Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs (story), Patrick Tilley
With Patrick Wayne, Doug McClure, Sarah Douglas, Dana Gillespie
Distributed by American International Pictures, Amicus Productions (uncredited)
Release date: July 6, 1977
Not too long ago I read the Caspak Trilogy. Even more recently I was scrolling through Tubi and I realized “The People that Time Forgot” was uploaded for free viewing. I thought this to be quite the convenient coincidence—and as I have never checked out the second installment (“The Land that Time Forgot” is the first) I figured I would give this a watch.
Once again this takes place on Caspak on the Island of Caprona. Just like the first movie there are dinosaurs, cave people, and a slew of prehistoric style adventures that unfold.
With that said—I found the first movie to be much more entertaining and the second one for me was much less memorable and I will also throw it out there that I did prefer the book version. The dinosaurs and other creatures have the same cheesy dated feeling as the first part but the story line was less intriguing overall and it differed highly from the original texts.
Would I watch this again? Probably. But only because I am a lover of “The Land that Time Forgot”—and maybe the only reason this one was less memorable was because it was not one of the high points of my childhood memories. Again—the effects were cheesy (maybe a bit too cheesy?) as well but I guess with a film hailing from 1977 that is to be expected! -Devin J. Meaney
I did pay some shipping—but a book I snagged on Amazon for under a dollar was “The Ghosts of Devil’s Marsh” by M.D. Spenser. This is number 24 in the Shivers series and as I have read a few of the various Shivers books I figured I’d enjoy this one too.
Anyone that knows me knows I have a sweet spot for YA/youth horror. With that being said this was not one of my favorites from the series. Even though I usually enjoy the easy consumption of youth fiction the writing in this was a bit too simplified for my liking. Also—the story itself I found to be less enjoyable than the others.
With that said I can go out on a limb and say that young readers might enjoy this one. For fans of books like Goosebumps and FrightTime and American Chillers I could see this easily consumed by a vast array of kids around the globe—and even though it is a bit old and dated I’m sure the enjoyment factor would still be quite prominent! -Devin J. Meaney
Recently, I heard about this debut single from out of nowhere, and after searching around I found little information about it or the band that recorded it, other than a Facebook community page and some video clips on their YouTube channel. Other than that, there was no official site or any other streaming platforms available. According to the posts Bolt Inc.'s Facebook page, some of their favorite bands include Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Sepultura, Death, Sodom, Voivod, Obituary and Pungent Stench, thus I conclude that there is a heavy influence from 1980s and 1990s death metal on their part. Thus, "Ossos" makes for a good introduction to the band, especially if you enjoy Brazilian DM that is significantly downtuned, heavily distorted, and resolutely thrashing, with a tumultuous, bloodthirsty feel. It is true that the single lasts no longer than three minutes and fades out far too soon, but the introductory air raid siren and unrelenting guitars sending you from one section to the next convinced me that they are dedicated to writing the most hardcore riffs possible. In keeping with extreme metal from South America, the vocals are low and menacing while making the Portuguese lyrics understandable enough, the bass makes its presence known at the appropriate volume and the drums are comparable to Abaddon (Venom), Igor Cavalera (Sepultura), Leprous (Sarcofago), and 3 Black Hearts of Damnation and Impurity (Blasphemy). Whether this sound can still capture the attention of listeners depends on how receptive you are to early black/death metal, but Bolt Inc. appear to be sincere and passionate enough. Bolt Inc. should record an EP or full length soon as I would like to hear more in one sitting. –Dave Wolff
The 80's beat seems cheesy at first, but I like how it's kind of off-beat and it sounds kind of like somebody running. The lyrics are understandable after listening to it a couple of times. Even the more bass-heavy voices I could understand. I thought the bass voices gave it a good dark sound, but too much where it sounds like they are trying too hard. All in all it's a really solid track. The radio mix was good too I liked the more emphasized techno sounds in it and enjoyed it more than the original, to be honest. -Brynn Kali StarDew
