Posts Tagged ‘cvlt status’

Hallween isn’t a big holiday in New Zealand, not like it is in the US (I can’t wait to visit the States during Halloween and see all the decorations and the kids in their costumes). But, since Halloween is practically made for us alternative types, my friends host an annual Halloween party, and this year’s shindig was the best yet.

What are the elements for the perfect Halloween party? Well, we have the group of awesome friends, the creative costumes, and the date and venue. Since the weather’s warming up over here, we fired up the BBQ. Tarah, the gracious host, cooked a feast of Halloween goodies – bat and coffin cakes, devilishly dark chocolate brownies, and severed finger biscuits.

This year I went as Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. My dress is vintage, with a cincher belt from an outlet mall. My cartouche necklace come from Egypt, and spells my name, with a depiction of the goddess Ma’at on the back.

Tarah, the host of the party, looking stunning as a vampire nun.

Kelli (left) and Amy (right) as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. These two are studying costume design and made everything themselves (including the pies. One even has a finger poking out).

Tim, as Getafix.

Jaimee, looking stunning in her Dia de los Muertos makeup.

And, probably the best costumes of the evening, two friends showed up dressed as two other friends. Here’s two Johnowars:

And two Tarah’s.

Metal was played, silliness and singalongs abounded, pies were consumed, rakishly handsome men disappeared in the night. The perfect Halloween party – heavy metal style.

Halloween used to be a sacred time of year – a time of rebirth, of worship and celebration for the death, a time when magic is profoundly, wonderfully real. I love that in the 21st century we’ve modernized these ideas and created our own rituals. There’s always a little bit of magic in the air on Halloween, don’t you agree?

Who am I? I’m Steff. Born in New Zealand, raised on a steady diet of metal and out-of-print archaeology books, I’m now a freelance writer, accessible formats producer, and full-time iron maiden.

You can keep up to date with all the metal madness at my Steff Metal blog. I update 4 times a week with reviews, articles, advice and silliness about living the metal lifestyle. And, for alternative biz owners, I run a creative business community for the dark side at Grymm & Epic.

Keep it brutal \m/

Phew! I don’t know about you, but October has been a crazy month for me. I’ve travelled across New Zealand and back – twice, slept for four days in a Viking tent, interviewing metal bands, running Metal Guitar Week on my blog, being interviewed on Rock n Roll bride, planned my Halloween costume, ran a photo shoot and worked on the launch for my new heavy metal webcomic – Corpsepaintkitty.com!

With all this going on, the only thing keeping me sane is the constant pounding of heavy metal in my ears. Here are some of the albums that are making me happy right now.

The Physicists – Observation

This unusual Finnish outfit combine death metal, lyrics about mad scientists and mathematics gone awry, and electronic bleeps and bloops to create a crazy sound described only as “Mathdeathboogie”. Observation is catchy as hell and one of the most original metal albums released this year.

The Universe Divide – Dust Settles on the Odontophobes

Instrumental albums are always a bitch to pull off – they either end up drawn-out and boring, or overblown exercises in guitar virtuosity. Dust Settles on the Odontophobes is neither – it’s a piece of poetic, progressive mastery that draws you in right from the first note.

Oak Pantheon – The Void (EP)

A killer debut EP from one of the most sophisticated melodic black metal bands I’ve heard in a long time. Oak Pantheon use keyboard and acoustic guitar sections to create a masterpiece of atmospheric BM. Fans of Agalloch will dig this album.

Opeth – Heritage

If you fell in love with Opeth’s beautiful, haunting progressive death metal and lead singer Mikael Akerfeldt’s mix of clean vocals and growls, Heritage may come as a bit of a surprise. On this album Opeth have done away with the harsh vocals and much of the death metal and created a purely progressive rock odyssey. Fans of porcupine tree and Jethro Tull will find much to enjoy here.

