Flames Rising » Music

Dark Tower CD Review

Monica Valentinelli — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:54:55 +0000

Available at the RPGNow.com

The Dark Tower CD from Nox Arcana was developed solely by Joseph Vargo as a themed complement to The Dark Tower anthology series. The music composed for this particular collection seems to be more understated than their other offerings. There are two types of experiences I’ve had with Nox Arcana’s music. The first is evident through Blackthorn Asylum, The Necronomicon, Phantom of the High Seas, and the Theatre of Illusion.

After you hear the opening refrain, there’s typically a story threaded throughout the music so it’s often a bad idea to play the CD at random if you want the full experience. I found this was especially true for Grimm Tales, which is one of my favorite Nox Arcana CDs. In these cases, you become a more active (rather than passive) listener because you have to pay attention to not only the notes — but also the order of the arrangements and the story arc, too.

Mood-setting and ambiance is, what I would consider, the second way listeners can dive into this band’s music. I’d put this particular compilation squarely in the mood music camp because I felt Dark Tower was less complex and had less variety than their other CDs. When paired with the fiction and Vargo’s signature art style, Dark Tower is the perfect accompaniment to help readers embrace a Gothic horror mood while focusing on a story. On its own, I felt this would be a good introduction to Nox Arcana’s overall style, but may not necessarily stand out as much as their previous offerings that demand a listener’s full attention.

If you’re searching for dark and delectable music to play in the background, then Dark Tower is a good CD to help you do just that.

Review by Monica Valentinelli

Zombies Unlimited The Devil’s Chamber Review

Jason Thorson — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:45:13 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

John Morrone, veteran writer for the horror webzine Bloody-Disgusting.com, is unleashing his musical talents on the world in the form of Zombies Unlimited. According to the official website, Zombies Unlimited is dedicated to creating low-cost, original music for independent horror and sci-fi movie soundtracks. This music comes to us in the form of techno, a genre I associate with cheerleading, raves, and clubs I wouldn’t patronize. But make no mistake, Zombies Unlimited is creating some of the most unique techno and electronica possible and as a longtime professional musician of the old school variety, I certainly appreciate ZU’s musical aesthetic despite my unfamiliarity with the tropes of these genres.

Zombies Unlimited recently released two albums – The Devils’ Chamber and Closer to Death. I’ve reviewed them both. You’ll find the review for Closer to Death at RavenousMonster.com. Meanwhile, please read on to get the graveyard dirt on The Devil’s Chamber, Morrone’s first non-soundtrack, stand alone ZU album and an official attempt to launch a new musical subgenre: Horror-Techno.

The Devil’s Chamber is full of giant, ominous techno beats featuring pulsing and pounding subsonic bass with sweeping synth-chords and samples weaving between snares, high hats and other percussion. The bulk of the album is mostly up-tempo and employs dark, uncomfortable, and foreboding sounds rather than trippy or futuristic ones. Many songs have a narrative quality to them such as 091101 which uses variations in tone and texture as well as news samples to musically tell the story of the 9-11 attacks on the U.S. and the aftermath.

Morrone’s use of samples from horror movies is multifaceted, composing elements of theme and tone and many of which are used as elements of percussion. While real life horrors are represented by the aforementioned 091101, it should go without saying that the vast majority of the songs are based on horror movies such as The Thing 1.2 or an amalgam of several movies representing an overall theme such as Human Flesh.

The album starts incredibly strong. The opening few tracks’ high energy and tight conceptual focus actually elicits a visceral fear response at times and sets the bar incredibly high. This success has an unfortunate consequence in that the album hits a lull. It happens during ZU’s ode to The Thing which relies too much on samples from the film rather than striking a balance between samples and musical passages. The abundance of samples just doesn’t convey the energy that a musical representation would have. Within a song or so, the energy picks up again and remains strong for most of the album’s remainder while its focus remains hit-and-miss.

The final analysis is clear, though: Horror-Techno is a concept that works, fantastically at times and it holds great potential. It’s also a genre with the potential for great variances (See my review of ZU’s other new album, Closer to Death). Over all, The Devil’s Chamber is a unique and no nonsense collection of sonic horror that will crush your soul provided you play it through a capable stereo.

Review by Jason Thorson

Eternal Lies Suite Music Review

Monica Valentinelli — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:45:46 +0000

Available at FlamesRising’s RPGNow Store

To enhance your gaming experience for an upcoming Trail of Cthulhu campaign called Eternal Lies, Pelgrane Press has published a collection of songs you can play in the background on a never-ending loop. For this hour-long selection, several composers collaborated with Will Hindmarch and Jeff Tidball to create the atmospheric tracks.

The purpose of the Eternal Lies Suite is to enhance your mood as you play through this campaign. Since Eternal Lies isn’t out yet, we can glean some insight as to the scope of this story — it’s a global adventure that may include two characters named Edgar Job and Henslowe.

Since Trail of Cthulhu is a period game, I expected the music to give off an early twentieth century feel without too many noticeable stanzas. The main track, Eternal Lies Main Title, is a mournful, pulpy introduction that that sounds like it would be the perfect introduction for a radio show or a movie from the era. A few notes and stanzas throughout the collection really hit home that this is a period game. However, each arrangement is unlike the next, so you don’t get a sense of repetitive themes like you might listening to a movie soundtrack.

The highlight of the collection are the five arrangements dedicated to a different locale. Los Angeles, Malta, Mexico, Yucatan and Bangkok are four minute, focused tracks that have elements of each location (or city’s) culture, but directed at the time period. To tie the individual pieces back to Trail of Cthulhu, each arrangement is less a “song” and more of an amalgamation of sounds. For example, Bangkok has some oriental instrumentation and phrasing, but it’s not consistent throughout so you don’t hear repetitive sounds that are noticeable. Yucatan is another example. You hear crickets chirping and the pan flute in the beginning of the tune, but as it progresses, it shifts to reemphasize a mournful violin with a few haunting elements. On repeat, you won’t be barraged with pan flute over and over again, so the music can definitely be played in the background.

Eternal Lies Suite does exactly what it sets out to do — provide atmosphere in the background. It achieves this by providing a compelling collection of sounds which can be played on auto-repeat during different sections of the Eternal Lies campaign. Just how well does this music fit the epic tale we have yet to see? Only time will tell, but if you’re looking for well-composed arrangements to play during your next RPG session, these are definitely well done and well worth the price tag.

For additional music to play in the background for your Trail of Cthulhu campaign, be sure to check out my review of Four Shadows for Trail of Cthulhu.

Review by Monica Valentinelli

Zombie Week: Nox Arcana’s Zombie Influx Review

Billzilla — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:45:48 +0000

Available at DriveThruHorror.com

Zombies: the kids love ‘em. Now you can have your very own zombie film soundtrack album thanks to the good folks at Nox Arcana; their Zombie Influx album is just the ticket to put a person in a brain-chomping mood.

All kidding aside, Nox Arcana has done some great work producing albums of evocative background music suitable for gaming and often inspirational for writing – whether fiction, gaming adventures or scenarios, or what have you. With Zombie Influx, Jeff Hartz of Buzz Works and Joseph Vargo of Nox Arcana explore new musical avenues of horror.

There is a fairly solid level of cohesion at work on this album’s 19 tracks; however, many of the cuts do not necessarily evoke zombie sort of horror. Most evocative here of a mob of zombies wandering aimlessly in search of food are the tracks “Ground Zero” and “Flesh Eaters,” with a chorus of hoarse, moaning voices winding through the opening strains of both. The title cut, last on the album, seems to contain some sound sampling – from, among other sources, the film “Night of the Living Dead” if I’m not mistaken, and does so to good effect, though the choice of looping phrases to repeat them several times in quick succession is more annoying than effective here.

