Poem: Where The Willows Will Not Weep Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Where The Willows Will Not Weep

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

The human herd reconvenes

Beneath the canopy

Of dead end dreams

All the while

Evaporation erases their humanity

And silence lives in the subtle shift

Of leaves as the wind picks up again

To shake stillness from the Earth

But not their hearts

Barren bones are just the vessel

For unvalued experience

They whispered words

In our presence

Like ventriloquist psychics

And we ignored the warning

And the lesson all the same

Such ease with which

It's all mistaken for granted

The soil walked on

Bulldozed and equalized

Wisdom dismissed

Ego indulged

The sobs below

In the cavernous underbelly

Subterranean slow death exposed

Clowns in clown shoes

Juggle chemical compounds

Kill for power

Conquer for control

It's human nature

To be the center of the universe

With life by a thread

And your neck through the rope

It's nature's nature

To observe the failure

Not to interfere

With the erosion of the soul

Poem: Garbage Poem 27 Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Garbage Poem 27

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

An oddity in a square box

An anomaly in a circular cage

A sore thumb

In the here and now

And nobody's engaged

Statistics are like the lies

That hide in the fine print

And flash across the screen

In microscopic text bombardments

Track it all and show me the numbers

It's the universe's daily reminder

That it's going nowhere fast

But is it going somewhere slow

I doubt it in the stagnancy of

Routine redundancy tenfold

It's just like pouring blood

Into a bottomless bucket

The more you give

The more it takes

Parasitic vulture

Insatiable hunger

Take the flesh as well

Leave no stone uncovered

Poem: Thalassic Demon: The Black Ghost Of Klapeida Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Thalassic Demon: The Black Ghost Of Klapeida

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

From the depths of black waters

Like aquatic asphalt with

Pristine shine, reflections

Glisten off the surface

And the cloaked and faceless rise

With the steel cast lantern

In apparition's fist

Risen overhead

To lead the way back

To the living world

That has since

Ceased to exist

Carrion of death

Scavenger among the ruins

Cemetery submerged

Flooded lungs for the fallen

Water logged tombs

Serrated bones in human sewage

The great cataclysmic abyss

Claim them for your own

Devoured sea legs

And their life as whole

Upon these shores of never

Where the hopeful wait

You can see it fleeting

From their tired faces

Those who held out know

Those who won't return

Were swallowed by the unforgiving

Tides into the endless catacombs

In the stillness of nightfall

When the winds have frozen

The disruptive echo of steel

Shatters the paralyzed silence

The hands of iron bones

From a soulless body

Grip upon the wooded

Doorway like rungs of rusted ladder

They waken from false tranquility

Of uninvited slumber

And there the shapes move

In the shadows

Beneath the bronze mask

And blueness of the Moon

Face to face with the ghost

Of impending dread and doom

Follow me into forever

It will all be over soon

I'm looking for the others

Life just left behind

Swim in your despair

And give to me your mind

Poem: On Lockless Keys and Keyless Locks Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

On Lockless Keys and Keyless Locks

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

From the depths

The creeping doubt

Pours out

Crawls up the spine

It's claws impale

Cold bones

Nerves kick into frenzy

Chaos unleashed

From where it looms

It resides in the silence

More deafening

With greater distance

More oppressive with

You and your paranoia

On an island all your own

Induced isolation

Or the illusion

That leads you astray

All roads lead to

The labyrinth

Of cruelty

Back to the voice

That never leaves

Well enough alone

All to convince you

That something was wrong

Something's been wrong

You flip the switch

To automatic

And set the sails

Toward tunnel vision

All the world

A blur of insignificant

Details and information

All useless to the

Stranger that can not

Trace his way home

I've carved craters

Into caverns of

Obliterated Earth

Searching for the way

To suffocate it

Crawled into the hole

My unrest had created

Built a new world

From the rubble and ruin

Of that reality

And it still followed me

To the bitterest end

And waited

...to transcend

From the camouflage

Of an outstretched shadow

Like a parasitic symbiosis

To the breathing apparatus

And I am just the heart

And in my mind

Your mind or mine?

