Ever feel your heart race as you grab a super-obscure want list record from the cheapy bin only to be left scratching your head upon first spin wondering what the fuss was about? Ever snag a weird looking slab you never heard of that quickly becomes a favorite record in your collection?
In “Why Is This Even collectible” we’ll look at collectible records of all types, from top-shelf items that are worthy of a lofty price tag to those that completely defy logic. We’ll also look at obscure titles that fly under the radar, but are tough to pry off the turntable once you give ‘em a spin.
My first entry falls into the latter category:
Band: 野獣 (Nokemono) trans. Wild Beast
Title: From the Black World (1979)
Label: Sound Marketing System, Inc. (SMS)
Vinyl Variations: Regular label, White label promo
Living in Japan for an extended period of time was a record collectors dream. Stuff like this Nokemono LP would just appear in the bins in top shape for next to nothing. Some epic hauls were had during each of my stints there, though the resurgence of vinyl is finally catching on in Japan, too, with prices starting to climb in response. One saving grace is that Japanese shops tend to be super-strict with their grading, so any blemish can result in a massive discount. This is a big advantage to a US record freak who’s used to being charged top dollar for musty, skated on, seam split, and ring worn garbage.
When I picked this up a few years back, I had no idea what it was other than that it looked too cool to leave in the bins. After getting home I discovered this is LP is a pretty important milestone in Japanese metal. With 44 Magnum and Vow Wow, Nokemono formed the first wave of Japanese bands straddling the line between hard rock and heavy metal, with From the Black World widely considered to be Japan’s first true metal record. Apparently, Nokemono were big in Japan, winning the Nagoya Midlands Grand Prix at Yamaha’s battle of the bands in 1978 and opening for Judas Priest at the Nagoya stop on the Stained Class tour that same year, but they only released this one decent LP.
From the Black World actually reminds me a lot of Sin After Sin (1977) -era Priest but with production that’s closer to Point of Entry (1981). You get plenty of metal staples here…some cow bell, a gong, galloping and whinnying guitars, and an air raid siren screams topped off with a dual lead guitar assault of Rolla/Bunchan that’s half Tipton/Downing half early Smith/Murray. The two standout tracks “Runaway” and “From the Black World” that open each side of the LP are both hard drivers and difficult to extract from your brain after a listen, but as is typical with most metal LPs of the era, there are a couple real clunkers on here (most notably Big Wednesday). All-in-all, while it’s not a game-changing debut, From the Black World definitely deserves a spot in any serious metaller’s collection.
Why is this even collectible?
Japan only pressing for Japanese market, so pretty scarce.
Widely accepted as Japan’s first true metal album, so historically important.
Advantage: Buyer! Not many people will even know what this is when it comes up in the bins or for auction, so prices paid are all over the place. That said, you’ll probably still never see this in a dollar bin in the US.
Price range: Though not perfect copies with an obi have gone for over $200, if you’re willing to be patient you can probably pick up a copy without an obi for under $30.
Tracks:
1. Run Away (03:09) 2. Terrible Night (04:37) 3. Tozasareta Machi (03:59) 4. Ushinawareta Ai (04:48) 5. Big Wednesday (04:45) 6. From The Black World (04:05) 7. Back Street (04:22) 8. Hai Ni Kieta Kako (06:13) 9. Ari Jigoku (04:49) 10. Run Away (Part II) (00:25)
Pretty sad news to hear that Sid Haig has left the building. He was one of my favorite actors, without a doubt. He had this natural cool about him, and seemed to instill confidence in everyone he was in a scene with. His work with Pam Grier is classic. He had a way of stealing the scene of any movie he was in. When you saw his name in the credits you knew you were in for a good time.
My favorite movie of his, and it’s a tough call, because he was great in many roles, like Ralph in Spider Baby, the iconic Captain Spaulding, Omar in Coffy, and Django in The Big Bird Cage, to name just a few, but it’s another Jack Hill movie he did called Pit Stop (1969), in which he plays Hawk Sidney, a brash and arrogant figure 8 race car driver. He’s a combination of crazy, rock star cool, and a human when you get past the bravado. He may not have received top billing in the movie, but he’s the most memorable of all in it.
