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Mehrwertsteuer – Krone der Schöpfung Review
By Twelve
Black metal is, traditionally, an angry style of music. That’s not controversial, right? The early pioneers of the genre wrote about such things that made them angry or that were expressions of anger. With that in mind, it’s kind of weird that I’ve yet to hear about a black metal band that writes about taxes. Of all the controversial, rage-inducing elements of modern life to write about, surely taxes are something we can all agree on at least disliking. And yet, when I came across Krone der Schöpfung (“Crown of Creation”), the debut full-length release of German Mehrwertsteuer (“Value-Added Tax”), it was the first time I’d heard this idea in practice. Mehrwertsteuer offers here a bleak, satirical exploration of economics, greed, and, yes, taxation. How well does the idea translate?
I’ve jokingly commented that I expected Krone der Schöpfung to be the angriest black metal album I’ve ever heard—how could it not be with its subject matter? And while I obviously don’t genuinely have expectations that high, it was a nice surprise when Mehrwertsteuer hit the ground practically sprinting with energetic riffs and vicious snarls that align well with their melodic black(ened) metal vision. The barrage is instant; Krone der Schöpfung is here to grind you down; they’re like your boss’s boss’s boss in that way. The drumming is meaty, the riffs are angry, and the keys are rare but effective when they show up. Even the bass is mighty, taking some clear inspiration from death metal tropes; when it rears its head, as in “Steuerlast,” it’s downright grimy. All in all, Mehrwertsteuer do a good job of sounding like they really don’t care much for their titular concept, and it’s a treat.
How much you enjoy Krone der Schöpfung may well come down to how you feel in the first minute of the above highlight track. “Arbeitsmarktkampf” riffs like it has nothing to lose, a marching, steady rhythm punctuated by quick-fire tremolos, and extended melodic passages. The melodic passages are heavily influenced by death metal, which is to say they aren’t that melodic—rather, they break up the barrage of riffs and blast beats in a way that gives structure and purpose to Krone der Schöpfung.”Der Fiskus,” for example, despite an eerie opening with keys, is a beast of a song, featuring a particularly great contrast between low growls and high leads on the guitar. “Verlust der Vernunft” is a touch slower, but uses its chugging riffs to create a blackened soaring effect that gives it an atmospheric quality. Krone der Schöpfung is a heavy, blackened album first and foremost, and it is clear almost immediately after hitting play.
But the main reason I say your first impression is the most likely one to hold is that a lot of Krone der Schöpfung relies on the same basic structure and ideas. There are heavy riffs, meaty blast beats, and a fairly minimalistic melodic element—typically a tremolo—to keep each song from sounding exactly the same. To my ears, though, while they don’t all sound exactly the same, a lot of them are pretty close to it. My opinion on all three of “EZB,” “Leidzins,” and “Mittelstandsangst” essentially boils down to “nice riffs, cool growls.” It’s all technically proficient, but it feels like it’s lacking some kind of character or soul. The topic of black metal about taxes is either really bleak or really funny, and I don’t quite feel I get either from the experience. I’m honestly not sure if I think it’s something with the songwriting, the production, or if it’s just me—for example, I don’t speak German, so I can’t actually follow along with the commentary—but I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing here.
Mehrwertsteuer here offer well-executed metal on a relatable topic that feels like the first step in a good direction. While I’m not sure it quite has the impact it intends to, its solid foundation and interesting premise make Krone der Schöpfung worth a listen, and Mehrwertsteuer worth keeping an eye on. And if you like your metal blackened, angry, or just a touch sarcastic, you may find more to enjoy here than I did. I wish it had done more, but what is here is solid, straightforward, blackened, death-y metal. There’s certainly something to be said for that.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-release
Websites: mehrwertsteuer.bandcamp.com | mehrwertsteuer.rocks | facebook.com/mehrwertsteuer.metal
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025#25 #2025 #Aug25 #BlackMetal #GermanMetal #KroneDerSchöpfung #Mehrwertsteuer #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease
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Mehrwertsteuer – Krone der Schöpfung Review
By Twelve
Black metal is, traditionally, an angry style of music. That’s not controversial, right? The early pioneers of the genre wrote about such things that made them angry or that were expressions of anger. With that in mind, it’s kind of weird that I’ve yet to hear about a black metal band that writes about taxes. Of all the controversial, rage-inducing elements of modern life to write about, surely taxes are something we can all agree on at least disliking. And yet, when I came across Krone der Schöpfung (“Crown of Creation”), the debut full-length release of German Mehrwertsteuer (“Value-Added Tax”), it was the first time I’d heard this idea in practice. Mehrwertsteuer offers here a bleak, satirical exploration of economics, greed, and, yes, taxation. How well does the idea translate?
I’ve jokingly commented that I expected Krone der Schöpfung to be the angriest black metal album I’ve ever heard—how could it not be with its subject matter? And while I obviously don’t genuinely have expectations that high, it was a nice surprise when Mehrwertsteuer hit the ground practically sprinting with energetic riffs and vicious snarls that align well with their melodic black(ened) metal vision. The barrage is instant; Krone der Schöpfung is here to grind you down; they’re like your boss’s boss’s boss in that way. The drumming is meaty, the riffs are angry, and the keys are rare but effective when they show up. Even the bass is mighty, taking some clear inspiration from death metal tropes; when it rears its head, as in “Steuerlast,” it’s downright grimy. All in all, Mehrwertsteuer do a good job of sounding like they really don’t care much for their titular concept, and it’s a treat.
How much you enjoy Krone der Schöpfung may well come down to how you feel in the first minute of the above highlight track. “Arbeitsmarktkampf” riffs like it has nothing to lose, a marching, steady rhythm punctuated by quick-fire tremolos, and extended melodic passages. The melodic passages are heavily influenced by death metal, which is to say they aren’t that melodic—rather, they break up the barrage of riffs and blast beats in a way that gives structure and purpose to Krone der Schöpfung.”Der Fiskus,” for example, despite an eerie opening with keys, is a beast of a song, featuring a particularly great contrast between low growls and high leads on the guitar. “Verlust der Vernunft” is a touch slower, but uses its chugging riffs to create a blackened soaring effect that gives it an atmospheric quality. Krone der Schöpfung is a heavy, blackened album first and foremost, and it is clear almost immediately after hitting play.
But the main reason I say your first impression is the most likely one to hold is that a lot of Krone der Schöpfung relies on the same basic structure and ideas. There are heavy riffs, meaty blast beats, and a fairly minimalistic melodic element—typically a tremolo—to keep each song from sounding exactly the same. To my ears, though, while they don’t all sound exactly the same, a lot of them are pretty close to it. My opinion on all three of “EZB,” “Leidzins,” and “Mittelstandsangst” essentially boils down to “nice riffs, cool growls.” It’s all technically proficient, but it feels like it’s lacking some kind of character or soul. The topic of black metal about taxes is either really bleak or really funny, and I don’t quite feel I get either from the experience. I’m honestly not sure if I think it’s something with the songwriting, the production, or if it’s just me—for example, I don’t speak German, so I can’t actually follow along with the commentary—but I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing here.
Mehrwertsteuer here offer well-executed metal on a relatable topic that feels like the first step in a good direction. While I’m not sure it quite has the impact it intends to, its solid foundation and interesting premise make Krone der Schöpfung worth a listen, and Mehrwertsteuer worth keeping an eye on. And if you like your metal blackened, angry, or just a touch sarcastic, you may find more to enjoy here than I did. I wish it had done more, but what is here is solid, straightforward, blackened, death-y metal. There’s certainly something to be said for that.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-release
Websites: mehrwertsteuer.bandcamp.com | mehrwertsteuer.rocks | facebook.com/mehrwertsteuer.metal
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025#25 #2025 #Aug25 #BlackMetal #GermanMetal #KroneDerSchöpfung #Mehrwertsteuer #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease
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Mehrwertsteuer – Krone der Schöpfung Review
By Twelve
Black metal is, traditionally, an angry style of music. That’s not controversial, right? The early pioneers of the genre wrote about such things that made them angry or that were expressions of anger. With that in mind, it’s kind of weird that I’ve yet to hear about a black metal band that writes about taxes. Of all the controversial, rage-inducing elements of modern life to write about, surely taxes are something we can all agree on at least disliking. And yet, when I came across Krone der Schöpfung (“Crown of Creation”), the debut full-length release of German Mehrwertsteuer (“Value-Added Tax”), it was the first time I’d heard this idea in practice. Mehrwertsteuer offers here a bleak, satirical exploration of economics, greed, and, yes, taxation. How well does the idea translate?
I’ve jokingly commented that I expected Krone der Schöpfung to be the angriest black metal album I’ve ever heard—how could it not be with its subject matter? And while I obviously don’t genuinely have expectations that high, it was a nice surprise when Mehrwertsteuer hit the ground practically sprinting with energetic riffs and vicious snarls that align well with their melodic black(ened) metal vision. The barrage is instant; Krone der Schöpfung is here to grind you down; they’re like your boss’s boss’s boss in that way. The drumming is meaty, the riffs are angry, and the keys are rare but effective when they show up. Even the bass is mighty, taking some clear inspiration from death metal tropes; when it rears its head, as in “Steuerlast,” it’s downright grimy. All in all, Mehrwertsteuer do a good job of sounding like they really don’t care much for their titular concept, and it’s a treat.
How much you enjoy Krone der Schöpfung may well come down to how you feel in the first minute of the above highlight track. “Arbeitsmarktkampf” riffs like it has nothing to lose, a marching, steady rhythm punctuated by quick-fire tremolos, and extended melodic passages. The melodic passages are heavily influenced by death metal, which is to say they aren’t that melodic—rather, they break up the barrage of riffs and blast beats in a way that gives structure and purpose to Krone der Schöpfung.”Der Fiskus,” for example, despite an eerie opening with keys, is a beast of a song, featuring a particularly great contrast between low growls and high leads on the guitar. “Verlust der Vernunft” is a touch slower, but uses its chugging riffs to create a blackened soaring effect that gives it an atmospheric quality. Krone der Schöpfung is a heavy, blackened album first and foremost, and it is clear almost immediately after hitting play.
But the main reason I say your first impression is the most likely one to hold is that a lot of Krone der Schöpfung relies on the same basic structure and ideas. There are heavy riffs, meaty blast beats, and a fairly minimalistic melodic element—typically a tremolo—to keep each song from sounding exactly the same. To my ears, though, while they don’t all sound exactly the same, a lot of them are pretty close to it. My opinion on all three of “EZB,” “Leidzins,” and “Mittelstandsangst” essentially boils down to “nice riffs, cool growls.” It’s all technically proficient, but it feels like it’s lacking some kind of character or soul. The topic of black metal about taxes is either really bleak or really funny, and I don’t quite feel I get either from the experience. I’m honestly not sure if I think it’s something with the songwriting, the production, or if it’s just me—for example, I don’t speak German, so I can’t actually follow along with the commentary—but I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing here.
Mehrwertsteuer here offer well-executed metal on a relatable topic that feels like the first step in a good direction. While I’m not sure it quite has the impact it intends to, its solid foundation and interesting premise make Krone der Schöpfung worth a listen, and Mehrwertsteuer worth keeping an eye on. And if you like your metal blackened, angry, or just a touch sarcastic, you may find more to enjoy here than I did. I wish it had done more, but what is here is solid, straightforward, blackened, death-y metal. There’s certainly something to be said for that.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-release
Websites: mehrwertsteuer.bandcamp.com | mehrwertsteuer.rocks | facebook.com/mehrwertsteuer.metal
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025#25 #2025 #Aug25 #BlackMetal #GermanMetal #KroneDerSchöpfung #Mehrwertsteuer #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease
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Mehrwertsteuer – Krone der Schöpfung Review
By Twelve
Black metal is, traditionally, an angry style of music. That’s not controversial, right? The early pioneers of the genre wrote about such things that made them angry or that were expressions of anger. With that in mind, it’s kind of weird that I’ve yet to hear about a black metal band that writes about taxes. Of all the controversial, rage-inducing elements of modern life to write about, surely taxes are something we can all agree on at least disliking. And yet, when I came across Krone der Schöpfung (“Crown of Creation”), the debut full-length release of German Mehrwertsteuer (“Value-Added Tax”), it was the first time I’d heard this idea in practice. Mehrwertsteuer offers here a bleak, satirical exploration of economics, greed, and, yes, taxation. How well does the idea translate?
I’ve jokingly commented that I expected Krone der Schöpfung to be the angriest black metal album I’ve ever heard—how could it not be with its subject matter? And while I obviously don’t genuinely have expectations that high, it was a nice surprise when Mehrwertsteuer hit the ground practically sprinting with energetic riffs and vicious snarls that align well with their melodic black(ened) metal vision. The barrage is instant; Krone der Schöpfung is here to grind you down; they’re like your boss’s boss’s boss in that way. The drumming is meaty, the riffs are angry, and the keys are rare but effective when they show up. Even the bass is mighty, taking some clear inspiration from death metal tropes; when it rears its head, as in “Steuerlast,” it’s downright grimy. All in all, Mehrwertsteuer do a good job of sounding like they really don’t care much for their titular concept, and it’s a treat.
How much you enjoy Krone der Schöpfung may well come down to how you feel in the first minute of the above highlight track. “Arbeitsmarktkampf” riffs like it has nothing to lose, a marching, steady rhythm punctuated by quick-fire tremolos, and extended melodic passages. The melodic passages are heavily influenced by death metal, which is to say they aren’t that melodic—rather, they break up the barrage of riffs and blast beats in a way that gives structure and purpose to Krone der Schöpfung.”Der Fiskus,” for example, despite an eerie opening with keys, is a beast of a song, featuring a particularly great contrast between low growls and high leads on the guitar. “Verlust der Vernunft” is a touch slower, but uses its chugging riffs to create a blackened soaring effect that gives it an atmospheric quality. Krone der Schöpfung is a heavy, blackened album first and foremost, and it is clear almost immediately after hitting play.
But the main reason I say your first impression is the most likely one to hold is that a lot of Krone der Schöpfung relies on the same basic structure and ideas. There are heavy riffs, meaty blast beats, and a fairly minimalistic melodic element—typically a tremolo—to keep each song from sounding exactly the same. To my ears, though, while they don’t all sound exactly the same, a lot of them are pretty close to it. My opinion on all three of “EZB,” “Leidzins,” and “Mittelstandsangst” essentially boils down to “nice riffs, cool growls.” It’s all technically proficient, but it feels like it’s lacking some kind of character or soul. The topic of black metal about taxes is either really bleak or really funny, and I don’t quite feel I get either from the experience. I’m honestly not sure if I think it’s something with the songwriting, the production, or if it’s just me—for example, I don’t speak German, so I can’t actually follow along with the commentary—but I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing here.
Mehrwertsteuer here offer well-executed metal on a relatable topic that feels like the first step in a good direction. While I’m not sure it quite has the impact it intends to, its solid foundation and interesting premise make Krone der Schöpfung worth a listen, and Mehrwertsteuer worth keeping an eye on. And if you like your metal blackened, angry, or just a touch sarcastic, you may find more to enjoy here than I did. I wish it had done more, but what is here is solid, straightforward, blackened, death-y metal. There’s certainly something to be said for that.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self-release
Websites: mehrwertsteuer.bandcamp.com | mehrwertsteuer.rocks | facebook.com/mehrwertsteuer.metal
Releases Worldwide: August 8th, 2025#25 #2025 #Aug25 #BlackMetal #GermanMetal #KroneDerSchöpfung #Mehrwertsteuer #MelodicDeathMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease
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By Steel Druhm
Back in the era of the Great Plague (2021), I was exposed to the debut by long-lurking Bay Area death metal scuzzers Laceration. Demise was an entertaining old school platter of sensory destruction, borrowing from legends like Immolation and early days Death to deliver the hammer to the locked-down, infected masses. It showed high levels of technical finesse and songwriting chops and I looked forward to hearing what came next for them. What comes next is sophomore outing I Erode, and it finds Laceration even more proficient, confident, and ready to kick teeth and crack bones. Still borrowing from genre greats, they take a rough and nasty core OSDM sound and season it in the abyss with stunningly melodic and regal guitar work. That means you get a bit of beauty with a whole lotta beast, and that’s the way to the heart of an old time death fan.
