SOULSNATCHER MIX Comments…

KEYVO says: I think my brain just exploded, i love it.

MADDSKEELZ says: I really don’t care that this has limited vocal samples. This is completely amazing. It reminds me of one of the Closer remixes. Singlehandedly the best industrial mix on here. Absolutely gut wrenchingly scary. Well freakin done.

GHOSTLIGHT MIX Comments…

PD17 says: so beautiful it sends chills down my spine

MALOK THE MULE says: I love this sound…the name pretty much directly describes it too, ghostly as it is. Its beauty all over. Great stuff.

JANUX says: Now THIS is what im talking about. Something unique! I love it. It doesn’t sound like everyone else. -Travis of Janux

We did not “win” the Celldweller SWITCHBACK remix contest as far as prizes or placement in the top three. We also did not make it onto the remix CD, at least not yet… I’m not even sure that a remix CD will be made, honestly… it seems that Klayton prefers widgets these days [as do most indie musicians, ourselves included!], so maybe at some point, we could wind up being featured on the Celldweller widget. That would be a dream come true, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine by us, because the contest benefited us above and beyond widget-stardom or CD placement in ways we could not have predicted when we first created the remixes.

It’s an honor that we were welcomed as a featured remix artist, which thrilled us about as much as [if not, more than] getting on a CD. We also received some great compliments from the Celldweller community, a few favorites are posted in this entry. But most importantly, the one outcome we could not have predicted was that it showed us what we’re really, truly capable of as musicians. We took a few risks, mixed together some genres that typically aren’t “supposed” to work together [what did we have to lose?] and made them work… I mean, really, really work. In essence, dissecting SWITCHBACK helped us further evolve our signature sound: beauty and beast [GHOSTLIGHT=Beauty, SOULSNATCHER=Beast], a mix of symphonies, choirs, crunchy guitars, fucked-up drum kits and frightening electronics… and we continue to explore that crazy Corvo concoction with each track as our debut full-length TELLTALE unfolds.

So thank you, Klayton, for letting us dive into a song you’ve written that we’ve always loved… you continue to inspire us as indie musicians, and through your work and embrace of independent musicians, we… well… know it sounds hokey, but… we sort of found ourselves. -NiNi + G9

Listen to Song and Add Comments at Celldweller.com

Listen to Song and Add Comments at Celldweller.com

“White spotlights appeared one at a time to highlight each player as he launched into the enigmatic opening strains of the title track from Worlds Collide. The cheers built to a deafening crescendo as Mikko’s thunderous toms launched the song’s first explosive synchronized cello riffs. I felt a physical blast of compressed air from the amp stacks as the low-end vibrations kicked in, hammered home by a machine-gun double kick.”
-From G9’s FEARnet Review

I have never in my life experienced a concert more perfectly than at Apocalyptica’s very first show in Dallas, TX [at the House of Blues]. At first, I was just going to string together a few videos and a bunch of photos my new-found front-row friend Shelby had captured on her camera, but then… this video just took me on an artistic journey of its own, and I couldn’t stop it [nor did I want to]! Enjoy this fan documentary, and let me know what you think of the video. Finally, if you ever get the opportunity to see these guys in concert, don’t let it pass you by… it’ll be one of the best shows of your life, I promise.

Have you seen Apocalyptica live? What do you think of the band? What are some of your favorite Apo songs? Who is your favorite band member? Register -free- to share your thoughts with me here!

[ @ YouTube ] [ Right Click For MP4 ] [ Right Click For FLV ] [ Apocalyptica.com ]

I can’t help but look at that shot of Asia Argento in The Filth, and think to myself, with a father like that, who needs enemies? What a fascinating father-daughter dynamic. Not quite like my artistic father-daughter dynamic, in which we performed a duet of “Rainbow Connection” for my first ever opera audition. In later years, I think the craziest we ever got was when dad learned Over the Hills and Far Away on the guitar, and I sang like Robert Plant. But you know… if dad asked me to practically drown in entrails thirteen-plus hours a day, I’d gladly do it, because that would mean I’m starring in a Dario Argento film! What? You need to literally drill a hole into my cranium to get just the right blood squirt for this scene, and then insert a metal plate into my skull not to cover the hole, but to use the metal as an electric conductor for shooting 227,849 volts through my nose, so that when the killer tries to lobotomize me, he’ll blow up, and I’ll run around the room with my head on fire? Yes father, I’ll do it… because you’re Dario Argento and I’m starring in your film!

VIDDY-EWWW: Seen La Terza Madre? Did you survive? What did you think? Do you dare? [Register -Free- To Comment on La Terza Madre + Dario Argento!]

The depth of Asia’s filth and pain-threshold is astounding, and in La Terza Madre, I started to think, wow, she’s kind of getting through this one like she’s in a Jerry Bruckheimer film, or something… until the scene from that photo up there ^. Wow… it’s… a force of nature to watch her trudge through it all. Even though La Terza Madre is, as Dethklok would declare, f^cking brutal, complete with blood, boobs, impaling, baby eating and more [for one very low price], this film made me laugh. Out loud. A lot. I know, it’s totally sick, but I giggled like crazy through the whole thing. So what if all of Italy and the world gets raped, pillaged, and possessed by ancient demons, this is opera at its finest. As I watched old Mater Lachrymarum’s witch-brigade trolling about, acting like The Pïnkk Läydeez, I was reminded of the years I’d spent in opera performing in the women’s choruses. Part of the reason why I love Argento’s work so much is that I recognize that it’s Italian horror opera… maybe that’s why I’m able to take the brutality in-stride. You could say that death in vivid colors takes me back to fond memories of watching people die when I was in grade school… characters in my operas, sillies, not real people!

