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Culinary Adventures: When Food Abroad Bites Back!
📌Disclaimer: Please note that if you click on any of the links in this blog, I will be receiving a small commission at NO extra cost to you!📌
Prepare your taste buds and buckle up for a gastronomic rollercoaster ride as we explore the wild world of culinary adventures abroad. From mouth-watering delicacies to unexpected surprises, join me as we delve into the delightful and sometimes downright daring realm of international cuisine.
https://benable.com/abnolte/81c35f813073af56266c
1. The Spicy Spectacle
You pride yourself on your tolerance for heat, so when the friendly street vendor in Bangkok offers you a taste of their “mild” curry, you confidently accept with a smile. But as the first fiery bite hits your tongue like a flamethrower in a chili factory, you quickly realize that you may have underestimated the true meaning of “Thai spicy.” Cue the frantic gulps of water and the impromptu fire-breathing performance that leaves your fellow diners both impressed and slightly concerned for your well-being.
2. The Mystery Meat Mishap
You’re feeling adventurous, so when the menu at that quaint little bistro in Paris lists “escargot” as the house specialty, you decide to throw caution to the wind and give it a try. But as you take your first tentative bite of the slimy delicacy, you can’t shake the sinking feeling that you may have just eaten something that was alive mere moments ago. Cue the existential crisis and the fervent vow to stick to more familiar fare for the remainder of your culinary adventures.
https://benable.com/abnolte/81c35f813073af56266c/details?detail_id=5416811
3. The Cultural Conundrum
You’re determined to immerse yourself in the local culture, so when your gracious host in Tokyo presents you with a steaming bowl of what can only be described as “mystery soup,” you graciously accept with a smile and a bow. But as you tentatively take a sip and try to identify the various unidentifiable floating objects, you realize that sometimes, cultural immersion comes with a side of gastrointestinal distress. Cue the polite nods and the silent prayers for a speedy recovery as you struggle to maintain your composure in the face of culinary adversity.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1104783950741628
4. The Street Food Fiasco
You’ve heard rave reviews about the street food scene in Marrakech, so when you stumble upon a bustling market teeming with tantalizing smells and exotic flavors, you can’t resist the siren call of the street vendors. But as you dig into your first bite of falafel, you quickly realize that street food adventures come with their own set of risks – namely, the inevitable battle with food poisoning that leaves you regretting every culinary decision you’ve ever made.
5. The Sweet Surprise
Amidst the chaos and confusion of culinary mishaps abroad, sometimes you stumble upon a hidden gem that restores your faith in the power of international cuisine. Whether it’s a piping hot plate of pad thai in Bangkok or a decadent slice of tiramisu in Rome, these unexpected delights serve as a delicious reminder that sometimes, the best culinary adventures are the ones that catch you by surprise.
https://benable.com/abnolte/81c35f813073af56266c
So there you have it, fellow foodies – a humorous glimpse into the world of culinary adventures abroad, where every bite is an adventure and every meal is a memory. Remember, no matter how many culinary mishaps you encounter along the way, it’s all part of the delicious journey. Until next time, happy eating and may your taste buds be forever adventurous!
This is the second last post about Travelling…..keep your eyes peeled for the next blogs all about????
Linktree #adailyprompt #adventure #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1879 #dailyprompt1880 #dailyprompt1881 #dailyprompt1883 #dailyprompt1884 #dailyprompt1888 #dailyprompt1889 #dailyprompt1891 #dailyprompt1901 #dailyprompt1905 #dailyprompt1906 #dailyprompt1908 #dailyprompt1910 #dailyprompt1911 #dailyprompt1912 #dailyprompt1913 #dailyprompt1914 #dailyprompt1915 #dailyprompt1916 #dailyprompt1917 #dailyprompt1918 #dailyprompt1923 #dailyprompt1924 #dailyprompt1925 #dailyprompt1929 #dailyprompt1932 #dailyprompt1935 #dailyprompt1938 #dailyprompt1939 #dailyprompt1941 #dailyprompt1947 #dailyprompt1949 #dailyprompt1950 #dailyprompt1951 #dailyprompt1954 #dailyprompt1957 #dailyprompt1975 #dailyprompt1981 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt1989 #discovery #Food #instagram #life #lifestyle #love #luxury #personality #reading #relax #selfCare #TimeToTravel #travel #unwind #wisdom -
Culinary Adventures: When Food Abroad Bites Back!
📌Disclaimer: Please note that if you click on any of the links in this blog, I will be receiving a small commission at NO extra cost to you!📌
Prepare your taste buds and buckle up for a gastronomic rollercoaster ride as we explore the wild world of culinary adventures abroad. From mouth-watering delicacies to unexpected surprises, join me as we delve into the delightful and sometimes downright daring realm of international cuisine.
https://benable.com/abnolte/81c35f813073af56266c
1. The Spicy Spectacle
You pride yourself on your tolerance for heat, so when the friendly street vendor in Bangkok offers you a taste of their “mild” curry, you confidently accept with a smile. But as the first fiery bite hits your tongue like a flamethrower in a chili factory, you quickly realize that you may have underestimated the true meaning of “Thai spicy.” Cue the frantic gulps of water and the impromptu fire-breathing performance that leaves your fellow diners both impressed and slightly concerned for your well-being.
2. The Mystery Meat Mishap
You’re feeling adventurous, so when the menu at that quaint little bistro in Paris lists “escargot” as the house specialty, you decide to throw caution to the wind and give it a try. But as you take your first tentative bite of the slimy delicacy, you can’t shake the sinking feeling that you may have just eaten something that was alive mere moments ago. Cue the existential crisis and the fervent vow to stick to more familiar fare for the remainder of your culinary adventures.
https://benable.com/abnolte/81c35f813073af56266c/details?detail_id=5416811
3. The Cultural Conundrum
You’re determined to immerse yourself in the local culture, so when your gracious host in Tokyo presents you with a steaming bowl of what can only be described as “mystery soup,” you graciously accept with a smile and a bow. But as you tentatively take a sip and try to identify the various unidentifiable floating objects, you realize that sometimes, cultural immersion comes with a side of gastrointestinal distress. Cue the polite nods and the silent prayers for a speedy recovery as you struggle to maintain your composure in the face of culinary adversity.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1104783950741628
4. The Street Food Fiasco
You’ve heard rave reviews about the street food scene in Marrakech, so when you stumble upon a bustling market teeming with tantalizing smells and exotic flavors, you can’t resist the siren call of the street vendors. But as you dig into your first bite of falafel, you quickly realize that street food adventures come with their own set of risks – namely, the inevitable battle with food poisoning that leaves you regretting every culinary decision you’ve ever made.
5. The Sweet Surprise
Amidst the chaos and confusion of culinary mishaps abroad, sometimes you stumble upon a hidden gem that restores your faith in the power of international cuisine. Whether it’s a piping hot plate of pad thai in Bangkok or a decadent slice of tiramisu in Rome, these unexpected delights serve as a delicious reminder that sometimes, the best culinary adventures are the ones that catch you by surprise.
https://benable.com/abnolte/81c35f813073af56266c
So there you have it, fellow foodies – a humorous glimpse into the world of culinary adventures abroad, where every bite is an adventure and every meal is a memory. Remember, no matter how many culinary mishaps you encounter along the way, it’s all part of the delicious journey. Until next time, happy eating and may your taste buds be forever adventurous!
This is the second last post about Travelling…..keep your eyes peeled for the next blogs all about????
Linktree #adailyprompt #adventure #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1879 #dailyprompt1880 #dailyprompt1881 #dailyprompt1883 #dailyprompt1884 #dailyprompt1888 #dailyprompt1889 #dailyprompt1891 #dailyprompt1901 #dailyprompt1905 #dailyprompt1906 #dailyprompt1908 #dailyprompt1910 #dailyprompt1911 #dailyprompt1912 #dailyprompt1913 #dailyprompt1914 #dailyprompt1915 #dailyprompt1916 #dailyprompt1917 #dailyprompt1918 #dailyprompt1923 #dailyprompt1924 #dailyprompt1925 #dailyprompt1929 #dailyprompt1932 #dailyprompt1935 #dailyprompt1938 #dailyprompt1939 #dailyprompt1941 #dailyprompt1947 #dailyprompt1949 #dailyprompt1950 #dailyprompt1951 #dailyprompt1954 #dailyprompt1957 #dailyprompt1975 #dailyprompt1981 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt1989 #discovery #Food #instagram #life #lifestyle #love #luxury #personality #reading #relax #selfCare #TimeToTravel #travel #unwind #wisdom -
What podcasts are you listening to?
Daily writing prompt
Woah boy, you’re getting a list for this one. I listen to literally all of them, figuratively. Guitar podcasts, sports podcasts, tech podcasts, and so very many television and movie podcasts. So many. So very, very many TV podcasts. You’re getting a list, folks!
Just looking at the Podcasts app on my MacBook Pro to see what is currently queued up. Here are a few (in no particular order, though it quickly becomes kind of alphabetical when I stopped reading off of my latest episodes queue and started looking at my list of subscribed shows. Also the ones that are in bold text are the ones I never miss an episode)…
- Grumpy Old Geeks
- The ‘Cast of Us (formerly known as The Walking Dead ‘Cast)
- The Talking Dead
- 60 Cycle Hum
- The 40 Watt Podcast
- A Little Bit Culty
- Bald Move Pulp
- Bastards of Boston Baseball
- Caveat
- Chasing Tone
- Chewin’ It with Kevin and Steve (if they ever get around to making another one, what the hell?)
- Children of the Watch: A Star Wars After Show
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Crime of the Truest Kind
- Defenders TV Podcast on TV Podcast Industries
- Fatman Beyond
- Film Photography Project
- Friends from Work: An Unofficial Marvel Podcast
- Gig Gab
- Guitar Nerds Podcast
- Hacking Humans
- The Ex Files
- Interdimensional RSS: The Unofficial Rick and Morty Podcast
- House Podcastica (along with about a dozen other shows on the Podcastica network)
- Locked on Bruins Podcast
- Locked on NHL Podcast
- Locked on Red Sox Podcast
- Locked on MLB Podcast
- Mac Geek Gab
- Marvel Cinematic Universe Podcast
- Morning Bru with Billy Jaffe & Andrew Raycroft
- Mugglecast
- NecronomiPod
- Puck Soup
- Star Wars Explained
- Star Wars Stuff Podcast
- Strange Indeed
- Sunny Sixteen
- Thank God I’m Atheist
- The Guitar Knobs
- The Resistance Broadcast: Star Wars Podcast
- The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
- The Truth About Vintage Amps
- The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week
- This Week in Science
- What We Say in the Shadows
- Who Back When
- WTF with Marc Maron
That is maybe 10% of the podcasts I am subscribed to via the Apple Podcast app. There are a few others that I get to via the web too, but those aren’t in the regular rotation. I generally spend my work day with a queue of podcasts playing as background sound. It is not uncommon for me to play through about 7-8 hours of podcasts a day. Granted I am working at the time so my focus is not 100% and I miss a lot of content, but they are almost always playing.
-
What podcasts are you listening to?
Daily writing prompt
Woah boy, you’re getting a list for this one. I listen to literally all of them, figuratively. Guitar podcasts, sports podcasts, tech podcasts, and so very many television and movie podcasts. So many. So very, very many TV podcasts. You’re getting a list, folks!
Just looking at the Podcasts app on my MacBook Pro to see what is currently queued up. Here are a few (in no particular order, though it quickly becomes kind of alphabetical when I stopped reading off of my latest episodes queue and started looking at my list of subscribed shows. Also the ones that are in bold text are the ones I never miss an episode)…
- Grumpy Old Geeks
- The ‘Cast of Us (formerly known as The Walking Dead ‘Cast)
- The Talking Dead
- 60 Cycle Hum
- The 40 Watt Podcast
- A Little Bit Culty
- Bald Move Pulp
- Bastards of Boston Baseball
- Caveat
- Chasing Tone
- Chewin’ It with Kevin and Steve (if they ever get around to making another one, what the hell?)
- Children of the Watch: A Star Wars After Show
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Crime of the Truest Kind
- Defenders TV Podcast on TV Podcast Industries
- Fatman Beyond
- Film Photography Project
- Friends from Work: An Unofficial Marvel Podcast
- Gig Gab
- Guitar Nerds Podcast
- Hacking Humans
- The Ex Files
- Interdimensional RSS: The Unofficial Rick and Morty Podcast
- House Podcastica (along with about a dozen other shows on the Podcastica network)
- Locked on Bruins Podcast
- Locked on NHL Podcast
- Locked on Red Sox Podcast
- Locked on MLB Podcast
- Mac Geek Gab
- Marvel Cinematic Universe Podcast
- Morning Bru with Billy Jaffe & Andrew Raycroft
- Mugglecast
- NecronomiPod
- Puck Soup
- Star Wars Explained
- Star Wars Stuff Podcast
- Strange Indeed
- Sunny Sixteen
- Thank God I’m Atheist
- The Guitar Knobs
- The Resistance Broadcast: Star Wars Podcast
- The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
- The Truth About Vintage Amps
- The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week
- This Week in Science
- What We Say in the Shadows
- Who Back When
- WTF with Marc Maron
That is maybe 10% of the podcasts I am subscribed to via the Apple Podcast app. There are a few others that I get to via the web too, but those aren’t in the regular rotation. I generally spend my work day with a queue of podcasts playing as background sound. It is not uncommon for me to play through about 7-8 hours of podcasts a day. Granted I am working at the time so my focus is not 100% and I miss a lot of content, but they are almost always playing.
-
What podcasts are you listening to?
Daily writing prompt
Woah boy, you’re getting a list for this one. I listen to literally all of them, figuratively. Guitar podcasts, sports podcasts, tech podcasts, and so very many television and movie podcasts. So many. So very, very many TV podcasts. You’re getting a list, folks!
Just looking at the Podcasts app on my MacBook Pro to see what is currently queued up. Here are a few (in no particular order, though it quickly becomes kind of alphabetical when I stopped reading off of my latest episodes queue and started looking at my list of subscribed shows. Also the ones that are in bold text are the ones I never miss an episode)…
- Grumpy Old Geeks
- The ‘Cast of Us (formerly known as The Walking Dead ‘Cast)
- The Talking Dead
- 60 Cycle Hum
- The 40 Watt Podcast
- A Little Bit Culty
- Bald Move Pulp
- Bastards of Boston Baseball
- Caveat
- Chasing Tone
- Chewin’ It with Kevin and Steve (if they ever get around to making another one, what the hell?)
- Children of the Watch: A Star Wars After Show
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Crime of the Truest Kind
- Defenders TV Podcast on TV Podcast Industries
- Fatman Beyond
- Film Photography Project
- Friends from Work: An Unofficial Marvel Podcast
- Gig Gab
- Guitar Nerds Podcast
- Hacking Humans
- The Ex Files
- Interdimensional RSS: The Unofficial Rick and Morty Podcast
- House Podcastica (along with about a dozen other shows on the Podcastica network)
- Locked on Bruins Podcast
- Locked on NHL Podcast
- Locked on Red Sox Podcast
- Locked on MLB Podcast
- Mac Geek Gab
- Marvel Cinematic Universe Podcast
- Morning Bru with Billy Jaffe & Andrew Raycroft
- Mugglecast
- NecronomiPod
- Puck Soup
- Star Wars Explained
- Star Wars Stuff Podcast
- Strange Indeed
- Sunny Sixteen
- Thank God I’m Atheist
- The Guitar Knobs
- The Resistance Broadcast: Star Wars Podcast
- The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
- The Truth About Vintage Amps
- The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week
- This Week in Science
- What We Say in the Shadows
- Who Back When
- WTF with Marc Maron
That is maybe 10% of the podcasts I am subscribed to via the Apple Podcast app. There are a few others that I get to via the web too, but those aren’t in the regular rotation. I generally spend my work day with a queue of podcasts playing as background sound. It is not uncommon for me to play through about 7-8 hours of podcasts a day. Granted I am working at the time so my focus is not 100% and I miss a lot of content, but they are almost always playing.
-
What podcasts are you listening to?
Daily writing prompt
Woah boy, you’re getting a list for this one. I listen to literally all of them, figuratively. Guitar podcasts, sports podcasts, tech podcasts, and so very many television and movie podcasts. So many. So very, very many TV podcasts. You’re getting a list, folks!
Just looking at the Podcasts app on my MacBook Pro to see what is currently queued up. Here are a few (in no particular order, though it quickly becomes kind of alphabetical when I stopped reading off of my latest episodes queue and started looking at my list of subscribed shows. Also the ones that are in bold text are the ones I never miss an episode)…
- Grumpy Old Geeks
- The ‘Cast of Us (formerly known as The Walking Dead ‘Cast)
- The Talking Dead
- 60 Cycle Hum
- The 40 Watt Podcast
- A Little Bit Culty
- Bald Move Pulp
- Bastards of Boston Baseball
- Caveat
- Chasing Tone
- Chewin’ It with Kevin and Steve (if they ever get around to making another one, what the hell?)
- Children of the Watch: A Star Wars After Show
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- Crime of the Truest Kind
- Defenders TV Podcast on TV Podcast Industries
- Fatman Beyond
- Film Photography Project
- Friends from Work: An Unofficial Marvel Podcast
- Gig Gab
- Guitar Nerds Podcast
- Hacking Humans
- The Ex Files
- Interdimensional RSS: The Unofficial Rick and Morty Podcast
- House Podcastica (along with about a dozen other shows on the Podcastica network)
- Locked on Bruins Podcast
- Locked on NHL Podcast
- Locked on Red Sox Podcast
- Locked on MLB Podcast
- Mac Geek Gab
- Marvel Cinematic Universe Podcast
- Morning Bru with Billy Jaffe & Andrew Raycroft
- Mugglecast
- NecronomiPod
- Puck Soup
- Star Wars Explained
- Star Wars Stuff Podcast
- Strange Indeed
- Sunny Sixteen
- Thank God I’m Atheist
- The Guitar Knobs
- The Resistance Broadcast: Star Wars Podcast
- The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
- The Truth About Vintage Amps
- The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week
- This Week in Science
- What We Say in the Shadows
- Who Back When
- WTF with Marc Maron
That is maybe 10% of the podcasts I am subscribed to via the Apple Podcast app. There are a few others that I get to via the web too, but those aren’t in the regular rotation. I generally spend my work day with a queue of podcasts playing as background sound. It is not uncommon for me to play through about 7-8 hours of podcasts a day. Granted I am working at the time so my focus is not 100% and I miss a lot of content, but they are almost always playing.
-
Family’s top 3 favorite meals
What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
There’s so many…
It’s hard to think only 3. Especially since my mom is professional chef and then there is her grandmother’s Lyyli centuries old family recipes to choose. And my own recipes. So to find only three isn’t easy. But I decided to choose top one from all of us three recipes.
Top 3
- Karelian salmon soup That is my mom’s grandmother’s family recipe being in the family generations and generations. It is best eaten when weather is bad. Raining or snowing outside and have the hot soup with rye bread just butter on a top.
- Oven Salmon This on is my mom’s own secret recipe that she come up with. Especially what is in the filling is the secret. It is easy, simple and quick to make. And fills stomach so well that doesn’t need anything on the side. At least me and my mom don’t need more than that salmon and stomach is full.
- Honey-Chilli Chicken and all 16 ways to cook it So far… Because it is so versatile especially for a store bought chicken in marinade to make different ways. I’m still not bored to eat it. Probably because there is 16 ways to cook it. It is something I eat couple times a week at least.
There are so many super delicious foods but unfortunately this writing prompt is for 3 only. So that is the 3 that I choose today. Even though the Honey-Chilli Chicken is already little bit cheating since I said all 16 ways to cook it. But I could not choose only one way over the rest. I love them all. Lol It is just too good and versatile.
With love C.F. Grönroos
Creator of the Mysteries by Rose
#cFGronroos #dailyprompt #dailyprompt2129 #food #mysteriesByRose
-
Family’s top 3 favorite meals
What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
There’s so many…
It’s hard to think only 3. Especially since my mom is professional chef and then there is her grandmother’s Lyyli centuries old family recipes to choose. And my own recipes. So to find only three isn’t easy. But I decided to choose top one from all of us three recipes.
Top 3
- Karelian salmon soup That is my mom’s grandmother’s family recipe being in the family generations and generations. It is best eaten when weather is bad. Raining or snowing outside and have the hot soup with rye bread just butter on a top.
- Oven Salmon This on is my mom’s own secret recipe that she come up with. Especially what is in the filling is the secret. It is easy, simple and quick to make. And fills stomach so well that doesn’t need anything on the side. At least me and my mom don’t need more than that salmon and stomach is full.
- Honey-Chilli Chicken and all 16 ways to cook it So far… Because it is so versatile especially for a store bought chicken in marinade to make different ways. I’m still not bored to eat it. Probably because there is 16 ways to cook it. It is something I eat couple times a week at least.
There are so many super delicious foods but unfortunately this writing prompt is for 3 only. So that is the 3 that I choose today. Even though the Honey-Chilli Chicken is already little bit cheating since I said all 16 ways to cook it. But I could not choose only one way over the rest. I love them all. Lol It is just too good and versatile.
