Unsolicited Recommendations 4
After an undeserved yet still taken break, I have got some more unsolicited recommendations for all of you good boys and girls. If Santa gave you coal, you're hereby invited to stop reading. Santa is the great moral arbiter of our time. The Greeks had Themis, the Romans had Justitia, the Egyptians had Maat and Anubis, the Hindus have Durga, and we, we have Santa. Anyway, rambling aside, here come the recommendations.
Crone- Gotta Light?
Being informed Secrets of the Moon would stop existing after Party-San, I was both saddened and somewhat unsurprised. The change from Black-Extreme Metal to Gothic Rock with some Black Metal leanings was so drastic that their 2015 and onwards crowd and their 1995 crowd were almost completely unrelated. I personally adore both sides of the equation, but I think the name represented an entity that has functionally stopped existing a couple of years ago already.
That being said, I made sure not to take my eyes off sG (Philipp Jonas) and his other band-turned-main band, Crone. Their 2022 album, eventually entitled "Gotta Light?", would be, for better or worse, massively influential on the band's future. Oh well, good thing that it's an awesome and deeply confrontational album then.
Good thing indeed. While Crone existed since 2011 and have undoubtedly already found their footing, "Gotta Light?" is their best album so far. It might have the word light in the title, but don't let that fool you- it's more fucking depressing than getting shot on your birthday. In the rain. By Jonas Renske of Katatonia. sG's mournful, almost lost, vocals and the band's drift from cleaner guitar and piano sections to darker, more distorted pathways make this album feel like a journey. The light, for all its brightness, feels like dawn after a flood.
2. HBO's Rome
Before Game of Thrones, how could you get that sweet "violence in movies and sex on TV" all in one place? That's right by putting a movie screen and a TV screen and doing some scandalous shit in the room. But barring that, you had one of HBO's best shows, Rome.
While I'm not disputing the quality of HBO's recent releases, I think Rome's age and relatively short run has people sleeping on it and that's a shame. A more lively and vivid depiction of the Julius- Augustus period would be hard to come by. The cast has that LOTR quality that while you probably haven't heard of them, (I sure didn't,) you cannot easily mentally dissociate them from their roles here. Ciarán Hinds, Irish actor and man I was genuinely surprised to find out isn't Alfred Molina, is still, after 15 years, the face of Julius Caeser in my mind
The dynamic of moving between the legendary figures and the populous lets the show tell interesting stories on both the macro and the micro levels. An episode or two in, the stories of Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) and Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) become just as interesting as the bigger historical events on display.
The only drawback is that the show was discontinued after two seasons because it was super expensive to make, but while it lasted it was glorious.
Babalon’s Bands II- Forever Possessed (Celestial Bloodshed)
So it seems that wherever you go today, you hear about Nidrosian black metal. As long as "wherever" is in niche metal territory, and of that territory, in niche black metal territory. But for once, the hype is extremely justified. Nidaros (or modernly, Trondheim,) has been home to one exciting (in the dark, gloomy and abrasive black metal way) band after another.
While the other scenes in Norway have by no means stopped producing quality Weltschmerz, the Nidrosian scene has produced a stripped down, dark sound all of its own. We can attribute this uptick to Terratvr Possessions and the magical capacity of Ole Aune for finding the most combative and abrasive acts and bringing them to the forefront, but we have to attribute a good deal of it to Steingrim "Mehimoloth" Torson and Celestial Bloodshed.
Setting up shop at the turn of the millennium, Celestial Bloodshed had a nine year run that was deeply influential to say the least. The dark, unwieldy and almost raucous atmosphere, influenced by the likes of old Impaled Nazerene,is evident from the very beginning, the Mitt Rike demo. But if you go look it up, you'll hear immediately that it's not quite the same bag of chips. Whereas Impaled Nazerene can be said to be Punk/Black Metal, Celestial Bloodshed just has this loose, less ceremonial aggression that fans of Niklas Kvarforth's Shining will feel at home with.
