Your No. 1 Source For Extreme And Atmospheric Music And Film.

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

Madder Mortem – Red In Tooth And Claw (Dark Essence)

Now this is a very welcome return! Although Madder Mortem never actually split up they have definitely been on what can only be described as serious hiatus. It was 2009-2010 when we last heard from them with album ‘Eight Ways’… Continue Reading →

Train To Busan – Sang-ho Yeon (Studio Canal)

When the living dead started rising and feasting on human flesh most of the historical emphasis in recording what happened featured campaigns in the USA and Europe. Apart from brief mentions, events in the rest of the world were a… Continue Reading →

Vanhelga – Ode And Elegy (S/R)

Before you read the review we are proud to be one of the websites asked to host the brand new accompanying video for “Utan Mening.”  The song used in the video, is the opening track from “Ode & Elegy, the band’s… Continue Reading →

Anaal Nathrakh – The Whole Of The Law (Metal Blade)

If you have been following Anaal Nathrakh since their demo days and in more recent years putting yourself through the gruelling assault course of their live shows on a yearly basis you should know a few things. Firstly where their… Continue Reading →

The Burning – Tony Maylam (Arrow)

Don’t look; he’ll see you. Don’t breathe; he’ll hear you. Don’t move; you’re dead!  That immortal line is the only real way to start this review of classic 1981 stalk and slasher The Burning. On announcement that Arrow were releasing… Continue Reading →

Volker – S/T EP (Kaotoxin)

Not much to go on here, just a CD with no details at all and under 12 minutes of music. Luckily the label had told us what they had sent over in a list and we were able to fill… Continue Reading →

Départe – Failure, Subside (Season Of Mist)

Tasmania, somewhat cut off from the rest of the world and with no shortage of angry and extreme musicians it would seem. There definitely seems to be a bit of an underground scene there and it never surprises me when… Continue Reading →

Insomnium – Winter’s Gate (Century Media)

It seems like Finnish band Insomnium have been going from strength to strength recently. The last couple of times I have seen them, they have pulled in a crowd that has had the venue bulging at the seams and received… Continue Reading →

Stream Of Passion, Pythia – London Underworld 13/10/16

And here it is, the final curtain. The news that Stream Of Passion were calling it a day came as a big and not very pleasant surprise. They want to move on and explore other musical endeavours apparently and lead… Continue Reading →

Theatres Des Vampires – Candyland (Scarlet)

Blimey was it really way back in 2011 when this house of vampires last took us on a ‘Moonlight Waltz.’ I guess it doesn’t really matter quite so much when you are immortal but us fans do age all too… Continue Reading →

Tales Of Halloween – Various (Arrow)

Ye olde anthology horror film is the equivalent of the short story and something that has never completely gone out of fashion. It’s not as easy to deliver a shock when you have to do it in such a short… Continue Reading →

Darkthrone – Arctic Thunder (Peaceville)

It’s album number 17 or thereabouts for Fenriz and Nocturno Culto. Actually they have travelled so far from the black metal days, which was something they were not even about back in 1991 with Soulside Journey that even calling them… Continue Reading →

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