#and want to find more people with it but there's so little talk about UDD that i don't know where to start.

[welcometothenightcourt]

hi!! I had a few questions. I’ve been questioning if I’m a system for a while and I rlly don’t know at which point it’s ok to say I am(how do I become confident in that?). I truly feel like different people with separate identities at times, and like I possibly have passive influence..especially with gender and sexuality. but what if if my identity is just fluid? along with feeling like different people, at times I rlly feel like the world and body isn’t mine or that I’m not even real or human. I think im ghostkin(as in involuntarily I feel like I am a ghost..dinosaur too) but I wonder if these are actually non human (or “undead ghost”) alters? how do I tell? recently I also looked back on old(but honestly not even that old at all) conversations.. to find that I had an extremely different typing style and way of behaving.. it distressed me and I didn’t think I could ever behave like that… especially since the way I act/type has changed so much in a short period of time.. I don’t remember this change happening.. possibly it’s just me becoming more mature but I rlly felt disconnected from that “past me.” Ive also always had dissociation and have been forgetful at times… it feels like everyday besides the current present never actually happened and it’s hard to remember or feel like it was me that experienced it. I do end up remembering stuff (it depends-) but is that amnesia? bc I know to have DID and OSDD-1a u need amnesia… so I’m like .. if I don’t have it then would I have OSDD-1b?.. the problem I’m having though… is that I’m not exactly having any communication with ANYONE in any way and I know very little(no names and such) about any other alters except: one feels transmasc one feels transfem and I started calling the transfem one momo?.. there’s also me having a traumatic experience and started to identity 100% as a fictional character (two but mainly this one happens right at the trauma) so I wonder if it’s not a kin but a fictives? .. plus at a young age I do remember experiencing trauma … so it makes me wonder if I’m a system or not .. but honestly I don’t know how to tell at this point bc I’ve tried to talk to others and it doesn’t work … I don’t feel confident saying I’m a system bc my experiences are not the same as others.. (they have carrds listing s bunch of info on all alters) and I don’t…and I don’t want u to dx me!! I just don’t know what to do at this point in time..? I don’t know how to move forward or what I should do .. when is it ok to say I’m a system and how do I know which disorder I have?…I’m scared to tell my therapist ANYTHING mental health relays honestly

hi!! I had a few questions. I’ve been questioning if I’m a system for a while and I rlly don’t know at which point it’s ok to say I am(how do I become confident in that?). I truly feel like different people with separate identities at times, and like I possibly have passive influence..especially with gender and sexuality. but what if if my identity is just fluid? along with feeling like different people, at times I rlly feel like the world and body isn’t mine or that I’m not even real or human. I think im ghostkin(as in involuntarily I feel like I am a ghost..dinosaur too) but I wonder if these are actually non human (or “undead ghost”) alters? how do I tell? recently I also looked back on old(but honestly not even that old at all) conversations.. to find that I had an extremely different typing style and way of behaving.. it distressed me and I didn’t think I could ever behave like that… especially since the way I act/type has changed so much in a short period of time.. I don’t remember this change happening.. possibly it’s just me becoming more mature but I rlly felt disconnected from that “past me.” Ive also always had dissociation and have been forgetful at times… it feels like everyday besides the current present never actually happened and it’s hard to remember or feel like it was me that experienced it. I do end up remembering stuff (it depends-) but is that amnesia? bc I know to have DID and OSDD-1a u need amnesia… so I’m like .. if I don’t have it then would I have OSDD-1b?.. the problem I’m having though… is that I’m not exactly having any communication with ANYONE in any way and I know very little(no names and such) about any other alters except: one feels transmasc one feels transfem and I started calling the transfem one momo?.. there’s also me having a traumatic experience and started to identity 100% as a fictional character (two but mainly this one happens right at the trauma) so I wonder if it’s not a kin but a fictives? .. I also feel like often I’m possibly co con ?? bc I’ll feel unlike “me”/the body yet say “I have to be (body name) who else could I be)… plus at a young age I do remember experiencing trauma … so it makes me wonder if I’m a system or not .. but honestly I don’t know how to tell at this point bc I’ve tried to talk to others and it doesn’t work … I don’t feel confident saying I’m a system bc my experiences are not the same as others.. (they have carrds listing s bunch of info on all alters) and I don’t…and I don’t want u to dx me!! I just don’t know what to do at this point in time..? I don’t know how to move forward or what I should do .. I’m scared to tell my therapist ANYTHING mental health relays honestly Rn

Okay, first things first bud: slow down. Take a breath, and remember that there is absolutely no rush to come to these conclusions. Not about your system status, not about your gender, not about any of this stuff.

Next: As long as you’ve done your research, and taken time to really look at yourself and did/osdd/udd, and you feel like your experiences align with them, then it’s okay to self dx it.

As for the amnesia, yes. Amnesia is most commonly thought about as a complete black out, Idk what the hell happened at all kind of amnesia, but that’s not the only or even the most common type of amnesia. While black outs happen for some, grey outs (sort of remembering, but also not really, maybe like remembering big events but not any details of the event) or emotional amnesia (remembering something sort of but also feeling very emotionally disconnected) are far more common.

It’s important to remember that no ones experiences in system life are exactly the same way. Just because your experiences aren’t exactly the same as those you see doesn’t disqualify you from having the disorder at all. For every system you see out here having organisation and lists and blogs and whatnot there are three to five more you don’t see because their systems aren’t so comfortable with that or known or communicative or overt enough.

On a personal note, it took five years for us since we started questioning and noticing things to even accept and conclude that we were a system, and three years since that to get to the communication level that we have. Also, remember that here on Tumblr and on places like TikTok and whatnot, we get to choose how we present ourselves, what we do and do not share. We tailor how others see us. And most of the time for yalls viewing pleasure, we keep our dark shit off of this page. Our serious struggles and trauma and bad shit that comes with DID goes to our private vent page. What you see on social media is not ever going to be a 100% perspective of a disorder and all of the ways it manifests.

That being said, if you feel like you don’t quite fit the criteria for DID or OSDD, there is another diagnoses called UDD which can include those with systems. Please read this post for more on self dx, the criteria for DID, OSSD, and UDD, and related. (It’s also pinned in our pinned post, so you may or may not have read it already)

Lastly, the fact that you don’t feel comfortable talking to your Mental Health Professional about mental health is very concerning. I strongly recommend you get a new MHP asap with whom you can discuss these things if at all possible.