After the obligatory mood-setting intro that sounds like something from a shitty horror film, Laceration come to cut on proper opener “Excised.” It’s a gleefully blasting, pummelling affair with beefy, cargo-beshorted death riffs trudging grooves in your brain as gruesome death roars and frantic drumming tenderize you. It’s got more than a little Immolation in its DNA and the careful listener will discern traces of James Murphy-era Death and bits and pieces of Morgoth as well. The slick, hyper-melodic solos are a stark relief from the caveman pounding and knuckle-dragging excesses, and that my friends is what makes for entertaining death metal! The ghastly good times keep coming on “Sadistic Enthrallment” with its Immolation-esque thrills and Malevolent Creation-ish chills. It’s fast, furious, and technically impressive, with knotty riffs twisting and bending left and right, but things never feel too techy or wonky. This tune really grabs the listener and I’ve been replaying it to the point of maniacal obsession. “Cancerality” is another winner, full of hyperactive thrashing and ear-trashing blasts and sizzling guitar heroics with loving nods to Immolation and Suffocation dotting the way like severed heads on stakes. If this one doesn’t get you outside throwing garbage cans at passing cars, your best days are behind you.
“Impaling Sorrow” is a nasty, brutish, and short stab at the frontal lobe, and I don’t know what Cazares is screaming but at one point it sounds like “Mulligan!” and now I will be replicating that noise whenever I hit an errant shot during my drunken golf forays. So what are the downsides? First and foremost is the shortness of the album (how often do you hear that at AMG?). At a skinny 32 minutes, Laceration leave me wanting much more. The style of death they execute isn’t so smothering that you need to come up for air at 32 minutes, and 2 more killer cuts would make this the ideal length. I could also argue “Vile Incarnate” is a bit more rote and standard death than the rest of its peers, but it’s not bad at all. The production by Matt Harvey of Exhumed / Gruesome is first-rate. The guitars have ample heft, the drums sound great, and the mix is spot on. Most importantly, things aren’t overly polished and this sounds like a filthy pile of tentacle shit. Kudos.
First things first. Donnie Snalles is a sickly talented lead guitarist. The dude rips it up on every track with gorgeous solos and stunning fretboard gymnastics. Along with Luke Cazares, he also crafts an extra large body bag full of ace death riffs, crushing grooves, and sick flourishes that accent the core death constructs in elegant and horrific ways. While some bands might let the melodic elements take up too much space and thereby reduce the overall heaviness, these cats know how to put the brutal first and though you get some seriously refined moments, the boot is never far behind. Cazares is a great death vocalist, with a harsh, ragged roar that spews the stench of olden days death loudly and proudly. Aerin Johson beats the unholy fuck out of his kit and by extension, you. There are plenty of blast bits but he’s best when the guitars find a sick groove and he locks in and follows them into the maelstrom with smart fills and rolls. This is a very talented collective and they could do straight-up tech death all day, but fortunately, their first love is caveman death, and boy do they deliver it.
Laceration have a kind of “it” factor. You can’t always describe what that is, but you know it when you get mugged by it and wake up in the gutter with no shoes, wallet, or kidneys. Their 2021 debut was all sorts of fun, and I Erode takes everything to the next level and shows a band ready to elbow their way higher up the death metal food chain. Get this in your puke bucket, pronto.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Websites: facebook.com/lacerationofficial | instagram.com/laceration_official
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024#20BuckSpin #2024 #35 #AmericanMetal #DeathMetal #IErode #Jul24 #Laceration #MorbidAngel #Morgoth #Review #Reviews
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US District Judge Cormac Carney has approved bail for neo-nazi fight club impresario Rob Rundo on the ground that fascists can't get a fair shake in the legal system, whereas antifascists don't get the same harsh treatment.
This is the same Judge Carney who tossed the charges against Rundo back in February for the same reason.
For background, Rundo is a co-founder of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), which is the prototype on which today's "Active Clubs" are based. Active clubs are a decentralized network of neo-nazi fight clubs conceived and promoted by Rundo.
The thing is, he mostly got the active club project off the ground while he was a fugitive in (mostly) Eastern Europe. He was indicted in 2018 for conspiracy to riot due to RAM's engagement in altercations with antifascists at a Trump rally in California in 2017. Rundo bolted and was finally arrested in Romania last year with a couple of fake passports in his possession and extradited to the US last summer. Also noteworthy: that was the second time he fled the country to escape an indictment.
Does any of this sound like someone who is "not a flight risk"?
At any rate, Carney is clearly out to right the wrong of excessive prosecution of violent Nazis. In his opinion granting bail, he laid into both prosecutors and antifa. He writes:
“An objective review of the evidence reveals that though Mr. Rundo espouses a hateful ideology, he and his co-defendants were not the true threat to democracy at rallies. Contrary to the government’s accusations, it was Antifa, a far-left extremist group, that posed the insidious threat to democracy.”
Carney explicitly recognizes Rundo's history of fleeing, writing:
“In fairness to Mr. Rundo, during many of these periods he was technically free to travel. Still Mr. Rundo’s use of fake documents and other deceptive tactics while attempting to travel internationally demonstrate that, in practical terms, he was trying to evade prosecution and is willing to leave the country to maintain his freedom.”
He also doesn't see any much likelihood that Rundo poses any danger to the community. He writes:
"Because there are reasonable conditions that can reasonably assure the safety of the community and Mr. Rundo’s appearance as required, Mr. Rundo is entitled to bail."
and
“Because the allegations of Mr. Rundo’s violence are limited to a particular context, release conditions, such as prohibiting Mr. Rundo from attending any political rally or associating with any member of any white nationalist organization, are well suited to addressing any potential danger to the community.”
Anyways, it's a good thing there are brave judges out there willing to make sure that Nazis get treated fairly. Democracy would be totally screwed if they couldn't just run around beating people.
-
US District Judge Cormac Carney has approved bail for neo-nazi fight club impresario Rob Rundo on the ground that fascists can't get a fair shake in the legal system, whereas antifascists don't get the same harsh treatment.
This is the same Judge Carney who tossed the charges against Rundo back in February for the same reason.
For background, Rundo is a co-founder of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), which is the prototype on which today's "Active Clubs" are based. Active clubs are a decentralized network of neo-nazi fight clubs conceived and promoted by Rundo.
The thing is, he mostly got the active club project off the ground while he was a fugitive in (mostly) Eastern Europe. He was indicted in 2018 for conspiracy to riot due to RAM's engagement in altercations with antifascists at a Trump rally in California in 2017. Rundo bolted and was finally arrested in Romania last year with a couple of fake passports in his possession and extradited to the US last summer. Also noteworthy: that was the second time he fled the country to escape an indictment.
Does any of this sound like someone who is "not a flight risk"?
At any rate, Carney is clearly out to right the wrong of excessive prosecution of violent Nazis. In his opinion granting bail, he laid into both prosecutors and antifa. He writes:
“An objective review of the evidence reveals that though Mr. Rundo espouses a hateful ideology, he and his co-defendants were not the true threat to democracy at rallies. Contrary to the government’s accusations, it was Antifa, a far-left extremist group, that posed the insidious threat to democracy.”
Carney explicitly recognizes Rundo's history of fleeing, writing:
“In fairness to Mr. Rundo, during many of these periods he was technically free to travel. Still Mr. Rundo’s use of fake documents and other deceptive tactics while attempting to travel internationally demonstrate that, in practical terms, he was trying to evade prosecution and is willing to leave the country to maintain his freedom.”
He also doesn't see any much likelihood that Rundo poses any danger to the community. He writes:
"Because there are reasonable conditions that can reasonably assure the safety of the community and Mr. Rundo’s appearance as required, Mr. Rundo is entitled to bail."
and
“Because the allegations of Mr. Rundo’s violence are limited to a particular context, release conditions, such as prohibiting Mr. Rundo from attending any political rally or associating with any member of any white nationalist organization, are well suited to addressing any potential danger to the community.”
Anyways, it's a good thing there are brave judges out there willing to make sure that Nazis get treated fairly. Democracy would be totally screwed if they couldn't just run around beating people.
-
US District Judge Cormac Carney has approved bail for neo-nazi fight club impresario Rob Rundo on the ground that fascists can't get a fair shake in the legal system, whereas antifascists don't get the same harsh treatment.
This is the same Judge Carney who tossed the charges against Rundo back in February for the same reason.
For background, Rundo is a co-founder of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), which is the prototype on which today's "Active Clubs" are based. Active clubs are a decentralized network of neo-nazi fight clubs conceived and promoted by Rundo.
The thing is, he mostly got the active club project off the ground while he was a fugitive in (mostly) Eastern Europe. He was indicted in 2018 for conspiracy to riot due to RAM's engagement in altercations with antifascists at a Trump rally in California in 2017. Rundo bolted and was finally arrested in Romania last year with a couple of fake passports in his possession and extradited to the US last summer. Also noteworthy: that was the second time he fled the country to escape an indictment.
Does any of this sound like someone who is "not a flight risk"?
At any rate, Carney is clearly out to right the wrong of excessive prosecution of violent Nazis. In his opinion granting bail, he laid into both prosecutors and antifa. He writes:
“An objective review of the evidence reveals that though Mr. Rundo espouses a hateful ideology, he and his co-defendants were not the true threat to democracy at rallies. Contrary to the government’s accusations, it was Antifa, a far-left extremist group, that posed the insidious threat to democracy.”
Carney explicitly recognizes Rundo's history of fleeing, writing:
“In fairness to Mr. Rundo, during many of these periods he was technically free to travel. Still Mr. Rundo’s use of fake documents and other deceptive tactics while attempting to travel internationally demonstrate that, in practical terms, he was trying to evade prosecution and is willing to leave the country to maintain his freedom.”
He also doesn't see any much likelihood that Rundo poses any danger to the community. He writes:
"Because there are reasonable conditions that can reasonably assure the safety of the community and Mr. Rundo’s appearance as required, Mr. Rundo is entitled to bail."
and
“Because the allegations of Mr. Rundo’s violence are limited to a particular context, release conditions, such as prohibiting Mr. Rundo from attending any political rally or associating with any member of any white nationalist organization, are well suited to addressing any potential danger to the community.”
Anyways, it's a good thing there are brave judges out there willing to make sure that Nazis get treated fairly. Democracy would be totally screwed if they couldn't just run around beating people.
-
US District Judge Cormac Carney has approved bail for neo-nazi fight club impresario Rob Rundo on the ground that fascists can't get a fair shake in the legal system, whereas antifascists don't get the same harsh treatment.
This is the same Judge Carney who tossed the charges against Rundo back in February for the same reason.
For background, Rundo is a co-founder of the Rise Above Movement (RAM), which is the prototype on which today's "Active Clubs" are based. Active clubs are a decentralized network of neo-nazi fight clubs conceived and promoted by Rundo.
The thing is, he mostly got the active club project off the ground while he was a fugitive in (mostly) Eastern Europe. He was indicted in 2018 for conspiracy to riot due to RAM's engagement in altercations with antifascists at a Trump rally in California in 2017. Rundo bolted and was finally arrested in Romania last year with a couple of fake passports in his possession and extradited to the US last summer. Also noteworthy: that was the second time he fled the country to escape an indictment.
Does any of this sound like someone who is "not a flight risk"?
At any rate, Carney is clearly out to right the wrong of excessive prosecution of violent Nazis. In his opinion granting bail, he laid into both prosecutors and antifa. He writes:
“An objective review of the evidence reveals that though Mr. Rundo espouses a hateful ideology, he and his co-defendants were not the true threat to democracy at rallies. Contrary to the government’s accusations, it was Antifa, a far-left extremist group, that posed the insidious threat to democracy.”
Carney explicitly recognizes Rundo's history of fleeing, writing:
“In fairness to Mr. Rundo, during many of these periods he was technically free to travel. Still Mr. Rundo’s use of fake documents and other deceptive tactics while attempting to travel internationally demonstrate that, in practical terms, he was trying to evade prosecution and is willing to leave the country to maintain his freedom.”
He also doesn't see any much likelihood that Rundo poses any danger to the community. He writes:
"Because there are reasonable conditions that can reasonably assure the safety of the community and Mr. Rundo’s appearance as required, Mr. Rundo is entitled to bail."
and
“Because the allegations of Mr. Rundo’s violence are limited to a particular context, release conditions, such as prohibiting Mr. Rundo from attending any political rally or associating with any member of any white nationalist organization, are well suited to addressing any potential danger to the community.”
Anyways, it's a good thing there are brave judges out there willing to make sure that Nazis get treated fairly. Democracy would be totally screwed if they couldn't just run around beating people.
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Haitón del Guarataro – Pombero Review
By GardensTale
Cryptids are cool as fuck. I don’t believe in them, but highly localized monster myths are just a fascinating insight in the fears and priorities of a particular culture, especially the often esoteric rules surrounding the fabled creatures. For his second album, Alexis Uribe of one-man band Haitón del Guarataro from Buenos Aires, Argentina, focuses on the Pombero, a short hairy humanoid being from Paraguayan folklore. It steals eggs and honey, impregnates women, and is appeased by gifts of rum and cigars. So it’s basically Steel Druhm on a bender. Context aside, I was intrigued by the concept behind Pombero; an album that would morph from stoner doom into black doom across the runtime. Does Haitón del Guarataro pull off the metamorphosis?
Well, technically, he does. The title track kicks off the album with a few minutes of lovely traditional Spanish guitar, weary and melancholy, imparting a suitable South American vibe, and although a little long-winded, it remains my favorite part of the album. Because once the heavy distortion kicks in, so do the vocals, a hoarse mumble that barely seems to make an attempt at hitting pitch and is frequently double-tracked without any discernable harmonization. They swerve from cleans to growls to everything in between seemingly at random across the front half of the album and rarely rise to the level of competent. Still, Uribe is clearly better at harsh vocals than clean, as “Double-Cross” succinctly demonstrates. The comatose front half of the track sports lethargic off-key murmuring, but some color returns to its cheeks when the biting snarls make their entrance.
Instrumentation-wise, there is likewise more bad than good, but the occasional bright spots give hope for a better future. For one, a few choice riffs dot Pombero. “Dueño del Sol” has a pretty sweet semi-Sabbathian one that’s played both slow and sped up and shines when accompanied by organs, though much of the track merely alternates that and stale single-chord plodding. The opener’s opening had me fooled with the quality of the guitar playing from the start, and when Uribe harmonizes his riffing with the (admittedly still dubious) vocals and follows it up with more of that sweet Spanish guitar, it begins to sketch what Haitón del Guarataro could grow into. But the back half of “Double-Cross” is the best 5 minutes of the album, even sporting a sweet solo and some genuinely nice transitions.
But I do find I have to really dig for the positives here, while the poor choices accumulate like beach-sand in an exposed buttcrack. Despite Uribe’s proficiency at blackened snarls, their double-tracked confusion and endless plodding make a tiring exercise out of closing duo “Karai Pyhare” and “Mopytũ,” especially the tuneless post-influenced wash of the latter. The former at least has the benefit of a few faster sections to change up the pace, but those underline the frankly awful drums, both their sloppy play and cardboard production. Also there seem to be maracas there, for some reason, and they hurt far more than they help. Whilst I always enjoy a clear bass, the twangy, almost funky sound here clashes with the sinister, trebly distortion of the guitars. Between the mismatched textures, ill-advised double-tracking, and messy timing, it seems to me that Haitón del Guarataro does his own production, and has much to learn in that regard.
