Crowgrrrl's Perch 03-11-07

CROWGRRL’S PERCH 03-11-07

By Athena Schaffer aka The Crowgrrl

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Spotlight: DOUG BRADLEY, ECHOES OF ETERNITY, TWISTED INTO FORM, CHIMAIRA, FRANK CAVALLO!

* CROWGRRL’S SPOTLIGHT - DOUG BRADLEY!

* Doug Bradley has earned legendary status - his name is one of the most revered in the horror genre. He’s probably best known for bringing the demonic Cenobite leader "Pinhead" to life cinematically, appearing in all 8 Hellraiser movies.

But the Hellraiser franchise is just one shining facet of the glittering black diamond of Doug’s career, which includes numerous tv and film appearance that include Nightbreed, Prophecy: Uprising, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes, On Edge, Red Lines, and many more! He has appeared on theatre stages with his one-man show An Evening With Death. He lends his distinctive voice not only to animated projects such as Dominator, Archangel Thunderbird, and the upcoming Dominator X, but also guest appearances on Cradle of Filth’s Midian, Nymphetamine, and Thornography albums!

AND he adds "Author" to his list of accomplishments, having written the book Behind The Mask of the Horror Actor about famous monsters in film and the men who portrayed them such as Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and more, along with history of mask use and shamanic insights as well.

It was an honor that Doug granted The Crowgrrl an interview at the recent Horrorfind Weekend Convention in Baltimore!

There’s talks of another Hellraiser movie?

Well, what there’s talk of is a remake of the first one. That’s as much as I can tell you, really, because that’s as much as I know. I know that someone on IMDB has posted that I am "in talks". All I can say is if that’s the case, then these talks are very, very, very, very quiet. Nobody’s contacted me about anything to do with the remake either as to say they’re going to be using me or as to say they’re thinking of using someone else.

I would assume that remaking the first Hellraiser film implies as far as the series as it is stands is static. I can’t imagine them wanting to make a Hellraiser remake before they make a Hellraiser 9. I think it’s a "that must be it, then" sort of way. I think the series as a whole is finished.

So there’s not going to be a Hellraiser 9?

Don’t take my word for that! I’m just trying to put 3 and 3 together and make 29. But I just assume they won’t. I can’t see why they would want to go back and remake Hellraiser and then wanting to go back and having to continue the series.

So that’s where we are on this. Obviously history is not on my side for doing remakes. When they waste everybody’s time and money remaking a movie, they don’t tend to use the original cast.

But it’s less than two years since the last Hellraiser movie was released so I’m very confident it might not happen. I’m absolutely ambivalent about remakes. Really ambivalent. It doesn’t make it more "real". But if they were to offer me the chance to re-do it, if I had the time I’d probably do it. But exactly what that plan is, I don’t know.

Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance said you’re the ONLY "Pinhead"!

Well, the fans have been absolutely wonderful, I have to say. It’s rather humbling. They’re all saying the same thing. A horde of fans say the same, "You know what? If you’re not in it, we’re not going to see it." They’re talking about writing campaigns to Dimension Films and online petitions and so forth. They’re all saying "It won’t be the same without you in it."

You know what? They’re absolutely right. It wouldn’t be the same. It would be different. I don’t want to talk myself out of a job, but somebody else could do it. It just wouldn’t be the same.

OK. What’s this Dominator X?

That’s a computer generated animated films by a comic book writer in England (Brighton) - Tony Luke. I’ve worked with him and collaborated on various things for a number of years. It’s a live action/animation mix of a science fiction thing for The Sci Fi Channel called Archangel Thunderbird several years ago, which the Sci Fi Channel screened and it did very well. It got good numbers. The Sci Fi Channel was supposed to on the back of that to be committing either to a TV movie or a series.

We went to a series of meetings and went ‘round and ‘round and ‘round. It was soon evident that the Sci Fi Channel was not interested in having anything to do with it. So, sadly that came to naught. I want to say that it’s a really, really great story! It had been DaVinci Code-ing a little bit before The DaVinci Code.

So we’ve sort-of moved on from that. Dominator X is very, very influenced by Manga. It’s a bit Rock & Roll, Horror, Science Fiction. It’s funny, too. That’s ongoing at the moment. As well as voicing characters for Dominator X, I’m involved in the production as well. It’s been a really, really great experience! It’s been a bumpy road as far as the funding is concerned - it’s the same old story. So, that will be ongoing for most of the summer.

So, will you be producing more animated stuff?

I would hope so. I hope if everything comes through with the Renga work (which is Tony’s company) the working relationship will be ongoing.

What about the Crowley movie that Frazer Lee will be doing?

In this stage, as far as I know, (you’ll have to talk to Frazer) it hasn’t really gone beyond the "Hey wouldn’t this be great?"

If we were to do anything, I would think and hope that it would be Urbane which is his feature horror script. I don’t understand why he hasn’t had his hand torn off - it’s an outstanding script! It’s a great story. It certainly has "Hit Movie" written all over it. We are tip-toeing towards a situation where the funding will be in place, but the wheels turn slowly.

Crowleymass was the working title we came up with. Basically Frazer mentioned it and I bit his hand off. I said I’ll bulk up and shave my head and I’ll do it! We’ve discussed a few ideas but it hasn’t gone beyond that.

I like the poetry you do on the new Cradle of Filth album - Rise of the Pentagram. (Actually, I’ve loved all the appearances you’ve made on their albums!)

I’ve known Dani for quite awhile now. He contacted me to ask me to work on the Midian album originally. It was a kind-of tribute to Nightbreed. I just said "Yes". I really like Dani’s writing, and I get along really well with the band. They’re a cool bunch of guys.

As you know, they were up here at Horrorfind yesterday afternoon, and a few of us managed to get down into Baltimore to see them play last night. It was actually the first time I’ve seen them onstage. It was quite a thrill for me to hear my voice boom out of the speakers last night! To get a name shout from Dani onstage was very cool! I managed to hang out with them for a beer for a bit afterwards, so that was cool.

They called me again to ask if I would contribute to the Nymphetamine album, then again for the new album, Thornography. For their last 3 albums now I’ve contributed spoken lyrics, spoken word intros one way or another. It’s been really. It’s been really cool.

Have you ever thought about lending your distinctive voice to videogames as well?

Nope.

What about the Pumpkinhead movie you recently did?

Pumpkinhead 3: Ashes to Ashes. I’ll be honest with you, when I knew the Pumpkinhead 3 script was coming my way I was thinking, "mmmm, yeah. Pumpkinhead 3. It’s a job." But I was very pleasantly surprised! It’s a strong story, and a really good script. Plus it gave me the opportunity to work with Lance Henriksen. Lance is a god as far as I’m concerned. It’s the second time Lance and I had worked together - the first, of course, was the last Hellraiser: Hellworld.

I think I in common with the whole Horror clan feels that the first Pumpkinhead movie is a really good movie. The second one was not. So they’ve pretty much taken the point of view that the second film never happened, and This is the sequel.

It was shot in Romania last Spring, and it premiered on the Sci Fi Channel Halloween of last year. I believe, if I read my Fangoria right, it’s about to be released on DVD, which is great because I haven’t seen it yet. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Speaking about Romania, I loved Prophecy: Uprising, especially the nuance where you kept the Romanian accent until your character was possessed by the spirit of Belial.

Yes, it was a cool movie to make. I loved the first two Prophecy movies. But, yeah, I’ve done 4 movies in Romania in 4 years. I thought it came out pretty well.

What was your favorite movie that you’ve worked on?

By favorite movie, do you mean most fun or most rewarding?

Both!

You know what? That’s tough because there’s good and bad and in-between in every movie, really. I’ve always said that Hellraiser 3 was one of the most fun - just a work-hard, play-hard film, really. I’m not very good at trying to pick out favorite bits and pieces.

Frazer told me about a funny moment when you were working on On Edge.

They were fun movies to make, both On Edge and Red Lines. I’m very proud of both of those films, particularly On Edge. I saw it again recently at the Rock & Shock Convention in Worcester, MA. They were screening it, and I went up and introduced it. As I was leaving I started watching it. It was a short film, so I just sat down and watched it again. It was actually a pleasant surprise to see it again.

There was a moment when filming where you had to do multiple takes because you kept laughing at one special effect? Having to do with a hypodermic needle?

There was a whole thing with that, because I’m not good around syringes.

I’m a needlephobe myself.

Remember that when anybody has an injection in a movie, there’s an unwritten law that there has to be a close up. You will appreciate that they always cut away. So when you or I cover our eyes, they cut back.

So, I’ve got that issue. I’m not good around dentists, and there’s the drill thing going on as well. Basically in order to get the "valium" injection into Charley Boorman in the dentist’s chair, we clamped a tampon onto his arm to inject the stuff into. Which I found funny for some reason. I don’t know why.

I’m very bad at remembering stuff like that as well, off the cuff.

Any fun moments like that, say, in other recent movies like when filming Pumpkinhead 3?

