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Freelance writer, horror author and geeky reviewer. Some of my stuff is quite graphic/adult, so leave now if that bothers you.
Saturday 30 May 2015
Dark TV Review- Daredevil
Tuesday 26 May 2015
Gadget Review -
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| Image © Copyright Emerge Technologies |
Sunday 24 May 2015
Dark Book Review – Undead Obsessed: Finding Meaning in Zombies
Dark Book Review – Undead Obsessed: Finding Meaning in Zombies
Written by Casey Douglass
If you have any
awareness about the state of modern entertainment, you will almost
certainly have noticed that zombies are definitely a thing again. We
had our Twilight and True Blood vampire thing, now the flesh dripping
shambling undead are the darlings once more. Beauty really is in the
eye of the beholder! Jessica Robinson's book Undead Obsessed:
Finding Meaning in Zombies looks at why we find them so
fascinating, what this says about us, how realistic our fears are and
how we might best survive a zombie apocalypse. What more could you
want from a book?
Blurb: Jessica Robinson's obsession with zombie films started when she was in junior high. Horror films are a great lens to examine concerns society has about modern science. Let’s face it, when it comes to horror movies, science has a bad reputation. Blind ambition, experimental serums, and genetic experiments are often blamed for the giant monster terrorizing the city or the reason aliens are taking human prisoners or the cause of the dead rising from the grave to consume living flesh.
Using film, literature, and interviews with experts, Robinson examines how zombies portray real-world fears such as epidemics, mind control, what may or may not exist in space, the repercussions of playing God, and the science behind the fears. Robinson's goal is to explore how zombies become a metaphor for our fears of science and what could happen if science gets out of hand.
Jessica begins by
detailing how her obsession with the undead began, before moving onto
the more complex than it sounds issue of what an actual zombie is,
and various cultures’ takes on the matter. I found this section
particularly enlightening and enjoyed reading about the various
kinds, their supposed powers and abilities, and the ways the
suffering populace in the area were best advised to take them down.
She also explains how science is nearly always portrayed as the
scapegoat, the ineffectual scientists not helping in an outbreak or even
worse, causing it by their meddling with nature.
The reader is then
taken through various scenarios or methods of transmission if a
zombie contagion was really out there in the wild. This includes a
visit to the water treatment facilities and Jessica’s asking of an
expert on his opinion of the threat. This pattern continues for the
next sections of the book, raising an issue such as biological
weapons, science running amok etc. and then looking at the possible
ways that these things could really come about.
This all might sound a
little dry to anyone who isn’t a die hard zombie fan but Jessica
does a great job of presenting the information in a way that almost
anyone will be able to relate to and understand. She does this by
utilising films. Have you seen World War Z? The Crazies?
Night of the Living Dead? These are just some of the films
Jessica uses as a means to exploring the particular issues they might
contain, and it is very effective too. It’s one thing to talk about
panspermia but quite another to read about it in relation to Night
of the Living Dead.
One thing that I didn’t
particularly like about the book was the way Jessica referenced
previous chapters in an almost essayist way. If you have just read a
chapter on a certain topic and moved on to the next, it feels a
little strange to come to a piece of text which then tells you the
chapter that the topic came from. I feel a little mean picking on
this but it made the book feel a little like a group of essays that
were put together and it just felt odd to me. I can’t fault much
else in the book so maybe that's the only reason I have found
something that comes down to taste rather than a more objective
issue.
Undead Obsessed:
Finding Meaning in Zombies is a very easy read and Jessica has a
great writing style. I’m familiar with more than a few zombie
philosophy issues, and I still learned a good deal about some of the
issues around the topic. If you are a zombie fan in any shape or
form, I recommend Undead Obsessed: Finding Meaning in Zombies,
I don’t think you'll regret it! I rate it 4.5/5.
Click here for more info about Jessica, her book and ways to contact her.
Click here for more info about Jessica, her book and ways to contact her.
Title: Undead Obsessed:
Finding Meaning in Zombies
Author: Jessica
Robinson
Publisher: Booktrope
Editions
Published: 28 Oct.
2014
Pages: 202
Friday 22 May 2015
Dark Gig - Coal Chamber and Soil
Last night I went to another fine gig at the Norwich Waterfront. It featured four bands: Dope, The Defiled, Soil and Coal Chamber. I have to admit that I only really had eyes (or should that be ears) for the last two. Dope were good to listen to, and The Defiled followed with their own brand of heavy, but once Soil took to the stage it was on another level, for me at least.
Ryan Mccombs belted out songs from their very first album, all the way to their newest, but the highlight for me was 'Unreal', a song that almost took the roof off.
Coal Chamber took to the stage next and again, it was another performance that shook the club. Starting with a brutal rendition of 'Loco', Dez Fafara and the band hit various albums for their set list, highlights being 'Fiend', 'Rowboat,' and one of my personal favourites, 'Sway', which saw the mosh pit go mental.
