Lockdown 3 Intermission : Extinction Rebellion In Barclays Bank HQ Protest

Ask yourself why this Extinction Rebellion protest against fossil fuel investment was reported by Reuters and ignored by the UK national press and the BBC… I had to read about this on a US website.

The Climate Emergency is already here.

Thank you, Boing Boing.

Coronavirus : A Deadly Anniversary

It's hard to believe this nightmare began over a year ago - weeks and months before the official UK Lockdown date of March 23rd, 2020.

The anniversary of this pandemic is a memorial to the inaction of a UK government who paid no heed to the WHO's earlier dire warnings on and before March 12th, 2020, despite the virus raging through Italy, France; and inevitably to these shores. At the time there were those of us who were shocked by this, and took cover in self imposed lockdowns as the government downplayed the dangers to ringfence the economy. It was only weeks later, on this date on March 23rd, 2020, that the government finally decided Herd Immunity was simply bad PR, and their hand was forced to do something.

Quite what, they weren't sure…

So let's take a moment to remember the 122,000 people who lost their lives through no fault of their own, caught in the cross fire between history and a year of government incompetence. Let's also remember the relatives, doctors and nurses, who have suffered needlessly.

We will remember you - and not this date in history - but the weeks leading up to it.

Lockdown 3 Part 3: The Annihilation Score

Much to my surprise, Freudstein are mentioned in Hugo award-winning occult comedy fantasy writer, Charles Stross’s novel, The Annihilation Score. Written in a similar vein to Robert Rankin cross-pollinated with H.P. Lovecraft, the story follows Laundry Files secret services agent Dr Mo O’Brien in her pursuit of a nefarious villain named Freudstein, who plots to threaten the realm.

Turn to page 75 to read the following excerpt :

““Of course I’m not totally naive, so I google Freudstein before I even think about going downstairs and seeing if my room tarriff includes breakfast. First hit: an EBM/techno band from Brighton. Second hit: the villain in an obscure Italian cult horror movie from 1981. Somehow neither of these seem like promising candidates for the sort of lunatic who’d break into the Bank Of England.””

— Charles Stross, The Annihilation Score

Just to be clear, we didn’t break into the Bank Of England, whatever they say.

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Is Charles Stross is a fan of our music? Perhaps. Or maybe, like the protagonist in his novel, he just stumbled across us on Google. Either way, he’s undoubtedly a fan of House By The Cemetery, and it’s truly an honour to be mentioned in his excellent novel.

And if you’ve never read any of his work before, then you really do owe it to yourself to read Charles Stross’s fun Laundry Files series in Lockdown, starting with The Atrocity Archives published by Orbit books.

You can purchase his novels from your local independent UK book shop online here:

https://bookstore.org

Alternatively, you can follow Charles Stross’s Blog here:

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/

Lockdown 3 Part 2 : Can't Get Adam Curtis Out Of My Head

Watch Adam Curtis’s new documentary TV Series ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ from February 11th, 2021 on the BBC iplayer.

Can humanity find a new vision of the future before it’s too late?

Described as an ‘emotional history of the modern world’ this groundbreaking new TV series attempts to dissect modern life over 6 episodes and reveal how we reached this pivotal moment in history. According to press releases it concerns the strange roots of modern conspiracy theories, the history of China, opium and opioids, and the history of Artificial Intelligence. Adam Curtis had this to say about his new series in a recent interview : “What I want to say to people is: we made the world the way it is; it didn’t just happen. And if we did that, we can make it different.’

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2021/cgyoomh

Watch the trailer and read the full BBC synopsis below:

Synopsis Courtesy Of the BBC:

“We are living through strange days.

Across Britain, Europe and America societies have become split and polarised not just in politics but across the whole culture. There is anger at the inequality and the ever growing corruption - and a widespread distrust of the elites.

And into this has come the pandemic that has brutally dramatised those divisions.

But despite the chaos there is a paralysis - a sense that no one knows how to escape from this.

This new series of films by Adam Curtis tell the story of how we got to this place. And why both those in power - and we - find it so difficult to move on.

The films trace different forces across the world that have led to now, not just in the West, but in China and Russia as well.

It covers a wide range - including the strange roots of modern conspiracy theories, the history of China, opium and opiods, the history of Artificial Intelligence, melancholy over the loss of empire and, love and power. And whether modern culture, despite its radicalism, is really part of the new system of power.

And the films are told in a different way - they are an emotional history of what went on inside the heads of all kinds of people.

Because in the age of the individual - what you felt and what you wanted and what you dreamed of were going to become the driving force across the world.

What was forgotten in that age was that much of what we feel is also formed by the society around us. Above all by the power structures.