A number of the cuts – notably “Satellite Radiation” “Post Mortem” and “The Pain of Dying” – would be highly suitable as background for any sci-fi situation, including Space Opera. In fact, I found them reminiscent of the incidental music found in Sci-Fi televisions series like Babylon-5. Likewise the track “Armageddon” reminded me of music from John Carpenter’s feature film “Big Trouble in Little China”

There was one aspect of the album that bothered me: Several tracks – “Defcon Six,” “Warning Signs,” “The Panic Spreads” and “Ravenous” – use a voice reading an emergency broadcast-type message over the top of the melody. The voice sounds hollow and echo-y, more like some random guy in a studio rather than an official person making a statement over the airwaves. The wording of the script seems to invoke fifties emergency alert broadcasts, but the quality of the sound mixing doesn’t compliment that effect. For this reason, these cuts fall flat.

Several tracks are ones I would be happy add to mixes or playlists regardless of the situation: “Creeping Death,” “Doomsday” and “Dead Run” can all stand on their own musically without needing to exist within the framework of the overall album’s theme.

This is a solid album even if the title isn’t catchy. Most of it wouldn’t stand up to listening as other than background/mood music, though some cuts are strong enough to hold their own. A couple of tracks seem a bit too long, and a few just don’t stand up to much scrutiny. Taken as a package, this album achieves what it sets out to: being a decent soundtrack for gaming other other pursuits, and being interesting and varied at the same time. At a $10 price tag for the download, it’s a decent deal, and one I would take gladly.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Review by Bill Bodden

Top 10 Halloween Songs and Soundtracks

Eric Pollarine — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:18:51 +0000

FlamesRising.com contributor Eric Pollarine blogs about horror music and horror artists in this colorful post about his top ten Halloween songs, albums and soundtracks.

It’s time for Halloween again, that most special of holidays for nerds, RPG folks, fan boys, Goth kids, and freak shows such as us, where we are able to come out come out from wherever we normally hide and celebrate openly, without fear of persecution, our collective weirdness. From the food court in the mall to the back room of the comic shop, from our mother’s basement to the diner down the street, no-not that one, the other one down the street.

Ah yes, even the kindly old couple down the street, who always, always, always offers you those horrible, stale, melted root beer barrels-they get so sticky and gross after so many years at the bottom of the “candy drawer,” allow themselves to be caught up in the fever pitch of Ghosts and Goblins, of blood and guts. But let me say this, I am not going to go into some historical or factual detail here, nope this article is all about music and in particular the best music to listen to during the Halloween season, so if you are looking for the nitty gritty down and dirty details of Celtic rites or druidic customs, then look somewhere else. This is about music that is spooky, that amps you up for the day of all days and night of all nights. The music that lets you know what time of the year it is, that screams bloody murder in your ear and leaves you feeling both tired and sick, bloated on those root beer barrels and wanting more.

So in the fashion of desert island picks and “High Fidelity” style top five lists, except I am doing ten because I can and because there are just too many different artists/songs/compilations to choose from, here are some of the pieces of horror or horror inspired musics that I personally think should be on your Mp3 player for Samhain.

Top 10 Halloween Albums, Songs and Soundtracks

10. Darklore Manor by Nox Arcana

Released December 2003
This horror artist is quite possibly the most respected Halloween/ ambient/haunted house/ classical musical group in all the world. They literally invented the backing track to almost every major big budget haunted house from Bush Gardens to Six Flags, From Cedar Point to King’s Island. And Darklore Manor is their first and will most likely go down as one of their best. Imagine walking through an old Victorian Mansion, which of course, as always, is reported to be haunted. Or here let me put it to you another way- imagine Dark Shadows, the television show, original 60′s campy one, now the screen shot of the old mansion, yep that’s what this sounds like. Of course if you are looking for actual music, with lyrics and hooks, catchy tunes-you won’t find them here. That’s not the bands thing. There thing is to make deep, melodic, haunting classical/ambient works based on themes or literature, and guess what it’s all dark and creepy. You can visit them at their website www.noxarcana.com for info, bio, music and more.

9. Dracula by Philip Glass and the Kronos Quartet

Released 1998
Philip Glass is one of the most influential and important composers/musicians in the history of the twentieth century. Turning classical music back into something that was not only enjoyable but also avant garde, his inspirations are as varied as anything could ever be and include punk, ambient, noise, electronic music as well as Brahms and Beethoven. In 1998, Universal Studios who currently own the rights to all the famous monsters, asked Mr. Glass to add a score to the original 1931 Dracula movie starring Bela Lugosi. Of course, Glass, having already done some fantastic mood pieces based on Franz Kafka jumped at the chance to complete this time honored film. Using the well-known Kronos quartet, to symbolize the setting of Dracula, the 19^th century, Mr. Glass offers us a haunting, romantic, often dreamy and unnerving soundtrack a must for any Halloween party.

8. Soundtrack for Return of the Living Dead

Released 1985
While the whole soundtrack will make you shiver, I’m going to talk about Surfin Dead by The Cramps. There have been few bands that have caught the spirit of punk rock, there have been lots and lots and lots of bands that have tried, The Cramps on the other hand were as raw, real, and yet glamorous as punk should be. Basically creating the very sound of Psychobilly, an infusion of pun, classic rockabilly and surf music along with lyrics which are on the darker side, The Cramps stand as a testament to the D.I.Y. creative aspect to the most original music genre ever. I could have reviewed their whole catalog, but instead I chose the song they were asked to contribute to one of the worst zombie movies of all time, Return of the Living Dead. No, Surfin Dead is not a great song, but it is a worthwhile find if you are throwing a zombie walk.

7. Confessions of a Knife by My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult

Released 1990
There isn’t a single band/musician on this list, other than maybe my first pick which has inspired me more or personally than My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. They were literally the first band I ever heard, through the obscurity of college radio, which I then followed religiously, even sneaking out of the house to attend several shows at the tender age of 12. The band also has a top slot on my personal list of bands and this list of spooky music, because the original songs recorded by the Duo of Groovie Man and Buzz McCoy, were intended to be the foundation of a splatter punk inspired grind house c-list horror movie, however the highly creative and influential but now defunct mid 80’s to late 90’s record company WAXTRAX!, loved the songs so much they released them as a standalone product. Confessions of a Knife, was the first album I ever owned. Seriously and it is one of the darkest and coolest records ever, especially for 1990. It is the genesis point for so many artists in the modern electronic/Goth scene that it’s sad and funny at the same time. A mixture of early 90’s house and Gothic Rock sensibility, along with industrial noise and samples from horror movies such as Phantasm and more, the record oozes creepy awesome Halloween fun. Stand out tracks, Daizy Chain for Satan, Kooler than Jesus, Days of Swine and Roses, for when the party goers are drunk enough to dance. Those familiar with The Crow: Original movie soundtrack as well as the actual film will note that Thrill Kill Kult makes both an onscreen appearance and has one of the standout tracks performing “After the Flesh.”

6. Bela Lugosi’s Dead by Bauhaus

Released 1979
I absolutely hate this song; it’s the catch-all stereotypical melody and beat that all bad mall Goth kids walk to in their heads. It’s what they play during any spoof of the subculture, and by they I mean the mass media, it’s, well, it’s a terrible song. But if I didn’t include it here then someone would have said something about it. Bauhaus was such a talented band, Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash being the main creative force behind the name, they have so many, many, many good songs that it seems like a shame for me to fixate on this one. But let it not be said I glossed over a perfectly good Halloween pick for personal reasons. Bela Lugosi’s Dead, clocking in at a little over 9 minutes, is the original Goth tour de force, with Guitar harmonics and string plucks, with the baritone bass signature post punk grumble, with the constant, almost rockabilly-esque back beat, it is no wonder as to why this is the grandfather of all Goth rock/punk songs. And with the lyrics such as “The bats have left the bell tower,” and other allusions to the undead, it is a true Halloween epic masterpiece. The song is also featured in the 80’s vampire film, starring David Bowie, The Hunger.

5. Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails

Released 2003 through 2008
Trent gets a lot of flack, a lot. For starters, because he’s Trent Reznor, a moody introspective angst-ridden, some would say still infatuated with pre pubescent insecurities, musician who enjoys the control of working either by himself or with a small group of collaborators. Other reasons why Trent gets flack-because he moved out of Cleveland, effectively stalling the city’s reputation for ground breaking music in the mid 90′s, for ripping off ministry and other industrial bands sound and making it more pop friendly, all the way to simply sucking. But of course none of those issues are really the case. Nope, the case is simple-Trent Reznor is a wonderful, creative, musical personality who has been high and low and continues to deliver fantastic pieces and creative approaches to everything in the business of music. Ghosts I-IV is a fantastic, dreamy, dark melodic yet ambient experiment-released under creative commons licensing- which would provide a fantastic backing track to any game of Vampire: the Masquerade. Or even Shadowrun or just plain old creepy outside your haunted house music. Since its release it has made my spine tingle and my head spin. It is definitely going to get played on my doorstep this year!

4. Ghost Town by The Specials

Released 1981
Man, oh man- do I not like Ska music. Ok that isn’t entirely true, I like some Ska music, like Hepcat and some Ska Punk stuff like Operation Ivy, a band that should have been bigger than Green Day and Rancid put together, but for the most part-I hate Ska. However, The Specials, and more succinctly their single Ghost Town, pretty much makes you feel like you’re in a haunted spy movie. SO, it gets inclusion on this list for being not only an awesome Halloween-ish song, but for also making me not kill people in skinny ties and close cropped suits. From the arabesque scales they use to the subtle synthesizers and basic Ska guitar strums this song has atmosphere to last all night.

3. Thriller by Michael Jackson

Released 1982
Vincent Price rapping, zombies, werewolves and Michael Jackson. What more needs to be said?

2. Halloween: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Released 1983
Written by John Carpenter himself, the piano melody is haunting, scary and a sure fire way to get the kids in the neighborhood, who probably just saw the film for the first time, on Halloween night, into the mood. Also notable is the inclusion of the cowbell masterpiece by Blue Oyster Cult “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

1. The Misfits : Collection II

Released on CD 1995. Collects a best of from 1977-1983.
I have saved the absolute best for last and obviously the best song for Halloween, is in fact Halloween or the 9th track on this particular compilation. But in reality, every single song done by both the original Misfits line up, as well as the American Psycho release, along with Danzig’s other work, including Samhain, obviously just for the fact that it’s named after the original Celtic name for the night of the dead, and even Danzig’s solo work has Halloween written all over it. I could write another 1500 words just on this particular pick, but won’t-as time for this articles submission and word count is running out. Look, there’s going to be many of you who will most likely look at this list and think, well where’s “Monster Mash” or blah, blah, blah-but this isn’t about that sort of stuff this is about the music that makes you pumped, amped and ready for the Halloween season. There is without a doubt in my mind, no other collection of songs which will do so, than the entire The Misfits and Samhain and Danzig catalogue.

From the opening tracks of the original Misfits album Static Age, Return of the Fly, Static Age, Teenagers From Mars, We Are 138-inspired by the often forgotten about George Lucas film THX-1138- to the fifties throw back rock tracks such as Last Caress and Hybrid Moments, both songs where Danzig sounds eerily like Elvis Presley, establishing him as one of the greatest rock singers of all time. Then you can jump to other releases by the band such as Walk Among Us, which features songs like Night of the Living Dead, Astro Zombies and Vampira-up to and including the 1997, post Danzig release of American Psycho, with it’s professional polish and sheen on songs like Mars Attacks, The Hunger, Walk Among Us and the awesome Hell Night.

No, there isn’t one song released by any of these entities that doesn’t scream Halloween, at the top of its lungs, out into the grey dawn of the world and to the flame-colored treetops of fall. I can not stress how simply exhilarating it is to listen to these songs, even still to this day, and feel that same sense of elation and joy for the calendar turning over to October.

That’s the list and this is the end and I don’t want you thinking this wasn’t a hard assignment. I had to leave out so many awesome songs and artists that I was thinking about doing a top 20 or even thirty, but I think, that if you really look at the songs/artists that I chose you’ll see the threading on the costume. So, if you don’t have these songs or albums already then go out and download them, and get ready to carve up pumpkins and body parts –but just stay away from that kindly old couple-those root beer barrels might break your teeth.

Eric Pollarine

Rage Movie and Soundtrack Review

Flames — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:45:07 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

The Rage
Written by John Bisson and Robert Kurtzman
Directed by Robert Kurtzman

“A Mega-Dose of Pure Terror”

Synopsis: A mad scientist is experimenting with viral Rage in the middle of the woods. One of the victims of this crazy doctor’s experiment goes mad, escapes and kills the Doctor himself before escaping into the woods, where he meets his death from the Virus. After eating the corpse of the infected victim, the Rage Virus spread to the wild vultures. This causes a lot of horrific problems for visitors and campers to the woods. The birds attack several hikers in the area, spreading and mutating the virus into the plant-life as well. The Vultures infect victims by spraying this yellow slime into their faces. After a group of concert goers get tangled up in this mess when their RV is pretty much decimated by a Raging Zombie and air bombed by Raging Vultures. The surviving members of the party then run into the woods, where they are picked off one by one. A number of raging birds, plants, leeches and other infected people attack them, until the remainders are finally taken by the doctor. There we get to meet a killer dwarf who is wearing the face and clothing of a little girl who was killed earlier in the movie. The final scene is filled with wit and outrageous, over-the-top gore and banter that make this movie what it is. This wonderful splatter house movie has everything that makes the movie rather enjoyable.

Pros: If you enjoy Splatter House horror, this film definitely pulls from that. While not being on the same cult-classic level as Evil Dead (also written by Robert Kurtzman), it definitely should have a decent following for those that like this genre featuring lots of blood, sex, drugs and rock and roll, even a special appearance by the band Mushroomhead, an alternative metal band that performs with black masks and unique theatrical live shows. The CGI is not bad for the cost of the movie. They are a bit choppy, but give the birds a creepy feel. Though the use of CGI for poop when one of the zombie men gets a pole rammed into his ass was a bit over the top. Several of the scene’s are laid out very similar to Haunted House rooms/scenes. I am putting this in the Pro’s because I know a lot of people enjoy having that thrill behind their stories. One of the ending fight scenes has a bad guy coming from several different hiding places at the Heroin.

Cons: It is a low budget Splatter House film. If you’re looking for Resident Evil type of effects, you won’t find it. The plot can be slow moving at point, but they make up for it with lots of blood and gore. The acting is up and down in the movie. Repetitive phrases get a bit boring. (How many times can we say “We have to keep moving) There are even a couple of veteran B-movie stars in the film, who struggle saying their lines. A lot of the male cast as trouble finding emotion behind their lines, and they tend to come out flat or forced. The cat fights seem almost forced in the acting. Almost like best friends are trying to act angry at each other and failing at it. There is also a forest sex scene that was added, that didn’t add much to the development to the story.

Special Effects: Splatter House blood and guts, CGI vultures that are passable, surgery/torture scenes that did make me look away. There were also a couple of scenes involving vomit and feces which gave me a queasy stomach at best, and made me gag at worse.

Overall: If you are into the low budget, Splatter House movie genre, this is definitely a good one to add to your collection. This movie is not for everyone though. If you do not enjoy low budget movies, I would suggest you stay away, as you will not be as entertained by the effects. This is also a good background movie to have on.

Available at Amazon.com

1. Theme from “The Rage
2. Injecting the Formula
3. In the Forest Deep
4. Dr. V’s Lab
5. Feeding Time
6. Don’t Go in There
7. Uncle Ben Montage
8. Crash Aftermath
9. Uncle Ben Under the Winnebago
10. The Waterfall
11. Birds of Prey
12. Meet Dr. V
13. Kiss the Monkey
14. Dr. V’s Theme
15. Surrounded
16. Breakthrough
17. Showdown in the Lab
18. Gor
19. Final Confrontation with Dr. V.

