Here is a short but sweet homage to one of my favorite groups, Tangerine Dream, and one of my favorite films; The Keep.
I watched The Keep when I was young and was so enamored by it. Not just the story and atmosphere but at a young age I took notice with how a killer score can really bring out the finest nuances and elements that latch on to what visuals you are experiencing on screen.
I hope you enjoy. If you do, please support and share.
This is a brand new track I put together with what started as a simple, simple bass line Which was going to be the background of a sample I decided instead to make it something more. Something more worthy of a legendary town and its special inhabitant.
Enjoy and please follow me on band camp and also check out my YouTube channel. Subscribing to that really helps me out. it helps me gauge what kind of content I should be working on.
And if you haven’t been to the monster Mart in Fouke Arkansas, I strongly recommend. It has a cool museum and a lot of cool things to take home. 
You may be wondering what the heck is Cathode Ray Terrors. Well, for now it’s a music project, private horror group and a YouTube channel.
I really hope to grow it but the issue is finding the spare time and energy to do so. This is where you can help.
How can you help? By subscribing to my YouTube channel and liking a video here and there. Also by checking CRT out on Bandcamp,iTunes, Spotify and other streaming platforms. And if you like to,email me. I’d love to hear from you.
The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the first films I remember watching as a kid. I was maybe 8 or 10 when I saw it and it really was one of those experiences I played over and over in my head.
I had even started putting together a tribute song back when I was midi recording on my old Atari 1040st back in the early 90’s. Not sure what became of that recording. But this is a new one I had been working on off and on for the past few months. I contains samples from TCM, TCM2, TCM the game, TCM Netflix and others, strung together with old synths and some guitar. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as can be enjoyed.
After years of contemplating releasing this upon the world, I did it. You can check out right now on Bandcamp and it will soon be available on iTunes and every other platform.
Personally, I recommend bandcamp as it has liner notes and I will be adding content to followers.
It’s a bit difficult, for some people, to understand the emotions that are conjured up while listening to Italian horror composers like Fabio Frizzi, Claudio Simonetti, Goblin, Riz Ortolani, Roberto Donati and others. Even Ennio Morricone, who may not be known for horror, has some amazing genre scores that swing with the best of them. Not sure if it’s because, watching the films, those of us that ‘get it’, connect what oscillates in our eardrum cilia to what our optic nerves pick up…like a complex deep red wine that assaults your palate with boldness that blows your tastebuds away; yearning for more. Or perhaps it’s just how lushly the sounds these talented maestros commit to tape (and later digital) so expertly carves intricate feelings our of every note…A paradoxical question that really has no definitive answer, but yearns us ‘darkened few’ to explore nonetheless.
So you can imagine my skepticism when I heard that this group of guys from Sweden were turning out tunes that held their own against the composers I revere as gods. But I had to listen….I had to tune in.
These guys get it! That is all I need to say about Anima Morte…They get horror; and…that would mark the end of this article; but I’d feel like that would be cheaply short changing you, the reader, so I’ll press on.
I barely was introduced to them a year or so ago with their release of Inertia of the Risen; a short but sweet 7 inch collaboration with the legendary composer Fabio Frizzi. Being a Frizzi fan since I could remember, of course, peaks my immediate interest. So I picked it up…and I have played it so many times that if it were on cassette I would have a probably warped the tape…good thing it is not on cassette but on indestructible digital and vinyl; I can play the shit out of the digital file and preserve the vinyl for my kids to pass along to their kids and so forth.
Some facts about Anima Morte:
Formed in 2004 in Sweden
Currently consists of 4 talented, giallo-inspired musicians; Daniel Cennerfelt, Fredrik Klingwall, Stefan Granberg and Teddy Möller.
Have released 3 studio albums; Face the Sea of Darkness, The Nightmare Becomes Reality and Upon Darkened Stains, along with other releases and collaborations including one with Death Metal act Antigama.
But for more specifics visit their Wikipedia page.
