Early word is that 2009 is going to be an impressively strong year. So, thank you Vendetta Music for making some of the great things that happened in 2007, bleed all over 2008. 2008 needed the abuse.

I have heard and seen some great bands this year. However, I must say that there was not enough to constitute a top ten like I have years prior. I’m not saying that there wasn’t anything capable that was published, nor am I saying that it was all shit. I’m simply saying, compared to prior years, there wasn’t a lot of albums that blew my socks off this year. No, HexRx. No, Brain Leisure. etc. So, this year I’m choosing to list off everything that I remember listening^[1] to over the year (and I’m SURE I’m forgetting something… -as a matter of fact, I need to add Battery Cage’s digital only release now-) and am just saying if they were good, crappy or average.

I’m also adding some nuggets to the right hand-channel. A video, some quotes from the year by artists and various cover arts. Enjoy!

RATING KEY:

• Artist Name – Album Title = Excellent

• Artist Name – Album Title = Good

• Artist Name – Album Title = Above average.
• Artist Name – Album Title = Average.
• Artist Name – Album Title = Not so good.
• Artist Name – Album Title = FAIL-WHALE

If you are looking to purchase any of these albums, give all that hard earned .

2008: A year of tonal coitus in the ears of Stonethorn

[distatix] – Medication

Accessory – More Than Machinery

Adam-X – State Of Limbo

Ad·ver·sary – Bone Music

Aerodrone – Sceneboy

Aesthetic Perfection – A Violent Emotion^[2]

Agonised by Love – Lovesick Society^[3]

Agonoize – For The Sick And Disturbed
Ah Cama-Sotz – Declaration of Innocence, Limited Edition^[4]
Alec Empire – The Golden Foretaste Of Heaven

Alter Der Ruine – Giants From Far Away

Ambassador21 – Justified Thirst For Blood
Amduscia – Madness In Abyss
Amnistia – Blackguard
Anders Manga – Xs And The Eyes
Angelspit – Blood Death Ivory
Angie Damage – Nicotine Tongue

Animassacre – Evolve
Anne Clark – Full Moon
Apocalyptica – Worlds Collide, Special Edition
AqME – Heresie
Arcaide – Cyclic Sound From The Form
Artifact – Only Salvation

Ashbury Heights – Morningstar In A Black Car EP

Atrocity – Werk 80 II, Deluxe Edition
AutoAuto – Celeste
Ayreon – 01011001
Ayria – Hearts For Bullets, Limited Edition
Ayria – The Gun Song
Ayumi Hamasaki – Guilty
Bauhaus – Go Away White

Baxter Lilly – Unsichtbare Flecken

Behind The Scenes – Fragment[ed]
Birthday Massacre, The – Looking Glass
Black Heaven – Negativ
Black Light Burns – Cover Your Heart & the Anvil Pants Odyssey^[5]
Blank – Impact Zone
Blutengel – Dancing In The Light (Forsaken)
Blutengel – Dancing In The Light (Solitary)
Blutengel – Winter Of My Life/Point Of No Return

Boole – The Vital Few

Boris – Message/Floor Shaker
Boris – Smile
Bug, The – Angry Ganja

Bug, The – London Zoo
C/A/T – At Peace
Chiasm – Reform
Children Of Bodom – Blooddrunk
Christian Death – Six Six Sixth Communion
Client – Untitled Remix
Coil – The New Backwards
Collide – Two Headed Monster
Colony 5 – Buried Again

agonised-by-love-lovesick-society

Combichrist – Frost EP Sent To Destroy

Cruxshadows, The – Immortal

Die Form – Bach Project
Die Form – Her(t)z Frequenz

Enduser – Left

ESA – How Pure Would Your Utopia Be
Essence Of Mind – Insurrection^[8]

evol-intent-era-of-diversion

Evol Intent – Era Of Diversion

Faderhead – FH3
Faint, The – Fasciinatiion
Felix Marc – Pathways
FGFC820 – Law And Ordnance, Limited Edition^[9]
Filter – Anthems For The Damned
Firefox AK – If I Were A Melody
Fixmer McCarthy – Into The Night^[10]

F.O.D – Synthesizer Tanzmusik

Foretaste – Terrorist TV
Foundation Hope – Tunes For The Wounded
Fractional – Come Mierda
Funker Vogt – White Trash

Gary Numan – Jagged Edge^[11]

Geomatic – Blue Beam

Gothminister – Happiness In Darkness
Grid, The – Doppelganger

Hadouken! – Declaration of War
Hadouken! – Music For An Accelerated Culture
Hanzel Und Gretyl – 2012 Zwanzig Zwo?lf

Hardwire – Konflict

HEALTH – Disco
Hercules And Love Affair – Hercules And Love Affair
Hex On – In Slow Motion
Hocico – Memorias Atras
Hybrid – Finished Symphony, Remixed
Iambia – Provocateur, Limited Edition

IAMX – President^[12]

IC 434 – Bacteriate
Idiot Pilot – Wolves
Illusion Of Light – 3ndlo2
Imperative Reaction – Minus All

informatik-beyond

Informatik – Beyond

Integral – Rise
Interface – Destination Focus
Iris – Hydra
Iris – Lands Of Fire
James D. Stark – Moonstruck
Jens Bader – Compensation For Pain And Suffering-The Best Of 1991-2004
Jens Bader – Out Of Phase
Jesus On Extasy – Beloved Enemy, Limited Edition

johnny-hollow-dirty-hands

Johnny Hollow – Dirty Hands

Junkie XL – Booming Back At You
Juno Reactor – Gods & Monsters^[13]
kETvECTOR – The Infinite Regress

Kloq – Move Forward

KMFDM – Brimborium
KMFDM – Extra – Volume 1
KMFDM – Extra – Volume 2
Kontour – Scanners
Krystal System – Underground
L’Ame Immortelle – Namenlos
La Magra – Schwarze Boten, Silver Edition

Ladytron – Velocifero

Lahannya – Welcome To The Underground
Laibach – Laibachkunstderfuge
Latexxx Teens – Death Club Entertainment

