From the early 80s, Murder Rock was the 44th film from Italian director Lucio Fulci, who is most known for his gore-bound, at times surreal horror films of the late 70s/ early 80s. The film is a giallo set in & around a NYC dance studio- taking in the then highly popular dance-focused genre, and blending it with Italy’s often elaborate murder laced mystery form. It’s fair to say the film is not the best/ most consistent of the director's work, but there are moments of greatness present, and when the atmosphere/ tension kicks in, it’s most effective. Here from 88 Films is a new Blu-ray/ UHD release of the film. It features a new 4k scan, a new commentary track, a great selection of new interviews, and a forty-page inlay booklet.

From the early 60s, The Black Torment is a moody/well-made blend of period mystery and low-key gothic horror. It focuses on a lord returning to his family's mansion with his new wife, finding it's seemingly haunted by the spectre of his first wife and his own doppelganger. The film is a mix of are-they-going-crazy-or-not thriller tropes and ghost-fed gothic vibes. Sure, it takes a little while to warm up, but once it does, you are well & truly hooked  & effectively creeped out. Here, from 88 Films, either as a Blu-ray or DVD, is a recent release of this lesser-seen British film from producer Tony Tenser (Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw). It features a new HD scan, two commentary tracks, and a few other things.

As part of Powerhouse's series of reissues of Jean Rollin's filmography, here’s one of the French director's lesser-known/lesser-seen pictures, Girls Without Shame. This early 70s film was released under the pseudonym Michel Gentil- it was the director's first foray into softcore, which he blended with elements of low-key crime thriller, roughie, and comedy, and a slightly off-kilter fairy tale air. So it’s certainly a curio from Rollin, who up until its release was largely known for his arty & surreal Vampire films.  The release comes as either a UHD or Blu-ray, and takes in three versions of the film- all with a new 4k scan, a commentary track, and a few other extras.

The Age Of Alexander is the second album from Xiphos- a three-piece project that creates an atmospheric and epic mix of martial industrial and neo-classical music. The album is a ten-track affair- coming as either a CD or digital release- I’m reviewing the former of these.

Advanced communication is arguably humanity's greatest trait, and one that remains as important now as when the first utterances left our ancestors' lips. However, over time, the increases in technology have only exacerbated the inherent flaws in our systems, and no matter how hard we try to close these holes, miscommunication will always persist. Our sensory organs are wonderful and a marvel of evolution, but sometimes the firmware has trouble processing for any number of reasons. Timothy Fairless looks into the subtleties of communication, miscommunication, technology, and how it all works together with Keep Talking to Me. Taken from his sound installation mirroring the communicative process, this album utilizes conversations, electronics, and varied effects to put his thesis forth: altering the context of the communication will force the listener to question their interpretation. What they end up receiving is up to them, whether on purpose or subconsciously. Is it the brain truly interpreting the signals or, like Paul Simon sang, "a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest"?

This is another two-track release from this Calgary, Alberta wall noise project. Each of the fifteen-minute track mixes crude-yet-detailed texturing with sombre to atmospheric elements, which vaguely hint at harmony.