Full Length Review: EXTREMITY Coffin Birth (20 Buck Spin) by Serafima Okuneva

EXTREMITY

Coffin Birth

20 Buck Spin

Place of origin: Oakland, California, USA

Genre: Death metal

Release date: July 20, 2018

Available in CD, cassette and vinyl format and at 20 Buck Spin’s website

Dear deads, get up from your raw graves and listen to the heavy, cruel death metal of EXTREMITY from Oakland, California, USA.

Members of Vhöl, Agalloch, Vastum, and Cretin came together to write one of the best classic death metal albums I have heard this year. Recorded at Oakland’s Earhammer Studios, the birthplace for so many of today’s standout death metal releases, Coffin Birth became an interesting reason to remember what albums should be - a real heavy, rotten and breathing with rage death metal attack.

The album begins with a canonical, horrendous horror synth with an anxious mood and brilliant eerie aesthetics, then a very groovy doom death metal atmosphere takes your soul. The alternating, bone grinding slow riffs aren't separated by anything compositionally, from sudden blast-beats under which guitars follow a simple, brutal manner. Slow parts are given out as are doom parts with long guitar work, seeming almost melodious after the fast songs. This alternation perfectly diversifies what is not the most difficult music, leaving no place for boredom. Impervious sounding guitars, as of old, both playing complementary rhythm guitar parts with rare melodious deviations, a booming monotonous bass and the animalistic, hoarse roar of the vocalist trample the listener into the ground.

The particulars of Coffin Birth may not be that apparent for those without a head for the genre; this isn’t a record to pull you from your power metal pulpit. But Extremity are not attempting to reinvent the death metal wheel. Rather, they aim to exemplify it with as much evil exuberance as possible. Actually I have special sympathy for Marissa Martinez-Hoadley, the band’s guitarist and vocalist who said in a 2017 interview for Vice that she never thought that she could create music by herself. Great try, Marissa. I’m looking forward to her next steps on the path of death metal.

My favorite track is the Misbegotten/Coffin Death, the last track of the album, which contains the quintessence of its spirit and ideas. The composition encompasses a rich proportion of expression from acoustic interludes to deadly low-frequency attacks rushing into your ears. Murderous rhythms, groove metal riffs and furious vocals flow from one to another well It is especially nice when the group so skillfully arranges doom passages from the old cheekbones of death metal. The female vocals at the end, with synths and noises, - are amazingly beautiful in its completion of this album.

Recommended for fans of old school death metal with doom passages, epic solos and blast beats. Listen to this album, and you will understand that even girls also know how to forge metal as it should be forged! Coffin Birth from Extremity is a perfect ode to death metal’s cult and prove that death metal is still very much alive. -Serafima Okuneva

Lineup:

Marissa Martinez-Hoadley: Vocals, guitars

Shelby Lermo: Vocals, guitars, bass, organ, piano

Aesop Dekker: Drums

Track list:

1. Coffin Birth/A Million Witches

2. Where Evil Dwells

3. Grave Mistake

4. Umbilicus

5. For Want of a Nail

6. Occision

7. Like Father Like Son

8. Misbegotten/Coffin Death

Full Length Review: THEM Manor Of The Se7en Gables (SPV/Steamhammer) by Dave Wolff

THEM

Manor Of The Se7en Gables

SPV/Steamhammer

Place of origin: USA, Germany

Genre: Heavy metal

Produced by Dave Otero

Mixed and mastered by Dave Otero at flatlineaudio.com

Drums and bass recorded by Tarik Solangi at Frequency Recordings, White Plains, New York, USA

Vocals recorded by Tarik Solangi and Rich Fabrizio at Frequency Recordings, White Plains, New York, USA

Keyboards recorded by Richie Seibel at In Passing Studios, Bitzfeld, Germany

Guitars recorded by Markus Ullrich at Kozmik Studios, Gundelsheim, Germany

Guitars recorded by Markus Johansson at Cobra Island Studio, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Cover artwork by Mario Lopez

