MUSIC MONDAY: Jonathan Davis

BLACK LABYRINTH by Jonathan Davis is going to be my go-to reading music for 2020.

I've loved Korn for years, but when I heard Jonathan Davis do his thing on the Queen of the Damned soundtrack, I wanted him to do a solo album so very badly.

Now that he has, I hope he continues on this path. I can't get enough of his sound. I swear I play this album every day. My favorite tracks are THE SECRET, BASIC NEEDS, MEDICATE, and PLEASE TELL ME.

The blend of industrial metal with a Middle Eastern influence, the Jonathan Davis vocals and the personal lyrics...this is the direction Korn should've taken, instead of the trap crap. (See You On The Other Side was the last Korn album I enjoyed, until The Paradigm Shift, but I've pretty much given up on the band.)

I wish my local radio stations would play this album. I don't understand why Davis hasn't received more love on the airwaves. I didn't even realize he had released this album, until December 2019, when someone on YouTube told me about it. Thank gawd for the internet.

You don't need to be a Korn fan to enjoy BLACK LABYRINTH...

As always,
AstraDaemon

Music Monday: Billy Idol

"If your world doesn't allow you to dream, move to one where you can."
~Billy Idol

“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

MUSIC MONDAY returns with none other than one of the coolest gents to blend storytelling and music, Billy Idol. By now, it should be obvious I consider myself an 80s child, and Idol's albums have been the soundtracks for a lot of great memories from my youth. I'm happy to say, the artist is still providing a killer sound for all my literary journeys with his album, Kings & Queens of the Underground. I missed this gem in 2014 because my local DJs have perpetual hard-ons for GNR and Metallica, but I've played the crap out of this album since I discovered its existence.

Unlike some aging rockers, Billy Idol has managed not to trash his vocal chords, and his lovely voice sounds just as sultry and powerful as ever. With this album, his lyrics reflect his personal growth, while the music retains that rocking beat which made him iconic. I'm particularly pleased to hear Steve Stevens has paired up with Idol once again. Took me quite a while to stop playing Save Me Now on repeat, but I did eventually listen to the rest of the album.

KQU is a far better album than Cyberpunk and Devil's Playground. Even though all the songs have something to offer Idol fans, my favorite tracks, Save Me Now, One Breath Away, Postcards From The Past, Nothing To Fear and Love And Glory, left me feeling like I had traveled to a world of leather, sweat and a damn good time.

My reading recommendations to accompany this album: the anthology DEADSVILLE (13 tales of horror), the anthology TIMES OF TROUBLE (time travel sci-fi), and the novel PROJECT HINDSIGHT (mystery-thriller).

As always,
AstraDaemon

Music Monday: Thrice

"Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends."
~Alphonse de Lamartine

"The high arts of literature and music stand in a curious relationship to one another, at once securely comfortable and deeply uneasy - rather like a long-term marriage."
~Will Self

This week's Music Monday feature is THRICE, an American rock band from California...specifically, their album, To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere. The album was released in 2016, after a four or five year break. Unlike their previous albums, this one centers on more sociocultural perspectives, so it should come as no surprise, this became my go-to album for novels with community drama, political warfare and the struggle to hold onto one's humanity.

I have no idea how I stumbled upon this album, but Black Honey is the first track I heard, and, to this day, I'm not sure what impressed me more: Dustin Kensrue's vocals, the heavy sound or the dynamic lyrics. Other tracks, such as Stay With Me and Salt and Shadow, are the perfect songs to accompany the scenes in a story in which characters move heaven and hell for their loved ones.

One novel, accompanied by my choice of Thrice, is The K2 Virus by Scott Rhine. The author keeps the emphasis on humanity and the power of friendship, as the story follows the path of a deadly virus. I also listened to this album more than once while reading through The Living Dead Boy series by Rhiannon Frater. The series focuses on a young boy trying to keep his loved ones alive after an apocalyptic event. The kids in the books, with all their hang-ups, prove that age has nothing to do with using common sense, and the contrast between the children and the adults adds the right amount of drama.

