"L" IS FOR LOSER.

Need I say more? of course I do ... Nevertheless, I will leave my last review regarding the WIENER FESTWOCHEN published in FEVER CITIZINE - DER TEUFELS ARCHTIEKT 2022 to stand for itself.

I hand delivered a hard copy of my zine to the Grand Offices of WIENER FEST WOCHEN in my tap shoes (aka step schüe) ... up three flights of stairs to tell them how much I think their whole "effort" sucks!

Click Clack Bitches!

They will remain a waste of ink and resources for the entire Nation! They have not done any better this year in 2025--- maybe worse - which is why I am prefacing my next run down with this "FEVER FLASHBLACK"...

Stay Tuned for the downlow of the biggest waste of tax paying "Culture Funding" coming soon!

Thanks for support and all the punkrock as ever!

Yours, Rachael!!

ARTY FARTY

It goes without saying that FEVER CITIZINE stands for none other than freedom of speech and expression, no matter the extremes – nor the sensitive spirits who may be left with more than one feather ruffled. If it wasn't for the fact that the Germanic Nations here in Europe persist to outlaw specific texts, and symbols which reflect badly upon them in hindsight – this entire expose would stand null in void.

Last August (2021) brought about a rather cynical move perpetrated by none other than Erste Bank and the Wiener Fest Woche. From the first sight of the massive twin banners hung on either side of each other, I could not escape the relatively outright display of the SS symbols which suddenly besieged the capital city of Vienna.

The “glitch” effect of their unsightly design concept made it almost passable, that is if you have no knowledge of the esoteric. Bringing it up in conversation with my colleagues on countless occasions, the pandemic stressed citizens completely failed to register the hard Nazi Sieg Rune in the Wiener Fest Woche promo design.

I can understand to some desgree as many are not familiar with the proclivities of the Runes, nor able to tell the difference between the original Scandinavian Runes in contrast to the more hardlined Nazi Runes which served to stregthen the Third Reich's well known aesthetic.

Finally getting fed up with constantly being bombarded by totally VERBOTEN and obviously illegal SS runes plastered all over the entire city center, I took it upon myself to liberate two of the posters which lay behind glass.

As my peers had already been privy to my month long rants about the outright unlawful Sieg Runes being propagated by none other than the big banks and state backed Art contingent – It took my steadfast vision to present to all of them exactly what I had been referring to all those weeks.

When all you have to do is lay two posters, which were blatently designed in pairs, together to illustrate the outright SS symbols which somehow seemed to go over all the Austrian citizens heads.

Suddenly, in cohesion with my quick poster action, my friends stared at me, mouths gaping – completely flabbergasted and noticeably in shock. Now they saw it! Now they understood what I was bitching about for over a month!

Naturally, the criminal cynicism of such insipid inside jokes must have left a trail of receipts, officiated contracts, manufacturers and yes men – a septic trail of the most unsightly odorous of intents. I found it even more extreme as the entire population was already mind

fucked and mentally damaged from the past 1.5 years of pandemic stress.

Truly I am against any Runes or Symbols being forbidden by the law – alas, the law stands as it is and all I still find myself wondering about is just exactly who was responsible for such a concept, and also rather curious to knowq how many high standing Career Artists signed off on this repugnant, if not well funded, mind fuck. Thanks to Erste bank for showing their grand support of the Runes, however illegal the act shall stand.

ALSO IN SPOKEN WORD HERE!

STAY TUNED TO PART TWO.........................

DEVILS IN THE DETAILS

Ave Miscreants!

Going against the grain as always... We find no reason to avoid cliches with this (of our rather sparse) news updates! Everything good takes time. Time is Money. Cash is King. When it works, it works. Use it or Lose it. Quality, not quantity. More is More!

Devils in the Details............!

Finally set to embark on the first stage of the PENTAGRAM.STUDIO online shop campaign, we are excited to showcase the handcrafted and specially selected pieces which have been yearning to connect with their new owners. Bespoke and ready to be possessed, enriching your own choice collections, each offering has a story of its own. Falling in line with our headstrong vision to pool our design supplies from strictly second hand and vintage sources, you can be assured every piece is like no other and has been fashioned out of the the best Vienna has to offer.

