Subliminal Messages

A brief "insightful" look at the hidden dirty tactics often utilised by advertisers (and even heavy metal musicians) that deceive and brain wash the public, all in the name of profits. (Warning: Not for the Faint of heart!) *Click here to launch*.

Book Review: "Creed" by James Herbert

This is my first foray into a world created by Herbert and like a sweaty trembling decaying toothed crack addict, I am hooked. I picked this book up for 50 cents from a bargain rack at the local hospital where I work with no inkling what was instore other than the depiction of a rather demonic looking screaming scull on the cover. Below the standard gold lettering stamping the authors name and the book title was a little quote from the Daily Mail "Turbo Charged and spewing black fumes", I just had to have it!

"Sometimes horror is in the mind. And sometimes it's real. Telling the difference isn't always easy. It wasn't for Joe Creed. He'd just photographed the unreal, and now he had to pay the price. Because he thought demons were just a joke, but the jokes on him" (From "Creed").

James Herbert is one amazingly twisted genius. From the first page through to the very last word, this was a book I found extremely hard to put down. I used to think that finishing a novel in 48hrs was crap and anyone who says they've done it is full of it. Well thats exactly how long this novel took me, I was glued to my seat, if I put it down I couldn't stop thinking about it and when I wasn't reading it I felt as though I had legitamite withdrawal symptoms. The story invaded my very life and took me one one hell of a wild edge of my seat ride.

The book takes place in London with a plethra of richly detailed characters from the lead Creed, a Paparazzi photograper who meets all matter of people and demons aplenty. Demons taking on the appearance of a seductress, a strapping gentlman or the classic, "Herbertized" fear paralyzing version. The type that keep to the shaddows, have spider like legs, speed of a jaguar and stink of rotting meat!

I can't recommend this book enough. If your a horror fan this yarn is a must. But be warned, it is an unstoppable cracking feast of gore, debauchery, insanity, terror, passion and the blackest of black humor that once started will leave your head spinning and your life effected.

Links to:
A Quality "James Herbert" Website.
Interview with "James Herbert" (.MP3)

A day in the life with Horror Legend Bruce Campbell

Evil Dead's Ash talks out about the horrors of making sequels, fake blood, and living in the wilds of Oregon

A recent insightful peak into Bruce Campbell's thoughts about life and his role in the making of some the greatest cult horror films.

Music Review: Daath - The Hinderers (2007)

Their first release after inking a deal with the cultish label Road Runner Records, Daath are bursting with melody, blast beats, precision riffs, spine tingling solos, and vocals that shred the delicate little hairs inside your ears to stubs. Metal fans of the world rejoyce, Daath have arrived to pulverise, enslave and dominate our scene, and arn't we elated that our humble lives will never again be the same!

Forging ahead with an eclectic evolving sound, the six piece from the U.S.A's Atlanta, Georgia, have created one of the most intense but melody focused death metal releases I've had the pleasure of listening to for quite some time. Infused with industrial / synth sounds throughout the tracks, The Hinderers manages to elevate the band head and shoulders above the many of their contemoraries.

Three of their many stand out tracks include the all round super catchy Subterfuge with its angelic guitar melody splices & intermittent blast beats, the synth heavy mid paced Under a sobre sign with its piano / synth intro and finally the album is drawn to a close with the masterful doom inspired slow grind of Blessed through misery.

Unfortunately the Hinderers is not entirely without its flaws. Despite the powerful opening of Subterfuge, the band quickly follows this with two uninspired generic "metal by numbers" tracks. With them aside, most of the remainder of the album thankfully manages to propel the release ever faster onto metal legendary status. Occassionally too, Daath skims very close to the tried and tested sounds of their forbears sceaming Opeth, In Flames, even U.S (relative) new commers Devil Driver, but, there is still enough music diversity to bring a big juicy stamp of their own originality to the scene.

Production wise The Hinderers is impecable with a crystal clear near perfect balance of the instrumentation and vocals, nothing less than we have come to expect from Road Runner Records.

In conclusion The Hinderers is a very exciting release from Daath which should firmly place the band on the world metal map. If you haven't picked up a copy you are absolutely missing out on one of the most refreshing, melodic listenable heavy metal albums of 2007. Never the less, if the metal gods are truly listening, this is an album which will be around for some time yet casting its shaddow :) across our lands for all to bathe in its distorted aural pleasures!

The Clip for "Daath - Subterfuge"

Film Review: Creep (2005)

A chase film with a difference! Creep is the debut feature length directorial by little known Englishman Christopher Smith. (Fast becoming a horror heavy weight thanks to his second offering Severence) (2006).

