Crowgrrrl's Perch 02-04-07

CROWGRRL’S PERCH 02-04-07

By Athena Schaffer aka The Crowgrrl

Click on the CD, DVD, Game, or Hot Topic Links For Easy Valentine's Day Shopping!

Spotlight: THOR, DIE VERBANNTEN KINDER EVAS, SPIDER ROCKETS, LUCAN WOLF, and FAIRYLAND

CROWGRRL’S SPOTLIGHT: THOR!

* Jon Mikl THOR is an enduring icon of glam rock/metal, and one of the true originators of rock theatre. Over the last three decades, THOR has explored the tongue-in-cheek Sweet/Mott the Hoople/Bowie stylings, hard hitting metal moves of the 80’s, and flirting briefly with Nu-Rock/Metal in the late 90’s. THOR first made waves in the bodybuilding world, becoming Mr. Canada and Mr. USA before becoming a Metal frontman. Along the way he has also become a movie actor and producer, turning out collectible classics like "Rock & Roll Nightmare", "Zombie Nightmare", "Graveyard", "Murder At The Presidio", "The Intercessor", and has just wrapped up filming yet another movie.

THOR is still an immensely powerful man in incredible shape and a dedicated performer. Blowing up hot water bottles, bending steel, and having cinder blocks broken over his chest are all in a night’s work. THOR continuously successfully manages to re-invent himself. The legions of fans are still there and new generations are finding out for themselves that THOR is just as cool now as he ever was in 1978, 1985, or 1999. He was voted one of the Greatest 100 Frontmen of All Time in the July, 2004 edition of the UK’s Classic Rock Magazine - a list compiled by polling professional Rock journalists.

THOR’s most recent release, Devastation of Musculation shakes the very halls of Valhalla itself! It’s as strong as Viking hordes intent on pillage and plunder. The Crowgrrl recently caught up with THOR to talk about the newest cd, the new movie, and more!

You mentioned something about a new movie you just finished. What is it?

I just filmed it in Winnepeg. It’s called Deception. It was originally called River Of Deception, but then they couldn’t find the river they wanted, so it’s just called Deception. It’s with Dan Roebuck. In fact, on his website, he’s got some pictures posted up there. There’s a picture on the Smog Veil site, too.

In the movie I play this lumberjack assassin. I eventually fight a giant grizzly. In Winnepeg, we shot the part where there was a stunt man in the grizzly suit. I battled him. Then in Vancouver, we shot the real grizzly, but he was behind an electric fence. I would basically see him and turn around. Then the stunt man would don my clothes - the trained stunt man - and he would do the rest of the battle with the real grizzly. That’s how it all worked. Hopefully it all looked very exciting on film.

When is it coming out?

February. It’s going to be on TV on the Lifetime network.

So, that’s going on. And we’re getting ready to do another album with Smog Veil, so we’re planning on that.

Already?!

Yeah! We’ve got a big year for 2007. I’ve got some new songs; I’ve laid down some demos and ideas. I think we’re gonna really try to go to the next level in 2007, right?

So, tell me about the new stuff!

It’s really solid, hard-driving, fist-pumping Metal-Rock. Of course the old standard of sing-along choruses. I think it’s just really fun, powerful music! Hopefully when we go into the studio and we produce it, it will come out the way I think it’s going to come out.

We’ve got some plans for 2007 to do some festivals and some bigger concerts opening up for some bigger acts.

Very cool! So then I take it you’re not doing a second video from Devastation of Musculation?

Devastation of Musculation is still very much alive. It’s doing very well. We shot like 3 videos for it.

I only saw Lords of Steel.

If you go to Smog Vision which is on the Smog Veil website, the video for Devastation of Musculation is on there. It’s also on the album - it’s an enhanced cd.

I didn’t know that. I was just throwing it in the CD player.

Pop it into your computer and watch the Release the Beast video. It’s also on YouTube. Go to YouTube and punch in Release the Beast and Devastation of Musculation. All those videos will come up.

We felt 3 was good for that album. We’re probably going to shoot another video for the new album.

Any plans for that yet, or is it still too early?

It’s a little early. We have to see which are the strongest songs, and then go from there. I think we’re going to have quite a few strong songs. We’ll see what happens.

Thanks a lot for the great review you put up for Devastation of Musculation! I really appreciate that.

No problem! It’s a fun album!

Yeah! We’re having a fun time with it. It’s really fun to play live. A lot of people we would find - the song Tale of the Wolf/Warriors of the Universe, we’d go into the Warriors of the Universe part and people would sing along when we were on tour. Then when we’d leave the stage and they would just keep singing! The whole crowd was singing, "We are Warriors of the Universe"!

Very cool! That’s my favorite track on the album, too. That and Queen of the Damned.

Hey, great!

What are your personal favorites?

I like Lords of Steel, and I like singing Devastation of Musculation and getting the crowd to march, get them stomping. Those are two of my favorites. And, yeah, Queen of the Damned almost has a Rob Zombie beat to it - a Rammstein or Rob Zombie kind of thing. I like the beat.

It was great working with Mike Kischnick. We recorded the album up in Kelowna, British Columbia. Mike Kischnick is a great guitar player and producer, just an all-around talented guy. He played multiple instruments as well. It was a great experience going up there into the mountains and thinking and contemplating and doing that album.

OK. Lies of Eternity touches on some serious subject matter, right?

Yeah, that gets pretty serious. It just talks about: everybody thinks their leader - it talks about politics. Without saying any names, it’s about some actors on the pulpit, they think they know it all. The same with others in high places. Maybe they don’t know it all and they’re making some mistakes with their decisions. They’re making bad decisions.

Tell me a little bit about your current line up. Who’s in the band now?

What I did on the last tour and for the album - of course, Mike Kischnick. Panthar and Ogron - the bass player and the drummer - go by those names. Mike Kischnick is also known as "The Swordsman". They toured with me in Canada mainly.

Then in the U.S. - I can go back and forth, but then I’ve got to have a U.S. band and a Canadian band. Then I brought in a lot of special guests, like down in the U.S., a tremendous guitar player Jeff Decker. I think highly of him! He played guitar in the U.S. And Steve Jacobs, David Goldberg on drums.

Also in Canada, you remember Ben Frith from Trained Bears, he’s doing a lot of drumming for me, too. Then when I toured across the U.S., we hit some spots like Nashville, Mike Favata joined up, and Steve Price from the original band. So I think we have a really great group of musicians for touring.

And it made it possible, too, because you know how touring is so expensive - for me to travel through, say, Western Canada, then suddenly I’ve gotta be in Omaha the next day after playing Calgary - if you had to have a whole band hop in a plane, go to Omaha and then tour from there from the Midwest to maybe Florida would be very expensive. But luckily I got a little help from my friends. These great musicians played in different areas.

So who’s going to be playing with you on the upcoming album?

That’s what I’m working out. I have some really great musicians who want to be on this album. So I’m talking to them and solidifying a solid group, and a group that will probably go out and tour with me all through North America in 2007.

I know you recently released AnTHORlogy, but are you going to release a long-form DVD of new material? Did you film any shows from last summer’s tour or anything?

Yeah! We have a lot of stuff! We have a lot of great stuff. In fact, we are working on AnTHORlogy 2. I’m hoping Smog Veil will put that out. So, I have a lot of exponents. There’s still a lot of stuff from the ‘80’s and ‘90’s that were never put on and it leads up until - we’ve got some really incredible footage from 2005 and 2006; it’s really amazing! I would really like to release an AnTHORlogy 2 and 3.

Very cool! I’d love to see them!

Yeah, it’s great stuff with the crowd, the live show, the combination of both. I always want people to see how important the live show is, how there’s that connection between the crowd and the band onstage. This way a lot of the stuff is able to be shown.

Angel tells me she’s working on booking you for New Orleans?

Yeah. Basically Angel Music Management Protection and Productions LLC is helping Chompa VMS Ltd. out with some things, they’re working alongside as associate management. We’re planning to do some stuff in New Orleans. It would be great to have Damien Storm to come up onstage there.

I was very sad to hear about Damien’s house, {Crowgrrl’s Note - it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina} but I’m glad he’s making a recovery and getting back in his house now.

He’s still working on it, I understand.

Yeah, it’s a lot of work when you get hit that hard, but he’s got the gumption and the stamina to put it all together.

Yeah! So, tell me about the bonus features on the Rock N Roll Nightmare dvd.

The bonus features has "Revelations of a Rock Warrior" for one. John Fasano supplied us with some Behind-The-Scenes footage that he had stored away in California, which was great. And there’s some commentary from John Fasano and myself. It was great! They did a really great job on it. It’s really well done. I find it very interesting.

