Over ninety minutes of music ranging from chilling and disturbing to ethereal and warm, emotionally gripping to totally heavy, we’re so proud of our work and grateful to Drew Daywalt for pairing our sound with his intelligent, intense, beautifully filmed, scare-the-pants-off-you style of horror. Yes, there will be a soundtrack CD as well as some free digital downloads, which we’ll share with you when the series goes public.

Needless to say, when Drew invited us to score his next indie project, we jumped at the chance to work with him again!

And so begins our 2010. We’re especially excited to share this short film with you because it will give you a very good idea of what lies ahead with CAMERA OBSCURA.

We hope you enjoy SUICIDE GIRL!
The language is NSFW, and the film might make you afraid of the dark.

-G9 and NiNi

SUICIDE GIRL Makes Horror Headlines:
@ FEARnet
@ TheHorrorGeek.com
@ BloodyDisgusting.com
@ ShockTillYouDrop.com
@ DreadCentral.com

In the meantime, here’s some crunchy little nuggets of CAMERA OBSCURA goodness to tide you over… enjoy!
-NiNi + G9

CAMERA OBSCURA TRAILER:

Camera Obscura Trailer from MWG Entertainment on Vimeo.

CAMERA OBSCURA SET VISIT & REAL GHOST STORIES:

Camera Obscura: Drew Daywalt set tour from Bender / Helper Impact on Vimeo.

[ More Monsters at FEARnet.com ] [ More Exclusive Set Photos at Dread Central ]

And finally, this week, we can show you a little CAMERA OBSCURA, because sneak peeks of the series have started rolling out at some great sites, so enjoy the features below. Although this teaser video will give you a hint of how the series is looking, the music in the teaser is not by CORVO. Nope, you’ll have to wait until the actual episodes begin airing to hear OUR demons, so… stay tuned, because we’ll keep you posted as we get closer to the October premiere!

A MOTHER of a Scene from CAMERA OBSCURA:
[ E-News Subscribers, click on this link to watch the video ]

Camera Obscura: teaser from MWG Entertainment on Vimeo.

In each exclusive below, is a different set of behind-the-scenes images!

• [ FEARnet Exclusive Interview with Director Drew Daywalt ]
• [ FEARnet Exclusive - Great Creature Pix ]
• [ DreadCentral.com Exclusive - Jack Klugman and More Pix ]
• [ Exclusive CAMERA OBSCURA - Creepy Hospital and Set Pix ]

^v^ + <3,
NiNi + G9

The scoring process for Drew Daywalt’s webseries CAMERA OBSCURA has begun! It’s been an exhausting but satisfying first week, and the music for episodes 1 through 3 is now complete. We can’t reveal many details about what’s happening onscreen during these opening chapters, but we can say that you’ll get to hear a new CORVO track titled “Where” [written and sung by NiNi] in Episode 1, as well as some creepy dark ambient compositions by G9 and a surprise performance that reveals NiNi’s inner Beelzebub.

Studio photos will probably be posted within the next week, including the recording of “Where,” G9 surrounded by his weapons of weirdness in the newly revamped Crow’s Nest, and some other odds and ends. Video footage from the studio may also be popping up in a future update, beginning with some revealing footage of “studio kittehs” Batty and Wylee practicing their own variety of forced shiatsu.

Inspirational visuals have been playing round the clock during this weekend’s recording sessions, including EVIL DEAD II, DEADTIME STORIES and the first season of THE ADDAMS FAMILY.

The series will be launching very soon (in plenty of time for Halloween), and we can’t wait to see the finished product!

G9 + NiNi

[DOWNLOAD CORPUS CORVI MP3]

Okay, so we can’t give too much away about the work we’ve done so far on the CAMERA OBSCURA score, but it won’t be naughty to tell you that we’re definitely getting in touch with our “ancient primal” sides these days.

This is NOT a CAMERA OBSCURA track, but a little something we conjured up in preparation for the series. It all began as an experiment with new percussive elements we’d planned on using, and then, as always around here, a twisted fairytale evolved from the music, which then became a video, which then became a piece of digital art.

