#vampire-squid — Public Fediverse posts

Matt Taibbi Loses His Vexatious SLAPP Suit As Judge Explains What A ‘Metaphor’ Means

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/05/06/matt-taibbi-loses-his-vexatious-slapp-suit-as-judge-explains-what-a-metaphor-means/

Sometimes an album comes around ye olde promo pit that looks and smells familiar, but plays like something else entirely. Today’s entry into the “what the heck am I actually listening to?” hall of infamy is Phasma’s Purgatory. The third record from the Greek/US duo, and the first carried by a label—our beloved Transcending Obscurity Records—Purgatory continually subverted every expectation I had. In doing so, it became one of my biggest pleasant surprises in recent memory.

While early Phasma works boasted a songwriting style and sound that evoked a grotesque Whitechapel/Vampire Squid lovechild, Purgatory is a charred and venomous affair of only a tenuous relation to that concoction, and all the better for it. Conjuring a vision where Vimur, Harms Way, and Crypts of Despair’s first two albums merged into one mangled mass, Purgatory writhes and slithers through an unholy collection of brutal riffs, immolating tremolo flares, and swaggering grooves. While Phasma’s vocal approach largely carries over from early works, pairing a guttural roar with piercing screeches, but minimizing previously prevalent items like subterranean gurgles and glass-shattering squeals, it takes on an altogether more intimidating character here. Instead of showing off the full range of technical skills and range as this unit had to prove on their self-titled debut, Phasma took Purgatory as an opportunity to be as mean and concise as possible.

Purgatory by PHASMA

Simplifying their song structures, doubling down on memorable hooks, and restricting technical expositions to a minimum helped Phasma achieve their goal, resulting in a work that feels genuinely terrifying. Opening duo “I” and early highlight “II” prove this within thirty seconds of their introduction, but also create a delightful deviation from the usual songwriting tricks I expect from one phrase to another. For example, “I” makes me think a huge breakdown is about to drop right at the start, only to blast into the shadowed iciness of black metal, then dive seamlessly into a gym-ready hardcore groove. Subverting my expectations becomes a regular occurrence in Purgatory. “II,” “III,” and “VI” all venture deeper into doom-laden dungeons than I would’ve ever anticipated from a record as evil and high-energy as this. Harmonized melodies and layered guitar pyrotechnics only enhance this effect when things transition between paces and moods in a snap (“II”). By thusly offsetting their stripped-down writing with constant fiery twists and gnarly turns, Phasma crafted a remarkably exciting and rich experience that is an absolute joy to experience over and over again.

Despite its truncated 27-minute runtime, Purgatory burgeons with invigorating ideas all meticulously arranged, but initial spins suffer at the hands of a production of unforgiving loudness. “IV” in particular challenged my ability to appreciate the fantastic lead-into-chug-triplets and Vampire Squid riffs that bulge out from densely packed bass rumbles and glassy cymbals, in no small part because everything is so in-your-face as to flatten entirely. “V” feels a similar impact, though an eerie, bass-driven atmospheric break and subsequent Atrae Bilis-esque bridge briefly alleviates that effect. Understanding that the intended purpose of Purgatory is to oppress and destroy, a little more headroom in the mix and master would’ve allowed Phasma to hit harder and better highlight the myriad clever details distributed throughout.

Thankfully, the production isn’t so ruinous as to make my experience with Purgatory anything less than a delightful treat. As I spent more time with it, I loved it more, craved it regularly, and found additional moments to take home. Memorable beyond what I anticipated, and more engaging than I dared hope, Purgatory is a resounding success in all areas other than engineering. In some circles, that one weakness won’t matter much. In the end, it didn’t matter much to me either, such is the strength of Phasma’s songwriting.1 This is one trip to limbo you won’t want to miss!



Rating: Great!
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: phasmaproject.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/PhasmaProject
Releases Worldwide: February 20th, 2026

Maybe one one of these animals would fit as a #Jabber or #XMPP #mascot? Which is the cutest one? Please #boost.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stauroteuthis_syrtensis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_squid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratioidei

#vampireSquid #squid #glowingSuckerOctopus #octopus #firefly #deepSeaAnglerfish #anglerfish

Day 19 #SciArtSeptember prompt depths: The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), literally the ‘vampire squid from hell’ is a small deep sea cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans with two long retractile filaments, located between the first two pairs of arms on its dorsal side, unlike either octopuses or squids. Though most closely related to octopods it is the only 🧵1/2

#cephalopod #linocut #sciart #printmaking #VampireSquid #squid #mastoArt

Short Circuit: an Enamel Pin Collection Inspired by Printed Circuit Boards launches in less than two days! 🤖🍃

If you're interested in picking up any of these pins, please give the project a follow to increase its odds of funding! https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/czgoldedition-29e78278-e98c-43e1-92ee-4e107e505fb7/short-circuit-an-enamel-pin-collection/launch_party 👩‍💻💚

#wolf #cat #mouse #rat #leaves #leaf #goat #fox #eagle #flame #fire #swan #waterfowl #butterfly #squid #vampiresquid #water #wave #enamelpins #robots

The Water Unit Line of bot-boards have all been revealed!