Starring: Bobbie Bresee, Marjoe Gortner, Norman Burton, Maurice Sherbanee, Julie Christy Murray
DVD
Dear Readers, please do not confuse this with the the other Mausoleum (aka One Dark Night (1982)) starring Meg Tilly. I made that error, and I’m here to help and warn you. Learn well from the mistakes of others. This Mausoleum is a turd: slow, dull, and dumb.
Starts off with a young broken hearted Susan (Julie Christy Murray) at her mother’s funeral. She’s also angry about having to go and live with her aunt, so she decides to tearfully jog (not run, but jog) over to a mausoleum near by, and as she trots across the cemetery, her aunt (Laura Hippe, The Swinging Barmaids) stands by the waiting limo and wails, “Not Susan, too!” setting us up for some big reveal later in the film.
Susan enters the film’s namesake, and some drunk guy follows her in, babbling some nonsense, and the shadow of a demon appears on the wall pointing a clawed hand at the drunk, who begins to shake his head, murmuring something unintelligible. But you don’t care because when the demon points that gnarled claw the way that drunk starts shaking his head around is so comical you’re too in awe of it to even hear what he’s saying. He could have revealed how to easily become a millionaire, but who would care when there’s laughs to be had? Young Susan’s eyes glow green, á la Cathy’s Curse, and the wind blows.
Fast forward ten years later, to adult Susan (Bobbie Bresee), who is now married to Oliver Farrell (Marjoe Gortner, Earthquake), and living in a really drab mansion. It looks like the interior of a Best Western. They go off to some nightclub to dance, and while showcasing dance moves similar to a Charlie Brown cartoon, he’s called away from setting the dance floor ablaze to answer business call. While he’s on the phone, there’s a Grizzly Adams clone (Gene Edwards, who’s role is Drunk In Nightclub) who has noticed Susan, and decides he can woo her with his drunken asshole behavior. But first, he gets the best line of the entire film during an exchange with his girlfriend (Di Ann Monaco, who’s role is Girl In Nightclub) who catches him leering like a Warner Bros. cartoon wolf. When she sarcastically asks what is it that he’s looking at, he glances over at her and barks, “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but you’re always bitching about some old shit!” To which she replies, “That’s because it’s always the same old shit with you!” He steps out onto the dance floor and gropes at Susan in a ham fisted manner that she fends off, and they both leave in opposite directions. Of course, he meets his fiery end in the parking lot when Cathy’s, er, I mean, Susan’s eyes glow green.
The movie starts to slow down after the excitement of the nightclub when she’s back at the Best Western, er, I mean, her home and taking up space doing something. Her gardener (Maurice Sherbanee) is lurking about being a mild pest. We get to see him eating his lunch, sharpening an axe, mowing the grounds, and taking a nap next to the pond, and this montage of his day seems to go on and on and on. Maybe it’s character development in effort for us to sympathize with him? Maybe it’s a Marxist comment on the drudgery of the proletariat? Susan’s eyes glow green again, and she flirts with him in a clichéd porno film plot device. To want to fuck this guy she must have been incredibly bored. He meets his demise, and the movie slows down even more.
Eventually, in a conversation with Susan’s psychiatrist (Norman Burton), Oliver discovers she is, are you ready for this? Brace yourself, maybe you should be sitting down for this: Susan is actually a demon! Whoa! This surprise discovery finally gets us briefly back to the mausoleum, and things happen, but who cares, the movie is finally coming to an end.
There’s some gore and nudity, but not enough to save this dog. This feels more like an endurance contest than a movie. You keep hoping it gets better, as there are movies that are a slog, but then the final 20 minutes are spectacular. Not the case here. Even when the action does pick up it’s still a crummy film. Even LaWanda Page (Aunt Esther) can’t save it. (MA)
Yup, I’m reviewing another current film. This one was a no brainer for me because Mads Mikkelsen is one of my favorite living and working actors at the moment (second only to the almighty Clint Eastwood). This film didn’t really have much appeal to me at all, besides it staring Mads Mikkelsen. That is before I viewed it. The story is that of your basic survival /rescue flick. A lone man survives a plane crash in the middle of the Arctic, then sets up a make shift camp in what remains of the airplane’s wreckage. He has to fight the elements of the extreme cold and figure out a way to survive. There is barely any dialog at all for most of the film… that is until another crash happens near the camp, and he has a newly injured guest who is unconscious and almost dead. Mads needs to make decisions if he wants to survive and save the newly found companion. This was a really cool film that supposedly was shot in Iceland.
