Lovecraft 1
Lovecraft 2
Demolition Hammer "Epidemic Of Violence" (an absolute CLASSIC thrash album)
and, of course, Obituary "Cause Of Death"
I can think of a bunch of other Lovecraft references in metal. Can you?
If you're so inclined, I'd also recommend a new DVD release of "The Call Of Cthulhu". This is a 45 minute long silent film done by HPLHS, which is basically a bunch of Lovecraft geeks building sets of R'Lyeh out of cardboard in their backyards in Pasadena. The silent film is done in the 1920s style and looks like it's straight out of F.W. Murnau's playbook. The plot follows Lovecraft's story exactly.
Here's the poster (just great)...
As for the film version of Cthulhu Himself...
Here's some more Cthulhu humor.
A Miskatonic graduate...
What kid wouldn't want this Lego set?!
Lastly, I'll be skipping the Nachtmystium show at the Knitting Factory on Sept. 10th. I'm back at work full time, now, and I have to get myself back into the groove, so to speak. My next show will be Obituary at the Knitting Factory on Sept. 30th (special thanks to Dave Brenner).
What other Lovecraft references in metal can you think of (no cheating)?
And...
10 comments:
Mekong Delta did an album called 'The Music of Erich Zann'...
It probably doesn't count, but I always felt 'Landing On The Mountains Of Meggido' on Down II was a very Lovecraftian title.
Oh! Oh! How about the most blatantly obvious album title (and cover art)? "In The Depths Of R'lyeh from Catacombs!
Man! Suddenly I feel that all sorts of stuff should flow... But it isn't. Mercyful Fate had some songs about Abdul Alzared and Shub Niggurath make a pretty blatant connection in their name, but that does it for metal that comes to mind.
Most of the Lovecraftian listening I've done is The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets "Cthulhu Strikes Back" (which is just plain rock, but I think it's fantastic) and Rudimentary Peni's crazy punk noise album "Cacophony", which is pretty brilliant and creepy.
But as Metal and Lovecraft are two of my favorite things, everyone should list everything they can think of, as I will track it all down...
Oh, and though it may just be for true fans, I thought that the Call of Cthulhu film was brilliantly wonderful.
"Now I ride with the the mocking and friendly ghouls on the night-wind, and play by day 'amongst the catacombs of Nephren-Ka' in the sealed and unknown valley of Hadoth by the 'Nile'"
From "The Outsider" written by HPL in 1921 about a ghoul finding his way from the world of the undead to the world of the living, crashing a party and seeing all the guests flee in terror. Being curious as to what was why the partiers were in such a hurry to split, he searches for the source of horror which repels them, only to see his hideous reflection in a mirror, realize his circumstances, and return to the underworld.
Great story!
I also thought CoC (film) was very well done.
Isn't the band name Twin Obscenity a reference to HP Lovecraftian type fare? as well as a song or 2. Can't remember the name(s) of them.
Steve57,
I never did get around to Mekong Delta, but that was a great story.
PD,
I'm a bit surprised that Lovecraft doesn't get mentioned in metal probably as often as hed should. Even among horror aficiandos, his prose can be an acquired taste. Read a paragraph of his prose aloud and it almost becomes melodious.
Skull,
I suppose that Lovecraft, to some degree, borrowed from various mythologies, but I always loved his basically "we're going to get eaten inevitably by some Cyclopean horror" take on the universe.
Dpth,
I'm not familiar with Twin Obscenity, but it's reference to Lovecraft doesn't ring a bell.
Anyone know which story is paraphrased on the "Live After Death" tombstone?
Yep, the lines are old Abdul's from the Necronomicon and they appear in the story "The Nameless City"!
ARRRG! I can't believe I didn't remember Live After Death - deduct 100 metal points and go and listen to Powerslave for a couple of hours...
Going along with what skull said, on Annihilation of the Wicked by Nile, Von Unaussprechilchen Kulten is a Lovecraft reference. I forget what story it's from, but it's referenced in the liner notes.
Yeah, Eqyptology provided fertile ground, I'm sure, for the Cthulhu mythos of Lovecraft.
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