Thursday, December 18, 2014

HOTH RELEASES CASSETTE EDITION OF EPIC "OATHBREAKER" WITH AWESOME BONUS TRACK!

(press release from Blackout PR)
Blackened extreme metallers HOTH have reissued their highly-acclaimed sophomore album "Oathbreaker" on cassette format via Portland-based Death Culture Tapes.  It is available to order here.

The limited run of 100 cassettes will include a free sticker and an exclusive bonus track (a Chiptune version of "Serpentine Whispers", which you can check out here).     

"Oathbreaker" is an 8-song, 55-minute opus that "follows the story of an individual from his conception and follows him down a path that grows darker and darker. We wanted to create something that sounded mighty and hopeful in the beginning but spiraled into dreary, black despair by the end."

The Seattle-based duo, consisting of David Dees and Eric Peters, formed in 2011 and released their debut album "Infinite Darkness", the following year. More than just a follow-up to it's precursor, "Oathbreaker" is the work of a matured band possessing the rare ability to fully realize an artistic vision.

 Tracklist:

1. The Unholy Conception (7:22)
2. A Blighted Hope (5:26)
3. Cryptic Nightmares (6:27)
4. Serpentine Whispers (5:24)
5. Acolyte of the Tenebrous Night (7:11)
6. Unending Power (8:11)
7. Oblivion (6:20)
8. Despair (8:56)
9. Bonus: Serpentine Whispers [Chiptune Version] (4:54)

For more info and latest news, visit Hoth on facebook or check out their sitehttp://hothmetal.com.

I have to admit, I really like this a lot...


Friday, December 12, 2014

BEST MOVIES OF 2014

No matter how many movies I watch, there are so many more that I get farther and farther behind on! I feel like I spent most of the year trying to catch up on last year's movies, but I do have two strong picks from the year.

Here Comes The Devil (read my review here)

The Sacrament (read my review of all of Ti West's film here


BEST ALBUMS OF 2014

Its been a good year if you're into original soundtracks on vinyl, doom metal, and synth music. Out of all the great albums that have landed this year I chose five, one being a re-issue.

Werewolves In Siberia "Beyond The City of The Dead"

Wolfmen of Mars "The Light In The Corner Of Your Eye" (Read my joint  wolfy review here)

Mortals "Cursed To See The Future" (Read my Popshifter review here)

Timeworm "Luminescent Wake" (Read my Popshifter review here)

Creepshow original soundtrack re-issue from Waxworks Records (I didn't write a review of this amazing release, but next to last year's Re-Animator release, this is a great package! Translucent blue vinyl with GORE-GEOUS artwork from Ghoulish Gary.)


Sunday, November 30, 2014

KING VULTURE'S SOUND ATTACK 11.30.14 GENERIC POTATO CHIP MIX TAPE

WILLIAM BURROUGHS...NAKED LUNCH excerpt
NAKED CITY...THRASH JAZZ ASSASSIN
LYDIA LUNCH...THE BEAST PART 1
HUBERT SELBY JR...from IT'LL BE BETTER TOMORROW
SONIC YOUTH...SHAKING HELL
KATHY ACKER...OUTSIDE THE LAW, WHICH IS LANGUAGE
SACCHARINE TRUST...EFFORT TO WASTE
HANK WILLIAMS...LOST HIGHWAY
THE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE OF PHILIP K DICK by ROBERT CRUMB
BIG YOUTH...SCREAMING TARGET
ROLLINS BAND...BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION



THE SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH NEEDS A COMIC BOOK CONTINUATION

I want to finish Lucio Fulci's Seven Doors of Death story. Unfamiliar? They include three of his films City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, and House by the Cemetery. That leaves four doors unopened and a storytelling void that needs to be filled. I envision a graphic novel or at least a comic book series. Black and white and gory like my favorite underground comics of the 80s (have you read Dead World or Faust; Love of the Damned or Gore Shriek?) I have a plot that would take the reader through the discovery of the four doors with a single story line, told in four parts, and would reach back to the first three films as a launch point. I see this as an opportunity for multiple writers and artists who love these films to pay a loving tribute to a director who made some of the goriest and stylish films to come out of Italy. The question of rights is huge, of course, and then where does the money come from? I'm going to start working on all that after the first of the new year, right now I'm trying to wind up my newest book. Any writers and artists that are interested in this project should get in touch. I think this could kick a ton of ass!
 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

