STACK NZ Nov #68

REVIEWS

BEST OF

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DVD of the MONTH

Deathgasm Given than many metalheads are horror fans as well, there have been surprisingly few flicks that combine both elements. This gleefully gross and gruesome splatterfest from first-time Kiwi director Jason Lei Howden goes some way to rectifying that, as well as continuing a recent winning run of low budget homegrown horror hits. Milo Cawthorne plays Brodie, a teenage death metal fan who is less than pleased when he is forced to move to a sleepy provincial town to live with his Christian aunt and uncle, and their bully of a son. Things take a turn for the better when he succeeds

in bonding with fellow heavy metal devotee Zakk (James Blake) and together with some other local misfits, they decide to form their own metal band (the Deathgasm of the title). Unfortunately, after stumbling across the sheet music to a black hymn belonging to a reclusive heavy metal legend hiding out in the town, they unwittingly turn the residents of the local community into putrefying, blood- crazed zombies. Blending some laugh-out-loud scenes of stomach- churning horror with an unashamed love of all things metal, Deathgasm is another must-see Kiwi cult classic. John Ferguson

Out on November 18

ALBUM of the MONTH

JOANNA NEWSOM DIVERS Like a stimulative tonic, Joanna Newsom’s fourth full-length album Divers prompts both soft introspection and wild fancies; it looks for answers to love’s questions in all manner of hidey-holes and vistas without ever wandering so far that Newsom gets lost – an enormous feat, considering the turf she traverses. While medieval clavichords are softened by jangling Americana guitar

while these instruments are all doing their own discrete things, they frolick together; Newsom and her arrangers are able to arouse them into living characters like creatures in a Miyazaki film or Peter And The Wolf , and they’re all playing this ring-a-rosy with the artist’s voice. Newsom’s vocals are, of course, full of contrary temper: quietly intricate vowels skitter around her goal notes, and all the while she utillises her fearless cache of vibrato, cutesy curls and Joni Mitchell caws. She has drawn on all of her previous releases to deliver this record, which expressively and sensitively explores the caverns hiding life’s little profundities. Zoë Radas

and gentle rimshots in Leaving The City , Goose Eggs sees tom-booming drums fling themselves forward like a Tori Amos hit. Piano accordion, flute, piccolo, various woodwind, violins, tiny electronic elements and the artist’s own harp curl together in this astonishingly dynamic collection, and

Out Now

GAME of the MONTH

Uncharted: The nathan drake collection With a little over four months to go until the release of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End , dipping

tightened. Subtle additions to the gameplay, such as implementing features used in the later games, works exceptionally well. Among Thieves holds up well and by the time Drake’s Deception makes an appearance, it’s hard to believe that this trilogy was actually released on PS3. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve played them before or it’s your first time to the franchise, Naughty Dog’s excellent adventure series deserves this new-gen interpretation. Sit back and enjoy playing through the evolution of one of the greatest series released on the PlayStation 3. Paul Jones

into The Nathan Drake Collection to whet the old adventurous appetite is the perfect hors-d’oeuvre. So how does this remastered ternion stand up? Surprisingly well. Drake’s Fortune , a game now eight years old, is the obvious weak link here. But furnished with 1080p presentation and 60fps where possible, even this entry in the compelling Nathan Drake saga, looks mightily impressive. The characters, scenery, and the explosion effects have all been markedly improved, as have the controls that greatly benefit from being

Out Now

NOVEMBER 2015

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