I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions or if I missed something you wanted a direct response to, don’t hesitate to ask. Always happy to answer to the best of my ability

[doomedandstoned]

Gangrened Conjure Dizzying Atmosphere in ‘Deadly Algorithm’

~Review by Billy Goate~

Before us lies an enigma called 'Deadly Algorithm' (2021) by Finnish band GANGRENED, whom we've introduced you to before, when they dropped that wonderfully dreary doomer 'We Are Nothing' (2014). Let me share with you the diary of my thoughts as I immersed myself in their recently released full-length.

Deadly Algorithm by Gangrened

Deadly Algorithm starts with gentle, quiet picking that echoes faintly, but already surrounds us with a strange, if inviting, airspace. A melodic line develops as "Harrbåda" gains volume, building it seems towards a crescendo -- then suddenly stopping as a drumroll interrupts. The atmosphere returns to quirks and quarks, increasingly distorted notes, spikes of reverberating rhythm. All the while, the same short impermanent melodic motif makes its statement, until it flitters away into the void.

Deadly Algorithm by Gangrened

"Triptaani" makes a strong entrance, this time with galled vocal attack and a slow, but strong, guitar lead girded by the fuzz-sparked gears of bass and drum languidly moving this machine along. A hail of shredding follows, with cymbals crashing to a throbbing beat, leading to one ardent chord laid upon another. Eventually the pace slows to a crawl, with dissonant harmonies, and a wild solo from Jon Imbernon that's almost overcome by the industrial crunch of Lassi Männikkö's dumming, Joakim Udd's vile spew of noise, Mikko Mannistö's declamatory singing.

Deadly Algorithm by Gangrened

"Hologrammi" features more familiar doom pacing with a searing riffage, a slow burn flow of bass and drums, and clean (but pissed off) crooning. It's surrounded by a mesmerizing jumble of pedal effects, noise, downtuned instrumental buzz, and crackling amps -- of which make its climactic moment of vocal delivery emphatic and powerful.

Deadly Algorithm by Gangrened

Intricate guitar trilling action introduces “Kuningatar” and it sounds almost like temelos dancing upon its appointed harmonic scale in those opening moments. By the time the rest of the crew sounds off, it turns into a frightening ensemble, indeed. I imagine this would be quite chilling to experience in a live setting. While the vocals feel swallowed up in the great reverberating wall of sound, it seems to add to the mystique of the whole dim sound environment. Psychedelic noodling returns six minutes and if you listen carefully you can hear a seething malediction pronounced sternly beneath the fray of scattered noise, synth, and pedal effects. Great doom returns to ground us to reality and the band improvises a swirl of activity that makes me think of the wandering spirits released from the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Deadly Algorithm by Gangrened

”Triangeli” grabs hold of us with a rumbling bass line that establishes the song’s basic theme, soon to be reinforced by guitar. Meanwhile, words are spoken with accented cymbals and hypnotic drumming. The song ends with whispered lyrics uttered over a soundgarden of riffage, soft cymbals, omnipotent bass rumble, and the cycling sounds of amp feedback. I don't know the words, and the singer refuses to share them, so that means what he's singing is left up to your fertile imagination. Or you can just enjoy the vocal aesthetic and what it contributes to this dense, dark atmosphere.

A cathartic journey, indeed, which I ventured on while I was in an especially discouraged and pissed off mood. Even though I understood not its words, I felt its sentiment and it was in some way cleansing. Available digitally, on vinyl and compact disc as an independent release (order here).

Interviewing Gangrened Guitarist Jon Imbernon

By Billy Goate

You've been a band for quite a while. I understand you are one of the founding members, too. How did Gangrened form to begin with?

Well, we were a bunch of guys living in the same area around ostrobotnia, between kokkola and new karleby, here in the center west coast of finland. so few of us had the idea to do the band so we asked the others, but none of those guys except me are still in the band. high level of mobility because studies in this area of small towns, to bigger cities of Finland.

It sounds like there are challenges keeping a band together in Ostrobotnia? I imagine it makes it ver5y challenging to get new band members to replace the old. Is there much of a music scene to speak of?

Yeah, actually I'm not from here myself. I'm Basque/Spanish and in the specific area I live, like around 110 kilometers or so, there's no real bands or scene, but if you go forward you reach Oulu in the north or Seinajoki, bigger cities with more bands and such. And yes, from the exact spot I live now, I have needed to look more than 100 kms to find new members. I'm moving in a near future to Tampere, so that should help in strengthening the line-up.

So how long has the most recent crew of Gangrened been together?

Since May of 2015, just after some dates we played with Bongzilla in Finland, the entire line-up shifted.

Gangrened basically means "gangrene" right?

It's like "corrupted," you know? Yes, the name comes from the illness.

My grandfather's big toe got infected from a cut because he didn't treat it properly. When he finally went to a doctor, they told him he would have to amputate his foot to live. He refused, stating he wanted to die with both of his feet on. So he officially died of gangrene!

Ouch! Okay...

Did you pick Gangrened for any special reason, like the corruption of society or something like that?

Yeah, that kind of reason. I wanted some grimmy name, but actually now it's getting a bit inappropriate, as we are not so typically doom sludge anymore.

How would you describe/characterize your sound now?

Well, I would say it is deep and varied. Actually, I think this record is like transitional, just because, for example, one song "Hologrammi" is an old song we included. But newer stuff goes beyond what has been previously recorded, take songs like "Triangeli" or "Kuningatar."

Deadly Algorithm by Gangrened

We reviewed 'We Are Nothing' back in 2014, and at the time we described your sound in terms of: "Slow, behemoth sized riffs. Excessive feedback. Fuzz worship." What would you say has changed or is different now, as your sound, style, and general musical approach has evolved?

Well, at some point, just as an exercise of abstraction to what we were doing, how it was turning out with songs like "Triangeli" or "Kuningatar" I decided to look into my whole musical background, and keep on adding elements from it. Also I got bored of the regular sludge-doom thing. So I considered it more interesting, and more comfortable to me, to keep an essence of slow and heavy music, and atmospheric at times, but not so defined inside the regular sludge-doom thing. The atmosphere feels very trippy, even psychedelic at times.

Let's talk about the new album. Why is it called 'Deadly Algorithm'? I think about 10 years ago, I never used the word "algorithm," but now it's a common word that most people at least understand in concept.

