Unhappy Holidays

My holiday card for 2010.

Rebirth

Dennis Dread was very kind to post one of my photos from my Maryland Death Fest diary as part of his end of year lists. It is a photo of Chris Reifert, before, according to Dennis, "Reifert at MDF just before the triumphant rebirth of Autopsy!" Here is the full photo with Dennis and Chris.




It's a truly fucking honor to be a humble witness to a gathering of artists that have inspired me to realize my rebirth into the world of art. Thank you Dennis, and thank you Chris and Autopsy!

WEREWOLF, SEMEN, & BLOOD

In the spirit of the 500 year lunar eclipse occuring on the eve of the winter solstice...

Black Metal Swan

In honor of one of my anticipated films of the year, Black Swan, here is my visual interpretation of Black Swan, if it was made in a black metal context. I did this drawing 2 months ago and the more I let the lines flow, the more involved I got into finishing the piece.

Some of the most powerful black metal albums that I've listened to this year, such as Krieg's The Isolationist (here's an interesting interview with Krieg mainman Neil Imperial) and Agalloch's Marrow of the Spirit, reflect on the dark side of humanity, and how we are drifting towards our own self-imposed self destruction. Self destruction is a major theme in Black Swan, and I felt a connection between the film and black metal as a genre.

Some of you might even be familiar with ballet's connections with extreme metal in the past.

Lock N' Load Cover

This is a cover for a comic called Lock N' Load #5, a crime noir written and drawn by Columbia College grad Nick Rohr. It will soon be available in limited quantities at Quimby's.

Locrian

I mentioned in Decibel's December issue that Locrian's Territories is one of my favorite albums of 2010. After seeing Locrian play tracks from their new album The Crystal World last Monday, that makes it two of my favorite albums of 2010. The photo above is also one of the best shots I've ever taken as a concert photographer.

Taking photos of Locrian is a huge challenge. With such dark lighting conditions, I have to balance my attention to the music as well as trying to adjust settings in my camera in the soonest and best way possible. I approach the camera like I do with my work on paper. I am glad to have the opportunity of seeing this amazing band in this city, as well as being among their peers.

The rest of the set can be found here. Please respect the copyright. Thanks.

St. Vitus Winter 2010 European Tour Shirt

Only available this December on the St. Vitus European tour.

RIP Armando Acosta

http://www.crustcake.com/2010/12/rip-armando-acosta.html

Excellent eulogy by Andy from Crustcake.

"Armando Acosta, the original drummer for Saint Vitus, passed away on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 58. Acosta played on all of Vitus' albums, most notably the 1986 classic Born Too Late. His last show with the band was on April 29, 2009, in Stuttgart, Germany. While no cause of death has been released, he had been struggling with health issues for quite some time. Saint Vitus is one of our favorite groups, and as fans, we mourn the loss of Acosta. "

Even though I have never met Armando, it is a great honor for me to have St. Vitus as a client and I wish all the best to the band.