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The Dark And The Wicked is a glumly creepy rural set horror film, which is shot through with moments of effectively jarring terror and sudden bloody brutality. The 2020 picture is the fourth film from writer/director Bryan Bertino- who is most known for his creepy and unsettling house invasion film The Strangers. Here from Acorn Media is a Blu Ray release of the film.
Here we have the sixth volume in Powerhouses' wonderful Hammer blu ray boxsets. The four-disc set brings together four of the lesser-seen 1960’s films produced by Hammer, and as with the other releases in this series we get a good selection of genre films. Featured here are The Shadow Of The Cat- a murder mystery/ animal horror film, Captain Clegg- a period adventure with light terror touches, The Phantom Of The Opera- Hammers' more gothic romantic take on this horror classic, and Nightmare- one of the studios moody black and white psychological thrillers. As always Powerhouse has really pulled out all the stops with this boxset, with great new prints for each film, a bumper selection of extras for each film, and around forty-page inlay booklet for each of the four pictures presented here.
PTU is a 2003 crime drama from Hong Kong, directed by Johnnie To (Mad Detective, Drug War and Election ) starring Simon Yam (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Election and Ip Man) and Suet Lam (Kung Fu Hustle, The Legend if Born: Ip Man and Dynasty Warriors).
From the late 1970s, Day Of The Animals is rewarding, and at points, thrilling slice ‘when animals attack’ genre- it focuses on a group of tourists out on a few days hike, when fur, feather, and scale turn on man due to the depleted ozone layer. It features a good selection of 70’s faces taking in the likes of Leslie Nielsen, Christopher George & his wife Lynda Day George, and really plays off like a disaster film on foot, as the tourist bicker, get in peril, and course get attacked- with some fairly tense encounters, these are largely gore-less, though there are a few more nasty-blood attacks. Here from Severin is a new extras loaded Blu Ray release of the film.
Revealed By Composed Nature is the most recent release in Zoharum’s Vidna Obmana reissue series. Originally released in the year 1990, the album is a prime example of varied and hypnotic ambient sound-making. With the eight-track album moving between the lullingly haunting, felt and glowing, and the grandly hazed and rising.
![SYNTA [XE] RROR](/images/migrated/19/19092.jpg)
SYNTA [XE] RROR are an IDM duo from southern Poland, and [ . ] DOT is the projects third full length. It’s a CD/ digital download- that offers up nine tracks that blend together detailed electro beat patterns, and largely memorable/ atmospheric synth melodies, which moves between sci-fi mood set to more nostalgic.
Originally released back in 1983, French Gigs is a wonderful dangerous and fiery selection of improv bringing together two of the most respected and versatile names in the scene- guitarist Fred Frith, and sax player Lol Coxhill, both of whom will need little introduction to those who enjoy the more edgy/ experimental side of jazz.
Duophonic Landscape is a sleekly atmospheric improv album, which nicely shifts between the moody and cinematic, to ritual tipped and darting, through to bounding-yet-angularly showy. It’s a seven-part / track CD release appearing on Klanggalerie- with the CD coming in a glossy colour digipak that features abstractly smeared and blurred light/ colour artwork, which nicely fits the shifting-playful, yet atmospherically moody flow of the album.
One of the marks of a good/ great improviser is that their sonic identity always remains firm and focused- no matter who they work with. And one such improviser is the subject of this ten-track compilation American-now- London based Duck Baker- who is a renowned/ celebrated guitarist who plays a distinctive finger-style of acoustic guitar. This CD/ digital release on respected free jazz label ESP’ Disc collections together collabs Baker has been part of between the mid-1990s and late 2010s.
Annalized is a layered, moodily swirling, at points decidedly unpredictable affair that shifts between hauntingly shamanic, playful-to-puzzlingly, and demonic-to-the noisily seared. It’s a release that’s difficult to bracket- sure there are elements of noise, tape looping, manic improv, primal female vocalizing, dada layer, and playful sound texturing present- but it never settles into any of these fully, making it all the more rewarding and satisfying for repeat plays.
Presets is a release that sits squarely between visceral-to-angular soundscaping, and simmering ambience- that’s sometimes goldenly gliding and at others uneasily pressing. The release comes in the form of a double CD- featuring a total runtime of just over eighty minutes.
Some musicians feel cramped within the framework of one project or a single genre. One such Finnish sound-maker is Juuso Peltola aka Lord Vrajitor, whose most is known for his Dungeon Synth project Old Sorcery. In 2019 he founded the black metal side project Warmoon Lord. Releasing its debut album Burning Banners of the Funereal War in the same year. This was followed a year later by a split album with Vultyrium. And now, in 2021, Werewolf Records release the projects second full-length album Battlespells. It’s presently released as a CD, and digital download- though there will be a vinyl pressing later on this year.
