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Derealisation is a half-an-hour shot of gruellingly grinding walled noise, from this London project who is seemingly more known for its work in the PE side of things. The release appears on HNW Netlable- which is one of the longest-running and respected labels in the scene.
Live From The Catacombs is a new release from the French king of crudely unrelenting and battering walled noise Vomir. It recently appearing on Us noise label Deathbed Tapes- as either a C22, or digital download- with the release taking in two ten-minutes slices of nihilistic ‘n’ nasty HNW.
From the early 1970s Lover Of The Monster is a lightly sleazed & campy euro-horror take on Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde thing- with Klaus Kinski playing the placid-to-bug eyed, sweaty, and sexually fired lead. Here from the folks over at Full Moon Features is a Blu Ray release of the film- feature just a bare-bones release, though the new print is rather good.
Now here’s something you certainly don’t see every day- a moralistic 1920’s set melodrama, that blends in slasher tropes with God-fearing supernatural horror touches. Released in the early 80’s- the golden age of the slasher film- A Day Of Judgment is certainly the most distinctive and original film to have (just) fallen within the slice ‘n’ dice genre. From the folks over at Severin is a region free Blu ray release of this real curio- bringing together a new 2k scan of the picture, a featurette from the always great regional horror expert Steven Thrower, and interviews with those behind the film.
Emaztegaiak (Basque for Spouses) is a Power electronics duo bringing together Miguel A. Garcia (aka Xedh, on electronics) and Enrique G. De Diego (aka Tube Tentacles, on vocals). They formed in 2019, and Erorketa (Fall) is their second release after Iniziazioa, both on well-respected ''Extreme Experimental'' (as they put it) tape label Deathbed Tapes.
The People Next Door is an early 1970’s family melodrama focusing on drug addiction. It’s a film that edges it's believable drama ‘n’ dramatics with sly touches of satire, dark humour, and pathos- featuring a well-picked cast and a highly compelling unfold. Here from Powerhouse is a recent Blu Ray release of the film- featuring a new 4k scan of the picture, a new commentary track, and a good selection of other new extras.
Skepticism's latest, Companion, comes as a celebration of quite a milestone - their 30th anniversary. Out on Svart, this Finnish funeral doom outfit shows the world what practicing (and pioneering) grimly tinged doom for the past three decades sounds like. With an output as plodding and deliberate as the doom on hand, Companion is a welcome addition to any funeral doomster's collection.
From the early 1960s, The Fifth Horseman Is Fear is a gloomily surreal and often sweatily tense drama set in the Nazi-occupied Czech Republic. It follows the plight of a Jewish Doctor who tries to help and protect a wounded political fugitive. The film moves between stark and grim realism, Kafka like surrealism, and very fleeting touches of coal-black humour. From Second Run here we have a new region free Blu Ray release of the film- featuring an HD transfer of the picture, a new commentary track, and a short film.
Formed in 2013 by Greek Avant-Garde visual artist Vasilis Angelopoulos, Conjecture is a genre-defying audio project that draws influence from across the musical spectrum to create unique sonic experiences. Angelopoulos utilises synthesizers, sheets of metal, piezo mics and DIY impulse responses “collected” from abandoned buildings to create the sound of Conjecture, whilst he is also influenced by his own ideas about human existence, religion, folklore and murder among other things.
Belzebuth is an action & gore edged ‘dealing with demonic forces’ thriller. It’s very much in the vein of the Omen films, or the later additions in the Exorcist series, blending in tough Mexican cop action and X-file like investigation tropes. From Acorn Media here we have a recent blu ray release of this Shudder channel original film.
Death Screams is an early 1980’s North Carolina set slasher- featuring corny ‘n’ camp dialogue/ characters, some neat brooding stalk scenes, and in its later half some rewarding kills. Sure it's derivative as hell, and at times feels like a bad F13 knock-off/ ropy squeal, but it’s a hella-a lot of creepy/ campy fun, and if you dig golden age slasher- you’ll get a big kick out of the picture. Here from the folks at Arrow- both in the UK & US- is a new Blu ray release of this lesser-seen stalk ‘n’ slash. It features two commentary tracks- one from the film’s producer & effects artists, and one from the always great slasher loving podcast The Hysteria Continues, along with a making-of, and few other extras.
The Spike is the next in Klanggalerie’s CD reissue series of albums by Bourbonese Qualk- a UK based anarchistic and experimental music collective who existed (on and off) between the early 1980s and the early 2000s. The Spike was the collectives sixth full-length release- originally appearing in 1985- it saw an album that blended electro beat bound fare with rumbling bass, brood industrial elements- with touches of world music elements, atmospheric guitar scaping/ ambience, and sidesteps into more wonky and ritually anarchic shout 'n' operatic warble.