I never know where it ends

I never know where to start

Poem: The Pace of Small Eternities Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

The Pace of Small Eternities

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

The hands turn

Despite resistance

Flooding components

Gears soaked in molasses

Golden sheen of atrophy

Like honey fresh from

Thriving hives

The perpetual circle

Will still complete

As time is determined

To stay the course

Throughout the suffering

You as the slave

To incremental institutions

Helpless in it's grip

And lured into it's

Falsified mercy

That looming eye

Upon the wall

Like silent commanding general

Rules the chaos of the world

Castrates it's reckless nature

And you only chase your tail

And stare at the culprit

And plead in silence

To speed it up

Or slow it back down

Or end it

A bargain or a

Sacrifice for every wretched minute

Give it up to get it back

Or give it all to live it

This redundant

Torture kills with

The subtlest precision

How many days

Doused in molasses

Before it claims

Its latest victim

The remnants of

Atrocity live on

Once I am taken

There upon the wall

Remains the killer

Unmistaken

Poem: (Our) World's Apart Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

(Our) World's Apart

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

What about you

You've ceased to exist

Captive castaway

Communications not severed

From your island

I have seen and heard

Signs of life

Modern day

Digital smoke signals

Emanate from the mouths

On their fingertips

And I feel like an intrusive frequency

Eavesdropping on their channel

Observing the conversation

Of strangers that used to be

Familiar faces

I have seen and heard

The words

Pour out of the smoke stack

Like a lone abandoned factory

On the side of a desolate mountain

Over looking the water

Trapped in the atmosphere

Engulfed in the scenery

A part of the mechanical world

Swallowed up by nature

And transformed into relics

And ancient, misplaced mythologies

Absorbed into the vacuum

And trapped between eternity

And the present

These words float like

Space garbage in this

State of the art oblivion

I can see and hear

The words reaffirm

A dulled out pulse

All around us

Falls in reverse

But they're still breathing

We've omitted mutual space

For faceless transmissions

And cast into it's exile

With shorelines lined

With electric fences

There is a distant light

A shred of hope

Shrouded in darkness

But the thickened fog

Has taken all my friends

And transformed us into

Perfect strangers

And the truth

Still shines through

Where the flood used

To hide them

All people in close proximity

But none of us

Can find them

Poem: The Unappeasable Noise and Silence (Neither One Is Enough) Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

The Unappeasable Noise and Silence

(Neither One Is Enough)

