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Author Pete Woods

Quickly discovering in formative years that I was never quite going to fit in anywhere, I spent time growing up listening to punk, futurist, goth, industrial, metal and psychedelic sounds ranging from Hawkwind to The Sex Gang Children via Japan through to Crass mangled in with Psychic TV and New Model Army. Catching my first band live by accident; The Poison Girls at a G.L.C. free festival, I never looked back. Musical tastes have developed accordingly and I now spend time writing for both Terrorizer and Dominion magazine as well as co-running www.avenoctum.com and pushing the boundaries of genre definition to mould around my own eclectic tastes. Not having the patience to play any instrument myself, I see my writing, to a certain degree as putting something back into the music I love. If I didn't spend time doing this I would be an alcoholic slumped without hope on the cold streets of London. Instead I can be found pint, camera and notepad in hand covering bands both old and new and will happily accept free cider without

The Mountain Of The Cannibal God – Sergio Martino (Shameless Films)

It’s back to the infamous 72 film hit-list that were known in a time of mass hysteria as the Video Nasties and Sergio Martino’s The Mountain (Slave, Prisoner) Of The Cannibal God released back in 1978. The Italian cannibal genre… Continue Reading →

Marduk, Ragnarok, Unlight & Azziard – London Dome 25/5/18

There’s been a certain amount of controversy following the English dates of this tour which has seen Polish band Infernal War’s somewhat questionable past catching up with them and them being outed from several shows. This sort of behaviour seems… Continue Reading →

Formalist – No One Will Shine Anymore (Third I Rex)

That’s one attention catching album cover and although I recognised the photo I wasn’t entirely sure about the story behind it and had to go searching. At first I was convinced it was some sort of satanic crime being represented… Continue Reading →

Barst – The Endeavour (Consouling Sounds)

Apparently this is the seventh release from Belgian collective Barst. I can’t say I know much about the first five but last album ‘The Western Lands’ went down a treat. Imaginative, experimental and with literary source going back to William… Continue Reading →

Skogen – Skuggorna kallar (Nordvis)

The shadow is calling once more and I have encountered this brand of Nordic Darkness before and having used up translation clichés I best get down to things. It’s been four years since last album ‘I döden’ and this is… Continue Reading →

Wiegedood, Shrines & Jøtnarr – London Black Heart 22/5/18

You could tell this was going to be a busy gig, just before the doors opened the queue snaked down the stairs, across the downstairs bar area and practically out the door. Luckily we all just about managed to fit… Continue Reading →

eXistenZ – David Cronenberg (101 Films)

A true auteur and one of the great visionary directors of our time, David Cronenberg’s career has been incredibly interesting to say the least. Although his films are really varied in some ways, as we will discover here they are… Continue Reading →

Altars Of Grief – Iris (Hypnotic Dirge)

I do love the place name Saskatchewan and it is from that Canadian province that Altars Of Grief call home as do their record label Hypnotic Dirge. There must be a healthy amount of misery in a place that image… Continue Reading →

Amorphis – Queen Of Time (Nuclear Blast)

It’s been three years since last studio album ‘Under The Red Cloud’ stormily hit in 2015 making my album of the year in the process and I was quick to call dibs on this keen to hear whether it would… Continue Reading →

Eye Of Solitude / Marche Funèbre – Split (Hypnotic Dirge)

Two well respected bands in extreme doom circles go at it together for this split release, both with one track each. Due to the genre as you would expect that does not mean a shortage of material in any respect… Continue Reading →

The Old Dark House – James Whale (Eureka)

Although I am much more of a 70’s-80’s kind of person when it comes to my movies, you have to acknowledge the films of the real past and dip back occasionally to where things started, especially with genre films such… Continue Reading →

None – Life Has Gone On Long Enough (Hypnotic Dirge)

Aint that album title the truth? Well it must feel like that to everyone at some point and None as their name suggests have probably not got the best outlook on life and are here making music and at least,… Continue Reading →

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