The soundtrack was released as well?

Yes. There’s a soundtrack that’s on Smog Veil. You can download it at their website.

I thought I saw it for sale on your official website as well.

Right. That was something that was done by Synapse. Mike Pilmer of course sells stuff and that’s how he operates the website. That’s his fee for operating the site. It takes a lot of work to operate the site, so he sells a lot of the product there and keeps 100% of it so he can operate it.

So you don’t get a cut at all?!

No, I don’t take a cut. I want to make sure he gets his money from that.

Are you going to release any of your other movies on DVD, like Zombie Nightmare?

Zombie Nightmare I’m not looking to release at the moment. Maybe it will come out sometime later, but at the moment I have so much to deal with - between another album to another AnTHORlogy, there’s a lot to deal with here.

I can imagine! So what did I not ask that you want to tell Perch readers?

For one thing, I want to thank the Perch readers and yourself, Ms. Schaffer, for your support - especially you for always keeping the readers updated on Thor and what’s going on. There’s been a steady climb. There’s many times where I would actually like to say a few things myself at times in the Perch and reach out to readers, to thank them. It’s been an incredible, intense time: the past two years of just total dedication. I’ve been out on the road. There’s so many things going on and so much is happening - a lot of risk-taking just to get where we are right now.

Now let me ask you this. When we first spoke back in the Beastwomen era which goes back to the beginning of 2004 - do you feel we’re on the ladder, on the road to success, where do you think we are right now on a scale of 1 to 10? Do you think we’re not as far as we should have come, or do you think we’re doing the right thing?

I think you’re doing the right thing.

Great! Because sometimes you wonder, because you’re working so hard! It’s so much work going out there on the road and traveling in buses, almost going off the road (when we were traveling from Tucson to Houston). Just the incredible amount of effort that’s been going on - from what you’re doing to what we’re all out doing the frontline. You wonder, "Are we making progress?" That’s one of the things - are we making progress?

In 2007, we’re going to have to go to another level - it’s going to have to go to arenas and bigger shows, reaching out to the rest of the world like in Europe and that kind of thing. And hopefully again with the combination of movies and the album, we can achieve the target of where in my mind we need to be.

Are you looking at any other scripts since you finished Deception?

Yeah, there are a few other ones. We’re just sort-of looking at different things. We’ll see what happens. I’ve also been basically writing songs. I’ve got songs ready. I’m hoping to work again with like Mike Kischnick again, and also work with the guys from Omaha - Jeff Decker is an amazing player! I think he really got a lot of notoriety with when he went out there and toured this year. When I first met Jeff, he came to Nashville in 2005, he did a guest spot on the stage. He played Knock ‘Em Down. It went over so well! I said, "Boy, this guy’s really good!" It’s great to be able to work with him this year.

It was great talking to you, as always!

It was great talking to you, too. The time really flies, too, doesn’t it?! We met in 2004, and here it is 2007 already. We’ve put out a lot of product, did a lot of things. You’ve really helped us a lot in my career! I just feel the time just flies by! I’m trying to do so many things. It’s unbelievable! Sometimes it can be overwhelming!

I know the feeling! I’ve been bouncing from deadline to deadline.

Yeah, but you’re a multi-tasker.

You are, too!

Yeah, but you’re GOOD at it!!! Sometimes I feel that I’m trying to do too many things. You try to keep control over everything, but you need help along the way, that’s for sure. You try to get to the next level, you need the help. I hope to at some time in 2007, I would really like to play Baltimore!

The tour last year was great. It was great touring with Solar X. Places like Portland and Chicago were just phenomenal!

Hopefully you filmed a lot of those.

Yes, we have. There’s a lot of footage, even from Edmonton and Calgary and Toronto. We definitely got around last year, that’s for sure. And the previous year. I’ve probably done close to 100 cities if not a bit over with all the performances if you count them all up. But we’ve gotta hit that Baltimore! 2007 for sure! There’s a lot of cities I want to play. I want to play Kansas City, Baltimore. There’s a lot of places I want to go into with a show. And hopefully we’ll have an even bigger show next year - new costumes and a new look. I’ve got some ideas on that as well.

SECOND SPOTLIGHT: DIE VERBANNTEN KINDER EVAS!

* The beginnings of Die Verbannten Kinder Evas ("the Banished Children of Eve") date back to 1993, when Richard Lederer - of Summoning fame - in an effort to widen his creative possibilites, composed the first keyboard tracks that would eventually make it on DVKE’s debut 2 years later.

The band - the aforementioned Richard is joined by vocalist Christina Kroustali - unveil their maturest and darkest release: Dusk & Void Became Alive (Napalm Records). The classically influenced compositions, the harmonious soundscapes, and the complex rhythms build the foundation on which to showcase the very emotive female vocals. Dusk and Void Became Alive invites one to dream, while enjoying intelligent, romantic, and touching Darkwave. The Crowgrrl caught up with Richard to delve deeper into the band’s velvety darkness.

How did you choose Christina Kroustali as Tania Borsky's replacement?

After Tania totaly failed I had to search for a replacement for her. A short time after that I got in contact with a girl called Sinem who was writing me cause of Summoning but

later send me a sample of her voice which I immediately liked. But due to many psychological problems she never completed the recording. So I gave up waiting for her and started to work on Summoning.

During that time I was chatting with a guy who knew a girl that could sing, and so I got in contact with Christina on the same day I heard her samples which where even better than the ones from Sinem, so it was clear for me that she will sing.

The search for a new vocalist also caused delays in the release of Summoning's excellent "Oath Bound"?

Yes sure, during the delay that Sinem caused I did not want to work on any other project. Actually I had problems ‘cause I wanted to finish the songs on my old computer.

Whereas all Summoning songs where already planned for the new and faster one with new software etc, so it was more practical for me to wait with Summoning, till DVKE is finished, but after 18 months of waiting for Sinem I realized that it makes no sense anymore and started to finish Summoning. Actually that caused a lot of work later for DVKE as I had to adapt all songs to the new computer, but anyway everything turned out fine at the end.

The news on your website posted on September 4 mentions the mixing and mastering of "Dusk And Void Became Alive" was finally finished after a "long time of many serious

problems". Can you elaborate?

Well, Sinem was the main problem. Everything was so fine at the beginning. Her voice was great and the first tracks for DVKE sounded very fine. It was clear for me that in a few weeks everything will be finished, but then she went to a studio in Ankara (Sinem lives in turkey) and the sound master gave her such stupid advice for singing, that the result was a pure disaster. This defeat brought Sinem so down that from this moment on

everything was worse. She delayed the recordings week by week so that after 18 months I gave up waiting for her.

Are the songs on "Dusk And Void Became Alive" tied together by any theme?

No, the used lyrics are separate from each other.

What were some of your inspirations while composing the album?

Actually since many years I don't have any direct inspiration for music. I listen to quite different music than DVKE since many years - mainly to dark electronic music and since

2 years to Oriental music as well. Both have nothing in common with the music of DVKE.

It feels like there's a hint of Medieval vibes in the album - correct?

Well people use the word Medieval a bit to wide I think. For me Medieval music always has a rather modest mood, with old instruments, but not with a full orchestra. Actually

the instrument sounds I use reminds me rather on late Romantic times (such as Wagner etc) but not so much

on Medieval times. Well I made surely Medieval sounding songs for example "Misery" on "Come Heavy Sleep". But generally I would rather say the music is in the vein of late Romantic times.

The lyrics were written by Grigori Petrenko and John Dowland. How did the songwriting process work? Did you do the music first and then send it to them for lyrics, or did you have the lyrics before composing?

There is always first the music. Then later I search for good lyrics and then adapt them (rhythmically) to the songs. This was the same with Grigori’s lyrics

The drums overall are very epic. Did you use the tom toms and add deep

frequencies on these, too, like you do with Summoning?

No. On DVKE I don't use tom toms. In the past I used kettle drums and marching drums, but on this album I only used kettle drums. I avoid using tom toms as I use them alot on

Summoning and I always try to keep a border between those projects. Actually the sampled kettle drums were already very bass orientated, so I did not need to add much.

What is your personal favorite song on "Dusk And Void Became Alive"?

First I must say that any song on the album was at least for a few days once my favourite. I think that if a song does not have this effect on me that at least for a while I have

the feeling that it is the best song ever created in the whole universe, the song is not worth being released. :-) This does not mean that I expect all people to think it is the best song of the universe; it also does not mean that I will also consider it as the best forever. As soon as I make the new songs this one becomes the best. :-) But I just mean that a song must have a very strong emotional effect on me to be released.