With love C.F. Grönroos
Creator of the Mysteries by Rose
#cFGronroos #dailyprompt #dailyprompt2129 #food #mysteriesByRose
-
Family’s top 3 favorite meals
What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
There’s so many…
It’s hard to think only 3. Especially since my mom is professional chef and then there is her grandmother’s Lyyli centuries old family recipes to choose. And my own recipes. So to find only three isn’t easy. But I decided to choose top one from all of us three recipes.
Top 3
- Karelian salmon soup That is my mom’s grandmother’s family recipe being in the family generations and generations. It is best eaten when weather is bad. Raining or snowing outside and have the hot soup with rye bread just butter on a top.
- Oven Salmon This on is my mom’s own secret recipe that she come up with. Especially what is in the filling is the secret. It is easy, simple and quick to make. And fills stomach so well that doesn’t need anything on the side. At least me and my mom don’t need more than that salmon and stomach is full.
- Honey-Chilli Chicken and all 16 ways to cook it So far… Because it is so versatile especially for a store bought chicken in marinade to make different ways. I’m still not bored to eat it. Probably because there is 16 ways to cook it. It is something I eat couple times a week at least.
There are so many super delicious foods but unfortunately this writing prompt is for 3 only. So that is the 3 that I choose today. Even though the Honey-Chilli Chicken is already little bit cheating since I said all 16 ways to cook it. But I could not choose only one way over the rest. I love them all. Lol It is just too good and versatile.
With love C.F. Grönroos
Creator of the Mysteries by Rose
#cFGronroos #dailyprompt #dailyprompt2129 #food #mysteriesByRose
-
Family’s top 3 favorite meals
What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
There’s so many…
It’s hard to think only 3. Especially since my mom is professional chef and then there is her grandmother’s Lyyli centuries old family recipes to choose. And my own recipes. So to find only three isn’t easy. But I decided to choose top one from all of us three recipes.
Top 3
- Karelian salmon soup That is my mom’s grandmother’s family recipe being in the family generations and generations. It is best eaten when weather is bad. Raining or snowing outside and have the hot soup with rye bread just butter on a top.
- Oven Salmon This on is my mom’s own secret recipe that she come up with. Especially what is in the filling is the secret. It is easy, simple and quick to make. And fills stomach so well that doesn’t need anything on the side. At least me and my mom don’t need more than that salmon and stomach is full.
- Honey-Chilli Chicken and all 16 ways to cook it So far… Because it is so versatile especially for a store bought chicken in marinade to make different ways. I’m still not bored to eat it. Probably because there is 16 ways to cook it. It is something I eat couple times a week at least.
There are so many super delicious foods but unfortunately this writing prompt is for 3 only. So that is the 3 that I choose today. Even though the Honey-Chilli Chicken is already little bit cheating since I said all 16 ways to cook it. But I could not choose only one way over the rest. I love them all. Lol It is just too good and versatile.
With love C.F. Grönroos
Creator of the Mysteries by Rose
#cFGronroos #dailyprompt #dailyprompt2129 #food #mysteriesByRose
-
Family’s top 3 favorite meals
What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
There’s so many…
It’s hard to think only 3. Especially since my mom is professional chef and then there is her grandmother’s Lyyli centuries old family recipes to choose. And my own recipes. So to find only three isn’t easy. But I decided to choose top one from all of us three recipes.
Top 3
- Karelian salmon soup That is my mom’s grandmother’s family recipe being in the family generations and generations. It is best eaten when weather is bad. Raining or snowing outside and have the hot soup with rye bread just butter on a top.
- Oven Salmon This on is my mom’s own secret recipe that she come up with. Especially what is in the filling is the secret. It is easy, simple and quick to make. And fills stomach so well that doesn’t need anything on the side. At least me and my mom don’t need more than that salmon and stomach is full.
- Honey-Chilli Chicken and all 16 ways to cook it So far… Because it is so versatile especially for a store bought chicken in marinade to make different ways. I’m still not bored to eat it. Probably because there is 16 ways to cook it. It is something I eat couple times a week at least.
There are so many super delicious foods but unfortunately this writing prompt is for 3 only. So that is the 3 that I choose today. Even though the Honey-Chilli Chicken is already little bit cheating since I said all 16 ways to cook it. But I could not choose only one way over the rest. I love them all. Lol It is just too good and versatile.
With love C.F. Grönroos
Creator of the Mysteries by Rose
#cFGronroos #dailyprompt #dailyprompt2129 #food #mysteriesByRose
-
#retrocomputing #vintagecomputing #search #searchengine #frogFind #mac #macOS #macintosh #netscape #navigator #cck
Catch of the Day: The Corporate Time Capsule! 🏢💼
Hey Retro Fans!
Today, our Frog pond caught a guest whose browser ID looks like a secret message from 2001: Netscape Navigator 4.77C-CCK-MCD on a Mac!
What on earth does that alphabet soup at the end mean? That is pure nostalgia for system administrators!
CCK stands for the Client Customization Kit. This allowed companies, universities, or Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to brand the Netscape Navigator with their own corporate logos, fixed bookmarks, and homepages.
MCD stands for Mission Control Desktop. This was a powerful Netscape tool that allowed admins to centrally control and lock down browser settings for thousands of employees across the corporate network.
The fact that today, 25 years later, someone boots up their old Apple Macintosh (probably running Mac OS 8 or 9) and uses exactly this customized, strictly regulated corporate or provider version to visit FrogFind is an absolute dream. A living fossil of early enterprise IT!
May your bookmarks always be centrally managed!
Your FrogFind Team 🐸
-
#Goldilocks and Three Grim Fates: This One is Just Right
-> #Mythpunk #Horror
#Wss366 #Mastoprompt #TimeTravelAuthors 25. Midnight?Above me towered the bronze statue of Peter the Great, snow clinging to his horse’s back. In the background, the voices of a choir rose, drowning out the sound of machine gunfire.
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was time for a change
I killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vainThe cacophony was so loud that I almost missed the voice saying, “Папа, папа.” If it hadn’t been for the tone, I would’ve missed it. Claire was calling me.
I tried to turn toward her but realized that I couldn’t move. It was like sleep paralysis, where everything was frozen except my eyes. When I squinted to the side, I looked out over a sparkling white field, like a #park or city plaza. It was a flat expanse cut in half by a glass plane that curved overhead. Through it towered the distorted shape of a can of red bean soup. Beyond that, I could see the inside of the cabin facing the bedroom. Floating above it all was Claire’s distorted, terrified face.
Somewhere, a clock tolled the hour. Claire turned and walked toward the bedroom. The choir fell #silent, and the gunfire faded and vanished. Each booming chime broke the silence, stirring the snow. Large flakes drifted down, dislodged from the statue above.
In the bedroom, three shadows danced in the air like smoke from a plague pyre.
“This noose is too big.”
“No!” I silently screamed, struggling to move.
“This noose is too sloppy.”
Peter the Great grinned down at me, his once solemn face now leering. It was a twisted smile that all but laughed.
The clock struck midnight.
“But this noose is just right.”
-
MEDICINAL CABBAGE by Veronica Smith
Apart from being one of the oldest known vegetables of Europe, Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is also a medicinal plant! It was regarded as the “medicine of the poor” in days gone by, used by the Greeks and Romans and rediscovered by French “Natural” doctors in the 20th century.
Old fashioned Green Cabbage has better medicinal properties than White “salad” Cabbage. Red Cabbage has its own qualities, particularly strengthening the blood. Other Brassica types, such as Kale and the modern hybridised Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli, share similar qualities as Green Cabbage.
Traditionally used to aid digestion, as a joint tonic and a cure for skin ailments and fevers, Cabbage is classified as slightly sweet, salty, drying and cooling. It contains Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and U, as well as minerals, amino acids and fats. Its actions include anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-rheumatic. It heals tissues by encouraging new cell growth. It also decongests the liver and lungs.
FRESH CABBAGE LEAVES are used EXTERNALLY on sprains, wounds, ulcers, varicose veins, inflammations, arthritic joints, mastitis, all kinds of skin conditions, including acne, in fact on any part of the body that is inflamed. The renowned French Dr. Valnet reported many cases where gangrenous wounds were healed by the application of cabbage leaves, in some cases avoiding surgery or amputation!
I myself have personal experience of the healing power of cabbage leaves. Some time ago, I got an eye infection that was very painful. The eye was running all the time, which also affected my sinuses, causing additional pain. In desperation, I grabbed a fresh cabbage leaf and slept with it covering my eye and sinuses. In the morning, the pain had gone and my eye had stopped running! As my old Granny used to say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating – or healing in this case!
HOW TO PREPARE A CABBAGE LEAF FOR POULTICE:
strip out the central rib of the leaf. Then gently beat the leaf to soften it slightly, releasing the juice. Some traditions suggest running a hot iron over the leaf instead of beating it! Either way, bruised cabbage leaves have been used for generations to relieve mastitis (engorged breasts). Simply place a leaf into each bra cup and wear throughout the day.LOTION FOR ACNE AND OTHER SKIN RASHES:
Mix 250 grams of fresh Cabbage Leaves and 250 ml of distilled Witch Hazel in a blender. Strain. Add 2 drops of Lemon Juice Oil. Apply night and morning to reduce heat and redness.Eating Cabbage as a vegetable cools the digestive system. It calms the kind of indigestion that includes not only swelling and flatulence but also acidity, burning, and inflammation. Great for gastritis and ulcers, it soothes all kinds of intestinal disorders, such as constipation, ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.
CABBAGE JUICE can be taken as a medicine for any of these gastric conditions. The juice also loosens mucus in the respiratory system, working with expectorants to help clear congestion. Similarly, it relieves dry coughs and strengthens weak lungs.
Cabbage juice can be made with a dedicated juicer (I have a special “juicing pan” that extracts by steam) or by liquidising the cabbage and then pressing through a sieve. To take as medicine, you can serve it neat or diluted with water. It makes a refreshing de-tox drink if a small amount of cabbage juice is mixed with other juices, such as apple, carrot and celery.
Either Cabbage Juice or Cabbage Soup can be used for inflammation of the bladder, when there may be burning, discharges and problems urinating. These remedies can also soothe an inflamed prostate.
DECOCTION OF CABBAGE LEAVES TO RELIEVE COLITIS:
boil 60 grams of cabbage leaves in 500ml of water for one hour. Strain and drink in wine-glass doses.You can make a syrup from the decoction, which is taken in 10ml doses for chesty coughs, asthma and bronchitis. Heat 500mls of cabbage decoction in a saucepan. Add an equal amount of honey or unrefined sugar (500grams) and stir constantly until dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool. Then pour into a dark glass bottle. Make sure to seal the bottle with a cork stopper because syrups often ferment and screw-top bottles can explode!
CABBAGE SOUP FOR THE LUNGS
Here, Cabbage is combined with herbs Thyme and Fennel (both expectorants) specifically to heal the lungs. Potato gives it body, creating a warm, soothing soup that eases coughs, catarrh and bronchitis.
You will need:
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 small green cabbage, trimmed and shredded
1 large potato, peeled and diced
half teaspoon fennel seeds
half teaspoon thyme
sea salt and black pepper
1 litre / 1¾ pints of boiling water.Method:
heat the oil in a large saucepan. Stir in the cabbage, potato, fennel seeds and thyme. Cover and cook without browning for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the boiling water. Cover the pan again and leave the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste. You can serve the soup chunky, as it is, or liquidise it, depending on the patient’s needs. Enjoy!So, the next time you start turning up your nose at the humble cabbage, think again! It can help you to heal!
REFERENCES:
The Herb Society’s Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody, printed by Dorling Kindersley Limited, London in 1993. ISBN: 075130025X
The Kitchen Pharmacy by Rose Elliot and Carlo De Paoli, printed by Tiger Books International, London in 1991. ISBN: 1855015846
#cabbageRecipes #food #herbalMedicine #kitchenPharmacy #medicinalCabbage #recipes #traditionalCures -
MEDICINAL CABBAGE by Veronica Smith
Apart from being one of the oldest known vegetables of Europe, Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is also a medicinal plant! It was regarded as the “medicine of the poor” in days gone by, used by the Greeks and Romans and rediscovered by French “Natural” doctors in the 20th century.
Old fashioned Green Cabbage has better medicinal properties than White “salad” Cabbage. Red Cabbage has its own qualities, particularly strengthening the blood. Other Brassica types, such as Kale and the modern hybridised Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli, share similar qualities as Green Cabbage.
Traditionally used to aid digestion, as a joint tonic and a cure for skin ailments and fevers, Cabbage is classified as slightly sweet, salty, drying and cooling. It contains Vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and U, as well as minerals, amino acids and fats. Its actions include anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-rheumatic. It heals tissues by encouraging new cell growth. It also decongests the liver and lungs.
FRESH CABBAGE LEAVES are used EXTERNALLY on sprains, wounds, ulcers, varicose veins, inflammations, arthritic joints, mastitis, all kinds of skin conditions, including acne, in fact on any part of the body that is inflamed. The renowned French Dr. Valnet reported many cases where gangrenous wounds were healed by the application of cabbage leaves, in some cases avoiding surgery or amputation!
I myself have personal experience of the healing power of cabbage leaves. Some time ago, I got an eye infection that was very painful. The eye was running all the time, which also affected my sinuses, causing additional pain. In desperation, I grabbed a fresh cabbage leaf and slept with it covering my eye and sinuses. In the morning, the pain had gone and my eye had stopped running! As my old Granny used to say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating – or healing in this case!
HOW TO PREPARE A CABBAGE LEAF FOR POULTICE:
strip out the central rib of the leaf. Then gently beat the leaf to soften it slightly, releasing the juice. Some traditions suggest running a hot iron over the leaf instead of beating it! Either way, bruised cabbage leaves have been used for generations to relieve mastitis (engorged breasts). Simply place a leaf into each bra cup and wear throughout the day.LOTION FOR ACNE AND OTHER SKIN RASHES:
Mix 250 grams of fresh Cabbage Leaves and 250 ml of distilled Witch Hazel in a blender. Strain. Add 2 drops of Lemon Juice Oil. Apply night and morning to reduce heat and redness.Eating Cabbage as a vegetable cools the digestive system. It calms the kind of indigestion that includes not only swelling and flatulence but also acidity, burning, and inflammation. Great for gastritis and ulcers, it soothes all kinds of intestinal disorders, such as constipation, ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.
CABBAGE JUICE can be taken as a medicine for any of these gastric conditions. The juice also loosens mucus in the respiratory system, working with expectorants to help clear congestion. Similarly, it relieves dry coughs and strengthens weak lungs.
Cabbage juice can be made with a dedicated juicer (I have a special “juicing pan” that extracts by steam) or by liquidising the cabbage and then pressing through a sieve. To take as medicine, you can serve it neat or diluted with water. It makes a refreshing de-tox drink if a small amount of cabbage juice is mixed with other juices, such as apple, carrot and celery.
Either Cabbage Juice or Cabbage Soup can be used for inflammation of the bladder, when there may be burning, discharges and problems urinating. These remedies can also soothe an inflamed prostate.
DECOCTION OF CABBAGE LEAVES TO RELIEVE COLITIS:
boil 60 grams of cabbage leaves in 500ml of water for one hour. Strain and drink in wine-glass doses.You can make a syrup from the decoction, which is taken in 10ml doses for chesty coughs, asthma and bronchitis. Heat 500mls of cabbage decoction in a saucepan. Add an equal amount of honey or unrefined sugar (500grams) and stir constantly until dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool. Then pour into a dark glass bottle. Make sure to seal the bottle with a cork stopper because syrups often ferment and screw-top bottles can explode!
CABBAGE SOUP FOR THE LUNGS
Here, Cabbage is combined with herbs Thyme and Fennel (both expectorants) specifically to heal the lungs. Potato gives it body, creating a warm, soothing soup that eases coughs, catarrh and bronchitis.
You will need:
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 small green cabbage, trimmed and shredded
1 large potato, peeled and diced
half teaspoon fennel seeds
half teaspoon thyme
sea salt and black pepper
1 litre / 1¾ pints of boiling water.Method:
heat the oil in a large saucepan. Stir in the cabbage, potato, fennel seeds and thyme. Cover and cook without browning for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the boiling water. Cover the pan again and leave the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Season to taste. You can serve the soup chunky, as it is, or liquidise it, depending on the patient’s needs. Enjoy!So, the next time you start turning up your nose at the humble cabbage, think again! It can help you to heal!
REFERENCES:
The Herb Society’s Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody, printed by Dorling Kindersley Limited, London in 1993. ISBN: 075130025X
The Kitchen Pharmacy by Rose Elliot and Carlo De Paoli, printed by Tiger Books International, London in 1991. ISBN: 1855015846
#cabbageRecipes #food #herbalMedicine #kitchenPharmacy #medicinalCabbage #recipes #traditionalCures -
Fàme Caffe
The Romance languages are not named for an association with amorous behavior, also there are certainly plenty of stereotypes to that effect, but more for their descent from the language of the Roman Empire, Latin. The result is that the current five major Romance languages often have variations of essentially the same word for common concepts. One of those is hunger, which is faim in French, fame in Italian, fome in Portuguese, foame in Romanian, and hambre in Spanish. In Uptown Phoenix, the Fàme Caffe has a name loosely derived from those words.
pancakes with bananas and blueberriesWith its extra accent mark, Fàme (pronounced fa-may) doesn’t map exactly to any current language, Romance or otherwise, but it incorporates a number of southern European influences, along with some local Southwestern flair, into its menu for breakfast and lunch foods served in a rustic yet urbane atmosphere. The restaurant is found at the southern end of a shopping center at Central Highland that has long been a home to local restaurants, including JL Patisserie and Persephen, as well as a variety of independent businesses and stores.
Buffalo chicken sandwich with rosemary house potatoesThe location is halfway between the Central/Camelback and Campbell/Central stations on the B Line, just a bit north of the Grand Canal, which separates the Midtown and Uptown areas of Phoenix. Bike racks are found right outside the restaurant next to some outdoor tables shaded with umbrellas. The restaurant operates with a counter service model with a few twists. Customers consult a menu and then line up to place orders. Instead of choosing their own seats, staff then ask if guests want to eat indoors or on the patio and assign a table by number.
avocado grilled cheese and tomato soupDuring the week, the process is generally a quick and efficient one; however, on busy weekend days, the line to order can become quite long. Here’s one way to avoid a wait: If dining alone or with just one or two people, sit at the small bar if space permits. It’s the only portion of the restaurant that is full service, so customers there can order almost immediately after choosing a seat, bypassing the line entirely. At either the bar or the tables, the look is one defined by natural wood tables and windows facing Central Avenue with a view of the passing trains.
chicken pesto sandwich with side saladPrinted menus are in a holder mounted on the wall opposite the counter, and they list a variety of breakfast entrees, salads, and sandwiches. The pancakes are thoroughly American in both their preparation and copious portion size, but have a fluffy, light texture. Fruits such as bananas and blueberries can be mixed into the batter or served on top. The French toast, on the other hand, is more European. Served with fresh strawberries, it’s a traditional pain perdu preparation that emerges slightly crisp on outside but yielding and soaked with flavor on the interior.
Frenchie toastThe same “lost bread” approach is used in the Monte Cristo sandwich with fillings of ham, gruyere cheese, and a sunny-side-up egg with some sweet notes from powdered sugar and berry preserves. A croque madame combines the same essential ingredients with a more savory touch from a bechamel sauce and a side salad. Additional morning options served throughout the day include omelets, chilaquiles, avocado toast, and trios of breakfast tacos, served in both a traditional version with scrambled eggs and a vegan alternative with tofu.
turkey avocado sandwich with chipsA somewhat smaller but still sizable selection of sandwiches and salads follows. A classic cheeseburger is served on a buttermilk bun, and a mushroom burger offers an umami-rich alternative with toppings of mushrooms, gruyere, and caramelized onions. Both burgers come with a standard side of Kennebec potatoes. Poultry-based sandwiches replace the bun with ciabatta. Chicken pesto and Buffalo chicken are essentially the same sandwich save for the different sauces used to coat the thinly sliced meat topped with romaine, red onion, and tomato.
mushroom burger with friesTurkey avocado is again similar with a substitution of one bird for another. All sandwiches come with a sweet house pickle and chips by default, although a side salad or rosemary potatoes can be substituted as desired. One outlier is the grilled cheese, prepared on white bread with thick slabs of bacon or available in a meatless version with avocado. This particular sandwich comes with its classic accompaniment, a bowl of tangy tomato soup. Interestingly, the menu promises a soup of the day, but staff say it’s always tomato and has been that way for quite some time.
farmer’s saladLight options on the menu include the Farmer’s Salad, a big bowl of greenery that works best as a meal when accessorized with chicken or avocado. A Chicken Chop salad with poultry, bleu cheese, and a hard-boiled egg is hearty enough to be filling as is. There is only one dessert on the menu, thick slices of banana walnut bread, packaged to go but available to be warmed for on-site consumption as needed. Other items ready for takeaway include a small pantry area with ingredients, beverages, and packaged foods from national and local producers for sale.
banana walnut breadFàme offers a full bar with an emphasis on mimosa and other breakfast cocktails, as well as wine, craft beers in both bottles and on draft, and a complete coffee bar with espresso, coffee, and chai drinks. One original beverage, Xocolatte employs chimayo and cinnamon to augment its base of coffee and milk. Having recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, Fàme Caffe has not changed dramatically since its founding but seems to have found a steady niche to fill with a rustic, slightly European approach to breakfast and lunch near where Midtown meets Uptown.