Well, I'm studying now in the university again, engineering in information technology, and at same time i'm a person a lot with strong progressive values, so through my studies and also digging on related topics like online privacy or the evolution and development of the new technologies I found alarming how the new technologies are going and its implications.

There are several key things that many people do not think about: smart phones have like six sensors on average to spot your location, plus no company gives services for free. If so, it's because the product is the user of the service. There's no other reason for that. So beginning with these facts, there are a lot of things going on that everyone should be aware of, and the album theme is all about that. Nowadays, data algorithms are making more and more decisions in our lives that no more take into account true needs as humans.

It seems like we have created our own virtual prison, without even realizing it.

Yes, but the thing is who runs the prison? not ourselves at all.

Getting into the songs themselves, are they all sung in Finnish?

Yes. At first some were in english but then the singer decided to sing all songs in Finnish.

Starting with the first song, can you tell us what each title means and what themes you explore?

The first song ("Harrbåda") is simply the name of a coastal area around here. The second ("Triptaani") is a medicine for headaches. The third song ("Hologrammi") is named obviously after a hologram. The fourth ("Kuningatar") means "Queen" and the last ("Triangeli") is "triangle."

Is there any conceptual, thematic, or spiritual relationship between these tracks?

It's quite a personal thing to the singer, he wrote the lyrics and I can't exactly tell you their meaning because Mikko Mannistö is a bit secretive about it. But personal things, yes. Personal matters to him.

Tell us a little bit about the recording process. Where did you record, with whom, and are there any memories that stand out from that time?

Well, we started recording the record in june 2018, with a friend of the singer, at some big rooms in a youth center house. We did most of the recordings with him until February of 2019. At that time, we asked a few people to mix, master, and finish the process. but nothing worked and there was some time wasted waiting for answers.

I decided moving forward we would go with someone who is recording records all the time and known by us, so we asked Tom Brooke, an English guy who lives close to Jyväskylä, runs a studio, and is the live sound technician for Oranssi Pazuzu. So we finished the record, a few more guitar tracks, mixing, and mastering with him.

I remember there was a long time between sessions, so new ideas were constantly coming to us to add to the songs for the next session. That’s why some guitar tracks were added for mixing just the day before starting to mix.

I'm sure you were relieved once all the recording, mixing, and mastering was finally done!

Yeah ! like this is the record and now its totally defined and wrapped up. As a guitarist, what can you tell us about the guitar writing on the new album? Anything that you are especially proud of or that you think the listener should pay special attention to?

The intro is all played by me, and then the weirdest stuff, noisy guitar here and there, and the first half of riffs of triptaani , i'm quite proud of the first two or three riffs, and I used to be proud about some riffs in the middle of "hologrammi." The noisiest and more psyched out guitars of kuningatar.

Tell us about what you, as a guitarist, used in the studio while recording 'Deadly Algorithm'

Well, so I used three guitars to record the album: one Gibson SG Standard from the late '90s, another SG Standard from 1980, and a Gibson Les Paul Classic from around 1991. The SG from the late '90s was ultra-modded -- I changed the finish, pickups, electronics, tuners, but in the end sold it and now it's owned by David from Slomatics. The 1980 I just bought for the recording, so it was all stock. Later, I changed the pickups. The Gibson Les Paul also had all replaced tuners, circuit pickups, and so. It's my main guitar and I used it in most of the songs. The SGs I just used for "Triangeli," the last song.

About effects, I use a Big Muff Fuzz mainly, but also a custom Dunwich Amps FuzzThrone for the ultra heavy parts, like at the end of "Kuningatar." Other effects I used were the Dunlop Echoplex pedal and the Strymon Capistan. I love tape echo sounds and these pedals emulate it. Also, another effect I really like and couldn't live without is the Earthquaker Devices Transmisser. I used it in three of the songs.

Amps used included an '80s Laney AOR Pro Tube and Orange OR120 from 1975 and a late '70s Matamp GT120. Every rhythm guitar track was recorded with two of them at same time, mainly the Matamp and the Laney. That probably is the main sound of the album, but I think "Hologrami" I recorded with the Orange and the Matamp. About cabs, I used two Orange cabs -- one with Eminence speakers the other with WGS speakers.

Have you had a chance to play live at all since the pandemic?

Nope, we haven't been rehearsing either.

If you had your choice to tour with any five bands and play in any five places, what would they be and why?

We are keeping it for when there's no risk of cancellations, we have some date plans and so on, but it sucks to cancel things so we are just waiting. I would play with Unsane in New York for example then some bands I have liked recently, even if some are inactive at this moment. Belzebong, Nightslug, Domkraft, Follakzoid, and the body also.

That would be a sick line-up!

What parts of the world would you like to travel to?

Well, I've never been to America or Asia. I have been to Europe, the UK, and Russia only.

Okay, yeah it would be cool to have you come over here and play for us sometime.

Yeah, would be nice

Lastly, did you all wear your heart on the opposite sides of your head for this photo to give the illusion that your heads are on backwards? Or was it digitally manipulated to make it look like your heads were on the wrong way? I love the concept!

I made that pic myself. I took two photographs, one of us in front and another in the backs. So then I took the heads of the back picture and put on our front bodies pic, with Photoshop. David lynch-ish vibes!

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[peccolias]

New Monster in Town

Unfinished Undertale reader-insert fic i’ll probably never finish. please don’t take it seriously, just read for laughs. or not. up to you!

Genre: Humor, Gen

Warnings: Language, mentioned alcohol use/abuse (just a bit). OOC probably.

Words: ~3,500

Summary: Halloween dares kind of suck. But you’re kind of weak to them and kind of tipsy so you decide to go through with one anyway. That being, to hike up the big scary Mount Ebott, take a selfie at the peak, and come home victorious—or, well, with bragging rights to lord over your friends’ heads because none of them have ever shown the guts to make the trip.

You didn’t think you’d end up falling down a hole in the mountain.

You also didn’t think your Halloween costume would end up saving your life.

--

“Stupid—thing—off!”

This is the fifth time you’ve tried. But it just won’t budge.

The all-consuming eyeball mask is stuck fast around your head—this is the last situation you ever thought you’d find yourself in. It’s beyond dumb. Embarrassing, even. Like something out of an R.L. Stine novel.

Your fingers slide against gritty rubber as you try once more to pry your head out of the neck hole that was so easy to put your head through but…like a knock-off so-called Chinese finger trap, so difficult to get out of if you’re an idiot—and you did something pretty dumb to end up here, so you suppose you are.

