.

Blabbermouth has just posted that Mike Alexander, the bass player for Evile, died yesterday. He was only 32 and the band were really starting to take off - it's just so fucking sad. Thoughts go out to his family and the band.

Years ago, I dated a drummer and the lead singer of their band died, just after they'd had a run of wicked gigs. It was really tough for the guys in the band he left behind, but they were also glad that they'd been able to share the time with him doing what they all loved best. I know they look back and remember all the gigs, rehearsals and crazy nights out as some of the best times they ever had, made all the more special by the memories of K being with them.

So put on an Evile record tonight and put your good thoughts out into the universe for them. These can be tough fucking times.

Illdisposed

I have been full of rancid illness this week, which means few emails between me and J and a complete lack of motivation to post anything whatsoever.

So now, because I feel like it, here's some shit pictures and some shitter updates on the vaguely metal-related things I've been up to recently.

I passed my latin exam with 85/100 - that's not metal, but I do like to tell people about it. Started back at college for the new academic year at a new location and now use Bond Street Station, which appears to have a touch of the kvlt about it:

Can't work out if they're a Burzum fan, a typography fanatic or just a bit goth.

As the nights grow longer, everything's been getting a bit more grim. I've been on a black metal binge lately, reading Lords of Chaos. I was too cheap to buy it and so printed out the PDF: free but makes for inconvenient reading on the tube.

I also drew the Moonblood logo onto my shirt:

Not very exciting, but I was pleased with how it turned out. I had to rip the German flags off the arms so a) people stop accusing me of trying to be hip and b) to stop visitors at work thinking I speak German. I said they were fucking retards, P said it was kind of fair enough. Whatever.

The NHS wants my blood!

I don't think they really want it though, because I had two new piercings done.

It brings the count up to...21. Hardly Elaine Davidson, but sadly I have to remain employable.

After the 'mutilation' as my grandmother likes to call it, I met J and we walked up to see Tankard at the Underworld.

Shit picture, great gig.

Last weekend I went with P and S to see Speed Theory, Mutant and Evile in Islington. Speed Theory I've never heard of, but they were pretty good to watch.

Now I have supposedly seen Mutant before when they supported Municipal Waste downstairs in Islington a while back. I have NO RECOLLECTION of this whatsoever (although I remember watching MW and TH), so I treated it like it was my first time seeing them.

Turned out they were really good fun. P and S moshed away whilst I stood at the front and a wonderful time was had by all. I got some insane bruising on my legs from the front speaker stand:

And here's a really bad picture of the set list:

It's a shame we didn't just leave the gig there and then, because headliners Evile were massively boring. Well executed and technically faultless...but really fucking dull nonetheless. Drunk and disappointed, I spent some time in the ladies', defacing a poster:

So there you have it, one month of craziness in the life of a twenty-something metal-loving Londoner.

(Sense the sarcasm. Life south of the river is slllllllllow).