Here we have a fourteen-track remix album of Renaldo & The Loaf’s great 2017 come-back record Gurdy Hurding. It takes in an interesting selection of artists doing the remixes, along a nearing twenty-minute track from the pair featuring a remixed selection of elements that didn’t make it onto the original album- all making for a great companion to the original Gurdy Hurding.
No One Heard The Scream is a Spanish thriller from the early 1970’s- it blends Hitchcock like plot tropes, subtle Giallo elements, touches of drama, and a neat enough twist in its tail. Here from Severin, is a new Blu Ray release of this film with the disc featuring a wonderful new print of the picture, and a featurette focusing in on Spanish Giallo.
Knotted Threads is a five-track CD/ digital download that perfectly fits its title. As what’s on offer here is a selection of tight, taut, and tense improv for alto sax and viola- all making for a wholly intense and consistent album.
Scrambling is a rather atmospheric and at points quite low-key cinematic album, which blends moody guitar scaping, minimal electronics, field recordings and subtle string elements. The release brings together Rutger Zuydervelt( Machinefabriek, solo work, Piiptsjilling) and Jean D.I- who create an inmate, yet unease, at points subtly surreal eight-track album.
It must be a good ten or so years since I’ve last heard anything from radical, at times deranged and downright gut-wrenching sound maker Dave Philllips. And I must say this C32/ digital download rather surprised me, as instead of the normal sickly ‘n’ unsettling sound art I'm used to hearing from Mr Phillips. What we get here are two (relatively) formal songs, with real instrumentation/ choirs, and a very horror fed vibe- which for some reason keeps recalling Dario Argento’s three mother’s trilogy- well at least the first two chapters 1977’s Suspiria, and 1980 Inferno.
Easy-Listening Acid Trip is a glossy and psychedelically colourful book examining the blending of the musical genres of easy-listening and psych rock ‘n’ pop in the 1960s. It’s an intriguing, and largely very readable book, which looks at the surprising relationship between these two genres- which before/ after this time have largely stayed separated and remote from each other.
If there’s one thing that’s synonymous with the musical landscape of the 1970’s it’s the whole singer/ songwriter scene. Here from Cherry Red’s ’60s/ 70’s focused sublabel Grapefruit Records, is Separate Paths Together- a three-CD anthology collection focusing on British male singer/ songwriters from between the years 1965 and 1975. And it’s a wonderful varied, consistent, and rewarding boxset- that moves through a fair few genres/ takes on singer/songwriter craft, taking in tracks from the known, lesser-known and decidedly obscure artists.
Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! is a family drama-come-black comedy, with some quirky touches here and there. This is the first-ever Blu Ray release of this award-winning/ nominated Japanese film, with the disc featuring a new scan of the picture, as well as a selection of archive extras.
The Crimes Of The Black Cat is an early 70’s gialli of Italian/ Danish origins, which follows a blind pianist/ soundtrack composer trying to figure out who's commits a series of murders relating to a fashion house. It’s a rewardingly twisting ‘n’ turning, if at times slightly cliched example of the genre- with a black-gloved killer and hatted killer, an amateur sleuth who's determined to get to the truth, and a selection shifty/ sleazed suspect. Though there are some original-to-nasty touches here and there, many of the murders are committed by a cat that has had its claws dipped in poison, and we get a very extreme nude slower slashing scene towards the end of proceedings. Here from Caldron films, an up 'n' coming genre reissue label is a recent reissue of this lesser-seen gialli - with the disc featuring two new commentary tracks, and a few other extras.
Pennsylvania's dynamic duo, Zombi, are back with another EP on Relapse - Liquid Crystals. Continuing their evolution, Moore and Paterra further explore moods, textures, and the borders of cinematic, synth-laden rock. Never a disappointment, Liquid Crystals is another wonderful addition to a rock-solid discography.
Sermon of Flames is an Irish death metal duo with such an impenetrably thick sound, you'd think they were a full lineup. With a low register stygian distortion, they channel the demonic subterranean sound first explored by the likes Immolation and Gorguts.
Over the last few years, Severin have cemented their position as one of my favourite producers of fine quality DVD and Bluray releases. So you can imagine my excitement when they announced this new 4k release of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s masterpiece, Santa Sangre. Not only do we get one of the most visually beautiful movies ever created on a new 4k UHD disc, but we get the standard Blu ray version, as well as a third disc that is absolutely crammed with bonus materials, and to top it all off we get the movie’s original soundtrack on a fourth disc. The whole thing is beautifully packaged in a rather fabulous and eye-catching digipak with a selection of postcards depicting images from the movie. Overall, this is a pretty wonderful set from an aesthetic point of view, but let’s get to the meat of the production, the content of these discs.