13 Evil Fairy Tales Dead Under 30

 

Greg Puciato has become one of the most interesting artists working in music today. Setting aside Dillinger Escape Plan as the legends since their retirement, Puciato has done dark electronic music with Telefon Tel Aviv's Josh Eustis in The Black Queen, Hardcore/Thrash with Killer Be Killed, toured as part of Jerry Cantrell's band, and all that and everything in between with his two solo records, both of which I adore. Now, he teams with more like-minded souls (from Every Time I Die and Fit For An Autopsy) in Better Lovers. What's it sound like?

It sounds awesome.

The first single dropped the other day and big props to Mr. Brown who sent it my way, as I totally missed it. No word on an album proper, but after seeing tour announcements yesterday, the smart money's on something coming down the pipes in the next few months, so there's one more thing to look forward to.

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Watch:

Last night at 7:00 PM K and I caught Clarksville's first screening of Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise. I had exceedingly high hopes - never a good thing going into a movie, let alone a new installment in a series I have loved for a very long time. But Fede Alvarez's entry in 2013 blew me away (still blows me away, in fact), and all I wanted from this was that same feeling of Deep Horror Intoxication 2013 gave me. Did Evil Dead Rise succeed?

Yes and no. First, I really enjoyed the film, and I think Lee Cronin did a helluva job. However, those pesky expectations tapped on my shoulder for the entire runtime. 

MY problem, not the film's. 

Evil Dead Rise is not as intense as 2013; don't get me wrong - this film is f**king intense, but Rise spreads its assault thin and only really explodes in the last act. Common for a Horror film, of course, and not something to traditionally detract points for. That said, I did feel the set-up of the characters - all of whom I loved - affected the film's pacing, so that Rise felt stretched a bit thin when compared to 2013, which sets its tone and story up so quickly and efficiently and jumps into the carnage so eloquently that it's just not fair to compare. 

Everyone in the cast did an excellent job and the FX are fantastic - like REALLY fantastic. The violence and gore felt a skosh subdued compared to Fede's, but I realize all these comparisons between these two films are unfair. I've always retained a staunch "Don't compare 2013 to the original films" stance, so surrendering to this prejudice here is hypocritical. Also, Tapert produced Rise and Campell and Raimi executive produced, so their fingerprints are all over this new entry. Bearing all this in mind, I think once I'm over the initial viewing, I'll see it again (next week), and have a deeper experience.

All in all, SEE IT IN A THEATRE!!!

            

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Read:

Yesterday, I finished Stephen King's latest novel, Fairy Tale. My good friend and A Most Horrible Library Cohost Chris gifted me a copy while we were hanging out in LaLaLand last month, and I tore into it on the plane home. This is the first new King I've read since 2010's Doctor Sleep; I say this not as a point of dismissal or obstinance, but to illustrate that, although I've loved every book by Stephen King I've ever read, I just haven't read enough of his work. I've always thought that eventually would like to read everything, but I rarely actually work on that. There are so many other authors I love as well, most considerably more "independent" than King, and I tend to fall sway to their work one right after the other. "First world problems" disclaimer aside, what a wonderful problem to have: how do I read everything I want to before I die?

Anyway,  all this talk is really just to set up the fact that I had no idea what I was in for with Fairy Tale. I should have guessed, because it's quite fantastic. 

The story remains rooted in its very human, very relatable characters and their lives dealing with grief and aging for nearly the first two hundred pages, and if that sounds like it might be too much set up, it's not. I could have read about Charlie, his father, Radar and Mr. Bowditch for the entire 600 pages. That story sets up the bigger picture, and once it gets going, there are quite a few white-knuckle moments in this one, and that's the kind of reading I really enjoy. The book is Epic, and as I've come to expect with Mr. King, his epics are among the most readable I've ever encountered. 

Add into the mix the fact that the chapters are illustrated by Nicolas Delort and Locke and Key's Gabriel Rodriguez. King mentions in the afterward - which was just as enjoyable to read as the damn book, if considerably shorter - that the illustrations were key in giving the book the feeling of, well, old Fairytale collections, and I tip my hat to him at the wonderful attention to detail here; it just makes the book that much more enjoyable.

In 2010 I read Doctor Sleep and loved it, and now, thirteen years have passed without my even realizing and Fairy Tale blows me away. I've got a pretty intense list of reading planned for the next few months, but when the decks clear, I'm penciling in more King. I always forget just how much I love his writing.