And now those structures are decaying - everywhere - their weakness and uncertainty makes us feel empty and frightened of the future.

That is what is paralysing us - and blocking us from imagining different kinds of societies and a better future.

Can't Get You Out Of My Head is an epic history that shows how and why that happened. How we made this particular world. And that it was not inevitable.”

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New to this? Adam Curtis’s previous documentary ‘Hypernormalisation’ is available to watch online below:

Lockdown 3 Part 1 : Free Freudstein E.P. Download

FREE Freudstein E.P. Download

Beat the Lockdown Blues with the FREE download of Freudstein’s debut E.P.

Freudstein’s 1998 E.P. announced the band’s arrival with a fully formed modern horror sound. Beginning with drum and bass piano stabs, it journeys through dark industrial techno, and climaxes in satanic classical madness.

Download the individual tracks below:

FREUDSTEIN E.P. [1998]

Track 1 - Theme To Freudstein
Track 2 - Strangest
Track 3 - Freudstein’s House
Track 4 - Devil In Me

Celebrating The 20th Anniversary Of Mondo Freudo

Celebrating The 20th Anniversary Of Mondo Freudo [2001 - 2021]

Join us in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Freudstein’s debut LP, Mondo Freudo. In honour of this stunning album we have developed a new website and partnered with digital music streaming platforms so you can finally listen to or buy this full length LP.

In addition to this, you can now also stream Freudstein’s entire musical back catalogue in real time, read the history behind the band, and explore their world.

Read all about the latest developments below.

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New 2021 Website:

• Stream Freudstein’s entire musical back catalogue in real time

• Buy Mondo Freudo digital downloads on Amazon Music or Apple Music

• Stream the full Mondo Freudo album on www.youtube.com

• Follow us on Youtube, Spotify, Xiami Music and other music streaming platforms

• Read archive band interviews and album reviews

• View live photo galleries, official and unofficial music videos

• Read our latest music and horror blog

• Enjoy Responsive Website Design with full SSL certification from our new dedicated web hosting

• Free Download of Freudstein’s debut E.P.

• Further albums may be available to buy in the future
  

As you can appreciate this website has been a huge undertaking which has required a lot of time, patience and financial outlay. Freudstein have ultimately made very little money from their music over the years, but will be recouping costs (domain/new website hosting/digital aggregators/prs) from digital sales before distributing any possible and unlikely finances fairly. We simply wish our music to be heard.

We hope you enjoy our new website and can find some solace in our music during these dark times.

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A History of Mondo Freudo :

Freudstein released their debut album ‘Mondo Freudo’ in 2001, on Wasp Factory Recordings, to wide critical acclaim for its ambitious mix of genres and compositional work. It featured an electic mix of 1970’s horror soundtrack influenced songs mixed with drum and bass, techno, metal and pop. For an album that refused to stay in one specific genre, it was ahead of its time, and was well received with national press reviews in Kerrang Magazine, Bizarre Magazine, The Fly Magazine, Meltdown Magazine, Mayfair Mall Magazine, and many more.

Mondo Freudo was written and produced by Freudstein. The band wrote the album using analogue equipment and analogue synths, including a Cheetah MS6, Roland SH101, Native Instruments, Kontakt, Ibanez guitars, Marshall amps, a makeshift vocal pop shield and Shure SM57 microphone. Recorded and produced in a budget home studio, the album also featured guest appearances by Amon Zero from Arkam Asylum on ‘Punkid’, Solera Russell on ‘Filthy Little Whore’, and Liz Green from Swarf on ‘Shadows’.

Freudstein would like to thank Arthur Smit for the superb album artwork, and Mark Eris and Lee Chaos, our former managers and founder members of Wasp Factory Recordings.

Thank you to our friends and fans, wherever you are.

Get In The Festive Spirit With Black Christmas [1974]

A Christmas gift from us to you, courtesy of Youtuber Paul Fox. So stay safe and stay positive because 2020 is almost over. Watch Black Christmas [1974] Full Movie Stream here : www.youtube.com

Four years before John Carpenter’s Halloween there was Black Christmas, a film often credited with creating the Slasher genre, and starring Margot Kidder from Superman fame in one of her earliest roles. If you haven’t seen this before then you’re in for a Christmas horror treat. So sit back and enjoy the festivities, but whatever you do, don’t answer the phone.

Lockdown 2 Electric Avenue Part 3

Part 3. Things to make and do in Lockdown : Watch Possessor

Brandon Cronenberg follows up his prescient 2012 Antiviral movie with Possessor, a new film about brain implants starring reigning scream queen, Andrea Riseborough, fresh out of Mandy. Coming from the man whose last cinematic theme was the sale of celebrity viruses to their obsessive fans, you have to ask yourself, does he know something about the future that we don't?