Sadly, it goes for most other regards, too. I don’t much relish writing a review like this. Alexis Uribe is obviously passionate about his music, and I really want him to succeed. I still like the concept of slowly shifting from one subgenre to another, and it’s the kind of creative idea metal thrives on. But every aspect of the execution is flawed; the repetitive songwriting, haphazard timing, shoddy production, and subpar vocals are just a few examples. The riffs, when not overtaken by tuneless plodding, and the occasional solo are more solid, and give me hope that Uribe has something to expand upon, either with Haitón del Guarataro or in the context of a full band. With Pombero, I’m sorry to say, he’s not there yet.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: ~260 kbps VBR mp3
Label: Self-released
Website: haitondelguarataro.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#15 #2025 #ArgentineMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #DoomMetal #HaitónDelGuarataro #May25 #Pombero #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #StonerMetal
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Haitón del Guarataro – Pombero Review
By GardensTale
Cryptids are cool as fuck. I don’t believe in them, but highly localized monster myths are just a fascinating insight in the fears and priorities of a particular culture, especially the often esoteric rules surrounding the fabled creatures. For his second album, Alexis Uribe of one-man band Haitón del Guarataro from Buenos Aires, Argentina, focuses on the Pombero, a short hairy humanoid being from Paraguayan folklore. It steals eggs and honey, impregnates women, and is appeased by gifts of rum and cigars. So it’s basically Steel Druhm on a bender. Context aside, I was intrigued by the concept behind Pombero; an album that would morph from stoner doom into black doom across the runtime. Does Haitón del Guarataro pull off the metamorphosis?
Well, technically, he does. The title track kicks off the album with a few minutes of lovely traditional Spanish guitar, weary and melancholy, imparting a suitable South American vibe, and although a little long-winded, it remains my favorite part of the album. Because once the heavy distortion kicks in, so do the vocals, a hoarse mumble that barely seems to make an attempt at hitting pitch and is frequently double-tracked without any discernable harmonization. They swerve from cleans to growls to everything in between seemingly at random across the front half of the album and rarely rise to the level of competent. Still, Uribe is clearly better at harsh vocals than clean, as “Double-Cross” succinctly demonstrates. The comatose front half of the track sports lethargic off-key murmuring, but some color returns to its cheeks when the biting snarls make their entrance.
Instrumentation-wise, there is likewise more bad than good, but the occasional bright spots give hope for a better future. For one, a few choice riffs dot Pombero. “Dueño del Sol” has a pretty sweet semi-Sabbathian one that’s played both slow and sped up and shines when accompanied by organs, though much of the track merely alternates that and stale single-chord plodding. The opener’s opening had me fooled with the quality of the guitar playing from the start, and when Uribe harmonizes his riffing with the (admittedly still dubious) vocals and follows it up with more of that sweet Spanish guitar, it begins to sketch what Haitón del Guarataro could grow into. But the back half of “Double-Cross” is the best 5 minutes of the album, even sporting a sweet solo and some genuinely nice transitions.
But I do find I have to really dig for the positives here, while the poor choices accumulate like beach-sand in an exposed buttcrack. Despite Uribe’s proficiency at blackened snarls, their double-tracked confusion and endless plodding make a tiring exercise out of closing duo “Karai Pyhare” and “Mopytũ,” especially the tuneless post-influenced wash of the latter. The former at least has the benefit of a few faster sections to change up the pace, but those underline the frankly awful drums, both their sloppy play and cardboard production. Also there seem to be maracas there, for some reason, and they hurt far more than they help. Whilst I always enjoy a clear bass, the twangy, almost funky sound here clashes with the sinister, trebly distortion of the guitars. Between the mismatched textures, ill-advised double-tracking, and messy timing, it seems to me that Haitón del Guarataro does his own production, and has much to learn in that regard.
Sadly, it goes for most other regards, too. I don’t much relish writing a review like this. Alexis Uribe is obviously passionate about his music, and I really want him to succeed. I still like the concept of slowly shifting from one subgenre to another, and it’s the kind of creative idea metal thrives on. But every aspect of the execution is flawed; the repetitive songwriting, haphazard timing, shoddy production, and subpar vocals are just a few examples. The riffs, when not overtaken by tuneless plodding, and the occasional solo are more solid, and give me hope that Uribe has something to expand upon, either with Haitón del Guarataro or in the context of a full band. With Pombero, I’m sorry to say, he’s not there yet.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: ~260 kbps VBR mp3
Label: Self-released
Website: haitondelguarataro.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#15 #2025 #ArgentineMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #DoomMetal #HaitónDelGuarataro #May25 #Pombero #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #StonerMetal
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Haitón del Guarataro – Pombero Review
By GardensTale
Cryptids are cool as fuck. I don’t believe in them, but highly localized monster myths are just a fascinating insight in the fears and priorities of a particular culture, especially the often esoteric rules surrounding the fabled creatures. For his second album, Alexis Uribe of one-man band Haitón del Guarataro from Buenos Aires, Argentina, focuses on the Pombero, a short hairy humanoid being from Paraguayan folklore. It steals eggs and honey, impregnates women, and is appeased by gifts of rum and cigars. So it’s basically Steel Druhm on a bender. Context aside, I was intrigued by the concept behind Pombero; an album that would morph from stoner doom into black doom across the runtime. Does Haitón del Guarataro pull off the metamorphosis?
Well, technically, he does. The title track kicks off the album with a few minutes of lovely traditional Spanish guitar, weary and melancholy, imparting a suitable South American vibe, and although a little long-winded, it remains my favorite part of the album. Because once the heavy distortion kicks in, so do the vocals, a hoarse mumble that barely seems to make an attempt at hitting pitch and is frequently double-tracked without any discernable harmonization. They swerve from cleans to growls to everything in between seemingly at random across the front half of the album and rarely rise to the level of competent. Still, Uribe is clearly better at harsh vocals than clean, as “Double-Cross” succinctly demonstrates. The comatose front half of the track sports lethargic off-key murmuring, but some color returns to its cheeks when the biting snarls make their entrance.
Instrumentation-wise, there is likewise more bad than good, but the occasional bright spots give hope for a better future. For one, a few choice riffs dot Pombero. “Dueño del Sol” has a pretty sweet semi-Sabbathian one that’s played both slow and sped up and shines when accompanied by organs, though much of the track merely alternates that and stale single-chord plodding. The opener’s opening had me fooled with the quality of the guitar playing from the start, and when Uribe harmonizes his riffing with the (admittedly still dubious) vocals and follows it up with more of that sweet Spanish guitar, it begins to sketch what Haitón del Guarataro could grow into. But the back half of “Double-Cross” is the best 5 minutes of the album, even sporting a sweet solo and some genuinely nice transitions.
But I do find I have to really dig for the positives here, while the poor choices accumulate like beach-sand in an exposed buttcrack. Despite Uribe’s proficiency at blackened snarls, their double-tracked confusion and endless plodding make a tiring exercise out of closing duo “Karai Pyhare” and “Mopytũ,” especially the tuneless post-influenced wash of the latter. The former at least has the benefit of a few faster sections to change up the pace, but those underline the frankly awful drums, both their sloppy play and cardboard production. Also there seem to be maracas there, for some reason, and they hurt far more than they help. Whilst I always enjoy a clear bass, the twangy, almost funky sound here clashes with the sinister, trebly distortion of the guitars. Between the mismatched textures, ill-advised double-tracking, and messy timing, it seems to me that Haitón del Guarataro does his own production, and has much to learn in that regard.
Sadly, it goes for most other regards, too. I don’t much relish writing a review like this. Alexis Uribe is obviously passionate about his music, and I really want him to succeed. I still like the concept of slowly shifting from one subgenre to another, and it’s the kind of creative idea metal thrives on. But every aspect of the execution is flawed; the repetitive songwriting, haphazard timing, shoddy production, and subpar vocals are just a few examples. The riffs, when not overtaken by tuneless plodding, and the occasional solo are more solid, and give me hope that Uribe has something to expand upon, either with Haitón del Guarataro or in the context of a full band. With Pombero, I’m sorry to say, he’s not there yet.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: ~260 kbps VBR mp3
Label: Self-released
Website: haitondelguarataro.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#15 #2025 #ArgentineMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #DoomMetal #HaitónDelGuarataro #May25 #Pombero #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #StonerMetal
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Haitón del Guarataro – Pombero Review
By GardensTale
Cryptids are cool as fuck. I don’t believe in them, but highly localized monster myths are just a fascinating insight in the fears and priorities of a particular culture, especially the often esoteric rules surrounding the fabled creatures. For his second album, Alexis Uribe of one-man band Haitón del Guarataro from Buenos Aires, Argentina, focuses on the Pombero, a short hairy humanoid being from Paraguayan folklore. It steals eggs and honey, impregnates women, and is appeased by gifts of rum and cigars. So it’s basically Steel Druhm on a bender. Context aside, I was intrigued by the concept behind Pombero; an album that would morph from stoner doom into black doom across the runtime. Does Haitón del Guarataro pull off the metamorphosis?
Well, technically, he does. The title track kicks off the album with a few minutes of lovely traditional Spanish guitar, weary and melancholy, imparting a suitable South American vibe, and although a little long-winded, it remains my favorite part of the album. Because once the heavy distortion kicks in, so do the vocals, a hoarse mumble that barely seems to make an attempt at hitting pitch and is frequently double-tracked without any discernable harmonization. They swerve from cleans to growls to everything in between seemingly at random across the front half of the album and rarely rise to the level of competent. Still, Uribe is clearly better at harsh vocals than clean, as “Double-Cross” succinctly demonstrates. The comatose front half of the track sports lethargic off-key murmuring, but some color returns to its cheeks when the biting snarls make their entrance.
Instrumentation-wise, there is likewise more bad than good, but the occasional bright spots give hope for a better future. For one, a few choice riffs dot Pombero. “Dueño del Sol” has a pretty sweet semi-Sabbathian one that’s played both slow and sped up and shines when accompanied by organs, though much of the track merely alternates that and stale single-chord plodding. The opener’s opening had me fooled with the quality of the guitar playing from the start, and when Uribe harmonizes his riffing with the (admittedly still dubious) vocals and follows it up with more of that sweet Spanish guitar, it begins to sketch what Haitón del Guarataro could grow into. But the back half of “Double-Cross” is the best 5 minutes of the album, even sporting a sweet solo and some genuinely nice transitions.
But I do find I have to really dig for the positives here, while the poor choices accumulate like beach-sand in an exposed buttcrack. Despite Uribe’s proficiency at blackened snarls, their double-tracked confusion and endless plodding make a tiring exercise out of closing duo “Karai Pyhare” and “Mopytũ,” especially the tuneless post-influenced wash of the latter. The former at least has the benefit of a few faster sections to change up the pace, but those underline the frankly awful drums, both their sloppy play and cardboard production. Also there seem to be maracas there, for some reason, and they hurt far more than they help. Whilst I always enjoy a clear bass, the twangy, almost funky sound here clashes with the sinister, trebly distortion of the guitars. Between the mismatched textures, ill-advised double-tracking, and messy timing, it seems to me that Haitón del Guarataro does his own production, and has much to learn in that regard.
Sadly, it goes for most other regards, too. I don’t much relish writing a review like this. Alexis Uribe is obviously passionate about his music, and I really want him to succeed. I still like the concept of slowly shifting from one subgenre to another, and it’s the kind of creative idea metal thrives on. But every aspect of the execution is flawed; the repetitive songwriting, haphazard timing, shoddy production, and subpar vocals are just a few examples. The riffs, when not overtaken by tuneless plodding, and the occasional solo are more solid, and give me hope that Uribe has something to expand upon, either with Haitón del Guarataro or in the context of a full band. With Pombero, I’m sorry to say, he’s not there yet.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: ~260 kbps VBR mp3
Label: Self-released
Website: haitondelguarataro.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: May 16th, 2025#15 #2025 #ArgentineMetal #BlackMetal #BlackSabbath #DoomMetal #HaitónDelGuarataro #May25 #Pombero #Review #Reviews #SelfReleased #StonerMetal
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Cherd’s Raw Black Metal Muster [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
By Cherd
There are two types of people in this world: those who appreciate raw black metal, and those who live fulfilling lives with friends and careers and family who speak to them at holiday gatherings. Since the advent of Bandcamp, the kvltest of all metal genres has become infinitely more accessible. Every year I wade through acres of tape hiss and tinny treble, looking for the half dozen or so raw black releases that rise above the buzzing tangle of cobwebs to rarified, putrid air. The following represent a cross-section of the seemingly infinite number of corpse-painted weirdos in basements the world over making music with no hope of even the smallest commercial success. This is for the fans, like me, as well as the curious. And if anyone in the comments says “This would be pretty good if the production wasn’t so shitty,” I swear I’ll slap on some messy black and white makeup, put bullet belts across my chest, find where your parents live, show up at their door and tell them we need references for the child we’re adopting together and not to worry about fulfilling other grandparent duties because we plan on selling the child to a Baphomet cult so we can buy drugs. The shitty production is the point.
Fugitive Wizard // Ultima Magus Chapters I, II, III, & IV – It would be fair to say that Fugitive Wizard is a (somewhat) more serious Old Nick, at least musically. The rollicking black metal is a bit more straight forward and the keyboards are a lot less goofy, but they’re kindred spirits. Indeed, Fugitive Wizard was one of the earliest non-Abysmal Specter bands on Grime Stone Records, though they seem to have parted ways. The four Ultima Magus EPs released in 2023 are identical in format to their previous Extorris Magus cycle, with each chapter consisting of two raw black metal tracks and an experimental synth interlude. Ultima Magus Chapter I is a slow start, but the stretch beginning with “Path of Druids” on II and ending with the stirring black metal anthem “Crimsonfrost Red Winter” on III is the band’s best work to date. The interludes can be described as “Brian Eno does dungeon synth” and all four are lovely.
Grave Pilgrim // The Bigotry of Purpose – If you read my raw black metal piece from last year, you’ll know that Grave Pilgrim was one of my favorite discoveries of 2022. They’re the only band to repeat on this year’s list, as full-length The Bigotry of Purpose expands on what I liked about the Molten Hands Reach West EP. They continue to hone a uniquely American take on black metal, with ramshackle riffs and guitar tones that veer into both rockabilly and classic rock territory, as displayed on the infectious “Prometheus Weeps.” Then, there’s that “old soul” character I noted before, this time embodied by the inclusion of “The Silver Swan,” an adaptation of 17th-century English composer Orlando Gibbons’ madrigal, as well as the remarkable guest vocals by a woman identified only as SD. Landing somewhere between opera and 19th-century parlor singing, SD lends a haunting and, frankly eyebrow-raising counterpoint/compliment to the songs “Rhiannon’s Wake” and “The Bigotry of Purpose.”
Jesum Christum // Svag Total – Longtime readers of this site may be familiar with the work of Jesum Christum’s sole member Adam Kjær Nielsen. As the drummer for Denmark’s Slægt, he’s been reviewed three times here, all quite favorably. Thanks to Italian label Canti Eretici quickly becoming one of my favorites for raw black metal, I discovered his highly melodic, atmospheric debut Svag Total. There’s a forlorn, almost cinematic sweep to the riffs that match the classical painting and etching that grace the cover art, but a nasty edge comes out here and there, especially on closing track “Herkser.” Nielsen is obviously in an exploratory phase, as he followed this up with an entirely choral 13-minute track sung in Latin and Hebrew, as well as released similar black metal in 2023 under the moniker Shrug. I hope it all coalesces into something cohesive, but even if it doesn’t this is a fine piece of raw, fiery melodicism.
