Let There Be Therion

Nikolai Saunders (2014) Arbor de Magistro. Fall of Man, 205 p.

It is by the drinking of the blood of Chaos or Tiamat, that the magician affirms the connection with the spirit they evoke. This congress is also known as ligatio. In this system ligatio consists of a blood pact made with the spirit in the form of the blood of Chaos. This blood unites the magician and spirit and makes use of the sinister formula of the Chaos Therion current. It is from the blood of the Mother that we draw a synergistic vortex of energy with the spirit and the forces of the aethyr invoked.

According to the background information provided by the publisher Arbor de Magistro, which is the first booklenght venture of its author, Nikolai Saunders, is built upon over a decade of practical magickal work. It is not, however, a theoretical representation or unification of that decade-long empirical research, but a grimoire in the true sense of the word. A handbook for those willing and able to follow its teachings to the complex chaos of spirits and aethyrs.

The basic caveat of Arbor de Magistro is that it is not a book for the beginners. There are a general commentary and introduction sections, which counts a total of 22 pages, but these two do not teach the basics of magickal practice. In fact, a bar has been raised considerably higher for someone deliberating a dive into this therionic stream; a potential candidate should be proficient in the basics of magickal work, but he/she should also have amassed a notable amount of experience in Enochian and Solomonic magick. Thus, someone just about to dip his/her toe into the world of spirits and aethyrs for the very first time should probably pick up some speed from the likes of Lon Milo DuQuette and Thomas Karlsson, and leave Arbor de Magistro for the future attainment.

Like already indicated, the flesh and bones of the book is a collection of workings, which are based on a fusion of Enochian and Solomonic magick. These two strands of magick combined together form a rather vast vistas for someone about to follow them to the fruition; all in all there are around 5000 different combinations of spirits and aethyrs.

True to the traditions involved, the author has laid out the workings in Enochian and Latin, which are accompanied with English translations. This means, naturally, that the actual reading material is quite sparse. Then again, grimoires are hardly sought and bought for a reading pleasure, right? The given workings are supplemented with photocopied sigils lifted, or so I suppose, from the author's magickal journal. These blesses the whole work with an air of authenticity. There are also a couple of  pencil drawings by an artist named Leonor V. Doria.

In sum, I would say that Nikolai Saunder's first booklenght offering is probably a gem for those who are in the position needed to dive into its complex and multifaceted world. It is also a fine yardstick for those still struggling towards the more elevated line of magickal practice; to be there somewhere, as a darkly shining diamond, to remind about the further goals.

Sidereal Journey

Holmes, Leo (2013) LeMULgeton - Goetia and the Stellar Tradition. Fall of Man, 105 p.

Humanity had once walked with the gods, learned many sciences from them, developed civilization and then was left alone to commit atrocities and terrible mistakes, like children without a supervising adult.

Leo Holmes' LeMULgeton - Goetia and the Stellar Tradition is the first installment in the Nox Sine Occasu series published by Fall of Man;  a series dedicated to works which are short of a book lenght, but still too long to be published in a magazine or journal.

Personally, I have cherished the basic idea of Nox Sine Occasu since the very beginning. By limiting the page count up to hundred or so, there's enough space and words available for writers to scale both heights and depths of their subject matter in an essayistic way, but there's also enough strain to force the study to a focused and dynamic form. LeMULgeton by Leo Holmes is a fine example of this.

According to the information offered on Fall of Man's website, the author of the present work, Leo Holmes, "has been studying and practicing magic for over fifteen years." It's rather easy to take their word for this, as there is, clearly, a solid and well-researched basis to this work. It's also worth to mention that the author has not limited his study to just readily available occult sources, but has, in fact, done quite a lot research beyond the occult confines, e.g. the works of controversial author and theorist Zecharia Sitchin.

Even though LeMULgeton is very heavy on theory and, conversely, very light on practice, it's not an academic study on Goetia and its relation to Stellar Tradition - or, more precisely, on Lemegeton and its relation to Mul.Apin. There is a rather extensive listing of source materials at the end of the book (pp. 103-105), but those are presented as Further Reading; in the actual text sources are quoted in a loose, non-academic manner. There are same exact source references, but most of the time those are evaded and only authors and their works are mentioned. That's hardly a major problem when considering the nature of the work at hand, but, nevertheless, exact source references have their undisputed virtues, which should be taken into account, e.g. saying that Kenneth Grant has written something about the mysterious LAM in his Typhonian Trilogies is information, alright, but it's not very practical information, whereas the exact source reference would give an interested student a shortcut to actual resources.

As for the actual aim of the work at hand - that is, linking 72 Goetic demons to Sumerian astronomy - well, Holmes builds up a very meticulous study, to say the very least. He admits that it isn't possible to establish a logical order in which those two can be related (p. 28), and goes on from there to gather all the circumstantatial evidence to construct his case, e.g. similarities in the names of Goetics and constellations. Accordingly, there's a wealth of valuable details to be mined here for someone with an interest of going deep in his personal studies.

Even though it is rather easy to recognize the fact that there is a solid research behind this work, it is just as easy to pinpoint those passages where the author has gone from where the fence is the lowest. A prime example of this being the seventh chapter: Crowley, Grant, Lovecraft and Others (pp. 72-83). To me, personally, this could have been one of the most interesting chapters in the whole book, but then Holmes gets his "quote mode" on and cites H. P. Lovecraft's short story Polaris in its entirety, after which he cites a long passage from The Call of Cthulhu. And that's not the end of all quoting - he sums it all up with a quote from Anton LaVey! The thing is, direct quotations have their well-grounded uses, but to build almost a whole chapter on nothing but quotes goes far beyond those justified uses and makes a rather lame impression.

The criticism notwithstanding, LeMULgeton - Goetia and the Stellar Tradition is nevertheless an intriguing and valuable contribution to its subject matter, and will be a fine acquisition for those interested in expanding their knowledge on what has been termed The Grimoire Tradition. It is, as already stated, very light on practice, but there's enough cues for the intrepid and intelligent to build up his own praxis. There are some imperfections both in the text and in the layout, but nothing amounting to a major problem. Basically, they are errors which could have been evened out by an extra round of proofreading, and thus nothing to worry too much about.

Rest in the Arms of the Dragon

Karlsson, Thomas (2014) Amongst Mystics and Magicians in Stockholm. Belzebez. 140 p.

It is in the nature and the periphery that the divine is most evident. That which is called supernatural is really only that which is currently unknown or unusual. When nature was the everyday environment, man came into contact with the divine through temples and other buildings, but now when most people live in cities and buildings are what they mostly see, then nature is the place where we can find the supernatural. 

