Tag Archives: Coppolas Dracula

Green Lung – “This Heathen Land” Album Review

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Green Lung – This Heathen Land 

Nuclear Blast Records 

Release date: 03/11/2023 

Running time: 43 minutes 

Review by: Alun Jones 

9.75/10 

Halloween ain’t over yet, kids – at least not while the arch druids of Occult Rock, Green Lung, are back in town!  Yes, London’s finest purveyors of witchy, stoner incantations have a new album, “This Heathen Land” – released by Nuclear Blast Records, no less.  So gather ye round, my acolytes, whilst we indulge in the ritual listening of this opus.  Light some candles, burn some incense, imbibe potions of mind-expanding merriment.  And take all your clothes off!  

Album number three from Green Lung kicks off with a suitably 1970s intro, setting the magickal vibe right away.  ‘The Forest Church’ is the first track proper, which takes its inspiration from Danzig-approved cult folk horror classic “The Blood on Satan’s Claw”.  It’s a riffalicious chunk of doomy wonder, built around an organ drenched, moody base. 

‘Mountain Throne’ blasts out as a Sabbath style rocker, awash with those lush, skronky keyboards.  Then GL add some sauce to their sorcery with their ode to ‘Maxine (Witch Queen)’, an ecstatically catchy slice of psychedelic, garage rock-infused debauchery.  ‘The Ancient Ways’ and ‘Hunters in the Sky’ are both powerful yet groovy rock that’s reminiscent of the greats and gleefully conjures up its own aura.   

Green Lung really stretch themselves on ‘One for Sorrow’, which features huge, doom riffs and atmospheric synths with an epic chorus.  The mellow, folky sound of ‘Song of the Stones’ adds yet more colour to the palette, and still sounds essential – just like those more refined tracks on early Black Sabbath records.  The melodic, drama infused ‘Oceans of Time’ – inspired by Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” – adds a suitably bombastic and ambitious climax to the album.   

A word of wisdom for the initiate: the vinyl version of “This Heathen Land” shows exactly why physical media is still so important and potent.  My copy is green vinyl, in a gatefold sleeve with lyric booklet and a map of the UK, showing various otherworldly sites that have inspired the album.  This obsessive attention to detail is fascinating and illustrates just how much care and attention has been poured into the whole work!   

Green Lung is completely fearless, their ability to rise to the challenge and create art this meticulous is highly impressive.  And I should know, I’ve seen The Wicker Man and I own a black cat.  Seriously, my children: “This Heathen Land” is essential. 

You can put your clothes back on now.    

Find out more about Green Lung on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their website.

This review is joint presentation by Platinum Al and Ever Metal.

Halloween Horror Fest

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Yes, it’s October – which means it’s time once again for Halloween Horror Fest!  Throughout the month on the run up to Halloween, Mrs Platinum Al and I watch some of the horror movies from our creepy collection, and I write a brief review of each for your evil entertainment.

It’s always out and out horror – so long as there’s a general spooky or paranormal element – or monsters! – then the movie is up for consideration.

This is the fifth year running we have attempted this mammoth task.  To keep everyone up to speed, here’s a list of the films that have been viewed over the last few years.

All are listed in alphabetical order.

28 Days Later
28 Weeks Later
30 Days of Night
The Addams Family
Alien
An American Werewolf in London
Big Tits Zombie
Bigfoot Wars
Blacula
Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb
Blood on Satan’s Claw
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter
Carrie
Carry on Screaming
Company of Wolves
The Corpse Bride
Countess Dracula
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Dark Shadows
Day of the Dead
Dead Snow
Dead Snow 2
The Devil Rides Out
Dracula AD 1972
Dracula Prince of Darkness
Ed Wood
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Evil Dead
The Fog
Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman
Friday the 13th
From Dusk Till Dawn
From Hell
Ghost Ship
Ghostbusters
Halloween
The House That Dripped Blood
Lost Boys
Night Watch
Oupost
Para Norman
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Xperience
Pet Sematary
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
The Raven
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Scream
Shadow of the Vampire
Shaun of the Dead
Silence of the Lambs
Sleepy Hollow
Taste the Blood of Dracula
Theatre of Blood
The Thing (1982)
Vampire Circus
The Vampire Lovers
The Wicker Man
The Wolfman (2010)
The Woman in Black
Zombie Strippers

Bram Stoker’s Halloween Horror Fest

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Dracula (1992)

A difficult one, this.  Undeniably stunning to watch, this version of the classic tale from Director Francis Ford Coppola has many positives.  Unfortunately it also has some screamingly bad inconsistencies, too.

I won’t dwell too long on the plot, as the narrative manages to follow the source novel for the most part.  Suffice to say that Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) is despatched to Transylvania to arrange some London real estate for a certain Count Dracula (a brilliant Gary Oldman).  Dracula then relocates to Victorian England, where his cult of vampirism is destined to grow.

Despite following many of the key scenes from Stoker’s original book, and indeed managing to correctly include most of the characters for a change, this isn’t the definitive movie version it claims to be.  Rather, Coppola’s film is scuppered by introducing a ridiculous love story between Dracula and Mina (Winona Ryder) that wasn’t in the book.  So for every brilliantly shot tribute to the novel that Coppola makes, there’s a stake through the heart thanks to the silly romance aspect. drac

The performances vary from superb (Oldman) to annoying (Sadie Frost as Lucy).  Then there’s Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing, who can’t decide how far to ram his tongue in his own cheek.

Poor old Keanu always comes under heavy criticism for his work here, and yes, his British accent is truly abominable.  In his defence, however, I would say that he looks exactly as I always imagined Jonathan Harker to look.  So give him a break.  For me, Winona Ryder is much worse – her acting and accent are both wrong, and she also looks totally out of place.

Thank heavens for some authenticity with appearances for much loved characters Dr Seward (Richard E Grant, great job); Arthur Holmwood (perfectly cast as Cary Elwes) and the vampire hunter who was always my favourite, Quincey Morris (Bill Campbell).

If I ignore the stupid desecration that is the Oldman/Ryder romance, then there’s plenty to enjoy.  The sets, costume designs and cinematography are simply beautiful.  There are some ingenious ideas where the laws of physics just do not apply – such as shadows roaming randomly – which create a supernatural world.  And there is enough respect for the novel in various other ways that Coppola’s Dracula is irresistible to watch.  Not to mention plenty of blood and dismemberment, and some true horror.

So despite holding my head in my hands and screaming “WHY?!” to the heavens, Dracula is still a must see.  But please folks, read the book.  Repressed Victorian sexuality and fears of the outsider may be present there, but “Dracula” is no love story.

8/10