On the bright side, it kept you from banging up your face or getting a black eye on the vicious tumble down.

Ha ha. Yeah. The only black eye you have is the one stuck to your face.

God.

You heave a sigh and collapse next to the bed of flowers that broke your fall. Some are a little trampled thanks to your blindly stomping around on them, but more or less intact. Good. Just because it’s a shit day for you doesn’t mean you have to ruin it for them, too.

It’s hard to see through the opaque, mesh pupil in your mask, and the lack of light isn’t helping any, but it doesn’t look like there’s a way out from here unless you want to climb a good few feet. Like, maybe hundreds.  And needless to say, you’re a lot better at falling.

Your hands are grimy, smeared with dirt and sweat and a little blood, scraped up from the fall, because the tan garden gloves didn’t do much to protect them on the way down. Not in any condition to try climbing up anything. You swat a few strings of heavy yellow yarn away from your arms as you pull the thick gloves back on, if only to keep the scratches from getting more clogged up with dirt.

Really, this whole situation is your fault. For being dumb enough to dress up as one half of the Flying Spaghetti Monster for this dumb candy holiday, and for coming up to Mount Ebott by yourself. At night. Not to mention trespassing.

It probably wasn’t a serious dare. You and your friends like to dick around and do stuff like that all the time when there’s too much alcohol at boring campus parties and…well, usually, no one even bothers to go through with them. In your defense, you don’t usually drink so much.

You’re not sure what lit a fire under your ass to make you come all the way out here without even letting anyone but your Uber driver know. Who, frankly, probably wished you would disappear when you puked all over his back seat. Oops.

Well, wish fucking granted. Good for him.

Not good for you. You’re stuck here with no food, no water, and no way out.

And this stupid mask stuck on your head.

But…wait a second.

Your butt is wet—not because you pissed yourself or anything, because wouldn’t that just be a kick in the teeth after everything, but because you sat right in a puddle.

You rip off a glove and grab at the flowers beside you. Wet. They’re damp—and there hasn’t been any rain for weeks, so it didn’t fall from above.

Which means…someone watered them! And unless that someone is a highly skilled mountain climber who makes it their business to scale a deep mountain hole just to take care of a patch of pretty flowers, it means there is a way out of this place.

What a way to get motivated. You leap to your feet and jam your glove back onto your hand before marching forward—and promptly smacking into a stalagmite.

Again, you’re a little thankful for this rubber helmet of a mask. Otherwise your nose might be broken right about now.

This time, carefully, and using your hands to reach out and seek obstacles, you explore the cavern for an exit.

Lo and behold, you find a tunnel.

--

You kind of wish you stayed in that cavern with the hole in the ceiling.

Because it made sense. It sucked, but it made sense.

Having a yellow flower spewing words, actual words at you, just didn’t, because that kind of trip belongs in Alice in Wonderland. And you’re not even drunk anymore. So it doesn’t compute.

The talking doesn’t last long. As soon as the flower gets a good look at you, its flowery face freezes in disgust.

“What….what the heck are you supposed to be?”

“Flying Spaghetti Monster.” It’s probably not what the posey is asking, but that’s your answer.

“A…monster?”

“Flying Spaghetti Monster,” you repeat, gently correcting it.

Its face scrunches in disdain as it eyes your…giant eye.

You really didn’t say much. But what little you did say is enough to satisfy this creature, because it falls silent, at a loss, like it’s trying hard to solve a math problem it doesn’t have the proper resources to navigate. So you creep by while it’s occupied and go on your merry way. Wherever that is.

“WAIT A SECOND!”

You halt when the flower screeches at you and you try to glance over your shoulder before realizing you can’t see shit and end up doing a full one-eighty just to see what the problem is.

“You liar, you’re a human! I can see your SOUL.” Just as it says that, something pops out from your chest and hovers in front of you, glowing. Really, all you can see is the glow. You’re not really sure what it is or why it came out of you.

It’s kind of gross.

“Ew, what is this?” You poke at it, and it wiggles a little before going still. Like jello.

“I said it’s your SOUL, dingbat. Not that you really need to know. You won’t be alive much longer. Just for trying to be so clever, I’ll end you quick.” There’s a positively cruel lilt to the creature’s tone that you don’t like one bit.

You hold up your hands and slowly back away. “Hey, what’s with the attitude? You want some fertilizer or something? Look, I don’t know what’s going on here. I just want to go back home and sleep before the hangover kicks in.”

“Oh, you’ll sleep. Forever!”

Something blasts into you from the side and knocks you into the rocky wall. “Ow, fuck, what was that?” Not that you’ve ever been shot, but you imagine this might be what it feels like. Throbbing pain, draining energy, despair—

Blurry shapes circle before you and begin to zero in, ready to catch you in their crosshairs, and you think maybe you won’t be able to get home after all and maybe you shouldn’t have worn such a stupid costume because, really, there’s no way in hell you want people to find your corpse dressed like this.

But before you have the time to start saying your prayers, a fireball whizzes past you and knocks into the flower, carrying it away with a yell.

“Oh, you poor…thing.”

Great. Someone else who doesn’t recognize your costume.

Not that you blame her. Her…a giant, walking, talking goat woman.

Is it even worth getting worked up over at this point?

She’s trying her best to be nice, but you can feel the awkward radiating off of her in waves. There’s a burning question hanging in the air and you’re pretty sure you know exactly what it is.

“What manner of…monster…are you, exactly?” she asks.

“Flying Spaghetti Monster.”

“I do not believe I have ever seen your kind in these Ruins. How did you find yourself in this place?”

“Uh…wrong turn?”

“…Very well. Follow me and I will show you the way out.”

--

One excruciatingly long walk later, you find yourself on the other side of a large door and abandoned to the cold, snowy landscape stretching out before you.

Not any better off than before.

Your tan, fleece-lined UDD boots drag through the snow as you walk (again with the walking—if you knew you’d have to exert your physical side this much you would have worn better shoes) and melted snow seeps through the soles the farther you go.

Until you stop.

Wait.

The hell is snow doing under a mountain? You know some places underground have their own independent weather systems, but—snow?  Inside?

Above you, far above, there’s a rocky cave ceiling. It’s hidden beneath a thin covering of fog—clouds?—but there nonetheless. Darn. You thought maybe you’d gotten lucky and finally found the way out.

Turns out that goat woman monster meant the ‘way out’ was just another area under the mountain.

So many weird things have already happened you’re not really sure how to react anymore.