Release date: October 26, 2018

Available on vinyl format, CD format, Bandcamp and Spotify

Them have come a long, long way since they were a King Diamond tribute band. Picking up where Sweet Hollow (2016) conceptually left off, Manor Of The Se7en Gables easily surpasses that album, kicking their resourceful expertise into overdrive while pushing their ‘metal attitude’ more vehemently than ever. If you thought the band were seasoned musicians who had long since mastered their craft before, wait until you hear this. It defines metal in its purest form while utterly engrossing the listener. The last time I reviewed Them I said few bands from Long Island (the birthplace of vocalist KK Fossor) could reach what they accomplished on Sweet Hollow. As a metal opera illustrating the continuing adventures of Klaus Konig Fossor, Manor Of The Se7en Gables is a must have if you appreciate classic metal, prog metal, classical metal urban legends, ghost stories and theatrical lyrics. As before, it was released to coincide with the Halloween season, when the veil between worlds is swept aside. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Everything here is much more energetic, ardent and zealous. There is hardly a flaw in any of the cuts the band prepared for comprisal, and the stamina of the material multiplies with each track. The presentation of the story is more appealing and dramatic. KK Fossor has been transcending his King Diamond influence and is coming into his own here. The dual guitar attack by Markus Ullrich and Markus Johansson is simply impeccable, the drums of Angel Cotte precise and just relentless. Mike LePond who recorded all the bass parts anchors the band vigorously; it remains to be seen whether Alexander Palma can emulate the forcefulness LePond commands and he surely has big shoes to fill when the band perform live. It is also apparent things are left open for the story to continue on the next full length; its KD-esque ending seems to imply a few ideas. Now that Steamhammer has taken the responsibility of promoting Them, their fan base should increase exponentially and it won’t be long before they earn the respect they deserve for their commitment and hard work. -Dave Wolff

Lineup:

KK Fossor: Vocals

Markus Ullrich: Guitars

Markus Johansson: Guitars

Richie Seibel: Keyboards

Alexander Palma: Bass

Angel Cotte: Drums

All bass written and performed by Mike Lepond

Backing Vocals by Paul Sabu

Track list:

1. Residuum

2. Circuitous

3. Refuge In The Manor

4. Witchfinder

5. A Cullery Maid (Interlude 1)

6. Ravna

7. As The Sage Burns

8. The Secret Stairs

9. Peine Forte Et Dure (Interlude 2)

10. Maleficium

11. Seven Gables To Ash

12. Punishment By Fire

Full Length Review: EVOKEN Hypnagogia (Profound Lore Records) by Dave Wolff

EVOKEN

Hypnagogia

Profound Lore Records

Place of origin: Lyndhurst, New Jersey, USA

Genre: Death/funeral doom metal

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Steven DeAcutis at Sound Spa studios, New Jersey, USA

Artwork by Adam Burke

Release date: November 9, 2018

It took them six years, but the New Jersey doom masters Evoken have spawned a full length that re-establishes their ability to record monstrous compositions after long years of existence. The band emerged in 1994 when death metal began its transformation into an art form in spite of what its detractors were saying, and were among the first to establish their own identity among the clone bands of the time. Their follow up to 2012’s Atra Mors sees them expanding into conceptual territory. Constructing a story over the background of the first world war, it highlights the physiological impact the war had upon the American soldiers who took up arms. One solder in particular who is experiencing the final moments of his life keeps a private journal in which he perceives his imminent departure from his earthly existence. While doing so he arranges with the help of a malignant god to leave a part of his soul in his writings, so anyone who reads them becomes possessed, experiencing the horrors of the war and committing suicide; this person’s soul likewise becomes trapped and so on as the journal’s dark power increases. It’s a horror tale created just in time for the Halloween season, worthy of the most well known genre authors of the last thirty years, and the music composed for Hypnagogia consummately captures its essence, complete with dirge-laden guitars, resounding drums, penetrating vocals, piano, string instruments and some shades of black metal (together with the occasional shades of Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, groundbreaking bands in their own right). Evoken has been a consistent force in underground doom metal, learning and growing to their own credit. And while there is always room for improvement, they make their own decisions on where to go next; Hypnagogia shows they have stumbled onto something that can set new standards when it comes to devising engaging narratives that breathe new life into time-tested ideas. Earsplit is predicting this album will become a landmark in death and doom metal. It wouldn’t surprise me if it ended up catching on with old and new fans. -Dave Wolff