I picked their albums up and exposed my psyche to them in the order they were released. Their skill for key changes is evidenced by the morphing of a ‘hope-sounding’ Intro into a dark, minor key assault with He Who Dwells in Darkness (from Face the Sea of Darkness). The use of crossfading tracks is not new and sometimes can be gimmicky, but not here. Here is it teases you, the listener. You press play on an album titled “Face the Sea of Darkness” and before you can second guess whether or not you inserted the right disc (for those of you who still use CDs) the tone changes and is sustained throughout to the end. The little ray of sunshine that burst thru, almost immediately squashed forever.
If I have to chose a favorite song from their debut album I would only chose by the track I have listened to the most, which is Twilight of the Dead…such an amazing song; haunting, mischievous and ballsy with its well placed guitar riffs. You’ll find that a common theme with Anima Morte’s songs throughout their catalog; every note, every hit of the snare or toms…deliberate and belongs exactly where they’re placed.
To contrast ‘Intro’ from their debut album, The opening track on their follow up starts you off right in the 9th circle of hell and gives you a grand tour of its many quarters. A sonic assault on your soul. But much like Faust, you do give up your soul but you are rewarded with solos and melodies you clearly are not worthy of listening to.
Hard at work for you, the valiant listener.
If there is one thing I can deduce from now arriving at their 3rd studio album is that music is definitely seen as a journey to these guys. Again, another opening song and again a different tone set from the onset. Blessing of the Dead is equal parts somber, understanding and forgiving…all with an ‘old world’ timbre. A journey that crescendos with every twist and turn until its climax.
But I shouldn’t write on forever on them because you should really be listening to them. Maybe you can listen to them while reading this?
In closing, yes you will hear Goblin and Fabio Frizzi cadences in Anima Morte…After all, this is music made from the heart by talented musicians who grew up with not just hearing but experiencing the films of legends. A Dario Argento or Lucio Fulci film is an experience that no one should take lightly or not take something deep and brooding away from. A lot of it is visual but the scores play such a visceral role in controlling what you feel and when you feel it…the main reason why these composers are so appreciated and respected. That being said, Anima Morte is a beast all its own, make no bones about it. Think of it as someone not just carrying the torch passed on from their predecessors but in turn re igniting it for a new generation.
There is so much more in store for you here…so much power, depth, structure and chaos to be had. Don’t deprive yourself of this. Don’t be afraid, dive head first into the sea of the unknown and….above all else, prepare to be mystified and impressed with what you hear.
I was first introduced to Sandy Collora at a local comic book/horror sic fi show called Frank and Sons.. This was back in 2003 I believe, give or take a year or two. A short, well polished film titled Batman Dead End was making its rounds and generating quite a bit of hype. This was prior to Batman Begins’ release. It was a pretty well known fact that the hacks-I mean…the producers at Warner Brothers were struggling to revamp the Dark Knight and here comes this guy, not well known to the film community but definitely knowing the material and he self funds this amazing short. You had Predators, Aliens, a faithful looking Batman and the best Joker I had seen to date. Had I been an exec at WB I would’ve wanted this guy to helm the Batman reset (calling what it was, a reset).
Fast forward to 2015 when to my delight not only has a documentary surfaced on Batman: Dead End (which is a must see) but also that Mr. Collora is once again putting together a, at the time, ambitious feature length film starring a shark hunter creature called a Tiburonera and he took to Kickstarter, this time, to raise the necessary capital. Being a fan of the 50’s Creature from the Black Lagoon and really feeling this to be a homage, of sorts, to an era long forgotten, I jumped on to help fund.
Well, unfortunately there weren’t enough like-minded people to successfully fund so Sandy, rather than give up on the creature he had poured so much heart and soul into, decided to adjust his project to a short film…thus reducing the cost to make exponentially. 2nd time was a charm for soon enough the project was on its way to see the light of day.
So now the finished product is out. I have watched multiple times on two TVs, two different sound systems, on my iMac, on tablets, on Blu Ray. I am so thankful that Sandy is not a quitter and that he persevered to get this bad boy made for its nearly 20 minutes of sheer cinematic monster movie bliss. The only thing I don’t like about it is seeing the credit roll so soon. But Shallow Water has really left me craving more. I want to see more of the Tiburonera, learn more about them; where they come from, what they’re all about. Knowing Sandy’s tenacity I’m hopeful it will.
Hello, sweet thing!