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

This

Infinity vortex

Has devoured time

Pulled consciousness into

A vacuum

Elapsed hours

In the blink of an eye

Returned me to reality

In real time

With flashes of interference

In this fortress of isolation

Crossed signals

Like inter dimensional

Pendulum between two worlds

One that exists

And one for retreat

Nothing absorbed

I'm so engulfed in duality

It all blurs the line

Excess sonic bursts

Are arbitrary dice rolls

The sounds melt into themselves

And I am the collateral damage

Attention spread so thin

Should pull the body apart

But I stay together

Slip even further

Drift beyond the outer limits

Here and gone, in unity

Here and now

And elsewhere simultaneously

Heard every nuance

In mic'd up hyperspeed

And it was lost on

Account of

Overloaded memory

Never processed

Only heard

Never happened

Liquid concrete

Evaporated

Into air and earth

There is a dead zone

In this world

Exempt from laws of

Our own polarity

I think they left me there

I think I fed too much

On the therapy of song

I think the notes

Seeped into my blood

I think the muse

Merely wanted out

Of his prison

And scratched and clawed

Only to find more walls

Like a small box

In a smaller box

Repeating the madness forever

I think the only thing that

Satiates the hunger

Needs to feed more

Much more than we'll sustain

By the time it depletes us

And we'll long for more again

That transcendence, I crave

Has bred this

Desensitized

Separation, as one

Entity, within itself

And it has sharpened

Both sides of the blade

Poem: Rebuilding the Rubble to Ruin Written by: Alan Lisanti

Rebuilding the Rubble to Ruin

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

Ride into the sunset

Vanished into the horizon

Far away from here

When I wake up

From the dream

That which propels me

Is the poison

And the remedy

I cut out infection

Carve out the darkness

Stab at the light

And try to sleep

Try to awaken

The numbness is

The death of me

I don't want it

The false illusion

Holds my hand

And walks me to the edge

Elevates diminished will

Encourages the fool's

Delusion and I've never seen

With such clarity

I lined up all the mirrors

Like dominoes

With precision and strategy

And set off the crescendo

Of shattered glass

Orchestrated like rainfall

Pouring it out of me

Fragments of a puzzle

Scattered beneath my feet

Abandon the search

Desert expectations

And give me back my peace

Every time they overreach

To pull it out of me

Mold it and shape it

Sell it or fake it

Into shades of their tragedies

I find distance appealing

Between you and I

Less weight on the spine

Dismissal that had to be

Just to turn my back on them

Like they've turned theirs on me

Every time they look me in the eyes

And speak the words

They speak to me

Followed like my footsteps

And find their way back to me

Only to repeat again

Echoes eternally

It doesn't kill me

Any less

9000 times later

Every time

The last time

But this time

I'm sure

Last time

For the last time

This time

I mean it

You can't kill me

Anymore

Poem: The Demise of the "Dream" in the Presence of the Present Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

The Demise of the "Dream" in the Presence of the Present

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  Misanthropic Poetry

As the last fine grain of sand fell through

The vacuum in the hour glass

It swallowed the audible world

As it free fell from higher ground

Drowned out all other sound

Overpowered them,

And they stood no chance

So they got in line

And bit their tongues

While finality hung in the air

In the center of that glass prison

Where time was held hostage

And life got away from me

And the fortress kept me looking

From the outside in

In paralyzed anticipation

As every bit of myself

Fought every bit of myself

To fight it's impending inevitability

It was the center of the universe now

A single granule of sand

Commanding the orbit of my existence

I felt the whirlwind spin

As it chewed me up and spit me out again

Like driftwood churned in the

Vicious mouth of the maelstrom

And returned to the illusion

Of momentary peace

Of that small deceitful calm

That would only last for seconds

Or minutes at a time

Before (once more)

Fresh blood could stain it's teeth

It's a familiar grueling agony

To stare at insignificance long enough

That it transforms into the catalyst

Amidst metamorphosis

The black hole manifests

This time, this moment

The only time, time has frozen

And every single time

It feeds freely on my soul

While I wait for the ringing

Of the death bell toll

I am certain this time

The sound is surely coming

To decimate chance and possibility

To signify the death of

All other outcomes

And keep the pattern intact

I would stare fixated

In surrealistic fascination

Always among the panic of

Sure anticipation

It is useless

To resist it

Once you're bound into it's grip

There is nothing that can save this

Death in slow motion

The imposter sun returns to ash

Like collected bones

In dead star graveyards below

That lone grain of sand commands

The tides with seized control

There still, perpetual

This instrument of incremental

Depletion like ominous death dealer

Nailed to the ceiling

I can not turn this world on its head

Can not buy myself more time

Empty precious seconds

Prolong the torturous inception

Of this dance of the dead

It will claim me once more

It has neutralized the escapists options

It has cornered the resourceful

And sealed closed the labyrinth

I was left to wander the endless maze

Where they blockaded all the exits

And there face to face

The last grain of sand

Fell from above

It's echo shook the earth like

New age atomic bomb

The sound it carried

Would swarm my consciousness

Like army of locusts

There, was the light-shattered

It was all still out of focus

And I witnessed the dust fall

And settle on the surface

Of this manufactured wasteland

Time was obliterated

There was no longer

A tomorrow to chase

In this lifetime

I held off the day

To preserve a false future

I held off the day

And time took me with it

Poem: Last Words and My Melted Wings Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Last Words and My Melted Wings

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Website:  MisanthropicPoetry