Really. Once you get home, you’re never partying out late at night again. And never taking a dare again. Probably not ever touching another beer, either.

Still…you’re taking one for the team, here, so might as well make the best of a bad situation.

You fish your phone out of your pocket beneath the costume and attempt to take a quick selfie. It’s hard to see the screen through your mask, and really, the only thing you manage to snapshot is a big screenful of your eyeball mask.

You try again.

Just a giant pupil dominating the screen. With a tiny glint of your face’s outline behind it, shadowed and obscured.

Maybe just one more, peace sign and all—

Something cracks behind you as the flash goes off, and your phone slips from your hand. Dammit. It’s hard enough holding it with the gloves. Picking it out of the snow is going to be a pain.

You crouch down and try to grip the slim device, ready to run if you need to because who knows just what the heck is out wandering around this place, but like hell you’ll leave your expensive phone behind.

But—it—just—won’t—stay in your hand—

Fine. Ugh.

You straighten up and turn around, trying to run your hands through your hair before your gloves and mask stop you from doing that.

Then—

“hey.”

Oh holy shit.

An ungodly, strangled shriek escapes you when someone speaks and you turn back around to set your eyes on a walking, talking skeleton. Who is holding out your phone. With a bony hand.

And a broad smile.

“easy there, did i scare ya? i’m surprised you didn’t see me coming.”

You squint—not that he can see. All that this skeleton guy’s presented with is an unblinking, giant eyeball. Again, he holds out your phone, nodding a little, pushing you to take it. Still smiling.

“this is yours, right? pretty updated model. nice find in the garbage dump?”

“Uh.” You reach out and grab the phone, a little more delicately than you would under normal circumstances, but what if you, like, accidentally rip his hand off? The joints look worryingly disconnected. And is he calling your latest and greatest piece of technology a piece of junk?

“don’t think i’ve seen you around before.” He looks past you, over your shoulder—or around your arm, really, because you’re not that much taller than him but the giant eye counts for something and takes up most of your shoulder space. “the name’s sans. sans the skeleton.”

He holds out a hand again, the friendly, universal symbol of “shake my hand, my dude,” but you’re not…quite comfortable with that. Fragile-looking joints and all that. You really don’t want to pull his hand off, so you quote something familiar instead.

“Ah, yes. ‘Last scene of all/ That ends this strange eventful history/ Is second childishness and mere oblivion/ Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.’”

But he just stands there grinning. On second thought, it might just be that his face is stuck that way.

Fuck. This is so weird.

“Because—you’re…. You’re just the skeleton. Uh, it’s the only Shakespeare quote I know.” You try to elaborate, but he doesn’t say anything. “I guess you do have the teeth, though…”

Fuck. You’re so weird.

After a minute of defeated silence passes, and after you shove your phone back inside your spaghetti body, you hesitantly reach out and encase his skeletal fingers in your glove. Lightly. Very lightly. Then immediately let go.

Or try to, at least. The faux noodle loops of your costume tangle around his thumb and jerk his arm forward as you pull back and oh god oh god it’s going to pop off, isn’t it—

Of course you squeezed your eyes shut awaiting the inevitable, despite your outer eye remaining wide open.

After a beat, the skeleton clears his throat.  

“didn’t realize we got so tied up in conversation.”

“Oh—uh. Yeah. Right. Sorry about that.” You look down at the tangled threads and reach out to try and shimmy them loose—but your gloves aren’t helping at all and possibly making things worse. Sheesh. You just want to leave. How awkward. Probably more awkward for him, though, what with a giant eye staring at him the entire time.

Sans reaches forward and attempts loosening the yarn tangled in his magically-connected metacarpals but to no avail. How in the hell did they get so tangled up in such a short time? “so do you have a name? where did you come from?”

“I’m….how do I say this. Lost?”

“nice to meet you, lost.”

“No—ugh. Are you kidding me? I mean I’m literally lost. My name’s Y/N. Uh.” Shit. You didn’t really want to let your name slip like that but the dumb joke caught you off-guard. Not only that, but…he’s the first monster that’s openly interrogated you like this. The flower was set on murderizing you, it seemed, and the goat didn’t really want anything to do with you aside from kicking you out like an irritated landlady.

But…this guy can’t be in his right mind for willingly speaking to a walking Spaghetti Monster. Maybe it’s like weird meets weird and cancels itself out. There’s gotta be some law about that, somewhere. If you could use your phone without dropping it, you’d give the ol’ Gooble search a visit and find out.

“Or if you’re feeling pretty bold, you could always call me the great and mighty pasta overlord.”

He ignores you.

“and where exactly did you come from?”

He’s oddly persistent. But you don’t suppose that’s strange because you’re the stranger here.

“I don’t know.” You wave a glove in a vague direction. “Around?”

The strings attached to the arm of your costume go taught as he pulls his hand around them. Ugh. After all the effort it took to make this ugly costume, you’d be pretty pissed if it tore. You let him drag your arm along to prevent that. And to prevent potential popping of joints.

“really? never heard of it. looks like you might’ve come from the ruins. but those doors back there don’t open often. at all, really. hasn’t happened once since i’ve been posted here.”

“So…I came out of the ruins to see what’s outside?” You don’t know why you’re phrasing it all as a question like guesswork at a fill-in-the-blank, but you’re stuck. Literally and figuratively.

“…you lived in the ruins?”

“Yeah?” Automatic answers usually get you into automatic trouble, but you think probably this is a good thing this time. “Got a little too small for me. Wanted to get out and see the, uh, wide and wild world?”

He stares you down for a moment. You can’t get a good grasp on whether that’s a good or bad thing before he just shrugs and shakes his head a little.

“guess you’re mostly new to the underground, then. not really the first time this has happened, but you’re the first to come out from the ruins.” He gives you a quick, suspicious once-over again before letting up on the yarn. “come on. i’ll take you to snowdin. if we run into my brother along the way, he can untangle this stuff for sure. he’s great at that.”

“Right. Right! Lead the way and I will follow. Both by choice and because I can’t really help it.”

“good thing I know a shortcut…”

--

Snowdin is…you guessed it. More snow.

So much of it that you’ve gotten used to being ankle-deep in the stuff. It’s the fact that this one-man—er, skeleton—welcoming committee is dragging you along by the arm that’s really concerning at this point—and you’re not the only one who thinks so, because it draws quite a few stares from residents. Assuming it’s not just your weird costume doing it.