So after the time that passed I think my favourite songs are "Dusk And Void Became Alive", "Mistrust" and "Unquiet Thoughts"

Any video plans for any of the songs?

I don't know anything about any video plans.

The songs are very theatrical. Have you thought about trying to get them onto movie soundtracks?

This is not my aim. I think for a soundtrack you should rather write music specially for the film. And I don't like so much to make music limited by some rules.

I know you don't play live with Summoning, but what about with DVKE?

I already gave concerts in the past. I was in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and Greece. But meanwhile I have no live plans anymore as the new singer lives in Athens; that makes rehearsals impossible and therefore also live gigs.

Is there anything that I didn't ask that you want to tell Perch readers?

I think everything interesting is already said. Thanks for the interview!

THIRD SPOTLIGHT: SPIDER ROCKETS!

* Spider Rockets melds the caustic with the otherworldly to form its own brand of heavy rock-n-roll. With vocals and a persona that runs the gamut from haunting to witchy, bitchy to sweeping and grating to seductive. When you listen to this New Jersey band, the music of Velvet Revolver, 7-Year Bitch and Audioslave may come to mind.

Their new album Ever After (Screaming Ferret Wrecords)is testament to that - from the steamy and passionate Too Far to the emotionally complex Hate to the sassy What I Want to the dark, reflective Names, this album runs the gamut of styles and refuses to be pigeonholed.

Spider Rockets are: frontwoman Helena, lead guitarist Johnny, bassist Bones and drummer Dan. The Crowgrrl recently caught up with Helena to dig deeper into Ever After and other Spider Rockets news.

Your new cd was one of the Most Added at radio stations recently?

Yep!

Which tracks were they spinning?

You know, I’m not even sure. It’s probably a number of different ones. I know our radio promoter said it’s college radio, so they spin what they want to spin. It isn’t like commercial stations where you have one track which is like the main track or something. It’s more wide open.

I guess we’re kind-of in the middle of it right now, so we don’t know what track is doing better than the other. I guess when we compile the information, we’ll find out. But I’m psyched that they’re playing it!

Which songs do you think are "radio-worthy"?

I guess it depends on what kind of station. There’s a lot of different vibes going on for a lot of the songs in the shell of the album itself. For instance, Whispers is like totally different from What I Want. It’s like you get different moods and stuff going for each song. I think that’s kind-of important.

I think different ones would work in different formats, believe it or not. It’s kind-of a weird thing, but that’s just the way it is.

Do you have any song targeted for a video?

I don’t know if we have a budget for a video. I wish we did. I think that would be awesome! If we did, I’m thinking Something More, I’m guessing. Or possibly Too Far. But that’s really like if money floats our way.

I heard that! Who does most of the songwriting?

Johnny and I have in the past. But I think going forward on the new cd, which is like where we’re beginning to write some more stuff, we’re incorporating just a little bit of everybody else’s ideas, too. It’s more of a collaborative sort of thing.

Again, we’re just starting on this new one which is probably going to come out next year or possibly the year after.

But that’s what we’ve done in the past. Usually between Johnny and myself, we start with some thoughts and throwing things around, then somebody will pick it up and go from there, then another one will pick up and go from there. It just depends.

There were definitely different vibes in the different songs. What were your inspirations behind Hate?

I think Hate is more like a non-hate song, believe it or not. It’s about hate, but it’s like there’s too much hate. Hate can be such an all-consuming awful thing. It almost debilitates you in a way. That’s what the song really is about.

It’s very complex musically, too.

Yeah. It’s a Rocker kind-of feel, but there’s other things going on there, definitely.

What about Reasons For Deceit? What were the inspirations behind that?

I guess Reasons is more like - my Mom says it has Pathos. So I guess it’s more of a mood song. It’s about deception really. So, that’s what the vibe is. It’s got a dark, moody vibe to it. I guess that’s the place where we started with it, and expanded from there.

What I Want has a sassy, almost hip-hop flavor?

Yeah, I guess. Isn’t that weird? When we started with that, it was more like an inspirational. It’s funny with inspiration. You think one thing and then something else totally different comes out. I think AC/DC is where we started with that.

You start somewhere then it goes somewhere totally else. I guess that’s what happened with that. It was definitely aggressive, then it just went in that different direction. Which is what happens with most stuff. I’m at this spot, then it just wanders off!

OK. What about Whispers?

I think of Loreena McKennitt when I think of that one. And that’s just the starting point. Again with that, it went in a totally different direction. Our producer was like, "You know what I’m thinking? Weather." I was like, "WHAT?!" He said, "I’m thinking a weather theme for that." Which is why you hear the rain pouring in the background and stuff going on.

Again it’s dark but in a different place than Reasons or Too Far or Something More. They all had their own "take" on them. What we did with Whispers with the rain and the whispering kind of delivery, it’s just a different vibe.

Why did you do the Beatles cover?

We started messing around with different covers. Covers are fun. It’s just like messing around with things and twisting things around. We just really loved playing it. We started playing it live.

We just loved playing it! We mixed it up a little bit to do our on "take" on it a bit. We figured, "What the Hell?! Let’s put it on a cd." We just enjoyed playing it. We just thought it was fun for us, which is what music is - bottom line. That’s what it’s all about.

We had never put a cover on a cd before, but what the Hell!

What’s your personal favorite song on the album?

I guess I love a few of them. I really like Too Far; I really like what we did with it. The studio that we used is really, really Old School. It’s basically like just tape. Nothing’s digital at all. No Pro Tools, no nothing.

They still have those kinds of studios?!

Totally! In Brooklyn, my friend!

So basically what we did with those is we took back reverse tape. I guess we played it backwards through the song to create this weird effect. I just dug the way it came out! I don’t know if it’s the most popular, but it’s probably one of my favorites.

You have a handful of live dates scheduled for December?

Yeah, we do. And we’re working on booking January right now. We’re staying pretty much on the East Coast in December. Then we’re going to be branching out I think to Ohio, Detroit, then we’re going to go down South a little bit, maybe to Virginia.

We’re staying on the East Coast but we’re starting to spread out slowly. That’s what the game plan is.

Yeah, taking your time instead of a full-on, grueling tour?

Yeah. I think, too, we’re an underground band. We don’t have loads and loads of cash to spend on tour buses and the whole 9. You’ve got to do things in a Do It Yourself way in many ways. We’re signed to Screaming Ferret Wreckords, which is a small indie.

A lot of it is you’ve got to get off your own ass and do your own thing, which is what it’s all about.

It doesn’t make life easy, though!

No, but you know what? It’s a fucking adventure. It always is! That’s what it is at the end of the day. You never know what you’re going to get, but it’s always going to be something pretty wild. It’s a day-by-day thing and it’s pretty awesome.

You had some complements from Slash?!

It’s really weird! I heard about it third-hand or fourth-hand or something. We did this show and it was awhile back. We were opening up for him in New Jersey. I guess he liked what we did. That’s the way I heard it. Which was cool! Apparently he thought he liked our band better than anybody else’s who played that night. There were like 5 bands or something.

So I think it was a really nice compliment! It was from somebody we totally admire so much! To get it from him was like so awesome!

What have I not asked that you want to tell Perch readers about Spider Rockets?

We’re an underground band. We’re working our way, and we keep on building and keep on going. We’re really excited about what we’re doing. It’s a fucking ride, you know?! We invite people to come along. It’s great!

We have a bunch of dates coming up in December and we’re really psyched about that - getting out there and meeting a whole bunch of new people and a bunch of new bands we’ve never met before. It’s really exciting for us!

FOURTH SPOTLIGHT: LUCAN WOLF!

* "Bat Boy" Lucan Wolf is back, celebrating all things in the realm of the Vampyres. This fangtastic new album, Nocturnal, (available from his website) ventures more into exploring different Rock genres (you figure, folks, if Vampyres are immortal, they must be into many types of music - not just atmospheric).

Fangs invites other night creatures to come out and play. The listeners find themselves in a Gypsy caravan rocking and dancing to Embrace The Night. This Creature is deliciously dark, reminiscent of early Blue Oyster Cult or The Doors. Dead & Alive is addictive, exuberant praise of Vampiric life (or undeath) styles.

Vengeance is threatening and purposeful, calling out Poseurs and Wannabe’s. Blood Rage definitely gets blood boiling with an inescapably danceable EBM/electronica beat. Your Sacrifice is a tad more mellow yet very romantic. Awakened is just plain sexy!

When Night Falls pits seductive lyrics against the glittering backdrop of Glam Rock. The Dangerous Kind has a distinct Rolling Stones influence. A walking bass punctuates Sustain with a blues-rock vibe that sheds inhibitions, unleashing the darkness within.

You’re moving towards a heavier, more Rock sound with this cd, right?