Time to walk away

Like you haven't waited

For this day

For what's seemed like

Eternity, eternally

Just like you,

I've been broken

Beyond repair

Worn down and

Watching it die

Before my eyes

Only left with

An empty heart

Only left with

No meaning left

No reason less

No purpose for

The smothered flame

Won't suffer death

With poise and grace

How do you trade

The all you love

For anything

What more could I say

To explain the moth to flame

You think it's madness

As we fly into the embers

Like chasing bliss

Could never cause someone pain

Assume it's insanity

That drives this odd behavior

And it breaks your heart

Each time we're burned alive

But we've got a smile on our face

You'd think, eventually

I'm sure reason would prevail

Over instinct and embracing

Of one's fate

I wish I could give you

What you've wanted

But I'm certain that it

Doesn't work this way

I've never dreamed

Of the simple life

Or picket fences

Just flying, and fire

And living for the day

Poem: ..and Finally Flesh To Stone Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015

..and Finally Flesh To Stone

Written by: Alan Lisanti (2015)

Solitude

A desolate landscape

Barren unending silence

Pristine tranquility

Lonesome vice of

Desperation

I only crave

The island

The void in avoidance

Fits better than

Circle to square

Too effortless

Too easy

Too appealing

And too self aware

I can kill the disappointment

If I let them disappear

Album Review: Gilgamesh - “The Awakening” - Review by Haniel Adhar

Gilgamesh- “The Awakening”  (2014)

Album Review Format: Youtube streaming

http://gilgamesh.bandcamp.com/

Genre: Metal; Sub-genre: Blackened Death Metal

Date Of Release:  September 6th, 2014

Record Label: Independent

Website: Gilgamesh

Track listing:

Eclipse 01:32

Astaroth 06:05

Slaying in the Name of Ishtar 06:34

The Astronomer 06:21

Aeons of Hate 05:25

Evocating Enlil 06:25

To the Temple of Nippur 00:44

The Curse of Akkade 13:55

Review by Haniel Adhar

Gilgamesh is a “Blackened Death Metal” band from Germany, with a style not unlike that of early The Crown/Crown of Thorns in some ways, with identifiable elements of thrash metal and mid-90’s death metal, and I hear some Naglfar in there. The more I listen to this, the more I hear Behemoth and Grief of Emerald. Fans of those bands would love this.

Being that I am utterly fascinated with the story of Gilgamesh, I thought this was something that I should review. Well, I was impressed and disappointed in several different ways.

First off, let’s give these guys credit for extraordinary musicianship and nailing their “genre” perfectly. And it is the latter that disappointed me: it is so genre-specific that it comes across as lacking originality, from a musical perspective, while being almost completely original from a lyrical perspective.

Another thing that I had a hard time with is the use of programmed digital samples in the beginning of the album and in other places (at least it sounds like programming to me). This is an unfair criticism, however, because the band I am in uses full time brass instruments and I am obsessed with live brass, so I can’t expect every band that uses symphonic elements to use real instruments. That is just not fair. But, needless to say, my ear has become numb to hearing digitalized instruments, and to me it takes away from the music now, instead of adding to it. If I was to make a suggestion to this acutely talented band is to try and incorporate real instruments in the future. They really don’t take a lot of musical risks on this album, and I would think that by branching out and incorporating different instrumentation for the symphonic elements, it would clearly separate the band from the rest of the pack doing this style. The riffing can be too “identifiable”, which leads me back to how they hit that blackened death metal sound almost a little too perfectly.

The vocals tend to be predictable and generic at times, while the incorporation of semi-harsh vocals is a nice change of pace, but also feels forced. But the performance of the vocalist is top notch, if this style is something the listener prefers then there won’t be any disappointment. It kind of reminds me of Man Must Die in some places, which is not a bad thing. There are times though where the “singing” just doesn’t work for me. The vox, however, are really the only place in this that I can see that they are taking any musical risks, and I feel that they could have done more in other areas instead.

My criticisms are harsh, and probably too harsh. But my expectations are high here.