Thomas Karlsson's latest literary work, Amongst Mystics and Magicians in Stockholm, is focused on initiatory experiences he and his fellow travellers went through during the first years of Dragon Rouge. He himself describes it as a 'reading mystery', which should act as a key to the other side of reality. Thus the dedication to Lilith - she being the gate to the unknown in the initiatory scheme of Dragon Rouge.

It's rather easy to agree with the author on his perception; Amongst Mystics isn't a matter-of-fact, bloodless and dry academic presentation on Dragon Rouge, but more like a travelogue with a sinister and paranormal twist. Karlsson's academic background and his obviously wide erudition shines through, but in Amongst Mystics he's not writing as doctor Karlsson - he's more like a traveller of unknown plains telling his wild and astounding stories by the campfire.

The story told in Amongst Mystics is full of intrigue, interesting characters and paranormal happenings. It doesn't mention Indiana Jones - or Michael A. Aquino - but the connection seems to be there. Especially through one of the most colorful characters - Varg;

At the same time he [Varg] was grounded, street smart, and completely disrespecful to all powers, both earthly and otherworldly. He happily provided old gods and demons with playful nicknames. After having invoked the demon Beelzebub with grave seriousness, in a dark room only lit by black candles, and filled with heavy incense, he could suddenly round off the ritual by announcing that Bubbe, meaning Beelzebub, thought that we should go and have a beer at pizzeria. (p. 19)

Varg's outré approach to the questions of an occult nature notwithstanding, he obviously had been quite well-connected to the American occult underground and had, even, met Anton LaVey himself (p. 21). But, even though LaVey and his Church of Satan is brought out in a just mildly critical light, Varg's as well as his fellow mystics' interests seem to steer much more towards Aquino's Temple of Set, which comes out in a much more positive light (p. 21, 37-38, 100-101). This have been said, it would have been interesting to read how far the connection between Dragon Rouge and Temple of Set actually goes - just some old ties and shared mytho-philosophical interests, or something more? But, Amongst Mystics is the first part of the trilogy, so maybe those new additions will shed some light also on this question.

Even though Karlsson's latest literary output is spread all over the esoteric map - e.g. Kabbalah, Goetia, ghosts, hauntings, you name it - there seems to be a stout philosophical foundation to support all those diverse pursuits. That is, a strong opposition to nihilistic tendencies of the age, which used to be bonded together under the term 'Generation X';

The newspapers had by this time begun to write about Generation X, "the ironic generation", who dismisses life as joke and leads the life of a slacker, without goals or direction. We did not recognise ourselves in that description. We took up a contrary position by outright opposing everything that had to do with "the ironic generation". We took movies like Excalibur dead serious, and loved its bombastic dramaturgy accompanied by the most bombastic musical pieces by Richard Wagner and Carl Orff. We felt that there was a higher mission for those who had the ability to see it, and at one point we even appointed ourselves to be "the non-ironic generation". (p. 58)

In this day and age an outright opposition to symptoms of the twilight West has a proclivity to turn into an unquestioned 'traditionalism', which usually translates into all sorts of wishful thinking about possibilities provided by the Catholic Church and other such moribund clutches. In most cases such a 'traditionalism' - with its dogmatic adherence to a dying faith - becomes just another mask for the general weariness of today's world. Representatives of the non-ironic generation focused in and around Dragon Rouge, on the other hand, seem to have been able to avoid the trap of 'traditionalism';

We were highly critical of religious dogmaticism and fanaticism, but we were convinced that nihilism, ironic cynicism and lack of commitment that characterised so much of our generation left the door open to all manner of fundamentalism. (p. 58-59) 

So far so good, but, still, one endowed with a sceptical mindset might ask a question or two about how far these good intentions of Karlsson and his fellow draconians have, actually, carried them? To elaborate, in recent years there have been a couple of rather notorious suicide cases, which have had quite a striking resemblance to the magical interests of Dragon Rouge. I am well aware of the fact that those suicides didn't happen under the banner of Dragon Rouge - but under the banner of another Swedish secret society - but, still, it makes one wonder; does Sitra Ahra provide a positive and evolutionary opening - or is it just a shortcut to nothingness?   

Finally, a word about the print product itself. Amongst Mystics is a cute little paperback with very minimal, yet very appealing visuals. I suppose - and hope - that the following publications by Belzebez will follow the same line. For being such a small book (140 pages) it is rather pricey, though; £34.00. Then again, that's quite an understandable price for a book published by a small publishing house. In any case, I would strongly recommend Belzebez to pay more attention to proofreading of their publications - a round or two of intensive proofreading would have done wonders for Amongst Mystics.

Amongst Mystics and Magicians in Stockholm is still available from Midian Books, so if you are at least slightly interested about Dragon Rouge - or about inner workings of a secret society in general - you should probably acquire a copy. It makes an entertaining and intriguing read - it is, to wit, a reading mystery.

Dragon Rouge: here.
Belzebez: here.
Midian Books: here.

Transition Towards Silence

Kriegsmaschine (2014) Enemy of Man. No Solace. 46 min.

  

How would you measure ruin?

How would you assess fall?

How would you separate sins when all bear the same mark?

  

When I was advised to give a listen to a band called Kriegsmaschine hailing from Poland there was a certain edge to be overcome, a nagging devil in my head saying 'Dont' waste your time, you'll be just disappointed.' But, still, I decided to oppose the devil and acquired a copy of Enemy of Man.

There's no denying that the devil was playing with a winning hand. Polish black metal have always have a sinister charm of its own, but there's also been a certain shortage of fine Polish black metal since... well, since the 1994 e.h. The glorious year after which a Hitlerian-Lovecraftian apocalypticism was put on the shelf and replaced with a much more family-friendly approach. There was a distinct demand for that, then, if that actually amounted to anything. It didn't, if you ask me. Well, that's not the whole truth, of course, and there's some rather heavy counter-arguments, e.g. Cultes Des Ghoules and MGLA. The last mentioned sharing members with Kriegsmaschine.

That should do for an introduction. Hence, let's bow our heads and follow penitently that faint gleam of bottomless perdition - to ashen havens and to beyond.

Mein Gott, mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen? ich heule; aber meine Hilfe ist ferne. Thus opens a slow and anguished descent towards the hell made of pathological and pointless repetition and horrors that lies therein. This hell - our world - in which a genuine metaphysical horizon doesn't exist no more and have been replaced by gross materialism and its even sillier counterpart, that is primitive superstition, doesn't allow for a positive rebellion. It's only the simple-minded and stupid who still entertain illusions of change. Most of them are, of course, nothing but paper tigers living their fantasy lives on the pages of some shitty 'zine. For the rest, for those who are still standing on their feet, such illusions doesn't exist. There's only anguish - and a dire sense of abandonment.