THE SEA IS EVERYTHING

"Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of time." HP Lovecraft
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Treasure Island. It was the book that inspired me to be a writer in second grade and still holds a place of honor in my heart. It also inspired an interest in the sea and it's mysteries and danger. As a story location, I find the ocean far scarier than outer space or just about any place else. It feeds my nightmares; the isolation, the unknown, the exhaustion at trying to stay afloat, lungs filling with undrinkable water, and then all the things that will eat you. Funny, though, I've never been to a beach in my life. I've been to the harbors in Boston and New York City and taken the ferry to the Statue of Liberty on a freezing and rainy day, but I've never been to sea.
For a while I toyed with the idea of moving to Seattle for a summer to work on a fishing boat, but I couldn't even afford to drive there, so that went no where.
I still have a weird affection for the sea, despite all my years of not stepping foot in it. I seek out metal bands who have a nautical theme, like Ahab and Sea Bastard. I got into Mastodon because of their album Leviathan. 
Reading Moby Dick was a literary work out similar to reading the Bible for all it's complexities, beauty, and bits so tedious you wonder how many people actually skim or skip them. Legendary monsters of deep always catch my attention and when I had cable I tuned in for shark week. (However, you can keep your sharknadoes and sharktopuses.) There's HP Lovecraft's creatures from the depths, which inspired the Stuart Gordon adaptation of Dagon.
And of course, there's Jaws. If I could pry open my subconscious I might find that my ocean obsession really starts with Jaws. I watched it on cable several times when I was little. It was my first monster movie and I never get tired of watching it.
One of the scenes that I always look forward to is the night time on the boat when the three heroes are huddled around the little table, drinking and telling stories. Quint's war story of being ship wrecked out on the open water with his fellow survivors being devoured by sharks while they wait to be rescued is the scariest part if the whole film for me. It's the actor Robert Shaw’s performance, his command of the material, the way he tells the story there's no doubt that this really happened to him and as he describes the sharks' eyes you can tell he's right back there in the water with no hope of rescue, just fighting for his life against the coldest, cruelest if predators.
This is Speilberg's finest scene he's ever filmed, to me anyway. I anticipate that scene from the opening moments, then ride out that dread and horror to the closing credits. Dreyfus and Scheider are two of my favorite actors, based on Jaws alone. Sure they've had plenty of fine moments through their careers, but if they never did anything else I'd still hold them in high esteem. In fact, I think the cast deserves an immense amount of credit for elevating Jaws from just another nature run amok B-movie, to one of the great American classics.
Spielberg did the best with what he had, primarily a mechanical shark that didn't work, and delivered a work of dread with really good jump scares that's not easily forgotten. While it may be light on gore it's still a lot bloodier, darker and violent than it's PG rating would lead you to believe.
Jaws 2 is great, better than it should be anyway, but I don't have any love for 3 and 4. And I'll just leave those right there like that and move on.
Ron Howard has a sea epic, that was the supposed inspiration for Moby Dick, called Heart of the Sea, and based on the trailer it may well wind up being my favorite movie of 2015. It stars Thor and some other great actors and the CGI in the trailer doesn't look any more offensive than anything in the Avengers. I'm not a Ron Howard "fan" unless your talking about his role as Opie Taylor, but he knows how to make a movie. I'm just not crazy about the stories he chooses to tell. 
I have a great sea epic in me somewhere, I just know it and someday I'll get around to writing it. Hopefully I'll even be able to see the ocean from the deck of a ship someday, but as I get older, poorer, and in worse shape, I'm not holding my breath. So it goes.




Thursday, November 20, 2014

KING VULTURE'S SOUND ATTACK 11.20.14; PERE UBU

pere ubu
Road To Utah
Wasteland
We Have The Technology
Folly of Youth
Caligari's Mirror
Breathe
Nonalignment Pact
Final Solution
Woolie Bullie

Monday, November 17, 2014

WHERE THE HELL HAVE I BEEN???

