Support Musicians – Buy Music – Black Dahlia Murder Rant
Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder is not happy. He recently made a rant about fans and the music industry. Basically, TMDM has more than a million likes on Facebook. Yet their music sales are barely enough to keep the band in business. The music industry does not care about people’s feelings. A Record Label will only keep a band if that band is making money. If the band tips below a certain margin of profit – all those things fans love, the albums, the songs, the tours – all that will be gone.
Ever since digital downloads started taking off in the 90’s, the music industry has been going further and further down the tubes financially. Gone are the days of Rock Star Luxury. These days most bands eat Taco Bell three times a day and sleep in their touring van after shows. I’d say 99% of musicians also have another job – a crappy part time job at McDonalds or Five Guys – just to the pay the bills.
I’m sure there are other reasons for the industry going down hill, such as the promotion of terrible pop music and so on. Yet I think the decline in album sales has a correlation to the production of a crappier sound and a harder lifestyle for musicians who actually are talented.
So if you like a band – please buy their music! I know the economy is bad. I know some of you are struggling. But even buying one or two songs on itunes can help. Thanks
Here’s Trevor’s Rant:
“HOW IT IS: We have almost 1,000,000 likes on here. Will we sell 1,000,000 copies of Everblack? Fuck no! The reality is that 98% of you ‘fans’ are going to be content to steal the album and in turn we get nothing… a laughable fragment of the ‘likers’ will actually be cool and pick it up.
It’s not about the money, the reality is that we get chump change for CD (and digital) sales BUT WE NEED TO SELL THEM TO EXIST! If there are no record sales the music industry will stomp us out like a bug and it’ll be completely over… the sales show them ‘how relevant’ we are.
If you don’t buy the albums they’ll determine that there is no demand for TBDM, and there won’t be any more awesome concerts, tours, dvds nor new music. Sure we understand you may really love our tunes, but if you haven’t paid for them, it’s a total loss to us… all the love in the world isn’t going to mean shit in the end. We need your support and every two years I am going to ask the same thing of you and make the same goddamn argument.
Think of it like a vote… If you’d like to see us continue our reign of terror over the metal world, you’ll pick up a copy of “Everblack”. It’s as simple as that. – Trevor on behalf of The Black Dahlia Murder”
The Black Dahlia Murder “Into the Everblack”
Videos Promote Bands, But Buying Their Music is Even Better!
Earth Day Tips Followed up by Some “Environ-Metal”
Happy Earth Day Everyone! Go outside and enjoy yourself some nature. But don’t forget, every day is Earth Day. Every day of life, ever breathe of clean air, every morsel of food we eat, or glass of water we drink is a precious gift from the Earth. Let’s think of things we can do to give our thanks and give back.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS AN INDIVIDUAL?
- Plant a tree
- Get together with some people and clean a park or pick up other litter.
- Make a greater commitment to recycle
- Shop at a local farmers market
- Try to cut down on your carbon emissions by biking or taking the bus when you can.
WHAT CAN SOCIETY DO?
- Small scale tasks in our day to day lives are noble gestures, but ultimately, it is large scale government policies that are needed to get this planet back on track. So what government policies are needed?
- Cuts to carbon emissions.
- More funding for Renewable Energy Technology such as Solar and Wind energy. Fracking and Natural Gas are not realistic alternatives.
- More funding for public transportation projects, since these give out less pollution than cars.
- A firm commitment to protect what is left of the world’s rain forests and other natural landscapes.
Of course these solutions won’t completely save the day, but it’s a start. In the meantime, enjoy some environ-metal…hurhurhur.
Ozzy Osbourne – Revelation (Mother Earth)
Black Sabbath – Hole in the Sky
Testament – Green House Effect
Cattle Decapitation – Regret and The Grave
Two Steps From Hell – Protectors of the Earth
Zombie Metal Playlist
Hungry for horror? Looking for some brutal, metal tunes to crank as you bash open zombie brains? Look no further. We got what you need.
