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Dogra Magra is a Japanese sci-fi horror movie from 1987 written and directed by Toshio Matsumoto (Demons, Funeral Parade of Roses and The War of the 16 Year Olds). The film stars Yoji Matsuda (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), Shijaku Katsura (Futarikko, Handsome Man and Ex Terebi), Hideo Murota (Kagemusha, Samurai Reincarnation and Original Sin), and Kyoko Enami (The Fall of Ako Castle, Gamera vs Barugon and Tsugaru Jongarabushi).
It’s fair to say that Exorcist II: The Heretic is one of the most problematic/ controversial/ at times downright puzzling of all sequences. The late 70’s film brings together a confusing African subplot, lots of flying by the wings of hornets footage, hamming it up/ overplaying it acting, and wacky science. Here from Arrow Video is a double disc Blu-Ray release of the film- bringing together two cuts of the film, two new commentary tracks and a new visual essay- as well as three archive commentary tracks, and a few archive extras.
What could be better on Halloween than an album that moves like a good horror narrative, a self-driven force that grows and amasses strength while never pointing toward an exit or safe escape from its clutches? Angelo Harmsworth's Without Blinking is just such a treat, for those who like a good smattering of darkness with their ambience.
The Definitive Collection is a three-CD/forty-one track look back at 80’s to 90’s output of Kentucky's Midnight Star. The six-piece upwards project mixed ‘n’ melded disco, funk, soul and R&B- making for a largely upbeat, buoyant, and pacy sound.
Appearing in the early 2000s Cheeky ( aka Tra(sgre)dire ) was the twenty-first film from cigar-chopping euro auteur Tinto Brass- who made erotically charged, at times arty genre films. The film is a decidedly playful ‘n’ buoyant erotic comedy/drama, which finds an often no underwear-wearing Venetian twentysomething in London, hiring out an apartment & trying to get her conscientious/ studious boyfriend to join her in the UK. Like much of Brass’s work the picture titres on the edge of hardcore, but never fully drives in- instead, it uses fleshy tropes to edge its story.
The Oblong Box is a late 60’s horror/period mystery that has it all. Voodoo, a lord with a chained-up demented brother, a premature burial, various dodgy dealings, body snatchers, a deranged slashing madman in a crimson hood, and a generally schlocky gothic horror air. It also features two key horror stars Vincent Price & Christopher Lee, and a good shifting pace. Here from the BFI is a Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in a new interview with Vincent Price's daughter, and a good selection of archive extras.
Released in the year 1987 Opus Dei was the third studio album from Slovenian/ Yugoslav avant-garde music collective Laibach. It was the band's first album to be released by the Mute label, and it saw the collective adding slightly more approachable/ at times camp/ pomp edges to their blend of martial industrial & neoclassical dark wave- though there were still the quirky/ weird touches here ‘n’ there. From Mute, here we have a two-CD set- bringing the original album/ three bonus tracks, a sixteen-track live disc, and a twenty-eight inlay booklet.
Electric Wizard to many, are just another in the long line of underground occult horror-obsessed hard rock/metal bands that began with Black Sabbath and incorporated Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, Witchfinder General, Mercyful Fate, Saint Vitus, Cathedral and a host of others, however to the initiated they are so much more than that. They started out with the aim of being the most monolithically heavy, stoned rock band on earth, however they grew beyond those early aims into the biggest occult doom band on the planet. This book covers their rise to prominence and everything that has happened along the way during their 31-year reign as the chosen few.
Toteninsel ( translated to English as The Island Of The Dead) is the twenty-fifth album from Allerseelen- the Austrian project that brews up a highly distinct mix of Folk & Industrial music. They often blend in other genres to their sound such as- bleak new wave/ post-punk, traditional Germanic folk, world music influences, avant-garde pop, jazz, neo-classical, etc.
After crushing hopes and blistering eardrums with 2020's Buried Steel, Khost took their time crafting a very worthy and heavy follow-up, Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us. Building further upon their doom-laden industrial approach, Khost continues to beat down the hearts and minds of those subjecting themselves to their grim electronics. However, in true artistic fashion, the duo expands their sonic palette to include some varying new touches and new genre flirtations. But don't let the more groove-filled tracks throw you, Khost is still out to pummel their sound into your soul through your ears and leave you worn and smiling at the end.
In recent years the found-footage/ mock documentary genre has become largely stale, replaying cliches over & over again. But from time to time you get films that do something fairly fresh/ new with the form, and Late Night with the Devil is one such film. It regards a late 70’s US TV talk show, where the host seemingly talks with a real-life demon, via a damaged/ troubled teen girl. The film blends a well-painted/ realized backstory, low-key dread, and talk-show host parody/ satire, with moments of suddenly intense horror/ shock. Here from Second Sight Films is a UHD/Blu-Ray boxset, taking in a one hundred and twenty-page book, art cards, and six art cards.
