And So It Begins .... the Abysmal Hymns Podcast

 Okay, here is the official launch of the Podcast, which you can access here...

https://abysmalhymns.podbean.com/

or watch here... 

https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

I will also continue to post the videos on the Facebook feed, which can be found here...

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

You can like, follow, and subscribe to all of those things, so you are in the loop

Now that all the logistics are out of the way, we can get to the fun part, which is what we are going to do and how it will differ from what you are used to reading here. Music will be the heartbeat, but the true north will be darkness, exploring the topics that inspired the music and venturing outside of the music business to reach out to Occult experts, Paranormal Investigators, and other fellow travellers into the night. We are going to hear stories from people who work in the music business, the ground troops of PR Firms, Publications, Blogs, and Record Labels, including my fellow music journalists, to get perspectives beyond my own. Whatever you liked about what you read here, amplified. Since it is my Podcast expect to get episodes that might veer off into my other interests, UFOS, horror movies, Dungeons & Dragons, and bizarre seedy corners of life 

For now it's going to be a DIY punk approach and just the raw footage of the Zoom interviews. Divincie Resolve was taking the focus on what this is about when I was in preproduction, as who cares about grpahic and all of that shit when the emphasis is people connecting and engaging in the lost art of conversation. Content creation makes it more about putting on a show and less about being honest and speaking your mind in a world where people won't speak their truth so that needs to be the emphasis here, as it's been the unspoken mission statement of my work here, so call it as I hear and create some quality control in an industry agendas are given more promotion than artists who make solid fucking music.  So welcome, "like" and subscribe to all the above so you don't miss out. 

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PALINDRONES : "'Chapter 2: The Slender Blade"

This morning I perused the line-ups of this year's " goth festivals," and while I can understand the old school headliners like Frontline Assembly, what I do not get is the younger artists they book who do not have current albums they are touring in support of. It seems like a waste when other artists could use the exposure and are working harder to grind away at their songwriting craft. One of these would be that this  British duo is crafting some emotive electro pop with call and response vocal lines that recall some of the more moody moments in 80s pop. The first song is a banger, so that sets expectations high for the remainder of the album. 

Where the first song flirted more with new wave. The songs that follow are more like atmospheric techno. The female vocals become more of the dominant narrative of the songs.  She shifts through a range of emotions in her presentation, so this works. "The Dark Forest" is more of a synth interlude that blankets you in immersive ambiance. It's counterpoint "the Light Forest". It is more of a grooving synth wave pop hybrid.  It grooves in a manner that brings Underworld to mind with more of a pulse than a black rocking beat. 

"Suli Nan Diathan" is a swathe of synth ambiance that is ghostly and minimal.   It materializes into an actual song around the two-minute mark. There is some dynamic ebb and flow, but it feels more like an interlude to me. "Animus" uses more of a vocal interplay that offers a similar dynamic to what they did on the opening track. The beat is possessed by a little more drive here. "Resonance Factor" closes the album. It goes back into more of an atmospheric techno mode of songwriting with the vocals taking on a brighter tone. I will give this album a 9.5, as I enjoyed it , would not call this darkwave, but it recalls the electronic acts of the 90s who are adjacent enough to keep my interest.Much more song focused than the festival brand of EDM.  

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