Be Excellent To Each Other

Can't stop playing the latest Borknagar album. It's exactly the sort of Arcturusness I need right now.

I've not listened to it yet—going to a game jam thing in Sheffield this weekend with a bunch of beered-up metal chums, so I'm sure it'll be on the list.

The remastered edition of CoF's Cruelty and the Beast is shaping up to be a bit good, if the version of Lustmord and Wargasm they put up on Spotify is any indicator. You can hear the snare!

Seriously, Nick Barker plays like a berserker on that record even if his kit sounds like a load of Pringles cans. Having it all sample-replaced and mixed properly is going to be awesome.

Man, I love Japanese bands

I'm not allowed to look at Youtube at work, but I really really hope that's a cover of the IU song '23' because that is a banger.

Try:

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/4CEqyuem3mA

YouTube as a whole is blocked in my office but the youtube-nocookie domain isn't so I can see stuff that way. I went the extra mile and set up a plugin to reformat the URLs on the fly so it all works seamlessly, which is nice.

No dice, sadly; thank you though.

Seriously, I'm not even allowed headphones here, and it's driving me a little bit mad.

That seems...a bit much.

It gets worse. I've got me some tonsilitis today—proper big 'I think I'm going to die' tonsilitis—and yet I'm still here. Because I've already had a letter bollocking me for daring to succumb to the frailties of the flesh a couple of times in a twelve-month period, and the next step is an actual disciplinary.

You know what I do? What I do here? I'm a writer. For a healthcare company. I've literally written a book (well, a novella) on the dangers of presenteeism in the workplace.

Everyone! If you're looking for an EAP, PM me for details of who to avoid like the actual fucking plague!

My last job had that sort of sickness policy; I think it was if you were off sick three or more times in a rolling 12 month period there was some kind of process triggered. Luckily it never came up for me because I would have done my actual fucking nut at anyone who dared attempt to give me shit just for being sick. In reality the process only existed because we had a call centre in our organisation but we weren't allowed to giver them separate T&Cs so the IT and proper business staff technically had to be covered by all this kind of nonsense*, but I doubt it would've been taken very seriously.

*See also: a paragraph in the official dress code that talked about not being allowed in the building with, and I quote, "an observable lack of underwear".

My place makes a big play about presenteeism being a thing we don't do, yet I know for a fact we do because HR spoke to me about one of my reports, and I know they tried to stop a promotion because of someone else's record.

They make an especially big deal of it during mental well-being month in September as part of their "don't be afraid to speak up" spiel which I also know is bullshit because my mental health struggles in August were met with my "being offered" the step back to my old position, which I made clear was making me feel worse - I've fed back that what I've learned is that speaking out about my mental health is the absolute last thing I should do.

But I'm sure I'm just misinterpreting things, or something.

I don't think so... But who knows?

Aww, it isn't. It's good though, I like the samurai guitarist. They're pretty much Our Babymetal Is Different, and that's all right by me.

This is 23 by IU, and it is excellent. It isn't metal though.

Fairly common I think.

Thats Ediee Ironbunny on guitar. He's a cyborg from the future who's come to save us via the power of Rock! (I love Japanese bands!)

They've had guest work by Warren DeMartini (Ratt), and George Lynch (Dokken).

Colin out of Krallice/Behold the Arctopus/Dysrhythmia etc. etc. and Kevin Paradis out of session drumming really fast (and Benighted) have just put out this, and it's very, very good.

FAS-era Deathspell Omega worship, all dissonant chords and gorgeous structure and quiet interlude. The way they repeat that phrase in the third song to a sort of collapsing fadeout is absolutely beautiful, and I hope we get a full-length soon.

Guitarists and singer are from Aghasura, which is interesting because they're not actually that good.

Yes, I know this is an old post. But still. I love DSO. The last album was a cracker, but that one from... 2016? With the four songs. Was brilliant.

You're right: it's way more like a pure-evil Botch than traditional BM. That's what I like about it. Like if Dillinger didn't go shit.

Also: I too have original And Justice for All, @zardoz

The ultimate in vanity.

Heh, fair point.

I just can't believe the price you paid.

Just pulling your strings mate.

Bah. I found it so grim, so true... so real.

Nuclear Blast records are doing streams of their artists' videos over the weekends at the moment. I didn't realise I needed melodic psychedelic black metal until now...with added flutes.

Focus lives!!!

Album name of the year.

Chopping Mask

Band is Chopping Mall, as An Omag to the flimum.

Mall Mask

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQDEXqcGlNc

That's quite clearly punk.

My friend and I did a thing - enjoy!

https://spacegiraffexix.bandcamp.com

Nice arts. Which particular flatcap wearing hovis fiend did you get to do that?

Just some northern slaphead I found mithering around in the dirt, rocking backwards and forwards muttering something about his precious

I found out yesterday that an old friend passed away on 10th December. I wrote a FB post here (public):
https://www.facebook.com/matthew.coleman26

Today I released the album he and I created but never finished back in 2002-03 as a tribute: https://loci.bandcamp.com/releases. We never found a proper vocalist so most of the songs are fully-formed instrumentals and a very unconfident 20-year-old sang the other two. He got better!

It's totally free, but if you're able to chuck a quid in, all revenue will be going to Stuck on a Name Studios, which he helped build with love, and is struggling somewhat with no income from band rehearsals, gigs, drinks or equipment sales due to the pandemic. Alternatively, you can donate directly here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-soan-studios

Thanks for reading.