PODCAST: August/September 2020 Episode

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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:

Note: This episode is labeled as the August/September episode, first because it's arriving on the cusp of the two months, and second because it will be the last "regular" episode before October's Halloween Special, and there are a few September-related items I did not want to skip by simply calling thisthe August edition. There will, however, be a special bonus episode in September, when the annual "Compilation for the Dead" mixtape-style show arrives. That one will drop somewhere between September 3rd and 7th, to coincide with Dragon Con Goes Virtual, since that is usually where it would first appear. So, worry not,  you're not actually losing an episode in this process. It's really just a housekeeping measure. That said, on with the show...
____________

This fall marks the 50th anniversary of one of my favorite films, the Czech New Wave (oc)cult classic, "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders." Naturally, I could not resist paying it some tribute with musical selections at both ends of this episode, as well as a nod to its iconic artwork on this month's graphic. To that end, the intro features some selections from the film's original 1970 score by Luboš Fišer, as well as the 2007 alternate score by The Valerie Project. Embedded in that lush soundscape is a brand new track from ROME, taken from their just-released new full-length, The Lone Furrow. "Ächtung, Baby!" -- an apparent jab at the U2 song of the same name -- features the guest vocal power of Primordial's Alan Averill, and is indicative of the high quality of the new album as a whole (which also features guests like Nergal from Behemoth and Joe from Pallbearer, but more on that later).

Set one begins with brand new post-punk/goth rock from Finland's The Flatfield, who have issued their second new digital single of the year in the form of "The Dancer." New music from bay area post-punks Ötzi comes next, taken from their new Storm LP, followed closely by another taste of Horror Vacui's latest deathrock opus, Living for Nothing. We then celebrate a pair of essential-goth-classic anniversaries from Siouxsie & the Banshees, whose Kaleidoscope album just turned 40 in August, and Switchblade Symphony, whose debut album Serpentine Gallery came out way back on September 11th, 1995, in the times before that date was tainted. Finally set one closes with another taste of the new Clan of Xymox album, Spider on the Wall. 

Set two starts from a special place in my heart, with a trio of tracks related to my love for cult '90s act, The God Machine. I was excited to learn earlier in the week that the band's drummer, Ronald Austin (now going by Austin Lynne Austin) had reversed his early retirement from music and started a whole new project. That band, in which he plays all the instruments, is called Mercylane. He's released only a couple of singles so far, one of which starts things off. From there, fittingly enough, we move into the title track from The God Machine's very first release, 1991's Purity EP (which I had finally obtained this summer on its only existing format, vinyl, so please excuse the surface noise). I was also astounded to learn, while reading the bio for Mercylane, that Mr. Austin had actually played drums for their '90s labelmates The Cure (!!!) for one of the songs on the 1996 album Wild Mood Swings, so I wrap up my God Machine trilogy with that song, "This is a Lie."

The second half of set two continues with new music from The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, which features vocalist Lisa Gerard (Dead Can Dance), followed by a debut from a new project called Feast! The band features drummer Tom Coyne (45 Grave, The Last Dance, The Prophetess) with a rotating cast of collaborators, making percussion-heavy music along the lines of DCD or The Creatures. Finally, the set concludes with brand new music from The Psychedelic Furs (there's a phrase you don't get to say every day), taken from their quite satisfying new album, Made of Rain.

Set three begins with another new single from Seraphim Shock, taken from a promised, forthcoming EP that will gather the first chapter of new material they've issued since their return. Since I haven't been able to run Fascination Street (my goth dance/club night in Nashville) since the pandemic struck us down, I decided to play a pair of songs recorded at recent concerts (remember concerts? MAN, those were great!). Anyway, you'll hear live tracks from Twin Tribes and Scary Black, taken from their respective "Live at Fascination Street" releases, both of which are available as official releases on their Bandcamp pages. From there, you'll get a brand new track from France's The Cemetery Girlz and a darkwave debut from Brooklyn's Shadow Figure.