Leandra – Metamorphine

Left Spine Down – Fighting For Voltage

Legion – Legion
Leæther Strip – Civil Disobedience
Leæther Strip – Retention No.2
Leæther Strip – When Blood Runs Dark

le-diktat-unabomber

Le Diktat – Unabomber

London After Midnight – Oddities (Live, Rare, Acoustic, Remix)
London After Midnight – Selected Scenes From The End Of The World
Lucidstatic – Gravedigger
Machinae Supremacy – Overworld
Man And Machines – Analog Hearts, Digital Minds
Manufactura – Psychogenic Fugue, Limited Edition
Margareds – Kingdom Of Patience
Mark Nicholas – Perversions
Mars Volta, The – The Bedlam In Goliath

Meat Beat Manifesto – Autoimmune

Memmaker – How To Enlist In A Robot Uprising

Midnight Resistance – Remote
Mind Necrosis Factor – Morphogenesis

Mindless Self Indulgence – If

Mindless Self Indulgence – Never Wanted To Dance, The Remixes
Mindless Self Indulgence – On It
Mindless Self Indulgence – Pay For It
Ministry – Cover Up

Miss Construction – Kunstprodukt

Miss Kittin – Batbox

Modulate – Detonation
Mono-Anime – Industrial Thought Patterns
Monolith – Reborn
Morgan Page – Elevate
Moshpit – Follow The Loser

Nachtmahr – Feuer Frei!

miss-kittin-batbox

Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts I-IV

Nine Inch Nails – The Slip

Noctiferia – Slovenska Morbida
Nordschlacht – Silence, Beauty And Cruelty
Nordvargr – Pyrrhula
Nurzery [Rhymes] – Thorns

Object – The Ethane Asylum

Ohgr – Devils In My Details
Olhon – Underwater Passage
Oomph – Monster
Otto Dix – Starost
Pain – Cynic Paradise^[14]

Pendulum – In Silico

Pivot – Original Soundtrack, My Heart
Plastic Noise Experience, The – Reiz und Reaktion
Plastic Toys – For Tonight Only

portion-control-slug

Portion Control – Slug

Portishead – Third
Proyecto Mirage – Turn It On
Puscifer – V Is For The Viagra – The Remixes
Qntal – VI Translucida

rabbit-junk-this-life-is-where-you-get-fucked

Rabbit Junk – This Life Is Where You Get Fucked

Ratatat – LP3

Recently Deceased – Cellardoor

Red Cell – Lead To Follow
Red Flag – Once Past Twice Future
Red Flag – Remnants
Retractor – The False Memory
Revue Noir – Anthology Archive
Rex The Dog – I Can See You, Can You See Me
Rex The Dog – The Rex The Dog Show

Rome – Masse Mensch Material

Rotersand – I Cry, Limited Edition
Rozencrantz – Romancer
Run Level Zero – Arctic Noise
SAM – Destruction Unit
Sara Noxx – XX-Ray
Scarlet Leaves – Outlining States Of Mind
Second Version – Schwarzer Engel Kuess Mich
Smashing Pumpkins, The – American Gothic
Soil And Eclipse – The Mirror

Solar Fake – Broken Grid

Sonne Hagal – Jordansfrost
Standeg – Ultrahightechviolet^[15]
State Of The Union – Evol Love Industry
Straftanz – Forward Ever, Backward Never!

stray-abuse-by-proxy

Stray – Abuse By Proxy

Suicidal Romance – A Kiss To Resist^[16]
System Syn – End
System Syn – Like Every Insect

T.Raumschmiere – I Tank U

Teknoist, The – Like A Hurricane Made Of Zombie
Tenth Stage, The – Grand Guignol
Thermostatic – Humanizer
Torrent Vaccine – Tentative Response
Travailleur En Trance – Cobra Coded Escalation
Tyske Ludder – Scientific Technology
Uberbyte – Sic
Unsun – The End Of Life

UnterART – Memento

Wavefall – Heartstarter
Welle Erdball – Ich Bin Aus Plastik

Wire – Object 47^[17]

Within Temptation & The Metro – Black Symphony
:wumpscut: – DJ Dwarf Eight
:wumpscut: – Dwarf Craving
:wumpscut: – Schaedlingsbox^[18]
Wynardtage – Praise The Fallen, Silver Edition Redux
Wynardtage – The Grey Line, Silver Edition

x-fusion-vast-abysm

X-Fusion – Vast Abysm

Xotox – Hyperactive
XP8 – The Art Of Revenge

Y-Luk-O – Sin(n)

WARNING: I’m not a big compilation fan and so, while I’ve listened to these – they don’t warrant any rating in my book. Compilations are nothing more than promotional material.

Various Artist, Label Compilation Albums:

Batbeliever Gothic Compilation, Part 39
Capture & Tension
Cyanotic Presents Gears Gone Wild
Das Bunker, Brighter Than A Thousand Suns
Elektrish Vol. 3
Extreme Lustlieder Vol. 2
Extreme Suendenfall Vol. 7
Extreme Traumfaenger Vol. 7
Forms Of Hands 08
Futureclash 2
Infacted 4
Kinetik Festival, Vol 01
Lights In The Sky Over North America 2008 Tour Sampler
Machinekunt Records Extreme Women in the Dark Future
Metropolis Rebirth 1.0
Nacht Der Maschinen, Vol 02
New Signs & Sounds 0208
Nightmare Revisited
Re:Connected 2.0
Sin-Tech
Sonic Seducer, Cold Hands Seduction, Vol. 84
Sounds From The Matrix 07