Ramesses – Baptism of the Walking Dead
Genre: Death/Doom Metal.
Review: Erie, haunting and infused with droning horror. I give this song 7 zombie brains out of 10.
Nile – Eat of the Dead
Genre: Brutal Technical Death Metal
Review: How can you not love this deliciously brutal song? It punches you in the face with riffs that are both powerful and technically written. The vocals are guttural and grotesque – like the excruciating cries of a man being mummified alive. I give this song 8 rotting corpses out of 10.
Vader – God is Dead
Genre: Death Metal/ Thrash
Review: You say this isn’t a zombie song? I thought Jesus was a zombie. Doesn’t he come back from the dead? Also, I love Vader and wanted an excuse to post one of their songs. Their vocals are so diabolically dark and evil – the vocalist sounds like he gargles glass and bat’s blood for breakfast. This song definitely gets 8 upside down crosses out of 10.
Kataklysm – The Night They Returned
Genre: Death Metal/Melodic Death
Review: Gotta love those Kataklysm drums. Their drummer is a beast. This song is a good balance of brutality and ominous dread. It gets 7 decayed tomb stones out of 10 from me.
Cannibal Corpse – Hammer Smashed Face
Genre: Classic Death Metal
Review: Any self respecting metal head who is not familiar with this song should get their face smashed in by a hammer. This is a classic Death Metal hit. I give this 9 skulls out of 10. Yes, I’m biased for classics.
Fun Facts: This song made a short appearance in Jim Carrey’s “Ace Ventura Pet Detective” Film.
Judas Priest – Night Crawler
Genre: Heavy Metal
Review: Holy shit I love me some priest! This is probably my favorite zombie song hands down. Chock full of punching riffs, great melodies and dynamic-chilling Halford Vocals. If I were stuck in a zombie apocalypse, I would love nothing better than to kill the living dead with priest blasting out of my speakers. Than I would ride away with Halford on his motorcycle and we’d have a fun platonic time (since he plays for the other team so to speak). This song gets 10 blood soaked axes out of 10 baby!
Eliwagar – Haaleygirland
Norse Romantic Pagan Folk Metal
This video captures both the beauty of the Norwegian Landscape and Spirit. Eliwagar is a band that honors the forefathers and folk tales of Norway. However, Eliwagar is different from many Norse Folk bands in that they are discussing a tradition in Norway that existed BEFORE the Germanic influenced Thor and Odin came to Norse lands.
This is the original Norse Religion of Ullr “Father Sky” and Njarthar “Mother Earth.” Much like the rivers that flow from the beginning of the world, the music of Eliwagar seeks to flow from the ancient and original source of Norse Tradition.
According to ancient Norse Lore, in the beginning there was only fire and ice. When the two met together, they created the first 11 rivers, known as Eliwagar: The rivers that existed at the beginning of the world.
The meaning and existence of Eliwagar is very much connected to the idea of living close to the land and nature. In their songs you can hear the hardanger fiddle, cello, flute and praises sung to Ullr and Njarthar, along with some guitar playing. Check out the links below for more information about Eliwagar and the Old Ways.
LINKS
You Metal – The Metal YouTube
I just discovered today that there is a YouTube type video streaming site that ONLY plays Metal
It’s called “You Metal”
Black Magic
Disclaimer: This post is not an endorsement nor a rejection of the practice. It is an attempt to have an open and intelligent discussion about the subject of Black Magic: a highly controversial and misunderstood concept.
Let me start off by saying that this is an incredibly difficult subject to research. In searching for “Black Magic” on google, I was bombarded by a horde of terrible “spell” sales schemes, “professionals” who practiced the dark arts – which were handed down by family members for “centuries” and could perform a powerful get rich spell for only “$9.99.” It’s this kind of “used car salesman” approach to magic polluting the internet that drives people away from witchcraft altogether.