Finally, on a sad note, we close the third set with a song from the latest Calabrese album, Flee the Light, which I play in memory of James Calabrese, Sr. who died last week. James was the father of all three members of Calabrese -- who are actually brothers in real life, as well as being a great band -- and he was heavily supportive of his sons throughout their career, often going on tour with them to run merch and greet fans, and even appearing as a character in one of their classic videos. Rest in peace, sir:

R.I.P. James Calabrese, Sr. (1947-2020)

Set four brings us into the realms of dark metal -- for this month, mostly new black metal releases. First up, from Los Angeles, Cultus Profano, who offer up a very '90s style on their new album Accursed Possession. Some new French black metal follows, from the mysteriously pronounced Bâ'a (feat. ex members of Anorexia Nervosa), followed by something a bit more raw from Belgium's Silver Knife. Toronto's Panzerfaust come crashing in next, with a taste of their boot on The Suns of Perdition - Chapter II: Render unto Eden. And, lastly, we travel all the way to Iceland for the final track of the set, this one from Nexion's new Seven Oracles LP.

After another short instrumental from The Valerie Project, the final song of the show once again goes to Pallbearer, this time with the second single from their forthcoming LP, Forgotten Days. As I mention on the way out, the vocals here are nothing short of heroic, and the basslines are fluid and ever-moving -- which I think we've grown to expect from Pallbearer at this point, but it's still great to hear it happening again.

 
All of that PLUS: New dark ambient work from Ukraine's Saalvia and an ambitious project called Grizzly Steppe from members of Dead Voices on Air and Snog; An unearthed example of actual '80s synthwave from Projekt Records man Sam Rosenthal's old project Doppler Effect; Further cult film anniversaries; and more.

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PLAYLIST BEGINS HERE
Format: Band Name - Song Title [Album Title, Year]

(each band name is also a website link)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)

"Out ov the Coffin" w/ Ichabod
  Show recorded: August 30th-31st, 2020

Opening Theme: 
Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me [from "Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack), 1994] 

Luboš Fišer - The Work of Death (exc.)  [“Valerie and Her Week of Wonders” (soundtrack) 1970]
ROME (feat. Alan Averill) - Ächtung, Baby!  [The Lone Furrow, 2020]
The Valerie Project - The Sermon  [The Valerie Project, 2007]
-
Luboš Fišer - The Sermon (exc.) / Sacrifice (exc.) / The Contract (exc.)  [“Valerie and Her Week of Wonders” (soundtrack) 1970]
-
The Flatfield - Dancer  [single, 2020]
Ötzi - Tunnels  [Storm, 2020]
Horror Vacui - Frustration  [Living for Nothing, 2020]
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Trophy  [Kaleidoscope, 1980]
Switchblade Symphony - Wallflower  [Serpentine Gallery, 1995]
Clan of Xymox - Black Mirror  [Spider on the Wall, 2020]
-
Doppler Shift - Sharon’s Theme  [Live KSBR, 1987]
-
Mercylane - Wade Into Love  [single, 2020]
The God Machine - Purity  [Purity EP, 1991]
The Cure - This is a Lie  [Wild Mood Swings, 1996]
The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices (feat. Lisa Gerrard) - Stanka (Choir version)  [Shandai Ya Stanka, 2020]
Feast! - Melech Malchei Hamelechim  [single, 2020]
The Psychedelic Furs - Don’t Believe  [Made of Rain, 2020]
-
Saalvia - Nusquam  [Zionphar, 2019]
-
Seraphim Shock - Savannah’s Bones  [single, 2020]
Twin Tribes - Portal to the Void (live)  [Live at Fascination Street, 2020]
Scary Black - Ice Rose (live)  [Live at Fascination Street, 2020]
The Cemetery Girlz - The Wanderer  [The Wanderer (single), 2020]
Shadow Figure - Purgatory  [Accept & Kneel, 2020]
Calabrese - Let Doom Overtake Us  [Flee the Light, 2020]
-
David Williams - The Prophecy / Lucifer / Transfer of the Soul  [“The Prophecy” (soundtrack) 1995]
-
Cultus Profano - Cursed in Sin, Op. 25  [Accursed Possession, 2020]
Bâ'a - Transept / Titan  [Deus qui non mentitur, 2020]
Silver Knife - Unyielding  [Unyielding, Unseeing, 2020]
Panzerfaust - Areopagitica  [The Suns of Perdition - Chapter II: Render unto Eden, 2020]
Nexion - Sanctum Amentiae  [Seven Oracles, 2020]
-
Grizzly Steppe - 00.05.55  [Svalbard, 2020]
-
The Valerie Project - Prelude  [The Valerie Project, 2007]
Pallbearer - Rite of Passage  [Forgotten Days, 2020]