It’s all fun! That’s the reason I have trouble answering, because it’s ALL fun! That’s part of the special privilege for us as actors. All our work is fun.

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

No, I think we covered all the bases. There are - apart from Urbane - a couple of other projects. One’s going to be announced soon, so we can talk about it. Midnight Syndicate are doing a movie called The Dead Matter and they sent me the script. They’re planning to shoot later this year. Nothing’s negotiated so nothing is finalized yet by any means, but I’ve said I’m interested.

There’s another movie also that I’ve been sent the script, and in fact had dinner with the writer and director here in Baltimore on Thursday night. That’s kind of a Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse end-times story set in the present times. I think that’s a really, really strong script. I’m very interested in that.

But those are just possibilities - slip, stuck, many a twixt, if that makes any sense.

* SECOND SPOTLIGHT - ECHOES OF ETERNITY!

* "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, guitarists Brandon S. Patton and Sam Young, 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.

The Crowgrrl recently caught up with frontwoman Francine to find out more.

Your band members are from a wide geographical range like from Los Angeles, Canada, Japan, South Carolina? How did you get together? Who’s from where?

Kirk, Brandon & Duane all know each other from living in South Carolina. I'm originally from Québec but was living in Florida where I met Kirk & Brandon in college. We all moved to L.A. for work and perhaps to start a potential band. As the band took off in a great direction, we recruited Duane who was living in Japan at the time.

Is everybody now based in the L.A. area?

Yes.

Your unique sound layers strong musicianship with ethereal vocals? Who does most of the songwriting for the band? Do the lyrics come first? Does the music come first? What is the songwriting process like for you guys?

We all take part in the creative process. It begins with Brandon coming up with some riffs, then he & Kirk will jam on it for a little bit, then we piece together which riffs go well with each other until the song structure is in place. Once that is done, I will come up with a vocal pattern that will melt into the song. Both Brandon & I write lyrics; they are usually written after the music is in place, but oddly enough, sometimes the actual song title is created first and then the music & the lyrics come after. It really helps set the mood for the song and gives it a certain direction.

"Lost Beneath A Silent Sky" is intense! What are you inspirations behind that song?

It's a song that keeps moving forward, almost like a march. It never slows down. Brandon created the song title and I created the lyrics. It speaks of contemplating your life and realizing that you, your life, and your surroundings - you created all of it. You are what you believe you are. There is no reality - only perceptions.

What about inspirations behind the regal title track?

The DaVinci Code speaks of the sacred feminine. There are many female deities throughout many cultures and various religions that used to worship a male and female figure. None of us are really affiliated with any organized religion in particular, but we are spiritual and the way I see it, the male & female is like the Yin & Yang. Each one needs the other to be whole.

You’re doing a video for "Voices In A Dream"?

We shot the video last weekend in Downtown L.A. and in Runyon Canyon. It was shot, directed, and is being edited by Olle Carllson.

What’s your personal favorite song on the new album?

I love them all, but I think my favorite one to sing is "Voices In A Dream."

Any stories behind the cover art?

All the artwork was created by a Brazilian artist by the name of Wendell Pendeo. He created a piece for each song which is featured in the CD booklet, originally the name of the album was to be Burning With Life, but when we saw what he did for The Forgotten Goddess, we loved it the most and thought it encompassed our music better. It's mysterious, beautiful, and aggressive.

Tour plans?

We plan to tour extensively in '07, but have no specific dates at the moment.

What is your live show like?

It's a lot heavier live than on the album. Since our music was written for 2 guitars, we just announced out new guitarist, Sam Young. There's also a lot more energy live than the studio album.

Is it too early in your career to ask about any long-form DVD plans?

Eventually, yes of course, we'd like to do a live DVD, but that won't be for a while.

Currently your Myspace page is your "official" website? And I understand you’re coming up with some new merch?

Yes our website www.echoesofeternity.net will be up & running shortly. The website & the merch is also designed by our artist Wendell Pendeo, who did the cover art.

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

Our debut album comes out Feb 20th, and all those who pre-order it through www.cmdistro.com will get a free autgraphed poster! When we come to your town, come catch us live, we always hang out afterwards & talk to our fans!

* THIRD SPOTLIGHT - TWISTED INTO FORM!

* Norway’s Twisted Into Form have forged a new musical path - the band’s mission is to create music that fused the intensity of jazz/fusion and technical metal while conjuring extraordinary emotions. The result is definitely like nothing I’ve ever heard before. Their debut album, Then Comes Affliction To Awaken The Dreamer (Sensory Records), was five years in the making, which is understandable given the complexities evident in each song.

But even though this is the band’s debut album, these guys are seasoned veterans. Vocalist Leif Knashaug and guitarist Kaj Gornitzka were formerly with Spiral Architect, bassist Erik Aadland hails from Lunaris, and drummer David Husvik comes from Extol.

Enter Nothingness plunges the listener into a chaotic void. Instinct Solitaire delivers a dose of insanity. Torrents rages and twists like a river. The Thin Layers of Lust & Love is a bit more tranquil and exhibits moments of beauty. Tear is a dark, morose instrumental.

Manumit is dischordant, bordering on schizophrenic. The Flutter Kings is pure pandemonium. Erased has a dark, dangerous edge. House of Nadir is probably the most melodic song on the album. Coda is jam-packed with complexities.

The Crowgrrl recently caught up with Kaj and Erik to find out more.

You guys came together with the dream of creating music that blends jazz/fusion and technical Metal?

Kaj: Yes, I guess that a fair description of how Twisted into Form came about, even if it might have been more of a natural development that a conscious decision. We are all into this kind of music, or, to rephrase it a little: The sum of the members' tastes includes a wide variety of genres, and what is on the album is a reflection of this. Metal is the foundation for all of us. The rest comes from being open to all the other styles that inspire us, individually and as a group.

How does this differ from what the band members did from the previous bands you all were with?

Kaj: For me it's not that different musically; what I did in Spiral Architect compares well to what Twisted is doing, except that Spiral is more extreme in its expression. For me, the biggest difference is in the way we work, since Twisted is much more of a relaxed band when it comes to writing. When Erik and I started, we did it because we wanted an arena where we could play around with ideas and be creative, but without all the stress and pressure that normally comes with life in a band. We had no deadlines, not even any real thought of recording anything. It was purely based on the pleasure of creativity and the freedom to do whatever we felt like, whenever we felt like doing it. This is a pretty rare thing for a band, I think, and it has made our music so much better.

For David it was a bit of an adjustment compared to what he’s been doing in Extol all these years. Even though Extol delivers quite technical and complex music, it’s still more riff-based and controlled than what we’ve been doing in TiF, and I think it took him a while to get used to some of the more non-linear ideas we’ve thrown at him. But he’s a great drummer, so he caught on really fast, and I know he loves the challenge of it.

When it comes to Leif, that’s a very different story; he is not at all used to this kind of music, he is much more of a straight rock/heavy kind of guy. This might come as a bit of a surprise to people if they’ve heard only what he’s done with us, but the truth is that he works really hard to get our songs into his system, even if it often is a struggle for him. But then again, I think his distance to our particular scene is part of what makes him so great for us - his voice is not a typical heavy metal voice, and that slight difference is what brings out that little extra emotional edge in our music.

Erik: As for me, the intensity of Twisted resembles other bands and projects I’ve been involved in. However, the blend of jazz/fusion inspired tonality and technical structures that we landed on in Twisted received a very warm welcome in my department. It was very motivating and refreshing to work with such a challenging expression while at the same time having few restrictions idea wise as well as time wise.

Why did this album take 5 years to complete?

Kaj: There are in fact many reasons why it took so long to release this album. First of all, when Erik and I started playing together around 2000, and even as David joined in some time later, we weren’t very focused on the production side of the music business. Twisted into Form began as a hobby project, and remained so for the first three years of its existence. We rarely rehearsed more than once a week or so, and solely for our own pleasure.

I guess the turning point - the reason we actually ended up recording at all came after I made my decision to move from Norway to Portugal in late 2003. This decision forced another: What to do with the music we had made up till this point? Obviously we decided it would be a waste not to record it, so we set a date and started working really hard to make the deadline.

When we finally started recording at the beginning of 2004, we had the basic structures of most of the songs, and from there the rest was added as we went along. We took our time and did not rush the recording process, and we were fortunate to have ample access to MultiMono Studio, courtesy of Asgeir Mickelson (Spiral Architect, Borknagar). In short, we were not done by the time I moved to Portugal... For me, that meant going back to Norway some months later to finish the guitars and Leif’s vocals. The good thing about this was that we had more time to prepare ourselves, writing new melodies and testing new ideas while at the same time getting some distance to the material. In the end I think it made the album better as a whole.

At this point, which was September 2004, we did what we thought would be the final mix and started shopping around for a deal. Ken Golden and his Sensory label responded very positively to the music and wanted to release the album, but he also wanted a few more songs first - which to a large degree explains why it took another two years for the album to hit the streets. We had recorded all our material and had to come up with two more songs, starting from scratch. Writing and recording these added another year to our schedule, and by then we - the band and Sensory - had also decided to let Neil Kernon remix the entire album.