The story behind the song involves a sensual, Lovecraftian, “Raven Cult” called The Corpus Corvi, and the woman you see is the High Priestess. The visuals were definitely inspired by Dario Argento’s LA TERZA MADRE, and musically, we were both inspired by the ravens constantly flapping their wings in our skulls. It is our hope that this will make your imaginations run a little wild with ours, and if not… well, that our weird little stories will at least entertain you!

-NiNi + G9

CORVO has been hired to score CAMERA OBSCURA, the new web series from Emmy-nominated filmmaker Drew Daywalt. Drew is well known among horror fans as one of the founders of Fewdio, a collective of experienced Hollywood insiders who have been creating award-winning short horror films for the web – and now on DVD (their first disc NIGHTMARE HOUSE made its debut at this summer’s San Diego Comic Con).

Slated to launch next month, the 17-episode series revolves around a young woman (Reagan Dale Neis) who inherits some strange artifacts from her late grandfather (Jack Klugman – yes, THAT Jack Klugman!), a crime-scene photographer. One is a magical camera capable of capturing the images of ancient, demonic creatures who prey on humans, and the other is a “scrapbook” in which he kept the creatures imprisoned in photographic form. When she unwittingly destroys the book, the demons are released, and… well, let’s just say that the script alone had us sleeping with the lights on for more than a few nights.

This is major news for us, because we’re not just licensing a song or two, but composing and performing the score for the entire series!

Post-production is now underway, and the recording process officially began – appropriately enough – on 09/09/09. Expect some studio updates from The Crow’s Nest very soon!

G9 + NiNi

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

Speaking of Telltale, yes, we are still recording and working very hard on the debut album. Without the backing and money of huge label-dom, we’re truly on our own with this album bizness, and learning that although rewarding and exactly where we want to be, the DIY music process can feel like stone ages pass between “official” releases, which can be frustrating to us and to our fans! However, 2009 is already turning into an extremely prolific year for Corvo, which you will see this week, because we have “more where this came from!”

For now, we really do hope that upon hearing The Devils (Telltale Cut), you’ll feel like Telltale will be worth the wait, because that’s our goal. As the song gets added to more podcasts, playlists, sites and stores, we will keep you posted! For now, the download is FREE, so pass it on to your friends and enjoy! xxx, NiNi

Listen/Download/Favorite At:
MySpace
Facebook
Last.FM
iLike
Our iTunes Podcast

An excerpt from G9′s interview that I’d like to share here is something that we definitely relate to: the slow process of releasing an album when doing it 100% independently! Also, the article features links to free Celldweller music downloads and amazing art resources, so head on over to FEARnet for the whole thing… oh, and in the end, “sweet fear” awaits!

[ FEARnet Meets Cinema's Secret Weapon: Celldweller ]

Enjoy! -N.

INTERVIEW EXCERPT:
[G9] So how is the Celldweller album progressing? Can you share any details, or hint at a possible release date?

[Klayton] I can share only a few details [because] I may be castrated if I say too much and don’t deliver. Like I said earlier, the process for this album is totally different than any other I’ve done. So, that being said, I’ve recorded all the final vocals first. That has usually been the last step for me, but I wanted to put more of an emphasis on vocals on this album, so [co-producer] Grant Mohrman and I agreed that I would cut vocals first and build everything else around them.

I do actually have one song completely done ["So Long Sentiment"] and I’m working away on a few others simultaneously. I would love to just tell everyone “The album will be done by this date,” but I’ve learned my lesson on that one. It’s hard to predict when it will actually wrap up. I can tell you that I am thinking about alternative methods of releasing this album altogether, but I won’t say anything until I’m ready to commit… that always gets me in trouble.

I’ve also had an album title for a while, but haven’t officially announced that either. I’d love to say it’s because I’m “dark and mysterious,” but it’s more like “I get distracted by other things and forget.” Not quite as cool, huh? [ More @ FEARnet Meets Cinema's Secret Weapon: Celldweller ]

If you’ve read/seen/heard any of the items I’ve blurbed here, I’d love to hear read your thoughts in the comments… but you can write more than 13 words if y’want! -NiNi

RATINGS SCALE:
5 Slashes = Best. Thing. EVER. Will you marry me?
4 Slashes = Will probably become 5-slash material after a few more tries.
3 Slashes = Totally fun, and worth the time and money.
2 Slashes = Only deserves this much because it had some entertainment value.
1 Slash = Why did I waste my time?