In the Enemy of Man a sense of abandonment seems to haunt every intricate riff, every deliberate rhythm, every harrowing word. It's just there, like a shadow of death which robs even the last bit of joy from life. This sense of abandonment also ties the album to an integrated whole.

As I have already hinted, Enemy of Man is first and foremost an integrated whole. It doesn't have much highlights. Nor does it have any lowlights. But, still, it has a quality of persuasiveness which draws you in and which keeps you in. The music flows forth naturally and with ease, even though this is not 'easy music' in any sense of the term. There's no hurry - and there's no blast beats - which allow compositions to flower into massive sound monuments. Perhaps needless to say, but Enemy of Man is best enjoyed with headphones during twilight hours.

Thus, it seems that the poor ol' devil lost this round. But worry not, he'll get his revenge sooner or later. Should you have your own personal devil in your head, just forget him and his omniscient criticisms. He doesn't know everything - and about modern-day Polish black metal he probably knows nothing at all.

Kriegsmaschine's Facebook page: here.
Kriegsmaschine on Encyclopedia Metallum: here.
No Solace website: here.

O Easter the Most Peculiar Time

Jumalhämärä (2014) Songless Shores. Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions. 18 min.

Sleep peacefully, brothers

It's warm and cozy

Be at rest, be the offering

Remember to flog your children properly

Bells chime hollow - You are invited! - to be accompanied with voices from afar. An erratic and tribal metal sets in. A feverish nightmare pounding my already fragile psyche. A chthonic voice crawls forth from underneath the cold and moist Finnish soil, and those pale, shadowy figures... covered in blood, smiling. Welcome my sacred brethren of 1931.

Acoustic and electric guitars coil and interwine together like those twin serpents of life and death - red and black, of course - and lead the way to a foggy realm made of ambient hum and chanting choir. Everything seems to be out of place in this realm, and yet a crooked smile still lingers on my face.

Slowly, little by little the chanting choir is drown under a barrage of noise and clutter coming from an unknown source. The rusty dagger - a family treasure of sorts - in my hand comes to life. Pulsating, enticing. The bread and wine of nightmares is laid upon a cold stone, and those howls... Verily, O verily I know what is to be done.

A strange clacking rhythm draws me out of a momentary fall to an inner blackness. In a short while the choir returns, their voices rise towards a starlit sky which is barely visible from these timbered chambers. Such a beauty, such a numinosity! Warm tears run down my blood-stained face... O Easter the most peculiar time!

Coming clean about it, I just cannot write a 'normal album reviews' on Jumalhämärä's releases, and that's a distinct winning point for them if you ask me. Why? Well, basically I differentiate good musick from bad musick by the following maxim; Good musick translates into a graphic and vivid story in my head, while bad musick just doesn't do that. Call me hidebound, naive and simpleton, but I just couldn't give a flying fuck about writing reviews which focus on 'blast beats', 'production values' or 'scene merits'.

Then again, there's most certainly more to the Songless Shores than just being a catalyst for one man's storytelling exercise.

While most of the contemporary black metal allows itself to be used as a vehicle for the 'second religiosity' - usually in a fully unsconscious manner - by accepting an universal and multiculturalist paradigm of the twilight civilization, Jumalhämärä seems to steer in the opposite direction by choosing particular over universal and cultural over cultureless. This provides them an opportunity to dig deep into the soul of Finnish man, which lies dormant under a foreign morass. This - a distinct Finnishness, that is - is a major factor in the Songless Shores, just as it was in their anterior opus Resitaali (2013). Genetically coded black metal, anyone? Well, at least my genetic programming responded in the affirmative.

The previous version of this review - lost once and for all thanks to Google fuckup - had some name-dropping used as a way to provide pointers for those who might be interested in the Songless Shores. Here they are again; Yrjö von Grönhagen, Clandestine Blaze, Hildegard von Bingen and Throbbing Gristle. Use your imagination to figure out how they connect - or if they, actually, connect at all.

Jumalhämärä on Encyclopedia Metallum: here.
Their respective record label: here.

A Monumental Journey

Ordinance (2014) Relinquishment. Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions. 65 min. 

Praying for the days to end

The ages to lay to rest

A journey monumental in

Tears, burden and pain

The heavens to collide

And the earth to form its grave

Epochs of glory

Aeons of might

Detrimented by time

- Peregrination unto the Inevitable

Through years and miles innumerable. Once you push 'play', it is rather easy task to recognize the fact that these Finnish full-lenght debutants most likely didn't stumble upon black metal just yesterday; the sense of acquired-through-practice mastery simply oozes forth, distinctly and convincingly. Accordingly, it is not so surprising that Relinquishment goes far beyond your average black metal debut, in terms of both content and style. 

Vague figures, contourless shapes. The grand dance of malignant shadows is initiated with a sombre and ominous Relinquished, which is followed by a more truculent track, The Shadowcast. Thereafter the dynamic interplay of forces beyond the ordered universe goes on until the whole affair is wrapped up by feeding the putrid remains to god - and offering the soul to Satan. Hence, the circle is completed. 

There are Mysteriis here - of Satan and other sinister beings - and I am pretty sure that these fellows have skulked, every now and then at least, in the Forests of Witchery. There might even be a gentle tint of good ol' Sweden here. You know, before the current superstitious craze with ghosts and other such hoi polloi nonsense Swedes were pretty fucking badass - they were decorating trees with dead nazarenes while singing hymns to their blood-loving gods of the old. Well, not much allegiance to those times exists in the world of today. Sadly. 

To drag this down to a more earthly level, what I find very appealing in this debut offering of Ordinance is the distinctly nineties feeling all over the whole work; the songcraft, the melodies, the acoustic guitars, the general atmosphere, and so on. Even though Relinquishment is very melodic album when compared to those of the 'regression is progression' commandos, the general atmosphere always stays in the dark and ominous side.

Motley shapes of pallid grey. There are mysteries here, but there are flaws also. In fact, there are two major ones. 

First of all, the sound policy most certainly does not do justice to a fine songcraft of Ordinance. They would have needed more firepower, more edge, and more punch. With these homespun, organic sounds they are like a mighty thousand-headed army equipped with nothing but a stack of wooden swords. They may cause their enemies a respectable amount of bruises, but most likely they are not going make it to victory. 