To conclude, we finished recording more than a year ago, and the time between that and the release was purely industry related delays and decisions. Well, there you have it - the short version of the story behind the album...

Who does most of the songwriting for the band?

Kaj: Erik and I have split the songwriting pretty much fifty-fifty. The songs grow from a sketch either he or I bring to the table, and whoever comes up with a certain idea has the main responsibility for developing it, but always relying heavily on input from the other. When the sketches are ready, we bring them to the rehearsals, where David contributes to the final arrangements. So far, the vocal melodies have been my responsibility, and I've written most of the lyrics, with some very welcome input from Erik every time I got stuck...

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

Kaj: We always start with the music, the vocal melodies and the lyrics are only begun when almost all the other stuff is in place. Before we started recording the album, we typically followed the pattern outlined above; Erik and I met once a week or so to work on the songs, and later we'd show what we had to David and take it from there.

But this changed drastically once we began recording. Once David had finished the drum tracks, we started building on the original ideas, adding more and more textures and layers to the basic structures of the songs. We were incredibly privileged to have almost infinite time in the studio, which allowed us to develop the songs in any direction we wanted, and basically we recorded ourselves most of the time, so we didn't have to worry about boring anyone to death with all our musical meanderings. But because of the different processes we had to go through during this rather extended recording session, we were also forced to try other ways. The extra material Sensory wanted was written with Erik in Norway and me in Portugal, sending sound files back and forth, and finally making a click track for David so that he could record the drums together with Erik.

Actually, we did one other thing which worked out pretty well: While we were recording the main part of the drum tracks, we asked David to lay down about three minutes worth of drums without any input from the rest of us, basically just jamming by himself for awhile. The idea was that we would later try to write a song on top of this in the studio, something that was never rehearsed or otherwise planned beforehand. It turned out to be quite a challenge, but I’m pretty pleased with the final result - the song Erased.

As you can see, the process of writing is not particularly static for us, but I see this as a good way of keeping both the music and the work of making music interesting, and I think it brings a certain freshness to the final result. At least, I hope it does.

Any stories behind the cover art?

Kaj: We wanted something that was not typically "metal", but could also mirror the rather bleak vision of the world that we portray in our lyrics and music. We went many rounds with the designer (Samuel Durling from Sweden, a friend of David) before we were satisfied, but it turned out really great. As it is now, the cover gives an extra depth to the atmosphere of the album, while simultaneously hinting towards the band’s name.

We were, however, pretty nervous about the outcome for awhile; the cover is printed twice, first in normal 4 colour, then with an extra layer of bronze on top. It turned out that the print shop used by Sensory had never done this before and would not give us any guarantees about the final product. We still insisted that they go ahead, leaving us with the risk of being left with a few thousand ruined covers. Those were some fairly long and nervous days, waiting to hear how it had turned out - but all’s well that ends well, right?

Erik: I really wanted to have cover art that represented the band’s expression, rather than fitting into a particular category, i.e. Metal. I’ve always been a great fan of the artwork for the German jazz label ECM in this respect.

What’s your personal favorite song on the new album?

Kaj: That's a tough one... I like different songs for different reasons, and the favourite changes according to my mood any given day. I like Instinct Solitaire a lot for its sheer energy and drive, and I like Torrents for being both heavy and very melodic at the same time, and having kind of a "loose" quality to it. I love to listen to Erased, it’s just so different from everything else I’ve ever done, and knowing how it was made gives it an extra dimension - some of it was almost immediate, but there were parts of Erased that took me a long, long time to get right... The problem is that I could go on like this with all the songs on the album, and I honestly don’t think I can single out just one song.

Erik: I definitely depends on the mood. It also depends on which part of the songs I tune in on when listening. For instance, if I listen to the drums primarily I might prefer other parts of songs than if I tune in on the vocals. It’s difficult to listen to the songs as "wholes" when you know the structures and textures intimately (that is to say when you have made them and know what they consist of). Most often I tend to deconstruct them in some way and focus on certain parts when listening. It can be frustrating as well!

Tour plans?

Kaj: So far we have no plans to tour at all, I’m afraid. Our situation has become a bit tricky after my move to Portugal, which makes rehearsing rather difficult right now. Also, David has a very full schedule with Extol, they are constantly either on tour or recording - and Erik just became a father for the first time... For now, we have decided to concentrate on writing more music and see where that leads us.

What is your live show like?

Kaj: Hehe - what live show?! Truth be told, we have never played live with this band at all, and even though I would love to, it will probably take us a long time to prepare for something like that - mostly for the same reasons as I mentioned above. Though we haven’t completely ruled it out, it’s just that in order for us to play live we would want to be able to present a spectacularly good show - any less just won’t cut it - and this is presently not conceivable. I’ll keep bugging the other guys about it regularly, though!

Any video plans for any songs?

Kaj: Well, not in the normal sense, maybe; we haven’t made any plans for a proper video shoot in the near future, even though it would have been interesting to try it, but I am trying to compile a video from the recording sessions, which will hopefully be added to our website at some point. We have quite a few hours worth of video from the studio - maybe it would be interesting for people to see it. As for a proper video, it would take a pretty good idea before we’d venture into the world of visuals; there are so many boring videos out there, and personally I’m not interested in releasing a video just for the sake of having one. If, on the other hand, a brilliant idea were to suddenly materialize, I would love to do it. I’m a film freak by nature and the thought of a video is certainly tantalizing.

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

Erik: Check out our album. There are also some samples available on www.myspace.com/officialtwistedintoform and we have some tabulatures for the guitar freaks out there on www.twistedintoform.no

Thanks!

* FOURTH SPOTLIGHT - CHIMAIRA!

* Chimaira’s fourth release, Resurrection, (Ferret Music) is aptly named as far as the band’s evolution - the band feels a sense of rejuvenation in joining the Ferret Music fold, and it shows in the music. Technical complexities are melded with raw ferocity.

Andols Herrick returns behind the drum kit, rejoining vocalist Mark Hunter, guitarists Matt DeVries and Rob Arnold, bassist Jim LaMarca, and Chris Spicuzza providing keyboards, samples, and backing vocals. The Crowgrrl recently caught up with Matt to celebrate the band’s Resurrection.

You guys have already made a video for Resurrection?

We did. It was directed by Todd Bell who actually directed some of our other videos and directed both of our DVD’s - the one that comes with our new CD and our old one: The Dehumanizing Process. We’re really excited to work with him again because unlike other times, he actually had a buzz under him this time because Ferret is really pushing it hard.

The basic theme or concept of the video is it’s kind-of like an underground Fight Club type scene: clubs and girls. It was shot on film so it looks real crisp. Then we’ve got the real fighters in it. The one fighter, Mavrick (The Soul Collector)’s this big guy who was kind-of beating the Hell out of the little guy. He’s basically beating him down. Then the other guy comes back and beats the crap out of the bigger guy.

It’s about a little guy coming up and beating up the bigger guy. It’s kind-of like an "F-You" attitude towards anyone putting a ceiling on you. The song Resurrection (the same title as the CD), we picked that just because it’s like our rejuvenation, our rebirth. It’s like I said, our "F- You" towards anyone who puts a ceiling over us in general. Besides the meaning of the song, it’s kind-of like the meaning of where we are right now as a band.

Very cool! Is that why you guys left Roadrunner? Were they putting a ceiling on you?

It’s a little bit of the reason. The main reason was because we didn’t feel that - right now with Ferret, we feel on top of the totem pole, whereas Roadrunner was leaving us down towards the bottom of the totem pole. They were not really supporting us in the way that we wanted. The kids were complaining that the records weren’t in stores. They weren’t really putting ads out there. We weren’t doing as many interviews as - not even close to what we’ve already done so far before this CD’s even out for Ferret.

But, yeah, if you look at it in that aspect like putting a ceiling over us as far as that goes. They were not really letting us do what we want.

What was the creative process like for this album? How was it different than your previous 3?

This album - as opposed to especially the last one where Rob had the biggest part of the writing - was written by Rob, myself, and Mark, kind-of equally, then everyone else had their 2 cents. I think it’s a more eclectic album because of that, because it has more influences from everyone. It’s kind-of a constant roller coaster from the first song to the last song.

We had kind-of a jumpstart writing this one, too, because back in February when we got rid of Kevin {Talley - drums} and then Andols joined the band, we had to take some time off so Andols could get familiar with the new songs because we still had some touring to go on that tour cycle. So we sat back. While we were doing that, we also wrote on our own, like me and Rob and Mark. We wrote full songs on our Pro-Tools, and just sent them back and forth for some feedback from each other. We didn’t really jam with those songs because we were still just rehearsing.

But when it came time to write back in June and July, we kinda had a jumpstart as opposed to other times. We don’t really write on the road and we don’t really have anything until after we come home from touring, then take some time off and then start from there. So that was a big difference, too.

Six was a very interesting song. It’s very complex. Did I detect a hint of a Middle East-type vibe in there?

