Music: SaTaN

Tokyo horror rock band, SaTaN released their new album, '13 I Scream' at the end of June. I did actually receieve my copy of it from the Starwave Records store the day before the release, which was great, but I haven't gotten around to reviewing it until now.

Anyway! I was already a fan of this band because of their previous releases (a mini-album and 2 singles) and the live performance of theirs that I had the pleasure of attending last year, but I have to say, thanks to this album, I now like them even more. I absolutely LOVE it! The tongue-in-cheek horror lyrics (which are, by the way, entirely in English), driving guitars, crazy vocals and occasional use of spooky synths make this album fantastic! The genre sways between black metal, horror rock and even a little punk, quite frequently and it works very well and creates a style that is both influenced by other artists (for example, older Murderdolls) but remains unique to SaTaN at the same time. Admittedly, with regards to the lyrics, sometimes their English is not perfect, but the meaning of the songs is clear (plus, they've included a Japanese translation of the lyrics, which makes it even clearer what the lyrics are supposed to mean).

I was going to finish by recommending my favourite songs from '13 I Scream', but honestly, I can't choose because every track is great!

Buy online

Games: Alice: Madness Returns

The sequel to horrifically amazing Wonderland-themed game, 'American McGees Alice' has been announced by EA and Spicy Horse! The new game will be titled 'Alice: Madness Returns' and so far only a short teaser trailer and some screencaps have been released. Even so, I can't wait for it!




Official Site: http://www.ea.com/alice

Fashion: T.U.K. Shoes

TUK have been terribly helpful and combined two of my loves - horror and shoes! Whilst I'm the first to admit that shoes are not usually very creepy nor horror-related, I think these are absolutely worthy of a mention.

As TUK themselves described these purple and black wonders "Cotton candy colours, cupcakes and skulls, Oh My!" Indeed.

Cute and spooky not your style? Not to worry! There's something for you classic horror lovers too, with TUK's Anti Pop Heels, featuring green stitches, purple lightning bolts and their version of The Bride of Frankenstein:

And if you're still not satisfied, they even have flip flops, complete with skulls and bone-shaped grips. Perfect for those long Summer days spent hiding from the sun, watching old Dracula movies at the beach.

To get your claws on these and other TUK horrors, visit their online store:

TUK Shoes

Art: Mia Mäkilä

Swedish, self-professed 'low-brow horror artist', Mia Mäkilä, uses a variety of techniques, styles and mediums to create her strangely wonderful art. Whilst some of her work does seem to draw heavily from Hieronymous Bosch, Mäkilä also has a distinctively dark and sometimes comical style of her own as well.

Creepy, bizarre and unnerving. What more could you ask for!

Official Website:

http://www.miamakila.com/

Toys: Living Dead Dolls - Series 20

Living Dead Dolls - some people love them, some people hate them. Personally, I love them, and Series 20 are just as horrifically adorable as their predecessors, and Day of the Dead themed too.

Dolls:
El Luchador Muerto
Camilla
Catrina
Savannah
Santeria

They're available for pre-order now, but won't be shipped until September 2010. I can't wait!

Music: OOMPH!

Today, I have a confession to make... not everything I like is horrific and spooky. Shocking, I know, but even I can't resist the lure of fluffy kittens and men without split personalities or chainsaw hands sometimes...maybe...

Anyway, confessions over with, on with the entry! Speaking of confessions - or rather priests - today's post is about OOMPH! - a band from Germany that has absolutely nothing to do with horror and are not even that creepy. They do however, have some rather good, tongue in cheek horror-themed videos. 'Brennende Liebe' is inspired by 'The Bride of Frankenstein', whilst 'Sex hat keine Macht' takes from 'The Exorcist', head rotating and all. You might not like their music, but you can always hit the mute button :P