From the ashes of what came before a new chapter can begin.
To usher in this new era our order must find a pure source from which to rekindle what was lost. We have glimpsed beyond the infinite void and yet still remain. Our pilgrimage of discovery must continue.

The Year is 1990, welcome to Occult 90…

It’s spooky, it’s heavy and it’s just pure, plain fun. For those looking for a killer soundtrack to kick off the Halloween season, look no further: Occult 90 is THE horrorsynth album for this years haunted festivities.

Favorite tracks : Red Gates, Savage Acts

Occams Laser ‘Occult 90’ is out now on Spotify and Bandcamp

Though the band’s overall career arguably places them in firmly the ‘Synthpop’ category rather than anywhere near the Retrowave label, the album’s distinctly retrowave tagline will most definitely will have caught the attention of some of you retroheads out there

Glaswegian Synthpop trio CHVRCHES made a landmark debut in 2013 with The Bones with what you Believe, a catchy synthpop album that earned them a safe place amongst indie pop fans and Pitchfork festival lineups. Though not recognized as such at the time, the band’s harnessing of old-school synth sounds and irresistibly catchy songs could very well be likened to the standard upon which most Retrowave artists strive to live up to today. Vocalist Lauren Mayberry’s youthful singing voice was perhaps just as crucial to the band’s success in the burgeoning retrowave scene as their love for Moog synths. Singles like ‘Recover’ and ‘The Mother we Share’ showed Lauren’s ability to add a strong sense of nostalgia and innocence to the compositions through her youthful vocal timbre.

The band followed up on the success of their first album three years later with Every Open Eye, a sophomore album that served up an equally effective amount of ear-catching hooks and sweet songs, albeit with a more modern flavor. The band also contributed to a track for a Drive tribute album with a fantastic single titled ‘Get Away’ which was later tagged onto their second album as a bonus track. From their third album onwards, the band’s success seemed to have washed away most of their indie and retro roots in favor of a full on EDM-infused pop album that would make Taylor Swift’s 1989 sound like a Mountain Goats record in comparison.

For this fourth album, the band (no doubt nudged by the success of albums such as Future Nostalgia or The Weeknd’s retro-horror album After Hours) have decided to take few steps back to reconnect with their retro roots. So does the album hold any interest to a confirmed retrowave fanatic?

Tone-wise, the album’s sound doesn’t steer anywhere near the dark tone the title, visuals and themes hinted at. Screen Violence is essentially CHVRCHES as you know them. The band’s twinking sounds and melancholic melodies are still the main force carrying the songs.

A few glimpses of old retro sounds occasionally emerge but are quickly smoothened by the album’s distinctly modern, cinematic production. The album’s main single ‘How Not To Drown’ adds a touch of aggression with some roomy drums and guitar riffs, though Robert Smith’s guest spot does little to pull the band out of their comfort zone.

Nonetheless, the album does offer a good handful of tracks through which the band’s long-standing love for eighties powerballads shine through. ‘Good Girls’ and ‘Final Girl’ are essentially a modernized eighties pop anthem with an updated production, whereas the albums.

Overall, Screen Violence is a record that will please longtime fans of the band but won’t do much to sway any listeners in the CHVRCHES camp.

CHVRCHES ‘Screen Violence’ is out now on all streaming platforms

In turn, the band has also released a remix of John Carpenter’s ‘Turning the Bones’ (Lost Themes III).

Screen Violence certainly holds a lot of promise for retroheads with its thematic focus on onscreen violence and the band’s doubling down on eighties influences (Robert Smith of The Cure has namely collaborated on their recent single ‘How Not to Drown’).

Both remix tracks are available on vinyl via Sacred Bones records.

John Carpenter’s ‘Lost Themes III : Alive After Death’ was released on February 5, 2021 via Sacred Bones Records.

CHVRCHES ‘Screen Violence’ is scheduled to be released on August 27^th, 2021 via Virgin EMI Records.

February will have also been marked with the end of Dreampunk’s pioneering Dream Catalogue Label, who closed shop right after sharing a treasure chest full of outstanding records by promising newcomers and seasoned scene veterans alike. For slick outrun and Synthwave enthusiasts, LAU will have dominated this month with her debut album Believer, whose catchy tunes will have you yearning for the day these songs will finally get a chance to hit the stage. For those with the spare time to dig and dwell into the Bandcamp’s dizzying depths for some postmodern, non-euclidian music, February proved to be a fairly interesting month. Vaporwave is still alive and weird, as you’ll certainly listen to find out in this month’s curated selection. Enjoy!

