Inconnu

This is my gothic rock or post-punk musical project. All of the instruments and vocals were performed by myself except for the sampled drums. I will be posting demo versions of these songs as they are written for a future release.

https://www.facebook.com/inconnuband/

Art Gallery

All of this is my work. Some old and some new.

Paint

Ink

Digital

                   

D&D Creation Myth

In the beginning, the Great Dragon, known only as Io, swam through an endless void of space but soon grew weary of emptiness and distant stars. Upon discovering a giant rock, the Dragon decided to rest. Once there, it laid two unusual eggs, one of gold and one of silver. From these eggs burst Sol and Luna, two beings of indescribable majesty and power.

The Dragon adored the bright, radiant warmth of Sol, but did not show much interest in Luna, only sleeping when she was present. Luna became tired of existing in the shadows, so one day she disguised herself as Sol, eclipsing him. She gathered the leftover dust from ancient stars and used it to make the Dragon fall into a deep, perpetual sleep.

The Dragon burrowed into the rock, it's spine jutting out to form mountains, it's red, fiery breath escaping in plumes from volcanoes. When it began snoring, the surface of the rock shook violently. From the cracks, the sky and sea were released, surrounding the rock in blue.

Sol was not pleased with Luna and fought with her, leaving scars still visible from below. When the battle ended, the sun looked down and saw the sea for the first time, reflecting his own radiant light in hypnotic waves. Sol warmed the sea and she gave birth to the first creatures and green plants. Thinking that Sol would claim the sea as his own, the sky created storms, blocking Sol's light from the object of his affection. In retaliation, Sol separated the sky and sea, never to be joined again.

The sea grieved, her tears filling the lakes and rivers of the world and retreated to the depths of the ocean. Many of the sea's children left for land, drawn by the light of their father, others stayed behind. The largest of these land creatures, the giants, carved great canyons from the rock.

The Great Dragon may have been sleeping but it still dreamed, and from it's dreams, Bahamut and Tiamat, manifested. Who in turn brought metallic and chromatic dragons into the world. When these young dragon descendents encountered the giants, war was waged between them for hundreds of years, wiping out huge swaths of creatures. This mass extinction of life did not go unnoticed by the Old Gods.

Sol convened a meeting and it was decided, they would call upon forces from the Elemental Plane, to stabilize the world. The cycle of life and death would need to be balanced to prevent future catastrophes. The Four Elements were each given a corresponding season, and a representative in the world tasked with maintaining equilibrium.

Bahamut too, saw the need for order and joined with the Old Gods. They banished Tiamat to the Abyss for sowing evil in the world, then took their place in the Astral Plane.  

Ritual Possession - Beneath the Demon Moon

This is the video I made for the first single from Solitude.
It was edited together from public domain footage.

Ritual Possession

UPDATE: This recording is now available as a digital download on Bandcamp and on cassette from Vanguard Productions.

I've been working with Yaotzin on a recording project since July of last year. We've been busy writing songs and are now beginning to lay down some tracks for an EP coming out in 2015. Here's a logo I created for the band, along with the track listing for our first release.

Artist: Ritual Possession
Album Title: Solitude
Release Date: April 20th, 2015

Songs:
Beneath The Demon Moon
Embraced by Death
Dying Alone
Winter's Grasp
Wastelands of Eternity
Black Winds of the Mountain
Desolation

Credits:
Yaotzin - all drums, bass, main vocals on 3, 4, 6, noise on 7, lyrics
Canor Morum - all guitar, main vocals on 1, 2, 5, keys on 6

All songs written, arranged, and performed by Ritual Possession. Produced by Ritual Possession and Chris Waters at Solah Studios. Cover art by John E. Logo by CM.


Interview with Yaotzin and Canor Morum:
occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2015/06/ritual-possession-interview.html


Reviews:
"raw primitive black metal, with plenty of slow times, great drum work and catatonic riffs, few bands are this within the black, a return to the roots in the making."
- elcomentamierda

"very great sounding dark, raw and old school black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep."
-occultblacklmetalzine

Ten Things I Hate About the Internet

I grew up with libraries and loved going there and pouring through books and discovering new ideas as a kid. I would carefully search for the book I was looking for, bring it to a quiet spot, and read comfortably, knowing I wouldn't be bothered.  When libraries started putting in computers with internet access I was excited.

I soon learned that the world was much bigger than I imagined, that other people actually shared my interests, no matter how bizarre, and that I could always find an answer to the questions that wouldn't let me sleep at night.  On the other hand, I learned that the people I despised and avoided in my everyday life were present in abundance on the web, they were given a megaphone, and the information is rife with bias, poor research, and outright lies.

I didn't have home internet access until college.  Since then, the internet has been a part of my everyday life but over the years I have grown to hate it and long for those quiet moments in the library.  With that, I give you my list of ten things I hate about the internet.

#10 - Top ten lists.
Can everything be boiled down to a list of ten things?  Apparently the answer is yes and people will click them and read them about anything.  They don't require a long attention span and constantly remind the reader they are only a few paragraphs away from being done and getting on with their day. You should only read these lists if you are sitting on the toilet in desperate need of some momentary relief.

