dense soundscaping, onto smaller/ detailed sound crafting, through to drone/ field recording crossbreeds, and beyond.

Scat Punk is the first slice of scuzzy & crude walled noise freefall from this new project from UK’s Tom Wilson(The Night Porter, Slowgurn, and Death To Dynamic label).  This digital release takes in a single nearly hour-long track, which blends a constant searing rush & churn with fleeting darts of other tone/ texture.

Alpha Omega was album number three from New York’s Cro-Mags. First released in 1992, the nine-track album saw the band tighten up their sound, which blended elements of hardcore punk, metal, and thrash.

First released in 1993, Near Death Experience was the fourth album from Cro-Mags. It saw the New York band deepen their Crossover thrash/ metal sound from their hardcore punk roots. It found the more pumped-up metallic/ punk attack tempered with moments of moodiness and spiritual themes. Here from Arising Empire is a recent CD reissue of the album.

Plot Of Fear is a mid-1970s gialli that blends in elements of Poliziotteschi and proto slasher. The film centres on a group of people from an exclusive and kinky club, who are being murdered, with each body a page from a children's book is left. As you’d imagine with such a plot, there is a fair bit of sleaze/flesh on display, and while the killings themselves aren’t elaborate, they are varied- all finished off with an unmasking/resolution I didn’t see coming. Here from Powerhouse- as either a UHD or Blu Ray- is a new release of the film, taking in a well-defined 4k print, a new commentary track, and a selection of old and new extras.

From the early 70’s, Craze is a British film focusing on an antiques dealer, who accidentally kills someone in front of an African idol,  finds a fortune coming his way, and decides to take up murder. In the lead, we have Jack Palance, with appearances of the likes of Trevor Howard, Suzy Kendall, and Diana Dors. The film is a thriller/ horror crossbreed- with light touches of both gore and nudity, making for an engaging enough & lightly campy 70’s cinematic ride. Here from 88 Films is a recent release of the film, which is available as either a Blu-ray or DVD, taking in a 4k scan, a new commentary track, and a few other old/ new extras.

One half of electronic/psychedelic duo Japanese Gum, Paolo Tortora heads off on his own for his debut solo, Waves of Fading Memories, via Torto Editions. Four pieces consisting of shimmering tones, waves, warmth, and soft, fuzzy nostalgia, Tortora's solo is the perfect soundtrack for spending time reviewing, reinvestigating, and reliving one's memories. Like waves crashing on the shore, their moment is fleeting, but their impact is timeless. While one wave lapping the sand may not seem like much, the life, nutrients, calm, beauty, and, conversely, destruction makes its mark before drifting away, only for another wave, another memory to be formed. Structured around layered guitar tones, soft, synth drones, wave sounds, and other effects, Waves of Fading Memories is rich with atmosphere, ambiance, and is the perfect setting for one to rekindle and relive their myriad memories.

From the early 90s, Baby Blood is a French film that sits somewhere bloody ‘n’ sleazy exploitation & glum/offbeat drama, with moments of limb-ripping violence, demented body horror, and dark humour. It regards a female circus worker, who gets something strange slipping into her, which slowly but surely starts growing. Here from Studio Canal- as either a Blu-ray or UHD- is a recent(ish) UK debut release of the film, taking in a 4k scan, and new/ archive extras.

Sergio Corbucci’s The Hellbenders (I Crudeli) was released in 1967. Sandwiched between two bigger and brasher efforts often cited as the director’s best, Django (1966) and The Grand Silence (1968), it’s no wonder that it’s often relegated in conversations of Corbucci’s work. Its profile is limited by swapping the action of those better-known movies for suspense and, on the face of it, reworking the plot of 1965’s The Tramplers (directed by Albert Band, who uncoincidentally produced this).

Malpertuis is an early 70’s blend of fantasy, horror, and off-kilter family drama. It’s a film that’s laden with occult imagery/ themes, with a huge cast of weird ‘n’ wonderful characters that appear from nooks and crannies of the Labyrinthian house the film is set in.  Here from Radiance is a wonderful, classy reissue of the film, taking in a 4k fully uncut version of the picture, a second Cannes cut, new interviews with the director/ genre experts, and a good selection of new/old extras. It comes presented a mystical symbol-dotted slip case, with a colourful eighty-page booklet.