Thanks for coming out tonight.

Every Thursday night/ Friday a.m., we explore challenging new sounds, hopefully palatable to more than a few of you in part because of the context and flow within which they are presented, which is to say, I try—more than a little. In addition to the "experimental" music that has been my passion since the 1980s (these days, they call it "noise"), always my first love, the genre that really has me juiced, as it continues to expand and surprise, is black metal. Fell Voices, Altars, and the somewhat-elusive Tomhet all got well-deserved notices on this week's playlist.

And what is my will, that which will be done? To be happy (surprise!), to navigate the unprovoked hostility of the herd, and to not let it eat me alive—my reactions for the most part being white hot and severely internalized. Financial security, psychological security, and to have those I love know that I mean it. And to remember, that in life, through all the failings, foibles, missteps and outright fuck-ups, I endure. I buoy my self, my interests, and the music, loved ones and friendships that impassion me, always with the most integrity possible. To lie to oneself is to fail, but to lie knowingly to others, to deceive willfully, is unforgivable. I wish to be known, and dare I say rewarded, for being myself and doing what I do. Not terribly different from many people, I must admit.

The "little devil" in me knows, so-called evil is just a means, a way to work through the above-stated goals, without getting too badly fucked over. While others may hibernate in winter, it's the summer that sends me into hibernation, with the unbearable heat, and the smaller minds out there set to slow-cook. But I read your emails, and I notice the number of "followers" creeping slowly higher, and I thank you all, for reminding me that I'm doing the best I can do, every week.

So black metal it's been, for at least the past few weeks, dominating the show, as it empowers me with the will of the different, the struggle of the few, to punch through that uncooperative membrane that clouds all, and makes my tiny efforts feel hopeless. But the noise, the comforting chaos, is always there as well, rumbling under the bedrock, and feeding the figurative.

That's about as philosophical as I get.

Recent film recommendations include the great Colin (known in the UK as the 45£ zombie film), the impressive, darkly comic Night Watch / Day Watch films, and what must have been a Hollywood-marketing nightmare, the odd, unsettling mix of teen comedy and ultra-violence called Kick-Ass. These, in addition to the almost constant flow of 60s-80s classics which, not only stand up to repeated viewings, but when coupled with a few reliable AC wall units, make staying home extremely tempting.

Some great shows coming up on The Castle, to make the damnable east-coast summer life worth living, including Jason Soliday (7/1), Raspberry Bulbs (7/8), Decimus (8/19), and others still in pencil that would blow your freakin' mind anyway, so I'll keep mum for the moment.

Click on dashboard-fetish Satan to view the playlist, and hear the archive of this week's horrorcast™.