Musically this soundtrack does a lot for developing and using certain themes within its structure. The Rage Theme is used in several of the tracks, and developed very nicely over the length of the album. The percussion rhythms are used very nicely in adding tension and a faster pace to the Tracks.

One thing that really stood out to me was how each theme was used. The Rage Theme would only be used in parts of the soundtrack dealing the Rage. It was developed and expanded upon as a theme when The Rage virus appears in a new way. Moving from people, to birds, to plants and leeches, the virus mutates several times, therefore the theme for Rage was heard and was evolved into new ideas without losing the feel of it. Each character even has their own types of themes. They use variations on the Rage with an added theme on top. It is very simple and scaled down overall, so as not to lose the listening audience because of extreme dissonance.

The use of special effects was very simple yet very effective. A rustle of wind in one track, or the screech of birds in another, a slow moaning-like sounds are all very effectively used to add a wonderful feel.

Overall feel of the album is that is blends together very nicely, works to effectively add to the suspense and horror presented in the film. While not a relaxing soundtrack, it does work well for listening with no lyrics. The tracks also, are not that long. On average about 2.5-3 minutes per track, so the lack of lyrics in the music to help it move is not necessary.

One thing I wanted to see in this soundtrack as a track written with or inspired by the band Mushroom Head. They were featured in the film and nowhere in the soundtrack are they even eluded too. Even a hidden track would have been awesome.

If you like B-horror movies, this soundtrack is great. It gives you a good representation of the movie. If you are a fan of Midnight Syndicate, this album is similar to all their other albums. It tells a story through the use of music and development of themes, which is what they are good at.

Review by Crystal Mazur

Limelit by Ludwyg Music Review

Eric Pollarine — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:45:04 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

So when I listen to music I generally do it out of a need to write something and I generally do it out of another need to fill up the continual space between the silence of my day and the clicking of my keyboard, but it’s not normally music that I haven’t heard before, because I am getting old and the older we get the harder it seems to be to get into newer music. That’s why growing up kids is hard to do…because eventually you will find yourself at a club or a bar and hear a song that you really like, you’ll start to bob or nod your head a little and then it will hit you. From somewhere out of the corner of your eye you’ll see bright and fresh faced early twenty something’s that are just learning that “Yager Chasers” are the two deadliest words to have ever been combined in the English language. They will be mocking your prehistoric head movements and you will, I say the word will with emphatic surety; want to punch them in the face. And there isn’t a better new record to do so than Ludwyg’s Limelit. A self released EP, Limelit is a forward thinking proto noise electronic Goth experiment in sound, and if you’re wondering what that really means, well – I don’t know either I just put the words together so they sound pretty.

No, it means that it takes splices of what I can tell are NIN, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Portishead, along with the finer and darker elements of trip hop and puts them into a cohesive and enjoyable mesh of sound.

Stand out tracks are the stellar and fantastically catchy opening track “Phyction” which oozes a sort of industrial punk swagger and generously intelligent lyrics that would make most indie bands drop their jaws in horrified jealousy, linearly followed by the second track “Tears” a far more pop inspired production, made complete by aggressive yet harmonious analog synth lines-with the third track “Silent Serenade” coming in high on the list as well.

The thing that I find so appealing about the actual album as a whole is that it seems as if it is a logically linear piece of work. There are very few moments when I think, “hey that song shouldn’t be there- it has no point in being in this line up” or, “well, maybe that should have been a b-side sort of track.” It’s cohesive and fluent, even under the mask of samples and noise.

It doesn’t hurt that I have known the main force behind Ludwyg, for a while, and it doesn’t hurt that Billy Ludwyg, who provides just about everything except live drums- which are handled with ease and style by drummer John Branham- on the album is a musician who I could actually sit down and have a drink with, and even with the recent success of holding down live opening slots for powerhouse alternative electronic acts such as VNV Nation, Nitzer Ebb, Apoptygma Berzerk and most recently the boorish Faith and the Muse, he still manages to keep that Midwestern, post industrial revolution, working class aggravated cool that is so apparent on the album.

Ludwyg may not be the best band I have ever heard, nor are they the first in the long and infinitely modern line of North East Ohio based Industrial bands, but they are one of the finest of the new generation of these bands. And Limelit they’re first EP is one that leaves you thinking “I wonder what they are going to do next?” Which is a true testament to what this band has to offer, the promise of longevity. Even to a musical dinosaur like me.

The album is available on most major online retailers as well as the bands website.

Review by Eric Pollarine

A Very Scary Solstice Review

Billzilla — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:35:36 +0000

Available at CthulhuLives.org

Produced by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society

Many people try to find some solace in seasonal music at this festive yet emotionally draining time of year. After years of hearing the same classic carols — or more recent covers with no soul and even less imagination — if you’re like me you’re looking for something a little different to inspire the holiday spirit. A Very Scary Solstice by the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society fills the bill nicely, with 25 Mythos-inspired takes on classic Holiday songs.

Warning: If you are particularly sensitive about the sanctity of holiday traditions, or if your sense of humor has rather rigid and narrowly-defined limits, stay away from this album. My largely abandoned Catholic upbringing suggests that these songs border on the blasphemous, despite their obvious playfulness and good humor.

The first two tracks are amusing, if not particularly memorable: “Have Yourself a Scary Little Solstice” and “Freddy the Red-Brained Mi-Go.” Track three, “Great Old Ones Are Coming to Town” is a jazzy rendition that won’t fail to get your toes tapping as your sanity leaks out your ears. “The Carol of the Old Ones” is surprisingly upbeat for all that the last line is a dirge-like “They will return;” even on close listening it’s difficult to tell if the song was written from the viewpoint of a haggard investigator or joyously anticipating cultist.

Where the album really grabbed me was starting with the Shoggoth Song. Sung to the tune of “The Dreidel Song,” it features a somewhat predictable outcome where a Shoggoth and human are involved together, but still struck a chord with me. “It’s the Most Horrible Time of the Year” also does proud justice to the song it’s based on. “Es Y’Golonac,” totally got to me; if Jose Feliciano were dead, he’d be rolling in his grave at hearing this perversion of “Feliz Navidad.” “On his hands he’s got orifices, and he hasn’t got a head.” Perfect. Take a moment here to thank our lucky stars that parody is still an acceptable form of comment in the United States.

The video for “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fishmen” has been making the rounds on the Internet and it’s well worth watching at least once. I personally have gleefully tormented a particular co-worker at great length with its catchiness. The song is included here, and is a charmer, basically giving a faithful, thumbnail sketch of Lovecraft’s story “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”

Other tracks I found particularly notable include “I Saw Mommy Kissing Yog-Sothoth,” “I’m dreaming of a Dead City,” and the terrible tounge-twister “Here Comes Yog-Sothoth.” My favorite track on the album, “Little Rare Book Room,” is much like reading one of the proverbial arcane tomes mentioned within; it took a couple of times through before I puzzled everything together, and then ran screaming into the night.

The great thing about the HPLHS is they do things the rest of us Lovecraft fans wish we had done. Their black and white, silent film rendition of “The Call of Cthulhu”, available on video from the site and reviewed previously on Flames Rising, is an outstanding production –- especially given the lack of a big, Hollywood budget — and should be a staple of every horror fan’s video collection. “The Whisperer in Darkness,” another classic Lovecraft tale, is currently in production as a short film, and I can’t wait to see it. Additionally, two other Solstice carol albums and several radio plays of Lovecraft’s stories have been commercially produced by the group.

I purchased a copy of the “A Very Scary Solstice” album at GenCon, North America’s premiere gaming convention, this past August; I’ve been delighted with my purchase ever since. The accompanying songbook is well worth the extra money; besides including the full lyrics, the book also contains interesting tidbits and trivia about the original songs themselves, about Pagan and Christian Solstice traditions, and even a few bits of lore surrounding popular classic Holiday films. If you consider yourself a fan of H.P. Lovecraft or the Mythos he founded, I urge you to check out this album without hesitation; your sanity or your church group may not thank you, but your friends will.