Lineup:

John Paradiso: Vocals, guitar

Chris Molinari: Guitar

Dave Wagner: Bass

Don Zaros: Keyboards

Vince Verkay: Drums

Track list:

1. The Fear After

2. Valorous Consternation

3. Schadenfreude

4. Too Feign Ebullience

5. Hypnagogia

6. Ceremony Of Bleeding

7. Hypnopompic

8. The Weald Of Perished Men

Single Review: BAD BONES American Days by James K. Blaylock

BAD BONES

American Days

From their full length High Rollers, released on Sliptrick Records October 23, 2018

https://sliptrickrecords.com

Place of origin: Italy

Genre: Hard rock

Release date: September 30, 2018

Italy's own Bad Bones deliver with their newest single American Days. Most definitely they have a throwback vibe to 90's hard rock, but with a modern groove. They could easily give all those retro junkies whiplash simply because of all the rubbernecking, instead of moshing harder. Then again that could even bring a concussion or two. Either way these dudes pack-a-mean-punch with their effortless camaraderie. Just listen to their soaring vocals, crunchy guitars, fat bass lines and pulverizing drums - it's easy to see that these guys mean business. But in a sense isn't that what being in a band is all about? Plus, they don't forget to pack the dynomite lyrics to back it up. After all who doesn't want to be blown out of their chair?

There you have it: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. -James K. Blaylock

Lineup:
Max Malmerenda: Vocals
Sergio Aschieris: Guitar
Steve Balocco: Bass
Lele Balocco: Drums

Single Review: METAL MIRROR Outlaw Rider by James K. Blaylock

METAL MIRROR

Outlaw Rider

From their full length Vodka Hell And Angels, released on Downfall Records October 26, 2018

Place of origin: United Kingdom

Genre: NWOBHM

Release date: September 24, 2018

Metal Mirror's newest single Outlaw Rider is a wonderful return/welcome from this legendary group. The best part is that it feels like these guys picked right back up where they left off in 1982, of course, now they have a little more to say with a little more wisdom. In a sense that is what rights-of-passage are for... now if only everyone was connected like that. Either way it's great to see these guys doing what they do best again. Which is rattling our skulls.

Anyways, their album Vodka Hell and Angels is finally getting its first ever physical release through Downfall Records. So, if your one of those old school kinda persons like myself, that enjoys perusing through a CD’s liner notes for lyrics and what have you, then pick up your own copy. Otherwise it's still available wherever digital copies are sold. Plus I'd keep my eyes peeled for more releases to come in the future from these guys. Call it making up for old times or just reincarnating a career that was never really dead. Wait a minute is that an oxymoron, either way, they probably have a stockpile of music ready for new ears. Perhaps it could even be like a bonding of the generations - fathers and sons, and such. Whichever way you want to look at it at least the metal shall continue for the hungry masses.

There you have it: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. -James K. Blaylock

Lineup:

Cameron Vegas: Vocals

Paul Butterworth: Guitar

PJ Phillips: Bass

Mike (Stav) Stavoski: Drums

Full Length Review: HAIDUK Exomancer (Independent) by Serafima Okuneva

HAIDUK

Exomancer

Independent

Place of origin: Calgary, AB, Canada

Genre: Blackened death metal

Release date: October 17, 2018

Make it loud! After nine long years and three albums, finally a unique one-man-band called Haiduk has declared itself loudly and decisively. Luka Milojica’s album Exomancer, released in October, is a confirmation of cruelty, rage and hopeless darkness in the format of  death metal with black metal rage. Mind-blowing! This Canada-based musician has long identified apart from the mainstream, releasing his own rare, but interesting albums, fierce and absolutely beautiful in their aesthetics and technicality. Noteworthy for me are the compositions, which are instrumentals with no choruses or verses. Chaotic structures are very smooth on the ear. With fast rhythms with broken junctions you won’t get bored as you are constantly in enthusiastic tension. The underhanded disalignment induced by the music creates narrow portals into secretive but wide spaces. The effects can be dizzying, submerging you in vaporous twilight that is neither here or there. Aggressive riffs, tremolo, confident percussion and unexpected transitions competently dilute infernally tough vocals. Luka Milojica thrives on universal evil and hopeless worlds in his music and lyrics, and with his creativity continues to independently release his albums. I hope this universal rage continues to delight lovers of infernal sounds with their amazing independent works. Hail Evil! -Serafima Okuneva