On this CD moved in a more Rock direction yes. I enjoy many styles of music and wanted to rock out a little more on "Nocturnal". I have recorded some tracks which are straight up rock. I may release the new material as a 5 song EP. However I have built a strong fan base who enjoy the electronic/dance songs and ballads so it's a balancing act.

Basically I record whatever sound or style I feel fits a song and what I'm in the mood for.

You also have a new look now - do you think that reflects the spirit of your music as well? What are the reasons and meanings behind your ink?

My tattoos are an expression of my spirit and the good and bad and struggles and pain - alot of it physical - I have been through. I started the process of my tattoos, planning, style, tracing and such almost a year ago.

I found an excellent artist, Dave Lukeson who planned the layout of my tattoos and design with me. I won first place for Dave and

myself in my first tattoo contest at the 14th Annual Richmond Tattoo Festival November 18th. The trophy was for best Celtic/Tribal.

We were so successful in fact that a certain woman who has a facial tat and was a networking friend on Myspace, went into a jealous tirade and posted lies and defamatory comments about me on her blog. Even trying to take credit for my win! She claimed I copied her tattoo which is a lie since I began laying out this tattoo before joining Myspace or even knowing about her. Her tattoo is tribal and happens to be in the same area but is not the same as mine in design. And both I and several respected tattoo artists I know and have contacted agree, hers is a crowded mess of a job. Very poorly inked and well, just plain ugly lol.

She and several other performers inspired a song I recorded for a future album. She claims she inspired my tattoo as well lol! It's pathetic what some people will do or say for attention. But being in the public eye as I am getting jealous, rude people making up stories about me to gain attention comes with the territory. You simply try to ignore these idiots. I have a great attorney who's keeping tabs on this person now.

Through my tattoos I hope to add some class and style to the perception of tattoos. For too long tattoos have been associated with low class or no class, criminals, outlaw biker gangs, drugs etc. There are now many people, both people getting tattoos and artists, who are changing that perception like myself. It's time to take out the trash where tattoos are concerened! If that pisses off some of the people my statement may pertain to so be it. I stand by my convictions and never back down.

There’s a story or meaning behind each song - let’s focus on those.

All the songs are based on or are takes on my experiences. Some are observances on experiences. rather than go into each song in detail I choose to let the listener use their own imagination to draw a picture as they listen to my songs and music.

What’s your personal favorite song on "Nocturnal"?

It's hard to say which song is my favorite. I think "Embrace Of Night" is one of my faves for sure. It turned out really well and really hooks you with dance rock sound. Very much a dark carnival feel. "Blood Rage" and"When Night Falls" also. I'm a sucker (no pun intended) for a good dance beat lol.

Any video plans for any songs?

I plan to release a full length DVD of songs from all of my albums in 2007. Recording takes up so much time as you know. But with a little luck we'll have the music DVD out next year.

Any tour or live show plans?

I've had many offers come in to perform this past year. I've been busy recording. Getting a band together and touring on a large scale AND doing it right is not easy. I have met some really fine musicians who are interested in touring as my band but they have prior commitments. The rest I have met are pretty much your typical stoner/drunk set who

think touring is one big excuse to get wasted and party. Music is a business and so is touring. It's not all fun and games. So what very well may happen is I will be playing dates at clubs and fests performing as many artists do to backing tracks, singing live with the resident DJ as my back up.

Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you want to tell Perch readers?

Thanks to all the Perch readers and my fans for listening to my music and your support. I deeply appreciate everything you do as well as all your kind letters you have sent. Look for my new CD to be released in early 2007 as well as my series of romantic vampire novels by Leanne Strange and myself and through Midnight Showcase the other series

"Descendants Of Darkness" from author Marianne LaCroix.

Thank you again everyone and thank you Athena!

FIFTH SPOTLIGHT: FAIRYLAND!

* Don’t be fooled by this band’s name - France’s Fairyland can seriously kick ass with their larger-than-life blend of both Symphonic and Speed Metal! Their recent cd The Fall of an Empire (Napalm Records) has as much brutality and bloodshed of the fiercest epic battles!

Composed in its entirety by founding member/keyboardist Philippe Giordana and guitarist Anthony Parker, the new recording boasts of a new line-up comprised of vocalist Max Leclerqc (formerly of Magic Kingdom), drummer Pierre-Emmanuel "Piwee" Desfray and bassist Thomas "Tom" Cesario.

The Crowgrrl recently caught up with Philippe to find out more!

Are the songs on "Fall of an Empire" tied together in one storyline?

Yes. They're all part of a concept. Mainly, TFOA tells of the events that ended Of Wars In Osyrhia. The story starts at the battle of Laemnil, where the armies of the Light are defeated by the Legions of Cenos and the people of Osyrhia are enslaved for 500 years...

Your songs are very epic. What are some of your inspirations, lyrically and musically?

Musically, I take from anything I can. There's some Blind Guardian in there, but also some Mike Oldfield, Malicorne, movie soundtracks and even a touch of In Flames for some rhythmic guitars. The lyrics themselves are based on the "Osyrhia" concept. You could say I take all my inspiration from myself then...lol

How do you get the orchestral elements in the songs, and how do you recreate that live?

The orchestral side of Fairyland is a full part of our music. When I write the songs, the orchestrations come first, then we adapt whatever rhythmics or drums to give it that metal feeling. The live rendering will be supported by some samples. We tried that on our first tour with Sonata Arctica, and it sounded pretty cool. Of course, I will try to play as many parts as possible on stage, but there are still some arrangements that are needed and that I can't play altogether, because of that high amount of keyboards.

You and Anthony do most of the songwriting? Do the other members contribute?

Actually, I do the song writing and then Anthony reworks the guitars. On that album, Tom also did a double check to bring his own ideas. Then each guitarist wrote his personal solos. Piwee included some interesting drums parts that changed some of the ambience of each song. Max mainly does what he's told, then we put him back in the basement until further use :)

Do the lyrics come first? Does the music come first? What is the songwriting process like for you guys?

Usually, it works this way: I write the concept, then I cut it in key sequences and I write the music that fits best to the said sequence. Anthony and Tom come in for a few guitar arrangements, then I think of the vocal lines and at last come the lyrics. Then, when all is done, we just flush it down the toilets and start again until we get the result we expected...

Who is doing the female vocals in "In Duna" and "Look Into the Lost Years"?

There are 2 guest female singers on TFOAE: Flora Spinelli from Kerion who does the female vocals on Eldanie Uellë and Look Into Lost Years. The other guest is Sarah Leyssac from The Outburst. I think they both did a wonderful job, and they were very professional...

What’s your personal favorite song on "Fall of an Empire"?

Probably Eldanie Uellë. I love the feeling it brings to mind. But honestly, I like all the songs. How could it be any different? :)

Any stories behind the cover art?

It's been executed by Gonzalo "Genzo" Ordonez Arias., a fan and artist from Chile. We worked for 3 months on the pre-production before doing the final. We studied every aspects of the cover, from the monsters to the pieces of armour. In the end, I think it gives something that is very close to the album's concepts...

Any video plans for any songs?

No, nothing solid right now. If we ever do a video, we'd like to put a bit of money in it, which we don't have right now. We wouldn't want to make a low budget video that would disappoint the fans. So it's all or nothing :)

Tour plans?

We are working on something right now. I'm just waiting for the confirmation to announce it, but if it works out, we will be able to visit a few European countries. We will also try to organize venues ourselves, with some of our friend-bands sometime soon...

What is your live show like?

I don't know, I've never seen it. I was always on stage at the time :). Seriously, nothing too fancy. Don't expect to see us in full armour on stage, although we are thinking about a nice background set if we can...

Any long-form DVD plans?

If we have the right material, we will. Actually, it all depends of our label and of what we can gather to do something interesting enough for the fans...

Is there anything I didn’t ask that you’d like to tell Perch readers?

Well, there is the good old "Phil, why are you so glamourous". Funnily, no one ever asks me that one. I just hope the fans will enjoy this new album. We loved writing and recording it, and we just wish to share that enjoyment. STAY METAL!!!

MUSIC

* The Crowgrrl can't rave enough about Filii Nigrantium Infernalium who have left a bloody eviscerated offering on a Satanic altar with their new Fellatrix Discordia Pantokrator. Hailing from Portugal, this band describes their music as "SatanicAnarco Black Metal" - their phenomenal sound is really a fresh, invigorating mix of Black, Thrash, and Old School Metal. The musicianship is awesome throughout, with agonized vox and stellar fretwork over rock-solid foundations.

