German Satanic Couple Sentenced.

The BBC is having a great time over a German couple being jailed for a Satanic killing. It seems the woman in question “learned” to drink blood at “bite parties” while in London. While not specifically mentioning Vampire parties, it will be interesting to see if they end up chasing the Vampire Society of London for quotes.

I have attended some of their get togethers are they are mild mannered and pretty tame. While a few of them wear fangs and contact lenses, they are no crazier than sci-fi types at a convention or even Madonna fans. The closest thing to blood was red wine.

Being curious, I asked the bloke, who invited me, if there were any who took the whole thing too far. He told me there were a few but they were persuaded to go elsewhere. I have been to two events, one major and there were no satanists in attendance. No upside-down crosses, ankhs or other satanic imagery to be found.

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Barna Research. has released an interesting survey on the religious make-up of the US. It is most eye-opening, and shows a very diverse level of belief even amoung self-described Christians.

Most interesting to me is the fact that only 8% of the population describe themselves as evangelicals. From the commotion these people make you would think they are in the majority of all Christians. This is in fact a perception held by many, outside the US. I must confess I was surprised to see that there were so few of them. Truth be told they are as small a minority as homosexuals, yet equal if not surpass them in the noise they make. It is ironic to note that in many cases the clamour for these two minority groups is aimed at each other.

The percentage of non-Christians (either Evangelical, Born-Again or Nominal (lapsed)) is considerably higher than it has been portrayed in some part of the media. Non-believers (ie non-Christian) and Agnostic/Atheist are 7% and 8% each, exaxctly 10% below the percentage of Nominal Christians. In short the US is predominantlty Christian country.

I do find it a bit troubling that agnostics and atheists were placed in the same catagory. It would have been interesting to see the breakdown between these two types in the catagory. Agnostics and atheists are two distinct types of people. It would be akin to placing “Not Sure” and “Abstain” in the same catagory in the results of a political poll.

This is a very interesting poll and report, and one well worth reading.

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You Gov.com People’s Peers Voting commences. (Look for Lord’s Contest link)

YouGov.com launches its “People’s Lord” voting and Marty is in the midst of it. Here is what Marty had to say for himself.

“On a lark, no doubt with at least a few glasses of plonk down my gob, I nominated myself to be a “People’s Lord”. They will be posting 20 of the entrants each day until finished with the lot of them. As they are anonymous you will need to know what I wrote. Find my humble entry below.

I am 33 and a author/novelist/writer/music & computer game critic. I would make a good member of the House of Lords because I am well spoken, read and written. I am comfortable talking to everyone from anarchists to aristocrats, from zoologists to Zoroastrians.

We need some good euro-sceptical libertarians as finalists. Why shouldn’t I be one?”

(Thanks to Natalie Solent for pointing out this report had a dodgy link.)

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Online game property sales studied by the swots.

This interesting piece has been cited on Insolvent Republic of Blogistan and Libertarian Samizdata.

Some might find it surprising to hear that there are people making money and by selling high level characters for online games. I gather the going rate is $500 or more for a high-level character for Diablo II. The characters and magic items are being sold on ebay and other online auction houses. Virtual estate agents have been going almost since the beginning of MMORPGSs..

A few years ago I played a game called Clan Lord (think 80s graphics). During beta-testing there was already a market for high level characters, despite the constant threat of a reset. I was approached on numerous occasions by lower level characters wishing to buy my character.

For those wishing to see proof of this market, follow the links below.

74th level Unarmed, Asheron’s Call character.

Diablo II Unique Ring.

Hardcore High Level Diablo chracters.

Guide to making (real) money on Everquest.

60th level Monk for Everquest.

50th level Paladin for Everquest currently at $1500 (reserve not met).

This is a fascinating endeavor but one does worry about the people who are spending all this money for virtual property. The (anarcho?) capitalist in me loves this to death. I just wonder how long it will take before some do-gooder in the EU gets their knickers in a twist over this.