I didn’t know anything about the director until viewing the movie and wondering who he was and if there was anything else he had directed that I could watch. Penna is from Brazil and apparently started his career in film by having a Youtube channel that had 3 million subscribers. (NW)
Unknown River Driver sonically spin the control dials of the WayBack Machine, taking us back to 1991/92 with their mix of Jawbreaker (especially in the vocals) and Drive Like Jehu, but in place of love songs and who knows what exactly Drive Like Jehu were singing about, Unknown River Driver address the turmoil and politics of life, delivered in a poetic fashion and not with a bludgeon. The instrumental, “Song of the Cicada” stands out for its morose mood, but it’s the closer, “Misery & Liberty” which I like most, and it really sounds like a lost Drive Like Jehu track with the heavy drumming that gives more lift to the strong riffs. These five songs are an excellent introduction, and hopefully there’s more in the works.
Rations Noise is just that. These five pieces are sound collages culled from live, practice, and studio recordings and reworked into sounds mostly unrecognizable. The purpose is to raise awareness, and hopefully inspire action in regards to the effects of the US using drones in war. It’s a grim and unsettling listen throughout, which I imagine is the intent. This could easily be a soundtrack for a documentary on the subject. It could be interesting to see if Rations continues to experiment with their sound in the future. Why not? (MA)
As Matt Average recently said to me, “You are the only one who will review any new films for the site, they must be at least 30 years old for me to watch them”. Well Mr. Average, I too love most things old (music, cars, film, comics, art, etc), but I watch a lot of movies, and every once in a while I watch something that is current, and it actually excites me. That was the case with 2014’s The Rover. The film stars the awesome Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson (you know the dude from those shitty Twilight vampire films). I do enjoy both these actors in many other roles, so I was super stoked on watching them team up together for this. The apocalyptic film starts off with the following on a black screen “Australia, ten years after the collapse”. Yes, this bares some resemblance to the original Mad Max in its story, landscape, and violence. Guy Pearce plays a loner who like the rest of Australia is dealing with a dog eat dog world after the financial collapse of the country (and maybe the world). Guy is angry and never smiles (though it is the end of the world, so nobody is really smiling) and seems to be drifting around the outback. That is until his car is stolen by three men who are up to no good. He then follows them through out the outback trying to get his car back while much crudeness and violence occurs. Pearce runs into the mentally challenged brother of one of the thieves who is played by Robert Pattinson. They develop a strange bond that starts off with a lot of tension. At any rate, the story is really cool, and yes, this is another revenge buddy flick. I won’t go into too much more detail because I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. I loved everything about this film. The soundtrack is that of mega tension… like John Zorn playing a violin with a crowbar or something. (NW)
Maryland Death Fest 2019 and Mudhoney This isn’t a show review as much as it is my experience at an event. 6 weeks before MDF I was explaining to my lady friend, Trish C., about Maryland Death Fest (MDF going forward) and how I don’t really know about that style of music: Me – It’s a 4 day festival of 75 or more, mostly Death Metal bands, I guess Trish – If you’re not super into it then why are you going? Me – To hang out with Will and Keith and Kyle and Mario and Dave and Will’s cousin-in-law (Steve) that I haven’t met yet and prolly Rob and they love the stuff. Trish – How do you know if it’s a death metal band? Me – By their logo Trish – The font they use? Me – Well, no. It’s more like, um,… have you ever been doing yard work and you rake a bunch of sticks and twigs together and it almost looks like words? Trish – Yes! Me – That pile of twigs and sticks could also be a death metal logo. Trish – Ohhhhh, so what does it sound like? Me – Prolly what you think. Trish – Sorta yacht-goth-ska? Me – Sorta. MDF day 1 Thursday I woke up at 3AM to make my flight to Baltimore and, due to my poor planning, I arrived 5 hours before the rest of the crew. I decided to take this time to treat myself to some good eats, made a call out to the internet for chomps and was directed to Red Emma’s for the “best vegan Ruben in the world.” Challenge accepted. My second, third, or fourth beer in, I realized that I didn’t know who was playing at MDF this year. I pulled up the flyer, my eyes go straight to Grotesque Organ Defilement. I wondered what would happen if the folks at Grotesque Organ Defilement find out that I had a vegan meal. I don’t know their dietary preferences but I’m pretty certain that their idea of “grotesque organ defilement” isn’t my Great Aunt Clara at her church playing “Light my Fire” on the pipes for 12 hours straight. Then again, who am I to categorize what Grotesque Organ Defilement is without having even heard or seen them? It was a really good sandwich. When I arrived at the house that contains the floor where I’ll be sleeping for the following 3 days; Keith H, Will T, Mario T, Steve were just arriving as well. Inside the house was abuzz about VoiVod. Sorry Keith, I mean VOIVOD.