Fellatrix Discordia Pantokrator was the # 1 cd in the Crowgrrl’s Best Of 2006, the video for the song Calypso was the # 1 Best Video for 2006, and the raw and real Fellatrix Discordia Pantokrator: Live At Barroselas Live grabbed the # 2 Long Form DVD slot (being nudged out of the top slot by Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey). This is definitely a band to watch - The Crowgrrl sees great things in their future!

* Cradle of Filth are currently touring North America in support of their latest CD Thornography. Also on the bill are The 69 Eyes and 3 Inches Of Blood. Remaining tour dates include:

Feb. 06, 2007 - Englewood, CO; Gothic Theatre
Feb. 08, 2007 - Edmonton, ALB; Edmonton Events Centre
Feb. 09, 2007 - Calgary, ALB; MacEwan Hall
Feb. 11, 2007 - Vancouver, BC; Commodore Ballroom
Feb. 12, 2007 - Seattle, WA; Showbox
Feb. 13, 2007 - Portland, OR; Roseland Theatre
Feb. 15, 2007 - San Francisco, CA; The Fillmore
Feb. 16, 2007 - Hollywood, CA; Avalon Theatre
Feb. 17, 2007 - Tempe, AZ; Marquee Theatre
Feb. 18, 2007 - San Diego, CA; House of Blues
Feb. 19, 2007 - Anaheim, CA; House of Blues
Feb. 21, 2007 - San Antonio, TX; White Rabbit
Feb. 22, 2007 - Dallas, TX; Palladium
Feb. 23, 2007 - Houston, TX; The Meridian
Feb. 24, 2007 - New Orleans, LA; House of Blues
Feb. 26, 2007 - Atlanta, GA; Roxy Theatre
Feb. 27, 2007 - Lake Buena Vista, FL; House of Blues
Feb. 28, 2007 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Revolution
Mar. 02, 2007 - Norfolk, VA; NorVa
Mar. 03, 2007 - Baltimore, MD; Rams Head Live
Mar. 04, 2007 - New York, NY; Irving Plaza

* Although Christopher Lee is best known as an actor, he can also add Musician to his list of accomplishments - he’s recently released the box set Revelation, where we can truly see the powerful range of his vocal abilities. It includes both Flamenco and Heavy Metal versions of The Toreador March, selections from Man Of La Mancha, and other timeless selections.

The two songs from Man Of La Mancha start the album off - both including dialogue from the play as well. There is a beautiful rendition of The Impossible Dream (The Quest) and powerful delivery of I, Don Quixote (Man of La Mancha). The spicy Carmencita (Quiero y no quiero querer) follows, a perfect segue leading into the first (Flamenco) mix of The Toreador March.

The timeless classic O Sole Mio (It’s Now or Never) is intoxicatingly beautiful. High Noon evokes all the sights and sounds of a Western movie. Similarly, Wanderin Star has you looking for tumbleweeds as the horse you’re on ambles on. A stirring rendition of Oh What A Beautiful Morning (from the play Oklahoma) follows. Name Your Poison is a rollicking drinking song.

The Toreador March (Metal Mix) is my personal favorite on the album - a wonderful melding of Classical and Metal styles! Fantastic song! This is followed by lovely deliveries of two holiday classics: Little Drummer Boy and Silent Night. A very emotional My Way is the perfect way to wrap up the album. But wait - there’s more. In the final track, Behind the Music With Christopher Lee, he discusses his musical background - very interesting indeed!

* Christopher Lee also made guest appearances on the Metal albums of Italy’s Rhapsody of Fire!

The band delivers powerful musical Tolkien-like fantasies, multi-chaptered epics that span over several albums each. With their signature Orchestral/Theatrical movie-score style of Metal, they present the second chapter of their The Dark Secret saga on their newest release, Triumph or Agony. (SPV Records)

This saga began on Symphony Of Enchanted Lands Pt. 2. [Amazon Link 20] The storyline involves a demon who wrote seven books of dark magic using the blood of angels that will resurrect him and plunge the world into an age ruled by Chaos. The Dragonlords from several kingdoms unite to try to prevent this from happening.

Guitarist Luca Turilli explains a bit of the story behind the album. "Triumph Or Agony represents the chapter of the saga when our heroes - Khaas, hero of the middle lands, Tarish the elfking, Princess Lothen, Dargor, the shadowlord, and the wise wizard Iras Algor, are ready to enter the dark caves of 'Dar-Kunor', a subterranean labyrinth of horrors located in the heart of the misty darklands. The heroes have to challenge the ancestral secrets of 'Dar-Kunor' in order to search for the last of the seven black books written in primordial times with the blood of the angels by Nekron, the demonknight, son of the hellgod Kron. This black book could contain the worst of the prophecies threatening the known world."

Christopher Lee is a big part of this storyline, appearing as both narrator and the character The Wizard King. There’s a guest appearance by actress Susannah York as well, and a 60-piece orchestra to boot. Besides the aforementioned Luca Turilli, rounding out the Rhapsody of Fire (formerly just known as Rhapsody but had to change their moniker slightly for legal reasons) roster are: vocalist Fabio Lione, keyboardist Alex Staropoli, bassist Patrice Guers, and drummer Alex Holzwarth.

The second musical chapter of The Dark Secret saga is "Triumph Or Agony". The first track, "Dar-Kunor" is divided into two parts - "Echoes From The Elvish Woods" and "Fear of the Dungeons". It starts with whispered vox in a language that almost sounds like Elvish. Then it turns as dangerous as a double-edged sword. The title track, "Triumph Or Agony" invokes the Angel of Darkness and explores the dungeons of Hell. "Heart of the Darklands" is a furious epic. "Old Age of Wonders" is a nice homage to the Elvish race.

"The Myth Of The Holy Sword" is very strong! "Il Canto Del Vento" - completely in Italian - is as gentle as a breeze. "Silent Dream" evokes powerful emotions (and has some excellent lead guitar!) "Bloody Red Dungeons" is absolutely merciless! "Son of Pain" bares agonized torture.

"The Mystic Prophecy of the Demon Knight" is a mini-opera - it’s divided into 5 distinct parts: "I - A New Saga Begins", "II Through The Portals of Agony", "III The Black Order", "IV Nekron’s Bloody Rhymes" and "V Escape From Fire". Christopher Lee has a lot of presence in this one, which awakens a dark spirit. Epic! "Dark Reign of Fire I: Winter Dawn’s Theme" starts with operatic punctuation like a pummeling fist - a great way to close this chapter, as Christopher Lee leaves us with the prophecy that "the seizure of Nekron’s book is only the beginning of a great adventure."

* Original members of Testament - the pioneers of Thrash Metal - are back in the fold and ready to kick some serious ass!

Conceived in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1983; known for bringing metal to a whole new level of class by combining melodies, roars and growls with untouchable guitar riffs and brutality, the most respected Thrash Metallers around - Testament returns and proves how they simply influenced the generation of today's metal and hardcore.

With the return of guitar legend, Alex Skolnick, Greg Christian (bass), one of Metal’s most significant rhythm guitarists Eric Peterson, and one of Heavy Metal's most respected vocalists Chuck Billy, (who, despite being sidelined in 2001 by a rare form of cancer, has made a full recovery) who's distinct vocals can be recognized across the metal world today and for decades to come, the core of the band is back to the delight of fans! They’ve also enlisted the talents of pummeling drummer Nick Barker (Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth) to round out the current line up.

The band will all be working out some new Testament songs. Riff master Eric Peterson along with Britain ’s cyclone-pounder Nick Barker are currently in Northern California locked down in the studio beginning to lay the foundation for what’s to come.

Eric Peterson states, "It's feeling pretty good so far...Nick’s playing has sparked some fire in me like Lombardo did back in ‘99 when he played with us on ‘The Gathering’"!

Testament played a warm up US date in their home town of San Francisco on January 27^{th and they plan to follow up with a bombardment across Australia
and Europe.}

Confirmed live dates are as follows:

Feb. 07, 2007 - Melbourne, Australia; Prince of Wales Hotel
Feb. 08, 2007 - Sydney, Australia; The Manning Bar
Feb. 09, 2007 - Brisbane, Australia; The Waterloo Hotel
March 23, 2007 - Budapest, Hungary; Almassy MK Hall
March 24, 2007 - Katowice, Poland; Hala Spodek
July 26, 2007 - Subotica, Serbia; Hellwood Fest
Aug. 25, 2007 - Gemunden, Germany; Up From The Ground Open Air Festival

* Angra are celebrating their 15th Anniversary, and their excellent new Aurora Consurgens SPV Records is a testament to their growth and journey as musicians. The band has long been known for delving into deep subjects and basing their albums around concepts. Their previous offering, Temple of Shadows, for instance told the story of The Shadow Hunter, an 11th Century Crusader who began to question his faith. The new Aurora Consurgens takes this a step farther, and is based on a book by the same name that alchemists believed St. Thomas of Aquinas dictated on his deathbed that was used by Jung to establish relations between dreams and different mental conditions.