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Enron Update:

The tabloids in the UK , like the Mirror, seem to have tired of the Enron saga, prefering to concentrate on a major battle in bimbodom. Victoria “Posh” Beckham is squabbling with some other tart named Chardonnay, about Posh’s husband David.

The Las Vegas Boxing Commission could stage a fight between these two “ladies” to replace the cancelled Tyson-Lewis fight. It certainly would be cleaner than the last few Tyson brawls.

Some media outlets, including the Telegraph, are looking into the relationship between Arthur Andersen & Labour. It does seem interesting that AA seconded their staff to Labour during the election in 97’. Once Labour came to power they promptly settled a suit between the British government and AA over the DeLorean debacle.

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Jorn
WorldChanger
(Now & Then/Frontiers)

Jorn (ex-Company of Snakes, Ark, Millenium) is fast becoming the Scandinavian Jeff Scott Soto. Alas, like Jeff, he has stretched himself a bit too thin. Like Soto’s Love Parade, Jorn has released a solo album that is not up to the standard of his most recent releases, either solo or in bands. That is not to say that this album is a load of rubbish, far from it. It does seem a bit strained at times and there is nothing here that is outstanding, just decent. Jorn, only has himself to blame, he has set such a high standard with his output. The songs, with the exception of the title track and ‘Bridges will Burn’, do not have the same catchiness to them that can be found in the originals on Starfire. Jorn mimics Ronnie James Dio, Jeff Scott Soto and David Coverdale, sometimes in the same song. At nine tracks, the release is a tad short as well. The harder stuff on here just does not work well. One for the fan rather than the uninitiated. Even for the fan its a grower.

Marty Dodge: 6.5

Backyard Babies
Independent Days
(MVG)

As the name suggests, this is a compilation release of Backyard Babies stuff before they signed their major deal with RCA. The two CD set includes a Greatest Hits CD, which seems a bit presumptuous for this group, and a live and rare track compilation. To add to the pleasure CD 2 comes with 2 video tracks, �Look at You’� and �Highlights.� Considering you get 28 audio tracks and 2 videos, this is damn good value
for money and shows the evolution of the band. There are guest appearances by Ginger and Michael Monroe. Tracks range from glam to punk and 80s Sunset Strip rock. One of the most amusing tracks is the mini ode to LA trash. Babylon, which features not only the Faster Pussycat named track but even a bit of �Fight for Your Right to Party� by the Beasties. �Independent Days� is a hell of a lot of fun. It is great to
witness the progression of one of the best bands to come out of Sweden in a long time. Sad really to see a Swedish band doing glam-trash better than current LA purveryors such as Beautiful Creatures
(who just got dropped) and the over-rated Buckcherry (who have just broken up/lost all but two of their members).

Marty: 8

Apocalyptica
Cult
(Mercury)

The heavy metal cellists are back with another great album. For the
first time, Cult is made if all but 3 original tracks. The band have
taken what they learned from covering metal classics and added their own
touch. They cover Greig’s �Hall of the Mountain King,� Metallica’s
�Until it Sleeps� and “Fight Fire with Fire’.� This nod to their roots,
gives someone new to the band a quick band history lesson. It is
unfortunate they chose to end the disc with a throwaway sung piece
featuring Sandra Nasic of Guano Apes. One can only hope that is not a
new direction for the band. The rest of the CD is a stunning collection of
metal tinged classical played only on the cello. The music is dark,
dense and menacing, everything you have come to expect from this lot. I
cannot recommend this album enough, the perfect album with which to
brood over your troubles. Let us hope that Max’s recent departure will
not affect the band too badly. A must have for any fan of goth,
symphonic power metal or, of course, Wagner & Greig .