Possessor treads a similar path to his father's, David Cronenberg's science fiction horror work, in what may seem far fetched today may be perfectly acceptable tomorrow - until there are unintended technological and biological consequences.

LOCKDOWN 2 ELECTRIC AVENUE PART 2

Part 2. Things to make and do in Lockdown : Learn about SoundBeaming.

Continuing our electric audio lockdown theme, it's time you rethought how to experience sound with Noveto's groundbreaking SoundBeaming technology. According to Noveto, sound is beamed directly outside the ears in ultrasonic waves that create private audio bubbles for a more natural and immersive experience, without the need for headphones.

Don't be surprised if Apple adopts this technology in the near future.

Check out their website and promo video here :

https://noveto.com/

Lockdown 2 Electric Avenue Part 1

Part 1. Things to make and do in Lockdown : Meet the new AFX Station.

If you've ever been tempted to buy a Novation Bass Station, then now is the perfect time thanks to a collaboration with AFX Twin, which sees the artist reinvent the classic Bass Station II.

Embossed with the famous AFX logo, this alternative collectors monosynth comes complete with an inbuilt 'AFX mode' and presets from artists such as Noyze Lab, Perplex On, Richard Devine, r beny and Lightbath.

Check out the tech specs here :

https://novationmusic.com/en/synths/afx-station

Top 10 Werewolf Movies Of All Time

Zombies are overrated. Let's be honest, a werewolf could defeat a slow moving zombie any night of the living dead. Provided there was a full moon.

Ive always loved werewolf movies so I thought this neglected genre was long overdue an appraisal. So sit back and bark at the moon with the top 10 hair raising werewolf movies of all time. Watch these 10 trailers then have a virtual movie marathon of your own, and remember: Stay On The Path, Beware Of The Moon.

In descending order of greatness:

10. Wolfcop (2004)

A fun little cult B-movie werewolf comedy that never takes itself too seriously. Like a violent version of Teen Wolf. Sort of.

9. Dog Soldiers (2002)

A fantastic low budget British production with an original story and special effects to rival Hollywood.

8. Silver Bullet (1985)

Probably Stephen King's finest and only werewolf adaptation, which isnt that bad once you look past the child protagonist. (Stephen King's protagonists are always either authors or children). Enjoy its gloriously over the top eighties charm.

7. Werewolf Of London (1935)

The original black and White classic which kickstarted the movie genre.

6. The Wolfman (1941)

Lon Chaney Junior is the archetypal everyman Jekyll / Hyde in this classic Universal Studios black and white movie that improved on the original Werewolf Of London. One of the best werewolf movies ever made and a milestone in the genre's cinematic evolution.

5. The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961)

Oliver Reed tears up the screen as he wrestles his inner beast on heat in this lusty Hammer classic.

4. Wolfen (1981)

A dark and gritty eighties new york werewolf cult classic that somehow never received the respect it deserved.

3. The Howling (1985)

This stylish entry was directed by Joe Dante of Gremlins fame with a slow burning storyline and great acting from Dee Wallace. Its also well worth checking out the campy B movie sequel, if you dare, with Sybil Danning as the werewolf leader.

2. The Beast Must Die (1974)

A classic Amicus curio that blends Blaxspoitation and Agatha Christie murder mystery drama with its famous Werewolf Break novelty guessing game. "One of these eight people will turn into a werewolf." Can you guess which one?

1. An American Werewolf In London (1981)

This cold stone horror classic claws its way to the number one spot with its black ghoulish humour, great storyline, and countless iconic and gorey moments. I've watched this John Landis movie a ridiculous amount of times, and never tire of it. Even now the dream sequence of Nazi Werewolves with machine guns makes me shiver with fear and excitement. Not to mention the Picadilly Square set piece ending, which is unequaled.

At the time, Rick Baker's werewolf transformation special effects won an Oscar, and rightly so. A werewolf movie set in England with pitch perfect humour and gore that has never been surpassed in the genre, which somehow leads us back to the cinematic roots of Werewolf Of London.

Remember: Stay On The Path, Beware Of The moon.

Covert Herd Immunity?

As we fast approach a Second Lockdown, read award winning Independent journalist Patrick Cockburn's insightful article into the UK Government's failed Pandemic response :

www.independent.co.uk

Extinction Rebellion In Action

Pandemic? What Pandemic?

If you've been following the national tabloids, latest government advice, or sheer incredulity of globe tripping holidaymakers, you'd be forgiven for thinking life had gone back to normal - right up until the moment you boarded the Train To Busan 2 : Peninsula.

Train to busan 2: PENINSULA official trailer 2.