Mycorrhizae // The Great Filtration – When I first stumbled upon this fungus-themed black metal duo, I knew there was a Minneapolis connection, but I didn’t realize it was the landing place of False drummer Travis Minnick after the ugly breakup of that band. Here he handles all instruments under the pseudonym Collector, along with vocalist Forager. Turns out his talents may have been wasted on drumming, because if Mycorrhizae’s debut full-length The Great Filtration was a breakfast cereal, it would be called OOPS! All Riffs, and your parents wouldn’t buy it for you because it would rot your teeth. And maybe turn you into one of those clickers from The Last of Us. Each tightly wound song runs through riff progressions like a brush fire while Forager shrieks about mycelial networks. If this is humanity’s future, I for one welcome our mushroom overlords.
Trhä // lhum’adsejja – No one, and I mean NO ONE, put out more music in 2023 than Mexico City-born, Texas-based Damián Antón Ojeda, also known as Trhä. Between 11 splits, five EPs and three full-lengths (I’m not even counting Ojeda’s other bands or solo projects), Trhä put out a wide spectrum of raw black metal and post-black experimentation, with all lyrics and titles in conlangs (made up languages) of their own invention. Some releases are sickly sweet and black-gaze-y, some icy and aggressive, all are at least interesting, many good, some very good. I listened to a solid two-thirds of Trhä’s output this year and settled on full-length lhum’adsejja as my favorite. It contains their catchiest riff craft in songs like “ovhen” and “dlhevuqshja dlhumër bem” as well as the sprawling experimental album closer “dosuar Qámrë ëlh,” which cleverly exploits the surprisingly short distance between programmed drum blast beats and EDM styles like drum’n’bass. If you want to dig deeper into Trhä’s mind-numbing 2023 output, I’d also recommend this EP and this split.
Ushangvagush // Pestmo’qon – After my oopsie-daisy in last year’s piece, I’ve become a bit more discerning about which indigenous raw black projects to promote, and Boston’s Ushangvagush appears to be well worth one’s time. A one-man Mi’kmaq wrecking ball of seething riffs and post-rock deconstruction, “D” turns his attention on sophomore full-length Pestmo’qon (“hunger” or “starvation”) to an ever-growing theme among metal bands: climate/ecological despair. The record consists of two 20-plus minute cuts that form a single piece. Part one is all barely contained rage and roiling, muscular riffs, like trying to hold a boa constrictor in a pillowcase. Part two lets some of the complex natural beauty we’re indiscriminately destroying shine through in gentler, eerier soundscapes. This isn’t a very hopeful record. The things being grieved are technically still around, but un-savable.
Vampiric Coffin // Give Your Blood to the Night & The Last Drop – As per usual, I found a lot of this year’s Grime Stone Records releases enjoyable, adding a fair number to my Bandcamp collection. Curta’n Wall made my official top ten list, but Vampiric Coffin also deserves recognition. Between two EPs totaling 12 songs and a blazing 22 minutes, this Mississippi-based project by one Count Jeffery the Vampire wraps one buzzing, infectious riff after another in cob-webby production raw enough to please any lo-fi-o-phile. Black metal is the core, but there’s loads of thrash and punk influence as well with just a sprinkling of synth here and there. The songs are highly repeatable, which is great considering they’re all about two minutes long.
#AmericanMetal #BigBovineProductions #BlackMetal #CantiEreticiRecords #DanishMetal #DeathPrayerRecords #FugitiveWizard #GravePilgrim #GrimeStoneRecords #JesumChristum #MexicanMetal #Mycorrhizae #RawBlackMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023 #Trhä #Ushangvagush #VampiricCoffin #VigorReconstruct #WergildRecords
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Cherd’s Raw Black Metal Muster [Things You Might Have Missed 2023]
By Cherd
There are two types of people in this world: those who appreciate raw black metal, and those who live fulfilling lives with friends and careers and family who speak to them at holiday gatherings. Since the advent of Bandcamp, the kvltest of all metal genres has become infinitely more accessible. Every year I wade through acres of tape hiss and tinny treble, looking for the half dozen or so raw black releases that rise above the buzzing tangle of cobwebs to rarified, putrid air. The following represent a cross-section of the seemingly infinite number of corpse-painted weirdos in basements the world over making music with no hope of even the smallest commercial success. This is for the fans, like me, as well as the curious. And if anyone in the comments says “This would be pretty good if the production wasn’t so shitty,” I swear I’ll slap on some messy black and white makeup, put bullet belts across my chest, find where your parents live, show up at their door and tell them we need references for the child we’re adopting together and not to worry about fulfilling other grandparent duties because we plan on selling the child to a Baphomet cult so we can buy drugs. The shitty production is the point.
Fugitive Wizard // Ultima Magus Chapters I, II, III, & IV – It would be fair to say that Fugitive Wizard is a (somewhat) more serious Old Nick, at least musically. The rollicking black metal is a bit more straight forward and the keyboards are a lot less goofy, but they’re kindred spirits. Indeed, Fugitive Wizard was one of the earliest non-Abysmal Specter bands on Grime Stone Records, though they seem to have parted ways. The four Ultima Magus EPs released in 2023 are identical in format to their previous Extorris Magus cycle, with each chapter consisting of two raw black metal tracks and an experimental synth interlude. Ultima Magus Chapter I is a slow start, but the stretch beginning with “Path of Druids” on II and ending with the stirring black metal anthem “Crimsonfrost Red Winter” on III is the band’s best work to date. The interludes can be described as “Brian Eno does dungeon synth” and all four are lovely.
Grave Pilgrim // The Bigotry of Purpose – If you read my raw black metal piece from last year, you’ll know that Grave Pilgrim was one of my favorite discoveries of 2022. They’re the only band to repeat on this year’s list, as full-length The Bigotry of Purpose expands on what I liked about the Molten Hands Reach West EP. They continue to hone a uniquely American take on black metal, with ramshackle riffs and guitar tones that veer into both rockabilly and classic rock territory, as displayed on the infectious “Prometheus Weeps.” Then, there’s that “old soul” character I noted before, this time embodied by the inclusion of “The Silver Swan,” an adaptation of 17th-century English composer Orlando Gibbons’ madrigal, as well as the remarkable guest vocals by a woman identified only as SD. Landing somewhere between opera and 19th-century parlor singing, SD lends a haunting and, frankly eyebrow-raising counterpoint/compliment to the songs “Rhiannon’s Wake” and “The Bigotry of Purpose.”
Jesum Christum // Svag Total – Longtime readers of this site may be familiar with the work of Jesum Christum’s sole member Adam Kjær Nielsen. As the drummer for Denmark’s Slægt, he’s been reviewed three times here, all quite favorably. Thanks to Italian label Canti Eretici quickly becoming one of my favorites for raw black metal, I discovered his highly melodic, atmospheric debut Svag Total. There’s a forlorn, almost cinematic sweep to the riffs that match the classical painting and etching that grace the cover art, but a nasty edge comes out here and there, especially on closing track “Herkser.” Nielsen is obviously in an exploratory phase, as he followed this up with an entirely choral 13-minute track sung in Latin and Hebrew, as well as released similar black metal in 2023 under the moniker Shrug. I hope it all coalesces into something cohesive, but even if it doesn’t this is a fine piece of raw, fiery melodicism.
Mycorrhizae // The Great Filtration – When I first stumbled upon this fungus-themed black metal duo, I knew there was a Minneapolis connection, but I didn’t realize it was the landing place of False drummer Travis Minnick after the ugly breakup of that band. Here he handles all instruments under the pseudonym Collector, along with vocalist Forager. Turns out his talents may have been wasted on drumming, because if Mycorrhizae’s debut full-length The Great Filtration was a breakfast cereal, it would be called OOPS! All Riffs, and your parents wouldn’t buy it for you because it would rot your teeth. And maybe turn you into one of those clickers from The Last of Us. Each tightly wound song runs through riff progressions like a brush fire while Forager shrieks about mycelial networks. If this is humanity’s future, I for one welcome our mushroom overlords.
Trhä // lhum’adsejja – No one, and I mean NO ONE, put out more music in 2023 than Mexico City-born, Texas-based Damián Antón Ojeda, also known as Trhä. Between 11 splits, five EPs and three full-lengths (I’m not even counting Ojeda’s other bands or solo projects), Trhä put out a wide spectrum of raw black metal and post-black experimentation, with all lyrics and titles in conlangs (made up languages) of their own invention. Some releases are sickly sweet and black-gaze-y, some icy and aggressive, all are at least interesting, many good, some very good. I listened to a solid two-thirds of Trhä’s output this year and settled on full-length lhum’adsejja as my favorite. It contains their catchiest riff craft in songs like “ovhen” and “dlhevuqshja dlhumër bem” as well as the sprawling experimental album closer “dosuar Qámrë ëlh,” which cleverly exploits the surprisingly short distance between programmed drum blast beats and EDM styles like drum’n’bass. If you want to dig deeper into Trhä’s mind-numbing 2023 output, I’d also recommend this EP and this split.
Ushangvagush // Pestmo’qon – After my oopsie-daisy in last year’s piece, I’ve become a bit more discerning about which indigenous raw black projects to promote, and Boston’s Ushangvagush appears to be well worth one’s time. A one-man Mi’kmaq wrecking ball of seething riffs and post-rock deconstruction, “D” turns his attention on sophomore full-length Pestmo’qon (“hunger” or “starvation”) to an ever-growing theme among metal bands: climate/ecological despair. The record consists of two 20-plus minute cuts that form a single piece. Part one is all barely contained rage and roiling, muscular riffs, like trying to hold a boa constrictor in a pillowcase. Part two lets some of the complex natural beauty we’re indiscriminately destroying shine through in gentler, eerier soundscapes. This isn’t a very hopeful record. The things being grieved are technically still around, but un-savable.
Vampiric Coffin // Give Your Blood to the Night & The Last Drop – As per usual, I found a lot of this year’s Grime Stone Records releases enjoyable, adding a fair number to my Bandcamp collection. Curta’n Wall made my official top ten list, but Vampiric Coffin also deserves recognition. Between two EPs totaling 12 songs and a blazing 22 minutes, this Mississippi-based project by one Count Jeffery the Vampire wraps one buzzing, infectious riff after another in cob-webby production raw enough to please any lo-fi-o-phile. Black metal is the core, but there’s loads of thrash and punk influence as well with just a sprinkling of synth here and there. The songs are highly repeatable, which is great considering they’re all about two minutes long.
#AmericanMetal #BigBovineProductions #BlackMetal #CantiEreticiRecords #DanishMetal #DeathPrayerRecords #FugitiveWizard #GravePilgrim #GrimeStoneRecords #JesumChristum #MexicanMetal #Mycorrhizae #RawBlackMetal #ThingsYouMightHaveMissed2023 #Trhä #Ushangvagush #VampiricCoffin #VigorReconstruct #WergildRecords
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Heating with math
Something a little different today: I’ve been considering switching to heating with gas and I recently ran some numbers.
tl;dr: I will be continuing to heat with solid fuel.
Preamble: We have already deeply insulated our attic, upgraded insulation in the walls which were opened during some remodeling, and replaced all windows and doors with modern versions. (Our house was originally built in 1954.) This is the obvious first place to begin improving heating your home.
Electricity: My electricity costs $0.0758 per kWh. I can basically turn on my electric baseboard heaters and this is what I’d pay (per kWh) to heat our house.
Methane: This is the proper way to heat a home in northern climates. Unfortunately, “street gas” is not present in my neighborhood. One block over, yes, here, no. They would install it for me… if I’m willing to pay the entire cost to rip up the street and put in the gas main.
Propane: Chemistry geeks know that propane has about 12% less energy per molecule compared to methane. But generally speaking, appliances (my gas cooking stove, a gas heating appliance I would need to buy/install) can be adjusted to burn either fuel. Anyway. I already have a small propane tank that serves my cooking stove, so I would “just” need a larger tank — possibly MUCH larger, possibly so large that safety ordinances would require me to put it underground. Anyway. My propane costs me $5.999/gal — if you know about petroleum, this is an incomprehensibly high number. Meanwhile, 1 gal propane = 27kWhr of energy. And a gas heater (I’m imagining replacing my wood stove with an appliance that sits in the same space) is effectively 100% efficient at turning that gas into heat. So simple math shows that propane would cost me $0.222/KWh — about THREE times the cost of electricity.
Firewood: This is MUCH harder to compute. First off, I have to estimate how much energy is available in the wood I’m burning; that’s affected by species of wood, and how it’s seasoned and stored (because the MORE water in the wood, the more heat is “lost” to vaporize that water and send it away up the chimney.) Some factors to consider: Where I live, there are several readily available “fuel” species of trees that are sustainably available. I’ve found a reputable supplier who is not hauling it long distances and provides me the right sizes etc for what I want. I also have the absolute best imaginable way of storing the wood in “cribs” that expose it to air drying while having it under cover.
So I’m guessing 20 million BTU per cord. (A cord is a stacked, pile 4 feet tall, with a foot print of 4×8 feet. Technically, it’s a pile of 4-foot LONG logs, 4 feet high and 8 feet wide on the ground. A true wood heating system is a separate unit outside that is meant to take 4 foot long logs. I purchase ~16″ pieces split, which still makes the 4×8 foot print computable. I digress.) Good fuel species can be up to 30MBTU/cord. So I’m being conservative with 20.
20M BTU is 5,861 KWh. I pay $300 per cord (fellow Pennsylvanians just twitched because that is pretty expensive — 225 or 250 is typical — but this is excellent wood species, all cut and split to the correct sizes for stove fuel, delivered early in the season, and dumped exactly where I want it. As usual, I digress. So math happens leading to $0.0512 / KWh. Even if I figure-in that the wood stove is only 80% efficient (we have a great stove made in Scandinavia which really does exceed 80% efficiency when operated correctly), that only bumps the cost up to $0.0639 / KWh.
Update in 2019: My electricity costs $0.07039 per KWh. (That’s down about 1/2 cent.) I’ve a new firewood supplier, with the price down to $225 per cord. That’s $0.038 / KWh, and still only $0.048 / KWh at 80% stove efficiency.
And finally some references…
http://www.propane101.com/propanevselectricity.htm
http://worldforestindustries.com/forest-biofuel/firewood/firewood-btu-ratings/ɕ
#Fire #Math #Writing -
Daily writing prompt Do you have any collections? View all responsesCollections? You mean like, do I collect bad decisions? Failures? Things like that?
I was a baseball card collector when I was a kid. I was pretty obsessed. I still have them all. They are in a box somewhere in the cellar. I haven’t added to the collection in ages though. I can’t really say I still collect them. I collected music on vinyl/cassette tapes/CDs. Most of them are gone. I had ripped them all so now all of that music lives simultaneously in a hard drive and in my iTunes Match account. Is that even still a thing? Streaming services are pretty evil (from the musical artist’s point of view) but they are so effin’ convenient from the listener’s perspective that I can’t really stay away. I want to, but I can’t. Thanks, Apple Music. I used to have a pretty significant collection of books. Mostly paperbacks in the horror genre. Thank you, Stephen King and Clive Barker. Almost all of them are gone now. I used to have a significant VHS/DVD/Blue Ray collection too. Almost all of those are gone too.
If I had to fess up to having a collection of anything these days it would probably be electric guitars. I have four. They are all Gibsons. A 1978 Les Paul Custom, a 1979 ES-335 Pro, a 2017 SG Standard, and a 2020 Les Paul Standard ’50’s. I would very much like for this collection to grow, but it’s so expensive. I could extend this to guitar gear in general as I have a few amplifiers and a slew of effects pedals. It feels cooler to say that I collect guitars though.
I could also say that I collect office desks. I have four, technically. One for personal computer stuff in the cellar. Right next to it is a work from home desk that I don’t use very much anymore. Another is upstairs in my step son’s currently unoccupied bed room. That’s where I work from home for the most part. Then there’s one in the actual office. I’m sitting at that one right now.
We have two cats… does that count as a collection? Probably not.
Yeah, let’s go with guitars. That’s my answer for today’s question. Thank you and good night.
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Daily writing prompt Do you have any collections? View all responsesCollections? You mean like, do I collect bad decisions? Failures? Things like that?