Marty: 10

Gilby Clarke
Swag
(Spitfire)

Well the good news is that Gilby has a new release. The bad news is he sings on it. The songs and the guitars are decent like, the Kiss-esque ‘Diamond Jacks’, though most tracks lack a hook. What ruins it for the listener is Gilby’s rubbish voice. Listening to it is almost painful. Gilby is not a total waste of time. His Pawnshop Guitars album from ‘94 was a corker. Gilby needs to admit he can’t sing and get someone decent in. He should ask his buddy Slash to recommend someone. In short, this is a pretty dire disc that I cannot recommend to anyone.

Marty: 2

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Over at Libertarian Samizdata they are displaying pictures of contributors of which I am one. Those wishing to have a good scare should head over.

In further oddity news, it seems that London is being hit by blackouts. West London and South London today, yet another reminded of the Winter of Discontent. I suspect a blackout will have to hit Downing Street before anyone there will notice anything amiss.

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There seems to be a general malaise here in the UK. A friend of mine described it as a “curse.” It seems that everyone he and I know, including vica-versa, is having a really rotten run in the last few months. Deaths, diseases, pestilence, pernury and personal chaos figure in our lives.

Who is responsible for the coming of the late ‘01/’02 apocalypse?

My friend claims the agent of all this destruction, the 4 horsemen in one, is Tony Blair. He smiles and preens as the country goes to hell in a handbasket.

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Queensryche: Greatest Hits
Virgin/EMI Records
(similarities: Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Vanden Plas)

Listening to this disc is in itself a decidedly mixed pleasure. It is wonderful to hear all the great moments of the band, but it also reminds the listener of how bad they have become. This 16 song compilation traces the bands history from their first EP all the way to Hear in the Now Frontier, their last, but one, album.

Listening to this collection leaves one wondering whether or not it might be a better idea for the Ryche to call it a day now that the man responsible (in full or in part) for 12 out of these 16 songs has left the fold. Or better yet maybe DeGarmo will take heed of the fans� plight and rejoin his former band.

Earlier albums are represented by 2 songs apiece, up to and including the awesome Operation: Mindcrime, while the latter 3 are represented by 3 tracks a-peice. There are two bonus tracks on this compilation, both Japan only bonus tracks, from the last two albums represented on this disc. Fortunately, no one thought it a good idea to include any lame re-mixes on this album, all the tracks that are represented on the album are actual album tracks.

The bonus tracks are alternate recordings of �Chasing Blue Sky� and �Someone Else� . Both of these of bonus tracks are a true bonus to the collection and are great to listen to, neither feels tacked on. All the songs have been digitally re-mastered in 24-bit.

The tracks trace the Ryche from their early metal days ( best represented by the old favorites, The Lady Wore Black and Queen of the Reich from their first EP,) through their more progressive sound, then into their more commercial sound, and back to a darker edge. The album really shows how the band grew in a career, from songwriting to musicianship. Tracks like powerful, �I Don�t� Believe in Love�, the opinionated, �Empire� and the awesome, �Silent Lucidity� really shine as examples of this band at their absolute best. Even the later emotive track, �Someone Else� shows just how good these guys can be when they hit their mark.

This is a fitting testament to a great band who have fallen from their heights. I highly recommend this album to anyone with even a fleeting interest in Queensryche. I know that I will listen to it again and again on one of the long plane journey�s I seem to be taking these days. Much imitated, but rarely topped, surely we must wonder whether they can reach these heights again.

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Mr Big: Get Over It
Atlantic Records
(similarities: Tesla, Black Crowes)

New album, new guitarist and old band with its share of radio hits. Sound vaguely familiar? Gone is Paul Gilbert, in comes Richie Kotzen. Richie is the guy who replaced CC Deville in Poison and got his arse booted out for shagging Ricky Rocket�s fianc�. Great guitar player, with solo albums and one lame Poison album to his name. Mr Big replaced one guitar guru with a prot�g�e, so does it work well?

The opening track �Electrified� has a great chorus and is a decent blues based rocker. �Hiding Place� sees Mr Big getting a bit funky, while �Superfantastic� , the first single from the album, has hit written all over it. This very-Tesla like song with its catchy chorus and acoustic intro should be huge, and no doubt will be in Japan.