Top Picks

LAU – Believer

(Aztec Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Natsukime – Ikigai

(Self-Released)

Stream on Bandcamp

Twin Galaxxies – Imminent Reversal

(Pure Life)

Stream on Bandcamp

CRYOSAUNA – Grid Failure

(No Problema Tapes)

Stream on Bandcamp

John Carpenter – Lost Themes III

(Sacred Bones)

Stream on Spotify

Fury Weekend – Signals

(Fixt Neon)

Stream on Bandcamp

Niky Nine – Black Sharken

(Lazerdiscs Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Yoshimi – 11 Pieces of Fragmented Memories

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

空手王 – IKARI​​-​​蒸気波LP III

(Karate King Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Eulalie – A Day at the Videodrome

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Singles & Honorable Mentions

Daria Danatelli (feat. Vincenzo Salvia) – Не Забуду / Io Non Dimentico

(Sunlover Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Formula 2080 – Cassetter

(FixT Neon)

Stream on Bandcamp

Electric Youth – Modern Fears (Pilotpriest Come True Edition)

(Sony)

Stream on Spotify

FNKY NGHT – LOVE STORIES VOL.2

(Virtual Sound System)

Stream on Bandcamp

WDE – Codex

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Hong Kong Express – L.Y.F.

(Dream Catalogue)

Stream on Bandcamp

Tito Machete – Sindrome di Standa

(Power Lunch)

Stream on Bandcamp

Sun Corp – Replacement

(No Problema)

Stream on Bandcamp

Sport 3000 & Waterfront Dining – StarTour Agencies

(My Pet Flamingo)

Stream on Bandcamp

POPCULTR – 2021LIVE

(Pacific Plaza Records)

Stream on Bandcamp

Eccodroid – Dematerialize

(Business Casual)

Stream on Bandcamp

January Highlights

Neko Milkshake – Neko Milkshake 

(Future Funk )

Listen

Donor Lens – Live At Pink Bird

(Vaporwave/Synthpop)

Listen

Useless – Octa & Hexa

(Vaporwave/Retrowave)

Listen

Listen

Collection Privée – Ready.Go.Disco

(Synthwave/Future Funk)

​

Listen

Pan!c Pop -5!ve 5tar

(Vaporwave/Future Funk)

Listen

Absolute Valentine – American Nightmares

(Retrowave)

Listen

Kick Puncher – LiveDieRepeat

(Retrowave/Darksynth)

Listen

Ultraboss – Gravitas

(Retrowave/Darksynth)

Listen

Lazer Station – Time Blazer

(Synthwave/Darksynth)

Listen

Dead Astronauts – Silhouettes

(Retrowave/Darkwave)

Listen

Singles & Honorable Mentions

Tokyo Rose & Johnny Craig – Dark Knights

Lau – The Cards

John Carpenter – Alive After Death

Ulver – Machine Guns & Peacock Feathers (Carpenter Brut Remix)

Night Tempo – 集中 Concentration

Paradise of Yesterday – 1994

蒸気YAMTA – 蒸気YAMTA

Iden Kai – Disco Fortuna

​

The Thing is an alien invasion film. There are many of those from which to choose. In fact, The Thing is both a remake of Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World and a more faithful adaptation of the source novella, Who Goes There? But what makes the conflict between the Antarctic researchers and the creature terrifying is that not only is the creature a shape-shifter, but every cell of the creature is its own living organism, which can infect and absorb other creatures, whether they are plant, animal, or human. As the researchers realize that their fellows might no longer be human, this is when the paranoia, augmented by the barren icy landscape, truly takes hold.

The principal character is R.J. MacReady, played by the everyman action star Kurt Russell. He’s the reluctant hero, who, due to circumstances and the failings of his crew members, must take leadership to counter the alien threat. There are many fine performances by the supporting cast. The angry skepticism of Childs (Keith David) and the mental descent of Blair (Wilford Brimley) stand out though. The critics initially said that there was poor characterization. It’s true that there’s a large cast for this type of film. Some characters are given more attention than others. Paying close attention to the quirks of the characters, though, it shouldn’t be difficult to realize each’s individuality.

I focus on the characterization and the suspense of the scenes. One shouldn’t overlook Rob Bottin’s practical effects. There, however, can’t be much more said about the practical effects than were said at the initial release. Even the harshest critics knew that these were top-notch. They, however, felt that John Carpenter focused too much on them, at the expense of other aspects of The Thing. I disagree. The viewer doesn’t see the first active transformation until around the 30-minute mark. And each eventual transformation, while detailed and graphic, is not wanton and exploitative. It serves the progression of the plot. To some modern viewers, the creature effects in some scenes may seem rubbery or comic-book like. I’ll, however, take it over the majority of CGI effects that are produced now. It’s tangible, and that helps you feel the fear that the characters do.