But here is the most accurate summary I can offer:
Much of what we think of as “black” or “white” magic is a product of New Age invention mixed with Christian influence. Much of what we think of as “black magic” is often a result of demonizing that which we don’t understand. After all, the polarization of “good” and “evil” itself is a Christian concept that has seeped into Pagan Practice.
Not to say that Pagans don’t have any distinction between just and unjust, moral or immoral behavior. That would really depend on the Pagan and the practice. But, I’m saying that this distinction is more polarized in the Christian World – to the extent that much spirituality outside of the Christian Veil gets demonized as Black Magic.
If something is considered “Black Magic,” it isn’t necessarily evil, but perhaps something to broach with caution.
So here are the definitions I scraped together:
Drains Life Force: A type of magical energy that drains the life force from others in order to make the practitioner stronger. In some countries, it is still common to drink the blood of an animal in order to gain their life force. For example, drinking a goat’s blood in some countries. Many Christian Europeans who witnessed this practice demonized it as “Black Magic” or “Satanism.” However, the idea of drawing strength and power by drinking the “blood of Christ” may not be that different (although drinking wine is certainly a difference from drinking goat’s blood).
There is a more nefarious use for Life Draining magic though, where the practitioner will drain human victims of their life energy in order to make themselves stronger. Magic works in principle by drawing energy from different sources – whether that source be the sun, the moon, the stars, plants or just positive energy in general. Life draining magic centers around its ability to draw energy from either a living or sacrificed life form. Hence an explanation for the existence of animal and human sacrifice in ancient times.
The Control of Spirits: This refers to Black Magic as being a powerful energy where you summon and control spirits to do your bidding. The most notorious example in popular culture of someone doing this kind of work is when Aleister Crowley summoned spirits into the House of Boleskine. Or at least…he was in the middle of a spirit summoning ritual when he was interrupted. As a result, some people believe that the Boleskine House is haunted today.
Controlling Someone’s Free Will: By this definition, even a seemingly harmless love spell could be a form of black magic – since it bends someone’s will against their natural inclinations. Some modern witches try to ask someone’s permission before they cast a spell for them.
A Rebellion Against the Christian, i.e. Satanism: Sometimes Satan magic is considered a form of Black Magic. Some Satanists agree with this definition while others vehemently refute the notion. This comes from the age-old Christian Practice of denouncing anything non-christian as “Black Magic.” Some Satanists have embraced this definition and try to make their rituals as anti-christian as possible: wear upside crosses, tattoo crosses on the feet, read prayers backwards, etc.
Of course this is not a representation of all Satanism. Just a commentary on those Satanists who do embrace Black Magic as a rebellion – even a mockery – against Christian Ritual.
The Mislabeling of Another Culture’s Practice: Aside from many Satanists and witches alike, another group that largely gets accused of practicing “Black Magic” are practitioners of the Haitian/West African tradition of “Voodoo.” For example, when the slaves in Haiti rebelled against their slave owners, many performed Voodoo rituals in the tradition of their ancient African beliefs in order to gain strength. This could involve appealing to ancestors or other spirits for power. Since the Haitians won, there are many Christian leaders who claimed that the Haitians made a contract with the devil. This is still a completely ridiculous misconception that some Americans and Political Leaders believe today.
Voodoo in itself is too complex to convey in this post alone. However, I will say that there are many varieties of Voodoo – so the practice really shouldn’t be generalized as “good” or “bad.” Some Voodoo practitioners are healers – like the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans – Marie LaVeau. She was so famous, that Catholic priests even let her practice in the church.
There are other Voodoo sorcerers called “bokor” who practice a dark punitive magic. They act as a type of religious policemen and curse bad people.
Santeria is another African Religious tradition that gets mislabeled as “Black Magic” for its tendency to conjure spirits called Orishas who control human destiny. Some summon these spirits by committing an animal sacrifice.