A little bit with the samples, definitely. Yeah. That song was actually real cool. Usually what will happen is somebody writes a full song and bring it to the table at the rehearsal space; or write some riffs and just build off of those riffs. But with this song, Rob had an idea with the instrumental part, the more acoustic part in the song was mainly written by Rob. But he really didn’t have anything beyond that. Mark was really impressed with all the heavy riffs that I written for a song that we really didn’t do anything with. Then Mark at the same time was jamming out with what has become the intro and other parts here and there within the song.

For the first time ever, we were like, "Well, why don’t we combine them?!" And it worked, for some reason. We basically combined 3 different songs, and for some reason they just worked and everything was good. It was kind-of magical, how it came together.

That was real cool, and we felt that it’s a long song but it’s not too long. When you listen to it, it needs to be that long. You don’t think of it as a super-long song.

But you made it the 4^{th track, not the 6th.}

True. I don’t know, the sequencing is always Mark’s idea, then we kind-of give our OK’s or Nay’s. I don’t know - it worked like that. I don’t think he was really thinking of song titles when he did the sequencing. He just felt, "This song should go fourth."

The reason it is called Six, I asked Mark because he thinks of all the titles and the lyrics. This is called Six because it just describes the 6 of us.

The FX that you guys have like the screams and breaking glass in The Flame give it a psychotic feel.

Yeah. Definitely! I think that song is brutal and in-your-face and very aggressive. I think that’s why Chris chose those samples. It’s just a very driving song, a crazy song. We wanted it to grab your attention right away. I think it does with that breaking glass and everything.

It definitely does! Killing The Beast is another dangerous one.

True, true! That’s kind-of out of our realm. That was Mark’s concept, that whole song. More of a laid-back Nine Inch Nails type of vibe, but still pretty brutal.

OK, what’s your favorite track on the album?

Honestly, I think The Flame is. I like songs that are very mean and in-your-face, like I said, and just very groovy.

The cover art looks like Mothman. How did you guys come up with the cover art? Did you have any input into it?

A little bit, with the final decision. But Mark and Chris initially found the artist online and were so impressed with that piece of art that we just had to use it. It’s basically, we think, just like going through a rejuvenation and rebirth. We’re going through a change just like the cover. We loved it because it was like comics like our last two covers. It’s not too busy of an album cover. We think it would stand out in record stores.

We just thought it was the coolest art. It just really fit. So we just went with it.

Very cool! Are you guys on the road now?

Yep! We’re in Ft. Lauderdale right now. Florida.

We’re actually on the No Fear Tour with Killswitch Engage and Dragonforce.

Oh, that’s right! That was just here in my area, but it was here the same night as the Horrorfind Convention and the Cradle of Filth show!

Right on! Right on!

I couldn’t be in 3 places at once.

So true!

So how was the show at the 930 Club?

It was awesome! We actually did 2 nights there, which is real cool! Both shows were great! I think on this tour we’re gaining a lot of fans that might not necessarily have heard us before. Killswitch kind-of crosses over to the radio crowd and everything, which is nice. Usually when we go out, we’re almost preaching to the converted. We’re trying to get out to a different spectrum of audience now.

It’s cool because they’re kind-of thrown back because we are pretty heavy compared to the other bands. At the same time, they’re so impressed that by the second song, they’re really getting into it. It’s been real cool!

Very cool! So what are your plans after this tour?

We’ve got a couple weeks off, then we go down to South America for the first time ever. We’re going to play Chile, which is awesome! Then we’re playing some dates in Mexico.

We’ve got May off - Rob is getting married, so we’re taking the month off. He’s really excited.

Then by June we’ll be in Europe for the European festivals. That’s all that’s planned right now, but we keep on booking because we plan on touring on this record for a long time.

Is there going to be a second video from the album?

There’s definitely going to be a second video. I’m not sure what song and I’m not sure when, but the Resurrection video just dropped about a week or two ago so we’re going to wait awhile.

OK. Are you filming any of the current shows for a possible DVD?

Not as of right now. Maybe we might do that eventually for a headlining tour. But since we’re not headlining, probably not.

How long is your set?

On this tour just a half hour. That’s all. We’re on and off. It’s kind-of nice only because it’s the first tour of this tour cycle. So, we’re still kind-of getting used to being ourselves up onstage. It’s a good way to break it in.

Is your set mainly songs off Resurrection?

Actually, no. We’re doing two new songs a night. We’re kind-of rotating them every night just in case the shows are close together so people don’t see the same set every night. We’re playing old and new, but two new ones every night.

What about your "down time". Do you have any videogames on the road?

We do! We’ve got Guitar Hero, which we’ve been playing a lot. We go online a lot. We watch DVD’s. Nothing too exciting. We’re not that crazy of a band. The craziest thing you’ll ever see on our bus is me drunk and passed out. No drugs, no nothing crazy.

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

Buy our record. It comes out tomorrow {March 6}. We’re nothing but excited! We’re most proud of this record as opposed to any other record. Tomorrow’s the drop date.

* FIFTH SPOTLIGHT - FRANK CAVALLO!

* Frank Cavallo’s The Lucifer Messiah (Medallion Press) is not what the Crowgrrl expected - it’s not about the true Fallen Angel/Prince of Hell Himself. However, this unique story was nonetheless exciting and entertaining.

It’s about a race of beings living among us, disguised as humans but with shapeshifting and other abilities that made them revered in ancient times, shunned and killed in other eras. This story is set in Post World War I New York City, and shows a time when these beings are ruled by the very cruel and sadistic Morrigan. (These beings take their names from mythological characters.) According to a prophecy, her reign of terror can only come to an end when the being known as Lucifer frees the rest of their race/society from her.

In 1917, Sean Mulcahy went to fight in the war. While in the trenches, he discovered strange things about himself - he doesn’t age, he has healing capabilities and he can shapeshift. Other forces also take notice of him, saying he is the Lucifer of the prophecy. Morrigan’s minions, of course, want to kill him to prevent the prophecy from manifesting. A rebellious faction led by Argus wants to protect him and enlist him in their cause.

Jump forward to 1947 - Sean is in his native NYC, and is nearly annihilated by forces loyal to Morrigan. He turns for help to the only person he can trust, his former best friend Vinny - a divorced, drunkard ex-cop. Vinny starts turning his life around to help Sean, and brings ex-wife Maggie into the fold - both Maggie and Vinny being thrown into a world and a battle beyond belief.

The Lucifer Messiah is truly a visionary work of twisted art.

The Lucifer Messiah is truly a visionary work of twisted art. What originally sparked this story?

First of all, thank you for saying that, I think that’s probably the single coolest thing anyone’s said about the book.

Oddly enough, The Lucifer Messiah wasn’t originally a novel and it wasn’t even a horror/fantasy. It began as a screenwriting project in college about fifteen years ago. In those days it was a film noir about a heroin dealer on the run from some mobsters. It didn’t sell.

Years later, I started re-working the idea as a novel when I became interested in doing an urban fantasy. I already had a basic storyline, and I tried to re-imagine it as something much weirder.

How did you create the unique race of beings that inhabit this world?

Slowly. And a little bit at a time. I didn’t really have a well-defined concept of what they were when I started writing. I just kind of developed them as the story progressed, then I went back and filled in the gaps later. One thing usually leads to another though. You come up with one weird idea and then you think, "hey, maybe they could do this too…" and it builds on itself after a while.

The starting point though, came of out Ovid’s Metamorphorses, which recounts a number of transformation stories from Greek and Roman mythology. Those kind of stories seem to exist in almost all folklore, so I started with the premise that the stories weren’t myths, but rather folk-memories of actual people, who for reasons even they didn’t fully understand, had the blessing (or curse) of being able to change their shape and form.

The rest just followed from there.

How much research did it take to make the vintage setting "real"?

That’s hard to say, because a lot of what I used for background wasn’t exactly research. Back in college I worked for a summer in the neighborhood where I set the book, and I heard lots of stories from the old-timers about the history of Hell’s Kitchen. Years later I followed up on some of that, but I don’t really remember where the stories ended and the research picked up. Also, my family is from the NYC-area and I borrowed as many details as could remember from things I’d heard growing up. The rest I just made up, and hoped it sounded real.

Is this storyline going to continue? Or at least the alternate reality created in The Lucifer Messiah?

I hope so. I’d love to write another book in the same "universe" as this one. I’ve got some ideas, but I haven’t really settled on anything yet. I’d really like to write something set in NYC in the 1970s, maybe re-visit these characters thirty years later. I have a morbid fascination with the New York City of Serpico or Donnie Brasco. To me that period kind of represents a low point in the city’s recent history; a dark, grimy, dangerous urban nightmare, which is just about the perfect setting for the kind of stuff I write.

This excellent book is your first novel?! What is your prior writing experience?

Well, this is my first published novel, but hardly the first novel I’ve written. I’ve been trying to write a novel since I was about 15. The Lucifer Messiah was published last summer, when I was 33, so it took a while. Professionally-speaking though, I have absolutely no other publishing credits -- zilch. This book represents my entire professional writing career at the moment. Every single thing that I wrote before this has been roundly rejected, and rightly so, for the most part.

