Fans of dark, heavy music were dealt a sad blow today when it was announced that Tom Gabriel Fischer, vocalist/guitarist for Swiss death metal pioneers Celtic Frost; has left the band he co-founded over 20 years ago.

The band was set to play a headlining show at the Roadburn Festival in The Netherlands, as well as headlining the first of the 3-day Rock Hard Festival in Germany. These; following the hugely successful world tour the band had undertaken in support of their most recent album "Monotheist".

Celtic Frost is highly respected for their unique approach to avant-garde metal; a style that fused elements of classical music,opera,electronic sampling, and noise collage into a unique sound ... (more…)

Don't consider this a political post or endorsement by Fear Zone, but an update on a friend of the indie horror community.

Robert Tomaro (pictured here with actress Mary Huner-Bogle at the Beloit International Film Festival), who composed the score for SLIME CITY (available as a new soundtrack CD), as well as a new score for Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS, recently wrote a song for presidential candidate Barack Obama, which the Obama campaign is now using as one of their official songs. Who says that horror fans live in their own little world? Anyway, the song is now a music video, available for your viewing pleasure on You Tube.


Tomaro notes:

As many of you know, a song I composed entitled "It'... (more…)

TEMPE BRANCHES INTO SOUNDTRACK MUSIC!

Tempe Entertainment today announced a new line of soundtrack music releases to be issued as limited-edition CDs as well as downloadable MP3 or AAC files available in the biggest e-stores worldwide. The debut title is none other than THE DEAD NEXT DOOR Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, containing the complete score for writer/director J.R. Bookwalter's 1990 cult classic, available for the first time ever.

"These releases are more for fun than anything else," explains Bookwalter, who wrote and performed his own DEAD NEXT DOOR score 19 years ago. "I had dabbled with some homegrown CD soundtracks over the years which would get sold on our website or at ... (more…)

NEKROMANTIX
"Life Is A Grave...And I Dig It" CD
Hellcat Records

When approaching this Nekromantix CD, I was pretty sure what I was in for. I mean these guys have been icons of the Horror/punk-a-billy scene for over a decade.

I must say the band has thrown me for a curve with this album, and the fire and brimstone is flowing with a vengeance on this release. One of the key elements that set this act apart from the pack is their sheer level of musical invention and skill. While never veering too far from the parameters of the Horrorbilly genre; they manage to skillfully weave in and out of spooky key changes,haunting vocal highlights, and some of the most toe-tappin' rhythms you're likely to hear ... (more…)

LATE NIGHT ZERO
"Bring Out Your Dead" CD

Where are they from?

Who is in the band?

Who plays what?

Who knows? The CD layout doesn't feel inclined to clue us; the audience, in on these seemingly useful tidbits. But, let's get past those pleasantries, and dig into the grave beneath...

Opening with the plain ugly "Zero Hour" before winning huge points with the awesome "Killer Clowns", this cd is a fun trip down horror punk history.

Next up we have , um..."Heros" (hey, don't blame me, it's spelled that way on the CD song list.)

Which is a bit more 50's influenced in its delivery, and actually mirrors the vocal melody of "Dream Lover" in a few places.

I should hate something this derisive, but somehow I ... (more…)

DIO
"Stand Up and Shout: The Anthology" CD
RHINO/WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS

What is there to say that hasn't already been told when it comes to legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio's career? The folks at RHINO have opted to let the music speak for itself, with a little help from RJD himself in the form of liner notes for each of the tracks for this compilation. This 2 disc set is crammed with highlights from a career that has spanned 40, count 'em 40 plus years. For fans of horror/fantasy, this journey down memory lane is ripe with dragons, shades, demons, graveyards, lost kingdoms, and rainbows galore. Never one to dwell within the trappings of the real world, RJD loosed a veritable ... (more…)

DETHKLOK
"The Dethalbum" / Metalocalypse Soundtrack CD
Williams Street

I must admit to being a bit put off by the concept of reviewing what is essentially a rather bad joke of a "band" when there are so many real acts out there deserving of the attention that this album is getting.

We all know this is a joke,right?

Dethklok is Cartoon Network's virtual extreme metal band, and stars of the animated show "Metalocalypse". With titles like "Hatredcopter," "Go forth and die," "Bloodtrocuted," "Briefcase full of guts" and "Face Fisted," I knew the album was easily gonna pass muster as a valid horror/comedy release. But, what I didn't expect was the actual quality of the music that show creator and ... (more…)

SERIOUS SUICIDE

"Off With Your Head" CD

Blammy Bros Records

Picking up where femme-fronted acts like The Cramps and 45 Grave left off, Serious Suicide proceeds to go basically nowhere with the horror-punk mantle so deftly handed to them by previous acts from the "Good Old Days" of the genre.

The cover photo features vocalist Psyche Suicide in a stunning ensemble of wedding dress and plastic Halloween knife; which I'm assuming were both rented from the same costume shop. Seriously guys, I'm not asking for human hemoglobin here, but would it have killed you to pick up a real knife for the photo shoot? I'm not one who usually harps on packaging or image over content; but the same lack ... (more…)

The SLIME CITY Soundtrack CD by Robert Tomaro opens with the Main Titles, which have a very Danny Elfman (circa his stint with Oingo Boingo) kind of feel, and set the stage for the wonderful weirdness that is to come.

The pieces seem to fluctuate between fully-realized pseudo-orchestrations very much from the Elfman book of quirk, with lots of carnival sounding themes; and for the film's quieter cues, the feeling is similar to Darkstar, or Tangerine Dream, with very bare bones sparse duets between doubled coronet and horns, creating lonely mood music. There are frequent two-chord motifs that have a spooky, tremolo effect (think "Surf Guitar" sound) used to make the melody all the more ... (more…)

3 INCHES OF BLOOD

"Fire Up The Blades" CD

Roadrunner Records

Opening with the military cadence of "Thru the Horned Gate" this release lets you know what you're in for right from the downbeat. Harkening back to the mid-late 80's; this album is a crushing onslaught of everything that made the 80's thrash scene so exciting.

While the top acts from that era; like Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, may have softened over the years, the new breed of bands raised on that kind of metal are going for the throat with an intensity that will make you wanna get your ripped up jean jacket out of storage, and go looking for your old concert shirts.

It's time to mosh kiddies!

In true horror style, ... (more…)