Review by Bill Bodden

Blackthorn Asylum CD Review

Monica Valentinelli — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:45:47 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

In what I would consider to be their creepiest selection of music to date, Nox Arcana offers a new thematic CD for Blackthorn Asylum. Inspired by the horrors of a gothic, abandoned asylum, the songs are about over-the-top personal horrors coupled with dark, scientific experimentation inspired by the occult.

Having listened to several of Nox Arcana’s CDs in the past, this collection of songs is a marked difference between their other music. First, there are more piano-based melodies in songs like Blackthorn Asylum and When Darkness Falls. You’ll still hear the wail of the soprano and a harpischord, like in the song Tapestry of Decay, as well as the deep resonating tolling bells that are often present in Nox Arcana’s music. Although there are stormy sound effects and chants present in some of the songs, the primary emphasis of this horror collection is on writing a particular song as opposed to writing a score. With each CD, Nox Arcana gets more and more sophisticated with the way they leverage theatrical scoring with memorable phrasing and melodies.

The songs and the structure of the playlist for Blackthorn Asylum are written with a degree of what I call “high fantasy.” Chanting and evil laughter accompanies the song Hidden Horrors and you’ll hear electrifying sound effects to open the song Shock Treatment before it delves into the song. Not every song is slow and creepy, however, for Phantasmagoria uses a heavy base line coupled with chanting and violin to enhance the mood and pick up the tempo while Frenzy employs fast-paced piano with bells to literally work the song into a frenzy.

There are a few songs which were definitely written in what I would consider to be Nox Arcana’s signature style like The Condemned with its heavy orchestration and occasional chanting and even Spiders in the Attic with its chilling piano line contrasted against the violin. Although this CD is a bit of a departure from song collections like what I had mentioned in the Shadow of the Raven review or the Necronomicon, this is much more akin to a thematic, audio experience like that of Carnival of Lost Souls in which you have a tight focus on a specific story idea.

Blackthorn Manor is definitely a collection of songs that squarely falls into the horror genre. In my opinion, this particular CD is fairly dark and a few sounds border on disturbing. Because of the low, throaty undertones on this CD that remind you what an evil, gothic sanitarium might be all about, this is not a song collection for the faint-of-heart.

If you’re interested in checking out Blackthorn Manor, you can…

Review by Monica Valentinelli

Shadow of the Raven Nox Arcana Music Review

Monica Valentinelli — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:34:44 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Inspired by the horror writer Edgar Allen Poe, Shadow of the Raven is a musical interpretation of his life and his works through a variety of sounds. A rich, baritone voice representing Poe narrates the beginning of the songs in Darkest Hour. His narration ends with a line that speaks of dead things, lurking about in his crypt.

I implore you to heed my tale as I relate the grim and ghastly things that befell me in my darkest hour, once upon a midnight dreary.–SOURCE: Darkest Hour, Shadow of the Raven by Nox Arcana

This musical selection is a departure from some of Nox Arcana’s other CDs, because it employs an instrument wholly fitting for Poe’s era — the piano. Mysteries of the Night is a gorgeous piano melody that erupts into a duet with a violin, accentuated by a tolling bell. Listeners do not have to play the tracks in any sort of an order to experience the full effect of this soundtrack inspired by many of Poe’s short stories. You’ll find songs like The Pit and the Pendulum and The Tell-Tale Heart that feature interesting sound effects. You’ll hear sounds like a door creaking, a screeching cat, a pendulum swinging and a heart thumping. Each effect is integrated into the song, so that it becomes part of the rhythm, as if you couldn’t listen to the music without them.

I’ve found many uses for this CD, because there are so many emotional and tonal nuances to the music that it plays well in the background while I’m writing or reading. There aren’t any lyrics to the music which, in my opinion, works better than if Nox Arcana were to quote the stories that Poe had written. Instead, you are embraced with mournful sighs and lamenting choirs against the rich tones of a grand piano or a church organ. Whenever I listen to this CD, I picture a madman, sitting down at a black grand piano. A candelabra burns dully just above his music, and I’m somehow vaulted back to the Victorian age.

While there are moments of fear presented in the songs through tension and tempo, the songs in this CD are definitely what I would call “lilting” at times, rather than infused with a high energy. If you enjoy music that puts you in a dark and dreary mood, then you’ll definitely enjoy listening to Shadow of the Raven by Nox Arcana.

Four Shadows (Trail of Cthulhu) Music Review

Monica Valentinelli — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:02:36 +0000

Available at RPGNow.com

When you listen to instrumental music or a movie soundtrack in the background while you’re playing game, it’s very challenging to find music that fits a Cthulhu game. Part of the problem is that there are a lot of droning, repetitious soundtracks that sound the same from song to song. The other side to that, of course, are the soundtracks so recognizable that no matter how softly you play them, every one of your players knows what songs you’re playing. In gaming, music often plays multiple roles to heighten or enhance a mood, to “speak” to the theme of the game and to be playable whether the dice is rolling or not. In a lot of ways, music played for any game has to have a lot of variety because there’s a lot of activity going on in game that will “drown out” the music playing in the background.

Trail of Cthulhu: Four Shadows is a collection of four songs designed to be played during your Trail of Cthulhu game. The titles of the songs are: Anagnorisis, Ruminations, Pulp Trail of Cthulhu Theme and Purist Trail of Cthulhu theme. The variations in the theme songs are for the two, different styles of play. I thought that these compositions fit the bill of what background music for gaming should be. Each of the songs has a broad focus with enough variety of sound and pitch to keep the music interesting. Ethereal choirs, a full symphony and some unusual sound effects flesh out the compositions, which average about three minutes in length.

Priced at $4.75, the bundle comes with four songs and the CD sleeve. The nice thing about the way the compositions were designed, is that you could easily play the songs on “repeat” in your Trail of Cthulhu game and not get bored. Very professionally done, I really enjoy these instrumental pieces and have no criticism to offer.

Look for more Gumshoe and Trail of Cthulhu products at RPGNow.com.

Culture of Unaccountability Music Review

Flames — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:50:13 +0000

Available at CDBaby.com

Seduced into Slavery
The Black Co.
Within a Grin
Mirror Mask
Land of Dreams
In Hell
Odium Rising
Onward Forward
That Lie Inside
I Am/Agatha Ln.
Poor Me
Ingrained

The newest CD from Spirit Creek, A Culture of Unaccountability, is the much anticipated CD release from them for several years. After a too long sabbatical from the band, they appeared out of nowhere on the scene again in Milwaukee, bringing with them their original lead guitar, Drew Ingle, and new bassist, Mike Jakubiak, as well as a brand new sound. Taking inspiration from Pearl Jam, Lacuna Coil, and The Cure, A Culture of Unaccountability has breathed new life into the Spirit Creek lineup.

After the introduction, The Black Co. bursts into the speakers, driving home the concept behind the album title. Heavy guitar and lyrics (YES LYRICS!) hit your ears and get your blood moving. And, as I mentioned before, lyrics that are understandable. The Black Co. is the preview to an album that was wonderfully mastered to be played at full volume in any sound system without the loss of Doug’s voice or musical line.

Highlighting the album would be the song In Hell, with the opening guitars sounding much like Silverchair’s Cemetery. When the vocal lines start, we are treated to solo lines sung by Drew Ingle, whose vocal style is very different from Doug’s. The two counterpoint later on in the song, making a very strong musical punctuation in the song. Other highlights of the album would be Onward Forward, which adds the strong voice from Monica Shea, Doug’s wife. Showing her vocal strength and musical talent, she is a backup voice, yet holds a distinct strength that rivals the boys.

A personal favorite of mine would be Agatha Lane. This song has been written since before their break, so is a nice tie to the old Spirit Creek. The tone of this song is noticeably more lighthearted and optimistic, making it the contrasting song on the album. Musically Agatha Lane reminds me of a mix between Lifehouse’s No Name Face and The Beatles, giving a wonderful feeling not heard on this album in this sense.