________________

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PODCAST: July 2020 Episode

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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:

As we enter the fourth month of our new pandemic reality, and the sweltering heat of mid-summer, I welcome you to the July 2020 episode of "Out ov the Coffin." Hopefully, some new music, mixed with just the right selections from the vault, will take your mind off of both of those things.

The show begins with new music from the UK act, Grasshopper. The band first caught my attention when I read that they had worked with David M. Allen, best known for producing just about every record The Cure put out from 1984-1992 (and, good lord, that's a lot of amazing material), but he was also responsible for such landmark albums as The Sisters of Mercy's First and Last and Always, and The Chameleons' Strange Times, just to name a few. Not to put too much emphasis on the production credit here, but that's such a stellar resume, it's worth a quick write-up here. At any rate, Grasshopper's new album, Scuttle, as deceptively named as both the album and the band are, is a welcome addition to the current post-punk/goth movement.

The first full set begins with new music from Boston's Pilgrims of Yearning, whose new album Forsaken Lands has built up a good buzz in recent weeks. Newcomers, and recent Profound Lore artists, Executioner's Mask step in next, with what might be a surprising blend of Lorry-esque post-punk and goth/deathrock sounds, considering that the band features members of such much-heavier acts as Howling Void. An older cut from Italy's Yabancı then leads us into a 10th anniversary nod to the self-titled debut from O. Children. Stepping further back in time, we hear from Joy Division's iconic final studio album, Closer, in honor of its 40th anniversary this month. Finally, the set drops to a somber, but infinitely moving, close with Alex Reed's stripped-down, piano and vocal take on the 2003 ThouShaltNot classic, "The Ocean Is Your Voice," which emerged in 2018 on a one-off performance released as The White Beyond (Piano at Night). 

The second set has a bit of a theme, inspired simply by the swamp-like heat of the south in the summer, even at night, which evokes southern gothic vibes, bourbon-soaked tales of woe, and shadowy western tinges. As the kids say, "it's a mood." The set begins with another taste of the new Venus Aeon compilation, “Blood and Dust: A Gothic Western”, this time from October Burns Black. Next: Athens, Georgia newcomers Vincas stroll in -- on Nick Cave's legs and looking for blood -- with a track from their new album, Phantasma. Former Athens natives (now Brooklynites) Bambara stroll in next, but even slower -- we're dripping with Cave-sweat now -- for a deeper swallow of their latest LP, Stray. We then let the pace drop almost entirely, opening the stage for a gloom-ridden croon from the greased-up new Danzig Sings Elvis LP. Controversial, perhaps, but I have always celebrated Danzig's penchant for '50s/'60s music, which -- along with David Lynch, of corpse -- helped cement the association I have with such music and dark, ethereal moods that suggest longing and tragic death, if not by foul play. Closing out the set, I reach back in the early '90s goth vault for The Tors of Dartmoor, followed by a 40th anniversary salute to Echo and the Bunnymen's first LP, Crocodiles. 