The Course of Nature stirs the blood with primal FX and instruments as well as complex twists. There is stellar fretwork in The Voice Commanding You, a song that’s fast, intense, and with a break for a choral chant. Ego Painted Grey is anguished, fittingly leading into the morose Breaking Ties.

The pulsating Salvation Suicide contains some excellent vocal harmonies and an impressive guitar solo. The complex Window To Nowhere features a break that feels like it’s following an astral journey. So Near, So Far has a distinct Middle Eastern vibe and militaristic drums.

Both Passing By and Scream Your Heart Out pull out all the stops and freaking Rock! Both are excellent songs. The cd wraps up with the ballad Abandoned Fate which contains an almost folksy-vibe.

* Century Media Records mourns the passing of their Finnish sons Sentenced, who were born into this heartless world in 1989 and chose a merciful end at their own hands in the fall of 2005. Their heart we could not mend, but their grave we shall now tend to celebrate their legacy with the long-awaited Buried Alive CD/DVD set. Their first official live offering, Buried Alive, gives their dedicated fans a look at their last-ever show, recorded on October 1st, 2005. The impressive, two-hour-plus set was accompanied by pyrotechnics, a gloomy stage décor and some surprising effects. Fortunately, the entire event was filmed and recorded by Klaffi Productions from Oulu (who shot the band’s "Ever-Frost" video and the brand new clip for "Despair-Ridden Hearts"), and will now be released to offer at least a small compensation to those who could not witness this historic event.

Without a doubt, Sentenced are masters of melancholy, and their second incarnation delivered a decisive impulse that others such as HIM and The Rasmus successfully turned into poppier sounds yet Sentenced remained always true to metal. After a run of funeral appearances on various European festivals, the inventors of suicide rock did a final run of club shows in their native Finland that culminated in two shows in their hometown of Oulu. On this farewell voyage, they were accompanied by a dear friend for the "Home Soil Funeral Procession" that gave an intimate insight into the life on the Finnish road.

In addition, you’ll find extra material such as a 30-minute, animated photo gallery, all seven of the band’s music videos, fun stuff like behind-the-scenes footage of photo and video shoots, several signing sessions in Finland, as well as extensive interviews with their original singer Taneli Jarva (who also did vocals for five songs) and Sami Lopakka together with vocalist Ville Laihiala. All together, this DVD release gives you hours of material, mainly from the last year of the band’s existence.

At the height of their success, the band called it quits after 16 years and carried themselves to their graves with dignity and grace. On the very night of their last performance, their final studio offering, The Funeral Album, was certified gold in their native Finland - which was Sentenced’s 2nd gold album after The Cold White Light. Their swansong offering was also honored with three Finnish Metal Awards during the 2006 Finnish Metal Expo including the album of the year, band of the year and cover art of the year.

Buried Alive was released as a separate double disc CD/DVD set in the U.S. Both versions are now available and the official track listing is below.

Version 1 - CDs
Version 2 - DVDs
Version 3 - A limited edition DC/DVD set, which is only available through Century Media’s mailorder.
DVD1
1. Funeral Intro & credits (02:28)
2. Where Waters Fall Frozen (00:59)
3. May Today Become The Day (04:27)
4. Neverlasting (04:30)
5. Bleed (04:04)
6. The Rain Comes Falling Down (05:55)
7. Ever-Frost (05:15)
8. Sun Won’t Shine (03:57)
9. Dead Moon Rising (05:14)
10. Despair-Ridden Hearts (04:45)
11. Broken (04:15)
12. The Suicider/Excuse Me While I Kill Myself (05:52)
13. The War Ain’t Over (vocals: Taneli Jarva) (05:21)
14. Nepenthe (vocals: Taneli Jarva) (04:00)
15. Northern Lights (vocals: Taneli Jarva) (06:05)
16. The Way I Wanna Go (vocals: Taneli Jarva) (04:21)
17. Dance On The Graves (lil' siztah) (vocals: Taneli Jarva) (04:53)
18. Noose (04:12)
19. Aika Multaa Muistot (everything is nothing) (05:02)
20. Farewell (03:51)
21. No One There (08:15)
22. Drown Together (04:37)
23. Cross My Heart And Hope To Die (04:05)
24. Brief Is The Light (04:56)
25. Vengeance Is Mine (04:18)
26. End Of The Road (06:03)
27. Outro & end credits (03:17)
DVD2
Animated photo-gallery (29:25)
Home Soil Funeral Procession
Photo Session (04:12)
Video Session (08:44)
Signing Session (03:22)
Festival Tour (44:19)
Club Tour (21:44)
Music Videos
Nepenthe (03:53)
Noose (04:13)
The Suicider (03:44)
Killing Me, Killing You (03:45)
No One There (04:00)
Ever-Frost (04:30)
Despair-Ridden Hearts (03:54)
Interviews
Interview with Lopakka & Laihiala (38:55)
Interview with Jarva (07:54)

* Baptized By Fire - Jesse Blaze Snider (vocals), Benjamin Clapp (drums), Danny Wacker (guitar), and Dan Carlysle (bass) - will be burning up the highways (and melting eardrums) soon! If you’re anywhere close to any of these gigs, BE THERE and witness some righteous ass-kicking! The Crowgrrl highly recommends this band! Tour dates include:
Feb. 08, 2007 - Philadelphia, PA; Sweeney’s Saloon
Feb. 09, 2007 - Carlstadt, NJ; Axis Lounge
Feb. 10, 2007 - Philadelphia, PA; The Barbary
Feb. 17, 2007 - Trenton, NJ; Championship Sports Bar & Grill
Feb. 22, 2007 - Asbury Park, NJ; Club Deep
Feb. 23, 2007 - New York, NY; Arlene’s Grocery
Mar. 02, 2007 - Poughkeepsie, NY; The Loft @ The Chance
Mar. 17, 2007 - Clifton, NJ; Dingbatz
Apr. 05, 2007 - Philadelphia, PA; Sweeney’s Saloon
Apr. 06, 2007 - Clementon, NJ; TBA
Apr. 07, 2007 - Copiague, NY; The Zebra Club

* Cincinnati-based Death/Thrashers Estuary have completed work on their second album, The Craft of Contradiction, which is set

for release April 17 on Ibex Moon Records.

"It is by far the sickest and most thrashing brutal stuff I’ve done to date," said front gutturalist Zdenka Prado. "It kicked my ass, and I’m positive it will definitely do the same to everyone who is waiting."

Added guitarist/mainman Ash Thomas: "We are very proud and pleased with the finished product. It’s definitely a step up in all areas, including production, song writing, and playing. We are confident The Craft of Contradiction will not disappoint our fans or any fans of dark thrash tinged death metal."

Lyrically, The Craft of Contradiction takes on a thematic approach, theorized from a "timeline" perspective of humankind’s manipulated origins to its material plight and ultimate return to truth. To get a glimpse of what will soon be unleashed from these metal

maniacs, visit Estuary’s official website (www.estuarymetal.com) or their official Myspace page (www.myspace.com/estuary), where two new songs

have been uploaded and the cover art by Tony Koehl is available for viewing.

The band is currently lining up shows in support of the release, with extensive touring planned for the rest of the year.

* Slayer are still on tour promoting their recent CD, "Christ Illusion" (with special guests Unearth)! Tour dates include:

Feb. 05, 2007 - Indianapolis, IN; Egyptian Room
Feb. 07, 2007 - London, Ontario, Canada; Labatt Center
Feb. 08, 2007 - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Copps Coliseum
Feb. 09, 2007 - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Scotiabank Place
Feb. 10, 2007 - Poughkeepsie, NY; Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Feb. 12, 2007 - Columbus, OH; Lifestyles Pavilion
Feb. 13, 2007 - Cleveland, OH; House of Blues
Feb. 15, 2007 - New York, NY; Hammerstein Ballroom
Feb. 16, 2007 - Providence, RI; Lupo’s At The Strand Theatre
Feb. 17, 2007 - Atlantic City, NJ; House of Blues
Feb. 19, 2007 - Washington, DC; 9:30 Club
Feb. 22, 2007 - Myrtle Beach, SC; House of Blues
Feb. 23, 2007 - Orlando, FL; House of Blues
Feb. 24, 2007 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Revolution

* "If an echo is the repetition of a sound caused by the reflection of sound waves, what are musicians but pilgrims for eternity?" That is the credo behind Echoes of Eternity, a Los Angeles-based female-fronted Melodic Progressive Metal Band. Their debut album, The Forgotten Goddess (Nuclear Blast) is a wonderful introduction to their unique style - brutal, no-nonsense guitars and foundation layered with ethereal melodic female vox.

