Getting Filthy: Movie soundtrack reviews with guest commentary by Cradle of Filth’s mischievous singer

As you may or may not know (it really depends if you read my album reviews at Examiner), but I’ve taken on the challenge of writing a horror (or related) feature every day for the month of October to bring a little autumnal cheer to the masses. What I didn’t count on was the overwhelming enthusiasm I received when I inquired if Dani Filth wanted to participate (and get a few nods for his new book, of course). Not only has this been a fun experience, but the man knows his movies and music, adding an extra dose of darkness to my features.

Here is the current rundown of where his assistance appears:

CANDYMAN

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

HORROR OF DRACULA (featuring excerpts from The Gospel of Filth book)

DRAG ME TO HELL


Stay tuned for more wickedness!

No Metal for the Mouse: Disney Bans Heavy Metal Concerts!

Here's an oldie but goodie. A few years ago, Disney banned the performing of heavy metal concerts at the House Of Blues concert venues that happened to be on Downtown Disney property. It caused an uproar in the metal commmunity, and I, being a member of said community, decided to do an article about it for the Penn State Berks Collegian student newspaper. So, without further ado, please enjoy this little blast from my past.



If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL for Spring Break and you happen to enjoy rock music of the hard persuasion, don’t book your flight just yet. Word is quickly spreading about a new Disney decree: all heavy metal music acts are banned from performing at the House of Blues nightclubs in Downtown Disney districts.

Disney officials have not openly stated why this new policy has taken immediate effect, but one can assume that it is tied to the recent muggings and vandalism at the Downtown Disney district at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.

It is a common fact that there has been insufficient security staff during late nights in the area, as pointed out by Jeff Davis, a staffer for the popular Disney podcast, Character Breakfast. He also believes that Disney is making moves to draw in a different kind of crowd to the nightclub and that heavy metal really isn’t popular enough to keep the people coming in.

He may be right, but it is an odd rule for Disney to make after spending decades producing hundreds of films that preach ideals of tolerance and openness.

Concerts at House of Blues are always ticketed events, and most of these are ‘over-21’ shows, so people typically are not going to attend these concerts if they are offended by what they are hearing. Regardless, a press release was circulated citing “violent imagery, undesirable fans and inflammatory lyrics” as the reason behind the ban.

This type of generalization is unfortunately sad and somewhat hypocritical. As one Berks campus senior questioned the policy, “Who else are they banning? Are they allowing hardcore and gangster rap? If they are banning all acts with violent content, ok, it is a fair policy. If they are just banning heavy metal, they need to reexamine their policy because it is not fair.”

So far, no other genres of music have felt the bite of the mouse. Oddly, bands that have played the club multiple times in the pass are just as astonished to have the door now slammed in their faces.

Dani Filth, vocalist of the British shock rock act Cradle of Filth recently stated, “The cancellation of our show on grounds of inappropriate content is a joke. We’ve already played there three times in the past.”

After having two concert dates cancelled at the venue, Robb Flynn, singer of Oakland, Ca. metal band Machine Head interviewed with Worcester Telegram & Gazette and agreed with Filth’s sentiments.

“It's pretty disturbing,” Flynn began. “We are shocked that in this day and age, in 2007 America, that bands can be pressured, (and) that promoters can be pressured by a business and be removed from a venue because somebody doesn't like what your lyrics stand for or think that your fans are crazy. We've played these venues before, and there was no indication that anything was going to be different.”

While Disney remained silent on the issue, Live Nation, the company that owns House of Blues soon issued its own statement of defense.

John Vlautin, the vice president of Communications, offered the following:
“House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues.”

While this did not specifically address the issue of singling out heavy metal music, it seemed to appease the people. But the heavy metal music fans were still not satisfied.

A Berks senior vehemently professed, “As an avid fan of both Disney and heavy metal music, I am distraught over this predicament. While I am not going to say that there are no heavy metal bands that do reflect the [press release’s] statement, the genre is so vast that the statement can only hold water with a fraction of bands regarded as heavy metal. From my experience, hip hop, punk, and hardcore bands are more violent and unpredictable than heavy metal, yet there is no mention of cancellations for those genres.”

Another senior offered a different perspective on the situation.
“If the House of Blues is on Disney property, Disney has some input on who should and shouldn't play there.”

Filth retorts, “If Disney didn't want to see hordes of black-clad figures lurking around their jaded kingdom, then they should've thought twice about creating characters like Cruella DeVille and Maleficent in the first place.”

The irony doesn’t stop there, either. The House of Blues night club chain was formed to pay homage and honor The Blues Brothers. They were a raucous blues/rock act that became iconic on Saturday Night Live and later became the primary players in a blockbuster film. The Blues Brothers themselves most likely would not have been permitted to perform on Disney property either, due to their own lewd behavior.

While the music is banned from being performed on property, the Virgin Megastore almost across the street from House of Blues in Downtown Disney is still permitted to sell heavy metal CDs and DVDs.