“this is the inn. probably where you’re gonna want to stay while you get the hang of this place.” He tilts his head towards one of the two cabin-like buildings on the outskirts of the small village and he’s trying to be helpful, you know, but it’s not really helping because you’re broke.

“I kinda don’t have any money.”

“no problem. my pal grillbz can always use an extra set of hands at his bar.”

Your nose wrinkles behind your mask. “There’s a bar here?” Alcohol is what got you into this mess—you don’t want to be anywhere near it anytime soon.

“the best around. it really sets itself as far as dining goes.”

“Was that a— Anyway, I don’t have a resume.” And you’re fresh out of any intent to stay in this place. As soon as this tangled mess gets sorted out, you’re gone. Back to a world you know. Back to a job you already have and really need to get to.

“well, what’re you good at?”

“Have you met me?” You lift up the yarn-covered arm his hand is still tangled up in and shrug, holding your free arm akimbo.

His smile looks a lot like a grimace.

“SANS!”

Before he can say anything, you’re both approached by a…nother skeleton. A tall one, this time, at least more human in proportion. Except for the buff, spherical biceps. Yeah. Maybe not so human after all. But you totally dig his hot pants and plan to buy a pair on your way out of this place.

“I’VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU, AND I FIND YOU SLACKING OFF WITH…WITH…”

Boy, is this getting old. You shift your boots in the snow and try to hold out your right hand to introduce yourself—before stopping short, remembering you’re a little caught up. You drop it again, eyeing Sans at your side. Still grinning. “The Flying Spaghetti Monster.” There’s no enthusiasm in your mask-muffled voice whatsoever. Not even a little. You offer your free hand instead. “Nice to meet ya. I hope.” It isn’t, but you’re trying to be polite.

“…WITH THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER!” he continues, ignoring the gesture and stomping a foot in the snow, sending a few ungrounded flurries your way. “NOW, I’M NOT SURPRISED AT YOUR COLOSSAL LAZINESS, BUT I AM DISAPPOINTED YOU DRAGGED ANOTHER—WAIT. DID YOU SAY ‘SPAGHETTI?’”

His response makes up for your lack of enthusiasm entirely—never in your life have you seen someone’s eyes light up and sparkle at the mere mention of pasta, of all things. His brightened mood is so dazzling you take an involuntary step back, dragging Sans with you.

“SANS! DID YOU HEAR THAT? DID YOU KNOW? THERE’S—THERE’S A SPAGHETTI MONSTER IN THE UNDERGROUND! I HAVEN’T BEEN THIS EXCITED SINCE SANTA GIFTED ME A SPAGHETTI STRAINER! OH, HOW AMAZING! WOULD YOU—WOULD YOU APPRAISE MY CULINARY TALENTS, SPAGHETTI MONSTER?”

You look at Sans again as the tall skeleton opposite you smacks his gloved hands to his cheekbones in wonder. “Is this your brother?”

“yep, that’s papyrus. isn’t he cool?” Sans’ eye sockets crinkle at the edges. At this point, you’re too exhausted to even question it. Too cold, too. “it’d mean a lot to him if you said yes. he’d be more inclined to help us out here, then we could put this all in the pasta.”

Well, suffering a pasta fanatic can’t be any worse than having to deal with terrible puns. Plus, it sounds like you may be getting a free meal alongside getting freed. It’s a win-win.

“Alright. The almighty pasta overlord will grant your request—but for a price. I’m in a predicament here, see? I heard you’re not just great at making spaghetti, but also at fixing problems like this.” You lift up your (and Sans’s) tangled hand, high enough that it’s in his line of sight. “Help untangle us and I’ll appraise anything you want.”

“WHY—YES! I AM. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL WOW YOU WITH MY PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS AND MY SPAGHETTI!” He sets his hands on his hips—pelvic bones, whatever—and puffs out his chest before darting away, scarf-cape fluttering at his shoulders like a hero that’s supposed to steal your swooning heart, but doesn’t.

You look down at the trail of footsteps he left in his wake behind before sighing. “I’m way too sober for this.”

[southeastasianists]

On a scorching Monday in March 2010, an army of protestors in the tens of thousands marched on a military base on the outskirts of Bangkok. Inside, then-Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva sheltered behind the ranks of the royal military that had backed his rise to power two years earlier. Wrapped in the blazing scarlet of the anti-government Redshirt movement, the crowd seemed poised to consume all in its path. All it would have taken was a spark.

Sitting in a café in central Phnom Penh seven years later, exiled Redshirt dissident Jakrapob Penkair thumps his hand on the table in frustration as the afternoon rain beats down on the green tin roof.

“They should have stormed in and showed that we owned that place,” he says. “If I was there, I would have convinced people to storm in. The army has to be given back to the people.”

A founding member of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) and former minister and spokesman for the government of populist Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Jakrapob was forced to flee Thailand in 2009 after giving an allegedly anti-monarchist talk at Bangkok’s Foreign Correspondents Club. Hounded by accusations of slandering the Thai sovereign – a severe offence in the deeply royalist Kingdom – Jakrapob found safe haven in neighbouring Cambodia, though he says he travels frequently across Southeast Asia.

Since the military junta led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power in a 2014 coup d’etat, Redshirt leaders both inside and outside Thailand have found themselves scattered, suppressed and struggling to maintain the support of the people who once took to the streets with them to fight for reform.

Once capable of commanding hundreds of thousands of supporters furious with the 2006 armed overthrow of Thaksin’s socially progressive government, the movement has been a decisive actor in the past decade of turbulent Thai politics. But despite a bold announcement in the months after the 2014 coup declaring the formation of a Redshirt government-in-exile, there has been little overt sign of such an organisation taking shape.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an exiled Thai academic who is an associate professor at Kyoto University’s Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, said that the junta had been brutally effective in dismantling the movement’s support networks across Thailand.

“In the past, [the pro-democracy movement] was quite successful in setting up something like Redshirt villages in almost every province in Thailand, especially in the north and northeast. Now those Redshirt villages have disappeared – and I doubt that it would be easy for them to just revive this kind of system in a short period,” he told Southeast Asia Globe.

Although Jakrapob said he had faith in the continued conviction of the Redshirts’ supporters, he admitted that the local leadership was not the political force it once was. “The Redshirt leadership in Thailand has been crippled by the political suppression that has been put upon them, so I don’t blame them for being quite inactive, and somewhat compromised, in a way,” he said.