Secondly, the vocals have a distinct lack of power and ferocity. While Relinquishment was spinning in my player, one thought rose over and over again into my mind - Spit it out! See, they have lots of good vocal arrangements and they even have experimented with vocals in a rather intriguing way - including an Attilaesque touch in Ascending unto the Unknown - but most of the time vocals come out as pretty lukewarm and half-hearted. Perhaps that is the way they wanted to have it - a disconsolate message should be delivered with the right tone? - but personally I would opt for a more savage approach.       

Surefootedly I lift up to step forth ahead. Well, let's hope that they will, actually, live up to their own words. In any event, Relinquishment is a fine offering for discriminating connoisseurs of ominous sounds and somber vistas.

Ordinance at Encyclopedia Metallum: here.    
Ahdistuksen Aihio Productions: here. 

Order & Cleanliness

(c) MovieStillsDB.com

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand,

more perilous to conduct,

or more uncertain in its success,

than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.

- Niccolò Machiavelli

When I started Sinister Angles blog in 2012 eh, I did not have a detailed and thoroughly thought-out master plan, all I had was some random notes scattered around my notebooks. Then again, at that point it seemed more than enough; the SA was, after all, much more geared towards doing than thinking. Later on, though, the whole thing evolved towards a more organized and orderly form, but there have always been more than enough free room for... well, everything. That is going to change in the near future.

The above said should not be interpreted as to mean that I am going to transform the SA into a pretentious and silly One Cause propaganda operation. I am far too old and cold to waste my precious time on such a silliness, not to even mention the fact that wholesale subscription to another frail human's make-believe kibosh is far below my intellectual and spiritual standard. Hopefully this applies also to You, my dear droogs. 

Enough foreplay? Alrighty then. First of all, I am going to sift through all the old texts, and keep the best - most likely in a slightly modified form - and toss out the rest. Secondly, I try to get the tag system more workable; at the moment it is just a hell of a mess. Thirdly, I will update the links and also make a decent blogroll.

While the renovations are in progress there will be very few new posts, if there will be any new posts at all. Remains to be seen. There are some rather intriguing new releases waiting to be reviewed on my desk, but most likely they simply have to wait their turn, at least for some time.

There will be changes as per actual content of the SA also. When things started to progress in a more organized and orderly fashion, I made a following plan (please think it as a rough sketch on the back of a cigarette pack) that the first cycle of the SA will include interview with: (1) an occult publisher, (2) a secret society, (3) a band, (4) a film director, and (5) a visual artist.

The first two points have been succesfully completed - with Fall of Man and THEM, respectively - but last three are more or less on a preliminary stage. There are some very promising candidates though, especially for the last two points. Then again, I am a little sceptical about my capabilities in terms of actually getting the desired film director to be interviewed. May prove to be an impossible task, but who knows? A visual artist, on the other hand, should be much easier task.

As for the third point, well, in the early days of the SA I reached out towards two rather notorious - 'notorious' in an underground sense of the term - bands with the intention to interview them, but both of my attempts came to naught. Thereupon those nameless troubadours and their ilk were given to The Scythe of Silence, and were thus forever condemned to oblivion. By the way, the principle in operation here is called The Principle of Aristocratic Silence - and yes, I am handing out one of the main keys. Take a heed.

After those initial disappointments with the band interviews things turned completely around, and two bands appeared out from nowhere, interested and ready to be interviewed by me. Well, this time it was me who turned thumbs down. I just was not interested in wasting my time on something which, in the final analysis, was not that important. So, the band interviews are... well, something that interests me almost as much as reading through E.A. Koetting's complete works while giving myself a prolonged anal rape with a rusty SS dagger. Hence, it is not, most certainly, my number one priority. It may happen, it may not happen.

In addition to the above, which is, after all, mostly about completing and tying up the first cycle of the SA, there will be material which could be seen as representing a certain cleft or fissure; something which both separates and elevates the SA from its past. A transformation of sorts, if you will. But, now I am slipping too far into the future, and I had better stop now. So mote it be.

Discipline and purify yourself: here, here and here.

***

Addendum, Comrade Google played a little trick on me by erasing quite a slice of my recent writings. Some of them I can resurrect from my own archives, e.g. The Dialogues, but most them are probably gone forever. That's kind a shitty, because there went some rather good stuff, like those Jumalhämärä reviews. Well, shit happens.

But, if some of you have copies of these texts, I am especially interested about those lost reviews, please contact me at sinisterangles@hotmail.com. Thank you.

Addendum II, the second edition of The Dialogues (The Rough Ride Edition) is in the works. The first part of it will be published next weekend at the latest. 

The Sickened Coming of Christ

Anschauung, Ryan (2013) Holochrist. Temple of THEM, Australia. 114 p.

There is a sickness - and it is eating away all that is good and pure in people. It has been since the dawn of time. We can't afford to dwell on it as we go about our daily lives, it's just too much, too much to take in, too much responsibility. There have always been people who've wanted the world consumed Charles - and century after century, for thousands of years, the Trust has existed to systematically identify and eliminate them. But they keep coming. Because of the sickness.

- from the Chapter V (Reality Sucks)

Glen Neuman, the CEO of Endymion Armaments, is preparing for the day filled with glorious prospects. In a matter of hours he will either climb up a step or two in the food chain, or be teared apart and consumed, if he is found wanting. In a day like this it's all about perfect appearance, it's all about making perfect first impression; choosing the wrong tie for a meeting like this 'would be like presenting Baby Jesus with a scented hand-grenade; a real naivety scene' (p. 3).

Unbeknownst to Neuman, all his despairing with the attire will be in vain and he might as well dress up as Jesus. After several hours his meticulous appearance will become entirely meaningless, and his sense of reality will commit a suicide. And what is worst of all - all this is just a passing prelude for yet greater horrors.

Holochrist is Ryan Anschauung's, who is better known as an essayist of the Sinister, first novel-length stab at writing fiction. He has always been a man of surprise and change - to the annoyance of his critics and to the pleasure of his supporters - and Holochrist doesn't constitute an exception to the rule.

If the genre known as 'sinister fiction' usually leans towards occult horror, with demons, witches and wizards playing their schemes and ploys in a (mostly) rural setting, Anschauung's novel comes out as a long-awaited update of the genre. By placing the story in today's USA and by weaving together a rich tapestry of conspiracy theory, fringe science and alternative history, Anschauung leads sinister fiction to a new and uncharted territory.

For those who have read the author's previous works - especially The Theory of the Beast - the theoretical undercurrent of the story will open quite easily, but there are parts which would have needed a more thorough treatment. A good example of this is the Black Time / White Time distinction (p. 65 -71), of which especially the latter remained rather vague.  Hopefully the author will give a more thorough treatment of it in some other context.