Set three turns to darkwave, in case you need something to wash all of that dust out. Clan of Xymox jumps in first, with the closing track from their new Spider on the Wall album, followed by the title track from up-and-coming darkwave act Scary Black's second full length release, Are You Afraid of the Dark? The third, and final, 40th anniversary salute of this episode arrives next, that being Ultravox's first Midge Ure-era album, Vienna. We then dig deeper into Astari Nite's new Here Lies album, before exploring the new release from the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience, a collaborative collection of songs from Lederman (known for his work with Fad Gadget, Gene Loves Jezebel, Front 242, etc.) and a series of guest vocalists from such acts as All About Eve, Assemblage 23, GLJ, Kirlian Camera, Mesh, Chiasm, Cassandra Complex, and Leather Strip. In this case, the song we hear is voiced by Mesh's Mark Hockings. The set then closes with more current darkwave from Baltimore's Kiss of the Whip, taken from their 2019 album New Lows.

Set four changes the focus to dark metal, beginning with a further taste of the new Paradise Lost album, Obsidian, followed by a deeper cut from Shadowflag's In Asylum Requiem. Quebec's Trépas carry the black metal torch even further, making their 'Coffin debut with a cut from their 2019 album, Lhéritage du Monde. We then spend a few moments in Klinikal Trials with industrial landscape artist Images In Silence, courtesy of burgeoning Nashville collective, Trance//Furnace. Finally, the set hammers itself shut with a formerly obscure song from Drudkh, originally limited to a split with Hades Almighty, but recently made more widely available on the compilation, A Few Lines In Archaic Ukrainian.

The final song of the show goes to modern progressive doom masters, Pallbearer, and the first single (and title track) from their forthcoming LP, Forgotten Days -- a song about the loss of memory, and of self, from afflictions like alzheimer's.

All of that PLUS: A collection of "summer soundtrack synth" for all of the talk breaks this month, featuring a brand new piece from the legendary director/composer John Carpenter, as well as a small tribute to the memory of the equally-legendary actor John Saxon, who died this week (in Murfreesboro, TN, much to the surprise of those of us who live nearby) at the age of 83. A more fitting tribute to his many roles in horror film will follow on the Halloween episode in October.

R.I.P. John Saxon (1936-2020)

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Stream it or grab the podcast file?
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PLAYLIST BEGINS HERE
Format: Band Name - Song Title [Album Title, Year]

(each band name is also a website link)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)

"Out ov the Coffin" w/ Ichabod
  Show recorded: July 27th-28th, 2020

Opening Theme: 
Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me [from "Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack), 1994] 

Grasshopper - Hymn  [Scuttle, 2020]
-
John Carpenter - Unclean Spirit  [Skeleton b/w Unclean Spirit, [2020]
-
Pilgrims of Yearning - The Visitor  [Forsaken Lands, 2020]
Executioner's Mask - 1988  [Despair Anthems, 2020]
Yabancı - The Bless  [Birth EP, 2013]
O. Children - Ruins  [O. Children, 2010]
Joy Division - Twenty Four Hours  [Closer, 1980]
Alex Reed - The Ocean Is Your Voice  [The White Beyond (Piano at Night), 2018]
-
Mark Ryder & Phil Davies - Main Title / Ancestry  [“Trancers" (soundtrack) 1984]
-
October Burns Black - Arrowhead  [“Blood and Dust: A Gothic Western” (comp.) 2020]
Vincas - Phantasma  [Phantasma, 2020]
Bambara - Miracle  [Stray, 2020]
Danzig - First In Line  [Sings Elvis, 2020]
The Tors of Dartmoor - The Edge of Her Heaven  [The Obvious Darkness, 1991]
Echo and the Bunnymen - Stars Are Stars  [Crocodiles, 1980]
-
Claudio Simonetti - Revenge’s Beach (#3) / Dark Mood (#7)  [“Nightmare Beach” (soundtrack) 1989]
-
Clan of Xymox - See You On The Other Side  [Spider on the Wall, 2020]
Scary Black - Are You Afraid of the Dark?  [Are You Afraid of the Dark?, 2019]
Ultravox - Passing Strangers  [Vienna, 1980]
Astari Nite - Gloomy Witch  [Here Lies, 2020]
Jean-Marc Lederman Experience - Letter from Mark Hockings  [Letters to Gods (and Fallen Angels), 2020]
Kiss of the Whip - Circle of Knives  [New Lows, 2019]
-
Charles Bernstein - Dark Possibilities / Inner Workings / Stealth  ["Deadly Friend" (soundtrack) 1986]
-
Paradise Lost - Ending Days  [Obsidian, 2020]
Shadowflag - To the Earth, To the Corpse, To the Seas  [In Asylum Requiem, 2020]
Trépas - Lhéritage du Monde  [Lhéritage du Monde, 2019]
Images In Silence - Neurotoxin  [Klinikal Trials, 2020]
Drudkh - Золотий кінь (Golden Horse)  [A Few Lines In Archaic Ukrainian (comp.) 2019] 

