1970s
Plot: the sins of the father shall be visited upon the daughter. Lady Frankenstein is another of the many Italian gothic horror potboilers with the always enchanting Rosalba Neri in the titular role. Based upon a story by Dick Randall, and written by, among others, Edward Di Lorenzo and directed
Andreas Fröberg
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the once-mighty Dark Funeral, Sweden’s self-proclaimed Ineffable Kings of Darkness, with the Bröberg repertoire increasingly having been one of diminishing returns. “Vobiscum Satanas” and “Diabolis Interium” both were efficient for what they were but from “Attera Totus Sanctus” onward Dark Funeral
1970s
Plot: all-girl boarding school in Germany is beset by monstrous assailant Before Spanish director Amando de Ossorio cemented his cinematic immortality with the lauded Blind Dead franchise, a series of highly atmospheric zombie movies, he was responsible for a number of respectable genre offerings. In 1969 he directed Malenka (released
Adam Landry
"Rabbits On the Run" was already indicative of Vanessa Carlton moving away from the lighthearted piano-pop music she had been penning up to that point. The "Blue Pool" EP used "Rabbits On the Run" as a foundation for Carlton to explore other avenues within
1970s
Plot: delinquent hippies terrorize sleepy town, get disproportionate comeuppance Produced by New York-based exploitation distributor Jerry Gross through his Cinemation company I Drink Your Blood is significant for predating Jorge Grau’s Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974), and Jean Rollin’s The Grapes Of Death (1978) by several years. Gross
Armi Päivinen
Finland has always had a long-standing reputation in being one of the primary providers of high-quality symfo metal. Ravenia - the scion of the earlier and tragically underappreciated In Silentio Noctis – is one of the more recent Suomi exports to carry on that long-standing legacy. Its Inner Wound Recordings debut
1980s
Plot: boarding school pupil discovers the outside world. Hilarity ensues… Honneponnetje (released internationally as Honeybun) was the third movie for director Ruud van Hemert who became famous for Schatjes! (1984) and Mama Is Boos! (1988). His two previous movies were satirical black comedies about the dysfunctionality of the typical 1980s
breezy
Los Angeles, California indie pop duo Polaris Rose has been steadily making a name for itself both locally and abroad. “Ocean Blue, Velvet Skies” is the band’s latest and sees Maddelynn Elise and Peter Anthony Ewen enhancing their breezy, lighthearted pop/rock with ambient electronics and swanky lounge elements.
1990s
Plot: adolescent misfit plays interactive videogame. It is well established that the 90s were a particularly dark decade for the horror genre. Horror descended into nothing but overly comedic, self-aware, and pretentious genre deconstructions that abided by the same conventions they were supposedly mocking. In other words, Wes Craven’s
Canada
The reunion of classic New York death metal combo Suffocation has been one of mixed results. It is not without a sense of irony that the most traditional sounding album since 2002 is one with only two original members, one of whom due to economic considerations has minimized his involvement
Conquest Music Group
On “Millennium” Fort Lauderdale underdogs Monstrosity manifested itself as a veritable force in the Florida death metal scene. Whereas its “Imperial Doom” debut was heavily redolent of Malevolent Creation, the band from whence Lee Harrison came, “Millennium” conclusively proved that Monstrosity was compositionally – and technically stronger than a good deal
Music
Boldly continuing her artistic reinvention Vanessa Carlton has allowed new influences to seep into her contemplative piano pop. “Blue Pool” holds the middleground between her introspective direction of the last two albums, with a more profound Tori Amos influence. “Blue Pool”, and its companion album, have stronger links with Carlton’