HorrorPops – Bring It On (Hellcat/Epitaph)
These Danes bring it on their second release with a mix of ska, psychobilly and spookiness. Lovely lead singer Patricia Day plays a slammin’ upright bass while her husband Kim Nekroman, founder of Nekromantix, lays down his reverb-laden surf rock meets punk rock guitar stylings. “Walk Like A Zombie,” the standout track, tells the tale of an undead cemetary romance featuring Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewitz on background doo wop vox. Thank you, Tim Armstrong, for signing HorrorPops and getting them out there!
Poppy Z. Brite – Lost Souls (Dell, 1993)
I never read Poppy Z. Brite before because I thought there was only room for one master of bisexual, blood-starved, rnr loving vampires, who, of course, would be Anne Rice. I have now, however, learned the error of my ways. Lost Souls is a masterpiece of filth and beauty, pleasure and pain, sex, blood and rock ‘n’ roll – you know, all the good stuff. Forget any pre-existing prejudices you may have about this book/author, guilty pleasure or not, Lost Souls is one consuming read.
Rent (PG-13)
It’s about time they made a movie out of the only smash hit musical to include drag queens, junkies, wannabe rockers and people living with AIDS in the seedy East Village of the late 80’s. While The Wall Street Journal may have given it a bad review, I don’t think this kind of movie is exactly their forte anyways. If you liked the musical you will love the movie. Most of the original core cast members reprise their original roles aside from newcomers Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms. Even the filthy old Mars Bar makes a cameo (even though it’s magically placed in the middle of a block thats supposed to be on Avenue A…)
Malice Mizer – Bara no Seidou (Midi-Nette)
Although released in Japan in 2001, this CD is somewhat hard to come by in the States. I recently got a copy and was floored by the dramatic mix of classical compositions in the Baroque style (harpsichords abound!) and modern goth rock. Although Malice Mizer is most famously known for being one of the original architects of the visual kei scene, there is so much more to the band besides the trendsetting gothic lolita look. To hear this dark, brooding symphonic rock you could pay over fifty bucks for the import or you might just do a little search on Soulseek…
Law and Order: Criminal Intent (Sunday, NBC)
Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance on this Law and Order spinoff is anything but ordinary. His portrayal of Detective Robert Goren is manic, unpredictable, sometimes frightening. One minute the man is lighting flash fires to freak out suspects and the next he’s sobbing over his schizophrenic mother and his brutal childhood. While some may be turned off by his weirdness, D’Onofrio’s performance is nothing short of brilliant, and there is nothing darker on primetime TV.
Metamorphose Clothing
Finally you can wear all the spooky clothing that is absolutely required of you to be a true visual kei fan – and you don’t even have to read Japanese!
Metamorphose, one of the most prominent gothic lolita clothing lines, has a wonderful English website where you can order as many black lace bonnets and pinafores as your heart desires. The shipping is extremely fast too.
Drop Dead Magazine #0, September 2005
A great new magazine to fill the void that New Grave left (and then some). Deathrock, goth, psychobilly, gothabilly and post-punk – you’ll find it all in Drop Dead Magazine, which is put out by the same people who bring us the phenomenal Drop Dead Festival. This limited collector’s edition of the mag features Nina Hagen, The Virgin Prunes, The Brides, a brief history on the 80’s dark music/post-punk scene in NYC and a lot more.
Masters of Horror (Friday, Showtime)
These weekly one hour mini movies by some of the best directors of the horror genre are pretty hit or miss. Nevertheless, its still fun to watch each week and laugh at the ridiculous plot lines and tepid dialogue. The best ones so far have been the implausible but sexy/creepy “Jenifer” by Dario Argento and Tobe Hooper’s “Dance of the Dead,” which depicts a post-apocalyptic earth where people cheer on drugged-out corpses doing twitchy dance routines for their amusement.
Dir En Grey – Gauze (Warner Music Japan)
Yet another old CD that I have recently discovered by the fabulous Japanese visual kei band Dir En Grey, Gauze combines genres that rarely co-mingle on this side of the Pacific. Screamo, post-punk, shiny pop and glam rock intertwine beneath a dark velvety ambiance that leaves you with a near bloodlust for more. Again, if you don’t wanna shell out over fifty bucks for this, try the internet.
Gothic Beauty #18, November 2005
This magazine has kept up consistant coverage of all the latest dark fashions plus band interviews, CD reviews, makeup reviews and all kinds of dark-themed articles. This particular issue has a spotlight on one of my new favorite clothing lines, Flaming Angels, and also features an interview with London After Midnight’s Sean Brennan and CD reviews that run the gamut from Nick Cave to Elysian Fields to Wumpscut.
