Propaganda Magazine

31/10/2024

ON THE DAY OF THE DEAD – THE DARK ART OF LAAGRES BELLATOR

Introduction & Interview Questions by Fred Berger

Those infernal nightmares, fantastical descents into the exquisite horrors of my unconscious mind, are sometimes a glimpse into a reality not yet perceived. Recently, one such episode involved a mass possession of the entire human race, where each individual was being pursued by their own personal demon. Even though I could not actually see these dark entities, their presence was revealed in the panicked flight and evasive actions of pedestrians and motorists in a scene of utter pandemonium. Apparently, each particular spirit was visible only to the person it was following, while the others remained hidden under the cloak of invisibility. Then, it was my turn to be stalked, as my own devilish assassin strode towards me – a muscular reddish-brown brute with black holes for eyes. I instantly joined the stampede of frightened humanity, my heart pounding as the fiend trailed close behind, until I cried out in abject desperation, “Jesus save me!” In that moment I awoke, still trembling but profoundly relieved that it had only been a phantasm of the psyche.

To re-establish my connection with the mundane, I turned on the computer and checked my page, and lo and behold what do I see – an illustration of a diabolical being fearfully evocative of the one I had dreamed, posted by Laagres Bellator, a gifted young artist I had befriended a couple of years ago. Entitled “Las Tentaciones de San Antonio” (The Temptation of Saint Antonio), it not only captures the visual essence of this monstrosity, but there is also the theological overtone of the tormented saint. With such a compelling impetus to spur me to action, I asked Laagres for an interview and discovered that there is much more than meets the eye with respect to this rising Mexican surrealist. The intellect underpinning the artwork is truly scholarly and sublime - even transcendent.

THE TRIPTYCH
Left image: “Las Tentaciones de San Antonio” (The Temptation of Saint Antonio). Ink on cardboard, 8.47 x 11.14 in. (21.5 x 28.3 cm).
Center image: The featured artist, Laagres Bellator
Right image: "Peeping Tom II.” Ink on cardboard, 8.47 x 11.14 in. (21.5 x 28.3 cm).

THE INTERVIEW
(Note: Laagres’ English is not only fluent, but masterful.)

FB: Most of your work has a melancholy or macabre quality. What inspires your dark artistic vision?
LB: My work synthesizes my interests, personal experiences, and concerns. I am particularly drawn to topics that, in my view, hold significant relevance for contemporary society, such as the pervasive exposure to violence, hyper-communication, collective narcissism, and the effects of consumerism on both the physical and mental well-being of individuals.

FB: What artists do you admire and have influenced your work?
LB: Visually, I am particularly drawn to the works of Edvard Munch, Francis Bacon, and Doménikos Theotokópoulos (El Greco). However, much of my own art is profoundly influenced by Pop Art. Additionally, literature, philosophy, and music serve as significant sources of inspiration for many of my pieces. While it is challenging to pinpoint specific figures from each of these disciplines, notable recurring influences include Mary Shelley and Giacomo Leopardi.

FB: Where have your works been exhibited?
LB: My first exhibition occurred at the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) when I was just 18 years old. Located in Mexico City, it is one of Mexico’s foremost cultural institutions and home to a significant collection of murals by renowned national artists, including Diego Rivera (the husband of Frida Kahlo), David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco. Recently, my work has appeared at two other venues in Mexico City – Galería Babel and Galería Ex Fábrica. These collective exhibitions presented various artists and themes.

FB: What other creative pursuits are you involved in?
LB: In addition to my artistic endeavors, I have dedicated myself to writing, an area in which I have received an award for poetry, conferred by the publishing house Lectio. This recognition not only emphasizes my passion for the written word, but also underscores the profound significance that art, in all its forms, holds for me.

FB: What is your educational background and what was your focus of study?
LB: I began studying visual arts in a workshop and continued learning in a specialized high school of the arts, the Spota Saavedra Center for Artistic Education. Last year, I earned a BA in Modern Italian Language and Literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, a leading university in my country. This interdisciplinary foundation allows me to intertwine my artistic sensibilities with a deep understanding of literary themes and historical contexts. My engagement with literature enriches my creative practice, fostering a unique perspective that informs my artistic expressions.