Another catchy track is �How does it feel?� This features some nice guitar work and has a good bluesy feel to it. While �Try� is a Stonesy song, that sounds like something the Black Crowes would have recorded during the �Shake your Money Maker� sessions. It is catchy as hell, and will stick in your head for a long time to come. Billy Sheehan�s bass really shows through on �Dancin�, a catchy blues track.

The CD ends with a �My New Religion� a mellow acoustic track, with the requisite strings. This track is very catchy and makes a good partner to the guy�s biggest hits. This will no doubt do well in Japan as well. All in all, this is a solid effort. There is nothing really outstanding here, but it is all good. It will be interesting to see what their next disc will sound like once Kotzen has settled in a bit.

Note: To bad this isn’t going to happen, Mr Big are calling in quits next month.

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Labour is running scared on the Enron scandal, with Labour officials being abusive on BBC’s Newsnight tonight. No influence, however, on a policy which was useful to Enron was adopted fairly quickly after the donation. Oh yes, and Stephen Byers MP was involved as well. Should we believe this? The irony is that Labour changed their attitude towards open markets in the energy field, the Tories stayed consistent. Tory policy was always for open markets in energy.

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In a delicious irony, the Labour Party and the Blair government are suffering fallout from the Enron scandal. It seems that Enron leaned hard on the Labour government over energy policy. Enron sponsored events at the Labour Party Conference. Wouldn’t it be rather amusing if it were the Blair Labour government that suffered from this scandal instead of the Bush Whitehouse?

One wonders if the Democrats will soon rue the day they tried to turn the collapse of Enron into a political event.

For more info on this developing story point your browser towards Sky News.

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I would be amiss if I did not recommend David Carr’s piece on Libertarian Samizdata. It is a stunning exposition on the link between Britain and the US. It’s something worth reading several times and refering to others.

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Today’s Sunday Telegraph has a great opinion piece that put the conditions at Camp X-Ray in perspective. So you think Guantanamo is tough? Well, try Idaho

When compared to the conditions in most American prisons, the Al Queda prisoners are in confort. Some of the worst examples are in the south of the US. Prisons in Florida for example are not air-conditioned. Other commentators have asked if any of the politicians bleating about X-Ray had visited prison in their own country.

On a similar subject, the Dimbleby program today on ITV featured the changing tact of the anti-American left. Several members of the audience and guest George Galloway MP, accused the US military of racism. Because Mr Walker has been taken to Virginia and put on trial, he is getting special treatment. One wonders how they will feel if he is executed.

An audience member suggested that the Americans were racist because they treated Timoty McVeigh better than the Al Queda prisoners. No one bothered to point out that he was executed in the end. Never mind the fact he killed less than 5% the number killed on 9/11.

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Does anyone else find it odd that Westminster (London) Council is after Business for Sterling for fly posting? They produced a spoof of the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks about the Euro (see the article below). They have been threatened with a hefty fine. What bothers me is that Greenpeace have fly-posted (note-posted more accurately) all over London and on the tube. Do you ever hear of Greenpeace getting fined for the same thing? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that anorganisation so set against polution, engages in sight polution on a regular basis?

On the subject of those annoying little stickers all over the place. How come it is that anti-Globilisation types can’t even manage to get stickers stuck straight?

from Peterborough in the Daily Telegraph (Filed: 19/01/2002)

Euro ‘Sex Pistols’ campaign turns vicious

BUSINESS for Sterling – those doughty souls who work so energetically against Britain adopting the euro – are used to having the might of our political establishment ranged against them.

It’s unlikely, though, that even they dreamt that Westminster City Council would obstruct their progress.

Amazingly, BFS will, I hear, be prosecuted next week by the Euro-sceptic, Tory-controlled council for a brazen fly-posting campaign.

The posters declared, in an echo of the Sex Pistols’ 1970s album cover Never Mind the Bollocks, “Never mind the euros – it’s the hospitals”, but an (alleged) failure to comply with a notice to remove the posters has led Westminster council to opt for legal action.