-
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - (untitled theme)  [“A Blade in the Dark” (soundtrack) 1983]
-
Pallbearer - Forgotten Days  [Forgotten Days, 2020]

________________

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PODCAST: June 2020 Episode

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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:

Here we are in late June, 2020, and the world has yet to end -- but it is something of a "Crushed Velvet Apocalypse," if you will. I say that in honor of the 30th anniversary, this summer, of The Legendary Pink Dots's 1990 album of the same name, which also happens to be my first and favorite record from the band. To celebrate three decades with such a lush piece of art, I've book-ended this episode with end-times appropriate songs from what has blossomed into a fitting collection for the time we find ourselves in today. So, with that, I welcome you all to this new episode of "Out ov the Coffin."  

The first full set begins with new music from Delphine Coma, whose new single/EP, Secondary Eyes, continues the quality darkwave we came to know on 2018's Leaving the Scene. Following that, we dive deeper into Here Lies, the latest from Florida's Astari Nite, who have also launched a new video for the track "Leave the Winter on the Ground." Fearing arrives next, with a Slowdive-esque deep cut from their latest, Shadow, before checking out new music from UK act Black Angel -- which is the first of two tracks on this episode taken from the new Venus Aeon compilation, “Blood and Dust: A Gothic Western.” A fitting, vampy new single from California's Former Humans comes next, sliding nicely into a classic from Mummy Calls, taken from the soundtrack to the 1987 classic "The Lost Boys." Sadly, this song and the score music that lines the next talk break were played in memory of director Joel Schumacher, who died this week at the age of 80. The next two talk breaks also feature score music from some of my favorite films that he directed (notable, "8MM" and "Flatliners"). 

Set two begins by jumping to the end of the new Horror Vacui LP, Living for Nothing, for a second taste, before continuing the deathrock vibes with a 20th-anniversary selection from the first, self-titled Cinema Strange album. It's hard to believe it's been that long. Anders Manga summons the airwaves next, with a curious selection from his new Andromeda album. As it happens, I originally played this song back in October, but it had been released under a different band name (Coffin Moth), in a slightly different form. I guess we now know who was behind that project. We then dive into the vaults for some classic '90s goth from Screams for Tina, and some recently re-released material from UK act The Vanishing Point, the latter of which saw a new vinyl release this year, of their 1985 material, courtesy of Old Skull Records. New goth rock from Sensorium UK (featuring an ex-member of The Nefilim) comes next, followed by some current Russian post-punk from buzzworthy band Ploho. Check out the video for their song here. 

Set three begins with the return of California's System Syn. Once Upon a Second Act sees Clint Carney regaining his momentum from seven years ago, and retaining his ability to place confessional lyrics over a mixture of danceable beats and more introspective musical laments. The piano intro of Shock Therapy's "Hate is a 4 Letter Word" transitions us nicely into the vaults of 1985 again, but just for a few moments, as a new track from Hante.'s new remix (and more) album brings us back to the present. Connecticut's Grandeur make their 'Coffin debut next, with a catchy electronic post-punk single, "Emancipation Day." After a '90s classic from Sunshine Blind, we close the set with Sonsombre's cover of the Fields of the Nephilim classic, "Slow Kill," which also appears on the aforementioned compilation,
“Blood and Dust: A Gothic Western.”

