Space Ritual (officially known as The Space Ritual Alive in Liverpool and London) is a 1973 live double album by Hawkwind. I play this dopey album when I feel the need to space out (no pun intended). A mind-blowing and mind-expanding experience. The Space Ritual show attempted to create a complete audio-visual experience, representing themes entwining the fantasy of starfarers in suspended animation travelling through time and space with the concept of the music of the spheres. On entering the venue, audience were given a programme featuring a short sci-fi story. This all sounds pretentious, but I think it's safe to say that they succeeded in their mission. The original release featured edits and overdubs. Live recordings refer to the capture of sound or video during a live performance, where the recording is made in real-time without significant post-production editing or overdubbing. However, Hawkwind goes clear. The performance featured dancers, stage set, lightshow and poetry recitations. The use of spoken word is a balancing act. The Alphonse Mucha-inspired album cover is magnetic. The sleeve was designed by Barney Bubbles and came in 3x2 panel foldout, the outer 6 panels being colour, the inner 6 panels being monochrome, the vinyls in psychedelic patterned orange and yellow inner sleeves were folded into this. AllMusic characterized the album's style as an "unhinged meld of prog, acid rock, proto metal, science fiction, fantasy, and jazz." Loudwire called the album "a thematically linked listening experience, so immersive, so hypnotic (with or without stark naked stage dancer Stacia), that chemical assistance wasn’t even required." Personally, I think the album peak is the fourth side of the double album; from "Seven by Seven", "Sonic Attack", "Time We Left This World Today", "Master of the Universe", to, last but not least, "Welcome to the Future". With very simple means Hawkwind created pioneering space rock. This is the best 90 minutes of space rock you will ever hear. Bassist Lemmy didn't remember anything. Most likely due to his consumption of drugs, which was excessive even by Hawkwind standards. But, it wasn't the drugs playing. It was the musicians (musicnauts). 

Am I an example of a slow and sad descent into a concrete mold? Stuck in my old ways; unwilling, unimpressed and uninterested in today’s music. Maybe it's worse. I'm on the verge of hostile when it comes to new music. A good friend said to me: "it takes a lot of time for you to get used to new things." That was a nice understatement. Maybe a healthy dose of skepticism is a good starting point, after all. Skepticism is the process of applying reason and critical thinking to determine validity. It's also the process of finding a supported conclusion. New music is assumed to be bad, until proven otherwise. My aversion towards new music isn't comprehensive. I went all in on gothic country and launched this website, didn't I? In all fairness, the music wasn't new when I became aware of it. In fact, it was only new to me. And I was a bit younger. This raises a couple of questions. Have I always been averse or have I become averse, and, have I become more averse over the years? I used to be open to new music, especially during adolescence and early adulthood. These years are formative, read more here (opens in a new window). My now long gone vinyl collection (now repurchased on cd) is like a sediment layer, ready to be excavated. Not a linear progression exactly, but always in the right direction. Lately, I have been returning to the music that shaped me. Over 50 years of listening to music has a two-side effect: harden your heart and refine your senses. I have become an uncompromising purist and authenticity fetishist. What some people see as a slow and sad descent into a concrete mold is actually impeccable taste and exquisite execution. I do have strong opinions when it comes to music. Resistance is not futile. Enlightening people, song by song, album by album. That’s the plan.  

A couple a weeks ago, I made a qualified guess who the Sad Witch was. In the light of recent developments it seems like my guess could be unqualified. My guess was that the Sad Witch was Rachel Brooke. The very same witch who sang on "Sad Witch Cult", the new album from Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks. However, I could very well be wrong, I received an e-mail from a woman with special insights in the genre. She suggested that the singer likely was Eva Mikhailovna. Let's scrutinize the arguments on both sides. Rachel Brooke isn't the only female singer who have cooperated with Lonesome Wyatt. Eva Mikhailovna is credited for backing vocals and guitar, banjo, accordion and Piano on "Grim Weepers" (2017), and backing vocal on "Dream Curse" (2020), and sang on no less than seven songs on "Longing For Oblivion" (2023), and on the song "Spiritual Truth" from "Afraid" (2024). How could I have missed this obvious candidate? Maybe there's a need for a complete overhaul, comprehensive review and update of existing processes and procedures, involving a thorough examination of all aspects of the system, identification of weaknesses, and implementation of necessary improvements. What are the evidence for and against Eva Mikhailovna? The dark hair doesn't match the woman on the album cover. Not decisive, it could as well be a hydrogen peroxide wig. The absence of a tattoo on the right upper arm match the woman on the album cover. The vocal style and the voice match. Eva Mikhailovna is the Sad Witch. At least until new evidence is presented.        