It was a great night and I hope they come back to Norwich again in the future as I'd definitely be up for a replay.
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| Soil |
Coal Chamber took to the stage next and again, it was another performance that shook the club. Starting with a brutal rendition of 'Loco', Dez Fafara and the band hit various albums for their set list, highlights being 'Fiend', 'Rowboat,' and one of my personal favourites, 'Sway', which saw the mosh pit go mental.
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| Coal Chamber |
Dark Film Review - Mad Max: Fury Road
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| Image © Copyright Warner Bros. Pictures |
Thursday 21 May 2015
Dark Book Review - The Art and Making of Hannibal: The Television Series
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| Image © NBCUniversal Media LLC. And Titan Books |
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Dark Book Review - Gideon Smith & The Mechanical Girl
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| Image © Copyright Snowbooks Ltd |
Dark Film Review - Avengers: Age of Ultron
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| Image © Copyright Marvel Studios |
Tuesday 19 May 2015
Dark Music Review – Dakhma
Dark Music Review – Dakhma
Written By Casey Douglass
Council of Nine (California, USA) debuts with a carefully crafted and masterfully produced album that carries the listener to a place of ancient history, through death into the void beyond. Previously known for his celebrated work on the Tomb of Empires split album, he shows here what he can do when given free range to encapsulate the listener on a full album. The bowed reverberation echoes across time and space while the holy sub frequencies of the universe are used to great effect to create a textural backdrop to isolation.
Council
of Nine created one of my favourite dark ambient tracks of recent
times: Chimes of the Unfortunate on the Tomb Of Empires album
(you can read my review here). Seeing a whole album come from
him in the guise of Dakhma made me hope that I would find some
more tracks to pin my praise to. While none seem to match the lighter
tone of Chimes of the Unfortunate, what he has produced in Dakhma
is a darker, more insidious album, one that shakes the listeners
sensibilities in its own gently rumbling way.
My
descriptions of the tracks below incorporate a continuous narrative
that suggested itself to me as I listened, taking into account the
track titles and the images created by the music in my mind.
The
Tracks
The
Magi – A very quiet start gently guides the listener into an
expansive drone punctuated with smaller and more delicate sounds and
reverberations. The title and soundscape conjured images of an
abandoned temple, shadows the only thing to lace its walls. In the
centre, an elderly robed figure is knelt, liver-spotted hands weaving
traceries of light in the air, the dust motes floating down from the
ceiling the only other movement as the atmosphere thickens.
Tower
of Silence – A sound that conjures the nature of wind swells with a
harsher fluctuating tone that fizzes and undulates with speed
variations and movement. Some of it sounds like thunder slowed and
sped up. Haunting piano competes with the atmosphere. The figure from
before has completed their occult working and now the structure
around them trembles in contemplation.
Sacrifice
– A shuffling marching sound seeps into the ear, a drone growing in
strength with hints of higher tones and reverberation nestling
quietly at its back. Then everything grows with an echoing melody
flirting with a larger drone, like pent up forces about to be
unleashed. The distortions and higher pitched tones create an
oppressive soundscape that rumbles and looms, consistent yet fluid at
the same time. The figure collapses in a heap, a trickle of blood
slinking from the edge of their open mouth and slowly pooling on the
dusty stone floor beneath their cheek. All becomes quieter before
loud disturbances erupt near the end of the track. Something is
coming.
Nasu
– Piano and a dopplering beat are soon met by a rumbling drone,
hints of whisper and threat permeating the space in-between. Its like
the ‘shhh’ equivalent of ‘psst’, for want of a better
description. Whistling joins just after the midpoint, an eerie sound
that mingles uncomfortably with the soundscape. The robed figure is
voiding, their juices and essence giving the stone floor the first shine it
was had for many an age.
The
Ossuary – This track enjoys a more electronic sound, the piano from
the last track joining with a tinkling sparking sound that shrouds
itself in a soft drone. The stained grey stone flakes from the walls
around the figure, the glowing ethereal façade of crystal shining
through from beneath. The whole temple shudders and jerks itself free
of its previous form, the sole remains of the figure consisting of a
skull and bones. This track has a sadness to it, like the tang of a
life wasted.
Circle
of the Sun – A looming dripping track that echoes with pent up
whispers and shifting forces. As the volume grows, everything around
the skull and bones becomes hazy, darkness seeping through and
blurring the outlines, tiny sparks of gold dancing along the edges
that are still visible. The air rumbles with a steady drone, an
electro-string note arcing like the call of some strange beast.
Chanting follows, the vocals fading into the droning abyss that is
slowly claiming everything.
My
Opinion
Dakhma
is certainly a dark album, the soundscapes it creates all seem to
drip with unseen forces and hints of sadness. The instances where the
sound is wound up and down in tempo (I’m thinking of ‘Tower of
Silence’ here), is an effect I personally very rarely, if ever, hear in dark
ambient music. It brings to mind an image of a sinister DJ
entertaining the legions of hell.