In terms of language and style, there is very little to comment on; there is a good flow in the text, and you can easily absorb the whole book in one or two sittings. Most of the imagery used by the author works just fine. Some of it is, in fact, quite witty, especially those used in the first chapter (p. 2 - 19).

To wrap all  this up, if you are looking for the story that will provide a good shaking to your brains, and are not awfully allergic to the dystopian sides and shades of science fiction, please do check Holochrist out. You will not be disappointed.

Order the book: here.
Read a sample chapter: here.       

The Ophidic Essence

Fall of Man is about to release a new and exciting book, The Ophidic Essence: Seeking a return to the Origin, which will be the second volume in their Nox Sine Occasu series.

More information about the book: here. 
Fall of Man interview: here.

On the Path of the Serpent

The Crescent (2013) Risti. Spinefarm Records.

We must burn to ashes

To rise again

With a threefold glory

Prepare yourself

Enochian Crescent emanated into material existence in 1995, when two young musicians, Viktor (guitars and vocals) and Wrath (vocals) had a massive consensus ad idem at Drum II Festival in Vaasa. In the following, almost two decades of its existence, EC made flesh the late Aleister Crowley's maxim exceed! exceed! by creating a series of works that will always shine forth as purest diamonds of blackest side of metal. These works were also parallelled by the quite extraordinary live performances which, every now and then, also had the Grim Reaper as a sixth member of the band. 

When Viktor and Wrath formed EC they made a pact, that if either of them would quit the band then EC could be no more. Around summer 2012 the disagreements between the founding members had grown to the point where cooperation between them was no longer feasible. Thus the EC followed the red thread back into the nightside from where it had emanated in 1995. At least some of us still live by the principle of pacta sunt servanda.

After Viktor and Wrath had decided to go separate ways, the band still had a couple of scheduled gigs to perform. On these gigs EC had a man named Hellwind Tuonenjoki as a lead vocalist. The mentioned Hellwind has a quite respectable history with the bands like Urn, Desolate Shrine and Sacilegious Impalement, to name but a few. He was not, of course, entirely new fellow to EC as he had in the past shared the stage with the band as a backing vocalist and ritual drummer. After the EC performance in Ilosaarirock, Joensuu, the band announced on their Facebook page that Hellwind Tuonenjoki will be the lead vocalist for the EC's musical and magical continuum, The Crescent. The auguries of what was to come were already in the air in SteelFest, when Hellwind performed as a lead vocalist the song Väkisinkastettu, as showman extraordinaire, Wrath, branded the omega symbol to his chest. A most fitting ending for the almost two decades of magick with blood but no tears.

Songs of Hate and Devotion

The 2010 release NEF.VI.LIM opened up with a catchy soulflayer named Lyijysiipi. The mentioned song was most probably a huge factor in EC ending up on Finnish indie chart. To some people this was an indicator that the band was about to enter the same slippery path that Dimmu Borgir heralded in 1997 with the release of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. This was, of course, a quite unfounded suggestion but still the NEF.VI.LIM showed that EC had potential to reach the larger audiences.

The opening track for the new album, Vesper, is like an educational slap on the face for those who thought that TC were ready to thread the lighter paths of mainstream metal. The basic theme of the song is set by the opening words There is no goodness in me, and what follows is technical, complex and serpentine black metal that lead the thoughts to the 2000 release Omega Telocvovim, while also having a distinct fresh feeling to it.

The fallen brothers

At the other end of musical spectrum we have the title track which, in its heart rending and soul flaying subtlety, is something quite unheard of within the confines of black metal. It is not really news that these fellows know how to close the record in a memorable manner - think about such songs as Black Flame of Satan Burning, Grey Skin and Black Church - but still the title track for new album is something completely different.

In between the fierce opening and the subtle ending there is a huge array of interesting songs, such as the somber Sielunsyöjä, catchy and rocking Lilitu, and my personal favorite, picturesque and elevating, Kahdeksas kuoro. The last mentioned song has a certain difficult to identify vibe to it; one Finnish reviewer heard some old left-wing political song influence in it, whereas in my ears it sounds more like some old pirate song. Interesting... 

When Viktor and Wrath decided to go separate ways, the most pressing question was, could the EC's musical and magical continuum ever find vocalist good enough to replace Wrath, whose unique voice was such a huge part of the overall sound of the band. Interestingly, when listening to the first album with Hellwind performing as a lead vocalist this question does not even come to mind, for so perfectly well he seems to fit into the group. From mournful lamentations to fierce outbursts of anger, he always has enough scale in his voice to bring out the best from the songs. Quite an impressive performance.      
  
Words of Faith and Perdition 

Most of the lyrics in Risti are written in Finnish - six out of nine, to be exact - but fortunately the band has provided English translations of the lyrics, so that the non-Finnish listeners can get, at least, some kind of impression of what is going on in the songs. The sad part is, though, that something always get lost in translation, and this rule also applies to TC.

There is a distinct Finnish feel and/or Finnish depth to lyrics in Risti which is, at least to some extent, flattened out in English translations, yet the core message of the lyrics comes through also in translations. Thus, the non-Finnish listener is able to sympathize with the poor, struggling soul in Sielunsyöjä, when he laments that:

Deepest of worries has deprived me of sleep
If only rest could fill the endless hours of the night
Just yesterday I was a devout servant of the lord
But something evil was clawing its way to my door

The three songs that were originally written in English (Lilitu, Eosphoros and Choronzon) are subject-wise built on a more universal ground, which makes them more easily accessible for international listeners. Even though I, as a native Finnish language user, have a certain built-in partiality towards the Finnish lyrics, I still find some of the English lyrics very appealing. A fine example could be gleaned from Eosphoros:

Fire, burning all things that you love
And you get no help from above
Pain becomes a friend and all truths turn to lies
Fire, burning all things that you love
Still you get no help from above
Flame becomes a friend and you're the brightest in the sky

In the Finnish language version of this review I criticized the English lyrics for breaking the integrity and flow of the record. When listening to Risti with distinctly Finnish ears this criticism still holds its place, but when I have been preparing this English language version of the review and have tried to approach the record from the perspective of the international listener, I think that, at least to some extent, my earlier criticism loses its edge.

Conclusion - When the Shackles Break and Come Undone

When listening to first album of The Crescent it is quite easy to recognize that it really is the musical and magical continuum of Enochian Crescent. The name of the game is still the well-crafted, executed with precision black metal, that will most likely demand more than one spin to open completely, but which will, in the end, reward the attentive listener in abundance. But at the same time, they have most certainly - continuing in the spirit of Crowley's maxim - managed to get a fresh angle to their music.