FB: How would you describe your career?
LB: I have devoted myself to the free creation of artistic works, as I believe it is essential to maintain authenticity and honor one’s own ideas and convictions. This commitment to genuine expression allows me to explore the depths of my creativity without compromise. In addition to my artistic pursuits, I have also engaged in other disciplines that reflect my passion for literature, particularly translation. This practice not only deepens my appreciation for the written word but also enables me to bridge cultural divides, bringing diverse voices to a broader audience.

FB: You are quite androgynous. How has the issue of gender influenced you and your work?
LB: The influence of gender roles and archetypes on how individuals behave and present themselves, along with the specific challenges they face depending on their assigned or assumed gender, is a recurring theme in my work. I particularly emphasize how violence affects men and women differently, a theme I explored in the “Peeping Tom” series.

FB: Being Mexican, what significance does the Day of the Dead have for you? Do you celebrate it? If so, how and why?
LB: In Mexico, the celebration of the Day of the Dead ("Día de Mu***os") varies by region. The most common practice involves visiting cemeteries to place small offerings (food, flowers, candles, and other items) on graves, or creating altars known as "ofrendas," typically dedicated to deceased family members. These altars contain specific elements that reflect both Indigenous and European influences. For me, this tradition is a vivid reminder of how deeply intertwined national history is with individual identity. The making of altars is a practice I engage in every year during this time.

LAAGRES BELLATOR’S FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/234579101181azzgh

27/10/2024

02/10/2024

PROPAGANDA MAGAZINE’S MS. OCTOBER

Written by Fred Berger
Photos by Secret Playground

With the most gothic month on the calendar upon us, it is only fitting that it should have a representative – a Ms. October, if you will. In my capacity as publisher and editor-in-chief of Propaganda Magazine, I have nominated Julia Doom to fill this distinguished position. Not only does she possess the qualities of exquisite beauty and impeccable fashion sense, but she also models and DJs. In the former role, she is the muse of Secret Playground, a photographic project established by noted style and scene photographer Jaysen Michael. As for the latter, she and Jaysen are co-members of two DJ groups – the goth, new wave, post-punk Neon Electric and the cold wave, witch house, dark wave Shadow Garden, serving clubs and events throughout the American Southeast. This is a region of Gothdom that is not to be underestimated, with the Chamber in Atlanta and the Angel Club in New Orleans of years past, as well as the current Midnight Effect in Birmingham and the Castle in Tampa standing as monuments to its undying vitality. Not only was the Southland heavily covered in Propaganda throughout the 1990s, but it provided more than its fair share of top models. And with the lovely and talented Julia, courtesy of Secret Playground, this illustrious legacy continues.

ABOUT THE PHOTOS: Taken within the past year, these images feature Julia Doom out and about on the scene. The top photo was shot on the streets of Birmingham AL and the bottom photo at the Castle goth-industrial club in Tampa FL. (Photos & Copyright © by Secret Playground)

26/08/2024

STOLEN KISSES, STOLEN LIVES

Text & Photos by Fred Berger

Today, 26 August 2024, marks the first anniversary of the untimely demise of Propaganda model Jillian Ann Durgin. Her death came swiftly in a high-speed auto collision near her home in Georgia – she was only 42. She had been in a downward drug spiral for several months prior to the accident, and this was very likely a contributing factor. I must have done upwards of 50 shoots with her from 2001 to 2011, with her appearing on the cover of Propaganda Magazine’s Winter 2002 issue as well as my photo book Pulp Fe**sh, published by Goliath Books in 2007. She was also the darling of many other photographers and filmmakers throughout the world, and had a reputation for boldness and exuberance. But she wasn’t just a pretty face – she was the founder and director of the famed alternative fashion house Ritual, which she launched in 2013. Moreover, she was a goth-industrial recording artist of some renown, releasing a number of records on her Mental Sanctuary label. Her beauty was matched by her creativity and determination, but she had a habit of taking on more projects than she could handle, and this proved to be her ultimate undoing. She was a dear friend and inspiring muse whose role in my work and social life has left me with a sense of profound appreciation and lingering sorrow.