Pain – You Only Live Twice

Germany’s answer to nu-metal bands like Disturbed, this project of Hypocricy’s Peter Tägtgren kicks out another album of punchy riffs and hard rock groove mixed with 80s electronica and techno.

Van Canto – Break the Silence

Van Canto started off as a metal covers band with a difference – they sing acapella (unaccompanied by instruments). That means every riff, every solo, every bass line is done for the five vocalists. What started off as a bit of a joke has now turned into four studio albums and headlining shows across Europe. Van Canto’s forth album, Break the Silence, is a great mix of covers (Sabaton, Manowar, Running Wild) and originals from the fun German band.

What are you listening to right now?

Who am I? I’m Steff. Born in New Zealand, raised on a steady diet of metal and out-of-print archaeology books, I’m now a freelance writer, accessible formats producer, and full-time iron maiden.

You can keep up to date with all the metal madness at my Steff Metal blog. I update 4 times a week with reviews, articles, advice and silliness about living the metal lifestyle. And, for alternative biz owners, I run a creative business community for the dark side at Grymm & Epic.

Keep it brutal \m/

Steff

When I first started my website, I said I wouldn’t write music reviews, because there are tons of other metal sites out there who write reviews much better than I could. Two years on, I’ve amended my policy, and more and more music reviews are finding their way onto Steff Metal. I’m busy compiling a list of the best releases of 2011 so far, but I thought I’d give Lippy readers a taste of what I’m currently thrashing on my iPod.

Man-Eating Tree – Vine

Vine came out in 2010, and missed making my Top 10 Albums of 2010 list only by virtue of the fact I didn’t know it existed. Now I do, and I’m all the better for it. Man-Eating Tree hail from Finland, the country with the most metal bands per capita in the world, so it’s no surprise their lineup comprises some big names. Vesa Ranta from Sentenced, on drums, plus members of Poisonblack, Embraze and Reflexion, and Toumas Tuominen’s (ex-Fall of the Leafe) powerful vocals. If you like dark gothic soundscapes, stunning, deep vocals and captivating, soaring melodies, you’ll enjoy this unique album of gothic music.

Rebellion – Arise: From Ginnungagap to Ragnarok – History of the Vikings, Vol III.

I listen to this album non-stop while working on my novels. You know how you buy an album on the strength of one of two songs, but then the rest of the album turns out to be weak? No so with Arise – every song blisters with dark riffs, soaring vocals and Viking anger. It’s a brilliant power metal record, with deep vocals that would appeal even to non-power metal fans. I’m gutted to hear that three of the founding members, including guitarist Uwe Lulis, left the band, but at least they were able to conclude their Viking trilogy with this amazing album.

Kalmah – The Black Waltz

Say what you will about the metal scene today, but there is no one out there quite like Kalmah. Trying to describe their music leaves me stumped – there are strong melodic death metal elements mixed with beautiful, catchy hooks. While many other bands wearing the label “melodic death metal” tend to throw a myriad of musical elements into the fray and record whatever mess they produce, Kalmah create beautiful, evocative and downright catchy tunes. Black Waltz is their best record to date and I think you’d be crazy not to check it out.

Arch Enemy – Khaos Legions

The new album from Swedish melodic metallers doesn’t disappoint. The first half shows a different side of this band with some interesting, almost power metal style songs, although Angela’s signature vocals still steal the show. A solid release full of pumping melodies, catchy riffs and general kick-assery. A great 2011 headbanging anthem.

What are you listening to right now? What albums, artists and bands do you think deserve a little more recognition?

Who am I? I’m Steff. Born in New Zealand, raised on a steady diet of metal and out-of-print archaeology books, I’m now a freelance writer, accessible formats producer, and full-time iron maiden.

For those of you in the northern hemisphere, summer is upon you (lucky minxes), and that means the best time of year is about to begin – festival season. From Wacken and Hellfest in Europe to Ozzfest and Deathfest in the US, every year metalheads descend in their thousands to stand in the sun, camp in their own filth, drink expensive beer, and watch their favorite bands.