Lineup:
Luka Milojica: Vocals, all instruments

Track list:
1. Death Portent
2. Unsummon
3. Evil Art
4. Subverse
5. Icevoid Nemesis
6. Doom Seer
7. Pulsar
8. Blood Ripple
9. Once Flesh
10. Crypternity

Full Length Review: AMIGO THE DEVIL Everything Is Fine (Regime Music Group) by Dave Wolff

AMIGO THE DEVIL

Everything Is Fine

Regime Music Group

Place of origin: Spicewood, Texas, USA

Genre: Folk, rock, metal

Available online at Benchmark Merchandising

Release date: October 19, 2018

With Amigo The Devil’s new full length Everything Is Fine we have an artist whose perception of folk, country, rock and metal is far removed from expectations of how artists should branch out, delivered with honesty akin to a wound that is reopened time and again, never given a chance to heal. Reopened so frequently the wound becomes part of you, rawness and all. My first exposure to Everything Is Fine was the first cut Cocaine And Abel. It was a profound and poignant song but I had no idea there was much more to the album than it let on. If you thought folk music was self-contained you’d do well to listen to it. Danny Kiranos the sole member of Amigo The Devil dives deeply into regret and remorse, returning with a series of tracks communicating the sense of isolation and lack of light, and the feeling that others are dwelling in similar realms. These are so deep-seated that most would think they’re too intense to talk about even with close friends and family. Kiranos acknowledges the doubt and depression resulting from traumatic experiences are the worst threat to human beings, but the point is not to remain there but to eventually climb out of it and become stronger in the process. The imagery written into the lyrics personify the darkest aspects of the human condition, often providing something disturbing to assimilate. This and the musical arrangements of each cut blow purism out of the water when it comes to all the influences Kiranos incorporates into this album. The tracks fluctuate from folk to rock to metal to country in such a way that there is a schizophrenic quality to the mix. The added black humor gives the material an edge that in some ways makes the depression more bearable. Ross Robinson who has produced albums by Korn and Glassjaw was meticulous in capturing all the sentiments Kiranos wanted the listener to feel while recording Everything Is Fine at a studio with equipment that hasn’t been modernized since the 1970s. Valentine Studios was crucial in keeping the organic quality of Kiranos’ musicianship, down to the acoustic squeaks the strings make when he changes chords on the guitar. This was a good move as recording with “modern” equipment would have made the songs too polished and less human. Recording with equipment left over from the 70s seemed most fitting for the album. -Dave Wolff

Lineup:
Danny Kiranos: Banjo, acoustic guitar
Brad Wilk: Session drummer

Track list:
1. Cocaine and Abel
2. If I’m Crazy
3. You’re Perfect Too
4. Preacher Feature
5. Hell and You
6. I Hope Your Husband Dies
7. Capture
8. Hungover in Jonestown
9. First Day of the End of My Life
10. The Liars Club
11. Everyone Gets Left Behind
12. The Dreamer
13. Release
14. Edmund Temper
15. Stronger Than Dead