So posts have been sparse lately, yea? Sorry! I've been working my butt off on my next novel, which is a mean ass, southern fried, no fun, neo-noir, horror epic. It's got political corruption, rock and roll, a death cult, mass murder, and so much more! I'll be posting a preview chapter soon. This is a big one for me, because it's a story that's been haunting me for over half my life, no joke! The book is loosely based on a comic created by my friend Jason Gollihar and I. We started it wanting to push the boundaries of what a comic book could be. We wanted to make something that would one day be regarded as a great work of literature. Years and years and draft after draft, we eventually dropped the idea of a comic and decided to do an illustrated novel.
I've probably written more than a dozen drafts and for this last draft I've edited enough material (for the sake of a quicker pace) to make half a sequel, so I'm getting pretty damned excited about showing this sumbitch off.
Anyway, that's where I've been, fiends. I've still got work to do, but My Heroes Have Always Been Monsters will rise again soon enough...

KRUM BUMS RELEASE NEW VIDEO FOR SMOKE

Texas punx Krum Bums have released an all new video for their song Smoke, which will be on their 12" EP, available exclusively on Black Friday, November 28. Check it now, fiends!

LATE PHASES LOOKS AMAZING

From Dark Sky Films' website;
"Crescent Bay is not the best place to live out one’s golden years. Once an idyllic retirement community, the secluded neighborhood has been beset by mysterious and deadly attacks. When grizzled war veteran Ambrose McKinley (Nick Damici, Stake Land) moves in, the residents immediately take offense to his abrasive personality. But his take-no-prisoners attitude is just what he needs to survive as it becomes clear that the increasingly violent and patterned attacks are being caused by beasts that are neither animal nor man, and the tight-knit community of Crescent Bay is harboring something truly sinister in its midst…"
Late Phases stars Nick Damici (Stake Land, We Are What We Are) and looks to be another winner from Dark Sky Films. It feels like its been a while since we've had a really kick ass were wolf film, or maybe I just haven't seen any? This one though was directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano, who delivered the gut punch Here Comes The Devil last year!
Late Phases opens November 21 in theaters and VOD. Check out this trailer!

Sunday, October 26, 2014

TRAILER PARK 10.26.14

V/H/S Viral...release 11.21.14
The Pyramid...release 12.5.14
Avengers; Age Of Ultron...release 5.15
Woman In Black 2; Angel of Death...release 1.2.15
Babadook...release 11.28.14

Thursday, October 9, 2014

KING VULTURE'S SOUND ATTACK 10.9.14 HALLOWEEN TIME AGAIN!

SAMHAIN...ALL MURDER ALL GUTS ALL FUN
WOLFMEN OF MARS...DOWN THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE
ALICE COOPER...ROSES ON WHITE LACE
THE CRAMPS...HUMAN FLY
MISFITS...HORROR BUSINESS
RAMONES...YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE OPENED THAT DOOR
THE EXPLOITED...HORROR EPICS
CALABRESE...BORN WITH A SCORPION'S TOUCH
BALZAC...D.A.R.K.
WEREWOLVES IN SIBERIA...NIGHT OF THE FLESHEATERS
MISSION CREEPS...CREEPY



Wednesday, October 8, 2014

XVO: POPULATION ZERO/FIFTEEN DEAD SPLIT EP REVIEWED

Philly hardcore crust punks Population Zero and Scottish black metal powerhouse Fifteen Dead have teamed up for sick split album on Suburban White Trash Records. Fifteen Dead's two tracks, Will To Power and Wealth Of Nations, are as good as any black metal I've ever heard. Population Zero have the next four tracks, Lies, Blast Effects, Preemptive Action, and Threatening Skies, all are blazing. No filler here.
Musically both bands are exciting and talented, every track is tight and brutal. I've never been a big fan of either band's vocal styles (death metal growl, scream/screech), mostly because I like to know what the singer is saying. I have learned to appreciate more extreme vocal styles by accepting them as another instrument (think John Zorn's sax on Naked City tracks), so it's a minor, personal gripe for me. I have to admit though, the vocals on Will To Power and Threatening Skies are pretty infectious. Otherwise, for punk and metal fans XVO is a damn fine addition to anyone's album collection.  
If you have a chance to catch these bands live, don't pass on it and get XVO (there's also a cassette edition for us weirdos who still like tapes). You can sample/buy the album here from Chaos Records Distro.
And since proof is in the pudding...
POPULATION ZERO...SPP
FIFTEEN DEAD