One weak point in the album would be Mirror Mask. The concept of the song works well for the album, but the execution of the song has been a thorn for them. The vocal lines become distorted every once in a while, then pop back in occasionally, making lyric distinction a guessing game. It starts off well, but once the song gets going, it’s missing something. It is musically a song that could have something more added to it, though what that could be is just out of grasp.

Other highlights of the album would be the cover photos as well as the art that makes its appearance. The front photo is a black and white industrial photo of downtown Milwaukee, taken from a distance in a field. On the inside is a street photo with a road barrier laying on the ground. The back of the album is a view of a street covered in snow. The band photo is also gives a nice industrial attitude to the band. Black and White always adds a different dynamic to photographs, and it coincides very well with the new dynamic of Spirit Creeks sound. The photos were taken by Drew Ingle and Laura Borzek. The original artwork on the CD front is done by Greg Schoeneck. The CD front is a man surrounded by flames. It’s a very wonderful piece to dawn the front of the album.

My overall recommendation for the album is if you liked Masquerade Spirit Creek, get it. This is a wonderful showing of their old style in a new setting. If you’re looking for the lighter Us Against the World music, this album is not for you. Be prepared for heavy guitars, angry lyrics and an overall sense of musical rage and lyrical awareness. Again, in my opinion, get this album and turn up the speakers, take in the full effect of A Culture of Unaccountability.

Review by Crystal Mazur

Visit www.thespiritcreek.com for the latest updates, show announcements and more.

Blood of Angels CD Review

Monica Valentinelli — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:50:39 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Music by Nox Arcana
Featuring Michelle Belanger

Michelle Belanger lends her soprano voice to this musical selection by Nox Arcana.

Like their other selections, Blood of Angels is based on a theme. In this case, the idea that the “Watchers” alluded to in myth and religious texts were angels that fell from Heaven to fall in love with humans.

I had the pleasure of listening to Michelle’s voice live at another concert featuring the band, Urn. At the time, I had commented that the acoustics in a dark, smoky bar didn’t do her voice justice, for she had all the signs of classical training. This CD really brings out that classical training and her voice resonates beautifully. Take my word for it (from someone who was involved with classical music for years), this is not the work of a “wannabe” singer – this is really, well done.

The challenge with any CD theme that Nox Arcana offers is the variety of songs to tell the story. Now, with Blood of Angels, you may expect that there are some ethereal songs that echo church music or heavenly themes, or over-the-top “goth.” Happily, I can say that neither scenario was the case. Yes, there are differences in the foundation of these songs, but it seemed as if they were planned to cover regional areas of the world at different time, to give an ageless, timeless feel to the plight of the Watcher Angels.

For example, Ligeia’s Lament has a Victoriana feel where Ella Sheena is a gorgeous, middle eastern-inspired song that echoes ancient Mesopotamia. The “laments” are similar to bardic style chants, with a blend of major and minor chords, giving it a happy-sad feel. Widow’s Walk reminded me of the 1800-1900 folk songs where a sailor’s wife or girlfriend would sit on the rocks by the sea, hoping her lover would return.

On the surface, the choral, “epic” title song Blood of Angels doesn’t sound like Michelle but it actually is. I found out after I wrote this that Michelle has a range of 4 octaves, and the vocals are all her. The choral pronounces a set of lyrics to a strong beat to finish the CD and offer a kind of finality to the story.

We are the twilight and we are the dawn / We are the silence when all else is gone / We are the anceint ones, we are the flames / Once you would pray to us, call us by name.

As a “bonus” song, Children of Heaven is offered both in its original version and as a club mix. I really prefer the club mix to the original, because I felt the pacing was a bit off. Initially, there is a lot of “information” (speech, vocal tracks, and instrumental moments) to process in a song with a slow beat. The club mix is punchy and the juxtaposition of Michelle’s voice with a dance beat gives it a much, more modern “goth” feel.

I feel that the important thing to think about if you’re going to pick up Blood of Angels is that this CD is a bit different from others by Nox Arcana. With more classical overtones, and a lot more vocals, this is less of an instrumental CD and more of an artistic piece, resulting in something that you can’t really just “play” in the background while you’re writing or trying to find your muse. I don’t really have a comparison of another artist to give you, but just keep the idea that “this is not an instrumental CD” in the back of your head when checking it out.

Look for more Nox Arcana at the Flames Rising Amazon Shop.

Carnival of Lost Souls Review

Flames — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:20:59 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Music by Nox Arcana

Nox Arcana’s newest CD in their collection is devoted to the grim, grotesque and the macabre all found within a dark carnival. The CD opens with an introduction; the ringmaster, voiced by Joseph Vargo, welcomes one and all to the “circus of the strange.” Indeed, this CD is “strange” for on it you will hear a blend of organ music, children’s voices and haunting melodies.

Harlequin’s Lament is a gorgeous gothic song, a blend of repetitious chords with a rich-sounding overlay of a grand piano and harmonized vocals in the background. This piece, while not necessarily “circus-like,” shows off the musicianship of Nox Arcana. Next, strategically placed after the melody, is Calliope; children’s laughter echoes in the background of this brooding, circular tune. Madame Endora follows you around and predicts your future, leading you into the Hall of Mirrors. Even though you run away, you may find yourself Lost in the Darkness .

One of the difficulties with creating a CD set in a “Circus Diabolique” is that, if not done properly, a haunted carnival can sound campy or lack general appeal. That is definitely not the case here. Of all the Nox Arcana CDs, there is a wide variety of music offered on this CD, some of which echoes their other work. For example, fans of the Necronomicon CD might find Nightmare Parade and Circus Diabolique appealing. Other than a few songs on this soundtrack, and believe me when I say I’ve listened to all of their CDs repeatedly with the exception of Winter’s Knight, each song is more unique than the last.

Carnival of Lost Souls is one of the boldest moves Nox Arcana has made to date. You won’t hear any playful songs; the music isn’t “painful” or monotonous, it’s something new and different and fresh. What causes these differences? Subtle sound effects like silvery bells, children’s laughter, and a heavy use of synthesized chorals are played upon the backdrop of strong melodies written primarily in minor and harmonic keys. Overall, this is a broad composition that utilizes the full spectrum of volume, pitch, and chords. The use of volume, sound effects, and technique is very evident throughout this CD, especially in the song Storm.

Also offered on this CD is an easter egg. Now I’m not going to spoil the surprise (how much fun would that be); just wait until the end of the CD and after a few moments you’ll hear something you’ve never heard Nox Arcana play before. At first, it threw me off guard but I’ve come to appreciate the song because even though it’s entirely different from what I’ve heard them play, it shows that they are capable of changing styles if need be–and they’ll be good at it.

Fans of Joseph Vargo’s artwork will be happy to know that the CD’s booklet offers us a different look into this setting. Surprisingly, the CD cover is not (in my humble opinion) the best piece in the collection. Just open the page and you’ll see a deeply contrasted ghoulish invitation to “Let the Nightmare begin.” All of the pieces here are professionally done, and there is a lot of rich contrast. Greens, golds and reds adorn the artwork; the tone is appropriate and the style is definitely Vargo’s own.

Overall, this CD shows off Nox Arcana’s skill and musicianship with a large breadth of composition set within a very, challenging setting. This isn’t a CD about scary clowns with bad makeup and evil flamethrowers; this is music that tells the story of the frightened child within all of us swept away by the Carnival of Lost Souls.

Reviewer: Monica Valentinelli

Mythmaker Review

Flames — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 21:54:33 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

The Kevins (Ogilvie and Crompton, aka Nivek Ogre and cEvin Key respectively) have been making music for the better part of my life. For twenty-five years, dance floors have shaken and PA systems have whined and protested under the assault that Skinny Puppy launches with their work. In 2004, The Greater Wrong of the Right took me by surprise. At the time of the CD release, the band had been essentially defunct for the better part of thirteen years. Rumors had circulated through the club scenes and across the “better to doubt it than to believe it” discussion forums of the online community-at-large that Key was working with Ogre and Mark Walk on the tour supporting OhGr’s SunnyPsyOp as a drummer.