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Playlist:

Cartoonist Kayfabe - TMNT 7 with Eastman and Laird        

Ruby the Hatchet - Fear is a Cruel Master

Better Lovers - 13 Under 30

AAWKS - The Electric Traveller (single)

AAWKS - (Heavy on the Cosmic)

Clutch - Blast Tyrant

Ruby the Hatchet - Planetary Space Chile

Led Zeppelin - Presence

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Card:

Switching it up back to my original Thoth deck for today's Pull:

Creative breakthroughs can arrive at a destructive cost and often must be tempered by keeping one foot in the 'Real World.'

This feels like a nice little indictment of the creative process, or I guess more accurately, an acknowledgment that my work ethic is sound. I learned a long time ago not to mix heightened emotional or perceptive states with writing. Yes, both can be useful for ideas, but actual writing while intoxicated by either substances or emotions never produces sound work. Not sure why I'm being reminded of this now, other than maybe I just needed a nice Jungian pat on the back.

 

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New Music From Woven Hand

 

I will always miss Sixteen Horsepower, however, the work David Eugene Edwards has been doing as Woven Hand over the last decade-and-a-half (or so) is next-level stuff. It's interesting how the slightly toxic religious elements that informed/inspired Horsepower pushed this man into a considerably more Shamanic perspective with his music. 

Woven Hand's new record Silver Sash is out now on Glitterhouse Records and can be ordered from them or Woven Hand's Bandcamp HERE.

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Watch:

This is going to be one of those posts where I post the newest trailer for David Cronenberg's upcoming Crimes of the Future, but don't watch it:

 

Right now, this is my most eagerly awaited film of the year - thus far- and I say that on the cusp of seeing Sam Raimi's Dr. Strange In the Multiverse of Madness tonight, a film I have been CHOMPING at the bit for since... well, since I realized Patrick Stewart's voice is in the trailer. NOTE: I should say something here. Marvel, I'm talking to you now; if it turns out that Patrick Stewart is playing a man named Jim Bohner or some such, I will not be happy. Just saying. And as long as I'm posting trailers I have no intention of viewing, here's that 'Final' Dr. Strange trailer:

I have insanely high expectations for this one, even though I still have been unable to sit through the first Stephen Strange flick. I've always maintained I'm more interested in Marvel's big picture than I am the individual films, and this is the one that - I think - will firmly shape the post-Avengers landscape for the MCU into something more cohesive than it's been (not that I've minded the chaotic and disparate elements of the last few years, which have been very final-years-of-Claremont's-Uncanny-X-men at times).

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Playlist:

Bexley - Eponymous

Blut Aus Nord - Memoria Vetusta II: Dialogue with the Stars

Michael Jackson - Greatest Hits

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

The Mysterines - Reeling

Sparks - Tryouts for the Human Race (single)

Helmet - Meantime

Motorhead - Ace of Spades

Anthrax - Persistence of Time

Jerry Cantrell - Brighten (Thanks to Mr. Brown for the beautiful vinyl!)

Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain

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Card:

It's been a minute since I've pulled from Missi's Raven Deck, so here goes:

Expecting knowledge to come my way today that might turn things around a bit. Or maybe that was yesterday when we spoke to a new realtor in TN and received a lot of really good, inspiring information. I suppose there's a part of me that demonizes that, simply because the longer we've stayed in LaLaLand, the allure of the routine and easy (not really, but kinda) life we've made here pulls at my ideas of burning it all down and starting over. 

Don't trust comfort. That's the real Devil. 

2019: May 4th - Raimi & Aja's Crawl

I was skeptical at the beginning of this trailer, but Raimi's name soothed that a bit. By the end though, the concept and purported execution look fantastic, plus this looks to be receiving a theatrical release, and when was the last time you were able to see an alligator/crocodile attack flick in a megaplex? That alone seems as though it may be worth the cost of admission.

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Well, only Joe Bob Briggs could get me to watch a film I'd long ago sworn never to watch. For the first time since the first week of JBB and Shudder's The Last Drive-In, I was able to sit down promptly at 6:00 PM and watch the show from the beginning. The first flick, Wolf Cop, was one I'd seen on the cue in Shudder but always passed over. I was pleased to see it pop up here, under the guidance of Joe Bob. 