The first impression I got was that this sounds good but it just sounds like so many other melodic metal bands, their lack of lyrics didn't really help much either, just some original lyrics really would give it a lot more of a memorable sound. “Architect” was a good progressive metal tune, but didn't really sound different than bands like cynic so I was a little let down. I liked the bass solo on the Intro of synthetic but wasn't really very impressed by the rest of the track. The Youtube video was kind of psychedelic though so I give them some credit there. I also that the album art was pretty interesting and definitely gives it the “tweak” vibe. With the name TweeKs Corner I expected a hardcore screamo band and was pleasantly surprised to find such melodic and relaxing instrumentals such as “Right Lane Ends”. A lot of what I like about it is the guitar, but the drums are good too and not too heavy. It's all very meditative and I really enjoyed it. I listened to some of their older stuff too and it sounds pretty similar which was surprising but if that's what they are into good for them. -Brynn Kali StarDew
Previously to covering Cosmic Jaguar, I interviewed Sergio Lunático aka Metal Priest for his previous band Bestial Invasion, and several of their releases were extensively covered. Though his previous band was a straightforward thrash metal band, Cosmic Jaguar extends both the aggression and range of the genre. “The Legacy of the Aztecs” blows any remaining stereotypes about the stagnation and lack of imagination associated with thrash clear out of the water, demonstrating even greater growth potential.
“The Legacy of the Aztecs” is a conceptual album about Aztec culture and mythological legends based on an extensive amount of research and preserved as closely as possible during the songwriting. To help immerse you in that ancient folklore returned to life, Cosmic Jaguar make a massive effort to juxtapose the sharp contentiousness and fiery leads of thrash and classic metal with a variety of genres including progressive rock, jazz fusion, folk, blues, and Latin music, enhanced with atmosphere and effects.
During the songwriting process, the band goes far beyond creating different moods by using slower breakdowns, time changes, and extended solos. Alongside Bestial Invasion, a higher level of avant garde musicianhip shown by guitarist Juan Maestro and everything is carefully arranged and presented. Sergio Lunático’s bass tracks contribute significantly to this, complementing the guitars and drums in a way that evokes the sounds of Geddy Lee and Steve Harris. With gratuitous double bass and constant fills, drummer Denis Tornillo creates background thunder as he handles classic metal, thrash, blast, prog and jazz fusion with equal conviction.
However, the story does not end there. The contrasting influences and the addition of acoustic guitars, strings, wind instruments, and traditional folk instruments create a sense of creating another world, similar to that of the Aztecs. All the band members work together from one section to the next, turning on a dime as a unit without skipping a fraction of a second. The sonic images they evoke gives impressions of seeing a movie inside your mind, much as Sigh (another band ahead of their time) did on albums like “Hail Horror Hail” and “Scenario IV: Dread Dreams”.
The lyrics of each song reflect the research that went into studying Aztec gods and beliefs, and present their ideas in ways that don’t sail over the listener’s head. The only negative aspect in my opinion is that the vocal style Sergio Lunático chose doesn’t fit the music the band composed. Guest vocalist Chimalma makes up for it however. Although she only appears on three of the ten songs (including their cover of the English band Babe Ruth from 1972) she delivers lyrics in Spanish and English in an impressive fashion and I would have liked to hear more of her here. -Dave Wolff
Lineup:
Sergio Lunático: Vocals, bass, lyrics
Juan Maestro: Guitars
Denis Tornillo: Drums, percussion, folk instruments
Last September in my review of Incognito Theory, I mentioned the stir they caused with their gritty sound and palpable energy similar to Southern metal. From my review of "The Brotherhood" or the reviews of their singles by Corban Skipwith and Brynn StarDew you might assume that they're based in Tennessee or anywhere in the southern US, since for a New Jersey band they continue to develop potential to become a leading talent. Few bands can surpass Pantera but Incognito Theory is fast becoming a contender.
In addition to aggressively promoting new material on the net and performing live, Incognito Theory is releasing new singles with rawer dispositions. Contacting producer Malcolm Springer seems to be another step in the right direction, as he has worked with everyone from Eric Clapton to Fear Factory. Springer and his experience as a producer and engineer has led to gold and platinum level sales. Clearly, his influence in the music industry is substantiated as his work with the band enhances their Southern appeal.