1. How the hell did I listen to this much music?! Well, various avenues: digital download, physical CDs, friends recommendations, online streaming, last.fm, myspace; you name it: I heard these albums and bought as much as I could afford to.
2. Wow. I really dug what I had been hearing compolation-side, but I was unprepared for how great this album was going to be.
3. This is good, but reminds me of Blaqk Audio. A lot. Southern Sun & Shelter are solid tracks. Super surprised these haven’t been club worn yet.
4. I was really let down by this release, but still love this band!
5. 2007s Cruel Melody is a great album
6. Come on LePlegua, pick a direction and get back in front of the pack
7. What the fuck is with all the Christian propaganda in this album?
8. A COMPLETE Combichrist rip-off band. Nothing new and not that good
9. Dear god. I wish I hadn’t listened to this album, because it almost has ruined my adoration of this band. WTF happened? Maybe take a bit more time on a release.
10. So many people here in Portland love this album, and I just can’t seem to figure out why.
11. I had incredibly high expectations of this album. The remixed/restructured version of Pure was so fucking amazing and this just really minimized the sound from Jagged but didn’t make anything… better. Slightly disappointed, but still listen to it often.
12. Anything by Mr. Corner is fucking good -so far-
13. One good track on this baby and a mediocre second. Standard-fare.
14. I really liked a couple of songs off their last album. Mo exceptions here though.
15. This was an interesting listen.
16. They so badly want to be Blutengel
17. This is the band that Radiohead wants to be
18. The only thing that would have saved this album, would be if Rudy would have turned it into a big scene pandered by changing the lyrics of Rikfi to DEATHKEY. I’d have loved that song then.

This band is so amazing. I bought the album from Corrosion Records last year and it still is in heavy rotation here at casa del Stonethorn. Listen and if you like, buy here or here.

The first episode was pretty good, but… it only worked in spite of clichés. Please note that this series is called: MASTERS if Horror. These people are suppose to be furthering the genre from the success of their previous work. The twists were annoying; I’m not speaking of the ‘twist ending’ but the twist of all the clichés. Let’s see: most horrors have a girl screaming and running, let’s turn that on its ear and have her go Arnie vs. Predator on the baddie. Let’s put a twist on the ‘cabin full of horrors’ cliché too! Fuck, it got annoying how by the numbers the screenplay for this was. The director of cinematography far exceeded both the writing and directing. The look was excellent. Top notch. I’m curious to see what he’s done before.

What’s most sad about it though, is that even at its worse (which by no measure was it bad) it was better than 99% of the horror tripe that is making it to the big screen.

So, watch it. Its good TV, it’s better than the recent shit in Hollywood horror movies, but it only works in spite of what’s bad out there.

I’ve never been a huge fan of The Cruxshadows. I can’t put my finger on the reason, they are a lot of things I love and enjoy all bundled together, but there is something… missing and empty about them for me. Some EBM, some goth, some violin, some guitar and now… some go-go dancers? I listen to their albums over and over and can still never pick out one favorite, because there just isn’t any. However, I continue to listen because they are unique and talented, and that’s why I went to the show at Sabalas Mt. Tabor in Portland.

I decided I wasn’t going to show up dressed all in black, so I threw on my jeans, a tan shirt with a black tie and pulled my Luke Skywalker Empire Strikes Back jacket over it all. Threw my 20D into my satchel and headed out.

I arrived just as Written In Ashes were starting their second song. Coradee and I chatted for a bit and took in the tunes. I was impressed by WIA, not what I was expecting at all. Portland has some fabulous local acts, and while not always my taste, very talented! It was also great seeing Adam (Fuck you Adam!), Derek, Roger and Carolee, Jeremy, Rachel, Aristai…goodness I’m really starting to meet people huh?!

While on the subject of chatting, I want to say that many of the Portland gothic people that showed up were damn disrespectful. When Ego Likeness moved into a slower and more melodic tune, the background talking was nearly as loud as the music. There was a particular obnoxiously loud group right in front of the bands merchandise counter. I nearly wacked them alongside the heads (sort of like a Six Feet Under reality-flash sequence). If people want to talk so badly and have to scream over the band, just go sit at the Sabalas Sideshow room and let the people enjoy the music they paid to hear.

Cruxshadows took the stage and I must say they had some wild energy! The lead singer had a wireless headset and he would walk around the concert hall getting the people in the back engaged. While it annoyed some, I thought it was pretty cool to hear the little voice hitting the mic and then big voice pumping out the speakers. Very entertaining and damn talented. However, like I mentioned earlier I’m on the fence with Crux’s music. The volume levels there were some of the loudest I’ve ever been bathed by. Even KMFDM in Boise at The Big Easy wasn’t this loud, and that was painful! After 3-4 songs I moved over to the Sideshow part of Sabalas and watched a Hammer film over Jeremy’s shoulder while Rachel vented some much needed venting on us.

I then headed home. I was pretty tired from getting up at 6:30AM so I could hit a Kinkos and then be early for my interview at Dark Horse (which went well, but I’ll know more tomorrow!)

As for the attached photos: I didn’t take to many this time around. The reason being that there were so many people there and I couldn’t get in a good place to take a single decent photo. Not only that, but when I did manage to get into somewhat of a fair position, I’d look around me and everyone had cameras and where flashing photos like crazy. I hadn’t seen that yet. (Circle 23 fuzzily has named them, The Gotharazzi) So, I just moved around and watched/listened to the bands and the people snappity snap away.

I hate the fact that in order to take a photo I have to pull a hunk of hardware out in front of my face and be so obvious about it. I want to blend in and not be noticed, to catch a good unposed shot etc. It’s just not possible yet.

I had been chatting with Frosty when I mentioned I was going to the Mindless Self Indulgence concert that evening with Aristai. Frosty wasn’t aware of the band, so I sent him the URL to their myspace account. (Go there and listen to Shut Me Up)

In just a few moments he started copy-pasting users comments, that included gems such as:

erect square(ILSE)!!!!
fuck jimmy urine i would tottaly fuck you and im 16 oh yeah and your music tottaly rocks like fucking sex

miss sharon stoned is an actress. duh.
MSI IS THE AWSOME-SEXXX. i fucking ♥ you fuckers

Then add about 3000 comments that were variations of “fucking awesome” “fucking kicked-ass” etc.

The mentality of those posts should have given me a good indication of what to expect from the audience. Frosty was right when he said, “…if that’s their audience, have fun sight seeing!”