Shop til you Drop!

Whether restored, pimped out, or painstakingly hand gilded... everyone of the objects we stand to present bastion the D.I.Y. ethos you have come to know PBLHQ for. Against all mass market, slave labor trash... We reject the never ending grind of consumer culture, yet cannot escape the harsh reality that owning a special piece which speaks to you is important when defining your own style and aesthetic. Based in the heart of the Old Empire, everything we have to present to you and yours remains as a beacon of beauty and resounding - glittering crafts. Stay tuned for more as the countless treasures unveil themselves for your consummate pleasure.

Find your Light!

Not ones to judge, we are well aware that some prefer the more "in your face" looks - and some the more solemn, as dedicated to the Black Light. Here at Pentagram.Studio we adhere to mixing it all up! Our stamp on every piece it is that they will draw attention whilst reflecting the light. MAXIMALISM is par for the course! Restraint is an inherent instinct. Better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven! Even Purgatory has never been so sexy... Lord knows why they 86'd it!

Work!

In keeping with feeling like we would ever feel the need to steer ourselves away from stating the obvious.... The move in, out of the original PENTAGRAM BUNKER HQ - was some seriously heavy work....! Getting resituated and ready to get back to producing more fine wares was a trip and a half! Reminders of last years move recently showed up.... Looks a hell of a lot different down here, to say the least! Check out the new WORK section of this site which may answer your questions like..."BUT WHAT DO YOU DO THERE?!"

Do not hold your breathe for any one minute Tic-Toc promos - Some serious live streaming may follow in the future - concurrent with the Head Mistress's whims...

Subscribe to the Zhark International Bandcamp to

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AND PROBABLY WILL!

Stay tuned on all fronts in any case! Enjoy the new shop and freshened up website and enjoy your Summer !!

TOTAL METAL - REFLECTIONS...

Rare it is to visit archival exhibitions focused on cultural turning points in a nation´s history without feeling the stifling hands of authority choking the life out of what was once a heaving beast of its own. In striking contrast, the TOTAL METAL exhibition situated in the epicenter of shining Stockholm over six months this year serves to do just the opposite. Housed in the Kulturhuset, a striking multi level architectural enclave built in 1974, this well appointed and designed commemoration of all aspects of Swedish Heavy Metal spanning the late 1970s til the present – goes against the grain just as its subject matter. With more than a heavy nod to the ever present reek of morbidity – the careful consideration and curation in layout and presentation keep the potent archival materials kinetic through use of lighting and interactivity. Sceptical though I was, I came out of my visit with a new appreciation for “official retrospectives” and even more cool stories about what those early days of Swedish Death Metal involved... to take to my grave!

On a fateful evening back in 2005, my path collided with several members from Extreme Metal which would go on to shape the coming decades of my already rather illustrious career. Wrapping up their European tour in Switzerland the bombastic lineup of Incantation, Belphegor, Unleashed, Behemoth and Nile celebrated their last night – where this unforgettable night led to my sixteen years work for Belphegor. Now after twenty years of staying in contact with a founding member of Unleashed, I had the honour of visiting the TOTAL METAL exhibition with their original drummer, Anders Schultz. Through the decades of knowing him I had heard many tales of his coming of age in the early days of Swedish Death Metal. As that was the case, you can imagine how awesome it was to join him on his first viewing of the Museum´s collection. Watching Anders viewing his own personal history alongside of him was not only memorable, but truly unforgettable.

Making our way to the top, up five flights of escalators – the massive Museum´s retro lines brought us to the entrance of the TOTAL METAL collection. Initiation commences by being greeted by an onslaught of double wide cinema screens blasting a five minute loop of some brutally edited choice clips which juxtapose straight laced early 80s Swedish TV with the visceral aesthetic of Early Death and Black Metal videos cut-up by Jonas Äkerlund, of Hollywood fame. Turning left we enter the Great Hall and are immediately confronted by the most bombastic pieces of the exhibition. The martial themes found in Swedish Metal remain concurrent, represented in massive stage props like Amon Amarth´s Viking Ship and Sabaton´s outrageous tank. Strobes flicker against Ghost´s original stage costuming, Watain´s metal work and Unleashed´s original guitar case.