You worked in the film industry? Can you elaborate?

I majored in Film in undergrad, because I wanted to be Martin Scorsese when I grew up. Of course, when I graduated I discovered that the position was already quite ably filled. So I got a job in a post-production facility in Manhattan, which meant that I did things like transferring film to video for broadcast, or editing various programs (like late-night infomercials for things like vacuum-cleaner-based hairstyling devices). It wasn’t bad work, and I did it for about three and a half years. But ultimately I decided that the reason I got into film and TV in the first place was because I wanted to do something creative, to tell stories, and as much as I liked the job, the creative potential was pretty limited.

After that I went to law school, which is something I always wanted to do anyway, and it actually gave me a fair amount of time to write.

Your "day job" is as a criminal defense attorney? Does that help with your creative writing in any way?

Probably. You certainly hear a lot of stories in my line of work, and most of them turn out to be less-than-true, in one way or another (that goes for both sides, by the way). But I haven’t really used anything from work in a novel yet. I don’t have much interest in writing about lawyers (neither would you if you spent all day with them).

Are you working on another book? If so, what can you tell us about it?

Yeah, I’m in the middle of writing something, but I’m reluctant to say too much about it. Mostly because the story changes as I’m writing it, so I honestly don’t know how close what I have now is going to be to what I ultimately end up with. I figure it out as I’m doing it, so I can’t say what I’ll have six months from now.

Here’s what hasn’t changed yet: I’ve got an eighty-year old serial killer with supernatural powers, a mythical Sumerian god-cult, and an FBI agent with violent nightmares and a Boston accent that comes out when she has a few too many.

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

If I’ve had one complaint or criticism more than any other with this book, it’s been about the title. As you pointed out in your review here on The Perch, this is NOT a book about Satan or the anti-Christ.

I understand the questions though, and looking back now I wish I’d done more to make that clear on the cover blurb or the promotional materials. At the time, I wasn’t sure how to do that without giving away too much of the story, and I erred on the side of giving away less, which may have been a mistake.

So for the record, let me say now that that this book is about the myth of a messiah. It’s about the idea of an anointed savior being a flawed and superstitious notion that we’d be better off without.

What I wanted to do to show that, to turn that whole concept on its head, was to take the point of view of the monsters. From the vantage point of a bunch of creatures that humanity has demonized for centuries, the ultimate savior would have to be the thing we fear the most. But from their perspective, Lucifer wouldn’t be an evil force at all-he’d be a hero. And in fact, if you look back far enough in history, the modern Christian concept of Lucifer turns out to be an adaptation, you might even say a corruption, of a much older, benevolent pagan concept.

Now, if you push that idea even further, if monsters aren’t inherently evil just because they have horns or fangs or claws, then maybe our concept of Lucifer is wrong too. It might just be one more myth that people manipulate to serve their own interest. And that’s where the title comes from.

So what I’m saying is, if you read the title and you’re expecting some kind of warmed-over, empty-headed pseudo-Satanism, you’ll probably be disappointed. But if you want pagan rituals and blood sacrifices and twisted creatures hiding in the shadows, then this book might be for you.

MUSIC

MUSIC

* The Crowgrrl was lucky enough to catch one Hell of a show at the Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore on March 3 - Cradle of Filth, The 69 Eyes, and 3 Inches of Blood! The show was FANTASTIC! For all 3 bands. I've been a fan of both Cradle and 69 Eyes for years, and they both put on a great show!

I was previously unfamiliar with 3 Inches of Blood’s music, but they managed to win me over by the second song in their brief but intense set. Cradle guitarist Paul Allender came out and performed one song with them!

The 69 Eyes’ set was absolutely scintillating! Their performance can only be described as Energy Incarnate. They previewed Perfect Skin from their new album, Angels, and their set list included such gems as the title track from their Devils album, Feel Berlin, Lost Boys and more!

Cradle always put on a superb show, and Baltimore was definitely no exception! Their set was nothing short of a dose of raw adrenaline. They were wrapping up the U.S. leg of their tour promoting their excellent new Thornography album - and they proved without a shadow of a doubt that these songs are even better live than on the album - selections such as Under Huntress Moon, Temptation, Rise of the Pentagram, and more. The stage itself conjured Eden-like imagery from the album with boulders and vines, transporting the audience to another realm indeed. But they didn’t neglect the classics we all know and love, like Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids, Born In A Burial Gown, Dusk and Her Embrace, Her Ghost In The Fog, From The Cradle To Enslave and more - coming back onstage for 3 encores!

Doug Bradley was at the show - he was in town for the Horrorfind Weekend, and even though he’s done guest appearances on Cradle’s albums, this was the first time he had gotten a chance to see them live.

And while I was at the show, I ran into friends who I hung out with during the show (always makes any event more fun). Also, I met some new friends - it was one guy's first concert ever, so it was a special show seeing two of his and his girlfriend's favorite bands. There was a fellow occultist I didn't previously know who engaged us in a very stimulating conversation after the show. And there was one girl who had to borrow make-up from me in the bathroom - she was crying tears of joy. Her boyfriend proposed to her at the show! What a special night!

Coincidentally, the show was on the March Full Moon - which is known in Shamanic circles as The Crow Moon. Always a magickal night for me, but this show made it even more so.

* 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!

* To the dismay of fans, one of Black Metal’s finest, Immortal, disbanded in 2003. During this hiatus, Abbath Doom Occulta turned his back on his muse, working instead in scaffolding, bonding with his son, and exploring a more health-conscious lifestyle. But Music could not be purged from his soul, and thankfully he has again picked up his axe and let creativity flow.

His new musical entity is known as I, and he’s joined by Enslaved guitarist Isdale, ex-Gorgoroth bassist T.C. King, ex-Immortal drummer Armagedda, and lyrics written by ex-Immortal’s Demonaz. Their debut album, Between Two Worlds is very appropriately named - it evokes the spirit of Viking warriors with the power to shake the halls of Valhalla itself!

The anthemic The Storm I Ride is fiercely defiant! Excellent song! Warriors conjures images of a horde of Viking warriors on horseback conquering new lands. Between Two Worlds honors the Viking past while still being firmly planted in the present.

The intense Battalions puts you in the thick of blood-soaked carnage, in pursuit of the glory of victory. Mountains celebrates the majesty of the Norwegian landscape. Days Of North Winds musically shines like sunlight on snow as it praises the ancient Norse Pagan gods.

Far Beyond The Quiet is a poignant and beautiful tribute to Bathory founder Quorthon who was the mastermind credited with founding Swedish Death Metal and Viking Metal, and co-founding Black Metal (along with Venom), but sadly died from heart failure in 2004. Cursed We Are could reference Ragnarok, or Armageddon, or even Hell itself.

I have the advance review copy of the album, so there are two songs on the finished project that I’ve not heard yet, so obviously can’t comment on: Bridges of Fire and Shadowed Realms.

The musicianship throughout is very strong, a rock-solid backdrop for the excellent, soaring fretwork and gravely vocals. This album’s addictive from start to finish. (And me being the Crowgrrl, loved the mention of ravens in Far Beyond The Quiet as well). This cd is in my personal Heavy Rotation Stack and frequently finds its way into my cd player!

* Immolation is improving upon the foundation of technical, neck-snapping death metal they helped build beginning in the late 1980’s by unleashing the seventh chapter in their legendary career, Shadows in the Light. The stunning new effort was recorded at Millbrook Sound Studios with producer Paul Orofino and is set for a May 8th release. A new track, "World Agony," is now available on their official MySpace page.

Returning with the same lineup as their previous release, Harnessing Ruin, the group finds itself uncharacteristically stable, allowing for chemistry not present in their formative years. Founding members Dolan and Robert Vigna (guitar) join Bill Taylor (guitar) and Steve Shalaty (drums) to form the group’s most consistently punishing lineup yet.

Robert Vigna (guitars) further describes the new album: "It's aggressive, emotional and haunting. The disc delivers all of Immolation's attributes, as it's catchy as hell, very direct and to the point. The album devastates on all levels, from blasting madness and militant charges to sorrow-filled doom and depression. It is a very complete record with soulful solos, thunderous raging drums and vocals that lash right out at you!"

Along with bands like Suffocation, Incantation and Mortician, Immolation are one of the all important forefathers of New York death metal. Over the years, Immolation has always increased the stakes on each release and this new effort is no exception. It encompasses all the band's growth over the years and offers some of their most devastating material yet. Not only has the band developed their musical capabilities over the years, but they've also become one of the most intense live acts in the industry. Powerful, yet emotional, Immolation are a force to be reckoned with.

* Angtoria has Sarah Jezebel Deva stepping out of the shadows of backing vocals for the likes of Therion, Mortiis, Mystic Circle, and most popularly working with Cradle of Filth, and thrust into the spotlight as a frontwoman in her own right. Teaming up with Chris Rehn (formerly of <B>Abyssos) and Tommy Rehn (Moahni Moahna) and enlisting the talents of drummer Andreas Brobjer and Cradle’s Dave Pybus (bass), Angtoria have already proven themselves a force to be reckoned with.