4700 N. Central Ave., Phoenix AZ 85012
https://famecaffe.com#burgers #frenchToast #grilledCheese #mimosas #omelettes #pancakes #salads #sandwiches #tomatoSoup #Uptown
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Stuck in the Filter: September 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
At last, a burst of cool calms the blood after a brutal summer, and the leaves are turning. Which means I was able to recruit a bunch of grubby little leaf-lookers off the highway to serve as minions to my ever-needy Filter! With a temporarily replenished staff of fools who are unwittingly risking their lives for mere nuggets, I conduct with renewed vigor the search for quality finds.
Today, I bring you those finds, in all of their sparkly glory. WITNESS THEM!
Kenstrosity’s Jaunty Juke
Jordsjuk // Naglet til livet [September 19th, 2025 – Indie Recordings]
The lack of conversation I’ve seen surrounding this Norwegian black metal riff machine is highly disconcerting. Brought to my attention by my wonderfully wise—and devilshly handsome—owlpal1 from… GASP… another blog, Jordsjuk’s debut LP Naglet til livet has my spine whipping to a fro from the onset of ripping opener “Kollaps.” The whiplash doesn’t stop there as thrashy numbers “Grovt skadeverk” and “Skreddersøm” body me against several walls and even a couple of ceilings. For 36 relentless minutes, with only one song pushing the four minute mark, Naglet til livet is an unqualified triumph of editing and tight, effective songwriting. My immediate comparison is 2007-2013 Skeletonwitch, but some of these riffs, like the turbobangers on “Parasitt,” “Rottebitt,” “Klarhet og dybde,” and “Rennestein,” give those hallowed skellybois a serious run for their money. When they aren’t thrashing, Jordsjuk shift into a dour, but still ravenous black metal shadow. Wraiths like “Riv skorpen av såret” and “Svikter din neste” showcase this looming character quite well, and prove Jordsjuk to be dynamic, versatile songwriters. In short, Naglet til livet is a raucous good time for anyone craving black metal with sharp teeth and limitless energy.
Baguette’s Bouncy Blessing
Arjen Anthony Lucassen // Songs No One Will Hear [September 12th, 2025 – Inside Out Music]
A year without an Arjen record would be a much lesser one. It’s not often the crazy Dutchman reuses a non-Ayreon project title, but here we have his fourth solo album becoming the second under the full Arjen Anthony Lucassen name! Dropping 13 years after the previous one, Songs No One Will Hear announces the end of the world is a mere five months away, its tracks depicting the resulting stages of chaos, disarray, and human silliness. It doesn’t fall far off the catchy and melodic Arjen tree but casts a wider net than prior prog rock adventures. Much of the record reflects different eras of Ayreon, including the ’70s prog whimsy of Into the Electric Castle (“Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus”) and the fun ’80s metal edge of The Source (“Goddamn Conspiracy”). Closing epic “Our Final Song” is a microcosm of his musical breadth, shapeshifting from Jethro Tull flute shenanigans to analog synth ambience to dramatic riff bombast at will. But it’s “The Clock Ticks Down” that steals the spotlight, marking a brief return to the dark, somber grit of Guilt Machine and 01011001. It’s an unusually normal-sized album from Mr. Lucassen as well, the regular, unnarrated version being only 46 minutes and change. A condensed, jovial jack-of-all-trades showcase with many of the usual great guest musician and vocalist selections! And it’s always nice to hear him sing more, too.
Thus Spoke’s Lurid Leftovers
Fauna // Ochre and Ash [September 26th, 2025 – Lupus Lounge/Prophecy Productions]
It’s been 13 years since Cascadian black metal duo Fauna released Avifauna, to quiet yet great acclaim. Given their preoccupation with human prehistory, they might just be operating on a larger timescale than you or I. Ochre and Ash—the two main ingredients used in ancient cave paintings—is an attempt to invoke the spirit of forgotten ceremonies during which the stories of the people were immortalised on stone. Building on an atmospheric black metal base familiar in their better-known exemplars Wolves in the Throne Room and Agalloch, Fauna give Ochre and Ash a distinctive edge by roaming further afield into the experimental. For every metal-dominated track (“Nature & Madness,” “Labyrinths,” “Eternal Return”), there is an ambient, decidedly unsettling counterpart (“A Conjuring,” “Femoral Sun,” “Mockery”), and the latter are not interludes, but integral parts of the ritual. Each infuses skin-prickling drone with eerie chimes and rattles, and uncomfortable vocalisations ranging from moans and wails to laughter and the howling, yipping cries of animals—or humans mimicking them. In their repetition of haunting, hollow sounds, they are both frightening and trance-inducing. Ochre and Ash’s metallic segments are no less ominous, treading as they do between confrontationally turbulent atmoblack2 and diSEMBOWELMENT-adjacent death doom that puts me right back in the void of madness last year’s Spectral Voice generated. This is not a casual listen, and Fauna could have helped it a bit with some editing, as the weirdness combined with an excessive 70-minute runtime makes some longer passages feel tired and could be off-putting to some. Still, it’s an experience I’d recommend trying at least once.
Spicie Forrest’s Sautéed Surplus
Piece // Rambler’s Axe [September 5th, 2025 – This Charming Man Records]
Finding gym metal has always proven difficult for me. It’s not about the fastest or loudest, but about striking a balance between weight and pace. Rambler’s Axe fits the bill nicely. Influenced by the likes of Crowbar and High on Fire, these Berlin-based doomsters peddle raucous and sludgy heavy metal. There’s a bit of Conan in Piece’s DNA, too, making sure to worship each riff long enough for you to make it through any given set. Beefy basslines and aggressive, chiseled drums make it easy to drop into a groove and get your pump on. Faster cuts like “Demigod” and “Rambler’s Axe” go great with chest flies and leg press, but they’ve got tracks for bench press and deadlifts too. “Bastard Sword” and “Owl Eyes” rumble forward like the slow but inevitable rise of the barbell at max weight. Whether marching or running, baritone shouts like tank treads hang over riffs just looking for an excuse to blow off steam. Whatever your reason for visiting the glorious house of gains, Piece has your soundtrack covered.
Heruvim // Mercator [September 12th, 2025 – Self-Release]
As each passing year leaves the almighty Bolt Thrower further in the past, the yearning for that sound grows. I was quite surprised to find a small amount of solace in Heruvim, hailing from Odesa, Ukraine. I say small solace, because debut LP Mercator is more than just a clone. Augmented with the unsettling atmosphere of early Pestilence and the vocal malevolence of Sinister, this platter of old school death metal carves its own niche in a storied scene. Off-kilter leads bubble up and spew out of a murky, tarred rhythm section like prehistoric gases in a primordial soup (“Gnosis,” “Lacrimae Rerum”). Lachrymose, doom-laden passages and violent death threats trade back and forth, anchored by volatile blast beats and percussive assaults in the vein of Cannibal Corpse (“Nulla Res,” “Mercator”). Stitched together with eerie, short-and-sweet interludes, Mercator’s lean 30 minutes fly by and always leave me itching for more. Heruvim riffs on a slew of classic sounds, creating a casual brutality and primal barbarism that is both compelling and uniquely their own.
ClarkKent’s Melodic Monstrosities
Galundo Tenvulance // Insomnis Somnia [September 17th, 2025 – Spiritual Beast Records]
Falling somewhere between symphonic deathcore acts Assemble the Chariots and Grimnis enters Japan’s Galundo Tenvulance. On their second full-length LP, Insomnis Somnia, the sextet demonstrates raw power and frenetic energy throughout its 41-minute runtime. Songs are anchored by catchy melodic leads, atmospheric symphonies, and punishing, relentless kitwork (no drummer is credited, so hopefully it’s not programmed). Galundo Tenvulance’s new vocalist, Sao, delivers the goods, bringing a spirited energy to her performance that elevates the already terrific material. While the symphonics don’t quite elevate the music the same way they do for Assemble the Chariots, it’s the melodic riffs that make these guys stand out. “Noble Rot” is the highlight, with a killer lead riff that uses harmonics to add just that extra bit of oomph. Other highlights include the catchy “Regret Never Sleeps,” evoking Character-era Dark Tranquillity, and “In The Realms of the Unreal,” which demonstrates their ability to transform solos into surprising melodies. This might be too good to have landed in the filter, but with my TYMHM slots filled up, it’s better than nothing.
Mortal Scepter // Ethereal Dominance [September 9th, 2025 – Xtreem Music]
As if we didn’t have enough thrash floating in the filter, French outfit Mortal Scepter finds itself as yet another piece of thrash dredged from the muck. This quartet has been around since 2012, yet Ethereal Dominance is only their second full-length release. Their sound lands somewhere between the melodic thrash of Bloodletter and the mania of Deathhammer—though a touch less zany. The persistent level of energy these bands can maintain never ceases to amaze me. While the constant beat of drum blasts threatens to make thrash songs sound too similar, the variety of melodies Mortal Scepter delivers ensures that things never grow repetitive. They have a raw, blackened sound that feels immediate and in your face. Drummer Guillaume keeps an impressive pace with fresh-sounding, nonstop blast beats, while vocalist Lucas Scellier snarls with enthusiasm, with a voice comparable to Deathhammer’s Sergeant Salsten. However, it’s the guitars by Maxime and Scellier that really bring the band to life, from the noodly melodies to the dynamic, lengthy, and impressive solos on each song. These guys prove they are more than just simple thrash metallers on the epic thrash, ten-minute finale, “Into the Wolves Den,” which uses a mix of tempo shifts and hooky melodies to make the song just fly by. With this second LP under their belts, these guys have proven themselves an exciting newish band on the thrash scene.
Grin Reaper’s Woodland Windfall
Autrest // Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves [September 5th, 2025 – Northern Silence Productions]
Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves merges atmospheric black metal with nature, resuming Autrest’s vision from debut Follow the Cold Path. Like Saor or Falls of Rauros, stunning melodies play across untamed backdrops that stir heartstrings in unexpected ways. Ethereal keys, mournful strings, and rapid-fire tremolos impeccably capture Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves’ autumnal artwork, bringing Autrest’s imagery to life. Harsh vocals sit back in the mix, evoking windswept trees as cool harvest gusts leach branches of color, while sporadic baritone cleans add variation. “Lobos (Offering)” sets the stage with melancholic guitar plucks bolstered by forlorn strings, giving way to a controlled spark as “Ashes from the Burning Embers” ratchets up roiling vigor. Through forty-two minutes, Autrest expertly guides listeners across shifting landscapes that are delightful in their earnestness. Mastermind Matheus Vidor establishes himself as a preeminent architect of mood, channeling transitions from gentle, wonder-filled serenity to unyielding wrath. The dynamic between aggression and introspection is marvelous, permeating the album with emotion. While I could understand a complaint that some songs blur together, the spirit of Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves is never stale or disposable. Rather, Autrest has taken what began two years ago and enriched it, composing an ode to self-discovery and transformation.3 My own experience with the music conjures wilderness’s last hurrah before succumbing to winter’s embrace. As days grow shorter and temperatures drop,4 I encourage you to seek refuge and draw warmth from these Burning Embers.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Very Not Late Novella
Sterveling // Sterveling [September 26th, 2025 – Self Release]
Between the world of atmospheric and post-tinged black metal, there exists a twisted form of progressive music that teeters about brooding moods and crackling tones to explore shrieking sadness and profound sorrow. Michiel van der Werff (Prospectors, Weltschmerz), primary Dutch proprietor of Sterveling, places his expressive guitar runs and lurching rhythm clangs in the company of trusted friends to carry out his tortured, baroque vision of black metal. Against the hissing design of synth maestro and Prospectors bandmate Matthias Ruijgrok, a fullness and warping warmth pervades the spacious amp textures and muscular rhythmic framework of each piece. And through the bloodied cries of Weltschmerz bandmate Hreim, a vocal lightning flashes to illuminate the nooks between pulsing synth lines and deathly bursts of full tremolo assault. In three longform pieces, all still totaling a generous forty-two minutes, Sterveling tints a monochrome narrative with vibrant shades from thoughtful tones and well-timed, emotional escalations. Committed to each careful iteration on a melody, the woven Sterveling web grows ever stickier with every passing moment, none of the ten-minute-plus excursions ever feeling even close to their declared runtimes. And with a sound construction that hits delicate yet forceful, creaking yet incising, it’s easy to wander through several journeys on this debut outing before realizing what time has passed. Fans of equally forlorn acts like Tongues or Andalvald will feel more at home here than others. But with a tonal palette that’s as inviting as it is crushing, Sterveling should attract the ears of fans across the extreme spectrum.
#2025 #agalloch #americanMetal #andavald #arjenAnthonyLucassen #assembleTheChariots #atmosphericBlackMetal #autrest #ayreon #blackMetal #bloodletter #boltThrower #brazillianMetal #burningEmbersForgottenWolves #cannibalCorpse #conan #crowbar #darkTranquillity #deathDoom #deathMetal #deathcore #deathhammer #disembowelment #doomMetal #dutchMetal #etherealDominance #fallsOfRauros #fauna #frenchMetal #galundoTenvulance #grimnis #guiltMachine #heruvim #highOnFire #independentRelease #indieRecordings #insideoutMusic #insomnisSomnia #japaneseMetal #jethroTull #jordsjuk #lupusLounge #melodicBlackMetal #melodicDeathMetal #melodicThrashMetal #mercator #mortalScepter #nagletTilLivet #northernSilenceProductions #norwegianMetal #ochreAndAsh #pestilence #piece #postBlackMetal #progressiveBlackMetal #progressiveMetal #progressiveRock #prophecyProductions #ramblersAxe #review #reviews #saor #selfRelease #selfReleased #sep25 #sinister #skeletonwitch #sludge #sludgeMetal #songsNoOneWillHear #spectralVoice #sterveling #stuckInTheFilter #stuckInTheFilter2025 #symphonicDeathcore #thisCharmingManRecords #thrashMetal #tongues #ukrainianMetal #wolvesInTheThroneRoom
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Stuck in the Filter: September 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
At last, a burst of cool calms the blood after a brutal summer, and the leaves are turning. Which means I was able to recruit a bunch of grubby little leaf-lookers off the highway to serve as minions to my ever-needy Filter! With a temporarily replenished staff of fools who are unwittingly risking their lives for mere nuggets, I conduct with renewed vigor the search for quality finds.
Today, I bring you those finds, in all of their sparkly glory. WITNESS THEM!
Kenstrosity’s Jaunty Juke
Jordsjuk // Naglet til livet [September 19th, 2025 – Indie Recordings]
The lack of conversation I’ve seen surrounding this Norwegian black metal riff machine is highly disconcerting. Brought to my attention by my wonderfully wise—and devilshly handsome—owlpal1 from… GASP… another blog, Jordsjuk’s debut LP Naglet til livet has my spine whipping to a fro from the onset of ripping opener “Kollaps.” The whiplash doesn’t stop there as thrashy numbers “Grovt skadeverk” and “Skreddersøm” body me against several walls and even a couple of ceilings. For 36 relentless minutes, with only one song pushing the four minute mark, Naglet til livet is an unqualified triumph of editing and tight, effective songwriting. My immediate comparison is 2007-2013 Skeletonwitch, but some of these riffs, like the turbobangers on “Parasitt,” “Rottebitt,” “Klarhet og dybde,” and “Rennestein,” give those hallowed skellybois a serious run for their money. When they aren’t thrashing, Jordsjuk shift into a dour, but still ravenous black metal shadow. Wraiths like “Riv skorpen av såret” and “Svikter din neste” showcase this looming character quite well, and prove Jordsjuk to be dynamic, versatile songwriters. In short, Naglet til livet is a raucous good time for anyone craving black metal with sharp teeth and limitless energy.
Baguette’s Bouncy Blessing
Arjen Anthony Lucassen // Songs No One Will Hear [September 12th, 2025 – Inside Out Music]
A year without an Arjen record would be a much lesser one. It’s not often the crazy Dutchman reuses a non-Ayreon project title, but here we have his fourth solo album becoming the second under the full Arjen Anthony Lucassen name! Dropping 13 years after the previous one, Songs No One Will Hear announces the end of the world is a mere five months away, its tracks depicting the resulting stages of chaos, disarray, and human silliness. It doesn’t fall far off the catchy and melodic Arjen tree but casts a wider net than prior prog rock adventures. Much of the record reflects different eras of Ayreon, including the ’70s prog whimsy of Into the Electric Castle (“Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus”) and the fun ’80s metal edge of The Source (“Goddamn Conspiracy”). Closing epic “Our Final Song” is a microcosm of his musical breadth, shapeshifting from Jethro Tull flute shenanigans to analog synth ambience to dramatic riff bombast at will. But it’s “The Clock Ticks Down” that steals the spotlight, marking a brief return to the dark, somber grit of Guilt Machine and 01011001. It’s an unusually normal-sized album from Mr. Lucassen as well, the regular, unnarrated version being only 46 minutes and change. A condensed, jovial jack-of-all-trades showcase with many of the usual great guest musician and vocalist selections! And it’s always nice to hear him sing more, too.
Thus Spoke’s Lurid Leftovers
Fauna // Ochre and Ash [September 26th, 2025 – Lupus Lounge/Prophecy Productions]
It’s been 13 years since Cascadian black metal duo Fauna released Avifauna, to quiet yet great acclaim. Given their preoccupation with human prehistory, they might just be operating on a larger timescale than you or I. Ochre and Ash—the two main ingredients used in ancient cave paintings—is an attempt to invoke the spirit of forgotten ceremonies during which the stories of the people were immortalised on stone. Building on an atmospheric black metal base familiar in their better-known exemplars Wolves in the Throne Room and Agalloch, Fauna give Ochre and Ash a distinctive edge by roaming further afield into the experimental. For every metal-dominated track (“Nature & Madness,” “Labyrinths,” “Eternal Return”), there is an ambient, decidedly unsettling counterpart (“A Conjuring,” “Femoral Sun,” “Mockery”), and the latter are not interludes, but integral parts of the ritual. Each infuses skin-prickling drone with eerie chimes and rattles, and uncomfortable vocalisations ranging from moans and wails to laughter and the howling, yipping cries of animals—or humans mimicking them. In their repetition of haunting, hollow sounds, they are both frightening and trance-inducing. Ochre and Ash’s metallic segments are no less ominous, treading as they do between confrontationally turbulent atmoblack2 and diSEMBOWELMENT-adjacent death doom that puts me right back in the void of madness last year’s Spectral Voice generated. This is not a casual listen, and Fauna could have helped it a bit with some editing, as the weirdness combined with an excessive 70-minute runtime makes some longer passages feel tired and could be off-putting to some. Still, it’s an experience I’d recommend trying at least once.
Spicie Forrest’s Sautéed Surplus
Piece // Rambler’s Axe [September 5th, 2025 – This Charming Man Records]
Finding gym metal has always proven difficult for me. It’s not about the fastest or loudest, but about striking a balance between weight and pace. Rambler’s Axe fits the bill nicely. Influenced by the likes of Crowbar and High on Fire, these Berlin-based doomsters peddle raucous and sludgy heavy metal. There’s a bit of Conan in Piece’s DNA, too, making sure to worship each riff long enough for you to make it through any given set. Beefy basslines and aggressive, chiseled drums make it easy to drop into a groove and get your pump on. Faster cuts like “Demigod” and “Rambler’s Axe” go great with chest flies and leg press, but they’ve got tracks for bench press and deadlifts too. “Bastard Sword” and “Owl Eyes” rumble forward like the slow but inevitable rise of the barbell at max weight. Whether marching or running, baritone shouts like tank treads hang over riffs just looking for an excuse to blow off steam. Whatever your reason for visiting the glorious house of gains, Piece has your soundtrack covered.
Heruvim // Mercator [September 12th, 2025 – Self-Release]
As each passing year leaves the almighty Bolt Thrower further in the past, the yearning for that sound grows. I was quite surprised to find a small amount of solace in Heruvim, hailing from Odesa, Ukraine. I say small solace, because debut LP Mercator is more than just a clone. Augmented with the unsettling atmosphere of early Pestilence and the vocal malevolence of Sinister, this platter of old school death metal carves its own niche in a storied scene. Off-kilter leads bubble up and spew out of a murky, tarred rhythm section like prehistoric gases in a primordial soup (“Gnosis,” “Lacrimae Rerum”). Lachrymose, doom-laden passages and violent death threats trade back and forth, anchored by volatile blast beats and percussive assaults in the vein of Cannibal Corpse (“Nulla Res,” “Mercator”). Stitched together with eerie, short-and-sweet interludes, Mercator’s lean 30 minutes fly by and always leave me itching for more. Heruvim riffs on a slew of classic sounds, creating a casual brutality and primal barbarism that is both compelling and uniquely their own.