Party of the Damned. Photo: Justin Dratson
Pulling up to MDF, our cab driver looked panicked. Garbage cans had been moved to block the road and the contents set ablaze. You couldn’t see down the road. It was fiery cans and the kind of black smoke that only comes from man made things like plastic and rubber. This was the start of the road that led to the deserted industrial warehouse district where MDF was being held. Will T. assured the driver that this was the place and that we could walk form there. Just kidding. MDF is held on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, a football field’s length from the National Aquarium and a P.F. Chang’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if after MDF ended they set the place up for Grandma Nettie’s Quilt and Mitten Exchange. The event is split between two venues that are a 2 minute walk from each other and packed within that walk are a dozen places for drinks and food and a Slurpee.
We walked into Ram’s Head after missing the first few bands. I bought the first round of drinks and, with my back turned to the band, I was overtaken with a familiar sound. I didn’t know the song inasmuch as the sound of the song. It was transportive to my mid-90s. The band is called Come to Grief but the way the word Grief was written is the exact way of a 90s band called Grief. I wondered why the name change because I was pretty sure they were the same band. Well, I guess that the biggest difference would be that Grief, the word in its singularity, can leave a foreboding and overwhelming impression. Contrary to that, Come to Grief sounds like a party put on by dudes that wear long sweaters with the sleeves pulled over their hands and a lot of clove cigarettes and no girls. I leaned over to Kyle:
Me – Is Come to Grief a Grief cover band? Kyle – No. It’s pretty much Grief. I bought some of their stuff and, regardless of the name change, it’s amazing.
Come to Grief, Photo: Justin Dratson
Malignancy was the next band that really stood out for me. They have everything going for them; speed, metal, sticks in a pile logo, a wedding proposal, harsh and disturbing imagery. Look, MDF may seem menacing in title, bands playing and appearance but it’s also a place for love and sweetness. I’ve seen more dudes hugging here than any movie about the ancient Romans or ancient Greeks. In between songs the singer paused, invited his lady friend on stage and asked her to marry him. She said yes and everyone cheered. As she left the stage the singer said “OK, this next song is called “Your Life is Shit.” In my notes I have Rippikoulu written down. I must have been moved by them in some way. Maybe it was their dedication to wanting to become god parents and the lengths they’d go through to prove themselves worthy. To be honest, I’d been up for 19 hours (after a previous night of 3 hours sleep) and a steady day of sipping and catching up with everyone, I’m starting to get tired. But I also know that VOIVOD will be playing in 2 hours so I have to make it at least until then. Two hours later, VOIVOD is perfectly what I thought they’d be; disjointed and Canadian. My favorite disjointed Canadian band is NOMEANSNO and my second disjointed Canadian band has to be VOIVOD.