Animal Sacrifice may offend modern sensibilities , but if we examine history we will find that all peoples from all corners of the Earth practiced animal sacrifice at one point. It is even documented among Hebrews in the bible.
(To be honest, I’m glad we don’t do animal sacrifice anymore. But that is just my personal opinion).
In Summary: The reason why it is so hard to research and understand what ACTUALLY constitutes black magic, is because the definition is either misunderstood, derogatory, ironic, rebellious, mysterious or powerful. It’s up to you to form your own definition. Magic is ultimately the control of life energy. It is a struggle for power – as are all things in nature. It doesn’t necessarily fit into a nice neat label like color coordinated postage stamps. But be weary of what type of energy you are sending out. If you want to sew the wind, be prepared to reap the whirlwind.
Black Sabbath European Tour Dates
European Tour dates have been announced during Nov and Dec 2013
Nov 20 Hartwall Arena Helsinki, Finland
Nov 22 Friends Arena Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 24 Telenor Arena Oslo, Norway
Nov 26 Forum Denmark, Copenhagen
Nov 28 Ziggo Dome Holland, Amsterdam
Nov 30 Westfalenhalle Dortmund, Germany
Dec 2 Bercy Paris, France
Dec 5 Fiera Arena Milan, Italy
Dec 7 02 Arena Prague, Czech Republic
Dec 10 02 Arena London, UK
Dec 12 Odyssey Arena Belfast, Ireland
Dec 14 Arena Sheffield, UK
Dec 16 Hydro Glasgow, UK
Dec 18 Arena Manchester, UK
Dec 20 LG Arena Birmingham, UK
Pagans and Vegans in U.K. Gain Workplace Rights
Workplace rights mean being able to practice your religion at work.
Examples: A christian wearing a cross and taking off for religious holidays.
A Sikh being allowed to wear a turban, grow a beard and have long hair.
A Muslim having time to pray 5 times a day.
Pagans should also be allowed to wear religious insignia and take off for holy days.
Such rights are starting to take off in the U.K.
Pagan Merch
Disclaimer: I try not to be too commercial on this blog. However, I am posting this information as a service to the arts and craft makers of the Pagan community.
Comment if there is a shop you love that you would like to suggest.
An Internet Store for Norse Goods. Has a comprehensive list: Everything from Candles, Shirts, Pens, Drinking Horns, DVDs and Mead.
Mainly a site for those interested in Medieval Weaponry, but also contains clothing and other cultural items of interest.
Another Norse Site. Redistributing Norse Culture through craft.
For those interested in the Divine Feminine.
Has a wide variety of Goddess items: African, Aztec, Egyptian, Hindu, Celtic, Norse etc.
For those interested in connecting to their European heritage.
Contains Celtic, Norse, Slavic and Sumerian Cultural Items.
Did Christianity Bring Down the Roman Empire?
Rome was a vast empire that lasted for about 1,ooo years. It was founded in 753 B.C and collapsed around the 5th century. To give you a brief history of what happened in this time, Rome was split into two different empires: East and West. The western part of the Empire fell in 476 A.D while the Eastern Empire thrived until Muslim forces conquered Constantinople in 1453 A.D.
At its height, Rome held territories from Britain to Asia Minor. Many of the Roman roads that connected Europe in that ancient time are still used today. So what eventually brought down this great empire?
Yes, it was stretched too thin. Yes, there were several barbarian attacks and invasions that eventually brought the whole thing down.
Yet there was another decisive factor as well: the forced conversion to Christianity.
The empire converted to Christianity in 395 A.D. and fell apart about 80 years later.
MAPPING A TOLERANT EMPIRE
Up until that point, Rome was tolerant of different religious and cultural ideas. This was the key to their success actually. The persecution of Christians in Rome was a highly exaggerated affair. The Christians were persecuted more for their refusal to follow Roman laws than they were for their religious beliefs.
For example, if a Fundamentalist Religious Cult in America refused to follow our most basic of laws (and claimed God as the reason) we’d probably throw the practitioners of that cult in jail.