I was a baseball card collector when I was a kid. I was pretty obsessed. I still have them all. They are in a box somewhere in the cellar. I haven’t added to the collection in ages though. I can’t really say I still collect them. I collected music on vinyl/cassette tapes/CDs. Most of them are gone. I had ripped them all so now all of that music lives simultaneously in a hard drive and in my iTunes Match account. Is that even still a thing? Streaming services are pretty evil (from the musical artist’s point of view) but they are so effin’ convenient from the listener’s perspective that I can’t really stay away. I want to, but I can’t. Thanks, Apple Music. I used to have a pretty significant collection of books. Mostly paperbacks in the horror genre. Thank you, Stephen King and Clive Barker. Almost all of them are gone now. I used to have a significant VHS/DVD/Blue Ray collection too. Almost all of those are gone too.
If I had to fess up to having a collection of anything these days it would probably be electric guitars. I have four. They are all Gibsons. A 1978 Les Paul Custom, a 1979 ES-335 Pro, a 2017 SG Standard, and a 2020 Les Paul Standard ’50’s. I would very much like for this collection to grow, but it’s so expensive. I could extend this to guitar gear in general as I have a few amplifiers and a slew of effects pedals. It feels cooler to say that I collect guitars though.
I could also say that I collect office desks. I have four, technically. One for personal computer stuff in the cellar. Right next to it is a work from home desk that I don’t use very much anymore. Another is upstairs in my step son’s currently unoccupied bed room. That’s where I work from home for the most part. Then there’s one in the actual office. I’m sitting at that one right now.
We have two cats… does that count as a collection? Probably not.
Yeah, let’s go with guitars. That’s my answer for today’s question. Thank you and good night.
-
Daily writing prompt Do you have any collections? View all responsesCollections? You mean like, do I collect bad decisions? Failures? Things like that?
I was a baseball card collector when I was a kid. I was pretty obsessed. I still have them all. They are in a box somewhere in the cellar. I haven’t added to the collection in ages though. I can’t really say I still collect them. I collected music on vinyl/cassette tapes/CDs. Most of them are gone. I had ripped them all so now all of that music lives simultaneously in a hard drive and in my iTunes Match account. Is that even still a thing? Streaming services are pretty evil (from the musical artist’s point of view) but they are so effin’ convenient from the listener’s perspective that I can’t really stay away. I want to, but I can’t. Thanks, Apple Music. I used to have a pretty significant collection of books. Mostly paperbacks in the horror genre. Thank you, Stephen King and Clive Barker. Almost all of them are gone now. I used to have a significant VHS/DVD/Blue Ray collection too. Almost all of those are gone too.
If I had to fess up to having a collection of anything these days it would probably be electric guitars. I have four. They are all Gibsons. A 1978 Les Paul Custom, a 1979 ES-335 Pro, a 2017 SG Standard, and a 2020 Les Paul Standard ’50’s. I would very much like for this collection to grow, but it’s so expensive. I could extend this to guitar gear in general as I have a few amplifiers and a slew of effects pedals. It feels cooler to say that I collect guitars though.
I could also say that I collect office desks. I have four, technically. One for personal computer stuff in the cellar. Right next to it is a work from home desk that I don’t use very much anymore. Another is upstairs in my step son’s currently unoccupied bed room. That’s where I work from home for the most part. Then there’s one in the actual office. I’m sitting at that one right now.
We have two cats… does that count as a collection? Probably not.
Yeah, let’s go with guitars. That’s my answer for today’s question. Thank you and good night.
-
Daily writing prompt Do you have any collections? View all responsesCollections? You mean like, do I collect bad decisions? Failures? Things like that?
I was a baseball card collector when I was a kid. I was pretty obsessed. I still have them all. They are in a box somewhere in the cellar. I haven’t added to the collection in ages though. I can’t really say I still collect them. I collected music on vinyl/cassette tapes/CDs. Most of them are gone. I had ripped them all so now all of that music lives simultaneously in a hard drive and in my iTunes Match account. Is that even still a thing? Streaming services are pretty evil (from the musical artist’s point of view) but they are so effin’ convenient from the listener’s perspective that I can’t really stay away. I want to, but I can’t. Thanks, Apple Music. I used to have a pretty significant collection of books. Mostly paperbacks in the horror genre. Thank you, Stephen King and Clive Barker. Almost all of them are gone now. I used to have a significant VHS/DVD/Blue Ray collection too. Almost all of those are gone too.
If I had to fess up to having a collection of anything these days it would probably be electric guitars. I have four. They are all Gibsons. A 1978 Les Paul Custom, a 1979 ES-335 Pro, a 2017 SG Standard, and a 2020 Les Paul Standard ’50’s. I would very much like for this collection to grow, but it’s so expensive. I could extend this to guitar gear in general as I have a few amplifiers and a slew of effects pedals. It feels cooler to say that I collect guitars though.
I could also say that I collect office desks. I have four, technically. One for personal computer stuff in the cellar. Right next to it is a work from home desk that I don’t use very much anymore. Another is upstairs in my step son’s currently unoccupied bed room. That’s where I work from home for the most part. Then there’s one in the actual office. I’m sitting at that one right now.
We have two cats… does that count as a collection? Probably not.
Yeah, let’s go with guitars. That’s my answer for today’s question. Thank you and good night.
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10 More Hacker Movies You Have Missed
Everyone loved the first one of these, so a follow up was inevitable.
These are ten more hacker related movies you have probably missed that aren’t the traditional three or four choices everyone always picks like Hackers, Sneakers, Swordfish or WarGames.
This time around it is a very 1990s heavy affair, with 1995 being the real opening of the floodgates for movies about hackers or techno-thrillers where hacking plays an important part in the movie plot.
Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic (1995)I am by no means a professional movie reviewer and I tend to be very indulgent of movies that feature hacking, especially lower budget movies where they are trying something a little new.
I plan to do an entirely separate list of best hacker documentaries.
10. Fair Game (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zrZnV-4dk
Watching this will make you think of better movies like Die Hard, The Net or maybe even Enemy of the State. Fair Game is a movie about a cop who hates computers (William Baldwin) having to team up with a somewhat tech savvy lawyer (Cindy Crawford) to dodge a team of KGB assassins who need to do computer stuff to steal millions of dollars.
William Baldwin got the role after they couldn’t get Sylvester Stallone and boy is he not a good actor in this, Cindy Crawford does her best and Steven Berkoff and Miguel Sandoval could sleepwalk through portraying villains and still be fantastic.
Watching even a crappy 90s movie like this reminds me how good movies used to look though, real sets, real effects, real explosions, this now doesn’t seem as bad as people thought it was 30 years ago.
9. Tom Clancy’s NetForce (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBSiWxqzoyE
From the master of “technically detailed espionage”, Tom Clancy.
This movie was a little late in the day to portray technology as essentially magical and branch out into the world of science fiction but it was set in the far flung future of 2005. Scott Bakula runs a government agency attached to the FBI that has to solve digital crimes and police the internet and my god this is a funny movie. Even back in 1999 a newspaper critic described it as “pretty silly stuff”.
I think you can find this movie in various languages and in fifteen minute chunks on YouTube, be warned it is over two and a half hours long as it was made for TV.
8. Fled (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcI_nr9zgr0
Second Baldwin brother on this list and he’s even worse than William, in Fled we get Stephen Baldwin as a computer hacker who winds up fleeing a prison work camp with Laurence Fishburne.
The film meanders a lot, there isn’t much hacking involved really, although listening to Stephen Baldwin recite his lines talking about computers, phones and hacking is absolutely hilarious. There is some little charm to this movie though.
7. Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfbI3yRTrYM
This movie is just really insane and I have a real soft spot in my heart for it as a result, I didn’t even know they made a sequel with some of the original cast returning in 1996 until a few years ago. Imagine my surprise.
Jobe survives the first movie, although he is severely maimed, and is made to work on a virtual reality operating system chip, he also crashes various forms of transportation as part of some big conspiracy to pursue world domination by the people behind the magic microchip.
The kid from the first movie is now part of a teenage hacker gang who live in a subway tunnel. Just check it out, it is hard to describe.
6. Webmaster (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvdOYwyVfd8
This was described in marketing at the time of its release as the Danish Bladerunner” and I think that sets the bar way, way too high for what is a likeable little cyberpunk movie.
The story is centered around a guy who helps run the online infrastructure of a major mobster in a dystopian future, something goes wrong though and he has to figure out who is responsible before the mobster killed him.
This is yet another 90s movie on the list with VR goggles, a very rudimentary understanding of tech or the internet and a plot that at times veers drastically off course, but I really like it.
You may struggle to find the english dubbed version, though subtitled copies are easier to track down.
5. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnvvh9PLWGQ
Sandra Bullock is back from the first speed movie to make her second hacking related movie (see The Net) and also star in a movie that spawned a ton of jokes about sequels having “Cruise Control” appended to the title.
Willem Defoe plays a deranged former cruise ship employee and hacker who decides to sabotage the cruise ship Sandra Bullock’s character is vacationing on with her new boyfriend and that is probably as much as you need to know.
Everyone hated this when it came out but I think once again attitudes have mellowed a little with time. Worth watching just for Willem Defoe being diabolical.
4. Nirvana (1997)
You may struggle to find a copy of this with the english dub, there are various subtitled versions floating around though.
Christopher Lambert is a video game programmer who accidentally creates an artificial intelligence within one of his games that he then has to try and save from an evil corporation.
This movie looks really beautiful in parts and like an 80s episode of Dr Who in others, I really enjoyed it though as it brings a 90s intensely European sci-fi aesthetic that just feels different to the usual fare.
3. Avalon (2001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXRXclj99Xg
Avalon is a cyberpunk movie that is a Japanese and Polish international co-production with a Polish cast and a Japanese director, if that doesn’t make you curious nothing will.
Another unique looking movie, Avalon is beautiful in parts but at times it really feels like a movie that should be on screens in a cool nightclub with the audio off for people to admire as they dance.
This is another on the list that involves gaming, VR and a gritty dystopian future. If you wish the Matrix looked like an art house movie and made slightly less sense then look no further.
2. Mercury Rising (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lodj3ZT4tOU
This movie is firmly in the camp of 90s movie that is related to hacking where the protagonist is a cop or professional who isn’t a hacker, with Bruce Willis playing an FBI agent. We also get our third Baldwin brother on this list, arguably the best Baldwin, Alec.
Willis has to protect a little autistic boy who can crack a secret NSA code (named “Mercury”), I went back and forth on even including this as I really don’t like media that portrays autistic people as human supercomputers but here we are.
Before Willis was cast the had considered Nicolas Cage for the lead role and I kind of wish we had seen that version of the movie.
1. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFJY_BZ55sI
As R.U. Sirius and St. Jude wrote in the Cyberpunk Fakebook “This is a motion picture with a serious moral: if you somehow offend the gods of cyberspace They’ll have Hollywood make a movie from your dreams”.
Like many of the movies on this list have a warm place in my heart for this movie, I think there was a genuine attempt to produce something that stayed true to the source material. I also think people have generally mellowed on this, especially given how people love Keanu Reeves now.
Reeves plays a data courier, with his own memories replaced with data that is stored in his head that he needs to deliver before it destroys him.
There is a black and white version of this movie that I have yet to see that is supposedly a revelation.
Conclusion
That’s it for now, I want to do a top ten “proto-hacker” movies from before 1980 and a list of the best hacker documentaries soon, so look out for those and sign up for updates if you’d like.
You can also follow realhackhistory or Bluesky and Mastodon, I’d love to hear what you think of this list and if there are any movies I’ve missed.
#1980s #BruceWillis #ChristopherLambert #CodeMercury #FairGame #film #hacked #hacker #hackers #hacking #JohnnyMnemonic #KeanuReeves #LaurenceFishburne #LawnmowerMan #Matrix #MercuryRising #movie #Movies #SandraBullock #Speed #TomClancy #WarGames #WillemDefoe #WilliamGibson
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10 More Hacker Movies You Have Missed
Everyone loved the first one of these, so a follow up was inevitable.
These are ten more hacker related movies you have probably missed that aren’t the traditional three or four choices everyone always picks like Hackers, Sneakers, Swordfish or WarGames.
This time around it is a very 1990s heavy affair, with 1995 being the real opening of the floodgates for movies about hackers or techno-thrillers where hacking plays an important part in the movie plot.
Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic (1995)I am by no means a professional movie reviewer and I tend to be very indulgent of movies that feature hacking, especially lower budget movies where they are trying something a little new.
I plan to do an entirely separate list of best hacker documentaries.
10. Fair Game (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zrZnV-4dk
Watching this will make you think of better movies like Die Hard, The Net or maybe even Enemy of the State. Fair Game is a movie about a cop who hates computers (William Baldwin) having to team up with a somewhat tech savvy lawyer (Cindy Crawford) to dodge a team of KGB assassins who need to do computer stuff to steal millions of dollars.
William Baldwin got the role after they couldn’t get Sylvester Stallone and boy is he not a good actor in this, Cindy Crawford does her best and Steven Berkoff and Miguel Sandoval could sleepwalk through portraying villains and still be fantastic.
Watching even a crappy 90s movie like this reminds me how good movies used to look though, real sets, real effects, real explosions, this now doesn’t seem as bad as people thought it was 30 years ago.
9. Tom Clancy’s NetForce (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBSiWxqzoyE
From the master of “technically detailed espionage”, Tom Clancy.
This movie was a little late in the day to portray technology as essentially magical and branch out into the world of science fiction but it was set in the far flung future of 2005. Scott Bakula runs a government agency attached to the FBI that has to solve digital crimes and police the internet and my god this is a funny movie. Even back in 1999 a newspaper critic described it as “pretty silly stuff”.
I think you can find this movie in various languages and in fifteen minute chunks on YouTube, be warned it is over two and a half hours long as it was made for TV.
8. Fled (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcI_nr9zgr0
Second Baldwin brother on this list and he’s even worse than William, in Fled we get Stephen Baldwin as a computer hacker who winds up fleeing a prison work camp with Laurence Fishburne.
The film meanders a lot, there isn’t much hacking involved really, although listening to Stephen Baldwin recite his lines talking about computers, phones and hacking is absolutely hilarious. There is some little charm to this movie though.
7. Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfbI3yRTrYM
This movie is just really insane and I have a real soft spot in my heart for it as a result, I didn’t even know they made a sequel with some of the original cast returning in 1996 until a few years ago. Imagine my surprise.
Jobe survives the first movie, although he is severely maimed, and is made to work on a virtual reality operating system chip, he also crashes various forms of transportation as part of some big conspiracy to pursue world domination by the people behind the magic microchip.
The kid from the first movie is now part of a teenage hacker gang who live in a subway tunnel. Just check it out, it is hard to describe.
6. Webmaster (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvdOYwyVfd8
This was described in marketing at the time of its release as the Danish Bladerunner” and I think that sets the bar way, way too high for what is a likeable little cyberpunk movie.
The story is centered around a guy who helps run the online infrastructure of a major mobster in a dystopian future, something goes wrong though and he has to figure out who is responsible before the mobster killed him.
This is yet another 90s movie on the list with VR goggles, a very rudimentary understanding of tech or the internet and a plot that at times veers drastically off course, but I really like it.
You may struggle to find the english dubbed version, though subtitled copies are easier to track down.
5. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnvvh9PLWGQ
Sandra Bullock is back from the first speed movie to make her second hacking related movie (see The Net) and also star in a movie that spawned a ton of jokes about sequels having “Cruise Control” appended to the title.
Willem Defoe plays a deranged former cruise ship employee and hacker who decides to sabotage the cruise ship Sandra Bullock’s character is vacationing on with her new boyfriend and that is probably as much as you need to know.
Everyone hated this when it came out but I think once again attitudes have mellowed a little with time. Worth watching just for Willem Defoe being diabolical.
4. Nirvana (1997)
You may struggle to find a copy of this with the english dub, there are various subtitled versions floating around though.
