Merrill’s Musical Musings : Derision Cult

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Macabre Musicians

Horror Addicts, it’s a new year, but is it a new you? Or are you just as cynical, melodramatic, and haunted as ever? Personally, the past year smacked me around even harder than the previous two years, and I’ve got my guard up for another year of challenges. The best way to stave off the doldrums? Good music. So let’s start this season off with some hard-rocking Macabre Musicians.

Review

The band Derision Cult, described as “Chicago Industrial Metal for psychos charlatans and the age of regression,” offered up the supercharged album Mercenary Notes #1 in late 2022 and I’m here for it. There are many vibes represented here, but it’s a delightfully dark collection of hits that fits this week’s theme perfectly.

The album starts off with two industrial tracks that each had a strong groove, but then I got to “Deaf Blood,” featuring Chris Connelly…

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PROMO: Sundowners

Thanks for hosting!

kittenwylde

R.L. Merrill has a new MM paranormal romance out: Sundowners. And there’s a giveaway.

Vampire Creed Lowell drifts from town to town working with the elderly as a night nurse and looking to avenge his harrowing past. His youth and vitality make him a favorite of his patients and his gifts bring them peace. At long last he’s arrived in the place where he hopes to find the truth about those who betrayed him…but first he finds an unexpected love with a man who might understand him—or end him.

Grad student Roman San Angelo is struggling to handle his courses, teaching schedule, and research for his dissertation on an obscure cult. He spends every spare moment with his beloved yet demanding grandmother Frances who’s recently moved to an assisted living facility—and he’s fascinated by her night nurse, who is able to bring out the inner light which had faded…

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HorrorAddicts.net at BayCon, Come see us!

Can’t wait to see folks IN THE FLESH!

HorrorAddicts.net

Come to BayCon and hang with HorrorAddicts.net!

Here are just a few of the panels you can see us on. For a full schedule, go to  BayCon.org! 

Friday 1 July, 2022

Time Zone: PST 4:00 PM / Synergy 5

Everything you wanted to know about modern romantic fiction but were afraid to ask 

Emerian Rich, R.L. Merrill, Kim Fielding, Sue Brown-Moore.

Romantic fiction is so much more than the genre of “romance”. Like science fiction, romance is a vehicle for progressive thinking, for empowerment and pushing boundaries, particularly in the realms of SciFi and Paranormal Romance. The vast array of sub-genres, tropes, themes, and archetypes in a romance writer’s toolkit can be both daunting and exciting.

Saturday 2 July, 2022

10:00 AM / Connect 5

Confessions of a Slush Pile Reader 

Rebecca Inch-Partridge, Emerian Rich, Lillian Csernica.

Editors and slush readers discuss what gets a story rejected and what…

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#HorrorAddictsGuide What Inspires Horror with R.L. Merrill

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Horror Addicts Guide to Life 2 

My stepfather, aka The Dude (way before Lebowski), has fallen asleep in his recliner around seven pm since he became my stepfather in 1975. He wakes a few hours later and watches TV, mostly Westerns, and Horror flicks. I was not quite three years old when he married my mom and gave me a fantastic stepsister, and as I grew older, I looked forward to sneaking out of bed to watch Creature Features and The Twilight Zone with him. My first drive-in memory was going to see Jaws 2 with the fam in our Pinto station wagon with the fake wood paneling and my mom accidentally spilling the entire bucket of homemade popcorn on him. 

My love of horror grew to its current level of obsession when we got our first VHS player somewhere around 1983 and a video store opened down the street…

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Merrill’s Musical Musings : Sevit

HorrorAddicts.net

Ro’s Review

The Texas band Sevit has a sound reminiscent of Joy Division and according to their Facebook page, their sound comes from “the influences of Pornography-era Cure and a decade of post minimalistic, monologic analog sounds with melodies, big beats, and dreamy vocal hooks.” They released a cover of and this nod to The Crow hits its mark. The accompanying tune “It All Comes Down To Me” is a slow haunting tune to complement the cover tune. It’s a promising collection from the band and we look forward to hearing more in the future.

This week’s Shoutout is for the band Black Angel, who appeared previously on HorrorAddicts.net. Their latest single “Breathe” is the first of four new tracks expected from the band in early 2022 and does not disappoint. Fans of The Cure and Peter Murphy will enjoy the twisted tale of love and obsession. 

