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E.C. McMullen Jr.
PERPETUAL
BULLET

"'Some People' ... may be the standout story in the book."
- John Grant, Infinityplus

E.C. McMullen Jr.
WILLOW BLUE

"'Willow Blue' will burrow under your skin and stay there long after you've put the book down."
- Jeffrey Reddick, Creator of
FINAL DESTINATION

IN OTHER BOOKS
E.C. McMullen Jr.'s
short story
CEDO LOOKED LIKE PEOPLE
in the anthology
FEAR THE REAPER

"This Ray Bradbury-esque is one of the most memorable and one of the more original stories I've read in a long time."
- Steve Isaak,
Goodreads

HORROR 201:
The Silver Scream

Filmmaker's Guidebook
featuring
RAY BRADBURY,
JOHN CARPENTER,
WES CRAVEN,
TOM HOLLAND,
E.C. McMULLEN Jr.,
GEORGE A. ROMERO,
and many more.

And
IN CINEMA
E.C. McMullen Jr.
Head Production Designer

MINE GAMES
(Starring:
JOSEPH CROSS, BRIANA EVIGAN,
ALEX MERAZ)

DECEMBER WOLVES:

COMPLETELY DEHUMANIZED

Review by
Ryan Harding

WON'T YOU?
TIP JAR

DECEMBER WOLVES: COMPLETELY DEHUMANIZED - 1998
USA Release: Jan. 1, 1998
Wicked World / Earache
CD

A few years ago, this album could have been released by Earache. But as the brutal and inaccessible acts of Earache have since been pushed aside to make room for more easily marketable acts, Earache has resorted to releasing what was once expected from them on the Wicked World sub-label.

At least they're still releasing it in some capacity, but unfortunately they chose to sign DECEMBER WOLVES. I say unfortunately because COMPLETELY DEHUMANIZED makes Earache subject to more scorn for hiding away such a mandatory album.

A glance at the cover would probably indicate a hardcore band to most people, but DECEMBER WOLVES is far from that. What they've managed to do is release what may be the first truly "American" black metal album. Its atmospheres and misanthropy are urbanized; no vamps tromping through the woods here, this is seething concrete decay.

There is a strategic use of samples throughout the 31 minute siege, the most interesting of which can be found throughout My Bible. A phone rings, a kid answers, and DW replies with no preamble in a barrage of blast-beats and scathing screams carried by one of the album's best riffs. The tempos are usually at the blasting level, though tracks like "We are Everywhere" and "Not with Tainted Blood" are allowed some build-up. Devon supplies most of the vocals and all the lyrics, which are more unique than a title like "Friday the 13th" would suggest. Whoever the hell is drumming is laying to waste (not told in the liner notes, though the other instrumentalists are credited; if it's a drum machine, then DW also wins the award for most authentic-sounding drum programming -- No drummer at all? not even -1-? Bah! -feo), killing the hi-hat between cymbal crashes.

They don't abandon the role of production in creating black metal, giving themselves a suitably thick, heavy, and altogether abrasive sound. Though it may not receive much acknowledgement as such, this is a very impressive strike from a three (now four) man band from Boston, a necessity in any extreme collection. If it doesn't finish as one of the top ten black metal albums of 1999, this year will have been far too good to be true.

5 Perplex Skulls

Perplex Skull