Christopher Lambert is a video game programmer who accidentally creates an artificial intelligence within one of his games that he then has to try and save from an evil corporation.
This movie looks really beautiful in parts and like an 80s episode of Dr Who in others, I really enjoyed it though as it brings a 90s intensely European sci-fi aesthetic that just feels different to the usual fare.
3. Avalon (2001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXRXclj99Xg
Avalon is a cyberpunk movie that is a Japanese and Polish international co-production with a Polish cast and a Japanese director, if that doesn’t make you curious nothing will.
Another unique looking movie, Avalon is beautiful in parts but at times it really feels like a movie that should be on screens in a cool nightclub with the audio off for people to admire as they dance.
This is another on the list that involves gaming, VR and a gritty dystopian future. If you wish the Matrix looked like an art house movie and made slightly less sense then look no further.
2. Mercury Rising (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lodj3ZT4tOU
This movie is firmly in the camp of 90s movie that is related to hacking where the protagonist is a cop or professional who isn’t a hacker, with Bruce Willis playing an FBI agent. We also get our third Baldwin brother on this list, arguably the best Baldwin, Alec.
Willis has to protect a little autistic boy who can crack a secret NSA code (named “Mercury”), I went back and forth on even including this as I really don’t like media that portrays autistic people as human supercomputers but here we are.
Before Willis was cast the had considered Nicolas Cage for the lead role and I kind of wish we had seen that version of the movie.
1. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFJY_BZ55sI
As R.U. Sirius and St. Jude wrote in the Cyberpunk Fakebook “This is a motion picture with a serious moral: if you somehow offend the gods of cyberspace They’ll have Hollywood make a movie from your dreams”.
Like many of the movies on this list have a warm place in my heart for this movie, I think there was a genuine attempt to produce something that stayed true to the source material. I also think people have generally mellowed on this, especially given how people love Keanu Reeves now.
Reeves plays a data courier, with his own memories replaced with data that is stored in his head that he needs to deliver before it destroys him.
There is a black and white version of this movie that I have yet to see that is supposedly a revelation.
Conclusion
That’s it for now, I want to do a top ten “proto-hacker” movies from before 1980 and a list of the best hacker documentaries soon, so look out for those and sign up for updates if you’d like.
You can also follow realhackhistory or Bluesky and Mastodon, I’d love to hear what you think of this list and if there are any movies I’ve missed.
#1980s #BruceWillis #ChristopherLambert #CodeMercury #FairGame #film #hacked #hacker #hackers #hacking #JohnnyMnemonic #KeanuReeves #LaurenceFishburne #LawnmowerMan #Matrix #MercuryRising #movie #Movies #SandraBullock #Speed #TomClancy #WarGames #WillemDefoe #WilliamGibson
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10 More Hacker Movies You Have Missed
Everyone loved the first one of these, so a follow up was inevitable.
These are ten more hacker related movies you have probably missed that aren’t the traditional three or four choices everyone always picks like Hackers, Sneakers, Swordfish or WarGames.
This time around it is a very 1990s heavy affair, with 1995 being the real opening of the floodgates for movies about hackers or techno-thrillers where hacking plays an important part in the movie plot.
Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic (1995)I am by no means a professional movie reviewer and I tend to be very indulgent of movies that feature hacking, especially lower budget movies where they are trying something a little new.
I plan to do an entirely separate list of best hacker documentaries.
10. Fair Game (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5zrZnV-4dk
Watching this will make you think of better movies like Die Hard, The Net or maybe even Enemy of the State. Fair Game is a movie about a cop who hates computers (William Baldwin) having to team up with a somewhat tech savvy lawyer (Cindy Crawford) to dodge a team of KGB assassins who need to do computer stuff to steal millions of dollars.
William Baldwin got the role after they couldn’t get Sylvester Stallone and boy is he not a good actor in this, Cindy Crawford does her best and Steven Berkoff and Miguel Sandoval could sleepwalk through portraying villains and still be fantastic.
Watching even a crappy 90s movie like this reminds me how good movies used to look though, real sets, real effects, real explosions, this now doesn’t seem as bad as people thought it was 30 years ago.
9. Tom Clancy’s NetForce (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBSiWxqzoyE
From the master of “technically detailed espionage”, Tom Clancy.
This movie was a little late in the day to portray technology as essentially magical and branch out into the world of science fiction but it was set in the far flung future of 2005. Scott Bakula runs a government agency attached to the FBI that has to solve digital crimes and police the internet and my god this is a funny movie. Even back in 1999 a newspaper critic described it as “pretty silly stuff”.
I think you can find this movie in various languages and in fifteen minute chunks on YouTube, be warned it is over two and a half hours long as it was made for TV.
8. Fled (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcI_nr9zgr0
Second Baldwin brother on this list and he’s even worse than William, in Fled we get Stephen Baldwin as a computer hacker who winds up fleeing a prison work camp with Laurence Fishburne.
The film meanders a lot, there isn’t much hacking involved really, although listening to Stephen Baldwin recite his lines talking about computers, phones and hacking is absolutely hilarious. There is some little charm to this movie though.
7. Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfbI3yRTrYM
This movie is just really insane and I have a real soft spot in my heart for it as a result, I didn’t even know they made a sequel with some of the original cast returning in 1996 until a few years ago. Imagine my surprise.
Jobe survives the first movie, although he is severely maimed, and is made to work on a virtual reality operating system chip, he also crashes various forms of transportation as part of some big conspiracy to pursue world domination by the people behind the magic microchip.
The kid from the first movie is now part of a teenage hacker gang who live in a subway tunnel. Just check it out, it is hard to describe.
6. Webmaster (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvdOYwyVfd8
This was described in marketing at the time of its release as the Danish Bladerunner” and I think that sets the bar way, way too high for what is a likeable little cyberpunk movie.
The story is centered around a guy who helps run the online infrastructure of a major mobster in a dystopian future, something goes wrong though and he has to figure out who is responsible before the mobster killed him.
This is yet another 90s movie on the list with VR goggles, a very rudimentary understanding of tech or the internet and a plot that at times veers drastically off course, but I really like it.
You may struggle to find the english dubbed version, though subtitled copies are easier to track down.
5. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnvvh9PLWGQ
Sandra Bullock is back from the first speed movie to make her second hacking related movie (see The Net) and also star in a movie that spawned a ton of jokes about sequels having “Cruise Control” appended to the title.
Willem Defoe plays a deranged former cruise ship employee and hacker who decides to sabotage the cruise ship Sandra Bullock’s character is vacationing on with her new boyfriend and that is probably as much as you need to know.
Everyone hated this when it came out but I think once again attitudes have mellowed a little with time. Worth watching just for Willem Defoe being diabolical.
4. Nirvana (1997)
You may struggle to find a copy of this with the english dub, there are various subtitled versions floating around though.
Christopher Lambert is a video game programmer who accidentally creates an artificial intelligence within one of his games that he then has to try and save from an evil corporation.
This movie looks really beautiful in parts and like an 80s episode of Dr Who in others, I really enjoyed it though as it brings a 90s intensely European sci-fi aesthetic that just feels different to the usual fare.
3. Avalon (2001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXRXclj99Xg
Avalon is a cyberpunk movie that is a Japanese and Polish international co-production with a Polish cast and a Japanese director, if that doesn’t make you curious nothing will.
Another unique looking movie, Avalon is beautiful in parts but at times it really feels like a movie that should be on screens in a cool nightclub with the audio off for people to admire as they dance.
This is another on the list that involves gaming, VR and a gritty dystopian future. If you wish the Matrix looked like an art house movie and made slightly less sense then look no further.
2. Mercury Rising (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lodj3ZT4tOU
This movie is firmly in the camp of 90s movie that is related to hacking where the protagonist is a cop or professional who isn’t a hacker, with Bruce Willis playing an FBI agent. We also get our third Baldwin brother on this list, arguably the best Baldwin, Alec.
Willis has to protect a little autistic boy who can crack a secret NSA code (named “Mercury”), I went back and forth on even including this as I really don’t like media that portrays autistic people as human supercomputers but here we are.
Before Willis was cast the had considered Nicolas Cage for the lead role and I kind of wish we had seen that version of the movie.
1. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFJY_BZ55sI
As R.U. Sirius and St. Jude wrote in the Cyberpunk Fakebook “This is a motion picture with a serious moral: if you somehow offend the gods of cyberspace They’ll have Hollywood make a movie from your dreams”.
Like many of the movies on this list have a warm place in my heart for this movie, I think there was a genuine attempt to produce something that stayed true to the source material. I also think people have generally mellowed on this, especially given how people love Keanu Reeves now.
Reeves plays a data courier, with his own memories replaced with data that is stored in his head that he needs to deliver before it destroys him.
There is a black and white version of this movie that I have yet to see that is supposedly a revelation.
Conclusion
That’s it for now, I want to do a top ten “proto-hacker” movies from before 1980 and a list of the best hacker documentaries soon, so look out for those and sign up for updates if you’d like.
You can also follow realhackhistory or Bluesky and Mastodon, I’d love to hear what you think of this list and if there are any movies I’ve missed.
#1980s #BruceWillis #ChristopherLambert #CodeMercury #FairGame #film #hacked #hacker #hackers #hacking #JohnnyMnemonic #KeanuReeves #LaurenceFishburne #LawnmowerMan #Matrix #MercuryRising #movie #Movies #SandraBullock #Speed #TomClancy #WarGames #WillemDefoe #WilliamGibson
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CW: Discussion of words, kink, and non-sexual kink
In this post I am going to try and explain some aspects of how I conceptualize #kink.
For this to be effective, I want to also explain some terms I use, and how I use them. A shared dictionary is a fundamental piece of successful communication of nuance.
~~Intimacy is a form of closeness at a deep level. Like two onions touching each other, maybe in a box vs the unpeeled cores of two onions cuddling up together. Maybe not the best analogy. But it's better than imagining fitting both your eyeballs into the same socket (What is wrong with me?)~~
#Intimacy is a form of closeness. To get a better idea of what I mean, here's a post I wrote recently to clarify what I mean when I refer to intimacy.
Intimacy explained in terms of vulnerability: https://lgbtqia.space/@h3mmy/114721556022286295
Sensual is used to describe certain experiences. A quick trip to the pedantry corner says that technically all our experiences are sensual because we're using our senses. When I say sensual, I mean actively engaging the senses with intention. Like standing atop a hill feeling the wind gently stroking your skin, observing how your skin reacts, and the different streaks of tingles and nociception. Really savoring the experience of it. Appreciating the subtle notes of whispers in the wind. Hints of wildflowers mixed with soil.
One can argue that there is a degree of intimacy involved in sensuality, and that makes sense. I'm loosing my guard to appreciate the breeze, I'm adjusting my hearing to attune to the breath of nature, leaving myself open and exposed to nature and trusting that the experience will be worthwhile. It's not sexual, it's not romantic, it's just sensual.
#Erotic is another term, literally based on a god of lust, passion, desire and mischief. The crux of this is desire, but a consuming sort. Like I'm dying of thirst in a desert, happening upon an oasis, stumbling in my frenzy to reach the water, passionately reuniting it with my body, savoring the echoes of sweet relief down to my bone. This is just an illustrative example. I want to make a point to distinguish erotic from the sexual and the sensual as they are all different things. Each can have different degrees of intimacy dynamics. Intimacy is independent, yet a fundamental aspect
My previous example for #sensual is actually a little erotic. I'm immersed in it to a degree of near spiritual fulfillment. The erotic is often sensual, but the sensual is not always erotic. The erotic is often profoundly intimate as well.
Okay, now that I've gone through some of the tricky terms, I am going to start illustrating some concepts around "non-sexual" kink. Thanks to @kasdeya for her really helpful line of questioning that aided me in figuring out what pieces might be good to address first.
Picking one snippet from https://cryptid.cafe/objects/68cbcc28-db9f-4601-a574-bd44358f45e5
> I think the main thing that I’m having trouble understanding is the concept of nonsexual kink. it sounds like this might be a kind of playful exploration of things like physical sensations (like pain) or of being {restrained or made helpless} for its own sake. so I’m guessing that there isn’t necessarily any sexual arousal involved in nonsexual kink. I would be interested to know if the presence of sexual arousal in a kink scene would make it count as sexual (rather than nonsexual) kink for you or if it’s only the presence of sexual activity that would put it into that category. and also (this may be too personal of a question) how you would feel knowing that a kink partner was sexually aroused during a scene with you. I guess I wonder if that might be uncomfortable to know, in the same way that it might be during a non-kink-related activity. I think that would help me understand where the borders are between sexual and nonsexual kink
@kasdeya is spot on with the playful exploration. Kink is a type of play. Humans love to play, it's one of the fundamental ways we learn, bond, and explore. If I'm an arbitrary rope bottom: Maybe I want to be tied up for the sensory experience, and maybe I want to be locked and restrained like the suffocating system we're trapped in, and once the bonds are undone, I can emerge with fewer restraints to my potential in the world. In that sense it takes on a deeper layer of vulnerability and trust. A ritual to help harmonize the mind, body, and rich inner world.
Impact, fire, electro, sensory, needle, knife, wax, latex, etc. These are all types of play. Sexual component not required. What if we just wanted to play some games? Bound hands holding a candle full to the brim. Is a light feather enough to cause a spillage? What about a wartenberg wheel? How about a game of chess? My moves will be executed by my voice controlled drone whose arms are tied to its chest like T-Rex arms. These scenes lack sexual components altogether, but I imagine people would still call it kink, right?
Now, sexual components can be added easily. Feathers can be run over erogenous zones, vibrators too. Who knows what kind of chipset is inserted in the drone? Maybe I left something in the debug port by mistake.
I hope that helps illustrate that there is a distinction between sexual and non-sexual kink. Let's try exploring some #boundaries.
You asked if the presence of sexual arousal changes the category. I would say it depends. If I'm enjoying a casual tabletop game in public with a friend or two, and they get sexually aroused, are we now playing a sexy board game? Arousal also disregards intention and desire which are also important elements. I think perspective also matters. It could be a sexy game of whatever we're playing for the person who is aroused and full of desire. And for clueless me, it's just a fun activity time with pals. If I am also aware of what's going on, then it could change what we label it.
For kink scenes, I try to establish some baseline boundaries. One of my default ones is that I won't do sexual play, but I might be open to renegotiating at a later point. This communicates that I do not have any sexual intention at the time, and I expect that the other parties will not engage me in any sexual play without talking about it first.
This helps segue into answering the next part of the question about what if the other party is sexually aroused. This by itself is not bothersome to me. Kink is intimate. If I'm binding someone in rope, I'm making them more vulnerable and have a responsibility to do some caretaking of this state through the scene. I adjust my touch based on their preferences and what makes sense to me from an artistic perspective. Soft touch, light touch, deep touch, etc. Most people want more touch so I'll adjust my techniques to increase the amount of touch while tying and untying. For some, I'll adjust the pull throughs to create little whips to add a zing for contrast. I'm tying things in and around sensitive parts, carefully, mindfully, tenderly, but not sexually, and not even erotically unless we've discussed it beforehand.
Given this intimate context, the closeness, and sensual aspects, it can be arousing for a lot of people. Just like if they're getting a massage. Relaxing into touch and sensation while vulnerable. They're not being weird about it, they're not being creepy, they're maintaining the negotiated boundaries and not dragging any sexual intent or context into the scene.
I've had some rope bottoms tell me when an area is _too_ arousing or if they interpret touch in a certain area as sexual. I highly appreciate this feedback so I can avoid those triggers. Like the inner thigh. For some people it's sexual, for some people it's sensual. If it's sexual for someone and I need to get rope through there I can do it without actually touching that part of their body. I can also have the bottom do it if practical. I don't have sexual intent and this helps to respect that boundary. This sort of dynamic and communication applies across all types of kink scenes, I'm just using rope as my example because it's usually fresh in my brain.