TWILIGHT (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 1) [ Stephenie Meyer ]

Brooding, swooning teens not your style? Keep reading! Vampire-life after high school rocks.

[ 3/5 SLASHES ]

NEW MOON (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 2)

Worst. Birthday. Ever. Vegetarian vamps get human-hungry. There’s hope! Werewolves have more fun.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

ECLIPSE Special Edition (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 3)

The series page-turner. Bizarre love triangles, werewolf and Cullen family histories slayed me.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

BREAKING DAWN (The TWILIGHT Saga, Book 4)

Vampire revolution becomes species evolution. Read between the lines for thought-provoking social depth.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

UROBOROS [CD] [ Dir en Grey ]

A jaw-dropping work of art. Brutally experimental, but plenty of J-Rock hooks linger.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT [DVD]

Aqua Net, spandex and booze? ‘80s metal “represent!” A real-life head bangers’ ball.

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER [ Angie Fox ]

Buffy with Willow’s personality. Once you’ve loved a griffin, you can’t go vamp!

*Bonus: NiNi’s Biker Witch Name is Lusty Lucinda Fast Pants [Boo-Ya]!
What’s your biker name? [ Take the quiz ] and let me know!

[ 4/5 SLASHES ]

SERVANT: THE AWAKENING (SERVANT The Series, Book 1) [ L.L. Foster ]

Urban Gothic powerhouse with delicious sexual tension, and a riveting anti-heroine with heart.

[ 5/5 SLASHES ]

I can barely keep up with the guy, so you really should just save the FEARnet music page to your blogroll or in your RSS news reader for all the latest and greatest in the world of dark music. You may notice that unlike many large-scale music blogs out there, G9 likes to devote a lot of time and space to indie musicians.

[ G9 on MySpace ]

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

The Cart
First off, Amazon now offers the special edition CD for the same price as the regular CD oh wait, I’m sorry. The special edition CD is a penny more than the regular. *shaking my fist* You bastards. Seriously, no-brainer, there. Night Eternal Special Edition: sold. *ka-ching!* View shopping cart: Night Eternal Special Edition + book that I’ve wanted for ages. Both items covered by prime membership = free 2-day shipping for me, *ka-ching!* But… I don’t want to wait two whole days… I don’t believe in bit-torrenting [it goes against my nature as a musician]. Hmm… computer speakers and flash streaming just isn’t cutting it anymore, and it’s Friday night, dammit, I want to listen to Night Eternal now-now-now-now-now! [That was my Herman Munster tantrum]. Update shopping cart: full album MP3 download + Special Edition CD + book I’ve wanted for ages. *ka-ching!* Sold to the crazy pig-tailed metal head.

Sidebar: I Believe in Music Karma Faeries
Yes, it’s true: I purchased Night Eternal twice. It’s just a fact: my music consumption habits straddle two worlds, that of the physical collector, and that of the instant gratification digital consumer. It’s probably a good thing that I never got deeply attached to vinyl [love the sound, hate the warping]. So I admit, I do sometimes buy MP3s first, and then buy the physical CDs later. I double-dip. Into my wallet. For my favorite bands. I figure, enough people probably steal their music anyway, so I’d like to think that maybe I’m helping set the scales back into balance in some small way. I also figure, it can’t hurt to spread some good musician mojo around, right? Call it karma, and call it a day? While I’m confessing, I’ve done this for two other bands, at least. Stream of Passion, Apocalyptica and Dimmu Borgir… okay, three… no, four, including Moonspell. /Sidebar

The Perfect Drug
After a difficult day at the loathsome 9-5, and then another eight hours working on Corvo, the work I’d rather be immersed in all day, I’d mapped out a perfect 16-hour work day exhaustion escape plan. I loaded up the CD player with my burned MP3s, turned off all the lights [except for that white-light holiday strand that's never unplugged], poured a glass of red wine, and soaked in the sounds of Night Eternal from a *proper* stereo [and a pretty f^cking loud one, too]. All this at around 2:30 AM. SO perfect. A little delirious from fatigue, slightly numb, very comfortable in the dark, and greatly in need of going someplace far, far away in my mind for a while. Of course, purring cats involved themselves in this escape plan… my cats love metal, it actually calms them.