Voidvod. Or, VOIVOD. Photo: Justin Dratson
To be honest, I’ve had 3 hours sleep and going on 21 hours awake, I’m really trying to keep my head up but I want to sleep. I promised I wouldn’t sleep outside under the Season of Mist tent this year but maybe just for a few minutes, just one song. VOIVOD won’t know if I cut out for one song. Flash forward 40 minutes. What’s that word that means that all of your ideas are bad ones? Well, that’s the word that I lived in. I fell sleep it in a chair at the Season of Mist tent again and was woken up by a stumbling bachelorette party that nearly walked into me and was louder than VOIVOD. Now I don’t know what that says about VOIVOD or about bachelorette parties but it is a fact and facts are science. Then I saw Will’s face 10 inches from mine: Me – Thanks for grabbing me, man. Let’s get back in for VOIVOD Will – Ya missed it buddy. Come on, we’re headed back Me – Is Keith gonna be mad I missed it? MDF Day 2 Friday I woke up in my sleeping bag on the floor of the kitchen with my underwear on backwards. They were probably like that all day but maybe not too. Dave brought a ton of beer without labels so it’s been a mystery grab morning. We have a song to the tune of the Electric Company’s Spider-Man theme “Mystery can, mystery can, into the mouth and out though your can”. The room was still abuzz with how great VOIVOD was. Let me give a little history, VOIVOD is Keith’s favorite band and, admittedly, influenced his guitar writing style and helped to shape the sound of all the bands he’s been in. At the 2018 MDF Will and Keith had conspired to offer the idea of the 6 of us doing a one-time band at MDF. We have a name and everything. Flash forward to now times:
Keith – I have the best idea with no room for change All – Ok, sure , let’s hear it, what is it, … Keith – When we do our thing we should cover the entire War and Pain album. Me – I’m in. What’s that? Keith – VIOVOD’s first album Me – HEY! What if we call it “Warren Payne” and all the songs are about a guy with blonde feathered hair in a tan suit, and the songs are about being employee of the month, and the bland egg salad sandwich he eats for lunch every day? All – Groans Keith – Hard no!
“I found a spot on the 2nd floor of Ram’s Head that was clean and terrific except for the person that was there before me had clearly never played in the NBA.” Photo: Justin Dratson
Today we arrived early enough to catch the first bands. All bands were terrific but I was having some bubble gut and had to find a clean place to make a butt baby. I found a spot on the 2nd floor of Ram’s Head that was clean and terrific except for the person that was there before me had clearly never played in the NBA (see pic). The big deal for me today was that I was going to see the Cro-Mags for the first time. I already had a plan. I was going to walk up to Jon Joseph and it was going to go like this:
Me – Hi Jon. Jon – Hi Paul. There’s a fukin’ H in my name. Me – I know, but this is my recap and I changed it so I don’t have your publicist to Google search this and get mad at me. Jon – Gah ahead. Me – As you know, my mom’s a vegan and she thinks you’re funny and charming and I’m not asking you to be my new dad, but would you make a recipe for her, and make a Youtube video of it? Jon – Sure. Does she like fukin’ summer squash ‘n shit? Me – Probably. Jon – I fukin’ got just the thing.
But guess what. The Cro-Mags had to cancel and somewhere between finding out that they weren’t playing and that Drop Dead was playing, I was told that I can take my beer outside, which opened up an entirely new world. Because of the new mobile drink discovery, I wandered around all of the tents selling all things but always found myself back at the Season of Mist tent. I hung out with them for a while. I think I might have missed 12 bands. My first year there I told them that I didn’t know anything about Death or Metal or Doom but I would give them $50 bux and they could pick out their favorite for me. This year I gave them $100 to give me their favorites. I like everything they’ve sent my way. I can’t say that I’m a fan yet but I’m slowly seeing the bigger picture. It was right around this time that I walked back in to see whichever band was on and I sided up to Mario as the band was about to start:
Me- Did he just say, “We’re called ANAL CRACKPIPE”? Mario – No, he said Ahhnnl Naathhhrock (Anaal Nathrakh)
Turns out that Anaal Nathrakh are not only pretty great but are also well versed in the enchantments of the great wizard Merlin and lizards that need to remember to brush after every meal.
Earlier, I went to check the Drop Dead merch and started talking to their guitar player/merch slinger Ben. Turns out that my good buddy Derek K. (from Philly) gave Ben his guitar. We started talking about some other stuff: Me – So… do you have any shirts with swear words on them? My 12 year old daughter Celeste wants a shirt with swears. Ben – We do. A couple in fact. There’s this one with the head in a vice. He holds it out. It says “Fucking Assholes Don’t Get It” on the front and “Against Animal Experimentation – It’s Not Too Late to Evolve.”