Paul Chambers, a politics lecturer at Naresuan University’s College of Asean Community Studies, said that Thailand’s Redshirt movement could well re-emerge as a political powerhouse should long-promised elections finally take place.

“The Redshirt movement, following Thaksin, right now is biding its time until Thailand returns to democracy or the junta becomes extremely unpopular,” he wrote in an email. “Currently the reds pose no real threat to the junta. But they do pose a big threat for any junta-favoured government once Thailand returns to democracy.”

Although Jakrapob was cagey about describing precisely what that threat would look like, he underlined the need for the Redshirt movement to rally around a cohesive political platform founded upon the broadly left-wing, pro-democracy ideals that brought its members together in the first place.

“The existing system has been destroyed,” he said. “The military regime, the junta, the royal institution network with armed forces, it cannot be sustained. But in what form it will be dismantled, that’s another question that I am not willing to discuss today. But when that happens, we have to be ready to propose our idea on what we would like Thailand to be. We need a conventional forum, a big forum, right now to solidify all these ideas into platform policies. Because ideas and goals have to come before the means to fight for them.”

This raises an even more contentious question of what means the Redshirts might mobilise in this fight. Since the coup, the junta has repeatedly accused Redshirt members of stockpiling weapons and plotting assassination attempts against the government, even blaming them for a bomb blast in a Bangkok hospital earlier this year.

And in such a fragmented movement as the Redshirts, claims that individual cells have been preparing for violent resistance to the junta cannot be entirely dismissed: Wuthipong `Kotee’ Kochathamakun, an exiled Redshirt activist who was until recently based in Laos, has done little to lessen the junta’s paranoia with repeated “calls to arms” broadcast across social media interspersed with claims that he is training up “civilian warriors” to oust the junta. Kotee was reportedly abducted from his home in Vientiane by ten unidentified men in black. The Thai junta has denied any involvement in his disappearance. Kotee has not been seen since.

Pavin said that the words and actions of hard-line individuals such as Kotee were playing right into the junta’s hands. “For them to come out like that, it allows the government to justify the accusations against certain Redshirt groups.”

Jakrapob said there would be little need for a civilian militia when the time came, claiming that the Redshirt leadership was in communication with figures high up in the Thai military and police force who were sympathetic to their cause.

“Right now the armed forces belong to the royal palace and see the people as a nuisance,” he said. “But a gun is a gun – it depends on where you point it. In any armed forces, when you are not indoctrinating them properly, with proper ideology for the common good of the people, they turn into mercenaries. And how do you treat mercenaries? You pay them, or you kill them, but you don’t use them.”

Just how much support Jakrapob and the UDD enjoy in broader Redshirt circles remains unclear. Pavin stressed that any discussion on the future of the pro-democracy movement in Thailand had to begin by acknowledging just how diverse it had been from its inception.

“The UDD is one thing – but UDD is not a representation of the whole Redshirt movement,” he said. “There are so many shades within the red. The question is whether you can put these factions to work together towards a common goal or not, which I find difficult as well.”

But Jakrapob claimed that despite past missteps, the widespread desire for reform within Thailand would continue to draw people back to their cause.

“Despite all the mistakes that our leadership made, including myself, all the inaction in the past, all the confusing policies that we imposed in the past, they’re still with us,” he said. “So what they commit to us is not about us – it’s about the goal that we all want.”

Chambers argued that for the Redshirts to once again rally the sort of mass movement that once seemed capable of overturning decades of patronage and entrenched power, the junta’s grip on Thailand would have to slacken considerably. Moreover, he said, they would have to come to terms with the rival Democrat Party still led by Abhisit.

“Thailand’s economy would have to descend further,” he said. “More factionalism would have to proliferate across the army, and there would have to be more compromises and beginnings of unity between the Redshirts and Thaksin on one side and Democrat Party leaders on the other.”

According to Jakrapob, though, a fire that could sweep away Thailand’s ruling elite continues to smoulder in the hearts of the people. “We’ve never had this kind of political determination before… That’s why I believe that, UDD or not, Thaksin or not, the movement will go on,” he said. “The dissatisfaction is all around – you just have to light a match.”

[xsrock-blog]

One of the most exciting metal bands out there today has to be Shadowside. They are simply an incredible metal band fronted by the charismatic Dani Nolden. You can read our review of their new album “Shades Of Humanity” here. I had the chance to sit down and do an interview with Dani and she was a blast to talk with. She filled us in on their latest album, life in rock n’roll and how she almost wound up in a completely different career.

XS ROCK: Hi Dani! So tell me about the latest news with Shadowside? Any new projects coming out, live shows or announcements? Dani Nolden: We have a brand-new album out, it’s called “Shades of Humanity” and it was released worldwide by EMP Label Group, Spiritual Beast, and Furia Music Records. It’s our 4th studio album, and the first one we recorded with our new bassist Magnus Rosén, who used to be in the Swedish band Hammerfall. The album was produced and mixed by Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd and I honestly believe this is our best album up to date! It’s definitely the heaviest, and it’s aggressive, intense, but at the same time very melodic, as we were looking for the balance between the best of both worlds: the heavy guitar riffs and straightforward, in-the-face metal, and beautiful melodies.

XS ROCK:What was your main motivation for starting or being in a band? Dani Nolden: It was the fact that I just couldn’t stay away from music. My “plan A” was never music, I had everything set up to be a professional soccer player and everything was going well, I even ended up playing for the youth team of Santos FC, but I got injured during pre-season and had to stay away from trainings for a few weeks. It was nothing major, but it was enough to give me a taste of what life would be like if I had time to dedicate to music. And it was enough to make me realize I loved music more than I loved sports, so I quit soccer entirely in order to focus on starting my first band.

XS ROCK:What image do you think your music conveys? Dani Nolden: A very realistic one… I think people who dislike songs about the reality of the world should definitely stay away from us! Lots of people who like lyrics about fantasy do like Shadowside as well, because they like both, but our music is definitely NOT for people who DON’T like anything other than fantasy. We have a few songs that speak about the world out there in abstract ways, such as Beast Inside, which is basically a talk from God to us human beings that I obviously made up (laughs), because that is what I imagine God would have to say to us. Anyone who doesn’t believe in God or anything supernatural may just as well listen to that song and enjoy it, because it is basically talking about how we are all born innocent, but mankind as a whole has turned into a time bomb.  I would say we convey a very realistic image, in a very dark way, but at the same time we show the positive side of that chaotic nature we have within ourselves. Our music is very much about the dark thoughts we all have, that we can always turn to something good.