There's a poll up on the Short Circuit launch party about which Water bot is your favorite: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/czgoldedition-29e78278-e98c-43e1-92ee-4e107e505fb7/short-circuit-an-enamel-pin-collection/launch_party 💙✨

Next art reveal at 275 follows. We're at 269 now, so spread the word if you're excited about these lil guys!

#enamelpins #printedcircuitboard #pcb #butterfly #swan #vampiresquid #squid #wave #water #artistsonmastodon #fediart #pintopia

Array 🧮🦑

An indexed collection of data - and this lil vampire squid bot certainly has a lovely collection of arms.

If you'd like to acquire this pin, follow the launch party to help increase our odds of funding them! https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/czgoldedition-29e78278-e98c-43e1-92ee-4e107e505fb7/short-circuit-an-enamel-pin-collection/launch_party 💙✨

#squid #vampiresquid #animalart #printedcircuitboard #pcb #enamelpins #pins #shortcircuit #backerkit #pintopia #pintopia2025 #artistsonmastodon

Day 13 #ArtAdventCalendar: The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), literally the ‘vampire squid from hell’ is a small deep sea cephalopod found throughout temperate and tropical oceans with two long retractile filaments, located between the first two pairs of arms on its dorsal side, unlike either octopuses or squids. 🧵1/2

#cephalopod #linocut #sciart #mastoArt #printmaking #VampireSquid #squid

#Crawltober nr. 29 "vampiric"
#VampireSquid #kuretake #watercolor

Meet Vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis)! Inhabiting depths of up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m) where the Sun never shines, this squid uses its large eyes to find prey. When threatened, it can eject bioluminescent mucus from the tips of its tentacles before making an escape.

American Museum of Natural History
@AMNH #vampiresquid #squid #museums

Today is Squid & Cuttlefish Day, part of International Cephalopod Awareness Days (ICAD), so here are some more #cephalopods for you!

The #vampireSquid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), literally the ‘vampire squid from hell’ is a small deep sea cephalopod found throughout temperate & tropical oceans with 2 long retractile filaments, located between the 1st 2 pairs of arms on its dorsal side, 🧵1/n

#SquidAndCuttlefishDay #InternationalCephalopodAwarenessDays #linocut #sciart #printmaking #MastoArt

The second #insertAnInvert2024 prompt for deep-sea month is bathyal: the midnight zone between 1 and 4 km depth. This is the zone where I have done the most research studying the sea floor on continental slopes and margins. Sometimes we use ROVs and get to see cephalopods… but I selected unusual one I have not had the opportunity to see. 🧵1/n

#linocut #printmaking #sciart #invertebrate #cephalopod #VampireSquid #oceanLife #Vampyroteuthis #squidtember #MastoArt

Getting ready for deep sea month for #InverteFest. Needs more vampire squid I think! Hence, a new vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, literally ‘vampire squid from hell’) block. These guys are much less threatening than they appear - they are only 30 cm long and feed on falling detritus or marine snow, not blood.

#InverteFest #invertebrates #linocut #printmaking #wip #sciArt #vampireSquid #cephalopod #MastoArt

#NewSpecies of ancient #VampireSquid unearthed in Luxembourg https://phys.org/news/2024-02-species-ancient-vampire-squid-unearthed.html

#Simoniteuthis, a new vampyromorph coleoid with prey in its arms from the Early #Jurassic of #Luxembourg https://sjpp.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13358-024-00303-y

"The researchers found the #fossil to be in excellent condition, and it was a complete specimen, which allowed for a detailed study. They also found that the creature had died while in the middle of consuming two small #fish—a rare find for any fossil."

#Jurassic #VampireSquid Had Ink Sac and Luminous Organs https://www.sci.news/paleontology/vampyrofugiens-atramentum-12059.html

A new #vampyromorph species from the Middle Jurassic La Voulte-sur-Rhône #Lagerstätte: Alison Rowe et al. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.1511

"The combination of the ink sac and internal luminous organs is known from the recent times, although not from the coleoid (#octopuses, #squid and #cuttlefish) #fossil record... #Vampyrofugiens atramentum had a #pelagic lifestyle and occupied a predatory niche."

Happy #Squidtember! Starting off the month with a good spiky squish, the Vampire Squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis! Because they have those two head noodles (retractile filaments) they're technically neither squid nor octopus (nor vampire), but their own cephalopod order!
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#SciArt #illustration #VampireSquid #squid #octopus #cephalopod #art #lineart #fediart

This extinct ten-armed fossil may be earliest known ancestor of vampire squid - Enlarge / An artistic reconstruction of the newly described 328-million... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=1838781 #extinctspecies #paleontology #vampiresquid #cephalopods #vampyropods #science #fossils