CD Review: Midnight Blackout - Hangover (Post Hardcore, 2018)

Heavy to the brim. But still slightly melodic so it remains tasty enough to listen to it.

The cover says it all what the topic of the EP talks about.

Post Hardcore seems to be a style many bands aim at these days. The only downside in my eyes is that the overall heavyness often tends to make the music less enjoyable. Happily Midnight Blackout have not chosen to go this way.

Instead they composed their music to be more melodic and most of all straight forwards. That's also a point I love. Whilst other Post Hardcore tunes are a bit complicated when it comes to song structures this french based formation keep all the power going directly from the mind to the music without fiddeling all around. This means that you can easily headbang to the stuff like you used to do in the older days of metal.

The only weaker aspect for me was the overall too loud mastering of this record. Sure listening the loud way helps to push the mood but here the guitars scream it out a bit for me. Less of the high notes would make listening a more silk and less rough experience. 

My personal favorite is the song "In Sheep's Clothing" that the band also picked as a single for the promotional music video.

Also this one comes around as a EP the duration feels like it's goin forever. You get a good bunch of music for your money served directly onto your favorite device through the band's Bandcamp page. But listen here for yourselves.

Make sure to create a account on Bandcamp before purchasing. The excellent plattform for up and coming bands let's you re-download music you once bought there. This means that as long as the service is up and running you can always download a copy if you lost your old one or changed your device (e.g. bought a new smartphone and forgot to transfer the tunes to the memory card before the old device broke down).

Finally check out Midnight Blackout's Facebook page and give 'em a supporting like on over there.

Shim speaks about negativity in time of renewal

The start of the upcoming month march will see two artists touring the United States that both have much life exerience. They've faced the darker side of life and share what they've come along with the listener. In some or another way they also hand a advice on how to react in such situations.

Shim is going to hit the road in March 2019 along with Madame Mayhem as opening act.

Shim had to rework and reintervent his life after his split with the band Sick Puppies to be able to move on. He recalls many people standing in his way during this period. But he used the input to make something of it - as inspiration to create lyrics to his music.

"The video portrays the dilemma that when faced with a life changing decision it won’t just change your life, it will change the person you become within it. Over the course of the last couple of years of rebuilding and reinventing myself, I had a lot of people try and dissuade me, or attempt to stop me, or attempt to Crucify me. How you handle yourself under those circumstances dictates the person you will become.

This is who I am.

I am SHIM"



Madame Mayhem talks about the unpleasant surprises we all have to deal with in life. Is there any way out of this?  The artist shares her view on this "(...) There’s no escaping the darkness. Life is full of unpleasant surprises. Real and  imagined disasters, from outside forces and from within, threaten at every turn. But those who learn to control and command the chaos will triumph.(...)".



Since music talks much stronger than words ever  make sure to show up to the shows. Nothing's ever as intense and makes you learn quickly than being at the venue for yourselves. And it gives fresh power to move on with your own life.

SHIM Tour Dates with Madame Mayhem:

Sat-Mar-02 Colorado Springs, CO - The Black Sheep

Sun-Mar-03 Denver, CO - Lost Lake

Tue-Mar-05 Omaha, NE - Lookout Lounge

Fri-Mar-08 Des Moines, IA - Lefty's Live Music

Sun-Mar-10 Racine, WI (Milwaukee) - Route 20

Mon-Mar-11 West Dundee, IL - RocHaus

Tue-Mar-12 Joliet, IL - The Forge

Wed-Mar-13 Madison, WI - The Annex

Thu-Mar-14 Chesterfield, MI - Diesel Theater

Fri-Mar-15 Heath, OH - Muddy Creek Saloon

Sat-Mar-16 Akron, OH - The Empire Concert Club

Sun-Mar-17 Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Café

Tue-Mar-19 Lancaster, PA - The Lizard Lounge

Wed-Mar-20 Washington DC - DC9

Sat-Mar-23 Richmond, VA - Canal Club

Sun-Mar-24 Greensboro, NC - The Blind Tiger

Tue-Mar-26 Charlotte, NC - Amos Sutherland

Wed-Mar-27 Nashville, TN - The End

For the latest updates on these shows check the Facebook page of Shim or the Facebook account of Madame Mayhem. 

Movie Review: Caller ID Entity (2018, Dark Sci-Fi)

The film starts with a ghostly scene with someone behaving strange in public. You can see that the person suffers from something mentally but no one can say or help because it's out of reach to anyone.

It's the opening scene of Eric Zimmerman'f first feature film. In the past he has been responsible for some of the most iconic rock, metal, and industrial videos in history, including Nine Inch Nails' "Down in It" and "Head Like a Hole," and Soundgarden’s “Jesus Christ Pose” and “Rusty Cage".

The intro grabs the attention and motivates to stay on the screen further. It follows more stuff in the sort of testimonials which are anonymzed to help keep victims unknown. What they say and talk about surely gives everybody some feelings of fears.

The poster for Caller ID Entity already gives a little taste of what to expect of the movie.

More scary are facts that are coming up on display in the first half of the movie. They show how far the research for mind control has already come to fruition. Those facts are presented as written down patents that have been registered to official sources. They make clear that the film isn't just talking about horror scenarios based on imagination.