School of Metal
G9 was there next to me, so at times throughout the CD, “musician nerd-speak” would ensue, with talk of things like lyrics, mood, gear estimates, melodies, orchestral elements… like our own musical “In Search Of…” complete with mystery, theory and conjecture. Even when huge fans of a band, we still can’t help but treat the experience of a new album or new concert as school… we can’t help but wander down the path of, “How did they do that? Can we be that effective, and how?” [We draw the line at pocket protectors]. But with Night Eternal, the album was so gripping, we mostly enjoyed the journey together in silence, saving every musician’s note for when the musical notes took us to our final destination.

I Never Drink…
While listening to Fernando’s opening words of “At Tragic Heights” [from the book of Revelation, of course], the same image that hits me often when I hear his voice, hit me again: Gary Oldman’s Dracula. And I can’t help but imagine him [Fernando, not Gary] saying to me, “Welcome… to my…. hhhhh…home.” In this inner-dialogue, I omit the part about “I never drink… wine,” because I know for a fact that Fernando does indeed drink wine. [Wouldn't it be cool if he drank Corvo wine]? At any rate, water, wine, blood, Snapple… it doesn’t really matter what he drinks, it will not change the fact that Fernando Ribeiro is the reincarnation of Vlad Tepes… at least, Vlad’s inner rock-god… and Lestat, you’ve got nothing on my visions of Fernando rocking the impaler. *cough*

Six Feet Under the Influence
As each track unfolded, I swear, every time I opened my eyes, I was another foot under ground. By the end of the album, I was literally in a coffin. I don’t know where it came from, but there I was, clad in funeral garb, laying in a coffin. Cobwebs everywhere, doors squeaking for no reason… in unison… mice running across the ceiling, succubi eating babies all around me. It was… out. of. control. What I’m trying to say is that Night Eternal is Gothic as f^ck, people! But… in a very authentic way. Everything I love about Gothic art, architecture, literature and film is present in this album, and what’s so cool about Moonspell as artists, is that they’re not following the latest “Goffik trends,” this is just… who they are… and they just may “turn” you if you don’t cover your necks.

Night Eternal Re-Animated
The special edition CD arrived the following Tuesday, and I jumped around the house yelling, “a penny, a penny, a penny, a penny!” This CD is a thing of beauty. It’s a high quality digipak, very thoughtfully designed with the Devil in the details. It includes a wicked-cool keepsake sticker of the album cover, as well as a lyric booklet dripping with dark art and gorgeous band photos. As if the collector quality of the packaging isn’t enough, the special edition CD also includes three bonus tracks, and a DVD, complete with three live performances from Wacken Open Air, including fan-favorite Finesterra, and one of my favorites, Memento Mori [both from another Moonspell masterpiece, Memorial]. Along with live performance clips, the DVD includes the official video for Finesterra, a behind-the-scenes short video, and… and… the reason why I’m so happy I sprung for that extra penny and bought the special edition: the video for “Luna.” I swear, the bittersweet beauty of the tragically whimsical visuals and melancholic melodies swept me up into a black magic carpet-ride. No pixels, no fuzzy mono-tracks or sub-standard stereo coming from crap computer speakers… this is why I’m not quite convinced that Internet video will ever be a replacement for “real” TV. As “Luna” completed the viewing experience of Night Eternal, G9 turned to me and said, “Did they jump into our heads and rip that video right out of us?” Well… holy head like a hole, G-Man, I do believe they did.

In short, this is one of the best albums of the year, and definitely, one of the best ever by Moonspell. Do with that what you will.

Try the NIGHT ETERNAL Diet and Be Instantly Transformed!

BEFORE: A crazy, yet innocent pig-tailed metal head…

AFTER: Have you seen my teeth?!

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