Vis a vis, a detailed recreation of what any late 80´s teenage metal musician´s bedroom resembled causes Anders to be taken by surprise. He almost seems shocked by the one to one massive diarama, pointing out again how surprised he is they actually found the original bed frame “everyone” had in their bedroom before noting,”Well, I gotta say... I actually took better care of my vinyl than that!”

Without ruining the experience by recounting every piece in this extensive and inspiring retrospective, I must commend the care taken to presenting the more personal details which are on display. From the massive stone wall adorned with over three meters of original shirts from the era, to the recreation of the Record Shop “House of Kicks” where the crew met up back in the day to swap tapes and check out new bands, to the well-cared for handwritten letters and correspondence which fuelled the proliferation of this burgeoning scene - comprehensive attention was taken by all those involved in the curation of these acquisitions. Original gig posters and the wall of cassette demos chides Anders once again to recount some stories I had yet to hear, with some raucous laughs we traversed through the rest of the sprawling fifth floor which combined the best of mayhem and chaos in the confines of well appointed glamour.

Taking our time to soak in the last of anthology, we are privy to some gang of youths taking advantage of the rehearsal room which is set up in the middle of the affair – complete with a mixing desk enabled to record your tunes, and all the instruments you might need. Surprisingly, I didn´t take advantage of the vocal booth – but would be sure to hit it if I am lucky enough to swing by again before the closing in mid September. Anders grins and says, “Could you imagine if me and the guys all showed up one day and started shredding in there with no announcement?” That indeed would be glorious and a real surprise to any partakers. Our discourse turns to the lack of physicality and lust for searching out music that speaks to you – with the rise of digital streaming and social media. Hopefully this collection serves to inspire some youths to continue on with these traditions. Closing off our visit standing over the glass case dedicated to one of the most notorious and impactful figures whom acted as a precursor to the first real wave of Swedish Death Metal, we take some time to reflect on Quorthron of Bathory fame. He pauses, looks at me and says, “You know, sometimes it is true... People do all come together at one point for some reason.”

Back in Vienna, recollecting our awesome Sunday afternoon at the museum, I am still hit by some fleeting moments we spent at the Total Metal showcase. It goes without saying that it was inspirational for me to see such incontrovertibly Occult aspects of underground art presented in such a well appointed State approved exhibition. Not necessarily a surprise, as it is a fact that after some decades Norwegian Black Metal did actually become their second largest export next to oil, prompting their Ambassadors to have to take classes about the history of the genre in able to explain it to other Ambassador´s globally. (lmfao) The texts accompanying the collection were also very well written. Recounting the history without any niceties or glossing over any of the arguably “politically incorrect” aspects of the genres – every visitor can gain a real knowledge and insight as to how things unfolded and showing just how things have remained to stay strong – with most of these founding bands still filling massive stadiums and touring the world to this day. It behooves the Swedish Government to pay homage to those warriors, outsiders, headbangers and ultimately dedicated creators which have shaped not only their own cultural landscape, but made an impact globally on countless levels.

Having spent twenty years immersed in Extreme Metal, both onstage and right at the front many nights, I can genuinely give my accolades to the entire crew who organized TOTAL METAL. A shame Unleashed had to move their opening gig in February– at least they will be on stage at the Kulturheset in October to bring their blasting riffs to the center of Stockholm again. If you are not lucky enough to visit this legendary exhibition with a founding member of the genre... not all hope is lost! There are guided tours running until the end of the affair which closes in September of 2025 hosted by the main master mind and curator, Ika Johannesson which you can find by checking on the website below. Enjoy the show ...and Keep Shredding, Sweden!!!

https://kulturhusetstadsteatern.se/utstallningar/total-metal

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Rachael "Hecate" Kozak