That rumor turned out to be true. Not too long afterwards, a new Skinny Puppy release was locked in the sweaty-handed death grip of my thick, troll-like fingers.

A tour followed – a long tour, all things being equal – and then all that we thirty-somethings who were still clinging to the resurrected legend of Skinny Puppy could hope for was that the new Puppy release was not a singular event. With the 2007 release of Mythmaker, my fears related to the singularity have been assuaged.

The Greater Wrong of the Right was a glimpse through the keyhole at the musical and sonic evolutions that Key and Ogre have experienced in their time away from one another. The sound was familiar, but it was markedly different. This was to be expected. Both artists had grown and had found their respective levels of comfort with their art forms in the time it took them to reinvent their respective identities outside of Skinny Puppy. Thirteen years later, two very different people got back together and reinvented the outfit that, for many people, was the definitive example of North American industrial music.

Mythmaker, while affording Key and Ogre their individualism as musician and artist and possessing the “updated” sound of the current iteration of Skinny Puppy, reaches back in time. Back into the closets. Back down into some of the hidden holes and shallow graves that the band had dug with their bare hands back in the day when they began pioneering away from Winnipeg and into the faces of the rest of the world, changing the meaningless term of “post-punk” into the force to be reckoned with genre of modern industrial music.

The vocal similarities between Too Dark Park and Mythmaker cannot be denied. Ogre is at his personal best for this effort. Key’s music is stunning regardless of the vehicle he chooses to deliver it… but he has never been as impressive with his side-projects and solo efforts as he has been when he is composing the sounds that are the spinal column of Skinny Puppy. Mythmaker is no exception, and the music he has delivered with this effort is easily a toe-to-toe match for his critically acclaimed solo works such as The Dragon Experience and The Ghost of Each Room.

The movie samples are back (I caught at least one from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”), and while there is some filtering and production on Ogre’s vocals throughout various tracks, they are vastly less harsh and than they have been on past albums where his vocals were rendered inaudible for all intents and purposes. The production and direction of Ken Marshall is absolutely top notch stuff, and Puppy has not sounded quite THIS GOOD in a long time. There just are not any disappointing tracks on this CD. Even the tracks that seem forgettable at first will grow on the listener over the course of three or four complete spins of the disc.

Everything just kind of seems to come together, seamlessly in fact, throughout the ten tracks of Mythmaker. This is one of those Puppy releases that you pop into your player, and before you know it… it’s over. Every track compliments the next, hearkening back to the era of Too Dark Park and Last Rights… but with the overall maturity of sound inherent to The Greater Wrong of the Right.

As I said in the beginning, Skinny Puppy has been making music for the better part of my life. At thirty-five, I’m pretty far removed from the club scene and from the majority of the live shows that I’d like to see. I have a child, a wife and a career now, and while music used to be my obsession – something that came first and foremost in my life – I’m not even sure that it is in the top ten of my current lists of priorities. But when I hear Mythmaker, I feel young again. I feel like I did when I discovered Skinny Puppy for the first time. That is an absolutely fantastic feeling.

I won’t be missing this tour.

The Dog is resurrected and walks among us again.

Long live Skinny Puppy.

Reviewer: Shannon W. Hennessy

Fanez-Vous Pour Noircir (Fade to Black) Review

Flames — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 01:53:53 +0000

Fanez-Vous Pour Noircir (Fade to Black): a soundtrack for plunder and mayhem

Presented by Full Moon Studios and Lame Duck Productions

Original scores written and performed by Virgil Franklin

Ahoy matey! These days pirates and swashbucklers are all the rage on land and on sea. With roleplaying games like the recently released Conan: the Pirate Isles by Paizo Publishing and the older title Skull and Bones by Green Ronin out on the market, it should come as no surprise that GMs and players alike are on the hunt for some mood-setting music.

Fade to Black is, first and foremost, background music that cues into historical music and inventive melodies. Virgil did a good job of blending the old with the new, this CD is exactly what you’d expect for the genre. Some pieces may be considered “folk” music (Drunken Sailor); other melodies like Satan’s Stowaway are a bit darker, taking their inspiration from what lurks beneath the sea’s rolling waves.

Regardless of your tastes, there is an even keel to the music, partially due to the fact that it was performed using electronic mediums without vocals, so even the most rollicking wave of notes won’t fluster your sea legs. As a whole, the simple presentation of the CD, the use of a synthesizer, and the well-balanced composition justify the concept that this is meant to be utilized for background music. While some people may prefer to hear more arrgh’s in their pirate music, there is something to be said for picking up a good, old-fashioned background music CD that helps set a mood when role-playing games 50 Fathoms by Great White Games. This type of music won’t interfere with your session–it will enhance it by adding a steady ebb and flow of piratey goodness.

So if you’re looking for something to play in the background at your next 7th Sea or GURPS Swashbucklers session, this would be a good CD to pick up.

Reviewer: Monica Valentinelli

Out of the Ether Review

Flames — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:06:25 +0000

Available at CDbaby.com

Out of the Ether ~ Virgil

Track List

1. The Tomb
2. Outer Darkness
3. Blue Crypt
4. The Lost
5. Undertow
6. The Chasm of the Soul
7. Possession
8. Torment

First impressions are always very important when regarding almost anything. It’s what sets our mind for any future interactions with anything. And regardless of how hard you try, you will always give in to first impressions.

With that said, let’s move on to my first impressions of this CD by Virgil. The intro track had set a wonderful feeling for the soundtrack, giving a nice intro and everything. As the CD got going though, I found my self increasingly tuning it out. Not because the music was boring, but because besides the first intro track, every track is well over 5 minutes a piece, most being 7-9 minutes in length. Now, this isn’t some mainstream CD, so track lengths aren’t really applicable here. But over 7 minutes of non-developed musical ideas makes for a very boring CD to listen to.

Don’t get me wrong, this CD does have its up moments. Track 7, which is Possession, is a wonderful piano piece. This is the one track that I think I didn’t totally space out on. It truly demonstrates his ability to play piano and to compose music. This is the one track off the album that I think shows where Virgil can head if he decided to develop his own musical ability. The piece itself is beautifully tragic in its sounds, incorporating many feelings within its overarching sound.

Musically, each track starts off wonderfully. The idea he presents is both unique and interesting to listen too…for the first 4-5 minutes. All in all, the track length wouldn’t have been so bad if he would have interjected some different idea in the center to offset the length. Ear candy is always a good thing with long tracks, that’s what makes songs such as live versions of Freebird and The Watchtower nice to listen too even if they are insanely long for a rock song.

As far as applications in gaming, I haven’t tested it out so far, though I am planning on using Virgil as one of my background tracks for my role-playing group. I have an idea that this track is wonderful for gaming. The extended suspension throughout the CD adds a wonderful horror and tension dynamic to those listening too it. And it is great background music because there are no talking or vocal parts in the CD. There is nothing to distract your players from their overall game.

All in all, do give this CD a shot, if not for personal use for gaming use. It adds wonderful ambiance and a great new comer addition in music. I look forward to seeing how Virgil develops as a musician in this genre of music. It’s a tough world out there, and with bands like Midnight Syndicate and Nox Arcana setting the standards, there is definitely room for him to improve.

Reviewer: Crystal Mazur

Darklore Manor Review

Flames — Sat, 20 May 2006 19:18:13 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

Initial Impressions

I’ve been picking up various motion picture scores (not soundtracks) and King Diamond albums (no kidding) for years to use as background music in my campaigns, but I’ve never been very impressed with any self-produced albums meant specifically to serve as roleplaying campaign scores. For the most part, I’ve found such efforts to be of an amateurish quality at best, often sounding more like a funhouse sound reel than a musical composition. Nox Arcana changed this by delivering a polished, professional and purely enjoyable product in Darklore Manor.