Angtoria features a unique mix of orchestral elements and Metal. Their debut album, God Has a Plan For Us All (Listenable Records), is breathtakingly dramatic, leaving the listener salivating for more. This is definitely a band to watch as they progress!

Energy builds with the theatrical instrumental intro, The Awakening, segueing seamlessly into the grandiose modern-day faery tale, I’m Calling. The Crowgrrl almost was turned off by the title track’s name, God Has A Plan For Us All until actually listening and finding it’s just the opposite of religious - a pleasant surprise. Suicide On My Mind has a dark, somber beauty.

Deity of Disgust is another stellar stand-out, and features a hint of a Middle Eastern flavor in parts and a fantastic guitar solo. The Addiction is very moving, describing an unrequited love. Six Feet Under’s Not Deep Enough is absolutely dangerous! Do You See Me Now is an intense attention-grabber.

Original Sin (The Devil’s Waiting In The Wing) burns brightly indeed, with male vox adding some nice FX. Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned is pure rage framed with gorgeous musicianship. Angtoria put their own passionate stamp on the Kylie Minogue cover, Confide In Me. There’s another very nice guitar solo in the mellow, reflective That’s What The Wise Lady Said.

* Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider made a guest appearance on February 27th at bandmate AJ Pero’s off-Broadway show, Stairway To Hell Featuring Wart Hog.

Wart Hog is supposedly a Metal tribute band who find themselves in heaven after an attempt to break the world record for pyrotechnics goes terribly awry. Wanting to be in the other afterlife destination instead, they plead with the Devil for one last chance to prove they really are an evil band that deserves to be in his domain.

Wart Hog features the aforementioned AJ Pero behind the drumkit and the rest of the band is made up of his side project Cities. The show is reportedly also jam-packed with Metal classics from AC/DC, Guns & Roses, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Poison, Skid Row, and many, many more!"

Stairway to Hell is currently appearing every Tuesday at Snitch in NYC. The Crowgrrl’s seriously hoping they make a DVD of this show for those of us not in that area!

* Norway’s Trail of Tears’ new Existentia is a bright, shining star in the Dark Gothic Metal night sky. The vocals are especially dramatic, the stormy chemistry between Ronny Thorsen and Kjetil Nordhus, counterbalanced by a sprinkling of noir female vox provided by Emmanuelle Zoldan.

There has been major upheavals in the band since this stellar cd was recorded, but songwriter/vocalist Ronny Thorsen has grabbed the ball and runs undeterred to the goalpost determined to bring the touchdown this album deserves.

The theatrical, multi-layered Deceptive Mirrors is an excellent trip through a carnival funhouse. My Comfort starts subdued but increases in strength. Venom Inside My Veins is a merciless dose of poison. Decadence Becomes Me is deliciously corrupt. She Leaves Shadows casts a dangerous spell.

The Closing Walls moves in to crush the listener like an ingenious trap. Empty Rooms evokes melancholy. Poisonous Tongues is darkly dangerous. As It Penetrates strikes as sharply as being stabbed with a double-edged dagger. Shades of Yesterday drips with mournful remembrances.

* 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:
Mar. 17, 2007 - Clifton, NJ; Dingbatz
Mar. 18, 2007 - Farmingdale, NY; The Crazy Donkey
Mar. 21, 2007 - Brooklyn, NY; Europa Club
Mar. 23, 2007 - Philadelphia, PA; The Pontiac
Mar. 30, 2007 - Fountain Hill, PA; Hillcrest Music Venue
Apr. 06, 2007 - Clementon, NJ; TBA
Apr. 07, 2007 - Copiague, NY; The Zebra Club
Apr. 13, 2007 - Carstadt, NJ; Axis Lounge
Apr. 19, 2007 - Philadelphia, PA; Sweeney’s Saloon
Apr. 20, 2007 - Levittown, NY; Metasin
Apr. 21, 2007 - Dundalk, MD; Blackhole Rock Club
May 04, 2007 - Fitchburg, MA; The Compound
May 05, 2007 - Stamford, CT; Jimmy’s Seaside
May 11, 2007 - Parlin, NJ; Cagney’s Pub
May 17, 2007 - Philadelphia, PA; Sweeney’s Saloon
May 20, 2007 - TBA, NY; Bikers for Babies
May 25, 2007 - New York, NY; Arlene’s Grocery
June 08, 2007 - Trenton, NJ; Championship Bar & Grill
Aug. 17, 2007 - Trenton, NJ; 449 Room

* Italy’s V.E.G.A. (Vacuum Era Gelid Atmosphere) are on a musical mission - to push the boundaries of Black Metal to even more extreme and unpredictable limits. In an official statement from the band, "All our music is devoted to experimental audio research and exploitation of soul & mind capabilities."

V.E.G.A. are: Ravez (vocals, guitars, synths), Janos (vocals, drums) and Kekoz (bass). Their newest release, Cocaine, (Moribund Cult Records) is indeed a mind-altering musical offering. It takes Black Metal foundations and builds on them with industrial elements, FX, and attitude.

Lilja is extreme cacophony punctuated by a woman’s screams and a creepy outro that sounds like Village of the Damned-like children singing in a classroom. Insex Infect is more in an Old School Black Metal vein, melodic yet still brutal. Perspectives is sulphuric, with impressive fretwork burning brightly.

Beton.1 starts with buzzsaw brutality but takes a dark, demonic atmospheric turn that includes some echo-y spoken vox. Burning In My Own Dream of Life is mired in nightmarish vibes. Consumed Seclusion is dark but catchy, vicious yet melodic.

Beton.2 makes liberal use of the Devil’s Intonation, extremely addictive. Kill Me is heartless yet harmonic. Marching Off has a bit of a regal quality to it. Vacuum Era Gelid Atmosphere feels like two songs - the first part is an instrumental that has a scratchy quality like old vinyl recordings, it conjures images of damp, dark dungeons (the haunting percussion’s nice!). After a silent pause separating it, the second part has a bonus track feel; it’s keyboard-driven uptempo electronica that is mostly instrumental except for a whispered-vox break.

* Heavy Metal musician Rob Halford (Halford / Judas Priest vocalist) launched his new label Metal God Entertainment late-November 2006; utilizing digital distribution as his exclusive means to distribute current and future music and film product www.HalfordMusic.com. That is right, no traditional brick-and-mortar music store housing The Metal God's works - at least not yet. Metal God Entertainment also operates a global iTunes label featuring Rob Halford's music and short-film releases for the world's iTunes and iPod communities.

Consumers purchasing from www.HalfordMusic.com will find each of Rob Halford's six (6) music releases accompanied with a premium digital package housing music and film for PC purchasers. Mac users receive the premium digital packaging and 192k MP3 files. Due to Apple's iTunes Digital Rights Management restrictions; Mac users must purchase Halford's videos direct from Apple's iTunes Store.

Halford's Digital Entertainment Packages (DEP) have been soundly developed for Apple's Mac OS X systems as well as Microsoft's PC Windows environment. Each Halford premium digital package offers a custom interface which guides users through their new music, videos, wallpaper, lyrics, expanded liner notes and promotional photographs.

Click on Rob Halford discography within the digital package, and a music player appears with 30 second audio clips of Rob Halford's entire solo catalog; as well as, links to purchase or gift a song, release or entire catalog.

Halford's DEPs also include Halford updates via a web link to www.RobHalford.com. Rob's official site hosts millions of visitors annually.

Halford debuted his first premium digital packaging in 2004 - featuring a rare 'live' performance of his band at Anaheim, California's House of Blues, and a retro-styled video game which ignited his web boards for an entire year as his audience strived for highest score.

"Every organization faces new marketing challenges as the industry embraces digital distribution. HalfordMusic.com and iTunes deliver quality music and film product over the Internet to the consumer," said Halford. "However, many consumers dread looking at just a web page and order form. They want to be enveloped and allowed to see how a production was created, and they want to be entertained during the process. Someone in my audience is discovering our DEPs everyday; and their reactions are off-the-charts."

* Industrial Goth enigma Mortiis is set to release a remix album titled 'Some Kind of Heroin', reworking material from 'The Grudge', on April 17 in Europe, via Earache Records.

For much of Mortiis' career, the striking visual aspect combined with his rapid musical evolution has become a subject of much urban legend over the years. And yet over a series of progressively more ambitious albums, Mortiis has morphed into a band unit that has become known for aggressive live shows and ambitious records, and has spawned two Top 50 UK singles.

In keeping with the rapidly developing nature of the music and the direction of the band, 'Some Kind of Heroin' offers diverse remix material including interpretations by a wide range of contemporaries, such as Zombie Girl, Gothminister, Implant, XP8, Mental Siege, PIG, The Kovenant, Velvet Acid Christ, Girls Under Glass, David Wallace, Kubrick, Funker Vogt, Flesh Field, Dope Stars and In the Nursery.