From a talent and musicianship standpoint, this is some top notch stuff. The guitars are well played, tight, and clearly mistake free (which is becoming harder to detect with modern Audio Software dominating the industry). Yet, as a guitarist, I can really appreciate and respect the playing here. I made the comparison to The Crown, and in my opinion the guitar playing exceeds that of The Crown, especially in the clarity and accuracy of the solos, the exceptional harmonies, and the proggy-type chords in places. Really enjoyable to hear this and it will appeal to many guitar-o-philes for sure. Good work, to say the least.

The drummer can flat out play. Flat out. So, this is one of the highlights of the album. The dude smokes. Based on their live videos, this guy is doing what he is doing in the studio on stage, and that should be commended. There are some parts where the bassist is doing some funky stuff, and even a solo, which is cool to hear. We can all probably agree that the song writing is very good as well, if at times some of the songs drag a bit, but that is a minor criticism that fans of this particular style will not have an issue with. Clearly, these guys put some serious effort into how they created their songs. Another positive aspect of this album.

The band sent us the youtube link and I did not receive individual song files or a hard copy to review, and it was hard to keep track of the songs on youtube. So, no track-by-track description for this one…please refers to the Bandcamp link for higher quality files and information. The production value is clear, modern, and professional, and almost clinical and sterile at times, which is the case for many metal bands today, so that criticism is void.

Final Verdict:

This is good stuff. But...is it worthy of the moniker “Gilgamesh, he who is 2/3 divine, son of the Goddess NIN.SUN, and king of Erech who is the slayer of the beast Humwawa and the Bull of Heaven, while on his search for the Everlife”? I don’t know! (*grin*). But this sure is very good metal music that should appeal to a wide variety of metal fans. Personally, I enjoyed it in spite of my critiques.

The short list:

Genre: Metal; Sub-genre: Blackened Death Metal

For Fans Of: Behemoth, The Crown, Dissection

Production Value: professional, clear

Musicianship: High

Re-listen value: Moderate

To Buy or Not to buy? BUY

Album Review: Demon Lung - "A Dracula" - Reviewed By: Alan Lisanti

Demon Lung - "A Dracula"

Album Review Format: mp3 streaming

Date Of Release: June 15th, 2015

Record Label: Candlelight Records (UK)

Genre: Doom Metal

Website: http://demonlungband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/demonlungband/

Tracklist: 1. Rursumque Alucarda

2. Behold, The Daughter

3. I Am Haunted

4. Gypsy Curse

5. Deny The Savior

6. Mark Of Jubilee

7. Rursumque Adracula

8. Raped By The Serpent

Reviewed By: Alan Lisanti

Demon Lung hails from Las Vegas, Nevada. They're the type of band that has a clear foundation, (in this case Doom), but that is difficult to classify because of the assorted influences that find their way into the songs as well. There is a touch of Death Metal, a subtle Gothic undertone in sections, some Stoner Metal tendencies, and an element of Thrash in the riffing that crawl their way to the surface in these predominately Doom oriented songs. The result is an amalgamation of many different sub-genres that manifest into a unique and well crafted hybrid of heaviness on their most recent release, A Dracula. The album is 8 songs long, and pulls you in from the moment the hauntingly beautiful instrumental kicks in on the first track. This opening is immediately followed by the drawn out assault of heaviness and distortion starting with the 2nd track, "Behold, The Daughter", and continuing from there. The songs typically range from 5 to 7 minutes which gives them plenty of room to breathe and space to venture off into, while never becoming redundant or stagnant. These are the kind of songs that command your attention and encourage you to drown out the world and get lost in the music. This is an album that is best digested from start to finish because of the way the songs are crafted, and the way the band expands upon their ideas as the music progresses. There is a refreshing mix of dark melody and heavy riffing here that manages to walk the fine line between grittiness and good song writing. The heaviness is never sacrificed for the melody, and the melody never takes away from the heaviness. Instead, the two are blended in a way that is vocally reminiscent of Pat Benatar or a lot of the "real" Rock bands from back in the day, you know when they still had "soul" and "humanity". Yet, it stands completely on it's own as honest and new in that Shanda sounds like Shanda, not a rehash or a ripoff, but a unique quality in it's own right, in her vocal approach. This coupled with the extra sense of heaviness, Metal, Doom and assorted other influences in the music makes the band and the album stand on it's own as a strong and creatively original force within a genre that has seen it's fair share of recycled ideas, and rehash acts. I can hear shades of Electric Wizard, Orange Goblin, early Lost Paradise era Paradise Lost, and a lot more in the music, but most of all I just hear Demon Lung. The 4th track, "Gypsy Curse", alone is worth checking out if you're still unsure. I'll give this one 9 out of 10 horns. It's worth the listen. In fact, after listening to this album, I think it needs to be added to the collection.