"Nothing lasts forever. Even the longest, the most glittering reign must come to an end someday." Black Sabbath played their last show on 5 July 2025 at Villa Park (the home of Premier League club Aston Villa) in Aston, Birmingham, England, not far from where the band was formed in 1968. Black Sabbath was supported by a couple of bands (Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax, and Mastodon), which I don't care for. The hype was unreal. Tickets were sold out in 16 minutes, following pre-sale events. A colleague of mine engaged his whole family in an attempt to get tickets, but failed. The event was streamed worldwide via pay per view with a broadcast delay. The proceeds from the event totalled $190 million, and was donated to a couple of health care institutions. Black Sabbath entered my life at an early age. The farewell concert could have been a good opportunity for a closure, but I didn't even try to get a ticket. I realized that it was futile. The band means different things to different people. For me, the original line-up and their first six albums are what counts. Some people embrace other incarnations and later albums. How is that even a question? Black Sabbath occur on this site now and then. I have published four blog posts over the years. They have been about their biographies, read more here (opens in a new window). Or departing from memorabilia from the 1970s, read more here (opens in a new window). The farewell concert also marked the first time since 2005 that the original line-up of the band performed together live. The first and only time I've seen them live was 3rd of July 2005 at Globen Arena in Stockholm, read more here (opens in a new window). Black Sabbath has also made the album that means most to me, read more here (opens in a new window). They were old and chastened already in 2005. That was 20 years ago. It's a wonder they are still standing after all they have been through. At least, three out of four. The singer Ozzy Osbourne, no longer able to walk due to advanced Parkinson's disease, sang while seated on a throne. That's what I call making an entrance and going out in style. I make a deep bow all down. 

One of the most seasoned and accomplished artists in the genre has made an unusual move, namely released a cover album. Well, it's actually an EP. The man behind the idea is no less than Colorado-based artist Slackeye Slim. I wrote about the project two months ago. Then the EP was tentatively called "Perpetual Doom". Now it's released as "Perpetual Tunes". The covered songs are an odd bunch: "Cowboy Dan" (Modest Mouse), "Cold Cold Ground" (Tom Waits), "Heel on the Shovel" (16 Horsepower), "Climbing Up the Walls" (Radiohead), "Anthem" (Leonard Cohen) and "Mack the Knife" (Kurt Weill via Louis Armstrong). In a newsletter Slackeye Slim explains: "I've wanted to record some covers for a really long time, so I picked six of them, recorded them on some gear I found in the dump and fixed, and Perpetual Doom Records was kind of to release it as the first installment of their new series." Interesting choice of songs to cover, indeed. One song particularly stand out, 16 Horsepower, "Heel on the Shovel". Slackeye Slim elaborates: "When I got interested in country music and what other kids who’d grown up on punk rock had done with it, Sixteen Horsepower was one of the first bands I found. I grew up Pentecostal. Dave Edwards’ scary Jesus schtick reminds me of the absurd things my dad used to say and do. I don’t know if I consider myself goth country. Not really, but 16 Horsepower was one of the first bands to do it and I’ve borrowed a lot of ideas from them over the years." The other songs are not bad in any way, but doesn't stand out in the same way. In descending order of interest: "Cowboy Dan", "Climbing Up the Walls, "Anthem", "Cold Cold Ground" and "Mack the Knife". You can listen to "Perpetual Tunes" and buy it in digital format at Bandcamp, just click here (opens in a new window).