Thursday, September 11, 2014

NEW TRAILER FOR THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN RELEASED

It's here; from the co-creator of American Horror Story and the producers of Paranormal Activity, the first trailer for the remake of the 70's creepy classic The Town That Dreaded Sundown...
Really a sequel, set 65 years after the original, the Moonlight Murders in Texarkana have begun again. If you haven't seen the original, the 1976 film is based on a true story about a Texas Ranger hunting a serial killer that terrorizes a small town. Here's the trailer; 


The new trailer looks pretty cool and I'm looking forward to the film. Hopefully it will not be plagued by the awful comedic relief the original had (it's still a cool film, just has some forgettable bits). 
The North Carolina metal band Bloody Hammers released a video for their song inspired by the original;

Sunday, September 7, 2014

PHOBIA'S NEW ALBUM 'GRINDCORE' IS A BEAST

If you're going to name your album after the genre you play in, it damn well better be definitive. Like DRI's  'Crossover'. It was the blueprint for crossover metal (hardcore punk bands that started playing
thrash/speed metal). Phobia's 'Grindcore' is exactly what grindcore is; down tuned guitars, blast beats,
shrieking/growling vocals, and lightning fast chaos. So, yes, 'Grindcore' is pretty damned definitive.
Grindcore was pioneered by bands like Napalm Death, who is probably the biggest name of the genre, and combined the nastiest bits of punk, metal, and industrial. Grindcore has never achieved a mass acceptance or any bands I can think of have crossed over to greater success, but there is a purity to Grindcore that is beautiful. This is a brutal form of music with songs clocking in from a few seconds to under two minutes (this new album from Phobia, with its eight songs, fits on a 7" record). It's not easy music to play, even with the songs being short, there is a stamina required of the musicians that those who can't appreciate Grindcore may take for granted.
 Formed in Southern California in 1990, Phobia are now 24 year veterans of Grind with a deep discography and miles of touring behind them (although Shane Maclachlan is the sole remaining
original member).  Over two decades in and they don't sound jaded, haven't betrayed their fans, and rip like a much younger band. You look at a lot of other bands who got a quarter century into their careers and they're barely recognizable from who they were when they "made it". This new EP is a manic storm of political/emotional madness and will leave you breathless. You want to get into Grindcore or you have a friend who's curious; put "Grindcore" in their hands and worn them about the whiplash.

You can order Grindcore here http://www.deepsixrecords.com/newreleases.htm


Monday, September 1, 2014

KING VULTURE'S SOUND ATTACK 9.1.14 LATE NIGHT MTV OF MY YOUTH, FIENDS!

I'll spare you Queensryche, KISS, and Skid Row, kids. These are some videos that I was absolutely excited to see when I'd stay up all night watching MTV and Night Flight. 

GRIM REAPER...FEAR NO EVIL
IRON MAIDEN...BRING YOUR DAUGHTER TO THE SLAUGHTER
MOTORHEAD...IRON FIST
DEATH ANGEL...BORED
DRI...BENEATH THE WHEEL
ALICE COOPER...FREEDOM
THE PLASMATICS...THE DAMNED
JUDAS PRIEST...PAINKILLER
BLACK SABBATH...TV CRIMES
HELLOWEEN...HALLOWEEN
METAL CHURCH...DATE WITH POVERTY

Thursday, August 28, 2014

MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MONSTERS PART 42 (PART 2); HELLRAISER 5-8 (and a bit about 3)