“… so this is better than some lewd shit.” Photo: Justin Dratson
Me – I’ll take it. A few years ago, when Celeste was in 1st grade, she decided she didn’t want to eat meat anymore so this is better than just some lewd shit. Ben – What made her decide that? Me – Every day she would walk by these cows that our neighbor, the topless farmer, had and… Ben –Topless farmer? Me – Dude never wore a shirt. I mean ever. And he had 10 cows with name tags in their ears. Celeste fed them grass and it got so when the cows would hear the school bus pull up that they’d go over to the fence and wait for her. Jordan and Sam were her favorites. One day they weren’t there anymore so we had to gently explain that the topless farmer raised them to eat them. She cried like crazy. Ben – Ohh man. Me – Here’s the kicker, we’d just recently put our Great Dane Buttercup to sleep because she was riddled with bone cancer, so Celeste asked if we were going to eat Buttercup, so I got to use that Gorilla Biscuits line. Ben – The cats and dogs one? Me –Yeah, so… I guess that was cool?
When I arrived back to see Drop Dead play they were already a couple songs in, & the place was packed. I made my way around to the right side of the stage. Over the PA I heard something about millions of animals being slaughtered and that’s when I saw the most wonderful thing I had ever seen. Up front, against the stage were two people kissing. No, I mean making out. They were going at it like they were teenagers at a basement party locked in a closet. I thought it would stop when the song was over but it didn’t and it didn’t stop after the next song or after the following 10 songs. Drop Dead played a brutal and amazing set of all the classics and even a couple new ones. When they were over, the couple was still making out. After the room had cleared out, they were still making out. It was so ostentatious that photos of the two could be used in a teenage abstinence pamphlet titled “Toilet Seats and Kissing Will Get You Pregnant”. And at the same time, it was heartwarming. People had been leaping over them, bumping into them, Drop Dead even made mention of them during their set.
“Up front, against the stage were two people kissing. No, I mean making out.” Photo: Justin Dratson
The amorous sounds of Drop Dead on display at Maryland Death Fest. Photo: Justin Dratson“Drop Dead played a brutal and amazing set of all the classics and even a couple new ones. When they were over, the couple was still making out.” Photo: Justin Dratson
MFD day 3 Saturday Things are a bit blurry here. In my notes I had written “Coffin Dust killed it” and nothing else. I was excited to see Grotesque Organ Defilement, and see if it was a bunch of Aunt Claras playing church organs, or if it fell more in line with rest of the fest. Also, I wanted to see Squash Bowels because … Squash Bowels! Right!? Are they vegetables that are created in labs to take the place of damaged human bowels or is it a 2 word order to go and start squashing bowels? And the answer to both these questions is I don’t know. I was talking and goofing around and I completely missed both of the bands. Somewhere in here Steve started drinking these bright blue drinks and then we all were drinking them, our tongues changed color, we laughed a bunch, and all of the bands I wanted to see I missed. MDF Day 4 Sunday I left. We went out to brunch with a couple of Mario’s old hometown pals but I had to go meet my friend Derek in Chicago to see Mudhoney. Metz opened and were concussive and nonstop. Mudhoney came out and did their thing. Interestingly to me is that it seemed like when they did their encore of “You Stupid Asshole” by the Angry Samoans, that few people in the crowd seemed to know the song, but when they played “Hate the Police” by the Dicks, everyone went nuts. Question… is it possible that people think that “Hate the Police” is a Mudhoney song? After their show we went to the bar at the front of the venue. My vision was blurred from the long weekend of little sleep and too many mystery cans of beer that when a group of mid/late 50s folks in boat shoes and pastel shorts walked over to the doors we’d just left through, I leaned over to Derek: Me- Look at all those drunk uncles walking over to that lady that looks my Aunt Linda Derek – (glances over his shoulder and back at me) That’s Mark Arm. Me – Oh…want to get a picture with him? Derek – I do.
Mudhoney. Photo: Derek
A few weeks later I sent an LP mockup of “Warren Payne” to our MDF secret band group.
The Monocle “Warren Payne” LP. Already sold out. Photo: Justin Dratson
Starring: Stephen Dorff (Glen), Louis Tripp (Terry), Christa Denton (Al)
Viewed: Streaming
Transfer Quality: Excellent
Terry: I got something to show ya…They’re called Sacrifyx and my Dad brought it from Europe…and it’s got all this stuff in it! See, these guys were like really serious about demonology and it’s like they’re trying to warn you!