We arrive to the venue (Loveland in Portland Oregon on the east side of the river) and the first thing to greet us is a busted door with no handle. Honeybucket about broke his nails off getting the ghetto-worn door to even nudge. Then when he mentioned it to the lifeless and judging ticket taker, she looked at us like we were stupid. Granted, it was an obvious charge, but we couldn’t get in, and she sat there and watched us attempt to open it! After a quick Q&A, I find that there isn’t an ATM in the building, so I have to run 4 blocks to the Slow Bar for cash. Once back at The Loveland, I find out it is an all age club with no alcohol. Then it hits me. Oh god, Frosty is going to be right. I look around and sure enough notice that Honeybucket and I are the oldest in sight. From ages 13-18 (I swear some were even younger) all out on a Sunday night, with no supervision. I wanted to stop a few and ask them where their parents were. Even Jimmy Urine, the lead singer later took to task the audience and show promoters, “Who let these 12 year olds in here, look at all of them!!”

The audience wasn’t the worse part of the evening, the venue was. I will say right now that I will never attend another act at the Loveland no matter who it is. The Loveland in Portland is the worse I’ve seen for performances. The sound was so nasty that Mindless Self Indulgence actually all sat down and listened to their own CD, for a track, in defiance of the muffled and warbled Loveland setup. Blistering humidity heat and sweat because of ZERO ventilation. I will never be critical of Noir’s ventilation again, Loveland was hell.

Some girl puked up an oatmeal like puddle of stomach, that everyone ignored and simply walked through. Their juvenile enthusiasm kept their heads up high and their feet dragging liquid and chunks all over the venue. Coupled with the heat, it quickly dried and soon the place reeked of acid and bile.

I can not overstate my contempt for The Loveland, its owners and the promoters of the show.

I would have left, for I didn’t want the venue to taint a band I enjoy, but I didn’t drive. So, I sat in the back sandwich and beverage shop, watching a 14 year old girl cry for an hour while her boyfriend sat there and worthlessly patted her back. For a complete hour!

I want that part of my life back.

Highly Anticipated include: Noein ~ Mou Hitori no Kimi E | Mushishi | Cluster Edge | Blood+ | Paradise Kiss

The full list (including least anticipated) with comments are here.

The other thing it’s good for is promotion; specifically: band promotion. It excels where even official band websites fail, in that you can stream complete songs and singles from bands. So, Miss Dawn Brown requested that I recommend some tunes. I’m recommending this following, but bear in mind, I’m cutting out all the ‘industrial’ stuff, otherwise the list would be far bigger (and better IMHO.) but, I’m catering to what I think some of you stonethorn.com followers will enjoy.

So, click on the links and in the upper right will be a ‘music player’, usually there are 4 songs to choose from. I’ve listed the singles and ones I like best in () below.

Have fun!

Conjure One (Extraordinary Way) Vocals by Poe with music by the man behind Front Line Assembly. The following track has him on vocals for the first time ever. Pretty good.
The Birthday Massacre The big single off this is (Blue), but I feel (Violet) is far superior, mostly because it doesn’t feel like such a knock off of the faux-gothic-rock band Evanescence.
The Lovemakers (Prepare for The Fight) Very Duran Durany. (Shake That Ass) is very 70s in a exploitive way.
Depeche Mode (Precious) here’s the new single. It’s ok, but the Motor Remix, which isn’t there for listening – go buy the CDM – is just awesome!
Xlover Everything here is great, I can’t recommend this one enough! BUY IT.
Ricodid the production on the Gary Numan remix album Hybrid and did an awesome job, his solo material is equally great. Trip-hoppy with some more jungle aspects in there.
Sohodolls If you like the electroclash stuff, here’s a good addition. The girls of Client signed these girls and I AM X to their label.
I AM X All these tracks are great, with the exception of Kiss + Swallow… it’s just fair. But the other three, aww yea. Good stuff! BUY IT!
Mindless Self Indulgence This is just _plain_ _fun_. Crazy tempo changes and crazy vocals. Fun Fun Fun.!!
Scarling I’m throwing this on here for a change of pace, I’m not to happy with this commercial release album really, but I know a few who will be.

Oh and the Red Cell‘s 2 CD Hybrid Society is right there with Rotersand for best albums of the year. IMHO.

LOL. I love the bobbing ‘stuka’ airplane!

Watched Infernal Affairs (American Trailer). This is an Chinese movie I’ve been intending to watch for two years now. Martin Scorsese is making a ‘rip off’ of it currently, and now that I’ve seen it, I can fully understand why Martin (used to be good) Scorsese is dying to get some of this amazing movie’s mojo.

It’s a cop vs. drug dealer movie, but far more interesting. You see the drug dealer has a mole in the police HQ and the police have a mole in the drug dealers organization. So, The chief of police and the drug tsar both declare a war on each other to find the mole and destroy the other. So, you have two moles looking for each other while trying to best the other side, but look like they aren’t. Complex yet terse like most Chinese films.

I’m dying to watch it again. It’s not a big shoot-em-up bang bang of a picture, it does have some gun play, but this is more of a cat and mouse on the edge of your hips type of movie.

There are two sequels that is said to be as good, hmmm… guess I’ll be watching those this week!

Current Music: Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Rockets Fall on Rockets Fall

DJ Uberlush pumped out some very tweaky-twitch-dancy tracks; I always enjoy his music choices and his bobbing enthusiasm to his own sets. (I swear that Xlover’s Aneurysm would have fit in there somewhere and not killed the floor) I managed to snag some good photos of him finally.

DJ Carrion’s set was dark dark dark. The mood he laid down early was very impressive. At the end he spun out two requests of mine: Battery Cage – State Machine (Stromkern Mix) which was a lot slower than I had remembered it. Oops. Then, when I was grabbing my bag to go pay my tab he growls at me: “you’d better dance to this one Lynn!” Then I listened and he was playing Red Cell – Related Skin from the Born-Evolve-Progress comp – ahh, that track is so good. (Sounds even better at the volume, its tough going from living alone in a house in BFE Montana to an apt downtown Portland… volume levels stay much lower.)