This remembrance of Jillian brings to mind another Propaganda cover girl whose departure from this mortal coil likewise came all too soon. Well known to New York’s downtown goth scene, Jenny Any Dot appeared on the cover of Propaganda‘s Winter 1998 issue (pictured in this article). In addition to modeling for photographers and fashion shows, she worked in the Soho studio of acclaimed pop artist James Rizzi. Unfortunately, she also suffered from drug dependency, and just a couple of months after the Propaganda cover shoot she overdosed on he**in. This incident prompting her to return to her family in Georgia – yes, another beauty from the “Peach State.” After that I never saw her again, and lamented over the lost potential of this would-be Propaganda supermodel. I would not hear anything more about Jenny until 2010, when I learned of her death due to another OD. Although we did socialize on several occasions, including seeing The Sisters of Mercy in 1997 in Philadelphia, my connection to her wasn’t nearly as deep as the one between me and Jillian. Even so, I was very saddened at the news of her passing. Both of these lovely women were utterly enchanting, and in a sense, they kissed us through their striking images on the covers and pages of Propaganda Magazine. But the taste on our lips is bittersweet, knowing that they met their ends so soon and under such dire circumstances.

LEFT PHOTO: Jenny Any Dot (left) on the cover of Propaganda Issue #24/Winter 1998. She is certainly tempting fate with her black cat and number 13 tattoo. The actual cover was full color, but for this article the color was desaturated and replaced with a sepia tone to achieve a more somber and aged look. (Photo & Copyright © by Fred Berger, 1997)

RIGHT PHOTO: Jillian Ann Durgin (right) in an Old West themed photo-shoot entitled “Good Times Saloon.” It featured four female models – two outlaws, a bounty hunter, and Jillian as the ranch hand and object of desire. She was always eager to pose – the more risqué, the better she liked it. (Photo & Copyright © by Fred Berger, 2009).

READER NOTE: In the comments section of this article is a photo of Jillian Ann Durgin modeling for Ritual Fashions. Also posted in the comments section is an illustration derived from Propaganda Magazine’s Jenny Any Dot cover.

04/08/2024

A BIRTHDAY MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR:
PROPAGANDA MAGAZINE’S MODEL OF THE MILLENNIUM

Text & Photos by Fred Berger

(Revised draft to comply with Facebook guidelines.)

Not even on my birthday (August 4th) do I get a day off – such is the life of a workaholic editor and publisher who is constantly in demand and in the limelight. And yet, on this annual occasion I at least pause for a while to take stock of my life – looking back on the path I’ve trodden and pondering what may lie ahead. Being a subculture photographer and chronicler with 42 years of experience in the field, my thoughts turn to the iconic images I captured of Propaganda Magazine’s most prolific model, Brooklyn, a young woman who was such a chameleon that she was perceived as six different models with various bylines. Among the luminous male, female, and trans personas she presented, the one that grabbed the most attention was the Russian street punk Dmitri, a fictional character I invented who stole the hearts of Propaganda’s worldwide audience. In the role of this 18-year-old ju**ie struggling to survive on the blighted streets of Moscow in the 1990s, the 21-year-old Brooklyn was absolutely convincing and captivating.

Over a dozen North American and European gay, fe**sh, goth, art, and fashion publications clamored to interview this fascinating young “man,” but since I didn’t want to expose the ruse, I simply told them that I had lost contact with him. Lacking an interviewee, they nevertheless reported on my photo-essay which featured Dmitri in Propaganda Magazine Issue #25/Winter 1998-99. This issue of the magazine received more recognition than any of the others, primarily because of Dmitri’s fierce beauty and eloquence, conveyed by my photography and storytelling. Several people from the New York goth-industrial scene were so smitten, they proposed bringing him to the city to work in the clubs, which I dissuaded them from attempting since he had “dropped out of sight.”

All this publicity and acclaim prompted me to produce more editorial content with he**in chic and alt q***r themes, which were intoxicatingly sensual and aesthetically enthralling. This work eventually caught the eye of the Schwules Museum (Q***r Museum) in Berlin, Germany, that entered over twenty of my photos in their March 2006 group exhibition, a quarter of which featured Dmitri. One of the attendees of this event was the owner of Goliath Books, a Berlin-based publisher, who immediately contracted me to produce a book of my gay oriented photography. Entitled ‘Desperado,’ it was released in November of that same year with two covers, one depicting three leathermen standing shoulder to shoulder, and the other featuring a solo photo of Dmitri. Five more photos of Brooklyn’s portrayal of this character appear in the book’s travelog section, that includes numerous photos of models playing the part of cruisers, hustlers, and crossdressers. These enticing and suggestive images are interspersed with my urban landscape photography, which I shot in various cities around the world, thus creating a credible if somewhat idealized global perspective. The fe**sh role-playing section of the book also involves models, in this case posing in non-explicit vignettes with an emphasis on styling and drama.