Echoes of Eternity are: vocalist Francine Boucher, guitarist Brandon S. Patton, bassist Duane Cowan, and drummer Kirk Carrison.

Burning With Life does just that - the grandiose intro giving way to blazing fretwork behind angelic vocals. The vocals on Expressions of Flesh are haunting, counterbalanced by fierce musicianship. Voices In A Dream is fevered! Towers of Silence is as strong as structures of stone masonry inhabited by a solitary spirit. The Forgotten Goddess offers up timeless beauty over unforgiving guitars.

The Kingdom Within is melodically introspective (nice guitar solo!). Circles In Stone is as strong and magical as Stonehenge. Garden of the Gods has a tranquil, exotic beauty and regal guitar solo. Lost Beneath A Silent Sky is intensely frantic. The aptly named instrumental Adrift is a fitting outro for the album.

* "Shoegaze" is an ambient, mesmeric subgenre of Darkwave which first emerged in the late 1980’s in England, a sound defined originally by My Bloody Valentine and others. Buffalo, NY-based Tearwave are now redefining the sound and bringing it firmly into the 21st Century with their self-titled debut album. (Projekt Records).

An intoxicating nectar is released into the air with Lotus Flower. Emotional Cocoon is a little reminiscent of Lacuna Coil, and displays a beautiful metamorphosis. Trial By Fire is the musical equivalent of walking on coals in a trance state.

Melinda paints a surreal portrait. Lady Aurora brings the first rays of sunlight to the fading darkest night. Dream Bliss transports the listener to an astral plane.

The heart-pumping instrumental Crimson Interlude leads into the melancholic Crimson Water Cleanses the Soul. Pointless Savior is dischordant and chaotic. Nightingale is as tranquil as the call of a songbird.

SCREENS (Large & Small):

* Horrorfind Weekend is coming to Baltimore from March 2 - 4, and will include a Hellraiser Reunion!!! Including an appearance by Doug "Pinhead" Bradley himself!

Not only will you get to meet the celebrities, there is a gigantic Dealer’s Room with all kinds of merch and collectibles, Costume Ball/Contest, movie screamings - er, screenings, Horror Author readings and signings, Haunt and Halloween Seminars, Supernatural Seminars/Speakers, the Horrorfind Sanitarium Haunted House, and prize giveaways to make your skin crawl!

* There are no scarier "monsters" than the human ones - the seemingly "normal" people you wouldn’t suspect of having the blackest of hearts, ones who look just like everyone else and (even worse) may be in positions of trust.

Visionary writer/director Frazer Lee explores just that in the two chilling but excellent shorts, On Edge and Red Lines, both available together on one DVD and both starring Doug Bradley (best known as "Pinhead" from Hellraiser).

A trip to the dentist’s office is always scary, but never more so than after seeing On Edge! An impatient car salesman Peter Thurlow (Charlie Boorman) is in pain, and demands to see a dentist. Dr. Matthews (Doug Bradley) appears to usher him back to an exam room. But the seemingly kind and professional Dr. Matthews is definitely not what he seems, and Thurlow’s visit turns into an absolute nightmare! On Edge won the Best Short, Halloween Filmfest in Germany, and deservedly so!!!

Red Lines is another award winner, scooping up the Best Short in the Fearless Tales Genre Fest USA. Schoolgirl Emily (Kirsty Levett) is locked in a school room alone for detention. But as she tried to write out her assignment, blood kept appearing warning her to run - and she sees a ghostly apparition (Leone Hanman). What secrets about the teacher (Doug Bradley) does this ghost know?!

Out-takes from both films are also included, as well as interviews with both Frazer Lee and Doug Bradley. Frazer is definitely a shining talent to watch! The Crowgrrl can’t wait to see his upcoming Urbane!!!

* The Crowgrrl is proud to have contributed an interview with the legendary Christopher Lee (and reviewed his new cd, Revelation) for Count Gore’s Creature Feature site, www.countgore.com! in The Moat and The Chamber parts of the site, respectively. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of this excellent edition!

Valentine's Day gift suggestions and a romantic & sexy feature film, "Lady Frankenstein" await you this week in The Lab! But before you accept an gifts, watch the New Blood short from Ehren Koepf entitled, "4U"!

LadyBoneYard tells you all about the Poe Birthday Bash in Baltimore! Read it in The Morgue!

The Mad Sktozman has models of his favorite Frankenstein lady...The Bride! See them in The Pit! A. Ghastlee Ghoul is back Ranting about his new addiction to "Second Life!" He can be found on The Gallows! Prof. Griffin has discovered two horror DVD gems in The Auditorium! The TombKeeper reviews two books by Kfir Luzzatto in The Tomb!

* New releases in theaters that look interesting: Eragon, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Messengers, Hannibal Rising, Blood & Chocolate, The Hitcher,

* On the theme of the scariest "monsters" being the ones that could pass as ordinary people, one of the creepiest movies The Crowgrrl’s ever seen was One Hour Photo!

Sy Parrish (Robin Williams) runs the one-hour photo department of a discount store (like a Target or WalMart or that type establishment). He becomes obsessed with one family that regularly have their photos processed there - fantasizing himself as part of that family.

When he starts suspecting the husband of this family as having an affair, his fantasies turn to murderous realities!

The most chilling nuance of this is this could conceivably happen to anyone, at any time when you’re a "regular customer" at any store! Now, that can be creepy!!!

* New on DVD - Open Season, Flyboys, Benny Hill Set 6, Criss Angel Mindfreak Gift Set, Hannibal Lector Collection, Iron Maiden: History of Fear, Prey, Slaughter of the Vampires, Tales of Terror from Tokyo III, Unknown, Villa Paranoia, Yu-Gi-Oh GX Vol. 2, Yu-Gi-Oh Season 5,The Grudge 2, Flicka, Hollywoodland, Blood Legend, Bloody Mary, Bound By Blood, Charmed: The Complete 7th Season, The Circle, Drawing Blood, Evil Behind You, Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms, Incubus, Irish Myths & Legends, Killer Drag Queens On Dope, The Raven, Sickness House, Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo.

* Upcoming movies that look like they may be good: The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Beowulf, AVP2, Nomad: The Warrior, Ghost Rider, <B>The Hills Have Eyes 2, Zodiac, 300, TMNT, Disturbia, The Invisible, Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Hostel: Part 2, The Eye, The Host (aka The Sick House), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Shrek the Third, Dead Silence.

* New Game Releases that might be fun: Alien Shooter Vengeance, Final Fantasy VI Advance, Lunar Knights, Romance of the 3 Kingdoms XI, Sonic the Hedgehog, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.

PRINT:

* The Crowgrrl is very thankful that D.H. Press is finally bringing English translations of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D series (and featuring the impressive illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano ) to American audiences! I’ve loved the two anime movies, but the books add dimensions that films can’t capture.

The series, begins the year 12,090 A.D., a post-apocalyptic world peopled by not only surviving humans, but supernatural beasts such as lycanthropes, 3-headed Medusas, dragons, man-eating giant worms, behemoths, etc. The ruling class over all, until recently, was the Vampires. After a human uprising, the Vampires now keep to themselves, with plenty of safeguards in place. They’re still known as Nobles, however, and given healthy respect - unless they attack outpost human villages.

The 6th installment in the series is Vampire Hunter D: Pilgrimage of the Sacred and the Profane. In a remote border village, D encounters Granny Viper - a "people finder" who rescues lost souls. Viper’s current mission is returning a young woman named Tae to her family. Tae was kidnapped 8 years before and held prisoner by the Nobility. But there is formidable desert and untold horrors between the village and Tae’s home town where her brother is waiting.

Viper made the mistake of first trying to enlist the help of local ruffians, the Bullow Brothers, to escort her and Tae through the desert. That’s before D came to town, and Viper thought he would be the better candidate for the job and would settle for none other.

But the mercenary Bullows would not be dissuaded, and followed along anyway, trying to steal the payday from D. And they have a few deadly tricks of their own up their sleeves.

It becomes a race for lives across the desert, the monsters encountered in those expanses, and the rivalry from the Bullows brothers to get Tae to her family. But even greater dangers await at the destination!!!

This edition is a true nail-biter, with more dangers awaiting on each page turned. Excellent story! The Crowgrrl highly recommends it.

* UK readers, listen up! Darren Shan - author of the Cirque du Freak and Demonata series - will be doing an event in London on Monday, Feb. 19th, 2007 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the second-largest venue at the Royal Festival Hall with a capacity for 900 people. Check out the Shanville Monthly section at Darren’s website for ticket info.