As my home turf here in New Zealand is fast descending into winter gloom (and we’re not exactly renowned for our metal festivals. Hobbit and Gumboot festivals, yes, metal festivals … not so much), I’ll be boarding a plane shortly to Europe to attend two festivals – Wacken Open Air, and the much smaller and more curious Veldensteiner Festival. Needless to say, I’ll be bringing all you grymm gents and metal maidens updates on my adventures.

This will be my second trip to Wacken, the so-called “Holy Land of Heavy Metal”. The festival occurs annually in the tiny town of Wacken (pop 1800), an hour north of Hamburg, where the town’s population swells to over 70 000 black-clad metalheads from all over the world. Three days of music, mischief and mayhem – I can’t wait.

If you’re thinking of donning you best mosh-pit attire and heading out to a metal festival this summer, here are my top survival tips:

Wear Sensible Shoes: for most metal festivals, this means boots. Why? Because everyone else wears boots, and if someone stomps on you in the mosh pit, you need to be able to stomp back. Wacken can get muddy and filthy, and a good pair of combat boots will ensure your feet stay free of gunk.

Sun-protection: At Wacken, most of the injuries treated by the first-aid crew involve people falling asleep in the sun and getting sunstroke. Bring plenty of sunscreen (spray bottle recommended), sunglasses and a hat.

Your hat doesn’t have to be boring, however. Most metalheads like caps or cowboy hats. Me? I’ve got an authentic 19th century English military beret.

Drink plenty of water: And no, beer is NOT water. Alcohol dehydrates you and makes you more prone to sunstroke and falling asleep during your favorite band. Try to drink one glass of water for every glass of beer.

Bring a “tent marker”: whether it’s a flag, a sign or, in our case, a giant blow-up sheep, you need something to distinguish your tent from the 70 000 other tents pitched on the campsite. It’s quite commonplace to arrive back at your tent to discover a sleeping metalhead who, after spending three hours stumbling drunk around the campsite looking for his own tent, simply decided yours looked like the next best thing.

Drinking Horn: the must-have Wacken campground accessory.

A copy of the running order: due to some corporate policy I cannot fathom; many festivals don’t give you a copy of the running order at the gate. In fact, even if you buy a program, you’re not guaranteed to get an up-to-date list of who’s playing when. There are signs posted, but you will inevitably be in an area without signs wishing you knew who was playing when and where. Print a copy of the running order off the website before you leave in the morning.

Toilet paper: never leave home without it.

Keep your clothes simple and comfortable. Since you’re at a metal festival, you’ll probably want a black t-shirt (and remember the rule about not wearing the shirt of the band you’ve come to see). Team this up with shorts or your favorite pair of Stretch fuck*n jeans. Bring an extra warm layer like a hoodie or jumper to cover yourself with in the evening, when the air cools.

I don’t advise wearing a skirt or any delicate jewelry if you intend on going anywhere near that mosh pit.

Alternatively, you could wear this:

Pack all your essentials in an over-the-shoulder or cross-chest bag: your wallet, cellphone and keys, pen and pencil (for writing down the number of the cute metalhead boy you meet in the pit), bottles of water, camera, snack, sunscreen and lipgloss.

Most importantly, have a blast! Yes, it’s dirty, smelly and crowded, but you’re with your people. The festival atmosphere is magic – at what other event do you get to spend 3 days hanging out with the coolest people on earth?

Who am I? I’m Steff. Born in New Zealand, raised on a steady diet of metal and out-of-print archaeology books, I’m now a freelance writer, accessible formats producer, and full-time iron maiden.

You can keep up to date with all the metal madness at my Steff Metal blog. I update 4 times a week with reviews, articles, advice and silliness about living the metal lifestyle. And, for alternative biz owners, I run a creative business community for the dark side at Grymm & Epic. I’m also on Twitter.