These modeling shoots were all done in the United States, mostly in New York City, involving individuals who were over the age of 18 at the time they posed for me, as documented in their model releases and photocopies I’d made of their state issued I.D.s. Much of the content involves the aesthetics of androgyny which is stylistically integral to the glam rock, goth, emo, and avant-garde fashion scenes, which have been extensively covered in Propaganda Magazine. ‘Desperado,’ like Propaganda, was sold throughout the world by large retail chains such as Barnes & Noble, Borders Books, Tower Records, and Virgin Megastores. The book is still available from online mainstream book retailers and secondary vendors.

To say one thing leads to another is somewhat of an understatement in this particular case. More importantly though, it’s time to get a bite of Birthday cake.

LEFT PHOTO: Dmitri as pictured in Propaganda Issue #25/Winter 1998-99. Brooklyn’s portrayal of this character was her greatest modeling achievement of the many varied personas she presented in the magazine. However, because of her tremendous versatility and the different bylines which accredited her work, she never achieved significant name recognition. She appeared in four issues of Propaganda Magazine and graced the covers of two of them in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. (Photo and Copyright © by Fred Berger, photo taken in 1998)

RIGHT PHOTO: In addition to portraying a variety of characters in Propaganda Magazine, Brooklyn also modeled women’s clubwear. In this photo she’s wearing a polyurethane halter-top and pants by Lip Service. (Photo and Copyright © by Fred Berger, photo taken in 2000)

READER NOTE: Posted in the comments section of this article is the book ‘Desperado’ and Propaganda Magazine Issue #25/Winter 1998-99, both of which feature Dmitri/Brooklyn on their covers.

29/07/2024

EMPIRE 44: MUSIC, MAGICK & MILITARISM

Text & Photo by Fred Berger

The First World War broke out in all its terrible fury on 28 July 1914 – today marks its 110th anniversary. It was a conflict which in four years would claim the lives of 9 million soldiers and 8 million civilians across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The “Great War,” as it was called, was precipitated by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire. He and his wife were ambushed and shot dead in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on 28 June of that fateful year by a young Bosnian man who opposed his country’s annexation into the imperial domains of the Habsburg dynasty. Believing that the assassin was armed and directed by Serbian intelligence agents, Vienna declared war on Serbia and launched a punitive expedition to quash its interference in Austrian affairs. This initiated a chain reaction whereby the system of alliances that bound the two opposing factions of European powers together, subsequently dragged one nation after the other into the maelstrom. The Entente consisted principally of Great Britain, France, and Imperial Russia – and the Central Powers was comprised of Imperial Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. The Kingdom of Italy and the United States entered the fray belatedly, with both joining the Entente – the former in 1915 and the latter in 1917. And even through Russia capitulated due to the overthrow of its government, America’s overwhelming might decided the outcome of the war in favor of the Entente. The Armistice was signed by a defeated Germany and its adversaries on 11 November 1918, bringing an end to the most devastating war in history up to that time.

So catastrophic was this so-called “war to end all wars,” and so monumental were its repercussions, that some bible scholars and esoteric researchers have claimed it marked the start of the prophesied End Times. The Treaty of Versailles, the peace settlement which came into effect in January 1920, unjustly placed sole responsibility for the war on Germany. Its harsh terms imposed economically crippling reparations payments to the victors and stripped the country of 12% of its territory, most of which was ceded to Poland. The forfeiture of Germany’s eastern provinces of West Prussia, Posen, and Upper Silesia was part of the scheme to resurrect the Polish nation, which had ceased to exist upon its absorption into the Imperial Russia Empire in 1832. But with the fall of the Czar and the Romanov Dynasty in 1917, this became a desirable diplomatic goal. Of course, these circumstances provided the rationale for the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. Once again, a localized regional conflict escalated into a worldwide conflagration, largely through the machinations of Western hegemons. The regime in Berlin had no global ambitions, but was instead focused primarily on re-establishing Germany’s pre-1920 borders or some facsimile thereof. As for the seizure of its African colonies by the Entente powers, it sought compensation through the establishment of a Germanic empire in the European regions of the Soviet Union. A confrontation with Britain and France was never intended, but their declarations of war against Germany in response to the Polish incursion prompted its pre-emptive invasion of Western Europe in the spring of 1940. This set in motion a calamitous war that would claim the lives of up to 85 million people, with civilian losses doubling that of military personnel. The death and devastation wrought by this near-Apocalyptic catastrophe exceeded all the previous wars combined, and culminated in the first use of nuclear weapons, with American aircraft dropping two atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945. This unprecedented act of total destruction marked the end of the Second World War, and initiated a terrifying nuclear arms race, primarily between the United States and its erstwhile ally the Soviet Union.