That isn't to say the band doesn't do big at all, they do but it's a mournful and gritty depths "big" rather than a say, Emperor orchestral majestic "big." This is extremely evident on their first self titled EP, where the takes two tracks and eight minutes to cross realms as diverse as Taake and Shining to Mayhem and even hints of Doom Metal.
For me though, and I imagine for many others, the zenith of Celestial Bloodshed and Mr. Steingrim's work came with the debut, "Cursed, Scarred, and Forever Possessed." It's somewhat hard to describe but the honesty of this record shines through in every moment. It all flows together in a manner which very few band manage, and this flow, this chemistry, is what set apart Celestial Bloodshed as a band. Luctus (who you might be more familiar with as Wraath, guitar and bass) builds these dark landscapes that lay the groundwork for Steingrim's varied and powerful vocals.
Sometimes it comes across as claustrophobic, sometimes it's wide and sprawling, but whatever the sound, Steingrim ties it together into a cohesive whole. The differences between say "Gospel of Hate" and "Truth Is Truth, Beyond the God" are monumental but they come across as a facet of a complex but representatively human album. Human anger, human desperation, human hatred. It touches upon the ethereal, the "celestial" but it never forgets this mortality. Whether it remembers it in loathing or in praise.
Here we take a step back from the work to give a little background as to what happened next in Celestial Blood's story. In order to show the utmost respect to both Steingrim and the surviving members I will do so only with a light tread and with the forewarning that this is how the story was relayed to me. I am not, and don't claim to be a source. On the night of April 30th 2009, Steingrim Torson was hit by an accidental gunshot and sadly passed away. He was only 25 years old at death, and yet he was already a giant.
The band, unwilling to let their comrade's memory go unsung. decided to finish an album of previously recorded materials entitled Ω (Omega.) The album could not be a more fitting sendoff to the man. A grand funeral oration of a record that evolves the band's sound while sounding very much in line with the original vision. The album definitely feels bigger in scope than the debut, more established. If the first was the band hungry, angry, and kicking, this is the band already using that distilled darkness to delve even deeper. Omega is a fitting title, because not only does this album stand at the gates of the abyss, but it explores beyond. The beauty of the beyond, grief, the majesty of time and death, and our relationship with them.
To that end, you'll see and hear some familiar voices lending a hand to celebrate and further empower the man's vision. Hoath Torog (most famously of the venerable Behexen) and Azazil (of Mare, Black Majesty and more) both guest on this record. Wraath (Luctus, most famously of...the list goes on and on but my favorite is One Tail, One Head) also contributes his evil, smokey vocals to the record, whereas he's only accredited for guitar and bass on the debut. Almost everyone from the band's circle made this beast come alive together. Sarath who did backing vocals on Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed is producing. They were both recorded at Brygga studios. Tying everything together nicely, the aforementioned Terratvr Possessions, the home of the modern Nidrosian scene, distributed both Ω and physical represses of Cursed, Scarred and Forever Possessed since 2012.
Look, as the saying goes "victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is ever an orphan" and the Nidrosian scene is a very victorious offspring. While many have some parentage of it, Steingrim Torson is definitely one of the strongest claimants to its fatherhood.
R.I.P, you legend, R.I.P
Babalon Vs. The State of Listicles
Artwork by Warhead Art, minor edits by yours truly
We're in that magical time of year in which fans and outlets alike have begun putting out end of the year lists. I grew tired of the practice when I realized that 8/10 times, I was getting advice from a nebulous staff of writers, none of which I knew, on the behest of a magazine which has long stopped curating its music to any discernible consistent taste. While I'm the first (or second, in the opening 100 anyway) to sympathize with the plight of music magazines, I even worked for and contributed to a couple, as a consumer this kills my interest.
But this begged the question - in an optimal world in which anyone cared about what I think and read my blogposts, what could be some changes to make me read a "Best of" the year list?