Terry shows Glen record album
…See, these guys knew. They wrote their own music. They got their lyrics from this thing called the Dark Book…that’s like the Bible for Demons!
Glen shakes his head incredulously
This was surprisingly great. After watching just the opening dream sequence I was certain The Gate would stay high on my current list of must-sees. I remember this movie kicking around when it came out, but somehow never got around to watching it. I suppose by 1987 I’d already graduated to Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw, etc. and the classic “parent’s go out of town so it’s up to the kids to save the world from supernatural monsters” didn’t hold much appeal. Anyway, seeing it now as an adult I absolutely loved it. Think Evil Dead meets Adventures in Babysitting.
The basic premise is that a tree removal unearths a passage to an underground realm of demons. Parents go out of town leaving the kids alone. Then, through a series of random events the kids inadvertently release the demons into the real world.
A big part of the allure of this film for me is that it captures what it was like to be a suburban middle school kid in the 80s in a surprisingly nuanced way. From awkward kid trying to be cool Glen’s (Stephen Dorff from Blade, Cecil B. DeMented, Leatherface, etc.) obsession with model rockets, to Terry’s (Louis Tripp) innocent fascination with metal, to their shared disgust for Glen’s sister Al’s (Christa Denton) new wave friends…I don’t know, even though the film is silly by nature, there’s just something honest in the way the characters interact that make them totally believable and really brought me back to the heights of excitement and depths of anxiety of my middle school experience.
There is nothing not to love about this film: the lighting, camerawork, effects, and animation, and acting are top-notch. But it’s director Tibor Takács’ (I, Madman, Metal Messiah) pacing that is absolutely masterful. Every time you think the rollercoaster ride is coming to an end and all will end well, The Gate ratchets your cart back up the hump for another plunge. (DC)
Six scorchers on this slab to debut this Richmond, Virginia bands first release on vinyl. Some might be familiar with their demo that was released by Bobby over at Vinyl Conflict earlier in the year. The recording on this EP is a little better in my opinion (has more low end in the mix). If I were a RVA band I’d be heading over to ID Zone to have those boys record my band for sure.
UNDER ATTACK is comprised of local RVA dudes and long time hardcore lifers. Yup, members and ex members of MUNICIPAL WASTE, SUPPRESSION, LIMP WRIST, EUCHARIST, HUMAN REMAINS, DISCORDANCE AXIS, DEATHSQUAD, etc. You know this is going to be heavy…
It’s hard to not take notice of the throwback crusty writing style that was so prevalent in the 90s hardcore scene in this band’s music. Everything about this screams of what was going on around 1995-99…..that is except for the lyrics. Alex Copeland is not writing about the typical political “I hate the pigs” , “Fuck Trump” stuff that we are all so familiar with. Instead, Alex is writing personal lyrics about pain and suffering (no its not emo).
This gets me primed and excited to hear the next release they have coming out which is a split 7” with SEEIN RED.
Through The Blade comes with a digital download, some stellar artwork and blood red vinyl. A cool release, by cool people all around.
Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, at the New Beverly. Photo: Matt Average
ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD (2019)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry
It’s rare, but I do go see a new movie now and then. Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood is not one I’d miss out on seeing in the theatre. Tarantino is one of the few directors today that I think makes movies worth seeing. Even if you don’t like everything he’s done you still talk about those movies. I still remember seeing Reservoir Dogs when it opened at the now long gone Lumiere Theatre in San Francisco. I was blown away, and went back to see it many more times before it left. Sometimes twice in the same day, if it was on a weekend. I even dragged all my friends to see it, and convincing them repeated viewings were worth their time. The acting was great, the dialog was smart, and the soundtrack was perfect. And it was a much needed breath of fresh air in the shitty shitty state of genre cinema at the time.
All the reviews for Once Upon A Time… are out, so you know who’s who and what’s what. I’ll just mention that Brad Pitt is great as Cliff Booth. I’d love to see more about him somewhere down the line. I’d even settle a series of novels about his past, present, and future.
Also, I recommend seeing this at the New Beverly, and it’s playing all through September, so there’s time. Before the movie they play the broadcasts from KHJ that you hear throughout the movie when DiCaprio and Pitt are driving around LA, then you get the trailers that are also shown in the movie, as well some props from the movie on display in the lobby and back of the theatre.
BAD TRANSFER 