[ FEARnet Exclusive: John Carpenter Talks 'Prince of Darkness" Soundtrack Re-Release" ]

KEYVO says: I think my brain just exploded, i love it.

MADDSKEELZ says: I really don’t care that this has limited vocal samples. This is completely amazing. It reminds me of one of the Closer remixes. Singlehandedly the best industrial mix on here. Absolutely gut wrenchingly scary. Well freakin done.

Favorite GHOSTLIGHT MIX Comments…

PD17 says: so beautiful it sends chills down my spine

MALOK THE MULE says: I love this sound…the name pretty much directly describes it too, ghostly as it is. Its beauty all over. Great stuff.

JANUX says: Now THIS is what im talking about. Something unique! I love it. It doesn’t sound like everyone else. -Travis of Janux

We did not “win” the Celldweller SWITCHBACK remix contest as far as prizes or placement in the top three. We also did not make it onto the remix CD, at least not yet… I’m not even sure that a remix CD will be made, honestly… it seems that Klayton prefers widgets these days [as do most indie musicians, ourselves included!], so maybe at some point, we could wind up being featured on the Celldweller widget. That would be awesome, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine by us, because the contest benefited us above and beyond widget-stardom or CD placement in ways we could not have predicted when we first created the remixes.

It’s an honor that we were welcomed as a featured remix artist, which thrilled us about as much as [if not, more than] getting on a CD. We also received some great compliments from the Celldweller community, a few favorites are posted in this entry. But most importantly, the one outcome we could not have predicted was that it showed us what we’re really, truly capable of as musicians. We took a few risks, mixed together some genres that typically aren’t “supposed” to work together [what did we have to lose?] and made them work… I mean, really, really work. In essence, dissecting SWITCHBACK helped us further evolve our signature sound: beauty and beast [GHOSTLIGHT=Beauty, SOULSNATCHER=Beast], a mix of symphonies, choirs, crunchy guitars, fucked-up drum kits and frightening electronics… and we continue to explore that crazy Corvo concoction with each track as our debut full-length TELLTALE unfolds.

So thank you, Klayton, for letting us dive into a song you’ve written that we’ve always loved… you continue to inspire us as indie musicians, and through your work and embrace of independent musicians, we… well… know it sounds hokey, but… we sort of found ourselves.

-NiNi + G9

I have never in my life experienced a concert more perfectly than at Apocalyptica’s very first show in Dallas, TX [at the House of Blues]. At first, I was just going to string together a few videos and a bunch of photos my new-found front-row friend Shelby had captured on her camera, but then… this video just took me on an artistic journey of its own, and I couldn’t stop it [nor did I want to]! Enjoy this fan documentary, and let me know what you think of the video. Finally, if you ever get the opportunity to see these guys in concert, don’t let it pass you by… it’ll be one of the best shows of your life, I promise.

Have you seen Apocalyptica live? What do you think of the band? What are some of your favorite Apo songs? Who is your favorite band member?

[ @ YouTube ] [ Right Click For MP4 ] [ Right Click For FLV ] [ Apocalyptica.com ]

“White spotlights appeared one at a time to highlight each player as he launched into the enigmatic opening strains of the title track from Worlds Collide. The cheers built to a deafening crescendo as Mikko’s thunderous toms launched the song’s first explosive synchronized cello riffs. I felt a physical blast of compressed air from the amp stacks as the low-end vibrations kicked in, hammered home by a machine-gun double kick.” ~From G9′s FEARnet Review of the Show

I can’t help but look at that shot of Asia Argento in The Filth, and think to myself, with a father like that, who needs enemies? What a fascinating father-daughter dynamic. Not quite like my artistic father-daughter dynamic, in which we performed a duet of “Rainbow Connection” for my first ever opera audition. In later years, I think the craziest we ever got was when dad learned Over the Hills and Far Away on the guitar, and I sang like Robert Plant. But you know… if dad asked me to practically drown in entrails thirteen-plus hours a day, I’d gladly do it, because that would mean I’m starring in a Dario Argento film! What? You need to literally drill a hole into my cranium to get just the right blood squirt for this scene, and then insert a metal plate into my skull not to cover the hole, but to use the metal as an electric conductor for shooting 227,849 volts through my nose, so that when the killer tries to lobotomize me, he’ll blow up, and I’ll run around the room with my head on fire? Yes father, I’ll do it… because you’re Dario Argento and I’m starring in your film!

The depth of Asia’s filth and pain-threshold is astounding, and in La Terza Madre, I started to think, wow, she’s kind of getting through this one like she’s in a Jerry Bruckheimer film, or something… until the scene from that photo up there ^. Wow… it’s… a force of nature to watch her trudge through it all. Even though La Terza Madre is, as Dethklok would declare, f^cking brutal, complete with blood, boobs, impaling, baby eating and more [for one very low price], this film made me laugh. Out loud. A lot. I know, it’s totally sick, but I giggled like crazy through the whole thing. So what if all of Italy and the world gets raped, pillaged, and possessed by ancient demons, this is opera at its finest. As I watched old Mater Lachrymarum’s witch-brigade trolling about, acting like The Pïnkk Läydeez, I was reminded of the years I’d spent in opera performing in the women’s choruses. Part of the reason why I love Argento’s work so much is that I recognize that it’s Italian horror opera… maybe that’s why I’m able to take the brutality in-stride. You could say that death in vivid colors takes me back to fond memories of watching people die when I was in grade school… characters in my operas, sillies, not real people!