He will also appear at the Derby Literature Festival on Sunday, February 18th. Plus, from April 1 to 20th, he will be touring America, then embarking on a big UK tour, followed by visits to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. Info on those appearances are coming soon.

* Brad Meltzer’s The Book of Fate (Warner Books) is jam-packed with thrills and intrigue that includes high-level government conspiracies, a psychopathic killer, Masonic lore, and more twists than a "Scrambler" carnival ride!

Presidential aide Wes Holloway’s life is forever shattered the day of the assassination attempt - one member of the entourage - Ron Boyle, a long-time friend of President Manning’s - is shot dead, and his own face shredded by shrapnel. Dogged by guilt for inviting Boyle into the Presidential limo on the fateful day, not to mention plenty of post-traumatic stress, Wes still continues to loyally serve President Manning even years after he’s out of office.

That is, until he encounters Boyle hiding backstage at one of the former President’s public appearances in Malaysia! Launching into his own investigation, he puts his very life and those around him in jeopardy as he uncovers cryptic codes, governmental conspiracies, Masonic codes from the Founding Fathers, and more. He’s joined in his quest for answers (as to what really happened that fateful day, why Boyle is alive, and why high-level government officials want him silenced) by his best friend, lawyer Rogo and reporter Lisbeth.

What they DO know is a shady character known only as "The Roman" is pulling the strings behind whatever’s going on. And The Roman has no qualms enlisting the help of a murderous psychopath - a religious fanatic who believes (wrongly) that his mother died as a result of a Masonic conspiracy and is bent on destroying every Mason he can find. The psycho, Nico, makes the Da Vinci Code’s Albino look sane!

The Crowgrrl highly recommends this book - it’s full of action and intrigue. It’s almost impossible to put down from the minute you read the first page!

* In a bizarre case of Life Imitating Art, we need to head to the murky depths of Loch Ness in Scotland. Steve Alten’s excellent book The Loch. The book overall is laced with both cutting-edge science as well as Scottish history, and presents a believable theory for the existence of the infamous Nessie.

Within the past two years, however, two real new stories surfaced that confirmed the theories in Steve Alten’s novel! The first concerned forensic investigator William McDonald’s discovery of massive slide tracks frozen along the Loch Ness shoreline. The second happened four months later when two American college students located a half-eaten deer carcass and a tooth of the predator that devoured poor Bambi!

Through a lot of time, effort, and money Steve has been able to secure the rights to the video footage, which is now posted at www.SteveAlten.com (click on The LOCH book cover link.)

* If you’re looking for another handy datebook for 2007, Llewellyn’s 2007 Herbal Almanac isn’t the book for you. Outside of the monthly Moon Tables in the back, there’s nothing resembling a calendar. HOWEVER. If you’re looking for a treasure trove of herbal lore, this tome is worth its weight in gold! There is everything for growing and gathering tips to practical use to myths and folklore.

Twenty respected herbalists were brought together to write articles on a myriad of topics. These topics are divided into the following categories: Growing & Gathering Herbs, Culinary Herbs, Herbs for Health, Herbs for Beauty, Herb Crafts, and Herb History, Myth, & Lore.

We’re taught how to attract wildlife using herbs, we’re introduced to Afro-Caribbean Greens, we see how herbs can help us breathe easier or to enhance our memory. There are remedies for pets, crafts for kids, tips on making liqueurs, brandies, & syrups, and more!

Granted, the "rag" content low quality paper it was printed on is annoying to me - I’m hypersensitive to the paper. Paper quality is very important to the Crowgrrl.

* David "Avocado" Wolfe (author, foremost authority on raw food nutrition, and one of the Alts on the Sci Fi Channel’s Mad Mad House) has a special message to Perch readers. "Are you tired of eating food that’s sprayed with chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, larvacides; genetically modified ingredients, hormonally altered additives, preservatives, red dye #3, yellow dye #4, blue dye #5?"

Wanna know how to eat healthier? Make sure you’re putting the best foods in your body? The Crowgrrl recommends checking out his books Eating for Beauty and The Sunfood Diet Success System, or better yet – catch one of his lectures or retreats! (And don’t forget to check out www.rawfood.com for products like raw cacao and yummy vanilla beans!)

* Chapter One of my own book, Under Her Black Wings (yes, the title is with Glenn Danzig’s permission - I never would have used that title otherwise) is available to all my readers in the "Print" section of this site.

The chapter list (the actual titles of the chapters may be renamed, but the subject matter’s the same) includes:

here

All chapters are in progress, and as I research and as people share their stories, they’re included in the appropriate chapter. These should be available soon (to Crowgrrl's Flock Members only) to watch the work in progress.
Sign up here!

* Gothic Beauty Issue #21 is out! Be sure to grab a copy! Ad space is available for future Gothic Beauty issues. For specifics, go to www.gothicbeauty.com/ads and be sure to mention that Athena sent you.

Gothic Beauty Magazine has revamped its website, and it’s fantastic! Go to www.gothicbeauty.com and check it out. (Be sure to check the message boards there, too!)

* The Crowgrrl’s current reading stack includes: The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin, Crimson Rogue by Liz Maverick, Even Vampires Get The Blues by Katie MacAlister, Dark Side of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Natural Cures "They" Don’t Want You To Know About by Kevin Trudeau, an English translation of "The Kalevala", "Mind of the Raven: Investigations & Adventures With Wolf-Birds" by Bernd Heinrich, "How To Buy, Sell, & Profit on eBay" by Adam Ginsberg, "Teach Yourself Portuguese" by Manuela Cook, Rick Steve’s Portuguese Phrase Book and Dictionary, "Norwegian In 10 Minutes A Day’

OTHER NEWS:

* The Crowgrrl has a Myspace Blog! Keep even more up to date by checking it out! It’s at: http://www.myspace.com/crowgrrl or more directly at: <U>http://blog.myspace.com/crowgrrl

* The Crowgrrl highly recommends that readers check out the website Bazaar Bizarre for freakish deviations on fluffy conceptions. Great online place to shop for fun and unusual items (and with Valentine's Day coming up, you can do some gift shopping there as well!)

* Hey, Readers, you’ve gotta check out a product called Body Balance by Lifeforce. My family takes Body Balance every day! It’s much better than a daily multi-vitamin, that’s for sure! And another "plus", if we feel down or over-tired, a little more Body Balance does the trick to pick us up.

It’s a liquid, ionic, phytonutrient dietary supplement made from whole foods, and it contains a mix of over 120 vitamins, minerals, and phytronutrients that your body needs on a daily basis to keep healthy.

Why am I telling you about this because an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. I felt I had to share this as one thing most of my readers may not know, in July of 2003, The Crowgrrl was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is something I don't want anyone to have to go through what I did. I’ve refused the "conventional" paths of chemo/radiation/surgery, and have taken a holistic naturopathy approach instead (which I’ll go into in more detail in future Perch editions, or readers can e-mail me). I’m supposed to stay on a specific holistic protocol for two years. Withing 14 months the tumor was supposed to shrunk to half of its original size. Much to our surprise as of December, 2003, the lump (tumor) is gone! I’m fine! I firmly believe the Body Balance helped accelerate the healing.

Also Exclusively for the crowgrrl's readers you can get your own FREE quart of Body Balance. Go to this website http://www.lifeforcefamily.com Then put in this special redeption code 20485805.

Another Lifeforce International product in the online store, The Crowgrrl and family regularly use is Colloidal Silver. Silver is a natural antibacterial element that can be used both topically and/or internally.

My son recently tried to take care of an in-grown toenail without telling anyone, which subsequently became infected. After a trip to the podiatrist and some toe surgery, our podiatrist told us to keep Neosporin on the toe until it healed. We didn’t – we used Colloidal Silver instead. When the podiatrist checked the healing process a couple weeks later, not only was the Colloidal Silver working, but the healing process was happening a bit faster than normal/expected!

The information provided at this site has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and is for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription for any disease. Please consult your physician for advice.

* For those of my readers who experience annoying computer (pc/mac/linux) problems (or those of you techies who are annoyed at friends and relatives expecting you to be their personal tech-support 24/7), go to einnovations.juvio.com for around-the-clock help. I’ve personally done so, and my computer’s working like a dream since getting help from there.

* Anyone who hasn’t already done so, check out the Gallery section here on the Crowgrrl’s site. Prints and some originals are still available. So, buy ‘em already!

You're enjoying the Perch! Keep up with the latest! The Only Way to Win Prizes! Join the Crowgrrl's Murder.
Sign up here!

# # #