#9 - Shitty blogs.
Everyone has a blog these days and everyone is a writer. Unfortunately, in order to maintain readers you have to constantly update a blog and you don't have to be a good writer.  There is no filter or an editor saying, "maybe you should spend more time researching and writing this" or "I'm not sure that being snarky and finding creative ways to say, that sucks, is a good substitute for actual writing."  Even worse are the comment sections of blogs and other sites.  Everyone should do the following before making a comment.  Ask yourself if that comment adds anything to the conversation or is even relevant to the topic. If the answer is no, put down the keyboard.

#8 - Image macros. 
If you don't know what this is, it's a picture of an animal or person with a short phrase on it that spreads like an STD.  There's a reason these are so popular, image macros are bite sized, easy to digest, and don't require much thought. The first time you see one it may be mildly amusing but after awhile your eyes just start to glaze over from the repetition.

#7 - Privacy.
There is none. Everyone just spills out intimate details of their personal life with no regard for who is reading it. Companies collect that personal information and sell it to the highest bidder and use it to advertise their products. We all become enraged at revelations of the government snooping into our lives and then continue supplying that information willingly.

#6 - Politics.
Everyone wants you to know their personal opinion and think if people just listened they could change the world with their revolutionary ideas. Problem is, they fail to present any new ideas and keep spouting out their mouths without any indication they are informed on the issue or have even taken a moment to consider another's point of view.

#5 - Trolling.
This activity is increasingly popular and constantly used as an excuse to engage in behavior that would be reprehensible in any other context. People who were once despised are now lauded as being edgy and creative.  I've got news, this has been going on since the birth of the internet. I hated it then and I hate it now.  Don't confuse satire and parody with trolling. Trolls are just assholes, they aren't artists trying to make a point or provoke thought.

#4 - News media. 
News is nothing more than sensationalized titles, conveniently omitted or cherry picked facts, and blatant lies. There is no integrity or courageous investigative journalism to be found. Corporate sponsors and advertisers insure that any meaningful conversation or critical thinking is squashed before it can develop.  You can't blame people for being misinformed or just throwing their hands up because they can't rely on anything. The institution that is supposed to be a watchdog for government corruption and corporate malfeasance is complicit in that same activity.

#3 - Deceptive websites.
Many sites are intentionally difficult to navigate and try to side track you from your intended goal.  Whether it's through intrusive links to other content or disguising ads themselves as content, information that should be easily and quickly obtainable becomes a chore, requiring the creation of an account or signing up for spam emails to get what you need. Some of these sites can even damage your computer by tricking you into downloading software you never wanted and never asked for.

#2 - Artists don't get paid for their work.
Whether it's an image, an article, a song, a video, or a program.  Everything is freely shared with no recognition of the artist or their investment of time in creating it.  The cat is out of the bag on this one and it's just something we have to live with.  Digital reproduction is so good that a copy is as good as the original. There's no going back.  Artists must resort to begging for money to make a living.

#1 - The internet is a colossal waste of time. 
I'm guilty of this as much as anyone.  I start reading something that leads to one thing, that leads to another until the thing I really wanted to get done or research is completely forgotten about.  I spend more time reading about the things I want to do than actually doing them. I hate the internet.

Untitled Song Lyrics/Concept Album

last edit: 9/22/15

I.

in the age of magic and steel
once the crows had all flown
after a long journey in the forest
one hunter took the road home

only to find his village plundered
ruined by wanton reckless slaughter
another tribe had murdered and maimed
all the sons and daughters

grieving, he carried away the bodies
a path of blood staining the snow
deep into the tombs of his ancestors
where his enemies dared not go

there in the darkness and sorrow
something unnatural coalesced
an ancient evil with an offer
and a test

then it spoke...

take this blade of shadow
slay them by my hand
send them back to hell
kill one thousand men
I will bring her back to you


II.

at first he only killed
the most vicious and vile
while searching for the men
who threw his kin into fire

the blade kept him going
searching for answers
whispering with the voice
of the necromancer

take no pity
on these men of vice
death is their mistress
the cost is their life

at last he found the home
of that most wretched tribe
their women wore jewelry
of those who had died

smite them where they stand
the wretched unholy race
take what was taken from you
leave not a trace

with blood lust and vengeance
he raised the blade high
it came down in a storm
until no one survived

standing on piles of viscera
surrounded by broken and dead
covered in blood and hate
the sword glowed black and red


III.

his quest now completed
he returned to the tomb
where her lifeless body lay
pale and blue

animated by dark magic
she slowly began to move
but she couldn't speak a word
only stare with empty eyes
fearful of the light
not dead but not alive

your love now walks among us

vainfully he tried to kill the demon
the shadows laughing at his flailing
but the ebon blade was bound
even death would not release him

your soul is undead
forged in your mind
thrall to your sire
weapon of mine


IV.

transformed by evil deeds
he slept in the tomb at night
his kin were dead and gone
his love, only hollowed bones

you can't murder what's dead
he told himself
to do what must be done
now nothing more than
old flesh and bone

finally at rest and safe from harm
he placed her body into the wall
and covered it with his own