With the momentum they have been building, the band is still young, having released their debut album in 2017. There has been a recurring theme of fire in their work and the lyrics of "American Rebel" personify an ungovernable nomadic spirit similar to songs like "Born to be Wild" and "Heading Out to the Highway" and films like “Easy Rider” and "Natural Born Killers". Outlaw wanderers who mount motorcycles and travel to unknown destinations like yesteryear’s beat poets are portrayed as timeless and still relevant.
Although times have consistently changed since the 1960s, people are still drawn to this theme as much as they are to heavier music. Why is this so in today's world of pop culture? Possibly it is a sense of exploration into the unknown and unpredictability conveyed through music and lyrics. Perhaps it is what metal was described as being in the eighties: rebellion for the sake of rebellion. The fact that there remains a need to give the finger to everything conventional, as the band makes no secret of doing with this single. –Dave Wolff
“Guggisberg” is apparently a traditional Swiss folk song. I like that it has a black metal sound but it's not too harsh and I can really appreciate the ambient howling in the beginning it really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Album art is really cool, I like the concept of life, death, and re-birth being symbolized by a wheel; it's very Buddhist. The lyrics were mostly understandable which is always a plus for me. Track 2 “Visiûne” was really cool, definitely my favorite track on the album. “I Dream” and “I see” are very powerful lyrics but the drum break at 3:17 was what really got me. It gave it a really unique ambiance most groups wish they could achieve. Track 3 “What Lies Beneath” had a good progressive metal intro, also the heaviest intro on the album, but I thought this was a nice way to wrap it all up so good on ‘em! Her voice is great and the rest of the band is really talented. I really look forward to their next release! –Brynn Kali StarDew
With Andrew Lee Potts, Heida Reed and Claudia Bassols
Distributed by UFO International Productions
Release date: July 14, 2012
I recently watched the film “Vampyre Nation: True Bloodthirst”. Here is the synopsis taken from IMDb:
“Set in a not-too-distant future in which a synthetic blood substitute, dispensed by the Romanian government, allows humans and vampires to potentially co-exist.”
Here is the synopsis taken from Google: “Set in the future, where an uneasy peace exists between a growing population of vampires and the dwindling race of humans. When a suspicious murder takes place, vampire hunters are called upon for help.”
This was something I found on Tubi. Not everything on Tubi is worth watching but as it turns out this one was quite an awesome vampire flick! It didn’t appear to have the highest budget but everything was done well and the effects were visually appealing. What it did have in spades was a different spin on vampires and I can state that the plot and story line were both unique and original. I won’t give away too many details as I think watching the film would be the best way to digest the story—but what I will say is that fans of vampire movies should really enjoy this one—or at the very least I’d assume so!
The one thing I will divulge is that what when vampires and humans work together for the betterment of both species it makes for an intriguing watch—and again, even though the budget was not through the roof I’d be happy to watch more films like this one! -Devin J. Meaney
Yet again another CD I got from CDN Records was “Preliminary Hearing” by Mortify! This is an older disc recorded in 2008 and then released in 2009—but once I put it in the machine I knew this was something worth while!
Featuring six tracks including “Vile Blood”, “Compelled to Torture”, “Half Severed Cadaver”, “Miscalculated Judgement”, “Preliminary Hearing” and “Perplexity” there is nothing amateurish about this. The percussion is spot on and the guitar work is deep and heavy and chugging. There is some variation with the vocals but a lot of them are inward bree style gutturals. This is not my favorite form of vocal—but in this case it is done well and mixes great with the instruments. This may only be an EP but clocking in at over 25 minutes it has the vibe of a “short” full length and it feels as if the disc and its contents are perfectly complete!
I don’t have much else to say except that I’d consider this one a win—and for the price of 5 dollars from CDN I’d encourage others to try and snag it—and if you can’t purchase it I’d suggest checking it out online wherever it is available! -Devin J. Meaney
