George RR Martin-The Armageddon Rag

Although he is better known for his Songs of Ice and Fire series, this novel is the first one that I have read by this author circa 10 years ago. Now, I have bought this book couple of months ago and read it again. I was enchanted the same as the first time when I read it. Nazgul were a band that was very popular among hippies and rockers playing occult hard rock. Their career abruptly ended when someone shot and killed their singer Hobins during live gig. Now, Nazgul reformed and started playing tour with new singer that looks very much like Hobbins almost as if his ghost takes over the body during gigs. Strange things and murders happen, and the old hippy underground journalist Sandy Blair must discover can Nazgul music wake up the dead? I hate hippy movement and everything about their spiritual pipe dreams. But, this is a damn fine novel, mix of music, horror, thriller and drama about not wanting to grow up. It is very readable and you can absolutely gulp it in couple of days. I recommend this one!

Ayn Rand-The Virtue of Selfishness

Ayn Rand(1905.-1982.) was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is best known for creating philosophical system called objectivism. This book is a collection of her essays and lectures on ethics and morality of objectivism. The concept is that man must be a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute. I can see a lot grounds for Church of Satan and Anton Szandor LaVey thinking in the thoughts of Ayn Rand. The book is just excellent. Rand says that ethical egoism and rational should be our guiding moral principle. She also rejects both socialism and fascism as negative because they both advertise the state, meaning collective in front of the individual and such societies are not welcome in objectivism. Rand rejects faith and religion and also altruism. For Rand, you can aquire knowledge only through reason. She also very much opposes collectivism, statism and anarchy. Laissez faire capitalism recognizes individual and his individual rights, so it is the only right political system for us. I couldnt agree more.  Interesting book, great thoughts and I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Downfall-Punishment For The Infidels(Memorial Records)

This is the first album by the Italian trash metal quartet from Ancona. The band exists since 2007./2008. and after two ep-s and several lineup changes they released their first album through Memorial Records . The album contains 11 songs in wild old school trash metal style. “The Torture” is an excellent opener which reminds me musically and vocally of old Sepultura  from “Scizophrenia/ Beneath the Remains” era. Of course, Downfall brought their own style in their music and they are in no way only empty hearted clone. It is a vast amount of energy and aggression that kept me high through listening to the tracks. Another highlight of the album is “Pleasure for Murder”. The songs are so good that I hardly kept myself from moshing all through my living room under influence of this full blooded trash metal jewel of the album. Get this album and enjoy the aggression, energy and joy that this band carries in the songs. Top songs: “Corrupted in Black”, “Pleasure for Murder”.

8/10

https://www.facebook.com/downfallthrash/

http://www.memorial-records.com/downfall-store/

Nuclear Altar-Mankind in Decline

If you enjoy soundtrack for apocalypse you came to the right place. Here is the new output by Nuclear Altar, band from the town Požega, Croatia. Požega used to be fertile scene with many bands/projects varying from metal, across crust punk and hardcore. Nowadays there are not many bands left, but some of the stubborn individuals still persist in creating beautiful underground noise. This incarnation of the band consists of two guys(Kktz and Gera) and one girl(Nani). The people involved in this band were creating noise in a few dozen bands/projects and I will name just a few like Antitude, Bad Justice, Fight Back, Nonsense, Hell Back, Masakrist…There are 13 songs on this album including some covers by Hellkrusher, Dislike and UBR. The music is excellent dirty and raw hardcore punk with angry vocals , d-beat and metal influences. The way that the album is recorded and sounds reminds me on golden age of Croatian hardcore punk scene in the 90-ies. There is some unbreakable and wild diy spirit lurking over this album, maybe that is why I love it so much. This album is not for modern hardcore thrill seekers, but true underground dwellers will love it.

9/10

https://www.facebook.com/Nuclear-Altar-291832254335720/

https://nuclearaltar.bandcamp.com/album/mankind-in-decline

The Real McKenzies-Two Devils Will Talk(Fat Wreck)

2016.was great for punkrock scene because many bands like The Descendents, NOFX and others released their new albums. This year is just continuing the fertile new album ground with releases of Cock Sparrer and this band coming out in the early part of Spring. We became kinda used to new album of McKenzies every two years or so, and here it is. The new 14 songs are here, celebrating 25th year of this band and what an album this is! Everyone who knows me does know that I am not keen to listen Celtic punk bands, or as a matter of fact I am not fan of folk influenced punk whatsoever. But, this band is an exemption. The album opener “Due West” is one of the best songs on this album and really lifts the spirit. The whole album is filled with punkrock anthems, great twin guitar melodies and over the top bagpipe passages. The vocals are melodic and the choruses are anthemic, just made for gang singalongs in the front row of the gig. Unlike the awful Dropkick Murphys album, this one is a keeper! I really want to  see this band live for the first time in my life and I can hardly wait! Get this! Top songs: “One Day”, “Due West”, “Northwest Passage”…

9,5/10

https://www.fatwreck.com

http://www.stomprecords.com

Directed by:Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski

Starring:Aaron Poole, Kenneth Welsh, Daniel Fathers

Modern horror movies and the horror films that are entering cinemas across the globe are not my thing. I laughed at The Conjuring films, Insidious was okay, but the sequels were terrible. Sinister sucked big time, both of them, The Boy as well. The only decent ones were The Blairwitch new movie and It Follows. I almost lost hope in new horror and then I ran into this one. I stopped watching trailers couple of years ago so I dont spoil the movie and I want the story to be a surprise. So, I didnt know whats it all about and paf! It hit me with a bang!

The movie starts with a young man and woman running from a desolate house chased by two men. The woman was killed brutally and the man was wounded but he managed to escape. He ran to the woods and got picked up by the main protagonist, young cop who took him to the nearest hospital. The hospital is manned only by minimum staff because it is in the process of moving to the new location(Carpenters Assault on Precinct 13 anyone?). The night goes on and strang things begin to happen inside the hospital and people become trapped in there surrounded by the mysterious hooded figures, but something much more sinister is preying upon them inside the hospital.(Carpenter Prince of Darkness anyone?). Other half of the film is an excellent mashup of Lovecraftian cosmic horror concept and Event Horizon and similar movies.

I am astonished with this movie and as I am writing this, couple of hours after I watched it, still causes some kind of positive disturbance inside of me, which only a great horror movie is able to do. The directors were the guys who did the visual effects in movies such are Suicide Squad, Crimson Peak etc and they did a fine job here. The story is dark, fast telling and laced with some of the better creature and gore effects that I have seen in the last couple of years. The acting is solid, although there are some situations that I caught myself yelling to the character(s) in the movie:Hey there! Dont act so stupid, damn it!

This movie raised and renewed my faith in modern horror movies. I recommend this one to all of you horror fiendettes and fiends out there!