The crowd was very diverse, for every familiar face there was one I’d never seen out. The place really was packed for the last few hours and getting a drink was crazy, even with two bartenders the drink demand was unquenchable! I helped bar-back a few rounds of drinks from around the bar at one point. Great sign of Dementia’s popularity! Lots of dancing people!

UPDATE:

Chris Randall had this to say on his blog about the night @ Noir, which confirms what I say above about Portland IGs not dancing:

I’ve proved once again that I can kill a dancefloor faster than anyone ever imagined. What I don’t understand is as follows: I play Joy Division and everyone just stares, then the DJ after me, his first track is some current band that sounds _just_ like Joy Division, and it packs the floor. There’s some wannabe goths out there, I just want to warn you.

For a complete playlist of the evening click for

Dementia playlists from 09/03/05

Artist/Song

* – Specific request
** – Artist request
_________________________________________________
Atomica “Metropolitan” from 9:00pm-10:00pm

Dj Carrion:
01. Monstrum Sepsis – Trojan Horse
02. Spies – t:d:r:o:s
03. Pressure Control – Biogod
04. Terrorfakt – Hate Like This(Displacer remix)
05. Skorbut – Paradise Parasites
06. Framework – Kill Switch
07. Stromkern – Televised
08. Necro Facility – Methane View
09. Suicide Commando – Dead Call
10. Gridlock – Wound
11. *Christian Death – Cervix Couch(Spahn Ranch remix)
12. Die Form – Rain of Blood
13. **Coil – Love’s Secret Domain
14. *Broken Fabiola – Japanese Callgirl(Manufactura remix)

Dj Chris Randall:
15. Einsturzende Neubauten – Installation
16. Beautiful Assasins – Hellbent
17. KMFDM – Liebesleid
18. ARF – Sonda
19. Siouxsie & The Banshees – Monitor
20. Atomica – Larsen
21. Bauhaus – Third Uncle
22. Eco-Head – Land of The Free
23. Joy Division – Digital
24. Manufactura – I’ll Tear Your Fucking Head Off

Dj Uberlush:
25. Christian Death – Romeo’s Distress
26. Coil – Windowpane
27. Ministry – The Land of Rape & Honey
28. Thrill Kill Kult – A Daisy Chain 4 Satan
29. Oil 10 – Lost In Metropolis
30. Kraftwerk – The Robots
31. Covenant – Tension
32. Benny Benassi – Satisfaction
33. Berlin – Sex(I’m A)
34. P.T.P. – Rubber Glove Seduction

Dj Carrion:
35. *Snog – Corporate Slave
36. Front 242 – Rhythm of Time
37. Pop Will Eat Itself – Ich Bin Ein Auslander
38. *Feindflug – Stukas Im Viser
39. **Death In June – Leopard Flowers
40. **QNTAL – Name Der Rose
41. **Depeche Mode – Stripped
42. Wolfsheim – Touch
43. Camouflage – Close(We Stroke The Flame)
44. **Tactical Sekt – VX
45. *Psyclon Nine – Behind A Serrated Grin
46. Agonoize – Sick
47. Stromkern – Slow Cascade
48. *Battery Cage – Statemachine(Stromkern remix)
49. *Red Cell – Related Skin
50. Centhron – Tanz Im Strernen Feuer

Never be lonely again! Action-figure ULTRA is here! Dress him up like Ed Harris from The Abyss and save the world from nuclear destruction; or throw a wig and dress on him like Mama Fratelli from The Goonies and find buried treasure in the Pacific! The scenarios are nearly limitless! You are impeded by your imagination alone!

Angry? Defile ULTRA with torture! Burn his feet or maybe just a toe! Poke his groin-area with painful viciousness, until nothing but a hole remains! Cut him out and stuff his head up his butt! Fold him in two, and then skewer him with cocktail umbrellas! Go crazy! Put white military issue underclothes on him, present him with a 7.62 Full Metal Jacket rifle and show him the restroom! There are no laws protecting Action-figure ULTRA!

Going on a business trip alone, or has your loved one gone on a business trip? Print two ULTRAs, carefully cut them out, staple them together along the edges, then stuff him full of soft down. Place him right beside you, but don’t worry! He only makes a move if you choose, but he’s best as a comforting pillow!

Want to relay advice (or maybe bitch out your boss), but don’t want to deal with the consequences of having said it? Make ULTRA do the dirty work. Simply pencil in a word or thought balloon next to him with what’s on your mind, and then put him in a public area for the advisee to read. He sticks easily to refrigerators with magnets!

Feel free to download as many copies of Action-figure ULTRA as you need here! Don’t forget to give him treats from time to time. He’ll need the energy!

Playlist:

Dementia Playlist 08-27-05

curatix
——-
human league – being boiled
oneroid psychosis – prurience
cocteau twins – all but an ark lark
skeletal family – so sure
wolfgang press – so long dead
cadra ash – call to rememberance
the sixteens – community people
katzenjammer kabarett – lies suck not
legendary pink dots – lisa’s party
xmal deutchland – hand in hand
gary numan – we are so fragile
chris connolly – get down here
peter murphy – marlene dietariey’s favorite poem
submarine fleet 0 sea of chance

medusa
——
tones on tail – when you’re smiling
monolith – matrix a
pow[d]er pussy – n rot
pal – discoroad
black lung – karmaggeddon
asche – riding the atomic ice
implant dont like them noizey
haujobb – less rmx
pzycho bitch – eden
kmfdm – loving can ba an art
kompressor – rappers we crush
pigface – fuck it up

adam
—-
g. jones- libertango
gogol bordello – dogs were barking
madness – isaerlites
op ivy – freeze up
bad religion – inner logic
evil’s toy – vicitm of the sun
qntal – flamm
rezillos – somebody’s gonna get their head kicked in tonight
dead kennedies – forward to death
misfits- turned into martian
dropkick murphys – captain kellys kitchen

nevermore
———
collide-halo
natacha atlas-yalla chant (banco de gaia mix)
broken fabiola-japanes call girl
combichrist-this shit will fuck you up
prodigy-smack my bitch up
snake river conspiracy-lovesong
miss kitten-rippin kitten
vnv nation-kathys song

horrid
——
numb-blood
wumpscutt-dark chamber
cop shoot cop $10 bill
crash worship- triple mania
di-richard hung himself
bow wow wow-i want candy
ministry-breathe
virtual embrace-fuck you