Forgive me if my review is brief, but it’s rather difficult to give a in-depth, spoiler free review of a 19 minute film. I will speak of it on a technical note first. Technically it’s gorgeous. Colors are vibrant, textures are well layered and sound is rich. I have always been a fan of ‘man in a suit’ monsters over CGI and it is refreshing to see that I am not alone. Practical effects is quickly becoming a niche art form instead of the norm, but not everyone is subscribing to that school of thought and for that I am grateful.
Essentially Shallow Water pretty much throws you in to a scene that just as easily could’ve been placed towards the middle to end of a feature length version of itself. With the main character, expertly played by Lisa Roumain, coming to the realization that she is being hunted by something and must outwit and outmaneuver whatever it is that is pursuing her to survive. Or perhaps she just stumbled into something she shouldn’t have; it came be taken different ways and that’s one of the reasons it works so well. There is no dialog and no real narrative other than what you are visually assaulted with. You’re in the thick of it just like Diane is…you’re pretty much fucked. As she discovers the gory (excellent practical gore effects) remains of what were perhaps her colleagues she quickly has to kick into survival mode. You feel her anxiety, her panic and ultimately…well, I won’t give it away.
When Diane begins to realize that shit just got real.
The creatures themselves are astonishing to look at. You can tell the shark hunters were designed by someone gifted and passionate about getting them to look exactly as envisioned.
In closing, I really hope that we see more of Sandy’s aquatic monsters someday. This was an ambitious undertaking by an ambitious artist and it works, plain and simple. Check it out, you won’t regret it. And support these projects for that is the only way they stand a chance in an industry quickly becoming vacant of creativity and spirit.
When looking back at lycanthripic lore, you read countless tales and watch countless films that you become exposed to both werewolves that generally move around on all fours and wolf men that generally stand erect like a normal guy does.
Personally for me, since as far back as I can recall, have appreciated both pretty much equally. It’s difficult for me to have a favorite since both look so cool, although I will say that for me the ‘man’ side of the beasts have always been more identifiable and memorable on the more traditional biped side. When I think of werewolves I picture a regal, sophisticated Paul Naschy in his Waldemar Daninsky character or Lon Chaney Jr. These were both men who went about their daily lives pretty much as normal men…with the exception of nights when the moon was a wee bit full.
Lon Chaney Jr. breathing life into the WolfmanI feel that is why one can relate more to the Wolfman then any other of the classic monsters our there. I honestly cannot remember when I first saw a lot of iconic films but I remember when I first saw the Wolfman. It was on a late night after coming home from an exhausting night trick or treating. I don’t remember what costume my parents had bought me for Halloween that year. But I remember turning on the television and being mesmerized by what I saw on the tube in front of me…I couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7. My love for horror began around that time…
It took a bit longer to be exposed to Señor Jacinto Molina, better known as Paul Naschy. I think around 12-13 I had rented a VHS from a local store that had a robust horror selection. A friend who lived down the street from me and I had this contest where we would try and outdo each other with horror rentals…whatever we could sneak passed the noses of our parents. I rented a movie called Curse of the Devil…wow. To me it was the first time I saw the Wolfman in color so I was naturally excited. But I was also excited with how much charisma and charm Señor Naschy brought to the screen. My quest to track down as many of his films as I could back then in a pre-internet world and with limited funds began..
Paul Naschy perfecting the role he was born to playA lot of genre buffs would always hail Paul Naschy as the next Lon Chaney but he did so much more, he went so much further; portraying pretty much every iconic character you can think of. Dracula, Frankenstein’s monsters, the Mummy, the Hunchback (one of my favorite Naschy films), Rasputin, Fu Manchu and others. I played the Daninsky/hombre lobo character 16 times! How many times did Lon Chaney play the Wolf man? This is not intended to discredit Lon Chaney’s amazing work because he was a huge influence on Paul Naschy…just illustrating how much further and deeper Naschy took it.
Benicio Del Toro in the 2010 WolfmanThe screen above is from Joe Johnston’s 2010 version of the Wolfman. While not a perfect film, it scores well in my book mainly due to its atmosphere and it being able to aptly capture the essence of the character, though either Chaney or Naschy could run circles around Del Toro’s dead pan, lifeless performance. I know, not a fair comparison. But nothing ever will match the greatness and legacy left behind by Chaney and Naschy.