1. Either choose a single writer per list or have one list and detail who chose what and how. Without either, the reader is forced to assume who and why according to the overall flavor of the magazine. It is, to my opinion, exceedingly rare for a larger and professional magazine to have an established taste. The only one I can think of in English is Bardo Methodology.
2. Narrow your choices. While some may get away with longer lists (Goniloc springs to mind,) it is usually because they listen to an absolutely hilarious amount of music and their choices are still narrowed down. But most times when I see a top 30,40,50, my immediate thought is - no one will listen to that many to give your taste a chance. Especially not this one HEYOOOO
3. Explanations. This kind of goes hand in hand with the last two. It's easier to list a million names if you're just namedropping and if I don't know why you liked a record or who you are, then I have no reason to seek your recommendations nor tools to understand it.
4. Integrity. The hardcore Punk band, must be on every list. No but, if you work with bands and/or are close friends with them, in my opinion you should either annotate that or leave it out. I personally subscribe to the latter form, I feel my unobstructed judgement is all I really have to offer. And the occasional non-sequitur joke. Some might say to not take this shit so seriously, but honestly were we to go down that route, these lists would be even more pointless.
5. If the list is not just a private "my favorites," take into consideration what your list's intent is. I honestly lose my shit when I read an entry of "Top 10 Death Metal Releases of the Year" that starts with " I don't usually listen to death metal." Then why the fuck are you even here Timmy?
6. for the love of fuckmothering Jesus- stop putting side projects of death metal and black metal musicians that aren't metal on metal lists. Like anyone with functioning ears and good taste, I love Wardruna and Perturbator, but if you can't leave the metal wheelhouse to enjoy something then that is firmly on you and should not be accommodated .
7. Don't take into account a band's profile and other reviews. Of course that isn't to say that you shouldn't pick something for it having none or a lot of publicity, but don't intentionally pick things for being underground/mainstream without stating so explicitly.
8. Don't fight people about what they like. This is more about audience participation section but really. Keep in mind, saying you were disappointed and didn't enjoy something is valid and cool. Saying "honk honk, you're an idiot this sucks, please be my friend I'm very lonely" is quite another
9. ??????
10.Include Ritual Death's debut, it kicks ass
Unsolicited Recommendations 3
Run The Jewels 2
While RTJ are by no means new nor unrecognized, they're one of the very few new (9 years is new ...kinda) American rap acts who's music delivers haymakers. Both El-P and Killer Mike have storied and successful back catalogues but once you go RTJ it's hard to go back.
Honestly each of the band's four records has my explicit recommendation but two is my all time favorite. Firstly because I never finished kindergarten and I can't count to three. Secondly because the aggression on songs like Blockbuster Night Part 1 and Oh My Darling Don't Cry beats up most rappers and takes their lunch money.
Tactics Ogre Reborn
Anyone who knows me personally knows that the black circles around my eyes are so vast and dark they look like warpaint. Recently they've been vaster and darker because I can't put this fucking game down and frankly fuck sleep.
I've always loved strategy and RPG games but until recently I was kind of hesitant on Square Enix. Final Fantasy never really spoke to me because I'm not a 12 year old anime eyed boy with spiky hair who gets away with owning a weapon (like they do in Texas) but their strategy games on the Switch have been killing it.
Their most recent one, Ogre Tactics Reborn, is a game that takes a while to settle in. In the beginning it feels like the usual "we are sad anime people in the continent of Not Europe fighting against medieval Nazis" but about 2-3 hours in it takes a turn. The difficulty ramps up and suddenly you're weighing up moves so that you can get that kickass dragon for the next fight, alternating troops to take advantage of different enemy set ups and trying to decide if assassinating a duke will lead Wallister to a better position against Galgistan.
Honestly, being Polish and therefore melancholic and Eastern European, I don't know much about fun, but I'm enjoying myself.