The ebb and flow of global events since the collapse of the USSR in 1991 have provided no reassurance, and conceivably could be propelling humanity toward a Third World War, which given the vast nuclear arsenals and stakes involved could truly be the “war to end all wars.” However, such an outcome would not be the hoped-for era of peace imagined in the immediate aftermath of World War 1, but rather the outbreak of the Battle of Armageddon, the final conflict. A number of eschatologists have correlated this sequence of monstrous events with the release of Abaddon, the angel of the bottomless pit foretold in Chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation, who may very well have been loosed upon the Earth on this day in 1914.

From this continuum of cosmic and existential horror arose Liers In Wait, a deep musical and occult exploration of utter darkness initiated by guitarist, singer, and song writer Erik Sizemore in the mid-1980s. The group’s name was derived from the demonic deities of ancient Sumer who imparted their knowledge of writing, science, mathematics, agriculture, medicine, and astrology to this earliest known civilization. It is said that these entities, also known as the “Ancient Ones,” were motivated by the desire to emancipate humans from their Creator, the authoritarian Jehovah. The group’s biggest release was ‘Spear of Destiny’ in 1993 on Railroad Records, the title referring to the lance that pierced the side of Christ at the Crucifixion. This holy relic is said to possess miraculous powers of world conquest or universal peace, depending on the intentions of the one who wields it. It was incorporated into the band’s logo to form an inverted pentagram in conjunction with crossed daggers and devil horns (see this graphic in the comments section of the article).

Touring with bands such as Genitorturers, Electric Hellfire Club, Front 242, and Christian Death (the Rozz and Valor iterations), Liers In Wait was a rising star on the goth-industrial scene, which attracted the attention of Propaganda Magazine, resulting in a major feature in its Spring 1995 issue. That review, written by editor-in-chief Fred Berger, stated, “Liers In Wait is to music what Giger is to art and Lovecraft is to literature.” Another notable alternative music publication that covered the group was Seconds Magazine, with its members being interviewed by Michael Moynihan who wrote, “Liers In Wait is bound to become an underground classic chronicling these lesser days of the late 20th century.”

The Apocalyptic tendencies of Liers In Wait are clearly evident throughout much of their published work, but perhaps its most sublime expression is found in the unreleased song ‘Megiddo.’ The name is taken from a hill in northern Israel where fortresses were built to guard a strategic crossroads in ancient times. It appears in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 16 using its Greek name – Armageddon, the prophesied site of the climactic End Times battle between the forces of good and evil. This darkly enchanting track was the spontaneous result of a jam session noteworthy for its Middle Eastern acoustic style and highlighted by the seductive non-verbal vocals of Regeana Campbell. Erik refers to it as “ritual music” – it was indeed a conjuring!*

But such invocations can be potentially dangerous, and rather than continue to stare ever deeper into the abyss, putting themselves at the mercy of whatever is staring back, the group decided to examine the duality of man from a spiritual as well as a humanistic perspective. Enter Empire 44, the next phase of Erik’s Grail quest launched in 1997, once again seeking arcane knowledge and expressing it through the medium of music. Utilizing sources as diverse as the Holy Bible and the works of Ayn Rand, plus iconography as paradoxical as the Crown of Thorns and Son of Sam’s “44” caliber killer symbol, this experiment in human consciousness took a more nuanced approach. This newfound illumination was embodied by the Black female singers Johnnie Lee Hooper and Trina Meade, whose soulful vocals lifted the veil ever so slightly to allow a narrow shaft of light to pierce the all-consuming darkness. Erik always had a knack of recruiting beautiful women for his projects, most notably keyboardist and backing vocalist Olga Gazman, who became a popular Propaganda model appearing in several of its photo features in the mid-1990s.

