1) Deathspell Omega Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum: Chaining The Katechon (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)

2) Horna Sanojesi Aarelle (Debemur Morti)

3) Old Wainds Death Nord Kult (Debemur Morti)

4) Darkthrone Dark Thrones & Black Flags (Peaceville)

5) Ofermod Tiamtu (Norma Evangelium Diaboli)

6) Bahimiron Southern Nihilizm (Moribund Records)

7) Satyricon Age Of Nero (Koch Records)

8) Taake Taake (Century Media)

9) Cattle Decapitation The Harvest Floor (Metal Blade)

10) Khold Hundre ar gammal (Candlelight Records)

11) Capricorns River, Bear Your Bones (Rise Above Records)

12) Enslaved Vertabrae (Nuclear Blast)

13) Cannibal Corpse Evisceration Plague (Metal Blade)

14) Cynic Traced in Air (Season Of Mist)

The above list of fourteen metal/black metal releases (not in any particular order) popular with Amoeba folks is culled from the current Spring/Summer 2009 Music We Like booklet regularly published by Amoeba Music and available for free at each Amoeba Music store. The first listed release, Veritas Diaboli Manet in Aeternum: Chaining the Katechon, is a split EP by French bands released December 2008. The title Veritas Diabolo Manet in Aeternum is a work of two French black metal bands: Deathspell Omega (Chaining the Katechon) and S.V.E.S.T. (Le Diable est ma Raison).

At the end of every year the urge to take in several hours of epic cinema storytelling never fails at filling my darkest mid-winter nights with adventure. What better way is there to spend all that spare "holiday season" time than enjoying a bit of movie magic? Ever since my childhood I've been romanced by the otherworldly wiles of fantasy films, being always at my most vulnerable around Christmas with an easy schedule and a heightened desire to escape into the imagination I possessed as a little girl where I could be as Grace Jones-crazy (Conan the Destroyer), Tanya Roberts-sexy (Sheena), Nigel Terry-valiant, Nicol Willamson-wise (King Arthur and Merlin, respectively, in John Boorman's Excalibur) and Brigitte Neilsen fierce (Red Sonja.) Surely I needn't mention how easily I took to playing Dungeons and Dragons in my teens or how largely Led Zeppelin figured into my lifelong playlist -- anyone who can claim the feeling of being partially raised by fantasy and sci fi flicks takes to rock 'n' role-play like a good sword to a well-oiled sheath. However, I would like to point out how deeply one Englishman, who was recently voted the 92nd "greatest Briton," John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, has irreversibly influenced contemporary popular culture forever by writing faerie stories to entertain his children. Being a big Tolkien nerd myself, I count him in the topmost of my top ten "greatest Britons," after a handful of musicians, writers and and that Arturus Rex guy.

I love this:



Of course, there's a million reasons. But I will only bore you with a few because I am aware that I am not fascinating: a lot of the time, I don't give a flippin damn what someone has to say with the lyrics they agonized writing - like Shelley in a smelly, dive bar. Sometimes? I don't care!!!!!! Raaaaaaarrrrgh!!! Also, it's like the man said, "... essentially I'm an animal, so just what do I do with all the aggression?"





or Explosions in the Sky.


Also, I think in a couple of years my hair will resemble the dude on vocals. At which point I will find someone very gullible and say that that was me in the video, and we had everyone else stand in holes like they did when filming the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings. I will not live this lie, but I will ride it for an hour or so. Then, laughter. (mine)

Of course, I also love this:

 


Ha! Ha! Baby goat!! Ha Ha!! Is anyone else very sad that they do not have a pet like this goat? Please raise your hands. Also, is anyone else very sad that they cannot order merchandise, (cough ShopperTshirt Addict cough) from Mono? Or that I seem to have lost my copy of  The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place ... ?