Mortiis states: "I´m really stoked we finally got to do a remix album and since it's been in process for quite some time now I'm happy to be able to finally release it. I've always been fascinated with taking songs and twisting them into something different, the ability to grab the elements you like and put them into a totally different environment. The

flexibility of that really appeals to me.

I think the mixes all those guys did came out really cool, many of them vastly different from what would have come out of the studio if I had done them. It's cool to see what happens when you let other people inside your head, so to speak. I think the variety of mixers and sonic realms created here will appeal to a large variety of people."

Mortiis is embarking on a European tour with Deathstars in April in support of 'Some Kind of Heroin'. Tour dates include:
Apr. 02, 2007 - Paris, FRA; La Locomotive
Apr. 03, 2007 - Birmingham, UK; Academy 2
Apr. 04, 2007 - London, UK; Islington Academy
Apr. 05, 2007 - Nottingham, UK; Rock City
Apr. 06, 2007 - Mansfield, UK; The Intake Club
Apr. 07, 2007 - Bradford, UK; Rios
Apr. 08, 2007 - Glasgow, UK; Cathouse
Apr. 09, 2007 - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK; Academy 2
Apr. 10, 2007 - Sheffield, UK; Corporation
Apr. 11, 2007 - Dublin, IRE; Voodoo Lounge
Apr. 12, 2007 - Oxford, UK; Zodiac
Apr. 13, 2007 - Liverpool, UK; Academy 2
Apr. 14, 2007 - Stoke On Trent, UK; The Sugarmill
Apr. 15, 2007 - Middlesbrough, UK; Teesside University
Apr. 17, 2007 - Esch/Alzette, LUX; Rockhal
Apr. 18, 2007 - Pratteln, SWI; Z7
Apr. 19, 2007 - Karlsrume, DE; Katakombe
Apr. 20, 2007 - Bochum, GER; Matrix
Apr. 21, 2007 - Wieze, BE; Oktoberhallen
Apr. 22, 2007 - Rotterdam, NETH; Baroeg
Apr. 23, 2007 - Hannover, DE; Muzikzentrum
Apr. 24, 2007 - Copenhagen, DK; The Rock
Apr. 25, 2007 - Arhus, DK; Train
Apr. 26, 2007 - Hamburg, DE; Markthallle
Apr. 27, 2007 - Leipzig, DE; Hellraiser
Apr. 28, 2007 - Brainwashing Fest - Slovakia; Skalica
Apr. 29, 2007 - Prague, CZ; Futurum Music Club
Apr. 30, 2007 - Budapest, HUN; Petofi Hall
May 01, 2007 - Munich, DE; Backstage
May 02, 2007 - Darmstadt, DE; Steinbruchtheater

* Austria’s Edenbridge deliver a luscious dose of female-fronted Symphonic Gothic Metal with their new The Grand Design (Napalm Records) Kicking off the album, Terra Nova’s lyrics sound like they’re welcoming a newborn child into the world, with complex structures and a nice guitar solo. Flame of Passion burns brightly, with some excellent fretwork. Evermore laces beautiful lyrics over catchy riffs.

The Most Beautiful Place brings down the tempo a bit - it’s a keyboard-driven ballad. By contrast, See You Fading Afar builds intense energy over bittersweet lyrics. On Top Of The World is also catchy, with triumphant lyrics. Taken Away is a eulogy framed with keyboards.

The Grand Design is timeless - with lots of musical twists and a hint of a Medieval-feel to it. The instrumental Empire of the Sun has some blindingly brilliant fretwork! And rounding out the cd is the bonus track (and first single), a cover of the James Bond theme, For Your Eyes Only.

* Readers, check out Thor’s new Devastation of Musculation , which shakes the very halls of Valhalla itself! It’s as strong as Viking hordes intent on pillage and plunder. Some highlights: Lords of Steel (also the first video from the album) includes tolling bells calling the faithful to the temple of Metal. Cold White Ghost is like silvery moonlight as it spins a haunted tale. Queen Akasha and Lestat are resurrected with the homage to the movie Queen of the Damned. The first part of Tale of the Wolf/Warriors of the Universe is a Shamanic honor and emulation of a noble beast, then gives way to a rallying war cry.

* Lucan Wolf just finished vocal work on two new songs and will be working on a new version of "The Spell" for another album project. He’s planning to release two new CD's this year.

He’s also currently involved in an on going interview with Virginia Pilot Newspaper Music and Pop Culture reporter Malcolm Venable. The interview will be about extreme tattoos in the Hampton Roads area, and also story about Lucan’s music. You can read some of his stories and blogs here and PilotOnline.com

Check out Lucan’s distinct Vampire Rawk sound on his newest cd, Nocturnal.

SCREENS (Large & Small):

* Readers, The Crowgrrl highly recommends you check out Count Gore’s Creature Feature!

On this week's program Count Gore brings you a video look back at last week's Horrorfind 7 convention in The Library and a slide show of the costume contest on The Rack!

The TombKeeper has THREE books from Terry Pratchett reviewed for you in The Tomb!

It's you last chance to enter my contest for a chance to win the 2 disc "King Kong" DVD in The Game Room!

Prof. Griffin has another interesting essay in The Auditorium!

There is also the movie, "The Blancheville Monster!" During this film Count Gore unveils his secret plan for an American version of "Dr. Who!" You'll find it in The Lab! Yours Truly reviews CDs by Elis, Weltenbrand, and Edenbridge in The Chamber interviews Max Nascher of Elis down by The Moat!

The Madskotzman has pulled out his flaming torch and gathered up a plethora of really scary monster kits for you to admire and fear in The Pit!

In the land of short films Count Gore brings you a fascinating film by Christopher Alan Broadstone called "Human No More" as part of Creature Feature New Blood!

* Did any of you readers catch the Criminal Minds 2-part episode The Big Game that started following the Super Bowl?

The team of profilers - including Jason Gideon, (Mandy Patinkin) Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, (Thomas Gibson) Emily Prentiss, (Paget Brewster) Derek Morgan, (Shemar Moore) Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, (A.J. Cook) Penelope Garcia, (Kirsten Vangness) and Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler) - are sent to a small Georgia town where a wealthy couple was murdered following a Super Bowl party.

Turns out, the "un-sub" ("unidentified subject") - believed to be a team of killers - broadcast the killings live on the internet. The "un-sub" or "un-subs" turn out to have a crazed agenda - believing they’re on a mission from god to punish sinners, and the killings - which start piling up - have a 7 deadly sins theme to them. The unsubs intend the internet broadcasts as a fanatical missionary message, but instead the viewers think the murders are a staged horror movie using FX.

In a deadly game of cat and mouse, the team closes in on the unsubs, only to have Dr. Reid kidnapped by the very killers they’re trying to capture - and his life is in serious danger! Can the rest of the team unravel the remainder of the mystery in time to save their colleague?!

The Crowgrrl loves every episode of this series, but this one seriously grabbed me by the jugular and refused to let go for an instant! There are so many twists and turns in this - it was torture waiting until the second part aired! You’ll be surprised at the ultimate outcome if you haven’t yet seen it. What I can say is that this episode was like combining Seven, Fear.com, and Frailty together into one story with a uniquely Criminal Minds twist.

* New releases in theaters that look interesting 300, Nomad: The Warrior, The Messengers, Ghost Rider, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Zodiac, Blood & Chocolate.

* With a sprinkling of pixie dust, Peter Pan - 2 Disc Platinum Edition flies free from the Disney vaults. This was always one of Disney’s best, a whimsical tale filled with adventure.

To refresh your memories, when Peter - the boy who never grows up - loses his shadow, he finds it in the home of Wendy, John, and Michael. Wendy helps Peter reattach his shadow, and in thanks, he takes her and her brothers to Neverland. There they meet up with The Lost Boys, orphans under Peter’s care, and embark on a plethora of adventures - meeting up with mermaids, pow-wowing with Tiger Lily and her Indian tribe, and dangerous encounters with Captain Hook and his pirate crew.

Not only did animators lovingly restore the original but they added state-of-the-art new FX, such as Tinker Bell’s ethereal glow.

There are "Camp Neverland Games" for the kiddies or even the young-at-heart, that include three levels of Smee’s Sudoku Challenge; save Wendy, John, Michael, and the Lost Boys from pirates in "Tarrrget Practice", and try to avoid obstacles in "Tink’s Fantasy Flight". Fly over a sleepy Victorian London in "Peter Pan’s Virtual Flight". The early workings with ideas flying around about various story elements is exposed in "The Peter Pan That Almost Was", and Walt Disney himself tells "Why I Made Peter Pan" in his own words.

Perch readers know the one thing the Crowgrrl doesn’t like about Disney flicks is the hokey music. Well, we’ve got plenty of that here, now in 5.1 Enhanced Home Theater mix, along with "Never Land", a song written in 1940 but never made it to the original finished movie. And a music video for "Second Star To The Right" by T-Squad. (I didn’t even bother checking those features.)