Speaking of beautiful women, Erik’s latest creative endeavor, the 2022 horror film ‘Bed of Nails,’ stars Deanna Marine in the role of Sky, the sultry goth girl witch who comes back from the dead to wreak vengeance on the thugs who sadistically murdered her and her friends. Produced, directed, and written by first-time filmmaker Michael Malott, this low budget exploitation flick is basically a supernatural version of ‘I Spit On Your Grave.’ Other than the enticing and exquisitely diabolical Sky, the film’s most noteworthy feature is the phenomenal over-the-top soundtrack, which consists entirely of Liers In Wait and Empire 44 songs. Entered in over a hundred film festivals, it has garnered dozens of accolades and awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Soundtrack. Erik’s contribution to the production also includes his role as Leroy, one of the killers whose cruelty and cowardice is absolutely detestable and insanely hilarious. ‘Bed of Nails’ is scheduled for commercial release on multiple platforms and in various formats this coming August 26th. Let’s just hope the End can be postponed long enough for this to happen, and if not – at least Erik can say, “I told you so.”

ATTENTION READERS, ADDITIONAL EDITORIAL CONTENT:
In the comments section of this article is a post with a photo of Sky from the film ‘Bed of Nails, and another with links to the Liers In Wait song ‘Megiddo’ and the Empire 44 songs ‘God of’ and ‘My Stand.’

PHOTO CAPTION: The Empire 44 honor guard. From left to right are Heather Burress, Johnnie Lee Hooper, and Shannon MacDonald. This photo was shot in 2000 in Atlanta GA, the band’s hometown. (Photo & Copyright © by Fred Berger)

LIERS IN WAIT & EMPIRE 44 SONG REVIEWS

1) ‘Whore of Babylon’ by Liers In Wait, on the Spear of Destiny LP, released in 1993:
A hard danceable number inspired by the Mother of Harlots from the Book of Revelation. Haunting female vocals conjure blasphemous visions of this bejeweled scarlet-clad woman writhing in ecstasy she tempts the kings of the earth. Meanwhile, like a mad prophet, vocalist Bill Anderson proclaims the terrible destruction which her fornications bring upon mankind. The frenetic yet precision guitar work is positively wicked! (This track is on Youtube.)

2) ‘Burning World’ by Empire 44, on the self-titled Empire 44 EP, released in 1997:
The song opens with a somber female voice saying, “I started having the dreams.” This is followed by Erik repeatedly bellowing “I see the end” like a man possessed, contrasted by samples of a radio evangelist nonchalantly referring to the Apocalypse and Armageddon. The song is a visionary nightmare of impending doom, sung with such ferocity and conviction that if the fulfillment of End Times prophecies fails to materialize, this piece just might bring it about through sheer dint of will. (This track is on Youtube.)

3) ‘My Stand’ by Empire 44, on the Shock Waves LP, released in 2000:
In the same vein as The Rolling Stones’ ‘Sympathy for the Devil,’ this number is sung by Erik from the 1st person perspective of Lucifer in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ intuitively capturing the pathos and pride of this tragic antihero. His defiant “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” credo is on full display, with the band’s fabulous Trina Meade singing in harmony – “I stand, starring back at you, from my emptiness, I’m standing her in spite of you.” (There is a post in the comments section of this article with a link to this song.)

4) ‘God of’ by Empire 44, on the Shock Waves LP, released in 2000:
This foot-tapping gospel meets hard rock song is a gnostic proclamation of sorts, challenging the authority of the demiurge with powerful lyrics and an irresistible beat. The lush female vocals are evocative of a Black spiritual, and yet convey a rebellious Miltonian dialectic – “I am the god of war, I am the god of love, I am the god that sits in judgement high above; do as I say, don’t do as I do, or I will let the whole of my wrath rain down upon you.” (There is a post in the comments section of this article with a link to this song.)

5) ‘Enter Night’ by Empire 44, on the Shock Waves LP, released 2000:
This melancholy symphonic piece appears to take a dubious view of the end of the age. Rather than rejoicing over the fulfilled prophecy of Christ’s millennial reign on earth following the Battle of Armageddon, profound disappointment seems to have set in. The crestfallen lyric, “we thought it would last for a thousand years,” may imply that this era of peace might not occur at all. In that case, the phrase “enter night” could suggest the “passage of humanity” into a perennial dark age, or even extinction. (This track is on Youtube.)