The score or soundtrack can make or break a film. Fortunately, John Carpenter reached out to renowned traditional composer Ennio Morricone to provide most of the score. He, along with collaborator Alan Howarth, added his usual synthesized touches for further cues. It’s very shocking that The Thing‘s score received a Razzie nomination the following year. The music is not overbearing; it fits the despairing atmosphere. Moreover, it showed American audiences, who likely knew Morricone for spaghetti western and giallo scores, that he could score for any genre of film. Besides the slow, brooding march of the main theme, I recommend paying attention to the aptly named tracks “Despair” and “Humanity I.” The frigid atmosphere of the Antarctic saturates throughout, but the human element, represented by the various instrumental sections, underlies, lamenting the situation.

Once dismissed, now praised—that could be the short quote that encapsulates the reception that The Thing received. However, the film has gone beyond even this in comparison with other film reevaluations. Without a devoted fanbase, there wouldn’t have been a prequel, video game sequel and comic book sequels, or board game adaptations.  Even the winter skeleton crew at the South Pole hosts viewings of not only the 1982 film, but of the 1951 film and the 2011 prequel as well.

Other body-horror films will likely never top The Thing, though a number of films in the wake of the film’s release have tried in imitation. It’s a shame that John Carpenter received such a critical drubbing back in 1982. There’s no doubt that it affected his career. Though he received praise for the later critical hit Starman, Hollywood no longer considered him B-movie royalty. At least he and the fans see what was once trashed raised high as a genre classic.

FANGORIA ceased print production in 2015, but now, with new owners, the flagship macabre magazine is back! Releasing it’s first new issue in October, the hellish publication is continuing to ratchet up its involvement with the contemporary retro-horror community. Handpicking some of the best names in synthwave, darksynth and slasherwave for “HOLLYDOOM” is a conceptual soundtrack to the monstrous magazine itself.

From first listen I can tell you that none of the artists have pulled their brass-knuckled punches on this release. Each track feels inspired by the dark Old Ones themselves, conjuring exquisite images of dread and debauchery fit for only the likes an iconic publication such as FANGORIA!

Go grab a listen and subscription now! Top Tracks: OGRE – “Fugue,”  Carpenter Brut – “Mandarin’s Claws,”  John Carpenter – “Abyss,” Power Glove – “Adult Themes,” and Gunship feat. Corin Hardy – “Cthulhu”

Fangoria Presents: Hollydoom (Original Magazine Soundtrack) by Lakeshore Records

I read a rumor or a tease from another site that John Carpenter might be turning his cult-classic , box office bomb PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987) into a series for the SHUDDER network.

Now if this is true, then I have no hesitation running and grabbing that channel. I’ve been aware of the networks existence for a while now. But, like all old men, i’m always hesitant about new things. I’m the one that let’s the other bikers jump off the bridge before I follow and find out whether I’m a vampire or not.

Prince of Darkness was the second installment in John Carpenter’s Apocalypse trilogy. The first entry being his remake of The Thing and closed out with the underrated In the Mouth of Madness.

When pressed for further details other than “We are working out themes and ideas” Carpenter declined to answer.

So, would you be interested in a Prince of Darkness TV series or wouldn’t you? Let us know.

It doesn’t bode well for a series with an already limited run of six issues to feel like a chore by the third installment. Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack had more hype than even the Big Trouble in Little China / Escape From New York crossover. That may have been the melding of two iconic John Carpenter characters, but this series saw a return to the driving seat for the director, now utilizing a medium far different from the films he once made. The unfortunate truth is that a lot of the strongest parts of this comic are elements that were already established, either by the source material film or by the often stellar Big Trouble comics that lead to this point, and a lot of the weaker elements seem to stem from a creative team that’s dragging their feet.

In a narrative sense, not a whole lot happens in the issue. The comic opens with Jack Burton and David Lo Pan riding Jack’s truck through the hell that Earth has become, and it closes with Lo Pan throwing Jack from the truck upon learning that Jack is responsible for everything bad that has ever happened to Lo Pan, as well as for summoning the evil demon Ching Dai, of whom even Lo Pan is afraid. The character moments in the comic where we learn that Jack summoned Ching Dai out of guilt for being responsible for Wang’s death is really good, as Wang has always been a humanizing force in Jack’s often overly idealistic presentation. It seems completely plausible that Jack would resort to the Dark Arts to bring him back.