ClarkKent’s Melodic Monstrosities
Galundo Tenvulance // Insomnis Somnia [September 17th, 2025 – Spiritual Beast Records]
Falling somewhere between symphonic deathcore acts Assemble the Chariots and Grimnis enters Japan’s Galundo Tenvulance. On their second full-length LP, Insomnis Somnia, the sextet demonstrates raw power and frenetic energy throughout its 41-minute runtime. Songs are anchored by catchy melodic leads, atmospheric symphonies, and punishing, relentless kitwork (no drummer is credited, so hopefully it’s not programmed). Galundo Tenvulance’s new vocalist, Sao, delivers the goods, bringing a spirited energy to her performance that elevates the already terrific material. While the symphonics don’t quite elevate the music the same way they do for Assemble the Chariots, it’s the melodic riffs that make these guys stand out. “Noble Rot” is the highlight, with a killer lead riff that uses harmonics to add just that extra bit of oomph. Other highlights include the catchy “Regret Never Sleeps,” evoking Character-era Dark Tranquillity, and “In The Realms of the Unreal,” which demonstrates their ability to transform solos into surprising melodies. This might be too good to have landed in the filter, but with my TYMHM slots filled up, it’s better than nothing.
Mortal Scepter // Ethereal Dominance [September 9th, 2025 – Xtreem Music]
As if we didn’t have enough thrash floating in the filter, French outfit Mortal Scepter finds itself as yet another piece of thrash dredged from the muck. This quartet has been around since 2012, yet Ethereal Dominance is only their second full-length release. Their sound lands somewhere between the melodic thrash of Bloodletter and the mania of Deathhammer—though a touch less zany. The persistent level of energy these bands can maintain never ceases to amaze me. While the constant beat of drum blasts threatens to make thrash songs sound too similar, the variety of melodies Mortal Scepter delivers ensures that things never grow repetitive. They have a raw, blackened sound that feels immediate and in your face. Drummer Guillaume keeps an impressive pace with fresh-sounding, nonstop blast beats, while vocalist Lucas Scellier snarls with enthusiasm, with a voice comparable to Deathhammer’s Sergeant Salsten. However, it’s the guitars by Maxime and Scellier that really bring the band to life, from the noodly melodies to the dynamic, lengthy, and impressive solos on each song. These guys prove they are more than just simple thrash metallers on the epic thrash, ten-minute finale, “Into the Wolves Den,” which uses a mix of tempo shifts and hooky melodies to make the song just fly by. With this second LP under their belts, these guys have proven themselves an exciting newish band on the thrash scene.
Grin Reaper’s Woodland Windfall
Autrest // Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves [September 5th, 2025 – Northern Silence Productions]
Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves merges atmospheric black metal with nature, resuming Autrest’s vision from debut Follow the Cold Path. Like Saor or Falls of Rauros, stunning melodies play across untamed backdrops that stir heartstrings in unexpected ways. Ethereal keys, mournful strings, and rapid-fire tremolos impeccably capture Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves’ autumnal artwork, bringing Autrest’s imagery to life. Harsh vocals sit back in the mix, evoking windswept trees as cool harvest gusts leach branches of color, while sporadic baritone cleans add variation. “Lobos (Offering)” sets the stage with melancholic guitar plucks bolstered by forlorn strings, giving way to a controlled spark as “Ashes from the Burning Embers” ratchets up roiling vigor. Through forty-two minutes, Autrest expertly guides listeners across shifting landscapes that are delightful in their earnestness. Mastermind Matheus Vidor establishes himself as a preeminent architect of mood, channeling transitions from gentle, wonder-filled serenity to unyielding wrath. The dynamic between aggression and introspection is marvelous, permeating the album with emotion. While I could understand a complaint that some songs blur together, the spirit of Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves is never stale or disposable. Rather, Autrest has taken what began two years ago and enriched it, composing an ode to self-discovery and transformation.3 My own experience with the music conjures wilderness’s last hurrah before succumbing to winter’s embrace. As days grow shorter and temperatures drop,4 I encourage you to seek refuge and draw warmth from these Burning Embers.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Very Not Late Novella
Sterveling // Sterveling [September 26th, 2025 – Self Release]
Between the world of atmospheric and post-tinged black metal, there exists a twisted form of progressive music that teeters about brooding moods and crackling tones to explore shrieking sadness and profound sorrow. Michiel van der Werff (Prospectors, Weltschmerz), primary Dutch proprietor of Sterveling, places his expressive guitar runs and lurching rhythm clangs in the company of trusted friends to carry out his tortured, baroque vision of black metal. Against the hissing design of synth maestro and Prospectors bandmate Matthias Ruijgrok, a fullness and warping warmth pervades the spacious amp textures and muscular rhythmic framework of each piece. And through the bloodied cries of Weltschmerz bandmate Hreim, a vocal lightning flashes to illuminate the nooks between pulsing synth lines and deathly bursts of full tremolo assault. In three longform pieces, all still totaling a generous forty-two minutes, Sterveling tints a monochrome narrative with vibrant shades from thoughtful tones and well-timed, emotional escalations. Committed to each careful iteration on a melody, the woven Sterveling web grows ever stickier with every passing moment, none of the ten-minute-plus excursions ever feeling even close to their declared runtimes. And with a sound construction that hits delicate yet forceful, creaking yet incising, it’s easy to wander through several journeys on this debut outing before realizing what time has passed. Fans of equally forlorn acts like Tongues or Andalvald will feel more at home here than others. But with a tonal palette that’s as inviting as it is crushing, Sterveling should attract the ears of fans across the extreme spectrum.
#2025 #agalloch #americanMetal #andavald #arjenAnthonyLucassen #assembleTheChariots #atmosphericBlackMetal #autrest #ayreon #blackMetal #bloodletter #boltThrower #brazillianMetal #burningEmbersForgottenWolves #cannibalCorpse #conan #crowbar #darkTranquillity #deathDoom #deathMetal #deathcore #deathhammer #disembowelment #doomMetal #dutchMetal #etherealDominance #fallsOfRauros #fauna #frenchMetal #galundoTenvulance #grimnis #guiltMachine #heruvim #highOnFire #independentRelease #indieRecordings #insideoutMusic #insomnisSomnia #japaneseMetal #jethroTull #jordsjuk #lupusLounge #melodicBlackMetal #melodicDeathMetal #melodicThrashMetal #mercator #mortalScepter #nagletTilLivet #northernSilenceProductions #norwegianMetal #ochreAndAsh #pestilence #piece #postBlackMetal #progressiveBlackMetal #progressiveMetal #progressiveRock #prophecyProductions #ramblersAxe #review #reviews #saor #selfRelease #selfReleased #sep25 #sinister #skeletonwitch #sludge #sludgeMetal #songsNoOneWillHear #spectralVoice #sterveling #stuckInTheFilter #stuckInTheFilter2025 #symphonicDeathcore #thisCharmingManRecords #thrashMetal #tongues #ukrainianMetal #wolvesInTheThroneRoom
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Stuck in the Filter: September 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
At last, a burst of cool calms the blood after a brutal summer, and the leaves are turning. Which means I was able to recruit a bunch of grubby little leaf-lookers off the highway to serve as minions to my ever-needy Filter! With a temporarily replenished staff of fools who are unwittingly risking their lives for mere nuggets, I conduct with renewed vigor the search for quality finds.
Today, I bring you those finds, in all of their sparkly glory. WITNESS THEM!
Kenstrosity’s Jaunty Juke
Jordsjuk // Naglet til livet [September 19th, 2025 – Indie Recordings]
The lack of conversation I’ve seen surrounding this Norwegian black metal riff machine is highly disconcerting. Brought to my attention by my wonderfully wise—and devilshly handsome—owlpal1 from… GASP… another blog, Jordsjuk’s debut LP Naglet til livet has my spine whipping to a fro from the onset of ripping opener “Kollaps.” The whiplash doesn’t stop there as thrashy numbers “Grovt skadeverk” and “Skreddersøm” body me against several walls and even a couple of ceilings. For 36 relentless minutes, with only one song pushing the four minute mark, Naglet til livet is an unqualified triumph of editing and tight, effective songwriting. My immediate comparison is 2007-2013 Skeletonwitch, but some of these riffs, like the turbobangers on “Parasitt,” “Rottebitt,” “Klarhet og dybde,” and “Rennestein,” give those hallowed skellybois a serious run for their money. When they aren’t thrashing, Jordsjuk shift into a dour, but still ravenous black metal shadow. Wraiths like “Riv skorpen av såret” and “Svikter din neste” showcase this looming character quite well, and prove Jordsjuk to be dynamic, versatile songwriters. In short, Naglet til livet is a raucous good time for anyone craving black metal with sharp teeth and limitless energy.
Baguette’s Bouncy Blessing
Arjen Anthony Lucassen // Songs No One Will Hear [September 12th, 2025 – Inside Out Music]
A year without an Arjen record would be a much lesser one. It’s not often the crazy Dutchman reuses a non-Ayreon project title, but here we have his fourth solo album becoming the second under the full Arjen Anthony Lucassen name! Dropping 13 years after the previous one, Songs No One Will Hear announces the end of the world is a mere five months away, its tracks depicting the resulting stages of chaos, disarray, and human silliness. It doesn’t fall far off the catchy and melodic Arjen tree but casts a wider net than prior prog rock adventures. Much of the record reflects different eras of Ayreon, including the ’70s prog whimsy of Into the Electric Castle (“Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus”) and the fun ’80s metal edge of The Source (“Goddamn Conspiracy”). Closing epic “Our Final Song” is a microcosm of his musical breadth, shapeshifting from Jethro Tull flute shenanigans to analog synth ambience to dramatic riff bombast at will. But it’s “The Clock Ticks Down” that steals the spotlight, marking a brief return to the dark, somber grit of Guilt Machine and 01011001. It’s an unusually normal-sized album from Mr. Lucassen as well, the regular, unnarrated version being only 46 minutes and change. A condensed, jovial jack-of-all-trades showcase with many of the usual great guest musician and vocalist selections! And it’s always nice to hear him sing more, too.
Thus Spoke’s Lurid Leftovers
Fauna // Ochre and Ash [September 26th, 2025 – Lupus Lounge/Prophecy Productions]
It’s been 13 years since Cascadian black metal duo Fauna released Avifauna, to quiet yet great acclaim. Given their preoccupation with human prehistory, they might just be operating on a larger timescale than you or I. Ochre and Ash—the two main ingredients used in ancient cave paintings—is an attempt to invoke the spirit of forgotten ceremonies during which the stories of the people were immortalised on stone. Building on an atmospheric black metal base familiar in their better-known exemplars Wolves in the Throne Room and Agalloch, Fauna give Ochre and Ash a distinctive edge by roaming further afield into the experimental. For every metal-dominated track (“Nature & Madness,” “Labyrinths,” “Eternal Return”), there is an ambient, decidedly unsettling counterpart (“A Conjuring,” “Femoral Sun,” “Mockery”), and the latter are not interludes, but integral parts of the ritual. Each infuses skin-prickling drone with eerie chimes and rattles, and uncomfortable vocalisations ranging from moans and wails to laughter and the howling, yipping cries of animals—or humans mimicking them. In their repetition of haunting, hollow sounds, they are both frightening and trance-inducing. Ochre and Ash’s metallic segments are no less ominous, treading as they do between confrontationally turbulent atmoblack2 and diSEMBOWELMENT-adjacent death doom that puts me right back in the void of madness last year’s Spectral Voice generated. This is not a casual listen, and Fauna could have helped it a bit with some editing, as the weirdness combined with an excessive 70-minute runtime makes some longer passages feel tired and could be off-putting to some. Still, it’s an experience I’d recommend trying at least once.
Spicie Forrest’s Sautéed Surplus
Piece // Rambler’s Axe [September 5th, 2025 – This Charming Man Records]
Finding gym metal has always proven difficult for me. It’s not about the fastest or loudest, but about striking a balance between weight and pace. Rambler’s Axe fits the bill nicely. Influenced by the likes of Crowbar and High on Fire, these Berlin-based doomsters peddle raucous and sludgy heavy metal. There’s a bit of Conan in Piece’s DNA, too, making sure to worship each riff long enough for you to make it through any given set. Beefy basslines and aggressive, chiseled drums make it easy to drop into a groove and get your pump on. Faster cuts like “Demigod” and “Rambler’s Axe” go great with chest flies and leg press, but they’ve got tracks for bench press and deadlifts too. “Bastard Sword” and “Owl Eyes” rumble forward like the slow but inevitable rise of the barbell at max weight. Whether marching or running, baritone shouts like tank treads hang over riffs just looking for an excuse to blow off steam. Whatever your reason for visiting the glorious house of gains, Piece has your soundtrack covered.
Heruvim // Mercator [September 12th, 2025 – Self-Release]
As each passing year leaves the almighty Bolt Thrower further in the past, the yearning for that sound grows. I was quite surprised to find a small amount of solace in Heruvim, hailing from Odesa, Ukraine. I say small solace, because debut LP Mercator is more than just a clone. Augmented with the unsettling atmosphere of early Pestilence and the vocal malevolence of Sinister, this platter of old school death metal carves its own niche in a storied scene. Off-kilter leads bubble up and spew out of a murky, tarred rhythm section like prehistoric gases in a primordial soup (“Gnosis,” “Lacrimae Rerum”). Lachrymose, doom-laden passages and violent death threats trade back and forth, anchored by volatile blast beats and percussive assaults in the vein of Cannibal Corpse (“Nulla Res,” “Mercator”). Stitched together with eerie, short-and-sweet interludes, Mercator’s lean 30 minutes fly by and always leave me itching for more. Heruvim riffs on a slew of classic sounds, creating a casual brutality and primal barbarism that is both compelling and uniquely their own.
ClarkKent’s Melodic Monstrosities
Galundo Tenvulance // Insomnis Somnia [September 17th, 2025 – Spiritual Beast Records]
Falling somewhere between symphonic deathcore acts Assemble the Chariots and Grimnis enters Japan’s Galundo Tenvulance. On their second full-length LP, Insomnis Somnia, the sextet demonstrates raw power and frenetic energy throughout its 41-minute runtime. Songs are anchored by catchy melodic leads, atmospheric symphonies, and punishing, relentless kitwork (no drummer is credited, so hopefully it’s not programmed). Galundo Tenvulance’s new vocalist, Sao, delivers the goods, bringing a spirited energy to her performance that elevates the already terrific material. While the symphonics don’t quite elevate the music the same way they do for Assemble the Chariots, it’s the melodic riffs that make these guys stand out. “Noble Rot” is the highlight, with a killer lead riff that uses harmonics to add just that extra bit of oomph. Other highlights include the catchy “Regret Never Sleeps,” evoking Character-era Dark Tranquillity, and “In The Realms of the Unreal,” which demonstrates their ability to transform solos into surprising melodies. This might be too good to have landed in the filter, but with my TYMHM slots filled up, it’s better than nothing.
Mortal Scepter // Ethereal Dominance [September 9th, 2025 – Xtreem Music]
As if we didn’t have enough thrash floating in the filter, French outfit Mortal Scepter finds itself as yet another piece of thrash dredged from the muck. This quartet has been around since 2012, yet Ethereal Dominance is only their second full-length release. Their sound lands somewhere between the melodic thrash of Bloodletter and the mania of Deathhammer—though a touch less zany. The persistent level of energy these bands can maintain never ceases to amaze me. While the constant beat of drum blasts threatens to make thrash songs sound too similar, the variety of melodies Mortal Scepter delivers ensures that things never grow repetitive. They have a raw, blackened sound that feels immediate and in your face. Drummer Guillaume keeps an impressive pace with fresh-sounding, nonstop blast beats, while vocalist Lucas Scellier snarls with enthusiasm, with a voice comparable to Deathhammer’s Sergeant Salsten. However, it’s the guitars by Maxime and Scellier that really bring the band to life, from the noodly melodies to the dynamic, lengthy, and impressive solos on each song. These guys prove they are more than just simple thrash metallers on the epic thrash, ten-minute finale, “Into the Wolves Den,” which uses a mix of tempo shifts and hooky melodies to make the song just fly by. With this second LP under their belts, these guys have proven themselves an exciting newish band on the thrash scene.
Grin Reaper’s Woodland Windfall
Autrest // Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves [September 5th, 2025 – Northern Silence Productions]
Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves merges atmospheric black metal with nature, resuming Autrest’s vision from debut Follow the Cold Path. Like Saor or Falls of Rauros, stunning melodies play across untamed backdrops that stir heartstrings in unexpected ways. Ethereal keys, mournful strings, and rapid-fire tremolos impeccably capture Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves’ autumnal artwork, bringing Autrest’s imagery to life. Harsh vocals sit back in the mix, evoking windswept trees as cool harvest gusts leach branches of color, while sporadic baritone cleans add variation. “Lobos (Offering)” sets the stage with melancholic guitar plucks bolstered by forlorn strings, giving way to a controlled spark as “Ashes from the Burning Embers” ratchets up roiling vigor. Through forty-two minutes, Autrest expertly guides listeners across shifting landscapes that are delightful in their earnestness. Mastermind Matheus Vidor establishes himself as a preeminent architect of mood, channeling transitions from gentle, wonder-filled serenity to unyielding wrath. The dynamic between aggression and introspection is marvelous, permeating the album with emotion. While I could understand a complaint that some songs blur together, the spirit of Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves is never stale or disposable. Rather, Autrest has taken what began two years ago and enriched it, composing an ode to self-discovery and transformation.3 My own experience with the music conjures wilderness’s last hurrah before succumbing to winter’s embrace. As days grow shorter and temperatures drop,4 I encourage you to seek refuge and draw warmth from these Burning Embers.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Very Not Late Novella
Sterveling // Sterveling [September 26th, 2025 – Self Release]
Between the world of atmospheric and post-tinged black metal, there exists a twisted form of progressive music that teeters about brooding moods and crackling tones to explore shrieking sadness and profound sorrow. Michiel van der Werff (Prospectors, Weltschmerz), primary Dutch proprietor of Sterveling, places his expressive guitar runs and lurching rhythm clangs in the company of trusted friends to carry out his tortured, baroque vision of black metal. Against the hissing design of synth maestro and Prospectors bandmate Matthias Ruijgrok, a fullness and warping warmth pervades the spacious amp textures and muscular rhythmic framework of each piece. And through the bloodied cries of Weltschmerz bandmate Hreim, a vocal lightning flashes to illuminate the nooks between pulsing synth lines and deathly bursts of full tremolo assault. In three longform pieces, all still totaling a generous forty-two minutes, Sterveling tints a monochrome narrative with vibrant shades from thoughtful tones and well-timed, emotional escalations. Committed to each careful iteration on a melody, the woven Sterveling web grows ever stickier with every passing moment, none of the ten-minute-plus excursions ever feeling even close to their declared runtimes. And with a sound construction that hits delicate yet forceful, creaking yet incising, it’s easy to wander through several journeys on this debut outing before realizing what time has passed. Fans of equally forlorn acts like Tongues or Andalvald will feel more at home here than others. But with a tonal palette that’s as inviting as it is crushing, Sterveling should attract the ears of fans across the extreme spectrum.
#2025 #agalloch #americanMetal #andavald #arjenAnthonyLucassen #assembleTheChariots #atmosphericBlackMetal #autrest #ayreon #blackMetal #bloodletter #boltThrower #brazillianMetal #burningEmbersForgottenWolves #cannibalCorpse #conan #crowbar #darkTranquillity #deathDoom #deathMetal #deathcore #deathhammer #disembowelment #doomMetal #dutchMetal #etherealDominance #fallsOfRauros #fauna #frenchMetal #galundoTenvulance #grimnis #guiltMachine #heruvim #highOnFire #independentRelease #indieRecordings #insideoutMusic #insomnisSomnia #japaneseMetal #jethroTull #jordsjuk #lupusLounge #melodicBlackMetal #melodicDeathMetal #melodicThrashMetal #mercator #mortalScepter #nagletTilLivet #northernSilenceProductions #norwegianMetal #ochreAndAsh #pestilence #piece #postBlackMetal #progressiveBlackMetal #progressiveMetal #progressiveRock #prophecyProductions #ramblersAxe #review #reviews #saor #selfRelease #selfReleased #sep25 #sinister #skeletonwitch #sludge #sludgeMetal #songsNoOneWillHear #spectralVoice #sterveling #stuckInTheFilter #stuckInTheFilter2025 #symphonicDeathcore #thisCharmingManRecords #thrashMetal #tongues #ukrainianMetal #wolvesInTheThroneRoom
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Stuck in the Filter: September 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
At last, a burst of cool calms the blood after a brutal summer, and the leaves are turning. Which means I was able to recruit a bunch of grubby little leaf-lookers off the highway to serve as minions to my ever-needy Filter! With a temporarily replenished staff of fools who are unwittingly risking their lives for mere nuggets, I conduct with renewed vigor the search for quality finds.
Today, I bring you those finds, in all of their sparkly glory. WITNESS THEM!
