Return of the living death rock

I'd say 77% of anything I listen which resembles punk rock would also fall into the sub genre of death rock and 77% of the people reading this won't even know what that is unless they have heard the term thrown around in a sentence involving the Misfits, take goth and throw in more punk influence and their you go. Referencing the Return of the living dead sound track works as well.
CVLT Nation put out this mix tap for down load and it's so awesome the only thing which sucks is it down loads onto your i-Pod as one track any way the track listing is below

1. LOST TRIBE – Forever (2010)
2. RUDIMENTARY PENI – Annihilation (2008)
3. AGNOSTIC PRAY – Alienation (2011)
4. DEKODER – What’s Left (2011)
5. CHRIST VS WARHOL – Cross of Lorraine (2010)
6. INTERNAL AUTONOMY – Disappear/Appear (2011)
7. BELLICOSE MINDS – Tension Building (2011)
8. DEAD CULT – Surviving in a Dying World (2012)
9. ANASAZI – I Saw the Witch Cry (2011)
10. FANGS ON FUR – Cigarette (2010)
11. CRIMSON SCARLET – Two Kinds of Red (2011)
12. BELGRADO – Visions of Massacre (2011)
13. PINKISH BLACK – Spiritual Cramp (Christian Death) (2012)
14. ATRIARCH – Oblivion (2012)
15. ALIEN SEX FIEND – BBFC (2010)
16. BLUE CROSS – Time to Die (2011)
17. TANZKOMMANDO UNTERGANG – The Walk (2011)
18. CEMETERY – Grave Dance (2011)
19. BLOODY DEAD AND SEXY – Solemn Times (2010)
20. DYSTOPIAN SOCIETY – Dystopian Society (2011)
21. THE DAMNED – Under the Wheels (2008)
22. SPECTRES – Time is Out (2010)
23. CROSS STITCHED EYES – Become Earth
24. ALARIC – Assault Memory (2012)
25. SILENT SCREAM – Hive Mind (2011)
26. ARCTIC FLOWERS – Technicolor Haze (2010)
27. DEATHCHARGE – Newest Dark Age (2011)

http://www.cvltnation.com/cvlt-nationdeathrock-2012-mixtapecurated-by-oliver-sheppard/

it really is only missing Crypts who might be a little to electronic for this , but Atriarch and Pinkish Black are awesome and two bands I have been meaning to feature in the dawning of black metal to come I see more bastard marriages of death rock with black metal , Industrial is no stranger to this and weighs heavy on what we have heard from the new Nachtmystium. It is like throwing my teenage years into a blender, I'm fine with jumping on this bandwagon since I've had my seat on it since 1990.

Below is the Crypts video, the band has some ex-members of These Arms Are Snakes, So if the ironic moustache alarms you then consider the source...but theres enough anger that feels genuine here for me to second guess the sincerity too much, there is a "witch house" element and unfortunatly the album is not coming out til sept, though I am hoping for a leak as this would be the perfect soundtrack for 4 a.m. creeping around dragon-con.

Smashing Pumpkins: Oceania

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Well... Smashing Pumpkins isn't metal, but then again neither is Royal Thunder and they were just covered on here, so chalk this one up like the Marilyn Manson review a pacifier from my friends sense of nostalgia. I enjoyed the Pumpkins uptil around 96 or so, dipping back into the drum machine years , is hit or miss, some songs i like other not so mucjh , all of the re-union years have been underwhelming and so far as I am listening to this album their doesn't seem to be alot thats going to buck that trend.
I have always respected Billy Corgan's guitar work and this album is no exception. The song writing seems to in question. The album opener "Quasar" is not bad but it doesn't sound like the pumpkins as if Corgan had a run in with Moron 5 while exploring a more mature vocal style. I can say by the second track "Panopticon" I began to notice a Jeff Buckley influence in some of the phrasing. Though this has not aided this ability to write melodies as they range in level of embrassment. Some of these melodies Crogan should re-think marketing them as childrens songs.
By the time the song "Pin-wheels" rolls around I am wishing I could un-hear some of this though this song takes the prize for Fisher Price plastic Muzak. If not for illegal downloading, people might be wasting their hard-earned money in this eccnomy.
The title track sound like a left over from a sequel to the Crow and thats a good thing. the it floats away in a wash of synths even, Katy Perry's more tender moments boasts a bigger pair of balls. The disjointed guitar solo at the end can't even save it.
I found myself in disbelief hoping the album would some how pull it together , but the song writing gets so lazy even the well recorded sounds make this something on par with post-Kilroy was here Styx or "Ambominog" era Uriah Heap though that would imply there is actuall rock going on in the albums later portions,then hope began to fade into counting the mintues until I could delete this from my hard-drive. Literally o.k 4 songs to go I can make it through this . "Chimera" starts with a hopeful guitar riff but like the rest of this album fails half way into the verse and is followed up by a chorus so bland i'm not sure how this made it place management and label, which goes to show you how out of touch the record indursty is and after listening to this I can only hope for the dying breath of corporate rock.
"Glissandra" raises the hope again until you get to a chorus that never find the muscle to break out into any kind of dynamics.