XS ROCK:What are your immediate music career goals? Dani Nolden: Touring, definitely! With our previous album, “Inner Monster Out”, we toured a lot, and now that we have “Shades of Humanity” out, with a brand new video for the song “Alive”, which can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF9Tv5USAYg , we hope we’ll be able to play live a lot in order to support and promote this album.

XS ROCK:What are your long-term career goals? Dani Nolden: That’s a very complicated question, because there’s no way to answer something like this without sounding extremely arrogant (laughs). My long-term career goals are as ambitious as possible, but I keep the short-term ones in mind to keep things achievable. Never in a million years I expected to be where we are now when I had my first band rehearsal, so I learned to never doubt things are possible, as long as I keep my feet on the ground. So, for that reason, I just keep my long-term career goals to myself (laughs). We do have a lot of dreams, but we’ll take it one step at a time, and for the time being, just focus on hitting the road.

XS ROCK:Which do you prefer? Writing new songs and recording or playing for a live audience? Dani Nolden: Both, it depends a lot on what the moment is inside the band. After a tour, I become really interested in writing new stuff, but after I finish recording the new stuff, I feel less creative and more interested in playing live what we just recorded… so both are things I love doing, but what I love the most is cyclical. Since we just released “Shades of Humanity”, what I want to do now is play live.

XS ROCK:What are your songs about? What specific themes do they cover? Dani Nolden: On “Shades of Humanity”, they are mostly about the moral values we have, about how we are all made of different shades of grey and how nothing is pure black and white. There are songs about several things we must face, not necessarily in a direct way, but we do face in one way or another. Songs about abortion, greed, doing questionable things with good intentions or doing great things with selfish intentions… but also, about hope that there is a way to fix it, and that there are good things we can do.

XS ROCK:Do you have any outrageous tour stories from the road? Dani Nolden: We’re a pretty “square” band, so our stories aren’t crazy, they’re just scary. They don’t involve party, so I don’t know how many people would be interested in that (laughs). Most of the crazy things we lived on the road are due to accidents or near-accidents, such as an almost crash between our bus and a truck in Poland, a 300km unpaved road in Albania that took us almost 8 hours to cross, being stuck in snow right outside the venue, also in Poland, because us stupid Brazilians had no idea at the time how to deal with snow, since we don’t have it here (laughs). Most of the stuff we go through are just the things all bands go through when they tour… but it all pays off in the end!

XS ROCK:What’s the strangest request that you’ve ever received from one of your fans? Dani Nolden: There was a fan, I think it was in Germany, he absolutely REFUSED to accept a discount. He got mad… seriously mad because we offered him a discount for buying one of the combos we were offering. If the CD was $15 and the t-shirt was $20, we would offer a combo of 1 CD + 1 T-shirt for $30, for instance. And if my memory doesn’t fail me, 3 CDs was $30. And it was all written on a sign, but the guy got really, really angry, because he wanted to pay $45 for the CDs, not $30. We had to accept the money, he wouldn’t have it any other way! So that was a very supportive fan! I haven’t received any crazy requests, thankfully!

XS ROCK:Were your parents supportive of your aspirations to play in a rock band? Dani Nolden: Very much, yes.

XS ROCK:What are your favorite tracks to play live? Dani Nolden: From the previous albums, my favorite ones are “Highlight” from “Theatre of Shadows”, our debut album, “In the Night” and “Hideaway” from Dare to Dream, “Angel with Horns”, “Gag Order”, “Habitchual” and “Waste of Life” from “Inner Monster Out”, and from the new album “Shades of Humanity”, I have yet to find out, as I love them all (laughs). But I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy “The Fall”, “Alive”, “Stream of Shame”, “What If” and “Make My Fate”.

XS ROCK: If you could design a dream tour for your band, who would be on the bill? Dani Nolden: That’s another tricky question… I think it would be really cool to team up with other female fronted bands, like Arch Enemy and Nightwish, but I would also add other bands that I like, such as Disturbed, and solo singers like Sebastian Bach. I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s my dream tour, right? (laughs)

XS ROCK: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment so far? Dani Nolden: Playing in so many countries… that is what made me realize how far we had come. We were doing soundcheck in Helsinki, Finland, and suddenly it hit me: “damn, I’m REALLY far from home right now!”.

XS ROCK: If you weren’t performing in a band what kind of career do you think you would have? Dani Nolden: Probably something to do with business and finances, as that is my major and it turns out I enjoy very much the business and management side of music. Combining both being an artist and the business side of things is awesome for me!

XS ROCK: What type of equipment do you use for live shows? Dani Nolden: We use ENGL amplifiers nowadays. That’s the amp we used to record “Shades of Humanity”, and we’ll be using it on the tour as well.

XS ROCK: For anyone that doesn’t know you, what would they be surprised to know about you? Dani Nolden: Depending on what song they hear, they may think it’s a male singer, or that we have a male and a female singer, but it’s just me, a female. It’s very funny when people get confused, especially because I’m not a growler, but my voice is low, so some people think it’s a guy and it always amuses me (laughs). Regarding the music, some new fans mention that they enjoy how we are straightforward, but still pay a lot of attention to the arrangements. Some arrangements are intricate but they sound very simple… easy to listen, but not THAT easy to play, you know? They’re not overly complicated and nothing incredibly technical as we do like to keep things simple, but they’re not as simple as they sound sometimes.

XS ROCK: If someone had never heard you before, how would you describe your sound? Dani Nolden: Melodic, catchy, yet very heavy and intense. It’s a mix of the energy of extreme metal with the musicality of hard rock and more traditional heavy metal, with a little touch of the 80’s, played in a current, modern way.

XS ROCK: Is there anything that you’d like to promote or say to your fans out there? Dani Nolden: I just hope you guys will enjoy “Shades of Humanity” as much as we enjoyed writing and recording it! It’s available now worldwide in CD and digital versions, so you can get it on iTunes, Spotify, Deezer or your favorite physical store and our own website http://www.shadowside.net

XS ROCK: Thanks again for taking the time to talk with us at XS Rock! Dani Nolden: My pleasure! Thank you so much for the support!

http://www.shadowside.net

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  XS ROCK Talks With Shadowside Vocalist Dani Nolden One of the most exciting metal bands out there today has to be Shadowside. They are simply an incredible metal band fronted by the charismatic Dani Nolden.