Kenstrosity’s Jaunty Juke
Jordsjuk // Naglet til livet [September 19th, 2025 – Indie Recordings]
The lack of conversation I’ve seen surrounding this Norwegian black metal riff machine is highly disconcerting. Brought to my attention by my wonderfully wise—and devilshly handsome—owlpal1 from… GASP… another blog, Jordsjuk’s debut LP Naglet til livet has my spine whipping to a fro from the onset of ripping opener “Kollaps.” The whiplash doesn’t stop there as thrashy numbers “Grovt skadeverk” and “Skreddersøm” body me against several walls and even a couple of ceilings. For 36 relentless minutes, with only one song pushing the four minute mark, Naglet til livet is an unqualified triumph of editing and tight, effective songwriting. My immediate comparison is 2007-2013 Skeletonwitch, but some of these riffs, like the turbobangers on “Parasitt,” “Rottebitt,” “Klarhet og dybde,” and “Rennestein,” give those hallowed skellybois a serious run for their money. When they aren’t thrashing, Jordsjuk shift into a dour, but still ravenous black metal shadow. Wraiths like “Riv skorpen av såret” and “Svikter din neste” showcase this looming character quite well, and prove Jordsjuk to be dynamic, versatile songwriters. In short, Naglet til livet is a raucous good time for anyone craving black metal with sharp teeth and limitless energy.
Baguette’s Bouncy Blessing
Arjen Anthony Lucassen // Songs No One Will Hear [September 12th, 2025 – Inside Out Music]
A year without an Arjen record would be a much lesser one. It’s not often the crazy Dutchman reuses a non-Ayreon project title, but here we have his fourth solo album becoming the second under the full Arjen Anthony Lucassen name! Dropping 13 years after the previous one, Songs No One Will Hear announces the end of the world is a mere five months away, its tracks depicting the resulting stages of chaos, disarray, and human silliness. It doesn’t fall far off the catchy and melodic Arjen tree but casts a wider net than prior prog rock adventures. Much of the record reflects different eras of Ayreon, including the ’70s prog whimsy of Into the Electric Castle (“Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus”) and the fun ’80s metal edge of The Source (“Goddamn Conspiracy”). Closing epic “Our Final Song” is a microcosm of his musical breadth, shapeshifting from Jethro Tull flute shenanigans to analog synth ambience to dramatic riff bombast at will. But it’s “The Clock Ticks Down” that steals the spotlight, marking a brief return to the dark, somber grit of Guilt Machine and 01011001. It’s an unusually normal-sized album from Mr. Lucassen as well, the regular, unnarrated version being only 46 minutes and change. A condensed, jovial jack-of-all-trades showcase with many of the usual great guest musician and vocalist selections! And it’s always nice to hear him sing more, too.
Thus Spoke’s Lurid Leftovers
Fauna // Ochre and Ash [September 26th, 2025 – Lupus Lounge/Prophecy Productions]
It’s been 13 years since Cascadian black metal duo Fauna released Avifauna, to quiet yet great acclaim. Given their preoccupation with human prehistory, they might just be operating on a larger timescale than you or I. Ochre and Ash—the two main ingredients used in ancient cave paintings—is an attempt to invoke the spirit of forgotten ceremonies during which the stories of the people were immortalised on stone. Building on an atmospheric black metal base familiar in their better-known exemplars Wolves in the Throne Room and Agalloch, Fauna give Ochre and Ash a distinctive edge by roaming further afield into the experimental. For every metal-dominated track (“Nature & Madness,” “Labyrinths,” “Eternal Return”), there is an ambient, decidedly unsettling counterpart (“A Conjuring,” “Femoral Sun,” “Mockery”), and the latter are not interludes, but integral parts of the ritual. Each infuses skin-prickling drone with eerie chimes and rattles, and uncomfortable vocalisations ranging from moans and wails to laughter and the howling, yipping cries of animals—or humans mimicking them. In their repetition of haunting, hollow sounds, they are both frightening and trance-inducing. Ochre and Ash’s metallic segments are no less ominous, treading as they do between confrontationally turbulent atmoblack2 and diSEMBOWELMENT-adjacent death doom that puts me right back in the void of madness last year’s Spectral Voice generated. This is not a casual listen, and Fauna could have helped it a bit with some editing, as the weirdness combined with an excessive 70-minute runtime makes some longer passages feel tired and could be off-putting to some. Still, it’s an experience I’d recommend trying at least once.
Spicie Forrest’s Sautéed Surplus
Piece // Rambler’s Axe [September 5th, 2025 – This Charming Man Records]
Finding gym metal has always proven difficult for me. It’s not about the fastest or loudest, but about striking a balance between weight and pace. Rambler’s Axe fits the bill nicely. Influenced by the likes of Crowbar and High on Fire, these Berlin-based doomsters peddle raucous and sludgy heavy metal. There’s a bit of Conan in Piece’s DNA, too, making sure to worship each riff long enough for you to make it through any given set. Beefy basslines and aggressive, chiseled drums make it easy to drop into a groove and get your pump on. Faster cuts like “Demigod” and “Rambler’s Axe” go great with chest flies and leg press, but they’ve got tracks for bench press and deadlifts too. “Bastard Sword” and “Owl Eyes” rumble forward like the slow but inevitable rise of the barbell at max weight. Whether marching or running, baritone shouts like tank treads hang over riffs just looking for an excuse to blow off steam. Whatever your reason for visiting the glorious house of gains, Piece has your soundtrack covered.
Heruvim // Mercator [September 12th, 2025 – Self-Release]
As each passing year leaves the almighty Bolt Thrower further in the past, the yearning for that sound grows. I was quite surprised to find a small amount of solace in Heruvim, hailing from Odesa, Ukraine. I say small solace, because debut LP Mercator is more than just a clone. Augmented with the unsettling atmosphere of early Pestilence and the vocal malevolence of Sinister, this platter of old school death metal carves its own niche in a storied scene. Off-kilter leads bubble up and spew out of a murky, tarred rhythm section like prehistoric gases in a primordial soup (“Gnosis,” “Lacrimae Rerum”). Lachrymose, doom-laden passages and violent death threats trade back and forth, anchored by volatile blast beats and percussive assaults in the vein of Cannibal Corpse (“Nulla Res,” “Mercator”). Stitched together with eerie, short-and-sweet interludes, Mercator’s lean 30 minutes fly by and always leave me itching for more. Heruvim riffs on a slew of classic sounds, creating a casual brutality and primal barbarism that is both compelling and uniquely their own.
ClarkKent’s Melodic Monstrosities
Galundo Tenvulance // Insomnis Somnia [September 17th, 2025 – Spiritual Beast Records]
Falling somewhere between symphonic deathcore acts Assemble the Chariots and Grimnis enters Japan’s Galundo Tenvulance. On their second full-length LP, Insomnis Somnia, the sextet demonstrates raw power and frenetic energy throughout its 41-minute runtime. Songs are anchored by catchy melodic leads, atmospheric symphonies, and punishing, relentless kitwork (no drummer is credited, so hopefully it’s not programmed). Galundo Tenvulance’s new vocalist, Sao, delivers the goods, bringing a spirited energy to her performance that elevates the already terrific material. While the symphonics don’t quite elevate the music the same way they do for Assemble the Chariots, it’s the melodic riffs that make these guys stand out. “Noble Rot” is the highlight, with a killer lead riff that uses harmonics to add just that extra bit of oomph. Other highlights include the catchy “Regret Never Sleeps,” evoking Character-era Dark Tranquillity, and “In The Realms of the Unreal,” which demonstrates their ability to transform solos into surprising melodies. This might be too good to have landed in the filter, but with my TYMHM slots filled up, it’s better than nothing.
Mortal Scepter // Ethereal Dominance [September 9th, 2025 – Xtreem Music]
As if we didn’t have enough thrash floating in the filter, French outfit Mortal Scepter finds itself as yet another piece of thrash dredged from the muck. This quartet has been around since 2012, yet Ethereal Dominance is only their second full-length release. Their sound lands somewhere between the melodic thrash of Bloodletter and the mania of Deathhammer—though a touch less zany. The persistent level of energy these bands can maintain never ceases to amaze me. While the constant beat of drum blasts threatens to make thrash songs sound too similar, the variety of melodies Mortal Scepter delivers ensures that things never grow repetitive. They have a raw, blackened sound that feels immediate and in your face. Drummer Guillaume keeps an impressive pace with fresh-sounding, nonstop blast beats, while vocalist Lucas Scellier snarls with enthusiasm, with a voice comparable to Deathhammer’s Sergeant Salsten. However, it’s the guitars by Maxime and Scellier that really bring the band to life, from the noodly melodies to the dynamic, lengthy, and impressive solos on each song. These guys prove they are more than just simple thrash metallers on the epic thrash, ten-minute finale, “Into the Wolves Den,” which uses a mix of tempo shifts and hooky melodies to make the song just fly by. With this second LP under their belts, these guys have proven themselves an exciting newish band on the thrash scene.
Grin Reaper’s Woodland Windfall
Autrest // Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves [September 5th, 2025 – Northern Silence Productions]
Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves merges atmospheric black metal with nature, resuming Autrest’s vision from debut Follow the Cold Path. Like Saor or Falls of Rauros, stunning melodies play across untamed backdrops that stir heartstrings in unexpected ways. Ethereal keys, mournful strings, and rapid-fire tremolos impeccably capture Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves’ autumnal artwork, bringing Autrest’s imagery to life. Harsh vocals sit back in the mix, evoking windswept trees as cool harvest gusts leach branches of color, while sporadic baritone cleans add variation. “Lobos (Offering)” sets the stage with melancholic guitar plucks bolstered by forlorn strings, giving way to a controlled spark as “Ashes from the Burning Embers” ratchets up roiling vigor. Through forty-two minutes, Autrest expertly guides listeners across shifting landscapes that are delightful in their earnestness. Mastermind Matheus Vidor establishes himself as a preeminent architect of mood, channeling transitions from gentle, wonder-filled serenity to unyielding wrath. The dynamic between aggression and introspection is marvelous, permeating the album with emotion. While I could understand a complaint that some songs blur together, the spirit of Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves is never stale or disposable. Rather, Autrest has taken what began two years ago and enriched it, composing an ode to self-discovery and transformation.3 My own experience with the music conjures wilderness’s last hurrah before succumbing to winter’s embrace. As days grow shorter and temperatures drop,4 I encourage you to seek refuge and draw warmth from these Burning Embers.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Very Not Late Novella
Sterveling // Sterveling [September 26th, 2025 – Self Release]
Between the world of atmospheric and post-tinged black metal, there exists a twisted form of progressive music that teeters about brooding moods and crackling tones to explore shrieking sadness and profound sorrow. Michiel van der Werff (Prospectors, Weltschmerz), primary Dutch proprietor of Sterveling, places his expressive guitar runs and lurching rhythm clangs in the company of trusted friends to carry out his tortured, baroque vision of black metal. Against the hissing design of synth maestro and Prospectors bandmate Matthias Ruijgrok, a fullness and warping warmth pervades the spacious amp textures and muscular rhythmic framework of each piece. And through the bloodied cries of Weltschmerz bandmate Hreim, a vocal lightning flashes to illuminate the nooks between pulsing synth lines and deathly bursts of full tremolo assault. In three longform pieces, all still totaling a generous forty-two minutes, Sterveling tints a monochrome narrative with vibrant shades from thoughtful tones and well-timed, emotional escalations. Committed to each careful iteration on a melody, the woven Sterveling web grows ever stickier with every passing moment, none of the ten-minute-plus excursions ever feeling even close to their declared runtimes. And with a sound construction that hits delicate yet forceful, creaking yet incising, it’s easy to wander through several journeys on this debut outing before realizing what time has passed. Fans of equally forlorn acts like Tongues or Andalvald will feel more at home here than others. But with a tonal palette that’s as inviting as it is crushing, Sterveling should attract the ears of fans across the extreme spectrum.
#2025 #agalloch #americanMetal #andavald #arjenAnthonyLucassen #assembleTheChariots #atmosphericBlackMetal #autrest #ayreon #blackMetal #bloodletter #boltThrower #brazillianMetal #burningEmbersForgottenWolves #cannibalCorpse #conan #crowbar #darkTranquillity #deathDoom #deathMetal #deathcore #deathhammer #disembowelment #doomMetal #dutchMetal #etherealDominance #fallsOfRauros #fauna #frenchMetal #galundoTenvulance #grimnis #guiltMachine #heruvim #highOnFire #independentRelease #indieRecordings #insideoutMusic #insomnisSomnia #japaneseMetal #jethroTull #jordsjuk #lupusLounge #melodicBlackMetal #melodicDeathMetal #melodicThrashMetal #mercator #mortalScepter #nagletTilLivet #northernSilenceProductions #norwegianMetal #ochreAndAsh #pestilence #piece #postBlackMetal #progressiveBlackMetal #progressiveMetal #progressiveRock #prophecyProductions #ramblersAxe #review #reviews #saor #selfRelease #selfReleased #sep25 #sinister #skeletonwitch #sludge #sludgeMetal #songsNoOneWillHear #spectralVoice #sterveling #stuckInTheFilter #stuckInTheFilter2025 #symphonicDeathcore #thisCharmingManRecords #thrashMetal #tongues #ukrainianMetal #wolvesInTheThroneRoom
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Stuck in the Filter: September 2025’s Angry Misses
By Kenstrosity
At last, a burst of cool calms the blood after a brutal summer, and the leaves are turning. Which means I was able to recruit a bunch of grubby little leaf-lookers off the highway to serve as minions to my ever-needy Filter! With a temporarily replenished staff of fools who are unwittingly risking their lives for mere nuggets, I conduct with renewed vigor the search for quality finds.
Today, I bring you those finds, in all of their sparkly glory. WITNESS THEM!
Kenstrosity’s Jaunty Juke
Jordsjuk // Naglet til livet [September 19th, 2025 – Indie Recordings]
The lack of conversation I’ve seen surrounding this Norwegian black metal riff machine is highly disconcerting. Brought to my attention by my wonderfully wise—and devilshly handsome—owlpal1 from… GASP… another blog, Jordsjuk’s debut LP Naglet til livet has my spine whipping to a fro from the onset of ripping opener “Kollaps.” The whiplash doesn’t stop there as thrashy numbers “Grovt skadeverk” and “Skreddersøm” body me against several walls and even a couple of ceilings. For 36 relentless minutes, with only one song pushing the four minute mark, Naglet til livet is an unqualified triumph of editing and tight, effective songwriting. My immediate comparison is 2007-2013 Skeletonwitch, but some of these riffs, like the turbobangers on “Parasitt,” “Rottebitt,” “Klarhet og dybde,” and “Rennestein,” give those hallowed skellybois a serious run for their money. When they aren’t thrashing, Jordsjuk shift into a dour, but still ravenous black metal shadow. Wraiths like “Riv skorpen av såret” and “Svikter din neste” showcase this looming character quite well, and prove Jordsjuk to be dynamic, versatile songwriters. In short, Naglet til livet is a raucous good time for anyone craving black metal with sharp teeth and limitless energy.
Baguette’s Bouncy Blessing
Arjen Anthony Lucassen // Songs No One Will Hear [September 12th, 2025 – Inside Out Music]
A year without an Arjen record would be a much lesser one. It’s not often the crazy Dutchman reuses a non-Ayreon project title, but here we have his fourth solo album becoming the second under the full Arjen Anthony Lucassen name! Dropping 13 years after the previous one, Songs No One Will Hear announces the end of the world is a mere five months away, its tracks depicting the resulting stages of chaos, disarray, and human silliness. It doesn’t fall far off the catchy and melodic Arjen tree but casts a wider net than prior prog rock adventures. Much of the record reflects different eras of Ayreon, including the ’70s prog whimsy of Into the Electric Castle (“Dr. Slumber’s Blue Bus”) and the fun ’80s metal edge of The Source (“Goddamn Conspiracy”). Closing epic “Our Final Song” is a microcosm of his musical breadth, shapeshifting from Jethro Tull flute shenanigans to analog synth ambience to dramatic riff bombast at will. But it’s “The Clock Ticks Down” that steals the spotlight, marking a brief return to the dark, somber grit of Guilt Machine and 01011001. It’s an unusually normal-sized album from Mr. Lucassen as well, the regular, unnarrated version being only 46 minutes and change. A condensed, jovial jack-of-all-trades showcase with many of the usual great guest musician and vocalist selections! And it’s always nice to hear him sing more, too.
Thus Spoke’s Lurid Leftovers
Fauna // Ochre and Ash [September 26th, 2025 – Lupus Lounge/Prophecy Productions]
It’s been 13 years since Cascadian black metal duo Fauna released Avifauna, to quiet yet great acclaim. Given their preoccupation with human prehistory, they might just be operating on a larger timescale than you or I. Ochre and Ash—the two main ingredients used in ancient cave paintings—is an attempt to invoke the spirit of forgotten ceremonies during which the stories of the people were immortalised on stone. Building on an atmospheric black metal base familiar in their better-known exemplars Wolves in the Throne Room and Agalloch, Fauna give Ochre and Ash a distinctive edge by roaming further afield into the experimental. For every metal-dominated track (“Nature & Madness,” “Labyrinths,” “Eternal Return”), there is an ambient, decidedly unsettling counterpart (“A Conjuring,” “Femoral Sun,” “Mockery”), and the latter are not interludes, but integral parts of the ritual. Each infuses skin-prickling drone with eerie chimes and rattles, and uncomfortable vocalisations ranging from moans and wails to laughter and the howling, yipping cries of animals—or humans mimicking them. In their repetition of haunting, hollow sounds, they are both frightening and trance-inducing. Ochre and Ash’s metallic segments are no less ominous, treading as they do between confrontationally turbulent atmoblack2 and diSEMBOWELMENT-adjacent death doom that puts me right back in the void of madness last year’s Spectral Voice generated. This is not a casual listen, and Fauna could have helped it a bit with some editing, as the weirdness combined with an excessive 70-minute runtime makes some longer passages feel tired and could be off-putting to some. Still, it’s an experience I’d recommend trying at least once.
Spicie Forrest’s Sautéed Surplus
Piece // Rambler’s Axe [September 5th, 2025 – This Charming Man Records]
Finding gym metal has always proven difficult for me. It’s not about the fastest or loudest, but about striking a balance between weight and pace. Rambler’s Axe fits the bill nicely. Influenced by the likes of Crowbar and High on Fire, these Berlin-based doomsters peddle raucous and sludgy heavy metal. There’s a bit of Conan in Piece’s DNA, too, making sure to worship each riff long enough for you to make it through any given set. Beefy basslines and aggressive, chiseled drums make it easy to drop into a groove and get your pump on. Faster cuts like “Demigod” and “Rambler’s Axe” go great with chest flies and leg press, but they’ve got tracks for bench press and deadlifts too. “Bastard Sword” and “Owl Eyes” rumble forward like the slow but inevitable rise of the barbell at max weight. Whether marching or running, baritone shouts like tank treads hang over riffs just looking for an excuse to blow off steam. Whatever your reason for visiting the glorious house of gains, Piece has your soundtrack covered.
Heruvim // Mercator [September 12th, 2025 – Self-Release]
As each passing year leaves the almighty Bolt Thrower further in the past, the yearning for that sound grows. I was quite surprised to find a small amount of solace in Heruvim, hailing from Odesa, Ukraine. I say small solace, because debut LP Mercator is more than just a clone. Augmented with the unsettling atmosphere of early Pestilence and the vocal malevolence of Sinister, this platter of old school death metal carves its own niche in a storied scene. Off-kilter leads bubble up and spew out of a murky, tarred rhythm section like prehistoric gases in a primordial soup (“Gnosis,” “Lacrimae Rerum”). Lachrymose, doom-laden passages and violent death threats trade back and forth, anchored by volatile blast beats and percussive assaults in the vein of Cannibal Corpse (“Nulla Res,” “Mercator”). Stitched together with eerie, short-and-sweet interludes, Mercator’s lean 30 minutes fly by and always leave me itching for more. Heruvim riffs on a slew of classic sounds, creating a casual brutality and primal barbarism that is both compelling and uniquely their own.
ClarkKent’s Melodic Monstrosities
Galundo Tenvulance // Insomnis Somnia [September 17th, 2025 – Spiritual Beast Records]
Falling somewhere between symphonic deathcore acts Assemble the Chariots and Grimnis enters Japan’s Galundo Tenvulance. On their second full-length LP, Insomnis Somnia, the sextet demonstrates raw power and frenetic energy throughout its 41-minute runtime. Songs are anchored by catchy melodic leads, atmospheric symphonies, and punishing, relentless kitwork (no drummer is credited, so hopefully it’s not programmed). Galundo Tenvulance’s new vocalist, Sao, delivers the goods, bringing a spirited energy to her performance that elevates the already terrific material. While the symphonics don’t quite elevate the music the same way they do for Assemble the Chariots, it’s the melodic riffs that make these guys stand out. “Noble Rot” is the highlight, with a killer lead riff that uses harmonics to add just that extra bit of oomph. Other highlights include the catchy “Regret Never Sleeps,” evoking Character-era Dark Tranquillity, and “In The Realms of the Unreal,” which demonstrates their ability to transform solos into surprising melodies. This might be too good to have landed in the filter, but with my TYMHM slots filled up, it’s better than nothing.
