Neon Genesis Evangelion
Come for the giant robot battles, stay for the existential dread, deep-seated sea of anxieties, meditations on the abjectness of the physical form, and the nihilistic relief of the dissolution of a sense of self! Oddly, the ending reminded me a bit of The Prisoner.
Mayhem, Daemon
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is great, of course, but I haven't been into most modern Mayhem albums. Daemon is a notable exception: it sounds exactly like the kind of infernal war music it ought to.
Knives Out
Quite possibly the funniest movie I've seen in a theater in a long time. I mean intentionally funny.
Alcest, Spiritual Instinct
The Alcest formula is a strong one: complex layers of sunlight and darkness, each song good on its own but achieving greatness in context.
Simon Stern (ed), The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories, Volume Three
Read a volume of these Victorian Christmas ghost stories is probably my favorite part of the holiday season. Haunted ovens! Ghost brides! Misers! Editors! Dyspepysia!
The Witcher
I had my doubts, but this adaptation of The Witcher is actually good! It could have done with a date flashed on the screen to identify the various timelines, but that complaint aside the show was a lot of fun to watch.
Oxxo Xoox, Y
Who releases a potential album of the year in late November? Oxxo Xoox, that's who. As bold a move as that is, it pales before the mix of beauty-and-the-beast vocals, chugging guitars, and an utter lack of artistic restraint.
Richard Gavin, Sylvan Dread: Tales of Pastoral Darkness
In less enlightened circles, I think we'd call this "folk horror," but I reckon that is a disservice. Nature's monstrosity is unveiled, as is our craving for it.
Blut Aus Nord, Hallucinogen
"Blut Aus Nord goes psychedelic," is a phrase that gives pause, but curiously...it works.
Officium Triste, The Death of Gaia
Lush orchestration coupled with growled vocals that are surprisingly precise in their delivery.
Vampire Hunter D Reader's Guide
A handful of short-stories and an encyclopedia of "lore" entries from the long-running light novel series. Whoever wrote the lore entries was clearly having a ton of fun.
Nile, Vile Nilotic Rites
Everyone else can go home: "The Oxford Handbook of Savage Genocidal Warfare" is the best song title of the year.
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is great, of course, but I haven't been into most modern Mayhem albums. Daemon is a notable exception: it sounds exactly like the kind of infernal war music it ought to.
Quite possibly the funniest movie I've seen in a theater in a long time. I mean intentionally funny.
The Alcest formula is a strong one: complex layers of sunlight and darkness, each song good on its own but achieving greatness in context.
Read a volume of these Victorian Christmas ghost stories is probably my favorite part of the holiday season. Haunted ovens! Ghost brides! Misers! Editors! Dyspepysia!
I had my doubts, but this adaptation of The Witcher is actually good! It could have done with a date flashed on the screen to identify the various timelines, but that complaint aside the show was a lot of fun to watch.
Who releases a potential album of the year in late November? Oxxo Xoox, that's who. As bold a move as that is, it pales before the mix of beauty-and-the-beast vocals, chugging guitars, and an utter lack of artistic restraint.
In less enlightened circles, I think we'd call this "folk horror," but I reckon that is a disservice. Nature's monstrosity is unveiled, as is our craving for it.
"Blut Aus Nord goes psychedelic," is a phrase that gives pause, but curiously...it works.
Lush orchestration coupled with growled vocals that are surprisingly precise in their delivery.
A handful of short-stories and an encyclopedia of "lore" entries from the long-running light novel series. Whoever wrote the lore entries was clearly having a ton of fun.
Everyone else can go home: "The Oxford Handbook of Savage Genocidal Warfare" is the best song title of the year.