G9′S ARGENTO TOP 5:
Suspiria
Tenebre
Inferno
La Terza Madre
Deep Red

NiNi’S ARGENTO TOP 5:
Suspiria
La Terza Madre
Do You Like Hitchcock?
Pelts
Opera

Another reason Argento’s films resonate with me as opera, is the importance placed on the music. In La Terza Madre, Claudio Simonetti’s score delivers a powerful “character” to the film in what I would consider one of the best film scores ever made, and definitely up-to-snuff with his Suspiria score. The final [closing credits] track “Mater Lacrimarum,” performed by Daemonia, with guest vocalist Dani Filth, is a horror music masterpiece. When I first heard it, I just wanted to loop it over and over again for days… seriously… and I did!

On that [literal] note, I’ve enclosed Mater Lacrimarum herein for your listening pleasure.

If “Mater Lacrimarum” resonates with you, please show your support by visiting Daemonia on mySpace, adding them to your fiends list, listening to more [as G9 would say], melodies of horror, and downloading some free tracks! It’s Italian horror metal with progressive rock sophistication, and they’re truly one of our hugest inspirations.

Finally, for we who’ve been following these Argento witches for so many years, La Terza Madre goes out with a bang, providing perfect closure for The Three Mothers Trilogy, all the way down to casting Udo Kier and Daria Nicolodi [and of course, our beloved Asia]. Still, this film [much like Dario Argento] isn’t for everyone… how about you? [Register -Free- To Comment on La Terza Madre and Dario Argento!]

[ G9's Review of La Terza Madre Soundtrack ] [ G9's Exclusive Interview With Daemonia ]

Special thanks to all of you that have downloaded the song and sent us such lovely compliments on mySpace! To the wonderful Christine Feehan fans that have found your way to us:

A WARM WELCOME TO YOU ALL!

darkness lives inside me
a secret that I hide
the light from all the rest is
lost upon the tide…

a touch of lightning, magick
leaves me marked and cold
I want, I crave, love that sells my soul

LIKE A TURBULENT SEA
PULLING AT ME
IN PASSION AND IN FEAR
I’M DROWNING…

the wave crashes in my heart
darkness follows, light departs…

LIKE A TURBULENT SEA
PULLING AT ME
IN PASSION AND IN FEAR
I’M DROWNING…

New Song by Corvo: TURBULENT SEA
[ Right Click to Download the MP3 ]

The Music: It’s not every day a band gets to talk about being commissioned by a #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author to write a theme song for an upcoming book release, but with Christine Feehan and Corvo, that’s exactly what transpired. Turbulent Sea is the 6th novel in Feehan’s popular Drake Sisters series, and the song is the official theme written for the character Joley, who is a rock star and… a witch!

The band wrote the song to be Joley’s fictional “hit single” for her “music video,” in which Christine’s daughter is the face of the heroine, and NiNi is [literally] the voice. Since the book series is considered supernatural romance, G9 wrote the song in a more romantic, Gothic pop style, completely departing from Corvo’s signature romantic horror rock sound. This is not the permanent direction the band has taken while recording debut album Telltale, rather, a unique work tailor-made specifically to fit the story and the main character.

From NiNi: Turbulent Sea has been one of those projects that as a musician, is a dream come true. It was like writing for a movie, but even better, because it’s so unique to write a song for a book , and to connect with the main character through singing! G9 and I both feel that Christine is doing something really special by crossing from literature into music and also into video for her readers, and we are honored to be part of that. I hope I’ve represented Joley’s voice in a way that will connect this beloved character even deeper to Christine’s readers. I bought the first book in the Drake Sisters series, because now I’m so personally attached to them, I’ve got to read their stories!

About The Novel: Number one New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan returns to the “erotic, exotic, and suspenseful” world of the paranormally gifted Drake sisters with the wildest sister of them all: impulsive, celebrated, worshiped… and in danger.

About The Star: Joley Drake was born with a legacy of unexpected magical gifts, but it was the gift of singing that made her an overnight sensation—a rock and roll goddess trapped by fame, fortune, and ambition. Heated by the flush of success, Joley could have any man she wanted. But there’s only man who can give her what she really needs… [ more about the novel... ]

Turbulent Sea:
Book 6 of Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters Series Coming This Summer
Official Theme Song Written and Performed by Corvo
Original Lyrics © 2008 Sheila Clover, Circle of Seven Productions
Lyrics Adapted For Music by NiNi of Corvo
Reprinted With Permission

*Update: Here’s one of my favorite photos of Eicca, snapped at the concert. My “front-and-center head banging buddy” Shelby took a bunch of photos and some great videos and shared them with me for this… well, it’s turned into a short film about the show, really.

I had read in several places that House of Blues was really bad about not letting cameras enter the premises, so I didn’t bring one… well, wouldn’t you know it? They didn’t seem to be enforcing that on this night. Well, it turns out, I met a new Apocalyptica friend, and thanks to her, I’ve got some great stuff to work with as I continue my “Apocalyptica Fan Documentary.”

Also, read G9’s review of the Apocalyptica House of Blues Dallas [05.12.08] show at FEARnet. He captured the night so beautifully. I think I’ll be finished with the video by the weekend at the very latest. *squeee!*

[By the way, you can click the photo to enlarge it a bit.]