The mechanics of this interaction are another issue entirely. Ching Dai needs human flesh to bridge himself into this world, and so he takes Jack Burton’s arm as part of the deal. When he arrives in the realm of Earth, he gives Jack’s arm back. As fantasy obviously anything goes with this kind of thing, but the weird choice of returning the arm feels built out of a desire for Jack to have both arms during the lead up to this comic, or worse, like it was written on the fly.

The art, long one of the strongest suits of the Big Trouble in Little China comics hurts this issue as well. While the coloring is good, the actual art itself is confusing and often difficult to follow. It has an exaggerated, cartoonish quality, but never pushes the stylistic choices so far to be visually interesting, and never pulls back enough to give readers a sense of space in the panels. Reading through Old Man Jack #3, it’s hard to figure out the physicality of the locations. It just doesn’t feel like a place, and so the action feels less important. The backgrounds are also often lifeless and void of, well, anything.

With how long the comic adaptations of Carpenter films have been running, it’s hard to think that they’ll end here. Fans of the series so far might want to wait this one out and buy the trade for completionism rather than read through something that feels thrown together.

Big Trouble in Little China / Escape From New York has spent months as one of the most consistently enjoyable comics in months, with each issue adding to the craziness that makes the series so lovable. Issue #5 was the best of the series and by the time it ended, it seemed strange that there was only one more issue before this crossover concluded. It had a lot of elements in the air and had again upturned it’s own status quo by having Jack Burton join forces with Lo Pan and the dragon-universe version of Snake Plissken (as this comic itself hilariously states early on, “Just go with it.”), so it did raise some concerns about how the series would be able to wrap up and if it would be able to satisfy the momentum it built. 

It does and doesn’t. It’s still fun, ridiculous, and full of unexpected turns, comedy, and heart, but it’s hard not to feel mildly robbed of a sense of resolution. The payoff of dragon-Snake (Dragon Plissken?) happens much quicker than expected, though it is the subject of two of the best pieces of art of the issue. Daniel Bayliss’ art and Triona Farrell’s coloring are as delightful as they have been the past five issues, with Bayliss’ cover art being representative of the way that comics can be fun.

Unfortunately, a lot of things wind up unresolved. Perhaps I wound up expecting too much out of a narrative that you should “just go with”, but it feels a little like a cop-out when we don’t get a resolution to this world and its potentially interesting blend of science fiction and mystical elements, or when the female Snake gets vaporized on the back of Dragon Plissken after having five issues hinting at something resembling an arc for the character, or at the very least potential. It feels like something really magical is going to happen by the time that the comic ends, but rather than have something ambiguous and leaving us with an idea that Snake and Jack Burton will adventure through their own multiverse, the comic takes a turn for one last punchline. Admittedly, the tone of the series feels as though a joke is the way it always should have ended, and all good jokes are built on the premise of subverting an expectation, but the expectation that it subverted was just too charming to let go of. 

Big Trouble in Little China / Escape From New York #6
3.5/5

Big Trouble in Little China / Escape From New York has spent months as one of the most consistently enjoyable comics in months, with each issue adding to the craziness that makes the series so lovable. Issue #5 was the best of the series and by the time it ended, it seemed strange that there was only one more issue before this crossover concluded. It had a lot of elements in the air and had again upturned it’s own status quo by having Jack Burton join forces with Lo Pan and the dragon-universe version of Snake Plissken (as this comic itself hilariously states early on, “Just go with it.”), so it did raise some concerns about how the series would be able to wrap up and if it would be able to satisfy the momentum it built. 

It does and doesn’t. It’s still fun, ridiculous, and full of unexpected turns, comedy, and heart, but it’s hard not to feel mildly robbed of a sense of resolution. The payoff of dragon-Snake (Dragon Plissken?) happens much quicker than expected, though it is the subject of two of the best pieces of art of the issue. Daniel Bayliss’ art and Triona Farrell’s coloring are as delightful as they have been the past five issues, with Bayliss’ cover art being representative of the way that comics can be fun.

Unfortunately, a lot of things wind up unresolved. Perhaps I wound up expecting too much out of a narrative that you should “just go with”, but it feels a little like a cop-out when we don’t get a resolution to this world and its potentially interesting blend of science fiction and mystical elements, or when the female Snake gets vaporized on the back of Dragon Plissken after having five issues hinting at something resembling an arc for the character, or at the very least potential. It feels like something really magical is going to happen by the time that the comic ends, but rather than have something ambiguous and leaving us with an idea that Snake and Jack Burton will adventure through their own multiverse, the comic takes a turn for one last punchline. Admittedly, the tone of the series feels as though a joke is the way it always should have ended, and all good jokes are built on the premise of subverting an expectation, but the expectation that it subverted was just too charming to let go of. 

Big Trouble in Little China / Escape From New York #6
3.5/5