I would say that Risti is perfect record for those bold spirits who like to have their black intellectually challenging and profound, and their metal intense and demanding. There is most certainly lots and lots of challenging and demanding material to be found when you press play.   
   
Endnotes

(1) The quote in the beginning of the text is taken from the song Igne Natura Renovatur Integra (Omega Telocvovim, 2000)
(2) Aleister Crowley quote is from the Liber AL vel Legis (II:71) 

Outpost: Black Sun (2012) DVD

Outpostin ensimmäisessä osassa ryhmä elämänpelin kolhimia palkkasotureita sai tehtäväkseen toimia Hunt-nimisen insinöörin turvajoukkoina tutkimusretkellä, jonka kohteena oli toisen maailmansodan aikainen bunkkeri. Lähtötietojen perusteella kyseessä oli helppo 48 tuntia kestävä tehtävä, jonka riskit muodostuivat pääasiallisesti siitä, että ryhmä joutui liikkumaan sodan runtelemalla, kaikkea muuta kuin rauhoittuneella alueella. Perillä Huntin maksetuille saattajille paljastui pikkuhiljaa, että kyseessä oli aivan jotain muuta kuin tavanomainen tiedonhankintareissu. Bunkkerin seiniä koristaneista hakaristilipuista saattoi kuitenkin johtaa monenlaisia päätelmiä, eikä olisi varmaankaan ollut ensimmäinen kerta, kun rikkaan taustavaikuttajan juoksupoika oli lähetty natsien legendaaristen kultakätköjen perään. Elämänpelin muutenkin jo kolhimien palkkasoturien epäonneksi tällä kertaa taustalla hääräili kuitenkin sellainen takapiru, joka oli kiinnostunut aivan jostain muusta kuin kullasta. Loppu olikin sitten parhaan mahdollisen germaanisen tradition mukaista totaalituhoa.

Jos ensimmäisessä osassa pysyteltiin tiukasti itäeurooppalaisissa maisemissa, niin tällä kertaa vauhtia on haettu Etelä-Amerikasta saakka, jossa hyvin ansaittuja eläkepäiviään viettävä natsi saa vieraakseen hymyilevän serkuntytön, Lenan, joka paljastuu pian tavanomaista hankalammaksi tapaukseksi. Mainittu "serkuntyttö" ei todellisuudessa ole aktiivisesta valtakunnanpalveluksesta eläköityneelle natsille mitään sukua, vaan hän on tullut kiristämään tältä tietoa Klausener-nimisestä hieman suuremmasta tekijästä. Seuraa pienimuotoista kidutusta, jonka jälkeen kaikki olennaiset langanpätkät alkavatkin olla kasassa: Hunt oli Itä-Euroopassa Klausenerin asialla, jonne arkkikonna itsekin on mennyt juoksupoikansa perässä. Unelma tuhatvuotisesta valtakunnasta elää ja voi hyvin. To Eastern Europe we go - once again.

Itä-Eurooppaan on matkannut muitakin kuin Lena, sillä kulmilla pyörii muun muassa amerikkalaisten joukkoja, jotka ovat taas kerran - kuinka muuten - pelastamassa maailmaa. Kulmilta löytyy myös Lenan vanha tuttu, Wallace, joka on myös idealistisen hengen inspiroimana matkannut maahan kantaakseen kortensa kekoon taistelussa natsien uhkaa vastaan. Wallace toimii mieluiten yksin, mutta suostuu lopulta ottamaan Lenan mukaansa sillä ehdolla, että heidän tiensä erovat sitten, kun Klausener on rangaistuksensa saanut. Pragmatistina Wallace on kuitenkin sitä mieltä, että Klausenerin metsästys ei ole kovinkaan mielekästä, sillä aina tulee jostain uusi samanlainen vallantavoittelija. Näin ollen kannattaisikin keskittyä natsien ylivertaisuuden lähteen tuhoamiseen sen sijaan, että metsästetään yksittäisiä natseja.

March On!

Ensimmäisessä osassa palkkasoturit eivät olleet aseistuksen puolesta ollenkaan vastustajansa tasolla, mutta tällä kertaa asearsenaaliin on saatu tarvittava lisäys: EMP (electromagnetic pulse) eli elektromagneettinen pulssi. Mainittu pulssi mahdollistaa sen, että paranormaaleista natseista tulee ainakin joksikin aikaa luodilla tapettavia kuolevaisia. Asiassa on kuitenkin pieni ongelma: EMP toimii vain yhden kerran, joten laukaus tulisi saada ajoitettua täydellisesti. Ikävä kyllä tämä epäonnistuu, joten vuorossa on Plan B. 

Vaihtoehtoisen suunnitelman myötä Lena, Wallace ja amerikkalaiset päätyvät ensimmäisessä osassa keskeisenä näyttämönä toimineeseen bunkkeriin, joka osoittautuukin huomattavasti kiinnostavammaksi paikaksi, kuin mitä saattoi odottaa. 

Tavallaan toinen osa on mennyt siihen suuntaan, mihin toivoinkin sen menevän: tarinaa on laajennettu tuntuvasti ja syvyyssuuntaankin on yritetty edetä. Ongelma on vain siinä, että kaikki on jäänyt ikään kuin puolitiehen.

Vauhdin hakeminen Paraguaysta saakka oli ihan hyvä idea, mutta ikävä kyllä se ei oikein johda mihinkään. Vanhojen natsien metsästäminen jää loppujen lopuksi suhteellisen irralliseksi ideaksi. Huntin toiminnan taustalla vaikuttavan takapirun paljastaminen oli luonnollisestikin tarpeellista, mutta tähän paljastukseen olisi ehdottomasti tarvittu huomattavasti tukevampaa sisältöä ja huomattavasti vaikuttavampia esityskeinoja. Tässä olisi aivan hyvin voinut käyttää niitä ensimmäisessä osassa hyväksi havaittuja dokumenttifilmejä, jotka olisivat lisäksi auttaneet luomaan selkeämpää jatkuvuutta ensimmäisen ja toisen osan välille.

Jos tarinan laajentaminen ei onnistunut kiitettävällä tavalla, niin vielä tuntuvasti huonommin onnistui syvyyssuuntaan eteneminen. Ensimmäisessä osassa natsien paranormaalin toiminnan kuvaukseen saatiin tietynlaista uskottavuutta sekä edellä mainituilla dokumenttifilmeillä että viittauksella paranormaalien ilmiöiden klassikkotapaukseen USS Eldridge. Tällä kertaa jäljellä on vain yhtenäinen kenttäteoria (unified field theory), joka on kyllä kiinnostava, mutta ei kuitenkaan aivan niin kiinnostava, että se riittäisi yksinään saattamaan tarinan maaliin saakka. Outpostin toinen osa sisältää myös lyhyen viittauksen germaanisiin riimuihin, mutta tästäkään aiheesta elokuvantekijät eivät saaneet oikein mitään irti: natsitutkijat käyttivät riimuja tutkimustulostensa kirjaamiseen, mutta mitään sen erityisempää merkitystä niillä ei ollut heille. Tavallaan voisi luulla, että leimallisen esoteerisella nimellä varustetun elokuvan tekijät olisivat tehneet taustatutkimusta edes yhden Wikipedia-artikkelin verran.