the albums gets a generous 2 if you find youself liking more than 3 songs this album please delete me from any form of social media as you are part of the problem, if you love it suicide is an option you might want to consider and something Billy Corgan might want to consider if he refuses in 2012 to get honert with himself and come out of the closet and make childrens musicals.

Honest I did not imagine this album would be this bad when I started .

Royal Thunder : CVI

While the Atlanta band's e.p., survived the test of time on my i-Pod a feat thanks to the rotting corpse of Steve Jobs, since iTunes up dates fail to accommodate products they still sold such as my iPod classic, so instead of 60 gigs of music I'm reduced to 20, given the rate I consume music it makes for some hard choices every Sunday. So that's an indication of how highly I place the e.p. the anticipated "CVI" album required several listens to grow on me. Not to mention living in Atlanta at present, Royal Thunder finds themselves in a place where he local hype built up around this band is not aligned with the reality. In comparison to a band like Christian Mistress, which most locals aren't familiar with how adventurous are Royal Thunder? Well lets dive into this thing and find out.

At first I would have told you The 2nd track "Whispering world" feels like it would have have been a better opener than "Parsonz Curse" a more simmering blue number that takes it time getting wound up into a gospel slither.This still may or may not be true while I now do not dislike "Parsonz Curse" as I had upon initial listens, in fact it did not make the synch to my ipod, until given a few more tires on the Relapse records band camp page.It could be the lyrical subject matter which is a personal commentary on the inner workings of her families legacy made the approach to the song more passive aggressive after all this is how the majority of family dynamics seem in the south unless they are out in front of the trailer park beating each other with pots and pans.The song builds into an almost gospel fervor by the refrain at the end and pays off.

Miny's vocals being more aggressive vocals on "Whispering World" come across very Kylesa influenced and in some ways the rest of the song as a whole does as well.it has more drive than all the songs on the e.p. put together. Here is where an interesting point comes into play, as Royal Thunder flirts with what most consider metal, having spent the better part of the last year touring with bands vastly heavier than they are. With the road as a learning experience,they went back into studio like the old Charles cartoon from the 60's, where the kid on the beach gets sand kicked in his face so he goes home and works out to turn the tables on the bully. This album displays much muscle however, touring with a jam band might have given them similar treatment as they have com back with more sprawling offerings and most songs clocking in over the 7 minute mark.

Miny's ear for hooks and melodies give her the edge in songwriting,I welcome the return of rock god guitar soloing on the track shake and shift it creates too long of a bridge in between the more interesting melodic elements which play to the bands strength rather than the new Led Zeppelin moments. "Your No Good" doesn't really re-invent the wheel, a convincing blues shuffle attacks like the Mc5 paying more attention to melody. I really like the Tool-like chugged tension "Blue" opens with. The Concrete Blonde meets Black Sabbath comparisons on this album have been put to rest as I more 90's grunge than Sabbath.

The re-recorded version of "Sleeping Witch" utilizes a touch of subtle cello underlying the guitar, not my first pick of a song to re-visit from the e.p., but it must be a favorite of the band. Kylesa shading on the second songs aside one of the band's strong points is their sense of identity. They could have given into the temptation to conform to the climate of the Southeastern sludge scene. To the ear, they could care less about their neighbors Mastodon. The use of haunting melody in a song like "South of Somewhere" while more pervasive on the e.p. it's shown in good portion here. the use of vocal hooks as a dynamic build is also present though the shift in songwriting makes it not as much of the focal point as the on the e.p. Multiple listens indicates this is due to the fact the entire band converges more into one working unit than Miny having to be so far in the forefront to carry the songs. the jammed sections feel like there way of saying "Wow, we have been on the road doing this for a while now look we really are coming to our own as a band" The interplay of instruments is not only denser but more advanced here. I wouldn't call it progressive rock rock but more expansive.