Check back next week for another music recommendation for reading!

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tuesday Tunes: Saint Asonia

This week's Tuesday Tunes centers on the Canadian-American band, SAINT ASONIA. Their self-titled debut album has a late 80s/early 90s sound to it. With tracks such as Better Place, Blow Me Wide Open, Even Though I Say and Waste of Time, the album sounds like a movie soundtrack with a roller coaster of emotion. Naturally, I found Saint Asonia to be the perfect backdrop for my nocturnal reading activities.

I specifically enjoyed listening to this album while making my way through the sci-fi/horror trilogy, When They Came, by Lair favorite, Kody Boye. What's a better combination than an an alien apocalypse and a rock supergroup? Not only does Saint Asonia give an extra depth to the terrifying and thrilling scenes created by Boye, but some of the tracks almost seem tailored for certain characters.

Words, whether they're set to music or printed on a page, can take anyone on one hell of a trip. Together? A ride you won't forget.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Music Monday: Through Fire

Lots of people would agree, listening to some good music while reading can add an extra level to any fiction genre. Just as a musical score enhances a movie, the right album has the ability to transform a story into a very personal experience. I've often found myself thinking of specific characters when I hear a familiar song, particularly with certain bands.

This MUSIC MONDAY centers on THROUGH FIRE, one of the best things to come out of Nebraska, and a band I often play during my reading marathons. (For example: Caught by Lisa Moore, Need To Find You by Joseph Souza) As a matter of fact, I reviewed their album, BREATHE, in a 2016 post.

Just as the words of a novel evoke all kinds of thoughts, depending on the plot, the tracks on Breathe evoke all kinds of emotions. Whether it's a dark edge or a haunting melody, Through Fire presents several soundscapes throughout the album, inviting listeners to put themselves into someone else's mindset.

Unlike other bands, Through Fire isn't trying to help you work through your feelings, they're just providing a heavy release. With a mix of soulful vocals and clever riffs, Breathe creates an anti-mainstream sound which is certain to appeal to those who are sick to death of "formula" albums.

Whether you're looking for something just listen to or something to play while you're reading another mystery-thriller, be sure to check Through Fire.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Music Monday: Failure Anthem

Ever been to a convention? Whether it was horror, sci-fi or simply a gathering of authors peddling their stories, you would be guaranteed to see the various subcultures which develop around certain genres. The same goes for music. Depending on the band and/or venue, you'll see the influence music has on people. So, it takes no stretch of the imagination to see how fiction and music work well together.

Maybe you're a novelist looking for inspiration, a reader searching for the right mood music or a musician trying to make a connection with the audience, words are everything to all three. Which brings us to the next installment of Music Monday...

FAILURE ANTHEM is the music feature for this week. When I first heard First World Problems a few years ago, I remember thinking the album forms a story of sorts, with each track functioning as a different chapter. I love how much effort the band puts into their lyrics. My favorite songs include The Ghost Inside, Paralyzed, Just A Wasteland and I Won't Say Goodbye. Definitely an album I recommend to everyone who enjoys high quality rock. Unfortunately, the band has suffered some setbacks with their lineup, but I'm still hoping for another FA album one day.

In the meantime, some very specific book titles come to mind when I think of which stories I enjoyed reading to the sound of Failure Anthem:

The BLOOD Trilogy by Ruth Miranda centers around a young man named Caius, a musician who discovers, through a traumatic event, he is not human. Miranda has a true talent for taking headlines, such as the battles with addiction and tragic overdose deaths of those in the music industry, and turning inner demons into supernatural creatures struggling with the same afflictions.

The Law Giveth by JE Gurley, the second novel in the Jake's Law series. In the first novel, Jake's Law, readers are introduced to a diabetic survivor, Jake, who creates a new system of law in a zombie post-apocalypse. The relationships Jake established in the first book and in the time since then have not held up well in the face of constant conflicts. Jake is more withdrawn than ever, but continues to attract new acquaintances to his way of doing things, following Jake's Laws.