Zufall
——
Wolfsheim – Once in a Lifetime
Rotersand – Undone
Apoptygma Berzerk – Until the End of the World (Dan Framtpton Remix)
Seize – Don’t Let Me
Covenant – Dead Stars (Club Version )
Boole – Blow Up the World
And One -Wasted (Radio Edit)

burn
—-
little computer people – electro pop
spektrum – kinda new (tiefschwarz dub)

uberlush
——–
ministry – so what
dieform – savage logic rmx

burn
—-
icon of coil – shelter
dot alison – substance (felix da housecat rmx)

uberlush
——–
fpu – in the night
*benni banassai – satisfaction

burn
—-
tok tok – love and lust
underworld – bruce lee (the micronauts rmx)

uberlush
——–
june sex – fast food meshia (carl a, finlow rmx)
dirty sanchez – dig it

burn
—-
dj assault – ass and titties
alma x – a forest

uberlush
——–
praga khan – lonely

burn
—-
audio bullies – bang bang

carrion
——-
VNV Nation – Chrome
Combichrist – This Is My Rifle
**Skinny Puppy – Pro-Test
*Psyclon Nine – As You Sleep
X-Fusion – Nothing To Lose
Funker Vogt – Fallen Hero

valence
——-
*:w: – wreath of barbs
snog – corporate slave
*corvus corax – mille anni passi sunt
leaether strip – anti us
*ministry – new world order
*rammstein – zwitter
haujobb – eye over you
*this morn’ onina – epoch
pow[d]er pussy – icomeinpeace
tactical sekt – soulless
decoded feedback – EVOlution
dive – behind the sun

NoN
—
bio god 20 – Sick

Nestled in the warm underground stone speakeasy Noir tonight will be a grand ball of epic proportions, and all of Portland is invited! For tonight is the Second Annual Dark Alice in Wonderland Ball, celebrating the one year birthday of Dementia‘s wonderful taste in chilling tweaks, whispy vocals and bombastic throbbings.

Each hour of the evening will present a differing DJ that Dementia usually couples up, but here, unleashes them all; showcasing the differing sub-genres that are nourished each weekend in her red-depths.

Familiar faces and new blood will vie for best costume, while presents out of Pandora’s Box will handed to the first 20 to support the night.

Details:
21+ Only
7-9PM, Free (Lush musical backgrounds provided by DJ Curatix and Dj Medusa)
9PM-3AM, $5

Noir; 203 SE Grand Ave Portland, OR (503) 231-2925

Dark Alice @ Dementia line-up:

DJ Curatrix (7-8pm)
DJ Medusa (8-9pm)
DJ MohawkAdam (9-9:30pm)

DJ Nevermore (9:30-10pm)
DJ Onitako (10-10:30pm)
DJ Horrid (10:30-11pm)
DJ Zufall (11-11:30pm)
DJ Burn Vs. DJ Uberlush (11:30pm-12:30am)
DJ Carrion (12:30-1:10am)
DJ Valence (1:10-1:50am)
DJ NoN (1:50-2:30am)

I’ve always tried very hard to keep on the edge of the musical curve, even while I was in Montana. I’ve found, since moving to Portland, that I didn’t do too bad keeping up. If anything, it’s been disparaging in Portland seeing how many people here are so shamelessly rooted in a single era of their particular genre. They criticize both new music they are aware of and heard, and music they haven’t heard but aren’t willing to. Progressive DJs that play the latest tunes from European labels are criticized for not playing what the customers know, which means: what they have already been exposed to via radio. (The local radio is far superior from what I can tell [KPSU is great], but most channels are controlled by the ever present Clear Channel and of the three times I’ve turned on the radio – it was what I expected.) A successful night is measured simply by how many people get out and dance. (I fully understand the joy a DJ feels seeing an actual physical response to the tones they are choosing to play. However, sometimes a successful night for me, is a night where I go home with a song in my head I hadn’t heard before and am dying to get my hands on first thing the next day; yet I had never left my position of belly-up-to-the-bar. Compensatory, I tend to praise DJs vocally when I haven’t danced, just so they know: it has been a great night.)

I’ve yet to goto a true Industrial night. I’ve yet to goto a true Goth night. I’ve yet to goto a true Industrial-Rock venue. I’ve however been to quite a few fabulous venues that mix it up by playing across the genres. The crowds tend to have many familiar faces, which is good. I hear and see far more vocal lovers of the Goth genre, but they seem unwilling to progress past the 80-90s era of the scene (The Cure and Siouxsie/Creatures are as over played here as AC/DC and Manfred Mann are in Montana) I had expected more moving from a town of 14,223 to a city of 545,140. I figured the scenes I enjoyed would have had a specific club dedicated to the appeasement of said followers, not just one-two night events that bar owners allow so they can fill dead nights.

Over all, lots of fun – with frustrations mixed in. Nothing is ever perfect and there are exceptions to everything.

On a side note – I’ve been working on an online resource I’m going to call: Strudelmärz!. Hopefully I’ll have it complete in a few weeks.

Here’s a small list of new stand-out tunes I’ve bought since I moved here to Portland that I either had the pleasure of hearing via a DJ or through the typical rooting-through-the-internet-for-new-shit I’ve been doing for years:

Rotersand – Welcome to Goodbye
Melotron – Cliche
Editors – The Back Room
Death From Above 1979 – Your A Woman, I’m A Machine
5x – 5x
Pow[d]er Pussy – Six Ways From Sunday
Project Pitchfork – Kaskade
Unter Null – Sick Fuck
Stark – Brave New Desire
Xlover – Pleasure & Romance
Dope – American Apathy
Noise Unit – Vouyer
Belladonnakillz – Kill Belladonna
Combichrist – Everyone Hates You
Kill Memory Crash – American Automatic
Stromkern – Light It Up

It’s been years since I picked up a novel of his.