When Tomorrow Comes is a 1939 drama from director John M Stahl. Here's a handsome remastered 2k edition of the film- with original mono audio, and a few extras from Indicator/ Powerhouse.
Tomorrow’s Fashions is a twenty-eight-track compilation focusing on the electronica side of the library music genre. Coming as either a CD or double vinyl release- the compilation is a wonderful varied sonic trip back to the early 70s to late 80s, and the world of Library music with a distinct electronic edge.
The House Of Horrors is a twenty-seven-track compilation focusing on groovy, creepy, cheesy 50s & 60s Rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, pop, and related genres- all primed for your Halloween party. The CD release is from fine folks at Bear Family Records- who truly are the gold-standard company when it comes to retro compilations, as they put so much thought/ passion into all they put-out, and this release is no exception.
Ozon's Transgressive Triple is a double Blu-ray set that brings together the first three feature films by queer French director François Ozon- which appeared in the late 90’s/ early 2000s. As the set title suggests all three films deal with transgressive themes/ content- moving from the middle-class satire of Sitcom, through to the crime drama meets skewed modern fairy tale of Criminal Lovers, onto the drama meets dark comedy/ farce of Water Drops on Burning Rocks. With set taking in new scans of the films, and a few extras.
Babe, Terror, the alter ego of Brazilian producer/composer Claudio Katz Szynkier, has its roots firmly set in the alternative worlds of woozy electronica, ambient, sampling, jazz even noise-rock. His work to date delivers an enthralling journey through a sonic underground doused in intricacy, layering and deep complexity. And it is this trusted electronic aesthetic that forms the basis of Pescadou Gualapagouse, the Brazilian artist’s latest Babe, Terror release which marks a shift to the realms of modern classical and free jazz
A Quiet Place in the Country is a late 60’s blend of mystery thriller, Are-they-mad-or-not psycho drama, and uneasy/ arty horror/ ghost story. The Italian/ French production features Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave as its leads- each giving emotional & physically intense performances- as a painter, and his lover/ business partner. Here from Radiance Films, is a recent Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in an HD scan, a new selected scenes commentary track, and a few other new & archive extras.
SW4 9.4 is a new release from UK wall noise project Norfolk Trotter- aka long-term scenester Michael Ridge. It features a single near-on-hour slab of densely punishing HNW, which mixes rapid bass grind with a jittering static bound texturing- really giving one the feeling of going headfirst through a huge rubbish grinder.
Here we have a walled noise split bringing together Cincinnati’s Whore's Breath, and Uk’s Utterblight. Both sever up a twenty-minute wall, which offered up fairly different- brutalising takes on the genre.
Ensnare is a just over thirty-minute slab of grating, hissing, and cluttering walled noise from this highly prolific UK project. There is most certainly a decidedly busy and detailed industrial vibe to this wall’s focus, which never lets up in its unrelenting attack.
By rubbing specialized body parts together, insects are able to sing their song and communicate with others of their species, most likely to rub other specialized body parts together. This is stridulation, and while the word may be new to some, the sounds produced in this manner would be recognised by almost all. Robert Schwarz was inspired by this method of communication and set about resynthesizing these calls and songs for Stridulations 1-14. Continuing with his work on previous releases, Schwarz further investigates the "spatio-temporal sonic patterns" of these stridulations, most notably in "swarm behavior and synchrony." Entomological inspiration is strong in experimental synthesis, and Schwarz utilizes natural sounds from field recordings along with created electronic sounds with great effect.
All triptychs must come to end, though the form is not equivalent to a trilogy, where rely on narrative coherence to bind their respective parts. For Harvestman's (aka Steve Von Till) final instalment in his trio of EPs whose releases are coincident with a particular phase of the lunar cycle – this one is the harvest moon – all of the ingredients found on the first two parts are present: dubby bass from Al Cisneros, drums, guitars, recorded snippets of a man's voice, and synths.
Ottone Pesante are an Italian metal band with the unusual distinction of creating all of their instrumental tones with brass instruments (barring the drums). I've heard electric violin and cello before, but never distorted brass. The three-piece band person consists of two trumpet players and a drummer. Scrolls of War is a forty-three-minute affair, and the next in a series of several full lengths and multiple EPs since their debut in 2016.
The Edge of the Circle, from 2022, comes in a fancy CD digipack, illustrated impressively with abstract, and not so abstract, collages; it features five tracks from the Spain-based Susana López. These tracks are all drone-y in nature, with the shortest coming in just under eight minutes, and the longest just over thirteen minutes. López’s pieces are created with electronics and processing, presenting an immersive sound world that hints at deep space and cosmic themes.