The standard fine for such offences runs to �1,000 per poster or, in the final resort, prison sentences.

“They thought they were being terribly clever by not putting their name on the posters,” I’m told, “but it didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to find out that they were behind it, as they sent out a press release publicising the campaign.”

Dominic Cummings, BFS’s co-director, remains defiant: “The council should have given us 10 working days to comply with its order,” he says. “I don’t give a f—- if they do prosecute us anyway, it will just give us more publicity.”

A spokesman for Westminster council claims: “It’s quite simple: Business for Sterling failed to remove these posters, after we gave them the requisite 48 hours’ notice. As a result, it’s true to say that they could now face prosecution.”

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Readers wishing a bit of variety on these pages will be pleased to know that the Dodgeblog team has been expanded. Expect to see pieces from writers without the last name Dodge.

Libertarian Samizdata has a great new posting from “Johnny Student” on his experiences in the freedom wars at his US university. This time Johnny gets to see the Dean.

Marty will be back soon with reviews of new the Apocalyptica CD, Symphony X and Backyard Babies.

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As quoted in a Cal Thomas column, US Attorney General John Ashcroft said:

“Islam is a religion in which God requires you to send your son to die for
him. Christianity is a faith in which God sends His Son to die for you.”

Has the US Attorney General finally buckled from the pressure since 9/11? W should relieve this man of his position immediately. Besides being historically inaccurate, this is not the best thing to say when we are trying to calm Islamic fears. Last I knew we were trying to convince the Muslim world that the fight is against the terrorists and not against their religion. Does Ashcroft have a hidden agenda to re-launch a crusade against Islam? Does he have any idea how this is going to play in the Islamic world?

The American education system is fairly poor when it comes to history before the War of Independence. One should hope that someone in the position of Mr Ashcroft is not such a dunce historically. How many millions of men, women and even children died under the banner of the Cross? How many wars have been fought in the last 2000 years of history in the name of Jesus? Those of us with an eye past the American borders can see an on-going conflict entire based on different opinions of what it means to be a Christian. Northern Ireland clearly puts paid to this incredibly daft statement by Ashcroft.

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It seems blogging is really getting big. First of all there are a whole raft of books coming out on the subject.Then National Review gets into the act with NRO: The Corner, “borrowing” its look from Libertarian Samizdata. Now we hear that Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish blog was shut down by a D.O.S. (Denial of Service Attack) yesterday. He has taken as a compliment, as well he should. So be careful out there kiddies, make sure not to annoy the wrong types or you may suffer at D.O.S. as well.

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Hanson & the Holy Trinity is an article on Uthant, a wonderful break from the Camp X-Ray and Enron sagas. The numerology of Hanson and their song MmmBop is most interesting. Whether you take it seriously, as wonderful satire or just plain lunacy, it is well worth reading.

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Pat Buchanan has lost it this time. In his latest rant he asks
Does Libertarianism lead to Statism? In this particular piece Buchanan, despite calling us principled, then proceeds to blame the growth of the state in the US on classical liberals.

Pat is joining the ranks of authoritarians who believe that libertarians are worse than socialists :

“And if so, is it time for a long, hard look back at the sacred texts
of the classical liberals of the 19th century? Were they perhaps as
utopian, naive and mistaken as the Marxists they opposed?”

One wonders whether this has anything to do with the fact that in the US, Libertarians are making inroads against Republicans in states like Massachusetts and Maine.

Instead of linking to WorldNetDaily I have linked to As Maine Goes where there is an interesting discussion of the article. Shows just how far apart libertarians and Republican (authoritarians) can be at times.

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And so it begins, John Walker, the American Islamic terrorist, is about to go on trial in the US. He arrived at dawn today and already his parents are whineing. It will be interesting to see who gets blamed in this trial, one thing is for sure the Walker kid will be the last to take the rap. It always amuses me to see parents in serious cases, such as this one. giving the “my boy never done nothing wrong” defence.