With all the free time I have now, I picked one of his latests up at Powell’s (along with a few Chuthulu books – Mountains of Madness, staggering, epic, argh! I didn’t want it to end). I glanced over the vast amount of books and finally settled on the latest: The Blue Girl.

I walked up Burnside and sat down at an eatery and while I drank an espresso I began reading. The language of the story was very simple (It is a book intended for Young Adult), and the dialogue was movie script perfect. Like it had been ripped right out of Ghost World. By that time the next day I had read the entirety of the book.

One of my favorite scenes I’ll preview/review here:

It opens with Imogene having a dream of her childhood imaginary friend, Pelly.

I used to call him Pelly and stopped playing with him a good seven years ago, when I was ten. I haven’t really thought much about him since then, except for that day when I first met Maxine.

He hasn’t grown the way I did, so he’s still only around four feet tall, this weird, skinny cross between a hedgehog and a boy, with floppy rabbit ears and a monkey’s prehensile tale. He used to be so sweet, but now he has all the innocence of a dead child’s ghost. It’s in those big eyes of his. He knows too much. He’s seen too much.

He steps up to the bed and lays his hands on my comforter. The fingers seem too long, like they have an extra joint. I don’t remember that from before, either. His face leans close to mine. My gaze lifts, and now all I can see are those big, strange eyes of his. They’re deep and luminous, and I feel like I could fall right into them.

“Imogene,” he says. His voice is a husky rasp and harmonizes with the faint calliope music. “I’ve missed you sideways”

Later in the book, Pelly has become fully realized and can be seen by not only Imogene, but by her family members as well. Imogene’s mother reacts to first seeing Pelly:

Mom gives him a weak smile. “I thought he’d be…” She looks embarrassed, then changes that to, “I mean, I thought you’d be… jollier somehow.”

“Because he was some kid’s imaginary friend?” I ask.

She nods.

“It’s the eyes,” I explain. “They’ve gotten too knowing.”

Pelly gives me a puzzled look and gets up to look at himself in the hall mirror.

“I see,” he says, his voice soft. He returns to sit beside me on the couch. “It’s a look we get when we’ve…”

He seems reluctant to go on.

“When you’ve been what?” I ask.

“Been abandoned.”

It’s so sad.

I recommend this book as a good nice evening filler, but I highly recommend his other works: Memory & Dream, The Little Country.

* – Of the cover versions I have showing above, I have the version on the right. I really wish I’d have grabbed the one on the left, it’s far more characteristic of the lead character Imogene.

Fell is an 8 year old Warforged Artificer. He was created in the Creation Forges of Karrnath, and during the war he was under the leadership of Voldorv The Pike. During the Battle of The Lurching Tower at the Thrane & Cyre front, new born Fell was struck and incapacitated. He laid on the field for weeks until, under heavy attack, a group of mercenaries from Breland (Under the command of House Deneith) required assistance and repaired him to fight with them. Fell has continued to assist this merc group to this day – changing allegiance.

Fell, Male Warforged Artificer5: CR 6; Medium Construct Living (Living Construct); HD 5d6+5(Artificer) ; hp 29; Init +2; Spd 30; AC:18 (Flatfooted:16 Touch:13); Atk +5 base melee, +5 base ranged; +5 (1d8+2, Mace, heavy); +1/+1 (1d8+2, Mace, heavy; 1d8+1, Mace, heavy); +5 (1d3+2, Unarmed strike); +5 (1d4+3, Slam); +5 (1d6, Acid (flask)); +5 (1d4, Acidic fire (flask)); +5 (1d6, Alchemist`s fire); SQ: Immunity: Poison (Ex), Immunity: Sleep Effects (Ex), Immunity: Paralysis (Ex), Immunity: Disease (Ex), Immunity: Fatigue (Ex), Immunity: Exhaustion (Ex), No Natural Healing (Ex), Immunity: Nausea (Ex), Vulnerability: Chill Metal (Ex), Vulnerability: Heat Metal (Ex), Vulnerability: Repel Metal or Stone (Ex), Vulnerability: Repel Wood (Ex), Vulnerability: Rusting Grasp (Ex), Can be raised or resurrected (Ex), Light Fortification (Ex), Immunity: Energy Drain (Ex); AL LN; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5; STR 15, DEX 15, CON 12, INT 16, WIS 12, CHA 17.

Skills: Appraise +4, Concentration +5, Craft (Alchemy) +8, Craft (Blacksmithing) +10, Disable Device +12, Knowledge (Arcana) +9, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) +4, Open Lock +9, Search +11, Spellcraft +13, Use Magic Device +11.

Feats: Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Brew Potion, Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Mithral Body, Scribe Scroll, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Two-Weapon Fighting.

Infusions Known (Artificer –/4/4/2): 1st — Armor Enhancement, Lesser, Energy Alteration, Enhancement Alteration, Identify, Inflict Light Damage, Light, Magic Stone, Magic Vestment, Magic Weapon, Repair Light Damage, Resistance Item, Shield of Faith, Skill Enhancement, Spell Storing Item, Weapon Augmentation, Personal; 2nd — Align Weapon, Armor Enhancement, Bear`s Endurance, Bull`s Strength, Cat`s Grace, Chill Metal, Eagle`s Splendor, Fox`s Cunning, Heat Metal, Inflict Moderate Damage, Owl`s Wisdom, Repair Moderate Damage, Toughen Construct, Weapon Augmentation, Lesser; 3rd — Armor Enhancement, Greater, Construct Energy Ward, Inflict Serious Damage, Magic Weapon, Greater, Metamagic Item, Power Surge, Repair Serious Damage, Stone Construct, Suppress Requirement.

Infusions Prepared (Artificer –/4/4/2): 1st – Armor Enhancement, Lesser, Armor Enhancement, Lesser, Magic Weapon x2, Repair Light Damage; 2nd – Bull`s Strength, Repair Moderate Damage; 3rd – Stone Construct x2.