Dakhma is a smooth album, one that can be relaxed to, your mind left to wander, but it’s also an album that rewards the attentive listener with its various layers of sound.
I
give Dakhma 4.5/5 and I hope to see more come from Council of
Nine as soon as possible.
Have
a look at the Dakhma page here on Bandcamp to find out more.
I was given a free
copy of the album to review.
Album Title: Dakhma
Artist: Council of
Nine
Label: Cryo Chamber
Written and Produced:
Maximillian Olivier
Artwork and Mastering -
Simon Heath
Released : 28th April 2015
Monday 18 May 2015
My Dark Tale 'Unravelled' to be in Irrational Fears Anthology
Friday 15 May 2015
Dark Music Review - Helluland
Dark Music Review – Helluland
Written By Casey Douglass
From Canadian duo Northumbria (Jim Field and Dorian Williamson) comes this guitar based ambient drone album. This album is the product of recording sessions during late 2013 and most of 2014, and was heavily inspired the Norse discovery of Baffin Island in Canada over a thousand years ago. The Vikings called this new discovery Helluland... "the land of flat stone" in Old Norse.
Guitar-based
dark ambient albums are quite the rarity, in my own personal exposure
to the genre at least. But like any genre, the diversity and
expansion of the so-called “norms” only serve to make it stronger
and gives it the chance to appeal to other aspects of the listener's
personality. Northumbria's Helluland is just such an album and it has a beautiful
sound that insinuates rather than blatantly blares its colours.
The
Tracks
The
first track “Because I am Flawed I Forgive You” begins with the
sound of the sea, with bird calls sounding at a distance. Then the first
notes begin to sound, gentle and slightly distorted, a peaceful scene
given a soundtrack that lulls and to me, depicts nature at its stony
chilly best.
“Still
Waters” starts with a higher pitched sound that interplays with
drones and dark rumbles as the composition continues, the peace of
the earlier sections meeting a sadder tone.
“Sacred
Ground” is a ghostly track, hints of voice at the beginning fading
into shifting swaying chords, a deeper sound joining them with dainty
guitar-plucks and looming gloom.
“Maelstrom”
is another track that starts with the gentle sounds of the ocean,
until wind and drones flood forward, the sky awash with particles and
grit that scours everything clean that they kiss. This is a deeper, harsher track
than the ones that precede it, but breathtaking in its claustrophobic
feeling.
“A
Door Made of Light 1” and “A Door Made of Light 2” are next,
lighter, daintier tracks that go back to the ghostly and intangible,
the hint of voice and resonances climbing the note scale in echoing
grace.
“Song
For Freyja” is a breathy track, winding sounds and voices mingling
with guitar notes and echoing reverberations making it feel like it
represents the space in which a mountain top touches the sky.
“Catch
A Falling Knife 1” begins softly and soon descends into a
deep-strummed rhythm with almost screeching guitar notes. It is
certainly a well named track as it does have a certain sharpness to
it.
“Helluland”
is a majestic track that seems to encapsulate the soundscapes and
flavour of the previous tracks in one long medley that sweeps and guides the
listener through every peak and valley of a mountain range.
“Catch
A Falling Knife 2” is the final track on the album and mirrors the
first in a number of ways but overlays a far darker and heavier tone
as it passes the midpoint.
My
Opinion
I
found Helluland to be an album that creates great feelings of
space and nature, the guitar-notes seeming to glance off from hard
stone and ice and mingle with the airy echoing feelings of the sky
above. If there was ever a soundtrack for a video of clouds casting
shadows across a snowy and rocky landscape in accelerated time, this
is it. I enjoyed the feeling of coldness and isolation, it was
relaxing and there was little to jar me into a more alert frame of
mind. Helluland is another great dark ambient album that
should expand your ears and musical inclinations by serving up
something that is emotive and less common than its competition in the
dark ambient market place. I give Helluland 4/5.
Have
a look at the Helluland page here on Bandcamp to find out more.
I was given a free
copy of the album to review.
Album Title: Helluland
Artist: Northumbria
Label: Cryo Chamber
Written, Produced,
Performed: Dorian Williamson and Jim Field
Artwork and Mastering:
Simon Heath
Released : 31st
March 2015
Thursday 14 May 2015
Dark Review - ReTrak Premier Series Retractable Stylus + Ballpoint Pen
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| Image © Copyright Emerge Technologies |
Dark Game Review - DiRT Rally
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| Image © Copyright Codemasters |
Tuesday 12 May 2015
Dark Game Review - Uncanny Valley
I take a look at pixel horror game Uncanny Valley over on Amongst Geeks here. A grim and atmospheric PC horror.
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| Image © Copyright Cowardly Creations |
Saturday 2 May 2015
Dark Game Review - Kaiju-A-GoGo
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| Image © Copyright Kerberos Productions Inc. |
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