Mortal Scepter // Ethereal Dominance [September 9th, 2025 – Xtreem Music]
As if we didn’t have enough thrash floating in the filter, French outfit Mortal Scepter finds itself as yet another piece of thrash dredged from the muck. This quartet has been around since 2012, yet Ethereal Dominance is only their second full-length release. Their sound lands somewhere between the melodic thrash of Bloodletter and the mania of Deathhammer—though a touch less zany. The persistent level of energy these bands can maintain never ceases to amaze me. While the constant beat of drum blasts threatens to make thrash songs sound too similar, the variety of melodies Mortal Scepter delivers ensures that things never grow repetitive. They have a raw, blackened sound that feels immediate and in your face. Drummer Guillaume keeps an impressive pace with fresh-sounding, nonstop blast beats, while vocalist Lucas Scellier snarls with enthusiasm, with a voice comparable to Deathhammer’s Sergeant Salsten. However, it’s the guitars by Maxime and Scellier that really bring the band to life, from the noodly melodies to the dynamic, lengthy, and impressive solos on each song. These guys prove they are more than just simple thrash metallers on the epic thrash, ten-minute finale, “Into the Wolves Den,” which uses a mix of tempo shifts and hooky melodies to make the song just fly by. With this second LP under their belts, these guys have proven themselves an exciting newish band on the thrash scene.
Grin Reaper’s Woodland Windfall
Autrest // Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves [September 5th, 2025 – Northern Silence Productions]
Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves merges atmospheric black metal with nature, resuming Autrest’s vision from debut Follow the Cold Path. Like Saor or Falls of Rauros, stunning melodies play across untamed backdrops that stir heartstrings in unexpected ways. Ethereal keys, mournful strings, and rapid-fire tremolos impeccably capture Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves’ autumnal artwork, bringing Autrest’s imagery to life. Harsh vocals sit back in the mix, evoking windswept trees as cool harvest gusts leach branches of color, while sporadic baritone cleans add variation. “Lobos (Offering)” sets the stage with melancholic guitar plucks bolstered by forlorn strings, giving way to a controlled spark as “Ashes from the Burning Embers” ratchets up roiling vigor. Through forty-two minutes, Autrest expertly guides listeners across shifting landscapes that are delightful in their earnestness. Mastermind Matheus Vidor establishes himself as a preeminent architect of mood, channeling transitions from gentle, wonder-filled serenity to unyielding wrath. The dynamic between aggression and introspection is marvelous, permeating the album with emotion. While I could understand a complaint that some songs blur together, the spirit of Burning Embers, Forgotten Wolves is never stale or disposable. Rather, Autrest has taken what began two years ago and enriched it, composing an ode to self-discovery and transformation.3 My own experience with the music conjures wilderness’s last hurrah before succumbing to winter’s embrace. As days grow shorter and temperatures drop,4 I encourage you to seek refuge and draw warmth from these Burning Embers.
Dolphin Whisperer’s Very Not Late Novella
Sterveling // Sterveling [September 26th, 2025 – Self Release]
Between the world of atmospheric and post-tinged black metal, there exists a twisted form of progressive music that teeters about brooding moods and crackling tones to explore shrieking sadness and profound sorrow. Michiel van der Werff (Prospectors, Weltschmerz), primary Dutch proprietor of Sterveling, places his expressive guitar runs and lurching rhythm clangs in the company of trusted friends to carry out his tortured, baroque vision of black metal. Against the hissing design of synth maestro and Prospectors bandmate Matthias Ruijgrok, a fullness and warping warmth pervades the spacious amp textures and muscular rhythmic framework of each piece. And through the bloodied cries of Weltschmerz bandmate Hreim, a vocal lightning flashes to illuminate the nooks between pulsing synth lines and deathly bursts of full tremolo assault. In three longform pieces, all still totaling a generous forty-two minutes, Sterveling tints a monochrome narrative with vibrant shades from thoughtful tones and well-timed, emotional escalations. Committed to each careful iteration on a melody, the woven Sterveling web grows ever stickier with every passing moment, none of the ten-minute-plus excursions ever feeling even close to their declared runtimes. And with a sound construction that hits delicate yet forceful, creaking yet incising, it’s easy to wander through several journeys on this debut outing before realizing what time has passed. Fans of equally forlorn acts like Tongues or Andalvald will feel more at home here than others. But with a tonal palette that’s as inviting as it is crushing, Sterveling should attract the ears of fans across the extreme spectrum.
#2025 #agalloch #americanMetal #andavald #arjenAnthonyLucassen #assembleTheChariots #atmosphericBlackMetal #autrest #ayreon #blackMetal #bloodletter #boltThrower #brazillianMetal #burningEmbersForgottenWolves #cannibalCorpse #conan #crowbar #darkTranquillity #deathDoom #deathMetal #deathcore #deathhammer #disembowelment #doomMetal #dutchMetal #etherealDominance #fallsOfRauros #fauna #frenchMetal #galundoTenvulance #grimnis #guiltMachine #heruvim #highOnFire #independentRelease #indieRecordings #insideoutMusic #insomnisSomnia #japaneseMetal #jethroTull #jordsjuk #lupusLounge #melodicBlackMetal #melodicDeathMetal #melodicThrashMetal #mercator #mortalScepter #nagletTilLivet #northernSilenceProductions #norwegianMetal #ochreAndAsh #pestilence #piece #postBlackMetal #progressiveBlackMetal #progressiveMetal #progressiveRock #prophecyProductions #ramblersAxe #review #reviews #saor #selfRelease #selfReleased #sep25 #sinister #skeletonwitch #sludge #sludgeMetal #songsNoOneWillHear #spectralVoice #sterveling #stuckInTheFilter #stuckInTheFilter2025 #symphonicDeathcore #thisCharmingManRecords #thrashMetal #tongues #ukrainianMetal #wolvesInTheThroneRoom
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#GazaSoupKitchen Update
April 5, 2026 by #HaniAlmadhoun, Organizer
"Today is my birthday, and I wanted to share this note with you.
This week felt special.
We expanded. Two new kitchens came online—one in the south, in #Rafah, along the coast, in that narrow sliver of land that Palestinians in Gaza can still access. The other is in central Gaza, in the Middle Area, serving a camp known as #AlQuds.
People are grateful—not just for the meals, but for the fact that we are still here. Many initiatives and charities slowed down or closed after Ramadan. We didn’t.
This brings us to fifteen kitchens in operation, along with two additional contracted sites supporting hospital meal programs. We are now covering four hospitals, from #KhanYounes to #GazaCity. Because of you, we are not just reacting—we are positioned to do more, and to keep showing up.
Our water trucks are still moving, delivering fresh drinking water to communities that have nowhere else to turn. Our two learning centers continue to grow, with one now serving more than fifty students—children holding on to some sense of normalcy.
On the ground, our team has doubled down. We’ve increased field visits and continued distributing modified food parcels directly to tents and shelters.
Today, we also reopened registration.
We received requests from two groups. The first: new families who have not benefited from our work before. We registered 750 families, though after verification, we expect to serve around 500.
The second: 3,000 families signed up for a lighter food parcel. A small package—but for many, it matters.
I don’t think any of us imagined we would be here this long.
The absence of headlines does not mean the absence of suffering. The trauma continues. The conditions persist. And people are still being lost—every day. It is deeply unfair.
But here’s what I hold on to: you and I are doing something. It may feel small in the face of so much, but it is real. It is constant. And it reaches people who would otherwise be left with nothing.
In more personal news, I’ve submitted a manuscript to several publishing houses. It’s a book about the Gaza Soup Kitchen—our losses, the community we’ve built together, and the relief efforts you’ve made possible. It will take time, and I don’t expect much financially from it, but it feels important to document this chapter—truthfully and with care. If any of you are connected to literary agents or publishers, I would be grateful for a conversation.
I hope those of you who observed Passover or Easter found moments of peace and reflection as this holy season comes to a close.
Thank you for standing with us—not just in moments of urgency, but in the long, quiet stretch that follows.
We are still here.
In solidarity,
Hani"To donate:
https://www.
gofundme.com/f/Hot-meals-in-gaza-daily#NorthGaza #GazaAid #GazaFundraisers #FreePalestine #Fundraisers #FoodIsLife #WaterIsLife #GoFundMe #BeitLahiya #BaitLahiya #KhanYounes #Palestine #Genocide #Starvation #IsraeliWarCrimes #NorthernGaza
Remember #ChefMahmoud
#HumanRightsAreNeverWrong #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal -
The Uncertainty Of It All, Heisenberg You Were Right
As I walked out one evening,
Walking down Urdu Gulli
(I know friends are already suspecting
Since I was in 9th class
That I steal lines or wholesale,
So let me confess those two lines
Are mods of WH Auden’s poem
Not telling which poem
Do some homework).Returning from Minerva Coffee Shop
After Hot and Sour Soup
And Grilled Cheese Sandwich
With a few chips as garnishment
Waiters nowadays have become very caring
He asked me if I wanted more helping of chips
I smiled and pointed to my belly
He gave a hearty chuckle
This young guy who is in far better health
Of the body, not finances,
I ask him to get the bill,
And then maître d’hôtel walks up to me
And asks “Tea?”
I say why not, and he who sees me
At the coffee shop, alone, often,
I know him better than he does me
He only knows that I take tea in the end
I know how much he earns,
How long he has been working here
How old he is
He is still unmarried, etc.Now you are wondering,
Where is the uncertainty in this all buddy
All too predictable—the cheese sandwich—
You who are not exactly slim,
I start to protest I was once and stop
Realizing I have to justify the title,
Ok, read the last stanza.As I walked out one evening,
#AsIWalkedOutOneEvening #MinervaCoffeeShop #Poem #Poetry #Uncertainty #WHAuden
Walking back down Urdu Gulli,
I stepped on a banana peel
With a little bit of its pulp inside
I almost fall, and let out
A mild gasp, either Oh My
Or Oh God, must have been Oh God
Because God is very much on my mind
For too long now, in fact so long
I keep remembering Samuel Beckett’s play
Not telling which play, look up
Do your homework, my God you guys are lazy
See how God has made his appearance again
But I digress, and upon hearing My God
The male of the couple behind me
Asked, “What happened Sir?”
By the time I look up
I find the girl/woman (his girlfriend or wife?)
Ahead of him by a few meters
He has lagged behind
Does that happen these days
The women outpacing we men
Anyway, I digress again,
So I point to the banana peel
And shrug and say,
“Can’t even sue anyone”
He gives a chuckle
Perhaps wondering
Suing? What’s going on?
And I add, maybe there’s a CC TV camera
He says unnecessarily, “Evidence”
And wanting to have the last word
I say, ‘Yeah, the smokin’ gun”,
And walk back to my apartment
“Shaken and stirred” (sorry, Bond). -
Tues. April 28, 2026: Shakespeare & Sonnets
image courtesy of Adriano Gadini from PixabayTuesday, April 28, 2026
Waxing Moon
Sunny and cool
Here we are, in another week! I hope yours started well.
You can read the Community Tarot Reading for the Week here.
Friday, I folded the laundry and put it away after breakfast, got some housework done, tried to reach maintenance and failed. I reached them later, and they planned to stop by either late Friday or early Monday.
Sat down and finished/did the polish on the ghostwriting. It took me until nearly 3, but I got it done and out the door – two days early! My next assignment is due May 6.
I decided to call it a wrap for the workday, and put the salmon with miso/honey glaze into the slow cooker. It turned out really well. It only needs two hours in the slow cooker, and tastes wonderful.
It’s the first time I worked with miso soup mix (I love miso soup). I may have to make those packets part of my pantry staples.
Maintenance didn’t make it by the end of the day, which meant first thing Monday.
I was waiting for a delivery that never showed up (although the tracking insisted it would be delivered Friday evening), and missed the closing of the gallery show.
Slept so-so into Saturday, up early. Housework. Most of the day was housework, including a deep clean of the bathroom (in case they had to switch the toilet out on Monday). I mean, it was time in the spring cleaning roster anyway, but it took much longer than I expected, because I moved everything movable out, scrubbed corners, wiped down crown and chair rail molding, cleaned the heating vents, scrubbed out sink, toilet and tub more thoroughly than the weekly cleaning, went through things that tend to pile up on surfaces, wiped the windows, bulbs, etc., along with the regular vacuum and floor mop. You wouldn’t think a small bathroom would take that long, but it did. Willa and Tessa supervised.
In between waiting for things to dry, I worked on contest entries.
The delivery showed up in the late morning, and Charlotte supervised that unpacking, then played in the box for the rest of the day.
The woman who lived in the upstairs apartment in the green house across the street (and parks next to me) moved out. I’m sad to see her go. She was a good neighbor, and only lived here for a year. I hope the next person who moves in is nice (and doesn’t try to take my parking spot).
In the late afternoon, I put on Real People clothes and headed for the gallery. Climbed a ladder and took down my wooden spoon sculpture, and retrieved the collage. Packed those into the car, and picked up takeout on the way home. We ate. I changed into Better Real People Clothes and headed down to Mosaic Gallery and the Elsewhere Shakespeare production of KING LEAR (my cohort colleague co-runs the company).
The place was packed, they had to bring out extra chairs, and it was a really well-done 6-actor, 90-minute version. The way they cut the scripts is always so interesting, especially in the way it informs the acting choices. I enjoyed it, saw a bunch of people I know and had quick catch-ups.
It was a lovely night to be on foot there and back, although the temperature dropped overnight back into the 30’s.
Unfortunately, I checked mail/social media when I got home, and saw the news of yet another staged “assassination” attempt, this time at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. All so That Thing can have yet another hissy fit demanding his ballroom. There is no way in hell that a guy carrying that much hardware got through security. There is no way in hell that, if it was real, the dinner would have continued. They didn’t even do a good job staging it. I mean, the press secretary tipped people off ahead of time.
And yes, I know protocols and procedures in these situations. I make my living writing about them, and have done research/deep dive interviews with enough professionals in that field to know how it works, along with collecting a good shelf of procedural handbooks.
This was a load of crap. I could say so much more, but it’s not worth my time.
I was even angrier on Monday when it turns out the security team had the information on the shooter and allowed him in so That Thing and his minions could push harder for the ballroom. Corrupt, grifting jackasses all of them.
Up early on Sunday. Did the Community Tarot Reading for the Week, which you can read here. This is the last week with the Green Witch Tarot and the Green Witch’s Oracle. Next week we switch decks.
We were supposed to get yet another hard frost Sunday into Monday, so I didn’t dare do any more of the teak oiling.
I papered both the inside and the outside of the kitchen door with the peel-and-stick paper. The inside went well, and I’m proud of matching the panels so carefully. The outside was harder, as though the proportions were slightly off. I’m not sure I like the outcome. I will live with it for a bit. If I don’t, I can always peel it off and try a different pattern.
Instead of going to the artist talk, I stayed to dig into the contest entries. They have to be finished this week. I hadn’t promised anyone I would be there, so I wasn’t letting anyone down. This category has the most entries. I like to go back to the ones I think are the strongest. The first read-through is always how it stands alone. The second is looking at the strongest choices and looking at the details in relation to each other to find the strongest pieces.
Cooked dinner, sat on the porch for a bit. I was tired, and my hip bothered me (it’s been grumpy since late last week). I went to bed early because I was tired, and the hip woke me up a few times. Weird dreams.
Up at the usual time on Monday. We’d had a hard frost – let’s hope this is the last. I want to get things set up outside. The next planting day isn’t until Friday the 1st, so I don’t have to worry about seeds. There are quite a few planting days in May, so I should be able to get in all the seeds.
Posted the Intent for the Week and the Tarot reading. I’m having trouble getting into the computer. I had trouble 3 or 4 times on Monday morning. It better not be going on the fritz.
Maintenance came and worked on the toilet, but the first fix didn’t work, so they had to go out and get more parts for the next fix. Good thing I deep cleaned on Saturday. All I had to do was move things out of that alcove again, and give it another sweep with the broom. But it meant the morning errands had to be moved back.
There’s a big kerfuffle about Xandra Ibarra’s nude performance at the MFA Boston. You can read about it here. The people getting all huffy and offended need to get over themselves. If they don’t like it or agree with it, that’s up to them. But saying it shouldn’t exist/happen – nope. Ibarra made a good point – how much revered art depicts violence against women or nude women? Why aren’t there more conversations about the acts depicted and those histories, as well as the technical skills of the artist? I don’t think it’s a “mockery” of traditional art, as one poster declared it, but a prompt to communication and different ways of viewing the human body in art, policies around the body, and the parameters of a subject’s consent. Laughter isn’t always humor and/or mockery. It can be a defense mechanism. The piece itself was performance art to provoke conversation and part of the museum’s event offerings. It’s not like she just wandered in and started performing. It was a planned performance. Would it have made me uncomfortable if I’d been in the room? Probably, and that means it achieved what it meant to do, and made me look at the issues from more angles.
I’d also like to see the commissioned Buddha sculpture on the High Line in NYC. I’ve never even been on High Line since it was opened. The last time I was in NYC, I was focused on the reading of my play, and didn’t make it over there. You can read about it here.
The toilet was fixed. I’d done admin work during the repair, stuff where I could get interrupted as necessary. I also put together the marketing content calendar for May. I am putting the radio plays into the mix now, too, along with the anthologies in regular rotation. There’s no reason they can’t keep growing their audiences.
Once that was all done, I headed out to the library and then the grocery store. I had to drop off/pick up books. I swapped out the decaf for regular coffee. I showed it at the courtesy desk and the woman burst out laughing, agreeing that me holding a bag of decaf was obviously a mistake, and to just switch them out. Nothing like people in town knowing your quirks! I also picked up a couple of other things.
Home, got everything upstairs and put away. It was too close to lunchtime to start anything else, so I had my lunch and then settled into some work for a few hours. I finished the literary committee work, dug into the contest entries, then switched over to the ghostwriting for a couple of hours.
I didn’t get as far on that as I hoped, but I put in some time and then switched over to contest entries for a couple of hours.
I put on Real People Clothes again and headed down to the R&D Store at MASS MoCA for my colleague’s Sonnets in Conversation event. He’d chosen four sonnets, and five poets created work in response to them, an ekphrastic exercise. One of the poets was from the cohort on which I advised, and it was great to see her again and hear her work. Her work is really wonderful and layered.
The event was interesting, and some of the work resonated with me more than other work did. Which is how it goes. I caught up with a few people, and walked home with someone from the event who turns out to be a neighbor, one house over. We’d never met before, just seen each other on the street. This neighbor is moving out soon, but only about a half a block away, and works at MASS MoCA, so we are likely to keep crossing paths, especially since we’re both Shakespeare lovers.
Heated up some leftovers. I had hoped to get some more contest entries done in the evening, but I was too tired. Instead, I strung the summer lights up on the porch and we sat out there watching the light shift.
Decent night’s sleep, up at the usual time, the typical routine. On today’s agenda: get some of the teak oiling done on the furniture out back, work on BETTING MAN, work on the ghostwriting, work on contest entries. I plan to finally get back to Tuesday night yoga classes tonight. I have to get through a bunch of email – things came through last night that I was too tired to look at, including notes from the ghostwriting assignment I turned in last Friday.
Once I’ve wrapped the contest entries and submitted those, this coming weekend, and ROOTED is open, I need to look over my stage play notes and get those back into the schedule. I need a couple more ten-minute plays, a couple of 20-40 minute plays, and I need to finish up some of the full-lengths. I also have to turn around the edits for the anthology story, but I have until June for that, so I don’t need to rush. I just need to keep it in front of me, so I don’t forget it.
I hope you’re having a great start to your week.
#art #freelance #housework #lies #poetry #Shakespeare #tarot #theatre #weather #writing -
Performing with a safety net
When recording conversations for the Movers Mindset podcast the guests know I’m not going to edit what they say to change their meaning. They know I’m bringing journalistic integrity to the conversation. (I’m not doing strict journalism, but that feature of journalism is present.) I do my best to set up the correct space (physical, emotional and mental,) so that we can co-create the best conversation possible. I’m not digging for dirt, creating tension, nor trying to create any other saccharine artifice. But that doesn’t change the fact that we are performing for an audience. The final necessary piece to facilitating a great conversation is a safety net.
Each conversation… each performance is better if we can reach just a bit farther than we might normally be comfortable doing. That’s why I bring a safety net. I very clearly give the guest a safe word which they can incant at any time to take back what they’ve said.
I don’t include the guest in the post-production process. They’re not invited to review the material, or to give additional thoughts about what to keep or what to cut. In fact, the only people who have time to do that, are wanna-be cooks, who will only mess up the soup if I let them in my kitchen. Instead, I and my team do all the post-production difficult work which is in fact our responsibility. The guest already did the really hard work of being themselves on-mic.
I do also say, “take your time— silence is free and we can easily trim out 30 seconds of you thinking before you speak.” I’ve also a few other little coaching tidbits I share to prep them for being recorded. But it’s the safety net which makes them feel comfortable trying something they might otherwise hesitate about. Part of the magic of a great conversation is how it develops organically, and without the safety net most people dial their caution up a few notches to be safe. With a safety net, most people are delighted to take a leap to see what they can do.
ɕ
#Apogee #Conversation #MoversMindset #Podcasting -
Friends, the long weekend continued to be full of care work all the way through, but as Adam remarked, if I had not been on holiday, the care work would still have been there -- and I would have also had the paid work to manage.