Ro’s…

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Merrill’s Musical Musings : The Royal Ritual

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Track: Gnossienne No. 1

Ro’s Review

The Royal Ritual is the artist name for David Lawrie, a UK-based, multi-talented musician. Gnossienne No. 1 is an ethereal piano performance with modern touches. According to Wikipedia, The Gnossiennes are several piano compositions by the French composer Erik Satie in the late 19th century. The works are for the most part in free time and highly experimental with form, rhythm and chordal structure. The form as well as the term was invented by Satie.

Lawrie’s take on Erik Satie’s Gnossienne No. 1 is the perfect accompaniment for reading your favorite tales of vampires or visiting haunted houses. The artist’s compositions can be found in TV and film as well.

This week’s Shoutout goes to Plastic Assault Network. “Soul Seeker” is the third and final single released by Plastic Assault Network on December 17th, 2021, and completes their EP.

Ro’s Recs this week features…

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Merrill’s Musical Musings : Crimson Brulee

HorrorAddicts.net

Ro’s Review

NY-based Crimson Brulee released their promising EP Tragica, which brings us “words for the wounded hearts of the world.” Guitar-heavy licks laced with synthesizers give them a rich sound and the production quality on this EP is quite pleasing. The male vocalist channels his inner Peter Murphy while the female’s vocals add a soft melodic quality to their tracks. Crimson Brulee is definitely a band to watch.

The track “I Came Back To You” has an 80s horror movie vibe Horror Addicts will enjoy, and “Nothing Dies Forever” is a goth love anthem for the ages. “Where Tarantulas Roam” has a radio-ready hook that surprised me with its catchy vibe. Check out Crimson Brulee on YouTube Music

I’d also like to give a Shout-out to the band Cut Like This. Their track “The Boogieman” is like dancing with a nightmarish Gwen Stefani and I am here for it…

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Merrill’s Musical Musings

HorrorAddicts.net

Merrill’s Musings – Funhouse Collective

Greetings HorrorAddicts. I hope this month’s Merrill’s Musings finds you happy, healthy, and ready to rock. I am a sucker for a great cover song, and Dutch artist Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone” is an excellent choice. This month we’re checking out Funhouse Collective’s creepy, sinister version of this classic hit. The Funhouse Collective is the brainchild of Johnathan Mooney who had gotten the inspiration to start this new endeavor as a “collective” of multiple musicians and artists to collaborate with on different sounds and songs. Gone is the 80s rock sound, and in its place, we’ve got an alternative take that makes for a decent homage. The spirit of the song remains in their delivery, which is a little uneven but is a fun reminder of the horror roots of the decade. All three versions of the song have a different take on the tune…

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Summer of Hush

Thank youuuu!!!

THE QUILLE AND LAMPE

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Tuesday, October 8 2019
Format: Paperback, eBook
Is This Book Romance?: Yes
ISBN: 978-1-64405-433-8
ASN: NA
Price: 6.99
Story Type: Novel >50k
Word Count: 74k
Cover Artist: Kanaxa
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pairings: M/M
Tropes: Secret identity, band on tour, interracial romance
Keywords/Categories: Gay romance, rock romance, road trip, band on tour, music blogger, Warped Tour, interracial romance
Is This Part of a Series?: Yes
Series Title: Summer of Hush
Position (Number) in Series: 1
Warnings: Talk of suicide (in the past) and grief

Book Blurb: Hush is back… and it’s about to get loud.
After two years grieving the death of his best friend, Silas Franklin is back on the road with his metalcore band, Hush. With a new member, a brilliant new album, and a headlining spot on the last cross-country Warped Tour, life couldn’t be better—unless Silas could meet the intriguing music blogger…

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Brains and Brawn – Summer of Hush Bk. 2

You slay me with your words, madame… Thank you for this heartfelt review. I can’t…I am slayed.

THE QUILLE AND LAMPE

Time: Now

MCs: MM

Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance; Rockstar Romance

Themes: Gay and demi/bi; Age Gap; Hurt/Comfort; Proximity; Single dad; Military; Mental Health Disorders

Book Blurb: Billy “Brains” Brennan has achieved rock stardom in not just one, but two chart-topping bands, but events from his past have him convinced he’s living on borrowed time. Brains and his brothers-in-Hush are ready to take the last cross-country Warped Tour by storm…until the actions of two drunk dudes with bad attitudes set off a chain of events that leave him incapacitated…and face-to-face with a handsome stranger who inexplicably feels like home—and not the home Brains fled at sixteen.Chief Petty Officer Paul McNally has spent his 25-year career as a Navy Corpsman responding to emergencies and caring for wounded soldiers. When fate has him in the right place to provide aid to a fallen rock star, it sends his life spiraling on a trajectory he…

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