Score: 9 out of 10 horns

Album Review: The Clan Destined - "In The Big Ending" Reviewed by: Geoff McGraw

The Clan Destined - "In The Big Ending"
Date of Release: February 2015
Album Review Format: Streaming Audio
Record Label: Hammerheart Records
Genre: Folk Metal
Website: http://www.theclandestined.com/

Reviewed by: Geoff McGraw

Track listing:
1. Swinging Like Judas
2. I Am Because We Are
3. T.C. Lethbridge
4. A Beautiful Start To The End Of The World
5. Devil For A Day
6. More Than War



For those who are "in the know" about folk metal you will already recognize Martin Walkyier. The vocal cords behind Sabbat & Skyclad gives us another album well worth owning. HOWEVER......
I must admit I am scratching my head a bit on this release. In all truthfulness it isn't new material. Originally released as a demo in 2006 this is essentially a simple re-release of the same. Now if you missed it the 1st time around, now is the perfect time to get a copy. Just six tracks long it wastes no time in jumping right in and giving you a rollicking blast with "Swinging Like Judas", Martins' bombastic, swinging vocals are ultimately fun. The instrumentation matches his energy, and mixes the metal with a touch of funk, keys give the production a little more smoothness and bulk to the sound. No weak songs among the lot, making it a good time listening and easily encourages repeat plays.

Now the question is will the band actually continuing as an ongoing concern? Formed in 2004, they recorded this demo, and then broke up in 2005 because of internal band strife. Walkyier then released the demo with the help of Any Sneap and James Murphy. "Clan" Reformed in 2009, but this demo/re-release is still the only recording to date.

I would still recommend the purchase of the album/ep/demo, you will also find similar offerings from Walkyiers' other projects. Then you can also keep an eye out for that most rare of creatures....another "The Clan Destined"release.

6.5 horns out of 10

Album Review: Viking Guitar- "Sugoi"

Viking Guitar - Sugoi

Date of Release: 2015

Record Label: Independent

Album Review Format: Streaming Audio

Website: https://www.facebook.com/VikingGuitar

Reviewed by: Geoff McGraw

Track listings: 1.MMMBop 2.Scream 3.We Want The Airwaves

Viking Guitar is best known for Hard Rock remixes of video game music/songs. Aside from that distinction this 3 song ep is still covers from, in reverse order, The Ramones, The Misfits, and (gawd help us).......Hanson.....Yes that MMMbop.

The players are all competent and the songs are well played, but honestly I would rather hear the originals....except for THAT SONG, you know the one I mean..... the 1st track. It was bad enough that we heard that song on every supermarket radio station during th 90's as it was, did we really need a hard rock cover? According to the artist, the recording of this bit of pop music history was the result of a lost bet, unfortunately for the rest of us. Any attempt to soften the blow with the 2nd and 3rd covers on this ep was simply not enough. The only way to have made the Hanson cover worth it would have been to totally alter it making it nearly unrecognizable, and therefore a poke at the hatred for the song.

I was excited about hearing the ep, titled "Sugoi" which is a bit of Japanese slang which can mean Fantastic or Terrible or both at the same time. An appropriate title for this fantastically terrible idea. I was disappointed.

4 of 10 horns