I have said elsewhere Parsonz voice reminds me of Lita Ford particularly when belting into a higher register. This is somewhat dispelled on this album, and she has more time to explore a variety of vocal colors. Where the ballad "Minus" at the later portion of R album seems to be filler and it's only two minutes of it so it's by and large forgivable. My points of contention with the Royal Thunder's new album revolve around my own personal taste and what I wanted more of after the e.p and the live show gave me a taste of. Performance wise it's pretty solid."CVI captured what they set out to do with out flaw. The fact it's taking a while to work on me I can recognize as a good sign as most stuff I get quickly hooked on tends to have less staying power.

out of 10 I rate it an 8.5, not the saviors of rock as you know like Atlanta press might claim but they have produced a quality album and their brand of blues inflected rock is sure worth a listen of frat-crap like the Black Keys any day of my week.

Interview: Ihsahn

With Emperor being one of my favorite bands, you can imagine how honored to have Ihsahn on the other line to talk about his new solo "Eremita".

Wil- It's an honor to get a chance to talk with you like this so let's start with the new album, the first of your solo albums outside of the trilogy , So writing these songs was there as sense of freedom or did it feel like a new start?

Ihsahn-In the sense the first three albums were designed for me to develop myself as a solo artist outside of Emperor, so I had some space and ended up writing with more confidence. I felt the need to distance myself from the whole emperor phenomenon felt a return in my awareness , with life on it’s own with nostalgia, I was more at ease to connect to my past. To create some of my blackest work on this album by digging deeper. But more of an attitude.

Wil-What was it like to work with Jeff Loomis and Devin Townsend ?

It was a compliment for them to have asked me to guest on their albums, with Devon
“Deconstruction” and then of Jeff’s full length, so that made asking them easier. Recording “ Eremita” there was a solo section and I imagined his playing would be great on and put to shame anything I would have done as he is one ofthe greatest guitarist out there There was also a section that needed these vocals that were more powerful than what I had done so Devon came to mind.

Wil-The guitar sound on the new album is much warmer and organic and I noticed you are now endorsed by blackstar amplification,so is that the reason for the change?

Ihsahn-Yes though, I have been doing more producing. I wanted a organic yet gritty sound. The focus of my writing is normally for guitar.Record on computer and play back to the piano to allow more focus on the compositional layers as well. A dynamic drummer recorded to a click sound captured the rhythmic nature. I wanted it to have a very loud live sound. I used other amps as well but blended the BlackStar 200 head which I use live to get the metal grit with the 412 to get the clarity in the attack, where you can hear the instruments strings rather than being lost in the distortion.

Wil-The sax is back on the new album, when i heard it on “After” it brought to mind King Crimson to mind. How much of an influence has classic progressive rock been on the more recent solo material?

Ihsahn-Bands like Rush and King Crimson,I am familiar with their music but I can’t say much of an influence as I have always seen the sax as a lonely instrument and had finally found a scenario in which I could use it . Jorgen Munkeby of Shining is a super talented and plays the instrument so expressively , that it interacts with the rest of the music so well. We are also good friends.

Wil-Lyrically the theme of the new album as a more transcendent feel to it rather than the very confrontational feel of your first two solo albums and earlier Emperor, did this just feel like the most natural direction ?

Ihsahn-The method of how I approach lyrics, was to be an adversary rather than just blah blah blah. Alot of metal has words with no meaning . Metal by nature attracts the outsider mentality, but this is very conscious a reflection of something I had to say. it’s about escaping. As a solo artist it’s not like the band dynamic where you pitch ideas back an forth. So i wanted creative focus rather to the point and cohesive rather than a collection of ten song that happened to be recorded at the same point in time. With this album some of the themes are almost like a madman, a protagonist who wonders did he or didn’t he commit murder.

Wil-How would you say your spiritual growth has influenced what you create? Their seems to be more maturity in that as well than from Emperor which was more of an romantic exploration of the occult.