I am not trying to downplay the barbarity of Roman conquest here. I am well aware that Romans had their fair share of slavery, warfare and capital punishment. They also did force Roman cultural norms upon those they conquered. (The execution of the Druids at the Isle of Mona was a particularly gruesome affair)
However, the Romans did not do a wholesale eradication of the cultures and Gods of the people they conquered. Most people were permitted to continue with these traditions as long as they also worshiped the Roman emperor as a God and paid their taxes. (With the exception of Carthage. The Romans waged a brutal campaign and salted the Earth in Carthage so that nothing could grow).
The Romans even added other cultures Gods within their own repertoire. For example, when the Gauls started fighting within Roman military ranks, Roman Calvary started saying prayers to the Gallic Horse Goddess Epona.
Pictures of the Egyptian Goddess Isis suckling her son Horus were also circulated in Roman homes (later to be copied by images of the Mother Mary suckling Jesus).
(Roman Statue of Egyptian Goddess Isis)
My point here is that the Roman empire could not have ever hoped to become as large and powerful as they did if they were not tolerant. Rome had its flaws to be sure, but it was an empire that was highly advanced for its time. It was a place where art, science, poetry, and medicine flourished. Rome was an advanced society because they learned from those they conquered and became stronger in the process. You can only benefit from your conquered subjects if you allow them to maintain some level of autonomy – if you don’t crush the spirit and soul of those you rule over.
For example, by allowing the Greeks to maintain their “Greekness” so to speak, The Romans were able to share the benefits of the great art, knowledge and science produced by the Greeks. Many Roman families even employed tutors for their children from Greece (or had Greek slaves for this purpose). The Romans also knew how to turn the ferocity of the Gauls to their advantage, by employing Gallic mercenaries in the military with the promise of Roman Citizenship as a reward. The Gauls could not have been great warriors if the Romans tried to eradicate and supplant Gallic culture in entirety.
Xenophobic and narrow minded civilizations can not achieve the same grandeur as Rome did. For example, when the Ming Dynasty in China abandoned exploration and trade in favor of Isolationism, their status as a world power declined rapidly – and they were eventually conquered by European powers within a few centuries.
When Rome embraced Monotheistic Christianity, their blazing torch of culture, art and power was extinguished. Christian values were completely contrary to Roman Pagan values. Romans and their Gods valued a bold and heroic life in the present. The Gods rewarded those who were particularly brave, beautiful or artistic. Christianity, with its focus on a meek and mild existence in exchange for a glorious afterlife was completely contrary to indigenous European values in general.
Up until Rome’s forced conversion in 395 A.D, Christianity was an insignificant cult, a fringe minority that many people never even heard of.
Yet once Rome converted, Christianity released a madhouse of horrors upon Rome. Ancient temples to other Gods were sacked and destroyed. Entire libraries of valuable knowledge and literature were burned to the ground. The tolerance that allowed Rome to rule over a vast and diverse empire was replaced by a zealous, single minded cult that destroyed all who didn’t subscribe to their ideology. Even other Christians were killed if they didn’t adhere to the “correct” version of Christianity.
Even if the strongest person swallows a poison, they become more vulnerable to the most mild of viruses. Once Rome embraced Christianity, it fell prey to barbarian invasion, splintering and eventual destruction.
The light of Rome was replaced by a millenia of darkness and ignorance. Western Europe became rampant with inquisitions, crusades, witch burnings and disease. It wasn’t until the church started to lose authority in Europe around the Renaissance that Western Europe began to get back onto its feet again. Coincidence? I think not.
Spiritually the world must once again learn how to tolerate different systems of belief that are aligned with the real principals of human nature (rather than attempting a system of morality only suitable for the dead).
May the torch of the Ancient Pagan world burn bright once again as many around the world reawaken to ancient values.
Now enjoy some Roman Metal:
EX DEO – ROMULUS
Metal Gaia 