The dark metal set begins by marking the 30th anniversary of Danzig's landmark 1990 album, Lucifuge. Mastermind, frontman, and horror rock legend Glenn Danzig, as it happens, celebrated his 65th birthday this week, too. Woah! Beyond that, we slide into a lot of new black metal offerings, first from Quebec's Sombre Héritage, with the opening track from their new Alpha Ursae Minoris album. Finland's October Falls makes their debut next, with a lengthy cut from A Fall of an Epoch, followed closely by the title track from In Asylum Requiem, the latest from UK act Shadowflag. Finally, the metal draws to a close with a selection from our second French-Canadaian act of the night, Monarque, taken from their 2019 release, Jusqu'à La Mort.

All of that PLUS: New dark ambient music from Poland's Marla Van Horn; Selections from the cult soundtrack anniversary vault; and more!

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PLAYLIST BEGINS HERE
Format: Band Name - Song Title [Album Title, Year]

(each band name is also a website link)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)

"Out ov the Coffin" w/ Ichabod
  Show recorded: June 26th, 2020

Opening Theme: 
Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me [from "Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack), 1994] 

The Legendary Pink Dots - Just a Lifetime  [The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse (30th Anniversary Edition), 1990/2020]
-
Marla Van Horn - Broken Spine  [Anatomy of Pain, 2020]
-
Delphine Coma - Secondary Eyes  [Secondary Eyes, 2020]
Astari Nite - Leave the Winter on the Ground  [Here Lies, 2020]
Fearing - Pictured Perfect  [Shadow, 2020]
Black Angel - She (Deluxe Version)  [“Blood and Dust: A Gothic Western” (comp.) 2020]
Former Humans - Lust in the Shadows  [single, 2020]
Mummy Calls - Beauty Has Her Way  [“The Lost Boys” (soundtrack) 1987]
-
Thomas Newman - Closing Time / Awakening / Drinking Blood  [“The Lost Boys” (unreleased score) 1987]
-
Horror Vacui - Unreachable  [Living for Nothing, 2020]
Cinema Strange - Greensward Grey  [Cinema Strange, 2000]
Anders Manga - Night of the Witch  [Andromeda, 2020]
Screams for Tina - Eleven Eleven  [Screams for Tina, 1993]
The Vanishing Point - Displaced Man  [The Final Scream / The Vanishing Point (Split LP), 2020]
Sensorium UK - Dreams of the Dead  [MMXVIII, 2020]
Ploho - Горький опыт (Gorkiy opyt)  [Пыль (Pyl), 2019]
-
Mychael Danna - The House  ["8MM" (soundtrack), 1999]
-
System Syn - Collapsing  [Once Upon a Second Act, 2020]
Shock Therapy - Hate is a 4 Letter Word  [Shock Therapy, 1985]
Hante. - Run Lie Cry  [FIERCE Remixes & More, 2020]
Grandeur - Emancipation Day  [single, 2020]
Sunshine Blind - Regodless  [Love The Sky To Death, 1995]
Sonsombre - Slow Kill  [“Blood and Dust: A Gothic Western” (comp.) 2020]
-
James Newton Howard - Reflections in the Evening / Sins of the Past  [“Flatliners” (soundtrack) 1990]
-
Danzig - Devil’s Plaything  [II: Lucifuge, 1990]
Sombre Héritage - Polaris  [Alpha Ursae Minoris, 2020]
October Falls - A Fall of an Epoch  [A Fall of an Epoch, 2020]
Shadowflag - Lest the Night Be Thorned  [In Asylum Requiem, 2020]
Monarque - Jusqu'à La Mort  [Jusqu'à La Mort, 2019]
-
Joe Renzetti - Main Titles (Frankenhooker)  [“Basket Case 2 / Frankenhooker” (soundtrack) 1990]
-
The Legendary Pink Dots - New Tomorrow  [The Crushed Velvet Apocalypse (30th Anniversary Edition), 1990/2020]

________________

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PODCAST: May 2020 Episode

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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:

Welcome to the May 2020 episode of "Out ov the Coffin." I mean it when I say that I hope this episode finds you well, considering all that has been going on and the struggles such things can bring. On that note, this show begins with a pair of songs in memory of Ian Curtis, as this month marks -- as hard as it is to fathom -- the 40th anniversary of his suicide on May 18th, 1980. His sudden and premature departure would leave the world wondering what would or could have been for generations to come. For as short as it actually was, Ian's musical career with Joy Division has since proven iconic for anyone with even the most casual interest in goth or post-punk.