* New on DVD - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America, Cult, Guyver 3: Lost Number Commandos, Monster of Phantom Lake, Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The First Season, Strange Circus, Casino Royale, The Holiday, Blood Trails, The Cult: Irving Plaza NYC, Dokken: Unchain the Night, Doro: 20 Years A Warrior Soul, Ed Wood: Collection, Guns N Roses: November Rain In Paradise City, Horror Business, Horrors of the Red Planet, Night of the Werewolf, The Pretender 2001: The Island of the Haunted, Robin of Sherwood - Set 1, Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 4, Trinity Blood Volume 5, Wizards & Demons: Official History of Uriah Heep, Kamen Rider - The First. [Amazon Links 51 - 74]

* Upcoming movies that look like they may be good: The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Beowulf, AVP2, TMNT, Disturbia, The Invisible, Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Hostel: Part 2, Hotel Transylvania, The Mummy 3, Babylon A.D., The Wolfman (Benicio Del Toro), The Dark is Rising, Rogue, The Other Boleyn Girl, In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, War (ROGUE).

* Review of Diddy Kong Racing DS for the Nintendo DS by Collin Schaffer.

Remember Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64? Well it’s back as a remake for the Nintendo DS system. I haven't played the original myself but I know there’s one new feature: Touch Screen. (Lets face it, you can't touch your TV screen and expect something to happen). And yes, You still have to stop the evil "Wizpig" by beating him in a race.

The Game: A very fun racing experience, especially with the Zippers, which are pads you drive on to make you go faster, And the Power Up Balloons which can either (blue) give you a burst of speed, (red) Fire a rocket at your opponent or (green) drop something behind you that if your opponent runs it over, they’re affected in a negative way. (Which helps if one of your opponents is tailing right behind you), Again, With the DS's Built in Wireless capability and Wi-Fi connection, You can race against your friends or other racers who are in 60 feet of you, or over the internet. The only flaws I can see with this game are you have you use your Stylus for a burst of speed at the beginning of the race (Which you need to do so you can keep up - and hopefully beat - your opponents), which is hard to keep up with the buttons, Because I had to use it and then just drop the Stylus and put my fingers on the buttons. Which makes me glad the DS system came with 2

Stylus'. But with using the buttons for extended periods of time it gets a bit tough on the fingers (The DS is made so you can use the Touch Screen. This game uses mainly the buttons).

Although with Hovercraft races you actually have to blow into the Microphone to get that burst of speed (That’s actually the only time the Microphone has ever been used in any

of the DS games I have reviewed), Another problem I have with the Hovercraft is that it’s hard to navigate, but you can use the R button to get a very small jump which can increase your speed if you repeatedly push it.

Overall a good game, But tiring on the fingers as the buttons were meant to be used along with the Stylus. A race game seems a bit much for the buttons. I give this game a 3.7 out of 5

* New Game Releases that might be fun: The Fast & The Furious, God Of War II, After Burner Black Falcon, Dragonball Z: Shin Budokai Another Road, Godfather Blackhand Edition, Godfather The Game The Don Edition, Prince of Persia Rival Swords, Tetris Evolution, Theme Park, TMNT, Yu-Gi-Oh: World Championship ’07.

PRINT:

* Stephen Laws’ Ferocity taps into primal fears, relentlessly bringing them to the forefront of consciousness and doesn’t let go of its death grip until the very end!

Something is slaughtering livestock in the bucolic Northumberland moors. There have been sightings reported of a "big cat", but panther-like creatures are not native to this part of Britain. Could it be the Hound of the Baskervilles-type devil-beast or the Phantom Cat of legends? Or is there another explanation?

Novelist Cath Lane moves to this seemingly serene locale with her young daughter after her husband is murdered by a bandit on the streets of New York. Hearing local legends of the Beast, she plans to incorporate them into a novel she’s currently writing. She meets up with widower Drew Hall, a former farmer and an expert on the Beast.

Cath and Drew not only come face-to-face with the beautiful but deadly predator, but also with a danger far, far worse! During a rare hurricane-force storm, Drew and Cath are held captive by a trio of murderous criminals who are trying to flee the country with a mega-stash of drugs but whose getaway was thwarted by the storm. This matter is made even worse when Cath’s housekeeper/nanny, Faye, brings her young daughter Rynne to find Cath - they were worried because of the storm, and ended up more hostages for the deadly trio.

The Crowgrrl highly recommends this thrill ride! I’m not going to spoil the intense, nail-biting climax or ending for anyone, but this story really gets the heart pounding! And I’ll say this - there is nothing on the planet more dangerous than a mother protecting her young, no matter what the species!

* Darren Shan - author of the Cirque du Freak and Demonata series - will be touring the U.S.! Check out the Shanville Monthly section at Darren’s website for more info.

Tour dates include:
Apr. 02, 2007 - Seattle, WA
Apr. 03, 2007 - Olympia/Lacey, WA
Apr. 04, 2007 - San Francisco, CA
Apr. 05, 2007 - San Francisco, CA
Apr. 06, 2007 - Petaluma/Santa Rosa/Napa, CA
Apr. 07, 2007 - TBA
Apr. 09, 2007 - Humble/Houston, TX
Apr. 10, 2007 - Coppell/Frisco, TX
Apr. 11, 2007 - Hurst/San Antonio, TX
Apr. 12, 2007 - TBA, TX
Apr. 13, 2007 - Chicago/Oak Park/Naperville, IL
Apr. 14, 2007 - LaGrange/Skokie, IL
Apr. 15, 2007 - Cincinnati, OH
Apr. 16, 2007 - Kings Mills/Brighton, OH
Apr. 17, 2007 - Ann Arbor, MI
Apr. 18, 2007 - New York/New Jersey
Apr. 19, 2007 - New York, NY
Apr. 20, 2007 - TBA, NY

* Some say Gingko is a mental stimulant. The Crowgrrl says Ian Rankin’s The Naming Of The Dead does the job much better. This is another installment in the John Rebus saga - an unorthodox detective that leaves no stone unturned in finding answers and hopefully justice in cases he’s working on.

Set in Scotland in 2005, this installment finds Rebus (and his partner Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke) involved in two separate cases - or are they?! Can there be a connection between the two on some bizarre level?!

The first is a case the rest of the force seemingly doesn’t care about - a serial killer is targeting rapists and leaving trophies at a place called Clootie Well, where the superstitious leave offerings of bits of clothing. Rebus and Clarke are told to keep this very low profile because the eyes of the world are on Perthshire at that moment - the G8 summit is being held there just outside Edinburgh.

The second is an accident at the G8 Summit itself -Labour MP Ben Webster fell off the ramparts of the castle where the summit was being held. But was it an accident, or possibly suicide or murder? But any attempts into finding the truth are blocked by government officials for the same reason the first case is being kept quiet.

And Siobhan is on an unauthorized investigation of her own - trying to find who hit her mother in the face with a baton during one of the protests surrounding the G8 Summit.

This book is so based in actual real events that you don’t know where facts leave off and fiction kicks in. The G8 Summit and events surrounding it were straight from the headlines, as was the subway and bus bombings in London around the same time frame. Because it’s so real, the story is even more gripping!

* Steve Alten is writing the screenplay for Sorceress, the sequel to Goliath. Why a script before the actual novel? Because the storyline is reportedly so strong that Steve feels he can option the dramatic rights first, then write the novel. Nick Nunziata is co-writing the script with Steve - the two also worked together on a project we’ll be hearing about soon called Grim Reaper.

* Tim Waggoner’s Darkness Wakes is a blood-soaked, sordid descent into a small town nightmare.

Aaron is a veterinarian in the town of Ptolemy, Ohio. Married, father of two, his life is reasonably structured and peaceful, but he’s feeling unfulfilled. All this changes when he sees his sexy neighbor Caroline disappear behind the unmarked steel door leading to the private club, Penumbra. A club members will kill to keep secret.

Caroline invites Aaron to taste the forbidden pleasures of Penumbra - which turns out to be much more than just a sex club (although there’s plenty of that as well). It houses an entity known as the Overshadow - a creature darker than any nightmare. It can dispense pleasures more addictive than any narcotic to Penumbra’s members - but it has to be fed. It will accept small animals, but its meal of choice is humans.

If the Overshadow and the goings-on at Penumbra aren’t disturbing enough, there’s an even more bloodthirsty group known as The Dements - people who at one time had tasted Penumbra’s pleasures but couldn’t handle it, and managed somehow to escape before being fed to the Overshadow. They want nothing more than to gain control of the Overshadow away from the Penumbra members - and are preparing an extremely gruesome offering to present to it.

This is not a book for the squeamish - it’s full of graphic details of both sex and violence.

* 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 #22 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: Behind The Mask of the Horror Actor by Doug Bradley, Candy In The Dumpster by Martin Mundt, John Everson, Bill Breedlove, & Jay Bonansinga, Vampirates by Justin Somper, Dead Weight by John Francome, 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, Living Languages: Portuguese Complete Course, "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: 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!

* 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!

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