Keep it brutal \m/
Steff

We’re called the metal army, the horde, the Templars, the warriors of steel, the satanic warmasters, and, by my mother, “those scary, unshaven men you hang out with”. And for good reason. Like any good army, we metalheads have our orders (“go forth and spread metal”), we have our weapons (blistering guitars, pummelling drums and brutal, warlike vocals), and we have our uniform.

The black t-shirt, the jeans, the combat boots, the studs, the leather, the denim. Hair worn long, like a barbarian. The jewelry, talismans of forgotten times and unpronounceable band names. The attitude, devil-may-care. If you want to join the metal army, you’ve got to get the uniform right.

Regulation Metalhead Kit

T-shirt

Nice try, but his shirt breaks the first rule, by not being black.

Every metalhead needs at least this one essential piece of kit. The metal t-shirt comes in every color, as long as it’s black, with the front emblazoned in highly detailed scenes of slaughter, death and destruction, accompanied by the name of a suitably grymm band in letters so large you couldn’t possibly mistake it for a hip-hop act.

The more highly “ranked” you are in the metalhead army, the more underground and unpronounceable the band name on your t-shirt.

And, like any army, there are rules. If attending a concert, you are NOT to wear the t-shirt of the band you are going to see. You are NOT to wear tour shirts from tours you personally did not witness. And you must never, ever wear the shirt of a non metal band to a metal show, unless you are, as we say in New Zealand, “cruisin’ for a bruisin’.”

Boots

These must be tough, able to withstand the rigors of the mosh pit and the repeated forced march to and from the beer tent.

Jeans

Black, blue or stonewash grey jeans. They’re durable, warm and look good on any figure, from a waifish metal princess to the toughest mosh pit monster.

Patched Vest

Sadly going out of style among the younger metalheads, the denim vest lovingly sticked with patches from your favorite bands used to be the marker of a true and serious metalhead.

Belt

Note the presence of gauntlets, bullet belts and inverted crosses

Needed to hold up the jeans. Regulations declare it must be made from leather, ideally from an animal you killed and skinned yourself as part of a satanic sacrifice. Studs and spikes optional, but encouraged.

Belts can also be made of strings of bullets, or, if you’re Max Cavelera from Sepultura, a string of AA batteries taped together. (in the documentary Global Metal, Max admitted that in the early days the band was too poor to afford bullet belts, until Igor pointed out that they could make their own from AA batteries and, from a distance, they looked the same).

Now that’s brutal. As well as looking suitably terrifying, this bullet belt could come in handy if your Walkman breaks down in the middle of the Brazilian rainforest.

Non-regulation items:

Gauntlets

Leather vambraces around the wrists or forearms, usually studded with studs or six-inch spikes.

Dog tags

The metal horde assembles

Jewelry should be sparing – so it doesn’t accidentally get tangled up when you’re headbanging – but meaningful, so if a beautiful metalhead girl or guy asks you about your skull knuckleduster, you can tell them a deep and impassioned story about how you won it from Lemmy in a poker match. Popular styles include skulls, Thor’s hammers, swords, crosses (both right-way-up and inverted), pentagrams and other religious symbols, and miniature working replicas of medieval torture devices.

A sword at your hip or guitar slung over your shoulder never goes amiss.

Ration pack

Contains a lighter, a drinking horn, a copy of your underground black metal demo (just in case you run into Hellhammer at the local fish & chip shop), an Iron Maiden condom and, oh, twelve boxes of beer.

With the regulation kit assembled, you’re ready for every conceivable metal adventure.

About Steff

Steff Metal (and friends)

Who am I? I’m Steff. Born in New Zealand, raised on a steady diet of metal and out-of-print archaeology books, I’m now a freelance writer, accessible formats producer, and iron maiden.

You can keep up to date with all the metal madness at my Steff Metal blog. I update 4 times a week with reviews, articles, advice and silliness about living the metal lifestyle. And, for alternative biz owners, I run a creative business community for the dark side at Grymm & Epic.

Keep it brutal \m/
Steff