Ihsahn -As a teenage it was romanticized. Influenced by the music of soundtracks, vampire scenarios and delusions of grandeur. Much more pragmatic these days. Metal is larger than life , from the extreme vocal to the imagery.My prespective on thye subjest is to dig deeper. The playful exponents of youth, to see things as a reason being impassioned. An undefined deep point to drive me forward with music as the driving force.

Wil-So what are the plans as far as touring to promote Eremita?

Ihsahn-Well I am doing some festival dates in june and then Candlelight is talking the possibility of getting some U.S dates in the fall.

Wil-When you said candle light I at first thought you said Kamelot and meant the power-metal band and though you would have to stock up on pirate shirts to tour with those guys.

Wil-I did do the Prog-power festival, and it was refreshing as they did not know where I came from, even though I have an established audience for the past past 20 years. I think in some ways a crowd like that is better for what I am doing now than a typical black metal audience.

Wil-Well hope you can come through the states.

Ihsahn-I do to. I would like to but there’s alot to consider if bringing a band over from Europe is financially feasible

Wil-Particularly in the current american economy.

Ihsahn-yes,it’s a very challenging time for music. but I have managment, to let them woory and work that out and just focus on making the best music I can.

Wil- Well you've continued to succeed in that department.

Ihsahn- Thank you, I appreciate it.

Interview -Pelle Ahmen-In Solitude

When the Decibel Tour rolled into town, I was lucky enough to have sit down with Pelle Ahman in the In Solitude van. Wil- So first off man, whats up with your death metal band Invidious, when is that project seeing a release date ? Pelle- the mix is taking a really long time because it needs to have a certain sound, so we are taking our time with it.There is something rewarding about being able to release it about being able to release it yourself. Wil- so what is the plan for following up " The World, the flesh, the devil" . It got a lot of critical acclaim, so where are your heads at in terms of a follow up? Pelle- We are writing pieces of songs here and there. We came up with a good foundation of a song in Portland. On the road we are really just limited to writing on guitar. As far as after this tour, we are playing some festivals then after that maybe another tour. Wil - your guys did a Samhain cover for the flexi disc, Revolver released and after seeing how much rawer and explosive you guys are live , how big of an influence is punk rock for you ? Pelle- Huge, punk rock and hardcore . Stuff like the Birthday Party, Danzig, the Misfits..though really Samhain , had more of a darkness. Discharge's music when you hear it has such an emotional connection. When I listen to Discharge though it might be political, I don't hear the politics I only hear the emotions. Wil- So how have you liked touring in America and how do the crowds differ from European ones? Pelle- Europe it's more of a social thing. They are there to drink beer and wanna fuck. In America the are up in front of the stage having this emotional release. When we toured with Down, it was slightly different. It was more of a hillbilly crowd. Sometimes they were shooting birds and fuck off, but I respect that it's a strong emotion. That is what I want for people to feel something whether it is to cry or bleed.It's power which transfers to the performance for us to create something that is devastating. Wil- Maybe that is because in America there are not many healthy outlets to find emotional release. Pelle- Yes, there is very much a sense of being hand cuffed, of living under a gun.It is something like they are living in betrayal. Wil- It seems to me like this has made the climate in the States, to where people are looking for more, causing a flourishing of interest in the occult. The first seeds of this being in popular culture and media . What's your perception of this ? Pelle-With the occult I think a lot of people like the imagery. I did at say 13 or 14. But it is a whole other thing.It's life and death, the whole idea of the occult. To choose to destroy and rebuild. The destructive force, you might choose to call Satan. But then again the Bible is very inspiring,some of the ideas. As a teenager music and literature are great gateways. Blessed and burned, when you look inward. Religion is about frame work, the occult is about isolation. You speak to a christian about these things and they don't understand. Wil -So back to music... Pelle-Yes lets talk about music. Wil- how was touring with Down? I know Fenriz also choose you guys to play the festival he curates, so between him and Phil how have those relationships influenced you as a young band ? What have you learned from those guys? Pelle- Phil was more of an influence on a personal level and the biggest influence of the Down tour was having the experience of playing with intensity every night and destroying yourself. Wil- I know you get pegged with the Mercyful Fate thing all the time and there's alot of classic metal like old Maiden in your sound but what other types of music are you into? Pelle-Everything from Darkthrone to P.J Harvey to Swans. Wil-Did you catch Swans on their most recent re-union tour they did without Jarboe? Pelle- Yes, I saw them in Sweden it was incredible. Wil- Yeah, When I saw them it struck me that in the sonic sense they are heavier than a lot of metal bands. Pelle- Yes,defiantly. Wil- What about My Bloody Valentine ? They are one of those bands whose influence is being felt on metal bands now. Pelle- I know is one of our guitarists' favorite bands.You said Mercyful Fate and that is easy to say at first listen, though if you listen to us for 30 or 40 mins or see the live show then there is much more there than that.Why write reviews? Write poetry don't write reviews. Wil- What about on tour is there anything you are reading or listening to help you escape? Pelle- as a singer I mainly listen to music with out words, this tour just modern classical piano music. We live out of this van so the road is meditation and medication. We are all loners. Everyone on this tour is a loner. So you go inside yourself. Wil- Well it was great, talking to you and was refreshing to go to a show, where all the bands connected with me on a very powerful level, it's not often a tour comes through like this. Pelle- Yes, it has been a very intense and rewarding.