So if something like a humiliation scene with impact and wax is sexual for someone, this should be part of the negotiations. I don't do sexual scenes by default, and this filters out play partners for whom kink is always sexual. If there's no play we can do that is non-sexual then we clearly aren't compatible. Because I'm at events a lot, people who are curious can watch, and they'll better be able to see the dynamic. Sometimes this alone helps them reframe the elements involved and they can interpret kink in separate sexual and non-sexual dimensions. I have a couple of play partners for whom this was the route, and they like that the scenes with me helped them broaden their perspective on kink and knowing that it doesn't have to be centered around sexual charge. Interpersonal chemistry is an independent factor in my opinion.
I'm getting close to the character limit now, which maybe makes this my longest post. Hopefully people are able to read it and engage in some discussions that will help me figure out how to structure my next post.
Please note that this conceptualization is merely one perspective and I'm certainly not an authority of any kind (unless that's what we negotiated)
-
CW: Discussion of words, kink, and non-sexual kink
In this post I am going to try and explain some aspects of how I conceptualize #kink.
For this to be effective, I want to also explain some terms I use, and how I use them. A shared dictionary is a fundamental piece of successful communication of nuance.
~~Intimacy is a form of closeness at a deep level. Like two onions touching each other, maybe in a box vs the unpeeled cores of two onions cuddling up together. Maybe not the best analogy. But it's better than imagining fitting both your eyeballs into the same socket (What is wrong with me?)~~
#Intimacy is a form of closeness. To get a better idea of what I mean, here's a post I wrote recently to clarify what I mean when I refer to intimacy.
Intimacy explained in terms of vulnerability: https://lgbtqia.space/@h3mmy/114721556022286295
Sensual is used to describe certain experiences. A quick trip to the pedantry corner says that technically all our experiences are sensual because we're using our senses. When I say sensual, I mean actively engaging the senses with intention. Like standing atop a hill feeling the wind gently stroking your skin, observing how your skin reacts, and the different streaks of tingles and nociception. Really savoring the experience of it. Appreciating the subtle notes of whispers in the wind. Hints of wildflowers mixed with soil.
One can argue that there is a degree of intimacy involved in sensuality, and that makes sense. I'm loosing my guard to appreciate the breeze, I'm adjusting my hearing to attune to the breath of nature, leaving myself open and exposed to nature and trusting that the experience will be worthwhile. It's not sexual, it's not romantic, it's just sensual.
#Erotic is another term, literally based on a god of lust, passion, desire and mischief. The crux of this is desire, but a consuming sort. Like I'm dying of thirst in a desert, happening upon an oasis, stumbling in my frenzy to reach the water, passionately reuniting it with my body, savoring the echoes of sweet relief down to my bone. This is just an illustrative example. I want to make a point to distinguish erotic from the sexual and the sensual as they are all different things. Each can have different degrees of intimacy dynamics. Intimacy is independent, yet a fundamental aspect
My previous example for #sensual is actually a little erotic. I'm immersed in it to a degree of near spiritual fulfillment. The erotic is often sensual, but the sensual is not always erotic. The erotic is often profoundly intimate as well.
Okay, now that I've gone through some of the tricky terms, I am going to start illustrating some concepts around "non-sexual" kink. Thanks to @kasdeya for her really helpful line of questioning that aided me in figuring out what pieces might be good to address first.
Picking one snippet from https://cryptid.cafe/objects/68cbcc28-db9f-4601-a574-bd44358f45e5
> I think the main thing that I’m having trouble understanding is the concept of nonsexual kink. it sounds like this might be a kind of playful exploration of things like physical sensations (like pain) or of being {restrained or made helpless} for its own sake. so I’m guessing that there isn’t necessarily any sexual arousal involved in nonsexual kink. I would be interested to know if the presence of sexual arousal in a kink scene would make it count as sexual (rather than nonsexual) kink for you or if it’s only the presence of sexual activity that would put it into that category. and also (this may be too personal of a question) how you would feel knowing that a kink partner was sexually aroused during a scene with you. I guess I wonder if that might be uncomfortable to know, in the same way that it might be during a non-kink-related activity. I think that would help me understand where the borders are between sexual and nonsexual kink
@kasdeya is spot on with the playful exploration. Kink is a type of play. Humans love to play, it's one of the fundamental ways we learn, bond, and explore. If I'm an arbitrary rope bottom: Maybe I want to be tied up for the sensory experience, and maybe I want to be locked and restrained like the suffocating system we're trapped in, and once the bonds are undone, I can emerge with fewer restraints to my potential in the world. In that sense it takes on a deeper layer of vulnerability and trust. A ritual to help harmonize the mind, body, and rich inner world.
Impact, fire, electro, sensory, needle, knife, wax, latex, etc. These are all types of play. Sexual component not required. What if we just wanted to play some games? Bound hands holding a candle full to the brim. Is a light feather enough to cause a spillage? What about a wartenberg wheel? How about a game of chess? My moves will be executed by my voice controlled drone whose arms are tied to its chest like T-Rex arms. These scenes lack sexual components altogether, but I imagine people would still call it kink, right?
Now, sexual components can be added easily. Feathers can be run over erogenous zones, vibrators too. Who knows what kind of chipset is inserted in the drone? Maybe I left something in the debug port by mistake.
I hope that helps illustrate that there is a distinction between sexual and non-sexual kink. Let's try exploring some #boundaries.
You asked if the presence of sexual arousal changes the category. I would say it depends. If I'm enjoying a casual tabletop game in public with a friend or two, and they get sexually aroused, are we now playing a sexy board game? Arousal also disregards intention and desire which are also important elements. I think perspective also matters. It could be a sexy game of whatever we're playing for the person who is aroused and full of desire. And for clueless me, it's just a fun activity time with pals. If I am also aware of what's going on, then it could change what we label it.
For kink scenes, I try to establish some baseline boundaries. One of my default ones is that I won't do sexual play, but I might be open to renegotiating at a later point. This communicates that I do not have any sexual intention at the time, and I expect that the other parties will not engage me in any sexual play without talking about it first.
This helps segue into answering the next part of the question about what if the other party is sexually aroused. This by itself is not bothersome to me. Kink is intimate. If I'm binding someone in rope, I'm making them more vulnerable and have a responsibility to do some caretaking of this state through the scene. I adjust my touch based on their preferences and what makes sense to me from an artistic perspective. Soft touch, light touch, deep touch, etc. Most people want more touch so I'll adjust my techniques to increase the amount of touch while tying and untying. For some, I'll adjust the pull throughs to create little whips to add a zing for contrast. I'm tying things in and around sensitive parts, carefully, mindfully, tenderly, but not sexually, and not even erotically unless we've discussed it beforehand.
Given this intimate context, the closeness, and sensual aspects, it can be arousing for a lot of people. Just like if they're getting a massage. Relaxing into touch and sensation while vulnerable. They're not being weird about it, they're not being creepy, they're maintaining the negotiated boundaries and not dragging any sexual intent or context into the scene.
I've had some rope bottoms tell me when an area is _too_ arousing or if they interpret touch in a certain area as sexual. I highly appreciate this feedback so I can avoid those triggers. Like the inner thigh. For some people it's sexual, for some people it's sensual. If it's sexual for someone and I need to get rope through there I can do it without actually touching that part of their body. I can also have the bottom do it if practical. I don't have sexual intent and this helps to respect that boundary. This sort of dynamic and communication applies across all types of kink scenes, I'm just using rope as my example because it's usually fresh in my brain.
So if something like a humiliation scene with impact and wax is sexual for someone, this should be part of the negotiations. I don't do sexual scenes by default, and this filters out play partners for whom kink is always sexual. If there's no play we can do that is non-sexual then we clearly aren't compatible. Because I'm at events a lot, people who are curious can watch, and they'll better be able to see the dynamic. Sometimes this alone helps them reframe the elements involved and they can interpret kink in separate sexual and non-sexual dimensions. I have a couple of play partners for whom this was the route, and they like that the scenes with me helped them broaden their perspective on kink and knowing that it doesn't have to be centered around sexual charge. Interpersonal chemistry is an independent factor in my opinion.
I'm getting close to the character limit now, which maybe makes this my longest post. Hopefully people are able to read it and engage in some discussions that will help me figure out how to structure my next post.
Please note that this conceptualization is merely one perspective and I'm certainly not an authority of any kind (unless that's what we negotiated)
-
CW: Discussion of words, kink, and non-sexual kink
In this post I am going to try and explain some aspects of how I conceptualize #kink.
For this to be effective, I want to also explain some terms I use, and how I use them. A shared dictionary is a fundamental piece of successful communication of nuance.
~~Intimacy is a form of closeness at a deep level. Like two onions touching each other, maybe in a box vs the unpeeled cores of two onions cuddling up together. Maybe not the best analogy. But it's better than imagining fitting both your eyeballs into the same socket (What is wrong with me?)~~
#Intimacy is a form of closeness. To get a better idea of what I mean, here's a post I wrote recently to clarify what I mean when I refer to intimacy.
Intimacy explained in terms of vulnerability: https://lgbtqia.space/@h3mmy/114721556022286295
Sensual is used to describe certain experiences. A quick trip to the pedantry corner says that technically all our experiences are sensual because we're using our senses. When I say sensual, I mean actively engaging the senses with intention. Like standing atop a hill feeling the wind gently stroking your skin, observing how your skin reacts, and the different streaks of tingles and nociception. Really savoring the experience of it. Appreciating the subtle notes of whispers in the wind. Hints of wildflowers mixed with soil.
One can argue that there is a degree of intimacy involved in sensuality, and that makes sense. I'm loosing my guard to appreciate the breeze, I'm adjusting my hearing to attune to the breath of nature, leaving myself open and exposed to nature and trusting that the experience will be worthwhile. It's not sexual, it's not romantic, it's just sensual.
#Erotic is another term, literally based on a god of lust, passion, desire and mischief. The crux of this is desire, but a consuming sort. Like I'm dying of thirst in a desert, happening upon an oasis, stumbling in my frenzy to reach the water, passionately reuniting it with my body, savoring the echoes of sweet relief down to my bone. This is just an illustrative example. I want to make a point to distinguish erotic from the sexual and the sensual as they are all different things. Each can have different degrees of intimacy dynamics. Intimacy is independent, yet a fundamental aspect
My previous example for #sensual is actually a little erotic. I'm immersed in it to a degree of near spiritual fulfillment. The erotic is often sensual, but the sensual is not always erotic. The erotic is often profoundly intimate as well.
Okay, now that I've gone through some of the tricky terms, I am going to start illustrating some concepts around "non-sexual" kink. Thanks to @kasdeya for her really helpful line of questioning that aided me in figuring out what pieces might be good to address first.
Picking one snippet from https://cryptid.cafe/objects/68cbcc28-db9f-4601-a574-bd44358f45e5
> I think the main thing that I’m having trouble understanding is the concept of nonsexual kink. it sounds like this might be a kind of playful exploration of things like physical sensations (like pain) or of being {restrained or made helpless} for its own sake. so I’m guessing that there isn’t necessarily any sexual arousal involved in nonsexual kink. I would be interested to know if the presence of sexual arousal in a kink scene would make it count as sexual (rather than nonsexual) kink for you or if it’s only the presence of sexual activity that would put it into that category. and also (this may be too personal of a question) how you would feel knowing that a kink partner was sexually aroused during a scene with you. I guess I wonder if that might be uncomfortable to know, in the same way that it might be during a non-kink-related activity. I think that would help me understand where the borders are between sexual and nonsexual kink
@kasdeya is spot on with the playful exploration. Kink is a type of play. Humans love to play, it's one of the fundamental ways we learn, bond, and explore. If I'm an arbitrary rope bottom: Maybe I want to be tied up for the sensory experience, and maybe I want to be locked and restrained like the suffocating system we're trapped in, and once the bonds are undone, I can emerge with fewer restraints to my potential in the world. In that sense it takes on a deeper layer of vulnerability and trust. A ritual to help harmonize the mind, body, and rich inner world.
Impact, fire, electro, sensory, needle, knife, wax, latex, etc. These are all types of play. Sexual component not required. What if we just wanted to play some games? Bound hands holding a candle full to the brim. Is a light feather enough to cause a spillage? What about a wartenberg wheel? How about a game of chess? My moves will be executed by my voice controlled drone whose arms are tied to its chest like T-Rex arms. These scenes lack sexual components altogether, but I imagine people would still call it kink, right?
Now, sexual components can be added easily. Feathers can be run over erogenous zones, vibrators too. Who knows what kind of chipset is inserted in the drone? Maybe I left something in the debug port by mistake.
I hope that helps illustrate that there is a distinction between sexual and non-sexual kink. Let's try exploring some #boundaries.
You asked if the presence of sexual arousal changes the category. I would say it depends. If I'm enjoying a casual tabletop game in public with a friend or two, and they get sexually aroused, are we now playing a sexy board game? Arousal also disregards intention and desire which are also important elements. I think perspective also matters. It could be a sexy game of whatever we're playing for the person who is aroused and full of desire. And for clueless me, it's just a fun activity time with pals. If I am also aware of what's going on, then it could change what we label it.
For kink scenes, I try to establish some baseline boundaries. One of my default ones is that I won't do sexual play, but I might be open to renegotiating at a later point. This communicates that I do not have any sexual intention at the time, and I expect that the other parties will not engage me in any sexual play without talking about it first.
This helps segue into answering the next part of the question about what if the other party is sexually aroused. This by itself is not bothersome to me. Kink is intimate. If I'm binding someone in rope, I'm making them more vulnerable and have a responsibility to do some caretaking of this state through the scene. I adjust my touch based on their preferences and what makes sense to me from an artistic perspective. Soft touch, light touch, deep touch, etc. Most people want more touch so I'll adjust my techniques to increase the amount of touch while tying and untying. For some, I'll adjust the pull throughs to create little whips to add a zing for contrast. I'm tying things in and around sensitive parts, carefully, mindfully, tenderly, but not sexually, and not even erotically unless we've discussed it beforehand.
Given this intimate context, the closeness, and sensual aspects, it can be arousing for a lot of people. Just like if they're getting a massage. Relaxing into touch and sensation while vulnerable. They're not being weird about it, they're not being creepy, they're maintaining the negotiated boundaries and not dragging any sexual intent or context into the scene.
I've had some rope bottoms tell me when an area is _too_ arousing or if they interpret touch in a certain area as sexual. I highly appreciate this feedback so I can avoid those triggers. Like the inner thigh. For some people it's sexual, for some people it's sensual. If it's sexual for someone and I need to get rope through there I can do it without actually touching that part of their body. I can also have the bottom do it if practical. I don't have sexual intent and this helps to respect that boundary. This sort of dynamic and communication applies across all types of kink scenes, I'm just using rope as my example because it's usually fresh in my brain.
So if something like a humiliation scene with impact and wax is sexual for someone, this should be part of the negotiations. I don't do sexual scenes by default, and this filters out play partners for whom kink is always sexual. If there's no play we can do that is non-sexual then we clearly aren't compatible. Because I'm at events a lot, people who are curious can watch, and they'll better be able to see the dynamic. Sometimes this alone helps them reframe the elements involved and they can interpret kink in separate sexual and non-sexual dimensions. I have a couple of play partners for whom this was the route, and they like that the scenes with me helped them broaden their perspective on kink and knowing that it doesn't have to be centered around sexual charge. Interpersonal chemistry is an independent factor in my opinion.
I'm getting close to the character limit now, which maybe makes this my longest post. Hopefully people are able to read it and engage in some discussions that will help me figure out how to structure my next post.
Please note that this conceptualization is merely one perspective and I'm certainly not an authority of any kind (unless that's what we negotiated)
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CW: Discussion of words, kink, and non-sexual kink
In this post I am going to try and explain some aspects of how I conceptualize #kink.
For this to be effective, I want to also explain some terms I use, and how I use them. A shared dictionary is a fundamental piece of successful communication of nuance.