The second film was the one I anticipated with no small amount of reservation: Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer. I know it's a classic, and it's artistically solid, but serial killer stuff - especially when offered up so realistically - gets way too deep under my skin. And I'd always imagined that, if I watched this flick, it would fall somewhere in line with Irreversible and Requiem for a Dream, two films I simply wish I had never seen. However, I took the plunge because with Joe Bob's interruptions, I wagered that the presentation would be considerably less immersive, and I was right. Couple this with the fact that I luckily left the room for a beer during the infamous home invasion scene, and I braved Henry with no mental or emotional scars, and was finally able to see Michael Rooker's break-out performance, the only aspect of the film that had ever intrigued me to begin with. That's not to say Henry isn't a well-made film; it is, and so are Irreversible and Requiem. These are just films that delve into areas I feel no need to expose my sometimes fragile little psyche to. And in the spirit of that, I'll skip posting the trailer for Henry here.

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You may notice Rob Zombie's two most recent albums have suddenly begun popping up on my daily playlists. This is a surprise to me; I've long held White Zombie's final two records as being among the best metal albums ever, however, Rob Zombie's dissolution of that group for a catchy but ultimately dumbed-down version never sat right with me. Yet, I'll admit that, for better or worse, there must be a little hot topic in my soul, because Zombie's solo stuff is something that, every once in a blue moon, I get a taste for. It usually sees me beat the hell out of La Sexorcisto and Astro Creep for a few days, probably throw on House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects, and then go back to keeping RZ at arm's length. Normally Zombie's solo albums don't really factor in, and if they do, I can burn through what I like about the first three in a stripped-down playlist. And you'll notice that on 4/02 that's how my recent binge began, by snapping the "Essential Playlist" from Apple Music and running through the hits. But then a funny thing happened. I made it through said playlist - skipping the cover of grand funk railroad's egregious 'we're an american band,' a song I hate so much in all forms I can't even stand to capitalize the title when spelling it - and decided I wanted more. So I moved on to the two newest albums, one of which I'd given a shake back when it came out and laughed off as a blatant caricature of an artist's music I already consider a caricature. But you know what? At least for the moment, I'm really enjoying both records. There's a ton 'Zombie-isms' you have to roll with, but overall, they're fun in the most frivolous way. Take the song below; I absolutely love the sample that starts the song and how it morphs into a rhythm. The lyrics and delivery however, need to be taken with a grain of salt, as they're bad. And I'm not sure if the obvious classic Les Claypool delivery Zombie takes on those lyrics is enraging or endearing, but for now I just can't make it past how much I dig the rhythm of the song.

And we see by the video, all of Mr. Zombie's obsessions are, of course, still in place after all these years. Part of me recoils at my occasional dalliances with Zombie's music, but like I said, every now and again, it just scratches some itch that builds up over time.

Tonight might be a good night to finally show Kirsten The Devil's Rejects.

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Playlist from 4/03:

Metallica - Garage Days Re-Revisited

Rob Zombie - Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor

Rob Zombie - The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration...

Boy Harsher - Country Girl E.P.

The Atlas Moth - Coma Noir

The Atlas Moth - The Old Believer

Canadian Rifle - A Peaceful Death

Card of the day:

From the Grimoire: "Enjoying the rewards of your endeavors."

Fede Alvarez's Don't Breathe

Simply put, I Love Fede Alvarez's 2013 continuation of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead SO MUCH that I would follow him to hell and back (Love Panic Attack! too). So when I heard about his new film Don't Breathe - although I'm bummed it's not another chapter in Mia's corner of the Evil Deadverse - I was stoked for another movie from him, especially one with such an awesome concept.

And Jane Levy to boot!

Ataque de Pánico!!! (Evil Dead)

You know, I just put two and two together for the first time. I remember when this short went viral about three years ago - I loved it and the story that followed about how Raimi supposedly flew the creator up to LA from his native Uruguay and put him to work for Ghost House made me even more happy. It reinforced what a great person and outside-the-box filmmaker Raimi is. Flash forward a couple years and Ataque de Pánico! has been off my radar long enough for it never to have dawned on me that this was the same guy directing the Evil Dead remake.

Now I'm even more excited and honestly, I didn't think that was possible.