Huntress: Spell Eater

Female fronted metal bands have held a place in my heart, going back to Lita Ford whose writhing leather jumpsuits furthered my transition into puberty.  Over the past decade, the primal sexuality of the leather clad sirens was replaced by Andrew Loyd Webber acrobatics. This took away the dominatrix persona of the female metal singer and replaced her with melodramatic mezzo sopranos who croon to teenage girls reading Twilight books. Jill Janus’ band Huntress takes back the power.

I was skeptical at first glance of the video for “Eight of Swords” . I then learned Eric Harris the ex-bassist of Skeleton Witch is in the band, they still had a strike against them for being  from Los Angeles. In the over saturated Hollywood music scene,  retro-thrash thing could be an over zealous manager trying to steer a band away from being the next In This Moment.  

A little digging and  my suspicions were confirmed as Janus’ other name is Penelope Tuesdae. Under this name she has sung in “Under the Covers” Dave Navarro’s other cover band that’s not the popular Camp Freddy. Janus also spun as a d.j under this name as well.  

Despite the double nature of their frontwoman,  a few listens later  I was more  sold on the albums sincerity,despite the occult references being more for show than say the Devil’s Blood. This wouldn’t be the first band whose outside bull shit I forgot once they made it to my I-pod. Granted Janus’ look got their foot in the door for me but at the end of the day it’s music. I don’t care how nice your tits are if I need to clear some memory on my hard drive.

  Huntress  clearly soars in on the wings of the retro thrash band wagon with little new ground broken. At times "Spelleater" reminds me of  the first few Metal Church albums more than say the obvious comparison to Warlock. The riffs are not derivative enough for me to play name that tune with. Janus’ melodies assist the often atypical chugged riffage. The guitar is competent but not wowing.

Sure Angela Glassgow has a more of a snarl as does a half dozen other few growlers  from bands like Cerebral Bore,  Walls of Jericho etc.  Janus is actually singing. Not operatically but with the rough and powerful lungs metal asks for. She delves down into a growl or two for an effect but normally hovers over the proceedings with a healthy power metal yodel. \The band's Facebook bio claims she boasts a four octave range. This is either an exaggeration or their publicist does not know an octave consists of eight notes. She has a substantial range but is no Kate Bush. I hear traces of King Diamond, in her more theatrical moments. The choked  demons growls are very similar to what King did on “Them”. Given Huntress' more straightforward attack it comes across a little silly, but forgivable as she is at least trying to do something different.

 All of the great thrash bands, had a monster drummer on the throne behind them. Ex -Dark Black drummer, Karl Weirzbicky, gets the job done and on the  title track he even flirts with being blasty mcnasty. By and large this is no attempt at being blackened thrash. The double bass gallops are as needed, yet the drum mix didn’t really do him any favors as he is buried under the guitars. The bass is also not very present in the mix, I think if the rhythm section had gotten a little more love in post-production the album would sound tons heavier.

The guitarist’s were sitting at the left hand of their producer when this was mixed. They give the vocals plenty of room but take up everything else. They are mean enough. This album isn’t going for brutality but fist pumping.