Kicking off the first proper set is a pair of great new deathrock tracks, to get things moving in the right direction: First we have a song from the brand new Horror Vacui LP, Living for Nothing, and I am ever so glad to have them back at a time like this. A debut from Oakland's False Figure (feat. members of Cruz de Navajas) comes next, from their 2019 EP A Promised End, which I'm glad to have finally checked out, even if I am a bit late to that funeral party. Next up is a personal favorite from Ireland's sadly-defunct Solemn Novena, whose goth rock instant-classic Kiss the Girls album celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Following a quick trip to the late '90s vaults with Fliehende Stürme, the set rounds out with two more new entries: Fresh Colombian deathrock from Tumbas, followed by the welcome return of The Faces of Sarah (and the impressive vocal pipes that come with them). The band's new Memorium album can be found here, along with a host of other new and old offerings you may have missed. 

Set two begins with something I'm quite proud to present here: A selection from Twin Tribes' new Live at Fascination Street album -- recorded at, you guessed it, Fascination Street Nashville (aka, the goth dance night that I run). Pick up the release (cassette, digital, or the matching shirt), and you'll hear the Texas darkwave duo's set from our December 2019 event, back when live shows were still possible. Remember that? Anyway... 

Set two continues with a new track from Brooklyn's A Cloud of Ravens, who released "Sacrosanct" as a free single for World Goth Day last week. UK post-punk act Ist Ist is up next, with the lead single from their new Architecture album, followed by a the classic "Eve White / Eve Black" from Siouxsie & the Banshees, in honor of Siouxsie 63rd birthday this week -- plus the 40th anniversary of its release as a b-side to "Christine" in May of 1980. Need another anniversary? Well, Bloody Dead and Sexy's An Eye On You turns 10 this week, so you'll get a banger from that album. Need some more birthdays? The next three tracks are in honor of the annual triple-birthday celebration for horror icons Peter Cushing (May 26th), Vincent Price and Christopher Lee (both May 27th). For Peter, we have Killing Miranda name-dropping him in their 1999 single Teenage Vampire, followed by more new music from The Kentucky Vampires, who've crafted a full ode to the irreplaceable "Saint Vincent." Finally, during the talk break, music from the Hammer Horror classic, "Taste the Blood of Dracula," which also happens to have been released 50 years ago this month! In spite of Lee's distaste for the film, it's a personal favorite from his year's in the Dracula cape.

Set three begins with a new song from Clan of Xymox, who not only have a single out for "Lovers," but the forthcoming full length, A Spider on the Wall is now up for pre-order as well. More lush new darkwave from Florida's Astari Nite is next, taken from their brand new album, Here Lies. We then take a moment to calm the waters with an older track from Iceland's favorite daughters, Kælan Mikla, before checking out new music from San Francisco's Topographies -- a relatively new post-punk band featuring The Cure-founder Lol Tolhurst's son Gray. Next up is another new bay-area band, Houses of Heaven, which sees members of Vaniish and Red Voice Choir entering more industrial territory, and finally, set three closes with another new single from the recently reactivated and relocated Seraphim Shock, who promise a full EP release in the coming months.

