by Sebastian Kluth
Dear readers, German medieval folk metal band In Extremo is one of my favourite groups of all time. I own their thirteen studio records, eight live albums and four compilations and have seen them in concert five times (in 2005, 2008, 2012, 2023 and 2024)....
A Colt Is My Passport, originally released as Koruto wa ore no pasupoto, is a Japanese film noir that mixes action thriller elements with melodramatic drama sections. This film was directed by Nomura Takashi who has worked as an actor throughout the fifties,...
Miracle Valley is the first movie directed by Greg Sestero who has also written the script and acted in this film. This refreshingly simple horror movie revolves around an occult cult that kidnaps unsuspecting victims to find perfect blood types for sinister...
Dawning is a Korean-American psychological drama that was initially conceived as a short film but ultimately became a full length feature. Set in the sweltering heat of a Californian farm, this film explores how a successful trauma therapist returns to...
I have always known Devin Townsend as an eclectic progressive metal mastermind who has valued experimentation over accessibility and who has thus released records that have been at times particularly difficult to access, appreciate and digest. It's a...
Two decades ago, it was a spectacularly exotic treasure to discover a group from the Faroe Islands and listen to a record with lyrics detailing local cultural phenomenons and vocals performed in its own language. Twenty years later, the surprising charm...
Helloween isn't only Europe's most influential power metal band but also one of the greatest groups to ever see in concert. Especially the current line-up featuring former guitarist, singer and songwriter Kai Hansen as well as legendary former singer...
Гость из царства теней. Наследие. roughly translates to Guest from the Kingdom of Shadows. Legacy. and is the twelfth official live record by Russian heavy metal icons Aria that are going to be celebratong their fortieth anniversary next year. In case...
I'm simply grateful to be alive in a time when French progressive gothic metal quintet The Old Dead Tree keeps releasing excellent new music. Second Thoughts comes as a most beautiful surprise since the band had already been on hiatus since 2009, then...
Opeth has transitioned from its progressive death metal sounds of the early years to airy progressive rock soundscapes in recent years. Most fans certainly prefer the former while a few others favour the latter. In my case, I'm a big fan of both styles...
The Mermaid, originally released under the title Mei Ren Yu, is a Chinese and Hong Kong fantasy romance that has broken numerous box office records upon release, including biggest opening day and biggest single-day gross in the history of Chinese cinema....
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, originally released under the title Jiu Long Cheng Zhai: Wei Cheng, is an action thriller from Hong Kong that should please fans of Hong Kong action cinema from the eighties and nineties in particular. The movie has...
A Taxi Driver, originally known as Taeksi Woonjunsa, is a South Korean action drama based upon true events. It tells the story of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980 when student-led demonstrations in favour of democracy where met with brutal police and military...
Finnish symphonic metal legends Nightwish have been on a downward spiral since the release of highly recommended creative fantasy movie Imaginaerum and its associated soundtrack twelve years ago. The last two regular studio albums have been bloated to...
Ever since a great friend of mine and myself have been ordering music merchandise from CD Japan, we are occasionally receiving recommendations regarding bands that might suit our personal preferences. This is how I discovered Minstrelix and I have to...
New Wave Order is the fifth full length studio effort by Italian doom and gothic metal quartet The Foreshadowing. This record comes around one year after the release of the quartet's overlooked extended play Forsaken Songs and a whopping eight and a half...
Hogwarts Legacy is an action role-playing game inspired by the legendary Harry Potter novel series. It was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Brothers Games throughout the year 2023. This game is now available on Nintendo Switch,...
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a 2.5D side-scrolling action-adventure platform video game. It has been released in the winter of 2024 for macOS, Nintendo Switch, Playstation4, Playstation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. This release has...
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure has been developed by Deck Nine and published by Square Enix on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S in autumn 2024. This episodic fantasy drama game is the fourth installment of the Life Is Strange...
One never really knows what to expect when listening to a new record by legendary Finnish guitarist Timo Tolkki. He has been producing anything from outstanding power metal classics to boring ambient albums to absolutely dreadful neoclassical disasterpieces....
Most bands release their new full length efforts between January and March or between September and November to increase sales figures. German gothic rock quartet Dominum has released its first full length effort Hey Living People right between Christmas...
Some Kind of Monster is one of the most valuable extended plays thrash metal legends Metallica have ever released. The title track is taken from the group's controversial St. Anger studio record and also supports documentary film Metallica: Some Kind...
I usually stick to the motto that you shouldn't write anything if you don't have anything positive to say about a new band and its debut release. However, my intentions are indeed most positive: I simply want to prevent anyone from wasting twenty-seven...
About a decade ago, Polish band Батюшка had a significant impact upon the black metal scene with its acclaimed debut record Литоургиiа that creatively combined lyrics inspired by Eastern Orthodox liturgy, sacral symphonic musicianship and ecclesiastical...
Alienoid: The Return to the Future, originally published as Oegye+in 2bu, is the second and hopefully final part of the duology that started with Alienoid, originally known as Oegye+in 1bu. In order to understand this film, you must be familiar with the...