G9′S ARGENTO TOP 5:
Suspiria
Tenebre
Inferno
La Terza Madre
Deep Red

NiNi’S ARGENTO TOP 5:
Suspiria
La Terza Madre
Do You Like Hitchcock?
Pelts
Opera

Another reason Argento’s films resonate with me as opera, is the importance placed on the music. In La Terza Madre, Claudio Simonetti’s score delivers a powerful “character” to the film in what I would consider one of the best film scores ever made, and definitely up-to-snuff with his Suspiria score. The final [closing credits] track “Mater Lacrimarum,” performed by Daemonia, with guest vocalist Dani Filth, is a horror music masterpiece. When I first heard it, I just wanted to loop it over and over again for days… seriously… and I did!

On that [literal] note, I’ve enclosed Mater Lacrimarum herein for your listening pleasure.

If “Mater Lacrimarum” resonates with you, please show your support by visiting Daemonia on mySpace, adding them to your fiends list, listening to more [as G9 would say], melodies of horror, and downloading some free tracks! It’s Italian horror metal with progressive rock sophistication, and they’re truly one of our hugest inspirations.

Finally, for we who’ve been following these Argento witches for so many years, La Terza Madre goes out with a bang, providing perfect closure for The Three Mothers Trilogy, all the way down to casting Udo Kier and Daria Nicolodi [and of course, our beloved Asia].

[ G9's Review of La Terza Madre Soundtrack ] [ G9's Exclusive Interview With Daemonia ]

If you only have time to listen to one track on this widget, I highly recommend Scorpion Flower [track #4] featuring the amazing voice of Anneke van Giersbergen. To stream the album, just click on the middle “slot” when you mouse over the widget image. You can click on individual songs… the player doesn’t confine you to listening to the whole album, although… if listening to the whole album is “confinement,” throw away the key, because in my opinion, this is a perfect album… at least, perfect for me!

My thoughts in “real time” as I listened to the stream:

Holy Jeebus, I’m only on track one ["At Tragic Heights"] of Moonspell’s new album, Night Eternal, and I’ve already decided to buy it the moment I get paid Friday. See? Label streams entire album online, consumer is willing to buy said album. It’s called “the new era of music sales,” and it’s really not that difficult to let people listen for free as part of the whole purchasing experience. Of course, it’s gotta be a great album if the label’s confident enough to let people “try before they buy,” so that alone is a no-brainer for we who devour music… free online album streams and embeddable widgets are the new “perceived value” of music pricing. But enough with my “industry research” observations and onto the album…

Oh wow, [ex-The Gathering's] Anneke van Giersbergen [one of my vocal heroes] contributes to the song “Scorpion Flower?” Right on! I’m really digging the female vocal seasonings throughout the album… I’m going to spring for the special edition if it hasn’t already sold out. I’ll definitely do a follow-up on the actual [physical] CD soon…

Make no mistake about it, we plan to “try before buy” Telltale… wonder where we could score a nifty l’il widget like this one? I bet SPV had to pay a pretty penny to MySpace for it… but what a worthwhile investment.

On Track #3 now, and wetting my pants… I looooove this album!

The flash player is of exceptional audio quality, too.

Uh oh… now on Anneke’s song, “Scorpion Flower”. It’s breathtaking! I would buy the album just for this song alone. [Loved it so much, had to post the lyrics].

Finished the album stream: fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!

Can I steal your mind for a while?
Can I stop your heart for a while?
Can I freeze your soul and your time?
Scorpion flower, Token of death
Ignite the skies with your eyes
And keep me away from your light

Surrender tears to your mortal act
Flower cursed be thy fruit
Of your courage last
Of your grand finale
Flower crushed in the ground
In your empty heart
In the breast that feeds
Flower worn in the dark
~From SCORPION FLOWER, Moonspell Featuring Anneke van Giersbergen

… what would be really interesting for people to see is how beautiful things grow out of shit. ~Brian Eno

From Daniel Lanois’ film, Here is What it Is, this musing from Brian Eno is so… real and so inspiring, I had to share it here. -NiNi
—————
Daniel: I’m trying to make a film that’s… beautiful in itself, about beauty, about the source of the art, rather than… everything that surrounds the art… and… I was hoping you might say a couple of words about that subject matter, because you’ve always operated in a relatively quiet way, and yet, you’re like a world artist…

Brian: Well, I tell you, one thing I would say about your film is that… what would be really interesting for people to see is how beautiful things grow out of shit.

Daniel *Laugh*

Brian: Because… nobody ever believes that. You know… everybody thinks that Beethoven had his string quartets completely in his head, that it somehow appeared there and formed in his head, and all he had to do was write them down, and they would kind of be manifest to the world. But… I think what’s so interesting… and what would really be a lesson that everybody should learn is that… things come out of nothing. Things evolve out of nothing. You know? The tiniest seed in the right situation turns into the most beautiful forest, and then, the most promising seed in the wrong situation turns into nothing. And… I think this would be important for people to understand because it gives people confidence in their own lives to know that that’s how things work. If you walk around with the idea that there are some people who are so gifted, that they have these wonderful things in their head, but you’re not one of them, you’re just sort of… a “normal” person, that you could never do anything like that, then… you live a different kind of life, you know? You could have another kind of life where you can say, “Well, I know that things come from nothing very much and start from unpromising beginnings, and… I’m an unpromising beginning and I could start something.