Full Length Review: DEATHKIDS Forest Of Wires (Independent) by Dave Wolff

DEATHKIDS

Forest Of Wires

Independent

Place of origin: New York, USA

Genre: Progressive death/black metal

Available on iTunes and Amazon

Graphic novel available through their official site

Release date: October 7, 2018

Deathkids started as an under-15 band years before Babymetal and was a prominent band in the Long Island death metal scene from 1994 to 1999. I have followed them from the beginning to the present and they’ve gone from what would be perceived as a novelty band to legitimate artists. They personified the independent spirit of the underground, releasing several demos and CDs on their own label, doing interviews for local zines (this one included), performing often in New York and Long Island and making festival appearances around the country. For an unsigned band, they were doing quite well until they inexplicably disbanded, but this is not to say they didn’t abandon playing altogether. Core members Harley and Kenny Wooton resurfaced in 2003 with Inred, releasing four full lengths and an EP over eight years. These showed remarkable evolution for them as musicians and songwriters. Fast forward to 2018 and we have a brand new Deathkids album which is being released and distributed independently. The band appears to have their act together regardless of the changing standards in the industry, and their new album demonstrates overwhelming advancement musically, lyrically and conceptually. For an album that’s only sixteen minutes in length Forest Of Wires goes beyond anything they composed as Inred. That Forest Of Wires is a completely DIY undertaking is all the more reason it deserves attention. The songs here are progressive fusions of death and black metal with goth, industrial and electronica. What’s more they are part of a larger narrative, featuring promotional videos and a graphic novel likewise released independently. Set to a quasi-futuristic background representing the idea that technology has completely taken over human life. Harley Wooton said this is not an album in the traditional sense, but more like a film and musical. It is meant as a challenge to how people consume music in this day and age. The songs fall between one and two minutes in length, and the material crammed into them really must be heard to be believed. The band’s music has progressed exponentially since the 90s; this album is even beyond those by many bands who have consistently written and composed for a decade. The videos are beautifully done and illustrate the songs in new and inventive ways. I haven’t read the graphic novel yet but I imagine it does the same and draws you even further into the story. Forest Of Wires is an ambitious project and its presentation could represent a step forward in telling conceptual tales through music and visuals. -Dave Wolff

Track list:
1. Forest Of Wires
2. Run
3. Realize
4. Close The Door Behind You
5. Reckless
6. Fly
7. Vandal
8. Graveyard

Full Length Review: ARAM 17 Dark Abandoned Town II: Memories (Cephalopagus Records) by Serafima Okuneva

ARAM 17

Dark Abandoned Town II: Memories

Cephalopagus Records

Place of origin: Armenia

Genre: Dark ambient, occult ambient, drone

Written and Produced By Aram GH

Cover art: Aram GH

Mastering at LANDR.com

Release date: September 28, 2018

The solo project Aram 17 is one of the only dark ambient projects in the territory of Armenia, a distant and beautiful country with own unique culture and rich history. Dark Abandoned Town II: Memories was released by Aram 17 in September of this year on Cephalopagus Records. The music of this project contains different approaches and ideas, but the musician behind it opens up the world within an abandoned city frozen in time.

Cold shapeless sound canvases are sent to time-lost spaces where people once lived and where life once boiled. But time passed, and then stopped, and now there is nothing here but emptiness, frustration, oblivion and loneliness. Ghostly soundscapes slowly sneak up and deeply reveal the essence of this abandoned city frozen in time, opening the doors of perception, from behind is a frightening and completely hopeless atmosphere of doom and desolation. The album sounds remote almost to the point of complete alienation, and on the verge of losing form, doomed to deform and collapse into liquid all around us, suffocating its audience with its deep illusive echoes. Recommended for those who love the atmosphere of distant dead cities, who are fascinated by the aesthetics of these abandoned places, where the traces remain a ghostly reminder of the transience of being. -Serafima Okuneva

Lineup:

Aram GH: Programming

Track list:

1. Black Atmosphere With The Fog

2. Gloomy Gates

3. Statue Of Sinner

4. Forest Near The Town

5. Night Spirits

6. Memories Of The Abandoned Town

Single Review: HAMMERKING At The Mercy Of The Waves by James K. Blaylock

HAMMERKING

At The Mercy Of The Waves

From their full length Poseidon Will Carry Us Home, released on Cruz Del Sur Music September 28, 2018

Place of origin: Germany

Genre: Heavy metal, power metal

Concept by Yod Multimedia

Release date: September 28, 2018

The German band Hammerking have struck a chord in my core with their newest single At The Mercy Of The Waves. It's pulsating with sheer intensity. No doubt their third album Poseidon Will Carry Us Home will captivate the senses, even if we can't circumvent the thrashing seas without some nautical help. This statement says it best “If you haven’t found your own identity by the time your third album comes out, you might probably never find it,” says vocalist/guitarist Titan Fox V. “I know that we have felt that our third album feels like ‘we are’ now, compared to ‘we want to be’ in the past. Not taking away anything from our previous albums at all, but when you start going on a mission, you begin with searching and trying. After a while you know the task, you know the way and you know about your strengths. Maybe that’s what the magical third album is about.”