There are some tools and research results that show that there is a lot of force out there that already aims to grab into our heads. Is that stuff already in use ? No further information is provided but everybody can easily count one and one. There is for sure someone out there trying to make profit out of this stuff and no one can say who may buy it...

Anyway the movie builds a little story out of these basics. It comes around a little trivial since it aims at control and sex used in exeriments on people that have shown themselves to be open to such tests.
I can understand it's been done this way. Those aspects are the most interesting one's to most viewers for sure. Plus they leave space for some screenplay and that's why people want to see the movie - to be entertained. 

The story unfolds in quick steps based on good, bad and characters between those borders in a grey zone. It's those characters that aren't set in one of those two fields that bring in some fresh air to a story that may seem predictable on the first look. What they do is surely also questionable but some of their motives don't shine through too quickly. You need to think again having seen it.

The whole duration of the film ain't too long with 87 minutes. That's a pro in my eyes. It's enough for a evening but not too long to make it boring. It's good to follow since the spoken english is not spoken fast. I won't spoiler anything here just saying that it's worth to watch the whole Caller ID Entity movie. Maybe you'll be surprised of the ending. It's good entertaining stuff with slightly scary emotions mixed in. Check the trailer for a quick overview.

CALLER ID Entity - Trailer from Eric A Zimmerman on Vimeo.

Make sure to watch it through streaming services like Amazon Prime and Google Play or get a copy on DVD at Family Video. It's surely also a good selection for a movie evening with friends. Let's see what they think of the facts presented. You may end up discussing several things having seen the motion picture.

Liv Kristine appears in Lego story lyric video

Liv Kristine along with Theater Of Tragedy is responsible for being a inspiration to a wave of Gothic Metal bands out there. These days she recorded a duet with Ben Blutzukker whose great dark metal EP "Riptide" found my attention some time ago.

Ben Blutzukker feat. Liv Kristine as Lego minifigures in the video for "Queen of the Nite"

"Queen of the Nite" is such a fun to listen to. It's going in easy and the refrain already sets fire in your heart with the first listening round. The lyrics are typical for such a output but always held with a smiling sidelook.

I already loved the lego figures that were present in the last video. This time they are back and the even more great thing is that they tell a story this time around. A lot of time must have gone into the creation of this little movie alone.


Make sure to place your pre-order of the single on Bandcamp as a digital download or along with much more bonus content on a USB Lego figure. Release date is on 13.02.2019.

More places for streaming and download are available with this overlook page.

Keep a eye on what Ben Blutzukker is going to do next with a like on Facebook.

September Mourning talk about the fragmented soul

A band that appears in the real world as well as in comic books - a great idea in my ideas. The comic characters are kept in a darker style aiming at adult readers. The music fits to the stories told.

A short look inside the video of "Glass Animals" by September Mourning, (c) by September Mourning, used with kind permission

These days a new issue of the comic stories called "The complete collection" is about to see the light of day. You can spot some parts of the story in the fresh video September Mourning uploaded to YouTube. Musically the band continues with more dark toned notes while the vocals reach higher regions this time. There's also a deeper meaning hidden both in the book and in the lyrics of the song:

”'Glass Animals' is about the fragmented soul. It's about the realization that we are all broken. Something or someone has broken us and within that broken state we ultimately find the strength to survive. Musically, it's a little bit of a tribute to one of our favorite bands: The Deftones. The song ties into the comic book as well…. Hannah is a broken soul who, through the help of September and Claire, finds the strength to face her personal demons and live again." - Emily Lazar (Founder)


The full package is rounded out with a tour in the US to promote the music and the comic book release. The graphic novel will be sold in comic stores, books stores (Barnes & Noble) nationwide and on Amazon.

Smile Empty Soul will also perform at these shows. I had the pleasure to hear a B-Side compilation some time ago and can confirm that they are well worth the entry price. It's heavy grunge with much groove and hooklines to remember. Be sure to show up early so you'll not miss one of the bands out.

Tour Dates:
03/01 @ Dirty Days Car Show - Atkins, AR
03/02 @ Rockhouse Live - Memphis, TN
03/05 @ Voltage Lounge - Philadelphia, PA
03/06 @ Stage West - Scranton, PA
03/07 @ Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ
03/08 @ Webster Underground - Hartford, CT
03/09 @ Wally’s - Hampton Beach, NH
03/10 @ Providence Tattoo and Music Festival - Providence, RI
03/12 @ House of Music - Portland, ME
03/13 @ The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
03/14 @ Revolution - Amityville, NY
03/15 @ Fish Head Cantina - Baltimore, MD
03/16 @ HMAC - Harrisburg, PA
03/19 @ Frankie’s - Toledo, OH
03/20 @ Cheers - South Bend, IN
03/20 @ South Bend, IN - Cheers
03/21 @ Token Lounge - Westland, MI
03/22 @ Muddy Creek Saloon - Heath, OH
03/23 @ Music Factory - Battle Creek, MI
03/24 @ Route 20 - Racine, WI
03/27 @ Gabe’s - Iowa City, IA
03/28 @ Rose Music Hall - Columbia, MO
03/29 @ Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
03/30 @ OKC Limits - Oklahoma City, OK

For updates and latest information on these gigs see September Mournings Facebook page.