When I back away from the magnifying glass to head band to this it’s fucking fun. Huntress succeeded at making nostalgic for the days when this sort of this was new and coming out on Combat and Megaforce. Maybe D.J. Tuesdae was snorting lines of cocaine off Tommy Lee’s dick as he spun dance music in a metal bra, here a Jill Janus she makes a helluva metal singer so I can’t begrudge her too much for it . “Spelleater” takes it time to grow on me  and  has a few moments which drag a little in the final few songs.

Interview: Erik Danielsson of Watain

Currently on the Behemoth headlined  Decibel Tour with fellow Swedes the Devils Blood and In Soltiude, Where I caught up with Erik on their stop at the Masquerade, Watain is also gearing up for the release of a dvd box set called "Opus Diaboli " . After the current tour they are following it up with headlining gigs as a four piece with Erik doubling on guitar duties in place of Salim  Lemouchi of The Devil's Blood.

WC: "Lawless darkness"  was my favorite album of 2010 and goes down as a classic in my book, so where are you at in your head in regards to following that up ?  are those thoughts  in fruition yet?

Erik : We are at where we have always have been living in the world of Watain. It is where we have existed since the beginning and will continue to be. Within that world there is inner development and new ingredients but it is something we live not think about.

WC:  I know you are a big fan of Fields of the Nephilim, and they  have reunited  and are back on tour, what are your thoughts about possibly going on tour with them?

Erik: I will be going to a lot of the shows , but it would be like opening for the Doors or Pink Floyd. They are an enigma, something unto themselves. Would their crowd even appreciate a black metal band ?

WC: Well i would think  Fields would love to have some one like you guys to expose a younger audience to them.

Erik: Maybe so. I would not turn down the opportunity, but their are a lot of politics involved that I would like to stay out of.

WC: They were often lumped in with bands that are now called "goth" . Bands like the Cure, Swans , Joy Division and Death in June. Are you into any of  that sort of stuff as well?

Erik: Swans and Death in June. The Cure was always to poppy. But music with the darkness like Current 93.

WC: One of the similar traits of all the bands on this tour is connection to the occult. Recently as least in the states there seems to be a resurgence of interest in the occult , like in the late 60's when LaVey founded the Church of Satan and people were seeking out alternate methods of spirituality . Do you see this on tour and are audiences more receptive of your message?

Erik: It's easier to talk about it and people are more willing to listen.It's a natural reaction to the plastic form society has taken on in the digital age.The occult is more about a greater search within ones self.

WC: With all the coverage about the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world in 2012 and a shift in the collective consciousness towards that do you feel their is more urgency to your mission statement of bringing the darkness to this plane?

Erik: We have always been urgent with what we are creating. Rock n roll is just very fitting for the times. I think it even goes back all the way to Elvis. Things that would have gotten you burned at the stake at one  time are now being brought to the surface. We are living in very critical times no matter what doctrine.

WC: How's the energy been on this tour since Behemoth is based in Thelema a gnosis of more traditional kabbalah, while the work of the  Misanthropic  Order is kliffotic and the reverse or the anti-kabbalistic tree of life?

Erik: There's enough points in common. The bond is .the dark and sinister. This is after all a music tour and about entertainment.There have been some moments of deeply inspired communion.

WC-How does the vibrational frequency of metal music  inspire the ritual nature of what you do ?

Erik: Very much, we did a Bathory tribute show that felt great. Bathory has been important and inspirational . As well as the time the time I spent playing with Dissection.

WC-You and Dissection are in spiritual agreement I see you as kind of carrying that torch so to speak.

Erik: nods head...Yes, though a different current.

WC- What other present  mediums of art do find inspiration in be it literature or cinema?

Erik: Glad you said present. I read quite a bit I'm currently reading an American book that's collection from the eighties of various aspects of the occult. Some Luciferian,  some Nazi occultism, it's very eclectic and subversive.

WC- Stuff like Boyd Rice ?

Erik: Yes, he is in there  

WC: You need to check out this documentary about  him called "Ikonoclast" .

Erik: You are not the first person who's told me that . So guess it's a sign that I need to do that

WC: It show his flirtations with pop culture through out the years going back to the 50's , and NON , as well his friendships with Anton Lavey and Charles Manson.

Erik: Sound interesting ,I'd like that very much.

WC:  Well, I have to say this Decibel tour, is the tour in a long time where all four of the bands are in heavy rotation in my I-pod.

Erik: yes it has been a good experience , as you are right there are not a lot of tours like this nor will there be for some time.