So at least I had free time to manage it?
There are some good things, though! I made soup and curry, and froze them both in some cake bar moulds (cheap versions of those popular 'Souper cubes' that are everywhere at the moment). This means I have nearly two dozen meals ready to defrost and eat as needed, huzzah!
I drove over to Denmark (the town not the country) and hung out with a friend for a couple of hours at her place. So good to catch up, we haven't seen each other for a couple of years. She's in the final gasps of her PhD so I was keen to hear her progress (and commiserate and cheer where appropriate).
Dad is doing better today and hopefully we'll hear back from his specialist about how we can modify his medication to prevent a repeat of the last few days.
And Kid1's friend is staying with us for a few days, a lovely guy, and we've had some good kitchen chats about food, religion, politics and childhoods. It's awesome 🥰
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All the cozy rice soups, all the time
It’s been chilly here and I’ve been making pots of comforting, rice-based soups. They’re filling, easy to make, and last for a few meals. My favorite, and easiest, is Amy + Jacky’s Instant Pot Chicken Congee.
The base recipe is rice, chicken, ginger, and water. I use boneless skinless chicken thighs and I don’t even have to shred the chicken after cooking — it just falls apart in the soup. Once it’s thickened and seasoned with salt, I ladle it out and choose my toppings. I love drizzling it with tamari and sesame oil. My other preferred toppings are green onions, vegetable dumplings, furikake, roasted vegetables, and snow peas.
The other rice-based soups that I’ve made recently that I liked were Downshiftology’s Stuffed Pepper Soup and Cabbage Roll Soup.
#congee #cooking #dinner #glutenFree #recipes #soups -
Looking Ahead: My Intentions For 2026
About this time last year, I jotted down some intentions for 2025, ‘a few ideas of the things that I really want to do over the coming twelve months’. I did quite well with these: I resurrected a few old cameras, like the Kodak 1A and 3A folding cameras, and the Vest Pocket Kodak; I finally got to use the medium format half-frame beastie that’s the Bencini Koroll 2; and I actually used my only 127 film in the Purma Special on a 127 Day this year. I also tumbled down the rabbit hole that was the Rapid film system, which led to some great fun with colour emulsions, redscaling, and even trying some EBS photography, or exposing both sides of the emulsion, and of course I added a load more weird and wonderful cameras to my collection.
The only part of my ‘intentions’ for 2025 that I didn’t really get anywhere with was glitching; taking a perfectly good photograph in digital format and altering the data contained in it to produce a corrupted image. As a reminder, images can be glitched in a number of ways: with a Hex Editor, to alter details of individual pixels in an image; processing a digital photograph in a program not intended for editing image files; or using a script in a programming language to corrupt the file. This is known as databending, but there is also circuit bending, which either takes an image and corrupts it using a specially made image processor, or using a camera where the hardware within the camera has been physically altered so that the image saved to the card is corrupted.
A corrupted 3D image, taken with the Fujifilm W3 Real 3d stereo digital camera. The file has been databent by processing the file in the audio editing program Audacity.I already have one circuit bent camera, and also a couple of cameras with failing sensors that produce lovely glitchy images, but I’ve also recently obtained an old Digital8 video camera that I hope will allow me to use a circuit bent device called the Mismatcher Petite to corrupt digital images and videos. This year, I also picked up a scanner, the Epson Perfection v750 Pro flatbed scanner, and a little micro computer to use it with. Onto this computer I’ve loaded some of the programs and applications that I hope will aid me with databending and glitching.
The Mismatcher Petite, an image modification device the I’ll use in conjunction with the Sony Digital8 camera below.I’ve not forgotten film, of course, and although I’m not really in a position to soup and develop my own films, perhaps I can ‘glitch’ some instant film, or deliberately introduce light leaks to exposed 35mm and medium format film, for instance. Of course, there will always be new (to me) cameras to play with, and if last year is anything to go by, not all of these are light tight, and I have several rolls of expired film to use. With glitching, be it digital or film, you never quite know what result you’ll get, and that for me is what will make the coming year so exciting.
A digital image taken with an Olympus Pen E-PL1 and a homemade Deakinizer (a wide-angle effect lens held reversed over the lens). The image has been databent by processing the image in the audio editor, Audacity.If you are on Mastodon, you can now follow this blog directly. Just go to Mastodon and follow the ‘Snapshot’ WordPress account at @keithdevereux.wordpress.com. All new posts will be automatically updated to your timeline.
#Adapters #AgfaRapid #Cassette #CircuitBending #Databending #Experimental #Expired #Glitch #Inspiration #Intentions #LoFi #Motivation #Rapid #VintageCamera
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This is it.
Today I’ll finish the targeted edit on the novella. How wonderful that I also have a wicked cold. No problem. I’ve faced worse, like drafting with Covid last December.
How about, drafting during a relapse of my HP in November of 2016? Yeah, that was a fun time.
So, I’ll finish my edit, cold or no cold, and smile in my satisfaction—while consuming a lot of soup.
Be everwell.
#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #AmWritingFantasy #Fantasy #FantasyFiction #Fiction
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Second-tier casemates, lighthouse keeper’s house, sallyport, and lean-to structure, Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, Florida, late 1860s (U.S. National Park Service and National Archives, public domain).
As March 1863 arrived and progressed, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers who were stationed at Fort Jefferson in Florida’s Dry Tortugas became more and more comfortable with their latest garrison assignment. Members of the regiment continued to drill regularly, undergo inspections, march in dress parades, and receive additional training in the use of the fort’s defensive artillery, much as they had done during their first months at the fort.
Their duties were made more palatable by good food and recreational activities. During the early days of that month, Company C’s Henry Wharton penned another letter to his hometown newspaper, the Sunbury American, in which he noted that the regiment’s normal rations that were supplied by the federal government were supplemented by “‘pot-pie’ three times a week; apple dumplings, with good milk, semi-occasionally, and for something to remind us of days past and gone, Sgt. Peirs [sic, Pyers,] serves us with apple pie and doughnuts made in a style that would do credit to more than one I know of, who is in the baking business.”
For fun and exercise, many members of the regiment spent time strolling the wooded areas and beaches around both Fort Jefferson and Fort Taylor (Key West), exploring and studying the exotic wonders of nature around them while collecting seashells and other treasures. In a letter penned to family and friends on March 1, Private Alfred Pretz of Company I recounted one such expedition, noting that he and Sergeant-Major William Hendricks had woken up “at an early hour and started off for the south beach [in Key West] before sunrise, or just about sunrise.”
We were going to hunt seashells. It was a splendid morning, clear, still, and warm enough to be pleasant. We soon reached the seashore and commenced picking up samples of the numerous varieties that abound in profusion. We found many small reptiles which we examined so that we did not get to the principal shell grounds before it was time to return in order to be with the mess at breakfast hour. On our way back, we passed through the woods, with which the key is covered. These are little more than bushes, being small trees averaging eight feet in height, growing closely together with thick undergrowth of a beautiful shrub, and then on the ground a low, broad leaved plant. I plucked specimens of their foliage for enclosure with this letter. The smooth, stout, narrow leaf is from the tree. The tiny leaf, with thorns on the branch, is the undergrowth, the third variety is the plant I speak of. The single flower and bud is of a deep orange color and grows on trees the size of the largest trees in the Key West woods. These flower trees (I know no other name for them) are planted around the houses of town. The other flower is of a crimson color and grows in chunks like the cactus…. We never have twilight here. As soon as the sun sets darkness sets in. At present however we have bright moonlight evenings. The weather is charming.
That same evening, Private Pretz played backgammon to occupy his remaining hours before lights out.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Warren Alexander, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1861 (public domain).
Around this same time, an alert was sounded one day at Fort Jefferson, causing members of the 47th Pennsylvania to scramble to positions across the fort in order to bolster the Union troops already standing guard. That action was ordered by the fort’s commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel George Warren Alexander, who had spotted a large number of unidentified ships on the horizon. According to Emily Holder, who had been living in a small house within the fort’s walls since 1860 with her husband, who had been assigned to serve as a medical officer for the fort’s engineers:
One day, early in the spring, Colonel Alexander, who was very watchful and always on the alert, was quite alarmed by seeing some twenty vessels hovering just in sight. Extra guard was mounted, the big guns were loaded and the men slept by them all night; but the vessels passed by without coming nearer.
On another day, she noted that “The Inspector-General, after returning to Beaufort, made rather an overturning in Key West which was under the command of Colonel Morgan of the Ninetieth New York, who had been rather playing the tyrant.”
He had perverted a very good order of General Hunter into one that ordered every person who had friends in the rebel service to leave Key West allowing them only fifty pounds of baggage apiece. They protested, plead with him, even threatened, for it would almost depopulate the town, but in vain.
Justice, however, was nearer than he suspected, for just as the vessel was to start with these people who were being set adrift, a steamer came in bringing Colonel Goode [sic, Good] of the Forty-Seventh Pennsylvania to relieve Colonel Morgan.
The people were almost crazy in their excitement. They took the soldiers’ knapsacks as they marched up the street and would have carried the men on their shoulders in their joy over Morgan’s defeat.
Colonel Goode [sic, Good] came to Tortugas a few days afterwards, and while there said he might send the remainder of the Regiment down to us—something very reassuring for the summer as they were acclimated and would be more likely to withstand any epidemic that might occur.
Meanwhile, disease continued to ravage the ranks of the regiment in March—particularly at Fort Jefferson, where a total of five hundred and sixty-eight Union Army soldiers were stationed. According to H Company Corporal John A. Gardner:
One thing appears a little strange with us here, and that is, there are some five or six in each company that get night blind and some of them can’t see very well through the day. We have a Sgt. by the name of Michael C. Lynch, that can’t see but very little at any time, and a couple more that can’t see at night. I do not know the cause of it, unless it is the white sand. It is very bright and it might be possible that the sand is the cause of it. Our Doctor himself don’t know the cause of it. Otherwise, we get along fat, ragged, and saucy.
* Note: Sergeant Michael Lynch, who had officially mustered in with the 47th Pennsylvania’s H Company on September 19, 1862, at the same rank that he held at Fort Jefferson in 1863, was confined to the post hospital at Fort Jefferson on March 22, 1863, due to nyctalopia (night blindness), which progressed to a stage that rendered him unfit for continued service with the regiment. His condition was described the next month in a letter penned in April by Captain James Kacy:
Sgt. Lynch, poor fellow, is worn out and nearly blind, and is to be sent home. Many of our men are so affected, and it takes a strong eye to stand the glare of the sun on this white sand.
Corporal Lynch was subsequently discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability on June 30 of that same year. Meanwhile, E Company Corporal Peter Lyner was also confined to the hospital that same day. Suffering from chronic diarrhea, he would be hospitalized three more times before the year was out.
Jacob Henry Scheetz, M.D., assistant surgeon, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1863 (public domain).
By mid-to-late March 1863, it was clear that an epidemic of dysentery and chronic diarrhea had broken out at Fort Jefferson. Among those trying to bring comfort to the sick were Assistant Regimental Surgeon Jacob H. Scheetz, M.D., who continued to hold the position of post surgeon, and A Company Private Charles Detweiler, who had been assigned to nursing duties at Fort Jefferson’s hospital. Also readmitted for treatment during this time (on March 18) was G Company Private Joseph Hallmeier, who had developed complications related to the back wound he had sustained during the Battle of Pocotaligo on October 22, 1862. In addition, E Company Private Leonard Frankenfield had become so ill from the chronic diarrhea he had been suffering after contracting dysentery, that he, too, needed to be hospitalized—an admission that occurred on March 23.
On March 25, the schooner Nonpareil arrived at Fort Jefferson, bringing with it Colonel Good and his senior staff, Regimental Surgeon Elisha W. Baily, M.D., the regiment’s medical director, Regimental Quartermaster Francis Z. Heebner, and the 47th Pennsylvania’s Regimental Band for a short series of meetings and special events. They dined on bean soup, mush, pea soup, rice, vegetable soup, pies, coffee, and tea, and then returned to Fort Taylor four days later.
U.S. Army’s Department of the Gulf, 1864 map (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain; click to enlarge).
As the month of April wore on, more Union ships arrived, carrying supplies and more than one hundred men who were added to Fort Jefferson’s roster of prisoners. During this same period, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was transferred from the command of Brigadier-General John Brannan in the U.S. Army’s Department of the South to the command of Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks in the Department of the Gulf—a change that would ultimately place the regiment in a position of making history in 1864 during the Union’s Red River Campaign across Louisiana.
On Sunday, April 12, 1863, the men from Company H carried out Order No. 31, which directed them to appear for inspection “with haversack and canteens” on a day when the temperature was high. The only members of the company who were excused were those who were hospitalized or assigned to hospital or guard duties.
Six days later, Corporal Albert prepared H Company’s kitchen for inspection, most likely with help from Thomas Haywood, a formerly enslaved Black man who had enlisted with the regiment in November 1862 while it was stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina. Haywood had been assigned to Company H, since that time, as an “Under-Cook.”
Ailing with conjunctivitis, E Company Corporal Peter Lyner was hospitalized at Fort Jefferson on April 21, 1863—during a month that saw forty members of the 47th Pennsylvania and twenty-one prisoners admitted to the post’s hospital. Fourteen of those 47th Pennsylvanians were diagnosed with dysentery and/or chronic diarrhea, with single cases of typhoid fever, asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, conjunctivitis, phlegmon, and phthisis also documented.
On April 23, H Company Captain James Kacy issued Order No. 32:
The members of Company H shall each have his rifle taken apart immediately after breakfast tomorrow morning. The sock and barrel from the stock, the sock not to be taken apart, and the Captain will inspect at 8:30 AM on Saturday [April 25].
Unidentified Union Army artillerymen standing next to one of the fifteen-inch Rodman guns, which were installed on the third level of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, Florida, beginning in 1862. These smoothbore Rodman weighed twenty-five tons, and was able to fire four hundred and fifty-pound shells more than three miles (U.S. National Park Service, public domain).
Around this same time, records show that the combined total strength of the 47th Pennsylvania (with its forces divided between Forts Taylor and Jefferson) was nine hundred and sixty-eight men—and that none of those men who were classified as enlisted had been paid for their service to the nation for a shocking eight months. The month of April ended with another inspection—and with the members of Companies F and K resuming their practice with the light and heavy artillery equipment at Fort Jefferson.
As the month of May arrived, inspections continued to be a regular part of the 47th Pennsylvanians’ Sunday schedules—even as temperatures in the shady spots of Fort Jefferson were reaching ninety-nine degrees by mid-afternoon. For sustenance, the men were fed either pork or beef for breakfast and supper, depending on the day’s menu, followed by bean soup for their evening meal (dinner) with meals often supplemented by eggs that had been collected by members of the regiment from birds’ nests scattered around the island. The total number of Union troops stationed here during this time was six hundred and sixty-six.
But, once again, disease reared its ugly head with forty-eight members of the 47th Pennsylvania and thirty-seven prisoners confined to the Fort Jefferson hospital—twenty-four of whom had dysentery and/or chronic diarrhea, seven who had bilious or intermittent fever, four who were diagnosed with general debility, three who were diagnosed with abscesses, two who were suffering with hernia issues, and one who had contracted cholera.
First Lieutenant Christian Seiler Beard, Company C, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1863 (public domain).
On May 2, this letter from Sergeant Christian Beard of the 47th Pennsylvania’s C Company, was published in the Sunbury Gazette:
My sentiments are the same as they were when I left home, and let come what will I am ever ready and willing to meet it as a soldier’s fate, and will not grumble, let my lot be ever so hard, for he that can’t suffer something for the good of his country is not worthy of the name of a freeman. Some men say they could not fight as well at present as they could last summer. Such men are traitors and cowards, for we are fighting in the same cause now that we were then, and I should rather suffer death than flinch or say one disrespectful word respecting the government. But at home there is something wrong, and you ought not allow it. Men like Purdy should not be permitted to discourage those men who are willing to do something for the good of the country.
Those papers are continually talking of the troops being so much demoralized, but such things are new to us here, and are really not the case: on the other hand, they are every day becoming better disciplined, and more efficient for the duty they have to perform if only the people at home would not discourage them. I have seen letters written by men not a thousand miles from your town that would make the face of a heathen blush wish shame and indignation. They tell us that we are fighting for nothing but to free n______ [racial epithet deleted], and that our government don’t do as they ought, and the President thinks more of a n_____ [racial epithet deleted] than of a white soldier; all such talk, and some even go as far as to say that a man who would fight for such a man as Lincoln or Hunter was no better than a n_____ [racial epithet deleted]. This talk is put forth with the evident intention of discouraging the men, but such pups don’t discourage me. I am just as willing to fight to-day as ever, and any man who is unwilling to fight for the cause as it now stands is not worth as much powder as would kill him. We don’t fear the rebels, and they can’t whip us; but those rebels at home, lurking in our rear, we have to fear more than the honorable foe in front, who openly stand out with gun in hand to receive us. While such things are permitted at home, we must not look for better success than we have had of late in Virginia. On the other hand, if every man, woman and child would support the Union—stand by her, and not a man give up while there is life, then we would not need to fight half so much. The rebels say that half of the people North are for them, and they expect to get help there ere long. No wonder they keep their heads out of water so long. It is the people at the North—it is their faults that so many of the soldiers have to die on the battle field. They will some day have to account for it in my opinion. There is but two sides, the one is for the Administration and the Union, the other is for the rebellion. He that disagrees with the heads of our government, and everything that us done by them, while they are doing the best they possibly can, is a rebel at heart and dare not deny it. The best thing would be to stop all newspapers, and not allow them to be sent to the army. Letters of a discouraging character should also be forbidden.
Hoping that you are well, I am yours, &c.,
C. S. BeardMay also brought revised duty assignments for a number of 47th Pennsylvanians, including F Company Private John Weiss, who was given additional duties with the post’s Ordnance Department, after having recovered from a February bout of remittent fever, K Company Private Tilghman Boger, who was assigned to kitchen duties in the officers’ mess hall, and G Company Private Cornelius Heist, who was appointed as Company Cook—an assignment that likely brought him into contact with one of the regiment’s Under-Cooks—the group of formerly enslaved Black men who had enlisted with the regiment while it was stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina in October 1862.
Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, Florida, view from the sea, 1946 (vacation photograph collection of President Harry Truman, November 1946, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, public domain).
Another alert was sounded on May 7 when a Union gunboat chased a blockade runner from Great Britain into the harbor at Fort Jefferson, enabling D Company Captain Henry D. Woodruff and a party of his men to capture the British crew. Their prisoners were subsequently transported to Fort Taylor in Key West for processing.
Three days later, G Company Private William Eberhart died at Fort Jefferson’s hospital while being treated there for consumption (tuberculosis). According to Schmidt, he had been ill since Christmas Day of 1862, when he had first been hospitalized with dysentery. After being discharged on January 10, 1863, he had then been hospitalized again on March 3 tuberculosis-related phthisis. Quickly interred at 4 p.m. on the same day of his death (May 10), he was laid to rest with military honors somewhere on the grounds of the fort or on one of its neighboring islands where soldiers with infectious diseases were quarantined.
The next day (May 11), D Company Private Jesse D. Reynolds died from disease-related complications and was also quickly interred on the fort’s grounds or on a neighboring island. He, too, had battled a series of illnesses, having been hospitalized with hemeralopia on March 27, discharged on April 5, and readmitted to the fort’s hospital on May 8 with one of the many fever variants that plagued the regiment during the war. (An alternate date of May 30 was listed in the hospital’s death ledger.)
On May 16, D Company Captain Henry D. Woodruff and his men marched to the wharf at Fort Jefferson and climbed aboard yet another ship—this time for their return to Fort Taylor, where they resumed garrison duties under the command of Colonel Tilghman H. Good.
Two days later, G Company Private Irwin Scheirer also succumbed from tuberculosis-related complications at the fort’s hospital, after having previously been admitted and then discharged for asthma treatment on April 14 and 19, respectively. According to Schmidt, Private Scheirer’s “remains were buried at Bird Key at 2 PM by Sgt. Hutcheson, and the key and the site of the grave have been lost to time and the elements.”
The interment record of the Post Cemetery at Fort Jefferson indicated his grave was inventoried in 1873 and 1879, along with the graves of William Eberhart and Edward Frederick of the 47th, but the wooden markers were … unreadable. In 1879 it was noted that one grave contained seven bodies, and another grave contained bodies whose identification was unknown and which had been washed out to sea and returned by the Ordnance Sergeant and Fort Keeper. The following tribute of respect to Privates Scheirer and Eberhart was published in the Allentown Democrat on June 10, 1863:
‘TRIBUTE OF RESPECT—At a meeting of the members of Company G, 47th Regiment P. V., held at Fort Jefferson, Tortugas, Florida, on the evening of May 17 [sic], 1863, a committee was appointed to draft resolutions expressive of said Company G in regard to the death of two of their fellow members, viz.: William Eberhard of Bucks County, Pa., dec’d May 8, 1863, and Irvin Scheirer of Lehigh County, Pa., dec’d May 18 [sic], 1863. The following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted:
WHEREAS, It has pleased an All-wise Providence to remove from our midst, by the hand of death, within the brief period of a fortnight, two of our fellow members and companions in arms, viz.: William Eberhard and Irvin Scheirer, (who unfortunately became victims of that fell destroyer, consumption) therefore be it
RESOLVED, That by the death of these men we have lost from our ranks characters of true devotion to their country and the government thereof—such as were beloved by each of their fellow members, as well as all who knew them—kind companions and Christians.