I wonder if it will ever dawn on them that it might be a good idea for them to apologise for their son’s behaviour. Apologising to the families of all the victims of Al Queda and the Taliban would be a good start.

Lets us all hope that this trial does not turn into the “OJ” trial for the 00’s. It is possible this trial won’t be the same for a few reasons. Walker is white and not black, so he does not have a large percentage of the population thinking he is being stiched up. The guy is a spoiled rich kid, with at least some intelligence not some knucke-dragging football player. He has not been adopted by Hollywood, who protect their own and last but not least the trial is happening on the east coast and not in California.

It was reassuring to see that cameras will not be allowed in to see the drama. It would have been better still if he were tried before a military tribunal.

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The US government is onto a winner, with possible international implications. They are bringing forward legislation to limit the rights of direct phone callers (phone spammers). While the companies involve think it’s their “right” to bother people having their dinner, others disagree. For once, the consumer advocates are actually onto a winner using, ironically, the English adage, “every man to his castle.”

As a libertarian I have thought about this one, and I think that the phone owner is in the right. After all, being left alone is a quintisential right of libertarianism now isn’t it?

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Let’s bring our boy back to his senses!

I believe I have figured out why the left and media is pushing the Camp X-Ray issue so hard. This is, of course, despite the fact they have to change their objections to it on a daily basis, after claim after claim is rejected. The left in the UK have been rather perturbed to see their “boy” Blair being freindly to “Cowboy Dunce” W.

In order to “rescue” their boy from the bad publicity of the transport system, the health service, Zimbabwe, Sinn Fein at Westminster and himself , they are focusing on the evil American military.

This will help insure Blair another term to pursue their agenda and it will make Blair beholden to them. Expect the left wing press to start trying to dictate the agenda to the Blair government.

If Blair rebuffs their reminders he can expect a rough ride in the run-up Labour Party conference in the autumn. No doubt the Guardian will chastise Blair for “allowing” the Americans to maltreat Al Queda terrorists. It will be interesting to see if Blair succombs to theiir threats or whether he is so full of himself and his “presidency” to ignore them.

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It has come to my attention that I am now being refered to as a Cthulologist (thankfully not as Cthulhuoid) by such distinguished Blogs as Blogs of War & Edge of England’s Sword.

Now seems as apt time to mention the place which allows me to post my dreamed-up tales of Cthulhulian paranoia: Shoggoth.net.

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From a reader of the blog

“I found peculiar your post of 01/17/2002 00:46,

I assure that the U.S. Senate has many powers, including a co-equal role with the House of Representatives in passing legislation, that it is by no means reluctant to use. Perhaps you meant to refer to the Canadian Senate in saying this?”

My response:

I have to admit a certain level of sarcasm in that post. My worry is that if the UK gets its own Senate it will merely turn into the vote-grubbing bunch of spineless wonders like the US Senate (currently).

Because members the Lords do not have to run for anything, they are no where near as sycophantic to the latest opinion polls, focus groups and their own whips. I have met and chatted to whips in the House of Lords, and every single told me that their Lordships were hard to control. Tony Blair et al, are trying to end the tradition of the House of Lords being a “sensible” thorn in the side of the government. Governments, driven by electoral gain, tend to think short term, while the House of Lords think long term. Comments are off for this post

Blogs of War

is a great place to go when you get fed up with mainstream media’s treatment of the war. The writing on the site is both insightful and interesting.

Although I disagree with much of what is said on Anti-War.com, the writing is a heck of a lot better than you find in the Guardian. It is worth a read.

Libertarian Samizdata

were kind enough to mention my blog. I welcome any of that esteemed site’s readers to my humble contribution to the discussion. Comments are off for this post

After recovering from the frustration of watching Al Queda be praised by the panel on Any ? on Friday. This weekend sees the whineing about the treatment of the Al Quada treatments at G’tmo reach a fever pitch. No surprise to see that the BBC (esp: News 24) is championing this position. There is little sense of balance in their pieces. The BBC are quickly becoming the official voice of Amnesty International.