As always the lyrics are a major plus for me besides for the musicianship. Actually these guys deliver on both sides of the doubloon.

Now only if we could get a bird's-eye view perhaps through a nearby albatross. Or perhaps even through someone with some depth like the elusive Kraken. Either one would be better to savvy the entire scope of their sentiments. But I guess that's why they pay Hollywood the big bucks.

There you have it: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. -James K. Blaylock

Band lineup:

Titan Fox V: Vocals, guitar

Gino Wilde: Guitar, choir

K.K. Basement: Bass, vocals

Dolph A. Macallan: Drums, choir

Poem: 'Etheric Light' by Sky Claudette Soto

Etheric Light

by Sky Claudette Soto

Copyright. Sky Claudette Soto,

First American Publishing rights only

And in the palm of my hands Jaden eggs are placed, Amethyst and crystal salt lamps sit upon a treasured trunk as I ,Clad in Louis attire peer out ,as chunks of

Moldavite are tightly wrapped upon my nape,centered...centered. . in Rose quartz I am and in black tourmaline I stand as white lights shine above and below me,

Gazing up upon this glorious view a monument crafted of celestite stones shines like stars as an etheric light drapes down,for judge not ye know nothing about

Poem: 'The Wolf' by S.C.C.

The Wolf

by S.C.C.

Meat, food.

The scent in the air.

The choice, the chase and the feast.

The strong lives and the weak dies, it's the law.

Just one more day in life.

Like it or not, cry or accept, it's all the same, we all fall prey of the same embrace.

Poem: Untitled by Natasa Nikolic

Untitled

by Natasa Nikolic

You only live in the lines

I write, from the hollow space

I have nothing to hide,

Nothing to touch

In this, abyss of darkness,

Impossible to fall

Reaching out, I scream

But only disquiet follows

As if for the last time, I exhale

Trembling, walk onto the stage

Vibrations are alarming

Having to move, to dance

A deep current, racing

through the muscles

Wrestling only to find

Your gilded tongue and c(h)ord

With the clanking I’ll prevail

Soon all sounds will perish

Keep the notes, keep all the words

Wheezing visions inside my eyes

Poem: 'Albatross' by Koga Easter

Albatross

by Koga Easter

The bloody nook from which i’ve been birthed

The way i came by this life

The dank passage out of hell and back to earth

Pain be thy name

Destination pleasure

Soul stagnation, here we go again

Your love, my loss, Goddamned, i come, the albatross

Into the ground i go, an opposing womb

Call me back

Play the game again

I’ll be the sweet guilty lie

In which you all hold dear

Call me back, my forsaken birth

Born of pleasure

Born of sin

Poem: 'Dartmoor' by Kay Irvin

Dartmoor

by Kay Irvin

A train from London will be here soon

Hooded coach drivers wait, station bound

Arriving passengers number few

Macabre yarns have spun about a hound

The foggy moors are unforgiving

For any wanderer left to night

The house beacon, on the hill, is far

Wailing wind sends ... like briars in flight

Now that dusk is upon us,... listen

'Tis christen louder than steeple bells

Dead of Winter approaches swiftly

As twin daggers, whose fangs slay noels

There is a curse that must be knotted

Moors to the doors of Baskerville Hall

Bloody crux too shall pass with ending

And ghastly landscapes will lastly call

The foggy moors are unforgiving

For any wanderer left to night

The house beacon, on the hill, is far

Wailing wind sends ... like briars in flight

~ For "The Hound of the Baskervilles"

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[a Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson mystery]

Set on Dartmoor, Devon, in England's West Country

Poem: 'Daughter Of The Moon' by Jerry Langdon

Daughter Of The Moon

by Jerry Langdon, 2018

She was the daughter of the moon.

She was desire, she was fertility.

She was birth, she was beauty.

She was Goddess, She was Queen.

She was the brightest light seen.

Inanna daughter of the moon.

She heard from land of the dead

Her sister wished to wed.