The film tells the story of Kate, a young career driven woman whom after attending a party heads to the underground in an attempt to catch the last train of the evening to meet up with a friend. Being slightly intoxicated Kate shuts her eyes for a quick rest while waiting on the train platform and soon awakens to find the station devoid of people, trains and adding insult, all exits have been locked for the night. And so begins her saga, an invain attempt to raise knowledge of her incarceration to the outside world. What Kate doesn't yet know is that she is far from alone, for amongst the labarynth of dark train tunnels and empty sterile neon light corridors and stations, there is a sinister presence lurking with an insatiable urge.

Im not sure what they've been putting in the water in the ol' mother land but Britain has been producing some real nasty (thats nasty in a good way) surprises of late in the genre of horror. With a first rate cast including Franka Potenter (Run Lola Run, The Born Identity) & Vas Blackwood (Lock Stock & 2 smoking barrels) running like a well oiled machine, Creep consistantly scores knock out blows with its refreshingly crisp style and story. The dark eye straining maze of tunnels and blinding lights of corridors works wonderfully on camera providing dramaticly impacting contasts of light and shaddow. One minute the main character is bounding along pure white and steel, an instant later she'll be struggling to make out objects with her fastly fading flash light beam in the darker recesses of the underground, pure genius on film.

Creep is genuine unadulterated horror with gore aplenty and authentic soil your pants moments en mass. With echoes of Hostel, a splash of Jeepers Creepers and even a sprinkle of The hills have eyes, to name but a few, I'm not saying Creep is the most original film of this style but it is leagues ahead of the pack. With a forboding setting, nice pacing, serious scares and a non transparent plot, if horror is what the doctor ordered, then you'll certainly be far from disappointed.

Classic Music Review: Fear Factory - Demanufacture

Demanufacture is an old album by any standard, being released way back before the turn of the century in 1995. Despite its ripe old age, this is definately no fermenting aging release, sounding absolutely as fresh today and as poignant as ever. This is Fear Factory's absolute must have. It is best described as a concept album of fast technical "cybermetal" (industrial infused thrash / speed metal) with lyrics inspired by mans symbiosis with the machine and enduring of a dystopian society. Grinding distorted guitars, plenty of double kick drumming in time with the lead guitarist's strumming / plucking, alternating raspy & harmonising singing & frequent electronic samples are all served piping hot in a big fat serving just right for auditory ingestion.
Years ahead of their time and absolute pioneers of the modern metal scene. They haven't become one of my downright favourite bands for no reason. This is the album that started it all for me and put Fear Factory on the metal map as a force to be reckoned with, let it do the same for you.

*WARNING*: Hell is full & the dead are walking!!

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Would you survive the ravenous cravings of the living
dead legions if hell was full? Take the online no
strings attached (i.e. THAT'S FUN PEOPLE!!) test
& find out!

Film Review: Horror Express (1972)

This is horror cinema!

Horror Express is easily one of my all time favourite classic horror films. It has all the hallmarks of greatness. Firstly it stars 2 supremo horror actors, the late great Mr Peter Cushing and the equally brilliant Mr Christopher Lee. Secondly it has a story to die for including, a alien entity that is bought aboard the the Express train frozen in a "missing link" monster. (But frozen not for long!) An evil being that drains the memories of the living through simply staring and hypnotizing its prey, turning them into white eyed corpses. Mouth watering creature and camera effects, man this is one creepy entity. A finale that includes a horde of undead zombies amassing towards a trapped group of passengers on a speeding coal fired locamotive. And much, much more. Oh and lest we forget a strong supporting cast including Telly Savalas. Horror Express quite simply has some of the most memorable and genuinely chilling scenes and imagry of any horror film, period. An absolute horror classic. Don't miss this gem. I've seen it no less than 5 times since I first discovered it a few years back and it never ceases to feel fresh or pack the same powerful punch as the first viewing. This is a very rare feat.

Film Review: POSSESSION (1981)

A dream, a nightmare, or an insight into the dark recesses of the writers subconsciousness?

Possession is avant garde film noir that truly has to be seen to be appreciated or believed. Set with a backdrop of Berlin Germany (wall and all) in 1981, Sam Neill plays an increasingly tormented husband who's dear wife (Andrzej Zulawski) is becoming progressively bleak, with her bitterness of him escilating as her self loathing intensifies. Insidiously, she retreats to a world of despair and increasing erratic maddness which ultimately results in an aggressive marital seperation. At a loss and fast becoming a psychological & physical wreck, he follows his love and soon discovers she is fornicating with a black tenticled malevolent entity and has embarked on a murderous rampage, killing those that intrude on her nest. Is she acting of her own free will, a slave to her urges or are there more sinister forces at play? What is this being that has such a grip on her?

Immensely entertaining dark and often nasty but poetic through out, Possession feels like no other film I've ever seen. It is beautifully filmed with often odd seductive angles, supurbly acted, near masterful work of art which only falls down due to its extensive length and at times sluggish pacing. This is a film that is burned into your brain long after viewing and is as much an experience of the senses as a piece of celluloid entertainment. Sam Neill is brilliant in the lead role and Andrzej Zulawski is equally so.