OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XXIX: SUMMER SOLSTICE

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Jul 062026
 

(We welcome back Daniel Barkasi with another collection of reviews and recommendations of albums released in the month just ended, this time June 2026.)

The summer solstice came on June 21, and it’s been a wild ride so far in 2026. New house in a new state, new baby horse (Ezri is doing awesome). What’s also new – for me, anyway – is not being cooked alive by the temperature at this point in the year. It has been a comforting 70 – 75°F (around 21– 24°C) for a lot of the time here in the WV mountains. Then there’s Florida, where the real feel temperature has been as high as a sweat-farming 110°F (a hair over 43°C).

I used a past tense in describing the amazing weather we were having, but alas, a taste of Florida has arrived, with those same boiling conditions. Talk about perspiration soup. I miss some things about the home of the infamous Florida man, but not that.  With that, it’s been a regular refreshing of cold water for all of the outdoor animals, as well as shearing the sheep – which was quite the ordeal, but absolutely necessary to prepare.

At the beginning of June, we also got to attend an event a little different from music, but with a connection for many who enjoy this sort of music – a horror convention. Continue reading »

OBSCURITIES – VOLUME X: THE SEQUEL WE DIDN’T ASK FOR

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Nov 072024
 

(We welcome the return of Dan Barkasi with another one of his monthly collections of reviews, this time focusing on eight albums released in September of this year.)

Sequels – the often lame, half-baked follow-up to a film that sullies and dilutes what made the original great. Or worse – a next chapter to something which wasn’t anything you wanted to see in the first place. The latter aptly describes our time since our last rendezvous on this fine site.

I mentioned the devastation of hurricane Helene, which grazed past our specific location with minimal issues, other than a day without power (we were incredibly lucky). Then, the dreaded sequel named Milton showed up. Seemingly seeking vengeance for being given such a name – apologies to the fine folks who have been bestowed said moniker – Milton was the most destructive storm to hit west central Florida in over 100 years.

We ended up having to evacuate along with our large army of fuzzy family members to Ft. Pierce and the wife’s cousin’s place, who were incredibly accommodating in hosting us for a few days. The wild part is that an EF3 tornado struck a few miles from their house. This showcases the wide and frightening impacts that this storm brought. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: GOD DETHRONED, TRIBULATION, AGRYPNIE, WORMED, VAFURLOGI, RÖTUAL

 Album Reviews, Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC, SHORT BUT SWEET  2 Responses »
Jun 292024
 

Last weekend I didn’t pull together new music for a Saturday SEEN AND HEARD or a Sunday SHADES OF BLACK. I was away from home at a Pacific Northwest beachfront on a short vacation with family and friends. That led to late nights and late mornings and a desire to pay attention to physically-present human beings instead of communing with headphones and computers.

The consequence is now staring me in the face: Two weeks’ worth of new songs and videos to choose from for today and tomorrow, instead of one, when even one week’s worth is usually overwhelming. I made lists of links but of course could only listen to a small fraction of them. I was first drawn to some familiar justified names and then just threw mental darts, though the aim was not completely random. Here’s the result:

GOD DETHRONED (Netherlands)

No matter how deafening the racket or how urgent the whispers around the mouldering halls of the NCS HQ, we’ll always make time for new God Dethroned, and count ourselves lucky that Henri Sattler & co. are still alive and kicking. Continue reading »