So she took to world of Nether

With heart light as a feather.

Inanna daughter of the moon.

As she decended all trees wept

As she departed all plants slept.

Every man slept alone without lust.

Every woman slept alone growing dust.

Bereft the daughter of the moon.

Her journey stopped at the Nether Gate.

'Twas upon her demanded she must wait.

Whilst the world above slept.

Whilst the forests wept.

Bereft the daughter of the moon.

when her passage was allowed

She was first encrowned.

As she followed with question

Echoed 'tis The Nether's restiction.

As she was lead to the next gate

'Twas upon her demanded she must wait.

Whilst the world above slept.

Whilst the desirelessness crept.

Bereft the daughter of the moon.

Again she was stripped of her treasures.

She was rendered naked of her pleasures.

As she followed with question

Echoed 'tis The Nether's restiction.

Inanna daughter of the moon.

So went on through Seven gates

Whilst the Goddess waits.

Stripped to bare skin

Exposing all but what lies within.

Inanna daughter of the moon.

As she stood for her beloved sister

The meeting turned sinister.

Ordered to be thrown in chains.

Ordered to be administered sixty pains.

Sixty diseases given the daughter of the moon.

Long she was held in exile

In plague and pain to while.

'Til she was broken

Dark promises spoken.

Inanna daughter of the moon.

So she was lead back through Seven gates.

Whilst her freedom waits.

Whilst the world above slept.

Whilst the desirelessness crept.

Mourning the daughter of the moon.

All her treasure were returned

Whilst her loins burned.

Whilst the world above slept.

Whilst the forests wept.

For Inanna daughter of the moon.

Her return was a vernal rebirth

That awakened the earth.

Desire again burned

As she finally returned.

Inanna daughter of the moon

Men no longer slept without lust.

No woman slept growing dust.

But she was no longer clean.

Venereal darkness joined the scene.

Brought by the daughter of the moon.

Poem: 'What's Love Got to Do with It (Robotics)' by James K. Blaylock

What's Love Got to Do with It (Robotics)

by James K. Blaylock, 1-20-18

robotics, by definition, have come a long way,

since the days of filling up entire warehouses

what used to be claw-like hands grasping and gyroing, handing back to awaiting humanoids

nowadays, becoming more than companions -

even lovers - in some sense of the very word

but is love reciprocated, since gears and gizmos don't equate for a beating heart...

Poem: 'Chord / Cord' by Heather Dawson

Chord / Cord

by Heather Dawson

You won't remember

It was last December

I was alone and drinking wine

And I thought perfect timing

And to you I said ...

watch that MC5 documentary you'll love it

And you replied...

Who is this (?)

And I said to

JR

Write write write cause your so good at it -don't deny the world your talent ...

And I told big brother I got nothin left

And I think that was it - that was the list

And I clambered up

The stairs alone

And tried the way I said I would swing

And I thought the chord cord could hold 110 - 112

And I wanted to

Write reason all over my opaqueness

But there seemed to be a lack of time somehow

So tip toe in the white billow gown

Around the rafters

Around me

Weeping

And then knew this was a performance I was conducting for

My own

amusement

Thought of the two and stopped

And went flat footed

And returned the chord cord

And went back

Down the stairs

Cried some more and fell asleep

Alive

Poem: 'Thursday’s Child' by Elena Karis

Thursday’s Child

by Elena Karis, September 4, 2017

The path bends, twists and forks

Darkness, shadows and barren trees taunt me as I walk down this archaic lane

Specters of the past remind me of my recent transgressions

I know now there is no mercy and no comfort for the selections I made.

Walking in darkness, grave stones obscure

What feats then brought me to this time and place?

A faint glimmer of hope pushes me onward

Craving to be in a place of acceptance and love -

Sunshine and daisies.

Tsk, tsk, tsk says a dark cloaked figure

Though fair of face, as it pointed a finger

Thursday’s child has far to go.

So I followed each, bended and twisted and forked paths,

Time and yet again and in different directions.

Every time to hear the insidious words

Tsk, tsk, tsk says a dark cloaked figure

Though fair of face, as it pointed a finger

Thursday’s child has far to go.