Slayer Announces Final World Tour

So I have an embarrassing secret to reveal. I have never seen Slayer live. I don't even know how that is possible, as I've had numerous occasions to go see them over the 28 years that I have been listening to them. And they tour all the time! I guess I've always had something else going on when they came to town, always thinking that I could go see them "next time."

Well, "next time" is finally here, because after 37 years of creating some of the most iconic brutal thrash metal, Slayer are calling it quits after one last world tour. For me, it's now or never, so I'm grabbing a ticket for their June 7 show in Cleveland (technically Akron, as the venue is only 10 minutes from the Cemetery). I know about 20 of my friends will be going too, so it is shaping up to be one hell of a bash to celebrate the legacy of one of the best.

And if they can bring even half of the energy and aggression from the clip below to this show (I know, I know, no Dave Lombardo or Jeff Hanneman (RIP)), my heart may actually explode. I've been a fan for a long time and it's time to pay a proper homage to the masters.

Slayer's final world tour starts May 10 in San Diego. Check the current list of tour dates (with likely many additional dates to come) here, and I'll see you in the pit on June 7!

  

"Creature From The Black Lagoon" by Brandon Holt

I'm hoping to change my luck with Mondo poster sales by actually scoring this upcoming release. This Creature From The Black Lagoon poster by Brandon Holt is absolutely stunning! Keep an eye on the Mondo site to see when this one will go on sale. And good luck!

  

Miles To Midnight

The invitation came in a cinnamon scented envelope. It had been years since your last visit to the hotel, before the headlines of murder had shut it down. Was it re-opened after all these years?

A bottle of pills later, your car pulled up outside the old building. The lights were on, struggling to cut through the heavy fog. Distant voices and music lingered like smoke as you entered the lobby.

Miles to Midnight is a Dark Jazz Ambient album with a Lynchian Noir feel: A hotel trapped between two worlds and a detective with a traumatized past.

God Body Disconnect's live jazz drums and cinematic wall-of-sound builds the foundation of the mysterious hotel. Cities Last Broadcast brings ghostly tape loops and melodies stuck in time. Atrium Carceri dusts off his old pianos and shatters reality with low bass rumbles and brings you into the other side of the hotel. For lovers of smokey soundtracks to unwritten movies.


With a description like this, how could you NOT press play? Miles To Midnight is a new collaboration between dark ambient heavyweights Atrium Carceri, Cities Last Broadcast and God Body Disconnect, and is described as a "foggy noir album." And reading the above description really piqued my interest.

Upon hearing the first track, I was hooked. It definitely had a cool jazz vibe that was a bit different than the usual dark ambient sound. This had a feeling of a lost old black-and-white film soundtrack, complete with a scotch on the rocks in a dark, smokey room...

And being a fan of all things vinyl, I was especially excited to see this get a proper release on wax. The order is already in, and I can't wait to get it. I'll turn the lights down, light a few candles, kick back with a stiff drink and soak it all in.

Happy Birthday, John Carpenter!

(Image courtesy of George Wilhelm/Los Angeles Times)

The master of horror (who is still very much alive) turns 70 today. Don't ever stop, good sir! In honor of his birthday, here is a live video that I shot of Carpenter performing the title track to his 1983 film, Christine, at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit, Michigan back in November, 2017.

2018 "Order Of The Thinned Veil" Drops January 12th!

Last year, I took a chance on a cool little project called Order Of The Thinned Veil, a neat membership subscription club from Cryptocurium that celebrated all things Halloween. It became obvious that I made the right decision after I received my boxes of goodies: a fully personalized membership card and enamel pin, a wax-sealed certificate, an original story, custom-sculpted jack-o-lantern wall plaque and awesome hand-painted Halloween Cat figurine from Jason McKittrick, actual pumpkin seeds to plant in my garden, Halloween candy, and best of all, a glorious print from Sam Heimer.

For those that don't know, I discovered Heimer's work early last year and have become a HUGE fan. I honestly think that his art is the absolute embodiment of Halloween itself, and I will be adding to my collection of his work shortly. Definitely check out his amazing work here.

So fast forward a year, and the 2018 membership level reveals start tomorrow! I cannot wait to throw down for another year of amazing and fun Halloween goodies. Last year, I went with the "Trick or Treat" level, and I'm probably going to renew at the same for 2018. I'm really excited to see what they will be offering this time around. 

Don't miss out on this super fun club! If 2017 was anything to go by, getting in on 2018 is a no-brainer!

  

Frankenstein (1931) Trailer

"Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!"

In honor of Mary Shelley's infamous Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus novel on it's 200th anniversary, I'll be sitting down to another viewing of James Whale's iconic 1931 film adaptation...and the most iconic version of the monster created by the hand of Dr. Henry Frankenstein.

"Frankenstein" Turns 200

It all began with a ghost-story contest, a parlour-game, a serious young woman of eighteen years old who had run away with her boyfriend, and some very stimulating company—and a thunderstorm which kept them indoors...


Happy New Year, everyone! On this day 200 years ago, Mary Shelley's now-infamous novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, is released...

Photo courtesy of wikipedia

Photo courtesy of Flavorwire

In honor of all things Frankenstein on this incredibly cold winter day, I'm going to bundle up and finally dive into my new copy of Frankenstein: The First Two Hundred Years, by Christopher Frayling. I can't wait to kick back and do nothing but read today!

Happy Birthday, Frank!!