RESOLVED, That since the connection of these men with Company G we have found them faithful to the duties they were asked to perform, obedient in all respects to their commanders; and while unfit for duty, either in the company or in the hospital—submissive to the desires of the Almighty God.
RESOLVED, That a copy of these resolutions be sent the families of each deceased, and be published in all the Allentown papers.
COMMITTEE.—Sergt. T. B. Leisenring, Corp. R. M. Fornwalt [sic, Fornwald], John Pratt, and Privates Wm. Hartz and William Steckel.
Bucks County papers please copy.’
On May 20, enlisted members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry were finally given eight months’ worth of their back pay—a significant percentage of which was quickly sent home to family members who had been struggling to make ends meet.
Five days later, G Company Private Joseph Hallmeier was honorably discharged on a surgeon’s certificate of disability when regimental physicians made the determination that his recovery from the back wound he had sustained during the Battle of Pocotaligo was not progressing well enough to enable him to perform any meaningful duties.
On the final day of the month, H Company Captain James Kacy issued Company Order No. 33:
Until further notice, card playing for profit or amusement in company quarters or elsewhere is strictly prohibited. Each Sergeant will visit each room twice a day to see that this order is carried out. Any Private found violating will be immediately put on a barrel in front of the guard house, there to remain for ten consecutive hours. Any non-commissioned officer playing with cards will be reduced to ranks and court martialed for disobedience of orders.
The next day, the “dreaded month of June came again and found us in Key West-to break the terrible monotony of island life,” recalled Emily Holder via an article she penned for a history magazine in the 1890s.
The feeling in Key West between the various political factions became more and more intensified as time went on. The sectional spirit had been so strong that it had almost resulted in the residents keeping entirely aloof from each other, although the greater part of them professed to be Unionists.
Those who owned the greatest number of slaves were at times defiant, although made no attempt to join the other side. Society was anything but pleasant, and we felt that the efforts of General Woodbury, who was now Military Governor, to bring people into more friendly relations were most commendable, and were seemingly successful.
Just as we were about ready to go down to the boat [at Fort Jefferson’s wharf] before starting for Key West, someone came for us to go to the ramparts as there was a fight at sea; one of our gun-boats was firing at a big steamer.
Taking the glass we were soon with the others on top of the Fort, and, surely enough, about five miles out was an immense steamer emitting a dense black smoke, which announced its character as only the Confederates used soft coal, and when they were running away, as that one evidently was, they put in pine wood or anything they had.
She was running from a little boat that in comparison was like a pigmy. Two larger steamers were trying to head her off, and they passed out of sight in that position. There were between twenty and thirty guns fired, and all in all it was quite an exciting affair.
We saw nothing of them on our way to Key West, but the day after our arrival a steamer brought into port a large Mississippi River boat, a side wheeler, loaded high upon deck with cotton—a prize valued at half a million dollars.
Colonel Alexander met one of the owners of the steamer who said that the people in the south were hopeless; but, he added, ‘we have nothing now to lose and we are going to fight as long as we can.’
I met at the hotel a lady from Mobile who ran the blockade with her husband on a vessel loaded with cotton. She said she stood on deck all the time they were being fired at, and would avow herself a Secessionist at the cannons’ mouth.
Her husband lost a large amount of property in the steamer. He was going to Europe while she returned to Mobile with her three children.
Officers’ quarters and parade grounds, interior of Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, Florida, 1898 (U.S. National Park Service and National Archives and Records Administration, public domain).
The remainder of the month progressed in much the same manner for the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers as the first five months of the year had—drilling, training with the fort’s light and heavy artillery, standing for long periods during weekly inspections, and marching in dress parades—even in the face of the higher temperatures and humidity so common to Florida summers then and now.
During mid-June, Fort Jefferson’s commanding officer and the 47th Pennsylvania’s second-in-command, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander, negotiated new pay structures for two of his subordinates with his superior officer, Colonel Tilghman Good. Agreeing to pay Musicians Daniel Dachrodt and William A. Heckman an additional four dollars per month for the past pay period of September to December 9, 1862, the two senior officers also agreed to pay them each thirteen dollars per month for their service from December 9, 1862 through April 30, 1863.
And, once again, the grim reaper reared his ugly head—swinging his scythe through the regiment’s ranks to claim E Company Private Leonard Frankenfield, who was laid to rest somewhere on the grounds of Fort Jefferson after succumbing to complications from dysentery on June 22.
The most significant event of the month, which would prove to be one of the more consequential of the entire war for many Union soldiers, was a directive issued by the Office of the Adjutant General in the U.S. War Department on June 25, 1863:
General Orders, No. 191
War Department, Adjutant General’s Office
June 25, 1863In order to increase the armies now in the field, volunteer infantry, cavalry, and artillery may be enlisted at any time within ninety days from this date, in the respective states, under the regulations herein later mentioned. The volunteers so enlisted, and such of the three years’ troops now in the field as may enlist in accordance with the provisions of this order, will constitute a force to be designated Veteran Volunteers. The regulations for enlisting this force are as follows:
I. The period of service for the enlistments and re-enlistments above mentioned shall be for three years, or during the war.
II. All able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, who have heretofore been enlisted, and have served for not less than nine months, and can pass the examination required by the mustering regulations of the United States, may be enlisted under this order as Veteran Volunteers, in accordance with the provisions hereafter set forth.
III. Every volunteer enlisted and mustered into service as a Veteran, under this order, shall be entitled to receive from the United States one month’s pay in advance, and a bounty and premium of four hundred and two ($402) dollars, to be paid as follows:
- Upon being mustered into the service, he shall be paid
one month’s pay in advance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13.00
First installment of bounty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.00
Premium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.00
Total payment on muster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40.00 - At the first regular pay-day, or two months after
muster-in, an additional installment of bounty
will be paid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.00 - At the first regular pay-day after six months’
service, he shall be paid an additional
installment of bounty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.00 - At the first regular pay-day after the end of the
first years’ service, an additional installment of
bounty will be paid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.00 - At the first regular pay-day after 18 months’
service, an additional installment of bounty will
be paid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.00 - At the first regular pay-day after two years’
service, an additional installment of bounty will
be paid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.00 - At the first regular pay-day after two and a
half years’ service, an additional installment of
bounty will be paid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.00 - At the expiration of three years’ service, the
remainder of the bounty will be paid . . . . . . . . . . . . $75.00
IV. If the government shall not require these troops for the full period of three years, and they shall be mustered honorably out of the service before the expiration of their term of enlistment, they shall receive upon being mustered out, the whole amount of their bounty remaining unpaid, the same as if their whole term has been served. The legal heirs of volunteers who die in service shall be entitled to receive the whole bounty remaining unpaid at the time of the soldier’s death.
V. Veteran Volunteers enlisted under this order will be permitted at their option to enter old regiments now in the field; but their service will continue for the full term of their own enlistment, notwithstanding the expiration of the term for which the regiment was originally enlisted. New organizations will be officered only by persons who have been in service, and have shown themselves properly qualified for command. As a badge of honorable distinction, “service chevrons” will be furnished by the War Department, to be worn by the Veteran Volunteers.
VI. Officers of regiments whose term has expired, will be authorized, on proper application, and approval of their respective Governors, to raise companies and regiments within the period of sixty days; and if the companies and regiments authorized to be raised shall be filled up and mustered in the service within the said period of sixty days, the officers may be recommissioned on the date of their original commissions, and for the time engaged in recruiting they will be entitled to receive the pay belonging to their rank.
VII. Volunteers or Militia, now in service, whose term of service will expire within ninety days, and who then shall have been in service at least nine months, shall be entitled to the aforesaid bounty and premium of $402, provided they re-enlist, before the expiration of their present term, for three years or the war; and said bounty and premium shall be paid in the manner herein provided for other troops re-entering the service. The new term will commence from the date of re-enlistment.
VIII. After the expiration of ninety days from this date, volunteers serving in three year organizations, who may re-enlist for three years or the war, shall be entitled to the aforesaid bounty and premium of $402, to be paid in the manner herein provided for other troops entering the service. The new term will commence from date of re-enlistment.
IX. Officers in service, whose regiments or companies may re-enlist, in accordance with the provisions of this order, before the expiration of their present term, shall have their commission continued, so as to preserve their date of rank as fixed by their original muster into the United States service.
X. As soon after the expiration of their original term of enlistment as the exigencies will permit, a furlough of thirty days will be granted to men who may reenlist in accordance with the provisions of this order.
XI. Volunteers enlisted under this order will be credited as three years’ men in the quotas of their respective states. Instructions for the appointment of recruiting officers and for enlisting Veteran Volunteers will be immediately issued to the Governors of States.
By Order of the Secretary of War:
E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant GeneralAs questions were raised by Union Army officers, who were being asked by their own subordinates for details about this potentially important change for their immediate finances and the financial futures of their families, the War Department’s Veteran Volunteers directive was followed by a clarification, in July 1863, via General Orders, No. 216:
General Orders, No. 216,
War Department, Adjutant General’s Office
Washington, July 1863I. All able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, who have heretofore been enlisted and have served for not less than nine months, have been honorably discharged, and can pass the examination required by the Mustering Regulations of the United States, may be enlisted in any Regiment they choose, new or old; and when mustered into the United States service, will be entitled to all the benefits provided by General Orders No. 191, for Recruiting “Veteran Volunteers.”
A Regiment, Battalion, or Company shall bear the title of “Veteran” only in case at least one-half its numbers, at the time of muster into the United States service, are “Veteran Volunteers.”
II. The benefits provided by General Orders, No. 191, for Veteran Volunteers, will be extended to men who re-enlisted prior to the promulgation of that order, provided they have fulfilled the conditions therein set forth.
By Order of the Secretary of War
E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant GeneralAs word continued to spread regarding the federal government’s new plan to provide improved compensation for soldiers choosing to reenlist with the Union Army, the Office of the Adjutant General at the U.S. War Department issued a series of additional general orders to refine its new policy and procedures with respect to the designation of men as “Veteran Volunteers.”
General Orders, No. 305,
War Department, Adjutant General’s Office
Washington, September 11, 1863Par. VIII, of General Orders, No. 191, from this office, relative to recruiting Veteran Volunteers, is hereby amended to read as follows:
After the expiration of ninety days from this date, (June 25,) Volunteers serving in three years’ organizations, who may re-enlist for three years or the war, in Companies or Regiments to which they now belong, and who may have, at the date of re-enlistment, less than one year to serve, shall be entitled to the aforesaid bounty and premium of $402, to be paid in the manner herein provided for other troops re-entering the service. The new term will commence from the date of re-enlistment.
By Order of the Secretary of War:
E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant GeneralOn November 6, 1863, this further clarification was issued:
General Orders, No. 359
War Department, Adjutant General’s Office
Washington, November 6, 1863I. To carry out the provisions of paragraphs 8 and 9, General Orders, No. 191, current series, from this office, in reference to volunteers who may come within the limit for re-enlistment as Veteran Volunteers, as fixed by General Orders, No. 305, current series, the following regulations are established:
MUSTERS-OUT OF SERVICE.
- The muster-out or discharge of all men who may re-enlist, and their re-enlistments and consequent re-musters, will be under the immediate supervision and direction of the Commissaries and Assistant Commissaries of Musters for the respective Armies and Departments. The said officers will make all musters-out of and re-musters into the service.
- All men who desire to take advantage of the benefits of the Veteran Volunteer order, by re-enlistment under it, will be regularly mustered out of service on the prescribed muster-out rolls. The discharges prescribed by paragraph 79, Mustering Regulations, will be furnished in all cases. A remark will be made on the muster-out rolls, over the signature of the Commissary or Assistant Commissary of Musters, as follows: ‘Discharged by virtue of re-enlistment as a Veteran Volunteer, under the provisions of General Orders, No. 191, series of 1863, from the War Department.”RE-ENLISTMENTS AND RE-MUSTERS.
- Simultaneously with the muster-out and discharge, but of the date next following it, the Veteran Volunteers will be formally re-mustered into the United States service ‘for three years or during the war.” This will be done on the prescribed muster-in rolls (muster and descriptive rolls of recruits). These rolls will be made out from the re-enlistments and descriptive lists of the men. (See section 4 of this paragraph.) The following remark will be made on the muster-in rolls, over the signature of the Commissary or Assistant Commissary of Musters: ‘Re-mustered as Veteran Volunteers, under G. O., 191, War Department, series of 1863.’
- Regimental Commanders, under the direction of Commanders of Brigades, will select and appoint a recruiting officer for their respective commands, and charge him with the re-enlistment of the Veterans thereof. The re-enlistments will be made in duplicate, and on the blank for “Volunteer Enlistment.” A descriptive roll of the men will be made out at the same time. The duplicate re-enlistments and descriptive rolls will be forwarded, or taken, by the recruiting officer, to the Commissary or Assistant Commissary of Musters who may be in charge of the musters for the organization to which the men belong. The mustering officer will countersign the re-enlistment papers, and file the descriptive roll with the records of his office. One copy of the re-enlistment will be delivered by the mustering officer to the Paymaster, to assist him in the examination and verification of the accounts; this copy will be forwarded with the said accounts to the proper accounting officer of the Treasury. The second copy of the re-enlistments will be returned by the mustering officer to the Regimental Commander, and by him forwarded to the Adjutant General of the Army with the Monthly Recruiting Return required by par. 919 Army Regulations, from Superintendents of Regimental Recruiting Service.PAYMENTS.
- The Pay Department of the Army is hereby charged with all payments (final due under original enlistments, advanced pay, bounties, and premiums) of the volunteers discharged and re-mustered as directed in this order. The final payments under the original enlistments will be made on the muster-out rolls.The amount of the ‘total payment on Muster,’ (re-muster,) par. II, G. O. 324, A. G. O., current series, will be made under the rules set forth in General Orders, No. 163. The consolidated receipt rolls, referred to in the said order, will be certified to by the Commissary or Assistant Commissary of Musters charged with the re-muster of the Veteran Volunteers into service. The payments on discharge, and those due on re-muster, will be made at the same time, and in full, immediately after the men are re-mustered into the service.
II. Commanders of Armies and Departments are hereby charged with the faithful execution of this order, and will issue such instructions under it as in their opinion will best secure the object in view. Troops to be discharged and re-mustered as Veterans will be reported to the proper commanders, through Army or Department Headquarters, to the Paymaster General. The reports will be made at a date such as will avoid delay in the payments being made.
By Order of the Secretary of War:
E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant GeneralThe U.S. War Department then issued yet another order related to Veteran Volunteers on November 21, 1863:
General Orders, No. 376
War Department, Adjutant General’s Office
Washington, November 21, 1863I. It is hereby ordered that volunteers now in the service, re-enlisting as Veteran Volunteers under General Orders 191 from this office, shall have a furlough of at least thirty days previous to the expiration of their original enlistment. This privilege will be secured to the volunteers either by ordering all so-re-enlisting with their officers, to report in their respective States, through the Governors, to the Superintendent of the recruiting service, for furlough and reorganization, or by granting furloughs to the men individually.
II. Mustering officers shall make the following stipulation on the muster-in rolls of Veteran Volunteers now in the service re-enlisting as above: “To have a furlough of at least thirty days in their States before expiration of original term.
III. Commanding Generals of Departments and Armies are hereby authorized to grant the aforesaid furloughs, within the limit of time fixed in compliance with this order, as the demands of the service will best permit, reporting their action to the Adjutant General of the Army.
IV. In going to and from their respective States and homes, the Veteran Volunteers furloughed as herein provided will be furnished with transportation by the Quartermaster’s Department.
V. When three-fourths of a regiment or company re-enlist, the volunteers so enlisted may be furloughed in a body, for at least thirty days as aforesaid, to go home with their officers to their respective States and districts to reorganize and recruit; and the individuals of the companies and regiments who do not re-enlist shall be assigned to duty in other companies and regiments until the expiration of their terms of service.
By Order of the Secretary of War:
E. D. Townsend, Assistant Adjutant GeneralAs those subsequent updates continued to be released, newspapers across the nation began carrying word to the families of soldiers about the War Department’s stepped-up efforts to retain the nation’s most experienced soldiers, including the November 29, 1863 edition of The New York Times, which reprinted the text of General Orders, No. 376 and then added the following analysis:
The above order consists substantially of the series of propositions made to the War Department, three months ago, by Gov. MORTON, of Indiana, and was the suggestion of his comprehensive care for the interests of the country as well as the soldier. We have recently had occasion—indeed, ever since the war began we have had occasion—to notice the extraordinary energy and sagacity displayed by the Executive of Indiana in the conduct of the military affairs of that heroic State; and the success that has attended his efforts, and the appreciation of those efforts by the people of his own State and of the whole country, is the fit reward which his patriotic services have received….
Another proposal of Gov. MORTON, looking to the benefit of the soldier, we find referred to in the Indianapolis Journal, and we learn that it is now under discussion, with strong influences in its favor. It is that Paymasters of the army shall be authorized to take with them “five-twenty bonds,” from $50 to any larger amount, and allow the soldiers to take them in the place of any back pay, back bounty, or advance bounty (if he should reenlist) to which he may be entitled, or invest any pay in possession or due to him, which he may choose, in them. The proposal is urged for all the troops, but has as yet been acceded to only in the case of those from Indiana. The advantages of this arrangement are obvious, and we wish we could say that they were as generally bestowed as they are manifest. The soldier has the opportunity to turn every dollar due him, if he should not need it for immediate use, into an investment which has the double advantage of being just as good as “greenbacks” for currency, if they should be needed as money, and six per cent. better if they should be preferred as an investment.
At the present price of gold, on which the interest on these bonds is paid, the income they will yield the soldier will be about 9 per cent., fully equal to the first average investments of money in loans or real estate. On the other hand, the advantage to the country in giving the soldier a pecuniary interest in the permanence of the Government is obvious. The bonds are a little better than greenbacks, and of course can be used in their stead. If the bonds should not happen to be ready for delivery when the Paymasters go round, they are to take certificates, which shall be to the soldier the same as a bond. Now, a great many soldiers will leave the service with his last installment of bounty due, $75, with his advance bounty, (if he reenlists,) in his hands, $75, with his advance pay, $13, and whatever back pay may be due, not unlikely to amount to $50 or more, and can in nine cases out of ten invest $200 to $300, a very pretty sum to lay up against a rainy day.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Warren Alexander, second-in-command, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with officers from the 47th, Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, Florida, circa 1863 (public domain).
When news of the federal government’s new inducements reached the far-flung 47th Pennsylvanians in Key West and the Dry Tortugas, Florida, hundreds of weary men who had been battered by brutal combat and the ever-present spectre of disease realized they were being given a much-needed “shot in the arm” of recognition from their elected officials and took renewed comfort in knowing that their service had, in fact, actually been valued.
In response, more than half of the men serving with the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry opted to reenlist in 1863—a collective action that resulted in another historic achievement for the regiment—the permanent change of the organization’s name to the 47th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers.
Sources:
- “A Word from Captain Gobin’s Company” (May 1863 letter from C Company Sergeant Christian S. Beard). Sunbury, Pennsylvania: The Sunbury Gazette, May 2, 1873.
- Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, vol. 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.
- “Florida’s Role in the Civil War: ‘Supplier of the Confederacy.’” Tampa, Florida: Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida, retrieved online January 15, 2020.
- General Orders of the War Department, Embracing the Years, 1861, 1862 & 1863, vol. II, pp. 217-219 (General Orders No. 191), p. 245 (General Orders No. 216), 412 (General Orders No. 305), 602-603 (General Orders No. 359), and 644 (General Orders No. 376). New York, New York: Derby & Miller and Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown, & Co., et al., 1864.
- Holder, Emily. “At the Dry Tortugas During the War.” San Francisco, California: Californian Illustrated Magazine, 1892 (part four, retrieved online, March 28, 2024, courtesy of Lit2Go, the website of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse at the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida).
- “History: Crops (Historic Florida Barge Canal Trail).” Historical Marker Database, retrieved online December 30, 2023.
- Owsley, Frank Lawrence, and Harriet Fason Chappell. King Cotton Diplomacy: Foreign Relations of the Confederate States of America. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press, 1959.
- “Preventing Diplomatic Recognition of the Confederacy, 1861–1865,” and “The Alabama Claims, 1862–1872,” in “Milestones: 1861–1865.” Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State, retrieved online December 30, 2023.
- “Re-enlistment of Veterans.; General Order. War Department, Adjutant-General’s Office.” New York, New York: The New York Times, November 29, 1863.
- Reports of Committees of the Senate of the United States for the First Session of the Fifty-First Congress, 1889-90. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1890.
- Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.
- Wharton, Henry. Letters from the Sunbury Guards. Sunbury, Pennsylvania: Sunbury American, 1861-1868.
- Upon being mustered into the service, he shall be paid