The Necrosexual Interviews Captain Graves of Advent Varic

By The Necrosexual “Blackened.” It’s a funny word. Great Metallica song, but so many black metal bands these days fall under the moniker. Does “blackened” denote an extra dark, crispy exterior, like a perfectly seared cut of tuna? Reminds me of my days a teenage kitchen slut, sizzling Ahi tuna in the Grim Poconos Mountains.… Continue reading The Necrosexual Interviews Captain Graves of Advent Varic

It’s My Birthday and I’ll Blog If I Want To: Fumarole, Ghost:Hello, and The Real Batushka

Yep, I am 35 years young today.  Still blogging about The Scene…  In the words of The Necrosexual, “It’s not a phase, Dad!” First up this fine morning is Fumarole, hailing from Brisbane, Australia.  This hard-hitting stoner rock trio put out a single in April called “Ghost Smoke,” and it cooks!  The mid-tempo track follows… Continue reading It’s My Birthday and I’ll Blog If I Want To: Fumarole, Ghost:Hello, and The Real Batushka

Journal of Sorrows: A Review of Saor’s Forgotten Paths

Saor is the folk/black metal one-man band of Scottish musician Andy Marshall. It seems to be quite the labor of love considering the quantity and quality of his work since 2013. Forgotten Paths is the fourth full-length documentation of his Scottish heritage, featuring long suites of poetry and extremity with an emphasis on nature and… Continue reading Journal of Sorrows: A Review of Saor’s Forgotten Paths

Getting Esoteric with Branislav from BANE

Branislav of BANE. Photo borrowed from Facebook.

One thing I’m really enjoying about Alternative Control’s Nerd Talk series is that it lets readers see a side of the featured bands they might not get to see elsewhere.  After publishing one such column by BANE frontman and mastermind Branislav, and listening to the band’s new album Esoteric Formulae while posting it, I became… Continue reading Getting Esoteric with Branislav from BANE

NERD TALK with UNENDLICH

Baltimore black metal duo Unendlich got nerdy with Alternative Control this week as they prepare to release their third studio offering, Misanthropic Sedition, on December 14th.  The EP is a precursor to a full-length album scheduled for early 2019 that,  in the words of main composer and instrumentalist Mike Connors, “deals with the reliance on religion… Continue reading NERD TALK with UNENDLICH

NERD TALK with BANE

"Ace Ventura rules!"

It’s a Nerd Talk takeover with Branislav from BANE. The once Serbian, now Canadian-based Blackened Death Metal frontman shared some of his favorite “nerd stuff” with Alternative Control: MOVIES I’ll have to go with Ace Ventura – Pet Detective. This is probably the movie that I have watched THE most times (and still get a great laugh out… Continue reading NERD TALK with BANE

Eye Of Nix Reissues Black Somnia, Playing Brooklyn 11/3/18

This is coincidentally Alternative Control’s second post this week about an avant garde re-release…. The first was Patrick Grant’s twenty-year anniversary celebration of FIELDS AMAZE and other sTRANGE music, a jagged modernist soundscape of gamelan and Western instruments.  And now we examine Seattle outfit Eye of Nix, who has reissued their full-length Black Somnia with Prophecy… Continue reading Eye Of Nix Reissues Black Somnia, Playing Brooklyn 11/3/18