Kokonaisuutena arvioituna Outpost: Black Sun on pienoinen pettymys, sillä kaikessa näkyy, että asiat on vain yksinkertaisesti tehty huonommin kuin ensimmäisessä osassa. Kaikkein parhaiten tämä tulee esiin siinä, että näyttelijäkaartiin ei ole saatu mukaan oikeastaan yhtään tunnettua näyttelijää, kun taas ensimmäisessä osassa mukana oli esimerkiksi Ray Stevensson. Taas toisaalta elokuvalla on myös selkeästi tunnistettavat ansionsa, kuten esimerkiksi se, että tälläkin kertaa bunkkerin tapahtumiin on saatu ladattua aimo annos klaustrofobista tunnelmaa.

Loppuyhteenvetona sanoisin, että Outpost: Black Sun on ihan kelvollinen elokuva nykypäivän kauhun toiminallisemmalta laidalta. Ikävä kyllä Outpostin kohoaminen kauhuklassikkojen sarjaan siirtyy kuitenkin ainakin yhden osan verran eteenpäin.

Yöpuolen emanaatioita

Behexen (2012) Nightside Emanations. Debemur Morti.

Behexenin edellinen albumi, vuonna 2008 ilmestynyt My Soul for His Glory, päätyi minun kirjoissani samaan kategoriaan sellaisten teosten, kuten esimerkiksi In the Nightside Eclipse, Drawing Down the Moon, Under a Funeral Moon ja De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, kanssa. Se kuuluisa hankala kolmas täyspitkä oli täydellisen suvereeni ja huippuunsa hiottu esitys bändiltä, joka hallitsi valitsemansa taiteenlajin täydellisesti. Pahaenteisestä introsta aina levyn päättävään My Stigmas Bleeding Black -kappaleseen saakka Behexen tarjoili mustaa metallia, joka oikeastaan olisi ansainnut tulla kirjoitetuksi isoilla alkukirjaimilla.

YouTuben kommenteissa eräs henkilö tunnusti toivoneensa, että Paracletus-levyn julkaisemisen jälkeen Deathspell Omega olisi yksinkertaisesti lopettanut toimintansa: mainitun levyn myötä bändi saavutti sellaisen vuorenhuipun, josta ei enää ollut mahdollista nousta ylemmäksi. Itselläni ei ole missään vaiheessa ollut samanlaisia ajatuksia Behexenin suhteen: My Soul for His Glory oli varmasti kunnioitettava vuorenhuippu, mutta tuskin kuitenkaan viimeinen vuorenhuippu, jolle bändi tulee nousemaan. Toisaalta täytyy kuitenkin tunnustaa se tosiasia, että odotukset neljännen täyspitkän suhteen olivat ehkä liioitellunkin korkealla.

Levyn kansikuva

Nightside Emanations on jo pelkästään pintapuolisesti tarkasteltuna varsin vakuuttava julkaisu. K. Lehdon (Crimson Wine) öljyväreillä maalaama Lilith on yksityiskohdaisuudessaan ja tarkkuudessaan todella hieno tulkinta. Lisäksi se toimii varsin hyvin porttina levyn maailmaan. Sama linja jatkuu huolellisesti toteutetussa kansivihkossa, jossa jokaisen kappaleen sisältöä on korostettu asianmukaisella symbolilla. Mainitut symbolit eivät ole mistään yleistajuisesta symboli-kirjasta kopioi ja liitä -toiminnolla poimittua tusinatavaraa, vaan nimenomaan tätä julkaisua varten käsityönä tehtyjä symboleita. Sanoituksien lähilukua harrastaville henkilöille symbolit toimivat myös tulkinnan ohjeviittoina.

Musiikillisesti levyllä on varsin toimiva tasapaino nopean ja hitaan materiaalin välillä, ja näin sekä kappaleiden välillä että niiden sisällä. Nightside Emanations onkin jälleen yksi kouriintuntuva esimerkki siitä, että yksioikoinen kaahaaminen ei ole mikään kaksinen keino silloin, kun tavoitteena on niiden kaikkein pimeimpien tunnelmien saavuttaminen. Se, että Behexen ei ole lähtenyt kaahaamaan taiteensa ohi, näkyy myös kappaleiden pituuksissa: vain Death's Black Light jää kestoltaan alle neljän minuutin.  

Neljän vuoden mittainen valmisteleminen ja kypsyttely olisi varmaankin mennyt melko täydellisesti hukkaan, jos sen jälijiltä levylle olisi päätynyt yhdentekeviä täytekappaleita. Näin ole kuitenkaan käynyt, vaan levyn jokainen kappale on ansainnut paikkansa osana kokonaisuutta. Jos vahvasta kokonaisuudesta kuitenkin pitäisi valita muutamia biisejä, joiden voi sanoa nousevan muiden yläpuolelle, niin valitsisin seuraavat: Circle Me, The Luciferian Will ja Kiss of Our Dark Mother. Näistä kolmesta hitaasti messuava Circle Me on ehdottomasti suurin suosikkini.  

Death's Black Light

Levy-yhtiö vilautti tiedotteessaan adjektiivia orgaaninen. Tämä onkin lienee varsin osuva termi kuvaamaan levyn soundimaailmaa. Saattaa olla, että ne kultistit, jotka ovat mielistyneet vanhempien julkaisujen raaempaan ja viiltävämpään soundiin, eivät ole aivan kotonaan neljännen levyn orgaanisemmassa äänimaailmassa, mutta minun mielestäni tällainen soundi sopii levylle täydellisesti. Pieni kritiikin paikka on kuitenkin siinä, että paikka paikoin melodisista riffeistä ei ole saatu kaikkea tehoa irti. Erinomainen esimerkki tästä löytyy kappaleessa Luciferian Will, jonka hieno melodinen riffi ei koskaan oikein kasva täyteen mittaansa.