Production Values

Darklore Manor is an independently produced compilation of traditional gothic music (i.e., the album is harpsichords and violins, not electric guitars or re-mixed dance music) composed specifically to serve as the score for a dark and mysterious roleplaying campaign. Marketed on a compact disc and consisting of twenty-one original tracks (only two of which contain vocals), Darklore Manor is devoid of the cheap sound effect shticks that seem to compose the bulk of similar efforts and, instead, is simply a compilation of haunting melodies.

What’s more, Darklore Manor isn’t merely music – it’s good music. Rather than a hastily compiled mishmash of random musical notes minced with substandard sound effects ripped from an amusement park ride (i.e., creaking doors, ghostly laughter, etc), each track on Darklore Manor is a carefully crafted piece of honest to god music that is not only evocative of gothic haunts, but is also easy on the ears. If more amateur musicians poured half of the time and effort into their campaign scores as Nox Arcana has into single tracks, I’d own many more such compilations.

Finally, the graphic design of the physical packaging and the disc itself is far above the standard that I’ve come to expect from self-produced compact discs. Indeed, having once worked for a multi-million dollar company that mass distributed media on compact discs, I can say that the production values of Nox Arcana are easily on par with those of much larger companies – from the full color, multi-page, insert (an insert that, incidentally, regales the reader with the tale of the titular Darklore Manor) to the high quality, full bleed, disc graphic (an ornate pattern of Victorian persuasion).

The Final Verdict

After listening to the disc a few times, I still like what I hear (and, ultimately, that’s the real test of a musical compilation for me). I like the haunting, purposeful, melodies of Nox Arcana, as well as their decision to regale me with music, rather than sound effects. I like the atmospheric graphic design of the packaging and the entertaining (if ultimately irrelevant) legend of Darklore Manor. If you run a regular horror campaign and find yourself wanting for atmospheric background music, I wholeheartedly suggest that you give Darklore Manor a listen.

Reviewer: James D. Hargrove

Desecrated Ashes Review

Flames — Tue, 02 May 2006 17:58:57 +0000

Track List

1) One Last Day
2) Embrace
3) Father Dearest
4) Angels are Weeping
5) Liar in Waiting
6) Little Tin Goddess

Desecrated Ashes was the full release of the EP Consecrated Ashes. The release year was 2003, and the band has continued to do well. URN is based out of Chicago, but has toured in many cities. They have even had airplay of their music in Canada and Mexico, not to mention the United States.

On first listen, Desecrated Ashes was a little hard to get into. Honestly, I felt very indifferent about the album. After more listening, I really started to warm up to the music.

The music flows in and out of its haunting lyrics, sometimes taking front stage, other times the backseat to the vocals. As an overall album, this haunting sound takes you by the hand, and into the world of URN.

One Last Day is the opener for the album, and what an opener it is. Lyric wise, it is a plea to spend one more day on earth with someone. The vocals do a wonderful job complementing each other. Their vocal support along with the guitar harmony makes a wonderfully haunting mix. Music wise, it opens with a simple piano solo, which develops into a wonderful guitar solo, then into a band verse.

Embrace is a bit harder on the guitars that One Last Day. It gives an energy and pulse to the album. The guitar/bass/drum break in between the verses is amazing. Rhythmically challenging, URN keeps up the beat and pulls through wonderfully. On the second repetition of this, the piano joins in, giving it a completely different sound, but still keeping the pulse of the song.

Father Dearest is by far the most lyrically catching song on the album. It is sung by the two lovely ladies of the band, and boy what a job do they do. They are mourning their father, and the music backs up that feeling. It sounds more like a funeral requiem than anything, which fits the mood of the album, as well as the band.

Angels are Weeping is the one song that I don’t care for. The music is wonderful, but the soprano line just doesn’t appeal to me. The vocalists all have amazing voices, but I think the operatic Soprano line doesn’t fit the feeling of the song. Unfortunately this would be my pick for least liked song on the album.

Liar in Waiting is a wonderful bass driven song with an underlying Waltz Feel (trust me, its there). The gothic piano gives a great dark overtone to this song.

Little Tin Goddess is definitely the most upbeat song of the album, and it’s still rather dark. With rock guitar lines and fast tempo, this song powers through till the end, giving us a picture of the Lord of the Night. Beckoning all those to come to her, she seeks to rule the night.

An overall impression of this album is this: the band has enormous potential. Desecrated Ashes is a great start for them, but they have a lot of room for improvement. Give this album a shot, especially if you are looking for mood music or to just relax too.

The band has also lost members since the recording of this album. Overall, I think it was for the best. The addition of Ian Nothing was very apparent during the concert at the Main Stage in Waukesha in April. I was blown away by not only their stage presence, but the development of their sound. If they keep this up, they could end up big. You will definitely be reading more about them from not only me, but the Flames Rising Staff as well.

Happy Listenings!

Reviewer: Crystal Mazur

Necronomicon (Nox Arcana) Review

Monica Valentinelli — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 20:26:39 +0000

Available at Amazon.com

A Spellbinding Musical Tribute by Nox Arcana

Nox Arcana delves headfirst into the darkness with its musical tribute to the Cthulhu mythos. Creating a haunting festival of sounds to this is a challenging feat—every day that passes Cthulhu transforms into more of an icon than a mere concept of Lovecraft’s imagination. Nox Arcana delivers its tribute in a jarring way; this is not a CD that should be idly played in the background, this is a performance that demands your attention.

It is crystal clear to me, as a listener, that this CD has a different purpose than other instrumental CDs—the composition of this CD is not meant to be subtle, it is both bold and artistic. Drums are the heavier brush strokes in many of the songs, like “The Stars Align”. Filling in the details is a symphony of strings, a blend of ghostly voices, and the gentle stroke of well-mixed woodwinds. Pacing and timing varies, to outline the faint footsteps of the summoner arrogant enough to raise “The Great Old Ones.”

The music in Necronomicon tells the story of an arrogant sorcerer acting out his evil designs. Accompanying him are disembodied voices both warning and approving, as well as an orchestration of unseen hands playing various instruments. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the occasional gong of death tolling. The music is true to Lovecraft; harmonic melodies seem to be inspired from folk music from all over the world. “Cthulhu Rising” borrows notes from eastern Europe as the thing’s tentacles creep from murky, watery depths; thin strings whine of Arabic deserts and northern Egyptian breezes in “Temple of the Black Pharaoh.” Pieces like “Eldritch Rites” and “Nyarlathotep” are more theatrical than they are musical; a twisted sorcerer breathes life into ancient rituals through powerful chants and Lovecraft’s words. The musical talent put forth in the CD comes from a variety of sources—however to my trained ear I couldn’t tell if the elements were entirely synthesized or if they were performed in a studio. Translation? No note was off-key, no mistake was made (that I could tell); the performance was flawless, a occult mosaic planned and executed with rhythmic precision.

One of the unique things about Nox Arcana is the way they tie in an artistic vision to their products. Necronomicon is a shining example of this. The CD cover is a picture of a bony, wooden face that reaches out to its viewer with swirling tentacles—a subtle play on the concept of “the green man”, perhaps? I took the liberty of picking up some of Monolith Graphics’ other products, like the Dark Realms magazine. The art, created by Joseph Vargo, is gothic in a way that leaves more to the shadowy imagination through its simplicity than any photograph or pen and ink etch. The style is clean, simple and consistent; shades of a color with subtle accents. These are pieces you’d hang on your wall—images that you’d swear were looking at you in the dead of night.

Nox Arcana’s Necronomicon is a masterful blend of dark desires and the Cthulhu mythos. The CD is an impressive tribute; to appreciate the sum of its parts it should be played as a stand-alone piece replete with candles, cobwebs, and musty books.

Reviewer: Monica Valentinelli

Look for Nox Arcana music at the Flames Rising Amazon Store.