And at Planet Hollywood in the Disney Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM), one could easily purchase t-shirts promoting horror films like Halloween and Evil Dead. These may not be music items, but they do possess similar “violent imagery and undesirable fans.”

While the Penn State curriculum is chock full of classes that teach and exemplify acceptance and tolerance, it seems that Disney is playing to a different tune. Students who may find themselves down at Walt Disney World this spring take note.

If Godzilla had an iPod, would you be more frightened, because he really wouldn't be paying attention to where he was walking?

I know I haven't done one of these in a few weeks, and I feel kinda bad about it. I actually get a kick out of them, because they are catharsis for my otherwise miserable existence. So, enough of the jibber-jabber, let's get down to business.

1. CRADLE OF FILTH –“Scorched Earth Erotica”from Bitter Suites to Succubi
~ Nothing says“Friday”like some good old-fashioned gothic-tinged evil metal. But seriously, CoF is actually a fun band to listen to once you get past all the Hellraiser-esque pageantry. I don't know of many bands that can put so many different styles of music into one song, and that is something that always drew me to CoF – their ability to keep me guessing. Jolly stuff!

2. SAM KINISON – Wild Thing”from Youth Gone Wild Vol.2
~ Well, here's a little blast from the late 1980s. I remember the video that got tons of MTV airplay with Slash and all those 80s rockers acting goofy. But with Sam Kinison as ringleader, what did you really expect? I still giggle when I hear the line, "Every time I kiss you, I taste what other men had for lunch!" Hahahaha.

3. MARVIN HAMLISCH –“Nobody Does It Better (instrumental)”from The Spy Who Loved Me
~ And now we cool things off a little with a romantic ditty from one of Roger Moore's most underrated James Bond flicks. While I typically have something against an older James Bond score that isn't composed by John Barry, this one had a bit of charm, despite it being largely disco-based.

4. LOREENA MCKENNITT –“Cymbeline”from The Visit
~ Okay, so we go from tranquil to esoteric. I've always loved McKennitt's ability to weave multiple cultures within one composition. She has this uncanny knack to make Middle Eastern-Celtic-folk-New Age music sound like a legitimate genre. I just wish she's put albums out more often.

5. RICHARD CHEESE – "Stand Up (Ludacris cover)”from I'd Like a Virgin
~ And now all bets are off. If you can make it through a Richard Cheese song and not laugh, you’re a cold, cold person...if you’re human at all. I suppose people look at him like a second rate Weird Al Yankovic, but there’s sincerity to Cheese's performances that Yanky fans really take for granted. You have to give it to a guy who can turn a hardcore rap song into a sultry lounge performance.

6. GOD DETHRONED – The Poison Apple (Eve & Serpentio in the Garden of Eden)”from Ravenous
~ Back on the metal tip, we've got one of the scariest songs I've ever heard. Seeing the band do it live is even more frightening. It's got cutthroat precision, a happy Biblical story, and jaw-dropping guitar solos. While there really aren't a lot of Dutch metal bands that make waves on the international scene, I'm really glad God Dethroned is one of them. Their music is an honest combination of Beauty and the Beast in one mutated organism.

7. THE MEATMEN –“Centurions of Rome”from Rock 'n’Roll Juggernaut
~ I remember when I first heard this song, years ago; I didn't know what to make of it, other than that I loved it immediately. It was like a punk band trying to be Manowar. Eventually, it became sort of an underground fist-banging anthem. If you ever get a chance to see The Meatmen live, I guarantee that you'll be in for an interesting experience. For some reason, while I adore bands that take their craft seriously, I also dig a lot of bands that do it wholly for the fun of it.

8. RAMMSTEIN – "Benzin”from Rosenrot
~ Not my favorite song off of Rammstein's sorely under-appreciated 2006 release, but it does capture the band's unique energy. Rammstein's music intrigues me, because it's like romantic Frankenstein music. It's stiff to the point of rigor mortis, but it breathes with a definite passion. It really is difficult to put into words, but if you open your mind to them, they'll get their meathooks into you.

9. D12 – "UR the One”from D12 World
~ It sounds weird, but this is actually D12's unapologetic attempt at being romantic...well, as romantic as a foul-mouthed, Eminem-acquainted rap group can be. Needless to say, I find myself being amused more than feeling their message. But really, is D12 even designed to be taken seriously?

10. PANTERA – "Rock the World”from Power Metal
~ And closing out our little adventure today is one of those rare numbers that Pantera (and Atlantic Records) has tried to bury for nearly 20 years. This song comes from Phil Anselmo’s 1988 debut with Pantera, when the band was pretty, and Phil sang like his nuts were clamped firmly in a vice. To be fair, it's actually not as bad as most people like to think. Granted, there is a heavy Judas Priest influence on the music (and Phil's voice), but you could already tell the band had a passion for their craft. Honestly, I think more people need to be aware of this album, because it is a classy piece of metal...and it's fun to look at those outrageous hairdos!