What is most sickening is the undertone of suggestion that the American authorities are in some way torturing their detainees. There are even veiled suggestions that American tactics are no better than the Taliban.

The really cynical side of me wonders: Say the terrorists crash an airplane in the middle of Soho or into Bush House. Would the reporting by the BBC be any different?

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Last night I witnessed the unreconstructed left in all its glory. While attending a tapeing of Any Questions? I was able to see the left-wing bias of the BBC first hand. The Taliban and Al Queda were praised while Thatcher and Bush reviled. There was sympathy for the Al Queda prisoners but little for their victims. The most worrying of all was the fact that I was in the company of 3 Tories and none of us found the Tory on panel, Nicholas Soames MP, at all sound. The two Kens in attendance, Lord (Ken) Maginnis and Ken Livingston, were the two highlights of the evening.

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Anathema
A Fine Day to Exit
(MFN)

Anathema have made the jump to the majors with their latest release. The band have chosen to mark this transition with one of the best rock albums to be released in years. This is a stunning piece of work that has everyone from Radiohead indie kids, to Classic Rock to the goth scene all aflutter. The album combines the pomp and brilliance of Pink Floyd with the mournful glory of goth/doom metal. The best way to describe this album is an even darker and harder Dark Side of the Moon. Soaring vocals combine with powerful melodies is an almost sensual sound-scape. There isn’t a duffer on this entire album, every track is brilliant. Put this album together with their amazing gig in December at the Mean Fiddler in London, and you know this band is going places. It takes a certain special something to have as diverse magazines as Terrorizer and NME both singing your praises. Fans of the bands previous work will not be shocked by this album as it continues a journey the band has been taking since its early days. Those wishing to appreciate their progression who do not own their back catalogue should get a copy of Resonance , a excellent primer to the band’s past work. A Fine Day to Exit is a classic album that will be remembered for years and years to come. Absolutely essential listening.

Mortiis
The Smell of Rain
(Earache)

The prosthetic eared and nosed Norwegian troll is back with his latest collection of doomy electronica, It is bloody brilliant as well. So good is this album that Earache as decided to produce a video and single for it in the shape of the opening track ‘Parasite God’. TSR is a wonderful romp through the dark and twisted world of Mortiis. Despite sharing as daft a get-up as Marilyn Manson, Mortiis shows a brilliance for melody and catchiness so often missing in some of MM tunes. The 9 track CD is a great listen and surprisingly enjoyable to listen to even when sober. Unlike Mortiis’ post-Emperor work this is less metal and much more approachable for non-death metal fans (Described by some as Euro-goth-disco, whatever that means.). If you like darkwave or doomy electronica I would highly recommend this album. I was pleasantly surprised and find myself placing the disk as dusk settles earlier and earlier this winter. This is perfect CD fodder for those long cold winter days.

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After the highs of the launch of the Euro, the EU has gone all limp. While we get to hear the nashing of teeth from Mr Prodi about UK membership, the Swedes have more to complain about.

The Swedes are complaining that Euro coins’ map of Europe is an insult to Swedish virility. The coins feature Sweden without its neighbour Norway, who declined the offer to join the EU. Alas this ends up depicting what looks to be a limp penis. Brussels denies this and describes it as an accurate rendering of the country. I have seen the new coin and I have to report that all in attendance agreed that Sweden is depicted as a “willy”. In fairness to the artist the willy does include an ample testicle sack. The Swedes could not sue him for depicting their country as being “testicularily challenged.”

Sweden’s invisible (well at least to the EU) neightbour, Norway, is sticking its collective fingers up to the EU. Norway is currently alligning itself with OPEC in the latest discussions over oil prices. Not that you can blame them, since Norway’s decision not to join the utopian experiment the country has been getting a hard time from the EU. Lumbering the EU with higher oil prices seems a fair way of getting back at the country’s bullying southern neighbour.

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