Of course, readers may find other titles more suitable for the accompanying music of Failure Anthem, depending on how each individual interprets the songs.

Bottom line: if you haven't listened to First World Problems, you should ASAP.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Tuesday Tunes: Aranda

Band of the Week: Aranda

Music Monday, Tuesday Tunes...when you keep the hours that I do, the days and nights run together, and calendars are for other people who live and die by the clock...but I'm here to discuss words, not numbers.

There is an undeniable connection between literature and music, with drama, fantasy and, sometimes, tragedy woven throughout both. Many people also associate Rock with all kinds of naughty stuff, but the music is so much more than attitude and appearance, just as genre fiction is so much more than plot twists and setting. Both provide a way to escape with a passion we can all relate to on some level.

Not The Same, 3rd Aranda Album

With all that said, this week's recommendation for your listening pleasure is ARANDA, from OKC. Not The Same, is their third release, but it's the album I stumbled upon while looking for something new to listen to, a few years back. I've been told the sound is very different from the previous two, but that's irrelevant to me. The tracks switch between moods and tempos rather haphazardly, which is kind of how I like my fiction...I've never been a fan of the predictable.

We Are The Enemy reminds me of scenes with groups in conflict. Don't Wake Me reminds me of the flawed personal traits of many characters in mystery-thrillers. Stay is uncharacteristically sweet, much like an unexpected happy ending. I could keep going, point is, every single song has its own flavor. Not surprisingly, this is one of my go-to albums when I'm reading an anthology featuring numerous authors with diverse writing styles.

I think flash fiction fans are the ones who will appreciate Aranda the most.

Keep listening...keep reading...keep checking back...

As always,
AstraDaemon

Music Monday in the Lair

Many authors like to include a list of music they listen to when writing their stories...a sort of soundtrack. I've decided I would begin sharing some of the music I listen to when I read the stories I'm reviewing. Welcome to Music Monday in the Lair!

For the record, I listen to many different genres of music, but, just as I prefer horror to other literary genres, I will always prefer Rock over anything else. Unfortunately, there was a long period of time when the Rock genre disappointed me...I thought I'd have to be satisfied with my collection of 70s, 80s and 90s albums, cassettes and CDs (yeah, I'm that old). Then something amazing happened: Rock remembered how to kick ass again, instead of whining about life.

Over the last four or five years, many great Rock albums have been released, and I've found several bands to be the perfect background music for my reading marathons. Some have impressed me more than others, but they've all impressed me one way or another.

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To begin, I present to you, Adelitas Way. Now, if you're looking for stats on the members or a history of their music, go find a music blog. I'm simply bringing up a couple of their albums which I listen to on a regular basis, while tearing through the latest round of horror stories.

Although Getaway is not their first album, it is the first time I listened to anything by Adelitas Way, and it blew me away. Their lyrics are down and dirty like songs from Guns N Roses and Mötley Crüe, but delivered with a smooth style reminiscent of bands like Sleeze Beez and Shotgun Messiah. With tracks such as Bad Reputation, Filthy Heart and Sometimes You're Meant To Get Used, the band establishes they are not here to play nice. Getaway flows with darkness and personal demons, setting the mood for those storylines centered on a character readers love to hate.

Their most recent album, Notorious, is just as badass as Getaway. The first track, Notorious, is like the silver tip on boot headed directly for your face: you are going to feel it, and it is hard. Other great tracks include Ready For War, You're Not The Only One and Vibes...a perfect backdrop for any character-driven story.

Adelitas Way has already had some of their music featured in several forms of media ranging from the WWE theme song to the soundtrack of Saw 3D, but I'm hoping more movies in the horror genre will use this band in future soundtracks.

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Check back next Monday for more music suggestions to accompany your next reading session!

As always,
AstraDaemon