Set four kicks off with brand new music from one of the famed "Peaceville-three," Paradise Lost, whose new album Obsidian finds the band encapsulating their previous sounds into one streamlined entity. Easing into the heavier territory, I stop in to catch up with Finland's Hexvessel for a dark acoustic passage from their 2019 album All Tree, before diving head first into black metal with a slightly older selection from Denmark's Múspellzheimr. Brazil's The Kryptik are up next with a double shot from their 2019 LP When the Shadows Rise, which leads nicely into brand new music from Naglfar. The band's unmistakable Swedish black metal sound remains remarkably consistent at this point, making 2020's Cerecloth an easy one for long time fans to lock into.

Finally, after a quick (ok, more like "rambling") talk break, the show wraps up with the controversial new Behemoth single, a cover of The Cure's 1980 classic, "A Forest," rendered in the band's aggressively occult fashion, with the addition of the famously frayed guest vocals of Shining's Niklas Kvarforth. As I say in the break, I suggest taking in this cover via the accompanying video, because it played a significant role in my appreciation of their version, which many already despise. I will say here that although The Cure is my favorite band of all time, I do not consider them an impossible band to cover, nor do I consider their material sacrosanct, as some clearly do. That, and I thoroughly connect with both metal and goth, obviously. That said, judge as ye will... 

All of that PLUS: New dark ambient from Russia's Socium Apathy; Fresh dungeon synth from Sweden's Örnatorpet; Selections from the goth and dark ambient vaults; and more!

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PLAYLIST BEGINS HERE
Format: Band Name - Song Title [Album Title, Year]

(each band name is also a website link)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)

"Out ov the Coffin" w/ Ichabod
  Show recorded: May 29th, 2020

Opening Theme: 
Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me [from "Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack), 1994] 

Joy Division - The Only Mistake  [Still, 1981]
Joy Division - New Dawn Fades (live at High Hall, 2nd May 1980) [Still, 1981]
-
Trance to the Sun - Clocks  [Ghost Forest, 1994]
-
Horror Vacui - Lost  [Living for Nothing, 2020]
False Figure - Morningstar  [A Promised End, 2019]
Solemn Novena - Faerytale  [Kiss the Girls, 2010]
Fliehende Stürme - Trümmergemüt  [Hinter Masken, 1999]
Tumbas - Lo Que Nos Une Nos Separa  [Dolor, 2020]
The Faces of Sarah - Memorium  [Memorium, 2020]
-

Shinjuku Thief - Shadow Path  [The Witch Hunter, 1995]
-
Twin Tribes - Fantasmas (live)  [Live at Fascination Street, 2020]
A Cloud of Ravens - Sacrosanct  [World Goth Day single, 2020]
Ist Ist - You're Mine  [Architecture, 2020]
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Eve White / Eve Black  [Christine (single), 1980]
Bloody Dead and Sexy - Candy Box  [An Eye On You, 2010]
Killing Miranda - Teenage Vampire  [Teenage Vampire (single), 1999]
The Kentucky Vampires - Saint Vincent  [Crimson Curse, 2020]
-

James Bernard - The Ceremony Begins  ["Taste the Blood of Dracula" (soundtrack) 1970]
-
Clan of Xymox - Lovers  [Lovers (single), 2020]
Astari Nite - Disease of the Divine  [Here Lies, 2020]
Kælan Mikla - Glimmer og aska  [Kælan Mikla, 2016]
Topographies - Not My Loneliness, But Ours  [Not My Loneliness, But Ours, 2020]
Houses of Heaven - Sleep  [Silent Places, 2020]
Seraphim Shock - Future Flesh  [single, 2020]
-
Socium Apathy - Dive to Depth  [Under Water, 2019]
-
Paradise Lost - Hope Dies Alone  [Obsidian, 2020]
Hexvessel - Otherworld Envoy  [All Tree, 2019]
Múspellzheimr - VII/VIII  [Hyldest til Trolddommens Flamme, 2014]
The Kryptik - The Awakening of Evil / Damned [When the Shadows Rise, 2019]
Naglfar - Vortex of Negativity  [Cerecloth, 2020]
-
Örnatorpet - Myrkriður  [Vid Himinsenda, 2019]
-
Behemoth - A Forest (Feat. Niklas Kvarforth)  [A Forest, 2020]

________________

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