So in the last chapter I was expressing my undying love of the first two Hellraiser films and a strong like of part 4. I wasn't shy about how much I hated part 3 and wasn't planning on revisiting it, but my wife wanted to rewatch it, since neither of us had watched it since we were in high school. So what the hell? After 5-8 we played 3 and...I have to apologize for all the negative hyperbole. I actually really
liked 3 this time around. There are still problems, but its no where near as bad as I remembered. It was just a strange experience; I remembered most everything, but I saw it in a new light and the film played better than I recalled. My take on 3 was that it was too commercial, not an artistic triumph like the first two, probably just a cash in, and finally, I wanted a Hellraiser film not a Nightmare On Elm Street knock off. I suppose I had unreasonably high expectations and possibly influenced by other fans of the series taking a dump on it. I treated Hell On Earth like it was the Star Wars Christmas Special and I retract that statement. It's at least as good as 4.
Right, deep breath, moving on. I plan to be vague in talking about these next four movies to avoid spoilers, except where absolutely necessary.
Hellraiser 5; Inferno was directed by Scott Derrickson, who also directed The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Sinister, and will be directing the upcoming Dr Strange(!!!!!!!!!) film. It stars Craig Sheffer (he played Boone in the great Nightbreed) as a corrupt homicide detective who comes in contact with the puzzle box...and wackiness ensues! In a way, it's Bad Lieutenant vs. Pinhead (actually The Engineer, but I'll say no more). It's a strong film, despite a few flaws. Compared to the first four films it's quite a
departure in tone and focus, but the role of the Cenobites seems more in line with the fist film, than with Pinhead's world domination aspirations in 3 and 4. Inferno is a smaller, more personal film and sets the tone for the rest of the series. It's not very gory, but has some good scares and Derrickson does an admirable job of bringing a new take to the series instead of just a retread of the previous entries.
Rick Bota (House On Haunted Hill remake, Tales From The Crypt) directed the next three installments; Hellseeker, Deader, and Hellworld. If anything, Bota shows how a Hellraiser tv series could be a strong show and a lot of fun. My overall complaint about Bota's three films is that I wish they were hour long episodes of a series. While I enjoyed each (and I'll get into details in a moment) I feel like they each went on just a bit too long. Hellworld in particular could have used about ten minutes shaved off.
Hellseeker brought us Ashley Laurence's return to the franchise as Kirsty Cotton, but geez, blink and you'll miss her! Same with Pinhead. Like Inferno, Hellseeker is a hallucinogenic mystery about a man (Dean Winters) who's lost part of his memory after the death of his wife in a car accident. While it's a
fine film, I'm confused by which story Bota chose to focus on. When Heather Langenkamp returned to the Nightmare On Elm Street series in Dream Warriors and New Nightmare, she was all over those films. Ashley Laurence is at least as important to Hellraiser as Langenkamp is to NOES, but she takes a backseat to Winters. When the credits rolled I was left as dismayed by her lack of screen time as I was entertained by the film overall. Hellseeker could have used a bit more streamlining or maybe I'm just not a huge fan of how Bota shoots his films, because I have the same complaint about the next two films.
Bota followed up with Deader, starring Kari Wuhrer (Swamp Thing the series, Remote Control, childhood crush) as an investigative journalist who travels to Romania to report on a death cult. Deader is a stronger film than Hellseeker, more focused with a few better scares. Though the ending seems
tossed off, like everyone shrugged their shoulders and said "I don't know...chains?" "Sure, whatever." Considering Hellworld came out the same year as Deader, I get the impression these films were rushed on the cheap just to get product on the market.
Hellworld is the one I shake my fist at. Though it features Lance Hendrickson (Aliens, Pumpkinhead) it  doesn't have much else going for it, except a good idea that doesn't get utilized. The idea is that Hellworld is an online role playing game based on the Hellraiser franchise. Players have a tendency to become obsessed with the game and the friend of the main characters commits suicide at the beginning of the movie. Having Hellrasier as a film within a film is interesting, but the logic leaps and annoying cast tank the overall product. Not even young Superman, Henry Cavill adds any interest. But Hellworld does boast some cool set pieces, some good scares, and some decent gore. Hendrickson is fun to watch, and of course when the Cenobites finally show up it's sweet, but woefully short.
Inferno is by far the strongest of the second half of the Hellraiser series. I get the strong sense that
Bota's three films would have been much better had he been given a better budget and more time to develop the scripts. Which is not to say 6-8 aren't worth watching, they certainly are, just adjust your expectations accordingly.      

