The Miscellaneous Goings On Of Tom - Spooky Season Is On The Horizon

The End Of Summer Is Nigh!

As the nights have started drawing in and the temperature has dropped to a more considerate and functional state, I can finally start to look towards my favourite time of the year, autumn and the might winter! I have enjoyed the sun to some extent don't get me wrong, but nothing inspires me more than the creeping cold of winter through autumn and the changing of the leaves. It helps me channel all that musical witchcraft and creativity so that I'm able to throw myself into the writing process. In other words, its been a bit of an onslaught for album releases the last couple of weeks and I'm only now just beginning to catch up with them and hopefully move on to an artist feature or classic album post (the last one I did was about a month ago all about my favourite band Black Stone Cherry). As I said in the heatwave edition my creativity has been stunted  by the impractical hot weather but that doesn't mean I've not been working away conceptually in my mind. I've been taking in some other influences whilst relaxing which hopefully will come to the forefront in my next episode of songwriting. However, as the title of this post suggests, SPOOKY SEASON IS UPON US! I could not be more excited to give myself horrendous adrenaline rushes and enjoy everything the build up to All Hallows Eve (Hallowe'en for those not living in the 19th century) has to offer! This does however put me down as a lover and regular employer of pathetic fallacy, which I am not ashamed of at all, love having the right atmosphere at exactly the right time to take full advantage of the occasion. Even so, THE END OF SUMMER IS NIGH! and I'm bloody happy about it. 

What I'm Listening To At This Very Moment

Latest Opeth song, absolutely love the creepiness of this song, even though the laughter at the end definitely gets my heckles up! I really don't understand why people moan so much about the band moving away from the death metal growls. Having seen them twice (will be seeing them again in November) I like this musical progression in the studio, but the live show is still phenomenal when they play a mix of old and new songs. I'm looking forward to this album more than the others because it will be in their native language of Swedish, and I think it gives the songs an extra edge but thats just me. You can check out my review of Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör / Heart In Hand here.

What I've Been Jamming To This Week

A plethora of things really, obviously new Slipknot (We Are Not Your Kind is a strange album thats for sure, still undecided on what I truly think but there are some absolute bangers on there). Obviously new albums from Carnifex and Thy Art have entered my circulation alongside the main stay that is Sabaton's The Great War I've just fallen in love with that album.  However, in fitting in with spooky season I have been ramping up the Type O Negative and constantly wished I had a voice like Peter Steele's.

Guitar Gear

Ola Englund's Solar Guitars makes another appearance with the new GC1.6T-FAB – Flame Solar Amber Burst. Considering the rest of Solar's prices for their premium guitars this one comes in at a very reasonable €899,00 (£823.15, correct exchange rate as of 20/08/19). The product description on their website is as follow;

"This Type G1 guitar will set you apart from everybody else. With its distinctively arch top body shape and 6 inline pointy headstock this modern looking Type G single cutaway guitar has a remarkable, precise and professional feature set making it the ultimate instrument suitable for both stage and studio work. Loaded with locking type TonePro Tune-O-matic brigde the GC1.6T-FAB offers great reliability and enhanced sustain. It also features Duncan Solar pickups that provide a full spectrum of tonal options, from organic clean to heavily overdriven, all with fluid sustain and maximum clarity. It has a set-thru neck/body joint design with 24.75” scale, an mahogany body with flame maple top, a fast, thin, comfortable mahogany neck, an ebony fingerboard with 24 super-jumbo stainless steel frets and Luminlay ‘glow in the dark’ side dots for easy stage use. Loaded with Solar 18:1 locking tuners (Gold), graphite nut and full access neck, this guitar is available in flame Solar amber burst finish."

I love the look of it and I bet it plays like a beast! Ola has really worked hard on his brand and quality so much so its a bit unaffordable for me at the moment but in the words of Wayne Campbell "It will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine.".

Check out more here: https://www.solar-guitars.com/product/gc1-6t-fab-flame-solar-amber-burst/

Some Spooky Facts To Hype You Up For Autumn

I. The owl is a popular Halloween image. In Medieval Europe, owls were thought to be witches, and to hear an owl's call meant someone was about to die.

II. “Souling” is a medieval Christian precursor to modern-day trick-or-treating. On Hallowmas (November 1), the poor would go door-to-door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for soul cakes

III. During the pre-Halloween celebration of Samhain, bonfires were lit to ensure the sun would return after the long, hard winter. Often Druid priests would throw the bones of cattle into the flames and, hence, “bone fire” became “bonfire.”

IV. Both Salem, Massachusetts, and Anoka, Minnesota, are the self-proclaimed Halloween capitals of the world.

V. In 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O’Bryan died of cyanide poisoning after eating Halloween candy. Investigators later learned that his father had taken out a $20,000 life insurance policy on each of his children and that he had poisoned his own son and also attempted to poison his daughter.