Possessions:
Weapons: Mace, heavy (12 gp); Acid (flask) (10 gp); Mace, heavy (12 gp); Acid (flask) (10 gp); Acid (flask) (10 gp); Acid (flask) (10 gp); Acidic fire (flask) (30 gp); Acidic fire (flask) (30 gp); Alchemist`s fire (20 gp); Alchemist`s fire (20 gp); Alchemist`s fire (20 gp); Alchemist`s fire (20 gp).
Armor: Mithral Body (feat) (0 gp).
Goods: Coin: gp (193) (193 gp); Warforged repair kit (50 gp); Blacksmith`s tools, Masterwork (55 gp); Thieves` tools, Masterwork (100 gp); Alchemists`s tools, Masterwork (55 gp); Case, map or scroll (3) (3 gp); Letter of marquee (500 gp); Arcane signet ring (150 gp); Rope, silk (50 ft.) (2) (20 gp); Flint and steel (1 gp); Grappling hook (1 gp); Paper (sheet) (10) (40 sp); Parchment (sheet) (10) (20 sp); Sealing wax (1 gp); Flask (20) (60 cp); Torch (5) (5 cp); Coin: sp (3) (3 sp); Coin: cp (5) (5 cp).
Magic: Wondrous: Elixir of Truth (500 gp); Wondrous: Bag of Holding, type I (2,500 gp); Wondrous: Arcane Key (500 gp); Ring: Protection +1 (2,000 gp); Wand: Magic Missile (3) (Charges: 48) (2,160 gp).

I am all alone this time around.
Sometimes I’ll decide I hear a sound,
Places parallel I know it’s you.
Feel the little pieces bleeding through.

Now that I’ve decided not to stay.
I can feel me start to fade away
Everything is back where it belongs
I will be beside you before long.

And on
This goes on
And on (x6)
This goes on
And on (x6)

[03:39 Beside You]

We will never die
Beside you in time

From the production team that brought you Blood Brothers. The Radical Bros unleash their short that launched the full length feature: Hamburger Dad! Can he survive in a world full of hungry mouths?! Download the movie and see!

For a short time way back on December 4th 2003, I promised the Radical Bros that I would host their short featurette, Hamburger Dad. It was up for a short time, but has since fallen back to a miserable state of unavailability. The only way the public has been able to see this masterpiece is via small art-house theaters in Seattle, or await the DVD burning whimsy of The Bros. Not any longer. Here it is, in it’s original unlettuced glory: Hamburger Dad. (requires Windows Media Player, or Media Player Classic.)

Monday (5 hours): 27 games.
Sat-Sun ( 2 days): 84 games.

For a total of : 111 games in three days.

A true moment of glory can be seen here.

UPDATE: In the annals of Halo2 time, there are moments so glorious, that a warcry is warranted. Here are a few of ProfX’s warcries:

“SNIGGIDY SNIPED!“, after sniping.

“I beat down day-old-pussy!”, after pistol-whipping.

“Due-blay!”, after scoring a double-kill.

The prom was not unlike it’s 2002 incarnation, that was held to benefit a local girl with cancer. The bands were pushed into a little corner of a cramped room, the humidity was high as well as the volume. This year the bend had a lottery month earlier and whatever band they pulled out of that hat, they covered two of their songs. It wasn’t just an event for the masses, but the bands enjoyed hearing reinterpretations of their own songs, performed by differing genred bands. My personal favorite was Bacon & Egg’s cover of Ass-End Offend’s: Skateboardings Not A Sport.

After cleanup and a few drinks down at the Union Hall, we made our way over to Tom’s house for an after prom party. click for images &

Here’s what Wantage had to say:

Just this past Friday was the Punk Rock Prom, the fundraiser to help get Ass-End Offend to Eastern Europe this Summer, went down really positively! 6 bands played, and with the exception the beneficiaries’ botching of one of their covers (insert akward laugh-cough here), the music was par excellence. Highlights are hard to hand out, but mine go like this:
the International Playboys handled some Live At Leeds styled Young Man Blues, Bacon and Egg slammed out a killer version of Becoming Our Destruction, Sasshole tore up Playboys Incorporated, Oblio Joes played Super Confident Guy without cracking an ironic smile, Volumen slayed the Sasshole theme, and Ass-End Offend’s take on Roll On Kentucky Moon was a fist pumper. The photo booth was great fun, the raffle was sweet too. Muchas gracias to all the bands, organizers and business sponsors.

The distortion hit my ears with a dull thud. Reznor’s voice kicked in. Yet, it was all familiar. The opening riff reminded me of something. It was just there on the tip of my memory banks, allusive. Then I remembered.

For those that listen to Tool. There is a track where a German announcer speaks out in marching band dramatics, a cookie recipe. It sounds evil, but it’s not. The crashing electronic distortion of that track, sounds like the riff used on The Line Begins To Blur. Hmm. Different, but so close.

Here are the lyrics (From schulte’s blog with edits by me.):

There are things that I said I would never do
There are fears that I can not believe have come true
For my soul is too sick, too little, too late
In my cell I have grown too weary to hate

The more I stay in here
The more it’s not so clear
The more I stay in here
The more I disappear

As far as I have gone
I knew what side I’m on
But now I’m not so sure
The line begins to blur

There’s somebody on top of me
I don’t know I don’t know
Isn’t anyone stopping me
I don’t know I don’t know
They say it and I hold my breath
I don’t know I don’t know
Just how far down can I go
I don’t know I don’t know
I don’t know

As I lie here and stare
The fabric starts to tear
It’s far beyond repair
And I don’t really care

As far as I have gone
I knew what side I’m on
But now I’m not so sure
The line begins to blur

Who’s better? I have chosen to only use the last two months stats, so that excludes any ‘learning curve’ and ProfX isn’t included.

Tracks 2,3,4,6,8,9 are unrelenting, riveting raw abrasive industrial rock. Track 1 seems a bit to Atari Teenage Riotish for me (even though I love them), but the departure from there is 100% Empire.

Move over America, the new Empire is here.