So maybe there really hasn’t been so much of an evolution of the Wolfman after all. Advancements in cinema and special effects may have brought us cooler looking visuals, but the performances just aren’t there anymore. The actor no longer has to sell the character and make up as much because it’ll be done in computer. How much of that still from The Wolfman above do you think is ‘in camera’?
The great news is that thanks to the fact that there are so many outlets today to catch these films, one can continue to relive the classics over and over again. My wife recently had observed that I had not been buying new horror films. I responded ‘I don’t have to when I have such an amazing catalog of movies to watch that are way better than what’s being made today’, but I digress…
For further information on Paul Naschy’s films go to http://www.imdb.com and search ‘Paul Naschy’. Or just take a chance and purchase some on Amazon.
Any horror fan who has read my blogs or knows it’s no secret that I am heavily influenced by David Cronenberg’s 1983 masterpiece cautionary tale; “Videodrome”. Cathode Ray Terrors, itself, was inspired…okay, pretty much lifted from Videodrome; I just modified the ‘T’ to mean Terror instead of Tube yet this cancerous pirate broadcast channels does impart terror thru the tube. Thru the retina of the mind’s eye, as foretold by professor Oblivion.
Yet for all the fandom and admiration I have never written about Videodrome, its importance to me and its relevance to our current day state of constant need for over stimulation. My lovely wife, just last night, pointed out how during a sleepover for my youngest, the 4 little girls all aged between 9 and 10 were all multitasking between watching a movie right in front of them and interacting with their cell phones and tablets simultaneously. Kids today can’t even sit and watch a something on one screen, they have to have visual information shot at them from every angle.
David Cronenberg predicted this 30 some odd years ago. Of course, he took it a bit further. But remember I called it a ‘cautionary tale’. Max Renn’s thirst for badder and bolder content to air on Civic TV Channel 83 drove him to depths he was not prepared for, unveiling a sinister plot, a global conspiracy to control the masses thru the seemingly harmless television set. And what’s so different today? We’ve upgraded from CRT sets to flat screen plasmas, LCDs, LEDS, OLEDS and now beautifully curved, 4k screens that sucks you in and makes you its slave in all its high definition glory. We have 3D tvs, Oculus VR head sets not too dissimilar from the set Max gets to try out in Videodrome.
The 80’s answer to OculusWhile there are other films that illustrate various types of ‘crowd control’ thru media, to me, none is as effective…as perverse, as Videodrome. As I write this blog, the ominous sounds of Howard Shore’s eerie score oscillate out my speakers. I can almost see them breathing, throbbing…yearning to be touched. I can listen to this score over and over and I feel it’s one of Mr Shore’s finest.
If you’re still reading this you have probably caught on that I am not really reviewing Videodrome…just rambling on about it…a fair assessment. I didn’t set out to review a 34 year old movie so much as to simply comment on its importance and relevance. You may disagree on how high of a pedestal I place this film on and, if you do, it could be because you have already experienced a video signal similar to Videodrome and it’s control is gestating deep inside your brain and there is no hope for you; you’re hooked. And maybe that’s the point of the film. Not so much a cautionary tale but a lamentation because we are already defeated. Sensory overload has already happened. What’s the solution to this disease of mind control thru over stimulation? Well, there’s Max Renn’s solution, which I won’t reveal here, or, there’s mine; get the balance right. Disconnect when you can. Don’t get sucked in…easier said than done. Especially since you’re probably reading this on your phone while something else is playing on your 4k flat screen right in front of you.
Me, posing with my copy of issue #25 of Fangoria. One of my oldest issues. In the end, will watching Videodrome make you a different person? It just might. Definitely worth the trip, trust me. I’ve been taking it for years.If you know me and want to watch reach out and I’ll screen it. I never tire of watching.
If there is one thing I can deduce from now arriving at their 3rd studio album is that music is definitely seen as a journey to these guys. Again, another opening song and again a different tone set from the onset. Blessing of the Dead is equal parts somber, understanding and forgiving…all with an ‘old world’ timbre. A journey that crescendos with every twist and turn until its climax.
cathoderayterrors.com 