Sanoituksien punainen lanka vaikuttaisi pääasiallisesti seurailevan maagista virtausta, jota yleensä kuvaillaan hankalasti ensimmäiselle kotimaiselle kääntyvillä draconian ja typhonian -käsitteillä. Levyn lyriikat ovat kautta linjan huolellisesti ja hyvin kirjoitettuja, ja niistä on suhteellisen helppoa tunnistaa se, että kuolleiden kirjaimien takaa löytyy autenttista, elävää ajattelua. Mainio esimerkki Hoath Torogin kynän terävyydestä löytyy kappaleesta Awaken Tiamat:

Vanity has wilted the world / Taken man away from the gods / The fruit in their hands turn to sand / Our time has come to an end / The beginning of a new age / The keys of the second coming / ready to be taken / ready to open the ingrained locks 

Edellä mainitun Hoath Torogin vokaalityöskentelystä ei ole paljonkaan sanottavaa: Torog on Wrathin ja muutamien muiden ohella liigan parhaimpia vokalisteja, eikä Nightside Emanations tuota statusta muuta - ainakaan huonompaan suuntaan. Perinteistä black metal -vokalointia on myös tyylikkäästi täydennetty puhtaammilla lauluilla ja kuiskauksilla (Kiss of Our Dark Mother). Molemmat toimivat levyn kokonaisuudessa hienosti.

De Mysteriis Dom Summarum. Odotukset Behexenin neljännen levyn suhteen saattoivat hyvinkin olla jopa liioitellun korkealla, mutta minkäänlaista pettymystä en kuitenkaan kokenut. Päinvastoin. Nightside Emanations on hieno lisä Behexenin entuudestaan jo varsin vaikuttavaan diskografiaan ja samalla osoitus siitä, että osaavissa käsissä black metal on edelleenkin totaalisen relevantti taiteenlaji. 

Lopuksi hieman kaupallista asiaa. Aikaisemmassa postauksessani kannustin levystä kiinnostuneita kääntymään levy-yhtiön, Debemur Mortin puoleen. Mainitun lafkan lista on kuitenkin tällä hetkellä lähes täydellisen tyhjä, joten sinne suuntaan ei kannata suunnistaa. Postauksessa mainittu Levykauppa X on edelleenkin erinomainen vaihtoehto, mutta paras tarjous taitaa kuitenkin löytyä Behexenin omasta kaupasta. Tässä tarvittavat painikkeet: Levykauppa X ja The Other Side. 

Outpost (2008) DVD

Ryhmä parhaat päivänsä nähneitä – ja parhaat keikkansa tehneitä – palkkasotureita saa tehtäväkseen toimia insinöörin turvajoukkoina tutkimusretkellä, jonka kohteena on toisen maailmansodan aikainen bunkkeri. Lähtötietojen perusteella kyseessä on helppo 48 tuntia kestävä tehtävä, jonka riskit koostuvat pääasiallisesti siitä, että joudutaan liikkumaan sodan runtelemalla alueella, joka on kaikkea muuta kuin rauhoittunut. Perillä insinöörin maksetuille saattajille alkaa pikkuhiljaa paljastua, että kyseessä saattaa olla aivan jotain muuta, kuin tavanomainen tiedonhankintareissu. Bunkkerin seiniä koristavista punaisista hakaristilipuista voi kuitenkin johtaa monenlaisia päätelmiä, eikä olisi varmastikaan ensimmäinen kerta, kun rikkaan taustavaikuttajan juoksupoika on lähetetty natsien legendaaristen kultakätköjen perään. Palkkasoturien epäonneksi tällä kertaa kyseessä on kuitenkin sellainen taustavaikuttaja, joka on kiinnostunut aivan jostain muusta kuin kullasta.

Lähtökohtaisesti voisi odottaa, että Outpost tulee tarjoamaan kauhua, joka on tukevasti kauhun toiminnallisemmalla laidalla, mutta itse asiassa varsinainen toiminta näyttelee elokuvassa varsin vaatimatonta osaa – muutaman kerran liikkuvat naksautetaan taakse, mutta pääpaino on kuitenkin hitaasti rakentuvassa kauhussa. Tämä on kaikin puolin onnistunut ratkaisu.

The boys never left

Itäeurooppalaisen ankeuden ja koleuden vaihtuessa natsirekvisiitalla koristeltuun bunkkeriin, tarina alkaa liikkua selvästi myös syvyyssuunnassa. Erittäin tärkeä tekijä tässä on varsin uskottavasti toteutetut natsien poikkitieteellisiä kokeita kuvaavat dokumenttifilmit, jotka viimeistään paljastavat epäonnisille palkkasotureille, että helppoa keikkaa ei taidakaan olla luvassa. Mielestäni tarinan laajentaminen syvyyssuuntaan jää kuitenkin varsin vaillinaiseksi: viittaus paranormaalien ilmiöiden klassikkotapaukseen USS Eldridge on mainio oivallus, mutta ikävä kyllä aihepiirin käsittely jää lähes kokonaan tämän yhden pintapuolisen viittauksen varaan.

Elokuvan kansitekstit lupailevat ”nokkelia, tyylikkäitä shokkeja”. Kieltämättä tässä mainoslauseessa on vinha perä, sillä SS-tikarilla huolellisesti ja hitaasti tehty purukaluston kausitarkistus on onnistuttu esittämään niin tarkasti, että katsojaparan kädet tarttuvat omiin leukaperiin ikään kuin luonnostaan. Samaa voi sanoa myös SS-mallisesta kallohieronnasta, joka ei välttämättä ole yhtä hellä ja henkevä kuin intialainen vastineensa, mutta täydellinen rentoutus on joka tapauksessa taattu – paitsi katsojalle. 

Yhteenvetona sanoisin, että Outpost on monellakin tavalla erinomainen tapa viettää synkkä syysilta. Elokuvan parhaimmat ansiot ovat tunnelman luomisen puolella, sillä sekä itäeurooppalainen ankeus ja koleus että bunkkerin vahvasti klaustrofobinen tunnelma, on onnistuttu tavoittamaan varsin uskottavalla tavalla. Varsinkin ensin mainitun suhteen tärkeää roolia näyttelee myös hyvällä maulla tuotettu elokuvamusiikki, joka korostaa tyylikkäästi itäeurooppalaisia tunnelmia. Maininnan ansaitsevat myös onnistuneet näyttelijävalinnat, mukana muun muassa Ray Stevenson, Julian Wadham ja Julian Rivett. Elokuvan suurin heikkous on ennen kaikkea se, että tieteellisiä, näennäis-tieteellisiä ja esoteerisia viittauksia ei onnistuttu viemään pintatasoa syvemmälle. Parannettavaa siis jää, mutta katsotaan, mitä elokuvan jatko-osa tuo tullessaan. Outpost: Black Sun saatavissa ainakin CDON:lta.