From the mid-1960s Before Tonight is Over is a once suppressed Czech New Wave drama focusing in on one night in a Slovak mountain resorts nightclub. The film utilizers improvisation and multi-camera shooting, to create an intimate, at times unpredictable drama, that under the surface makes clever and knowing observation on living under a communist resume. Here from Second Sight, who of course are known/respected for their releases from the Czech New wave cinema, is a new blu ray release of the film. It offers up a great 2k scan of the picture and a few extras.
Alex de La Iglesia’s 1995 cult classic horror/comedy is a remarkable slice of celluloid madness. Filmed two years before Perdita Durango, Day of the Beast tells the story of a Catholic priest who teams up with a heavy metal fan and an Italian paranormal investigator/ occult writer to thwart the antichrist’s plans to manifest on earth on Christmas Day.
Here from the folks over at Massacre Video is Avon Triple Feature – a Blu Ray release, which brings together three early 1980’s films from NYC based Avon Productions- who created some of the more grim/ downbeat porn of the decade. The three films here are very much in the hardcore roughie bracket- with light S&M and BDSM, and other generally sleazy nastiness. So certainly not a release for everyone, but if you dig uncomfortable-to-watch and nasty sleaze, this release will be of interest.
Here we have a four-CD set celebrating the work and influence of Brazilian composer, pianist, songwriter, arranger and singer Antônio Carlos Jobim- who is seen as both originator of Bossa Nova, and a key/ important figure in easy listening LatinJazz. The set brings together stand-alone albums, soundtracks, odds and ends, and a collection of Jobim work played by others.
Bre is the fourth album from Tortusa, aka John Derek Bishop- a Stavanger based electronic musician and producer. It’s an experimental ambient release focusing on the wonders of nature, and the twelve track album blends and blurs elements of mellow jazz, world music, and pared-back, but detailed electronica. All to create a mellow and often mysterious sonic trip, that finds Bishop collaborating with some of Norway's finest musicians, including three of his idols: Arve Henriksen, Eivind Aarset and Erland Dahlen.
From summer last year Vacuum River is a heady blend of detailed/ layered noise texturing, and eerie ethnic ambient atmospherics. Making it one of the most original/ distinctive releases I’ve heard from within the walled/ textured noise genre within some time.
Compactor is an anonymous NYC based project, that serves up a futuristic machine shop/sleek- modern factory focused blend of industrial, techno, and noise. The project started in 2011 and may/may not have something to do with Derek Rush(Dream Into Dust, A Murder Of Angels, Unfeeling). Hold Music is the project's tenth album(including split releases)- and it presents the listener with a selection of eight tracks, that offering up a rewarding blend of urgent and snapping beats, layered-subtle noise touched industrial texture, and machine line techno.
Scaffolding of Truth is a C40/ digital download release bringing together the work of two trans-gender wall noisemakers- featured here we have Pittsburgh based Yotzeret Sheydim, and Illinois based Submachine Gun.
Debut from this American duo, Nulitas sees Acausal Intrusion blasting forth nearly an hour of blackened death metal, loosely held together by riffs and blast beats. Feeling like Abruptum's older brother, this album is listed as "technical death metal," but really should be "technically death metal." It's loose, fun, and dark, but chaos and randomness shouldn't be mistaken for technicality.
This rather lengthy titled collaborative release is a long-form example of morphing drone matter, and surreal-to-psych sound/ jam scaping. It’s a CD/ digital release appearing on Oxidation- an Illinois based noise experimental label.
Tezuka's Barbara is a Japanese romantic drama, flecked with touches of fantasy & erotic playfulness- with darts into the surreal, ritual occult, and even necrophilia. It is certainly a real ride of a film, that nicely plays with and at points subverts the romantic drama genre. Here from Third Widow films is a dual Blu Ray/ DVD release of the film featuring a good selection of extras.
From the early ’80s Encounter Of The Spooky Kind is a true and wacky cross-breed, that you only find in Asian cinema. The film blends horror, comedy, fantasy, and kung-fu fighting- and does so in an often energetic and crazed manner. It is also a highly influential film, as it invented a genre- Jiangshi, which went onto be hugely popular with the likes of Mr Vampire. Here on Eureka Entertainment is a new Blu Ray release of the film- bringing together a lovely new 2k scan of the film, and a new commentary track.