Author: David Jón Fuller

• August 20, 2012

  Metal Monday, Music

  Metal Monday: Killer Dwarfs’ Reunion of Scribes Live 2001

  The Killer Dwarfs always scored high on self-awareness, never taking themselves or their genre too seriously—something that comes through on their album Reunion of Scribes — Live 2001. Full of energy, Russ “Dwarf” lets loose his Geddy Lee-esque voice over the heavy three-chord rock. The original lineup is reassembled, though you could be forgiven for…
• August 15, 2012

  Music, Werewolf Wednesday

  Werewolf Wednesday: Nu Yang’s lycanthropic playlist

  Nu Yang is author of “A Good Mate is Hard to Find,” one of the fresh new tales of female lycanthropy in Wolf Girls: Dark Tales of Teeth, Claws and Lycogyny. The anthology was published this summer by Hic Dragones. Nu’s atmospheric, visceral tale starts off with a rash of murders causing grief for the…
• August 13, 2012

  Metal Monday, Music

  Metal Monday: Ozzy Osbourne’s Down to Earth

  Again, Ozzy demonstrates why he has outlasted most of his ’80s-era metal peers, as well as more recent initiates of the heavy rock genre. Teaming up with guitarist Zakk Wylde, who first added his pyrotechnics to Ozzy’s on 1988’s No Rest For the Wicked, the collaboration proves as fertile as ever on Down to Earth.
• August 11, 2012

  Music, Puttin’ the Blog in Balrog

  Middle-earth music: The Two Towers

  The score for The Two Towers, part two of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, accomplishes a difficult task: augmenting the action of the “middle.” There are some lovely swirls as Shore conjures forth themes for the stern but beautiful people of Rohan with help from a Norwegian hardanger.
• August 7, 2012

  Music, Puttin’ the Blog in Balrog

  Middle-earth music: The Fellowship of the Ring

  Beginning with a stirring choral piece sung in one of Tolkien’s Elvish languages, Howard Shore immerses the listener in Middle-earth. Rather than composing themes for each of the characters, as per John Williams leitmotifs, Shore adds atmosphere to a story already rich in history. It’s just as well he eschews character-specific creations; at nine members…
• August 6, 2012

  Metal Monday, Music

  Metal Monday: Iron Maiden’s Rock in Rio

  Note: I don’t think anyone’s asking anymore why we need another Iron Maiden album, given their output and touring since this review of Rock in Rio was originally published — but given the band’s high standard for live albums set with Live After Death, you might wonder whether Rock in Rio is worth it. Short…