~~Intimacy is a form of closeness at a deep level. Like two onions touching each other, maybe in a box vs the unpeeled cores of two onions cuddling up together. Maybe not the best analogy. But it's better than imagining fitting both your eyeballs into the same socket (What is wrong with me?)~~
#Intimacy is a form of closeness. To get a better idea of what I mean, here's a post I wrote recently to clarify what I mean when I refer to intimacy.
Intimacy explained in terms of vulnerability: https://lgbtqia.space/@h3mmy/114721556022286295
Sensual is used to describe certain experiences. A quick trip to the pedantry corner says that technically all our experiences are sensual because we're using our senses. When I say sensual, I mean actively engaging the senses with intention. Like standing atop a hill feeling the wind gently stroking your skin, observing how your skin reacts, and the different streaks of tingles and nociception. Really savoring the experience of it. Appreciating the subtle notes of whispers in the wind. Hints of wildflowers mixed with soil.
One can argue that there is a degree of intimacy involved in sensuality, and that makes sense. I'm loosing my guard to appreciate the breeze, I'm adjusting my hearing to attune to the breath of nature, leaving myself open and exposed to nature and trusting that the experience will be worthwhile. It's not sexual, it's not romantic, it's just sensual.
#Erotic is another term, literally based on a god of lust, passion, desire and mischief. The crux of this is desire, but a consuming sort. Like I'm dying of thirst in a desert, happening upon an oasis, stumbling in my frenzy to reach the water, passionately reuniting it with my body, savoring the echoes of sweet relief down to my bone. This is just an illustrative example. I want to make a point to distinguish erotic from the sexual and the sensual as they are all different things. Each can have different degrees of intimacy dynamics. Intimacy is independent, yet a fundamental aspect
My previous example for #sensual is actually a little erotic. I'm immersed in it to a degree of near spiritual fulfillment. The erotic is often sensual, but the sensual is not always erotic. The erotic is often profoundly intimate as well.
Okay, now that I've gone through some of the tricky terms, I am going to start illustrating some concepts around "non-sexual" kink. Thanks to @kasdeya for her really helpful line of questioning that aided me in figuring out what pieces might be good to address first.
Picking one snippet from https://cryptid.cafe/objects/68cbcc28-db9f-4601-a574-bd44358f45e5
> I think the main thing that I’m having trouble understanding is the concept of nonsexual kink. it sounds like this might be a kind of playful exploration of things like physical sensations (like pain) or of being {restrained or made helpless} for its own sake. so I’m guessing that there isn’t necessarily any sexual arousal involved in nonsexual kink. I would be interested to know if the presence of sexual arousal in a kink scene would make it count as sexual (rather than nonsexual) kink for you or if it’s only the presence of sexual activity that would put it into that category. and also (this may be too personal of a question) how you would feel knowing that a kink partner was sexually aroused during a scene with you. I guess I wonder if that might be uncomfortable to know, in the same way that it might be during a non-kink-related activity. I think that would help me understand where the borders are between sexual and nonsexual kink
@kasdeya is spot on with the playful exploration. Kink is a type of play. Humans love to play, it's one of the fundamental ways we learn, bond, and explore. If I'm an arbitrary rope bottom: Maybe I want to be tied up for the sensory experience, and maybe I want to be locked and restrained like the suffocating system we're trapped in, and once the bonds are undone, I can emerge with fewer restraints to my potential in the world. In that sense it takes on a deeper layer of vulnerability and trust. A ritual to help harmonize the mind, body, and rich inner world.
Impact, fire, electro, sensory, needle, knife, wax, latex, etc. These are all types of play. Sexual component not required. What if we just wanted to play some games? Bound hands holding a candle full to the brim. Is a light feather enough to cause a spillage? What about a wartenberg wheel? How about a game of chess? My moves will be executed by my voice controlled drone whose arms are tied to its chest like T-Rex arms. These scenes lack sexual components altogether, but I imagine people would still call it kink, right?
Now, sexual components can be added easily. Feathers can be run over erogenous zones, vibrators too. Who knows what kind of chipset is inserted in the drone? Maybe I left something in the debug port by mistake.
I hope that helps illustrate that there is a distinction between sexual and non-sexual kink. Let's try exploring some #boundaries.
You asked if the presence of sexual arousal changes the category. I would say it depends. If I'm enjoying a casual tabletop game in public with a friend or two, and they get sexually aroused, are we now playing a sexy board game? Arousal also disregards intention and desire which are also important elements. I think perspective also matters. It could be a sexy game of whatever we're playing for the person who is aroused and full of desire. And for clueless me, it's just a fun activity time with pals. If I am also aware of what's going on, then it could change what we label it.
For kink scenes, I try to establish some baseline boundaries. One of my default ones is that I won't do sexual play, but I might be open to renegotiating at a later point. This communicates that I do not have any sexual intention at the time, and I expect that the other parties will not engage me in any sexual play without talking about it first.
This helps segue into answering the next part of the question about what if the other party is sexually aroused. This by itself is not bothersome to me. Kink is intimate. If I'm binding someone in rope, I'm making them more vulnerable and have a responsibility to do some caretaking of this state through the scene. I adjust my touch based on their preferences and what makes sense to me from an artistic perspective. Soft touch, light touch, deep touch, etc. Most people want more touch so I'll adjust my techniques to increase the amount of touch while tying and untying. For some, I'll adjust the pull throughs to create little whips to add a zing for contrast. I'm tying things in and around sensitive parts, carefully, mindfully, tenderly, but not sexually, and not even erotically unless we've discussed it beforehand.
Given this intimate context, the closeness, and sensual aspects, it can be arousing for a lot of people. Just like if they're getting a massage. Relaxing into touch and sensation while vulnerable. They're not being weird about it, they're not being creepy, they're maintaining the negotiated boundaries and not dragging any sexual intent or context into the scene.
I've had some rope bottoms tell me when an area is _too_ arousing or if they interpret touch in a certain area as sexual. I highly appreciate this feedback so I can avoid those triggers. Like the inner thigh. For some people it's sexual, for some people it's sensual. If it's sexual for someone and I need to get rope through there I can do it without actually touching that part of their body. I can also have the bottom do it if practical. I don't have sexual intent and this helps to respect that boundary. This sort of dynamic and communication applies across all types of kink scenes, I'm just using rope as my example because it's usually fresh in my brain.
So if something like a humiliation scene with impact and wax is sexual for someone, this should be part of the negotiations. I don't do sexual scenes by default, and this filters out play partners for whom kink is always sexual. If there's no play we can do that is non-sexual then we clearly aren't compatible. Because I'm at events a lot, people who are curious can watch, and they'll better be able to see the dynamic. Sometimes this alone helps them reframe the elements involved and they can interpret kink in separate sexual and non-sexual dimensions. I have a couple of play partners for whom this was the route, and they like that the scenes with me helped them broaden their perspective on kink and knowing that it doesn't have to be centered around sexual charge. Interpersonal chemistry is an independent factor in my opinion.
I'm getting close to the character limit now, which maybe makes this my longest post. Hopefully people are able to read it and engage in some discussions that will help me figure out how to structure my next post.
Please note that this conceptualization is merely one perspective and I'm certainly not an authority of any kind (unless that's what we negotiated)
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@c_chep Haggis Tacos...
I'd say that sounds really really grotesque, but I like beef tripe and have done the whole half day prep thing just to make some awesome menudo. But that's not haggis, which I've been told by many is rather disgusting.
Notwithstading the fact that I do like tripe - if you take the hours of preparation to correctly ready it for serving up as the yummy, fatty, tender meat in menudo - but I still don't think it would be very good in a taco. Lengua is good, cabeza too, those are awesome filler meat for tacos, along with the more trad al pastor, asada, carnitas, etc.
But Haggis? Here's the problem. There's very few things in this world that are edible, that I've discovered, are nasty vomit inducing foods - Chitlin's may be one of those food stuffs, while in general, offals aren't really a turn off for me in general.
Perhaps the first time I tried chitlins I spent the night in my truck in 4 feet of snow instead of my warm toasty cabin - I just couldn't continue to throw up any longer. In fact it didn't take long before the smell of sizzling pus first overtook me, yet taking a bit of the chewey intestine didn't really taste bad at all, as I recall, before the aroma caused my own alimentary canal to erupt violently in a rapid succession of projectile vomiting.
Imagine the smell of a horrid wound, penetrating the flesh all the way to the bone, sitting in the same dressing for a week, and then you remove it - the odor knocking you over. That was chitlins for me.
Why? Well, my good childhood friend said, "Oh yum, chitterlings!" you didn't cook it right.
How so? Well, I figured it came from a pig, and it's the offals. So, like lamb-fry or chicken gizzards & hearts I figured I'd just dump some into my big iron skillet with a big ass dollup of bacon fat and fry it up!
Apparently, the recommended method is the same for chitlins as it is for tripe; you put it on a low boil for several hours. Regardless, because of he PTSD left over from that episode, even thinking about chitlins for a couple of minutes makes me queasy.
Tripe, on the other hand, well, I was taught right by my next-door neighbor when I was a little kid. She was the matriarch in a large, extended family of children, but mostly grandchildren, that she and her husband were raising, and to a small degree, me too. So menudo is part of my regular cuisine.
Haggis is stomach too though, just not beef stomach lining, right? So those offals might be akin to tripe and therefore, more likely to register on my yummy scale instead of my barf-0-matic vom-meter.
So I'm still looking forward to trying out haggis to see if I like it - but Ill be sure to try it in a traditional setting, along with it's preparation.
Fine dining opportunities are few and far between in Humboldt, California, but this is one of the finest establishments for Mexican cuisine in Eureka, California - a roach coach called, The Taco Boat. More info in the pixelfed parent link below.You can scoop anything you like into a flat and folded disc made of masa and call it a taco, I suppose - but that don't make it so. Like me buying a little jar of lumpfish roe for a couple of bucks and calling it caviar - technically, I suppose so, but we know better, don't we?
pixelfed.social/i/web/post/679…
#tallship #FoodPr0n #roach coach #taco trucks #best tacos #haggis #offal #chitlins #barf o rama
⛵
.
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@c_chep Haggis Tacos...
I'd say that sounds really really grotesque, but I like beef tripe and have done the whole half day prep thing just to make some awesome menudo. But that's not haggis, which I've been told by many is rather disgusting.
Notwithstading the fact that I do like tripe - if you take the hours of preparation to correctly ready it for serving up as the yummy, fatty, tender meat in menudo - but I still don't think it would be very good in a taco. Lengua is good, cabeza too, those are awesome filler meat for tacos, along with the more trad al pastor, asada, carnitas, etc.
But Haggis? Here's the problem. There's very few things in this world that are edible, that I've discovered, are nasty vomit inducing foods - Chitlin's may be one of those food stuffs, while in general, offals aren't really a turn off for me in general.
Perhaps the first time I tried chitlins I spent the night in my truck in 4 feet of snow instead of my warm toasty cabin - I just couldn't continue to throw up any longer. In fact it didn't take long before the smell of sizzling pus first overtook me, yet taking a bit of the chewey intestine didn't really taste bad at all, as I recall, before the aroma caused my own alimentary canal to erupt violently in a rapid succession of projectile vomiting.
Imagine the smell of a horrid wound, penetrating the flesh all the way to the bone, sitting in the same dressing for a week, and then you remove it - the odor knocking you over. That was chitlins for me.
Why? Well, my good childhood friend said, "Oh yum, chitterlings!" you didn't cook it right.
How so? Well, I figured it came from a pig, and it's the offals. So, like lamb-fry or chicken gizzards & hearts I figured I'd just dump some into my big iron skillet with a big ass dollup of bacon fat and fry it up!
Apparently, the recommended method is the same for chitlins as it is for tripe; you put it on a low boil for several hours. Regardless, because of he PTSD left over from that episode, even thinking about chitlins for a couple of minutes makes me queasy.
Tripe, on the other hand, well, I was taught right by my next-door neighbor when I was a little kid. She was the matriarch in a large, extended family of children, but mostly grandchildren, that she and her husband were raising, and to a small degree, me too. So menudo is part of my regular cuisine.
Haggis is stomach too though, just not beef stomach lining, right? So those offals might be akin to tripe and therefore, more likely to register on my yummy scale instead of my barf-0-matic vom-meter.
So I'm still looking forward to trying out haggis to see if I like it - but Ill be sure to try it in a traditional setting, along with it's preparation.
Fine dining opportunities are few and far between in Humboldt, California, but this is one of the finest establishments for Mexican cuisine in Eureka, California - a roach coach called, The Taco Boat. More info in the pixelfed parent link below.You can scoop anything you like into a flat and folded disc made of masa and call it a taco, I suppose - but that don't make it so. Like me buying a little jar of lumpfish roe for a couple of bucks and calling it caviar - technically, I suppose so, but we know better, don't we?
pixelfed.social/i/web/post/679…
#tallship #FoodPr0n #roach coach #taco trucks #best tacos #haggis #offal #chitlins #barf o rama
⛵
.
-
@c_chep Haggis Tacos...
I'd say that sounds really really grotesque, but I like beef tripe and have done the whole half day prep thing just to make some awesome menudo. But that's not haggis, which I've been told by many is rather disgusting.
Notwithstading the fact that I do like tripe - if you take the hours of preparation to correctly ready it for serving up as the yummy, fatty, tender meat in menudo - but I still don't think it would be very good in a taco. Lengua is good, cabeza too, those are awesome filler meat for tacos, along with the more trad al pastor, asada, carnitas, etc.
But Haggis? Here's the problem. There's very few things in this world that are edible, that I've discovered, are nasty vomit inducing foods - Chitlin's may be one of those food stuffs, while in general, offals aren't really a turn off for me in general.
Perhaps the first time I tried chitlins I spent the night in my truck in 4 feet of snow instead of my warm toasty cabin - I just couldn't continue to throw up any longer. In fact it didn't take long before the smell of sizzling pus first overtook me, yet taking a bit of the chewey intestine didn't really taste bad at all, as I recall, before the aroma caused my own alimentary canal to erupt violently in a rapid succession of projectile vomiting.
Imagine the smell of a horrid wound, penetrating the flesh all the way to the bone, sitting in the same dressing for a week, and then you remove it - the odor knocking you over. That was chitlins for me.
Why? Well, my good childhood friend said, "Oh yum, chitterlings!" you didn't cook it right.
How so? Well, I figured it came from a pig, and it's the offals. So, like lamb-fry or chicken gizzards & hearts I figured I'd just dump some into my big iron skillet with a big ass dollup of bacon fat and fry it up!
Apparently, the recommended method is the same for chitlins as it is for tripe; you put it on a low boil for several hours. Regardless, because of he PTSD left over from that episode, even thinking about chitlins for a couple of minutes makes me queasy.
Tripe, on the other hand, well, I was taught right by my next-door neighbor when I was a little kid. She was the matriarch in a large, extended family of children, but mostly grandchildren, that she and her husband were raising, and to a small degree, me too. So menudo is part of my regular cuisine.
Haggis is stomach too though, just not beef stomach lining, right? So those offals might be akin to tripe and therefore, more likely to register on my yummy scale instead of my barf-0-matic vom-meter.
So I'm still looking forward to trying out haggis to see if I like it - but Ill be sure to try it in a traditional setting, along with it's preparation.
Fine dining opportunities are few and far between in Humboldt, California, but this is one of the finest establishments for Mexican cuisine in Eureka, California - a roach coach called, The Taco Boat. More info in the pixelfed parent link below.You can scoop anything you like into a flat and folded disc made of masa and call it a taco, I suppose - but that don't make it so. Like me buying a little jar of lumpfish roe for a couple of bucks and calling it caviar - technically, I suppose so, but we know better, don't we?
pixelfed.social/i/web/post/679…
#tallship #FoodPr0n #roach coach #taco trucks #best tacos #haggis #offal #chitlins #barf o rama
⛵
.