GET EXCITED; MURDER BALLADS IS COMING


I can't overstate how much I'm looking forward to Bluetrane Productions' upcoming Murder Ballads. The teaser trailer dropped on line a couple days ago (you can watch below) and it reminds me of those great Dario Argento films like Deep Red or Tenebre. I only know director/co-writer James Branscome via Twitter but he seems like a righteous dude with impeccable taste, but I've know co-writer Jeffery X Martin for a hell of a long time. If you haven't read his books Black Friday or Stories About You then you need to get on that shit!
Bluetrane Productions has released the teaser for Murder Ballads to help build interest in the project and to seek additional funding. You can and should follow Murder Ballads progress on Twitter and Facebook at
https://twitter.com/Murder_Ballads
https://www.facebook.com/bloodsplatteredbanjos
And take a minute to read the press release and then watch the teaser.



Bluetrane Productions is pleased to announce the beginning of pre-production on their first feature length film production, MURDER BALLADS, a horror thriller in which a mysterious killer murders their victims in gruesome ways that resemble the lyrics of traditional folk songs. 

Co-writer/Director James Branscome describes it as a “hillbilly giallo.” 
“I got my fascination about the songs from my grandfather,” Branscome said. “He grew up listening to bluegrass, folk, and country music and played the banjo. I didn’t appreciate it right away, but once I did, I really got into it. As I did my research, I discovered I was drawn to certain songs. More often than not, those songs were the most morbid lyrically. And I started getting ideas of doing something based around the songs.”

“I’ve always loved gialli (Italian murder mysteries),” Branscome continued, “especially the films of Dario Argento, Sergio Martino, and Lucio Fulci. James DeHaven and I talked about wanting to write one for years, but we could never find the hook. Then I thought about the folk songs and suddenly it all came together.” 

“Since we’ve been working on projects over the years, I’ve always felt we were headed towards something great,” co-writer James DeHaven says. “I’m excited to be a fan of genre films, especially knowing that ‘Murder Ballads’ is so close to becoming a reality. We haven’t been given anything new in a long time. I think ‘Murder Ballads’ is going to fill a gap that genre fans have been longing to be filled. It’s a smart, gory horror movie. This isn’t your mother’s ‘Sound of Music.’” 

Creator of the horror fiction series, “The Elders Keep Project,” and film essayist Jeffery X Martin helped bring the story together. “I knew James from his earlier work, a comedy web-series called ‘Pumpkin Morgue Paranormal Investigations.’ I pitched him some stories and wrote a couple scripts. Collaborating with James was one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. We saw eye to eye on almost everything right away. We’ve been working together ever since.” 

Martin is also a fan of gialli. “I know some people have tried to make American giallo films,” he says, “but they’ve always seemed to be missing a couple of elements. ‘Murder Ballads’ captures those great giallo aspects while making it something uniquely American, specifically the American South.” 

“Murder Ballads” combines a compelling murder mystery, filled with shocking gore and suspenseful set pieces, with a story that plumbs the depth of the history of American music. 

“We want nothing more than to share the things we love with the rest of the world. Folk music, giallo movies and horror that doesn’t insult anyone’s intelligence,” Martin says. “It’s an ambitious project, and we can’t wait for everyone to see it.” 

“At the end of the day, we’re fans,” Martin concludes. “We want to make the kind of movie we would want to see as fans. Hopefully, that will resound with other fans and make this a special event.” 

With the first round of casting done, Bluetrane Productions is preparing to reinvigorate the horror genre with “Murder Ballads,” an official selection in the Screenplay Competition of Fright Film Fest 2013.
And here's a murder ballad just for kicks...
The Louvin Brothers "Knoxville Girl"

Thursday, August 21, 2014

SPECIAL DUTIES '77 ONE MORE TIME' REVIEWED

If you're a fan of British street punk like The Exploited then you'll love Special Duties. As much as I like old school Brit punk, I somehow missed Special Duties, which is a shame, because this reissue is a damn fine album. Tight and snotty, fast and nasty. In other words; right up my alley. Formed in 1977 Essex by three school friends, SD recorded their debut album in 1982, "'77 in '82". And then blasted Crass with the tune Bullshit Crass, which didn't go over well with distributors Rough Trade and Small Wonder, who refused to stock their albums. The band broke up a year later, but would reform a few times over the years.
Now Jailhouse Records is re-releasing all their material over two albums. Blasting this album makes me feel like I'm seventeen again. Lots of violent audio fun. This is a must for old school punk fans with a disdain for all the sun shiny overproduced pop crap.