After a little more than a year and a half, Goth Help Us (GHU) International has folded. Little was said by founder and CEO Rebecca Hohm, other than she is planning on starting from scratch and will do what she wants to do, which is help people. New organizations have been popping up, formed by old GHU members, aiming to do public good works. Such organizations are those like San Diego’s Gothic Volunteer Alliance (GVA) and Denver’s Mile High Gothic Alliance. Hopefully these groups will not experience the same disappointment that Rebecca did with GHU.

By H. M. GarberKyt Dotson’s third volume, Incantations of Incarnations, consists of three more chapters of her “Mill Avenue Vexations”: Kel the Bosh, Incantations of Incarnation, and Friday Night on the Ave.

The first chapter of this volume is titled Kel the Bosh, which is Romani (Gypsy) for “play the fiddle.” In this chapter, we follow Darlene, the fourth ritualist, as she prepares for her violin concert. Megan delivers Richard’s message to Vex (and Nathan). In Incantations of Incarnation, Darlene and Vex (and several uninvolved bystanders) are caught in a wave of eerie magic that flows from Darlene’s violin concert. Vex must literally face down her inner demons if she is to make any headway at stopping the darkness that we know is coming. In Friday Night on the Ave, Vex and Patrick are reunited, but the malevolent force stalking the campus claims another victim.

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Its been two years since Swedish symphonic metal founder Therion last played in the states and Los Angeles was fortunate enough to be the third show to kick off Therion’s world tour to support their newest release, “Gothic Kabblah”. I arrived in time to see Aesma Daeva (see interview and CD review). When stepping into the Key Club, upon hearing Lori Lewis’ vocals (who also happens to be one of 4 live singers for Therion) I felt as if Lewis was a siren and she was enchanting her victims. There were times when Lewis sung emotionally and power which reminded me of Within Temptation’s front lady Sharon Den Adel. When Aesma Daeva did a cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”, I couldnt understand a word Lewis said. The crowd clapped and cheered appreciatively after their 1 hour set. As soon as Christofer Johnsson stepped out unto the stage, the crowd was excited but it wasnt until all the members of Therion stepped into the stage that the crowd went wild.

By: Tanya Vasquez

Leaves’ Eyes played at the Key Club on a date for their second USA tour as a support act for a power metal band. They were an opening act for Kamelot along with several other bands including two progressive metal groups. The first of these was very mainstream and pop like. They were fairly reminiscent of Linkin Park. The second band however focused more on the harsh male gutteral vocals and it was hard to tell when a song ended or started. Full Story »

In an unfortunate turn of events, Goth Help Us San Diego was dissolved on Monday, September 10, 2007. Goth Help Us International seems to be taking a new direction as they have updated their bylaws and excused the San Diego chapter after a year of good works. The Goth Help Us, San Diego chapter was considered to be the flagship chapter of Goth Help Us and the chapter received some notable public exposure. With talk of a new direction and rumors of a religious direction for the new Goth Help Us vision, it may be rocky times for other Goth Help Us chapters in the near future. Full Story »

As many people in the Southern California region are aware, there has been a problem with violent crime against the Gothic community. None of us are certain precisely why this is, but we can guess; bad press, bad public image and misinformation undoubtedly top the list. The most notable California violence was the attack on 4 San Diego Goths. Outside of the United States, two young Goths were attacked in the United Kingdom and one lost her life while the other, at the time of this writing, is still comatose. Alongside these two attacks there have been many other attacks large and small across the globe. The first thing that should be stated is that this is clearly hate motivated. There is no rationale that can be used to defend these mindless acts. In San Diego, California, though, justice has been served and a blow has been struck against the would-be attackers and dangers to the Gothic community. Full Story »

By: Chris Stead

A Dark Noel
Projekt Records

Let me start by stating that I am personally not a fan of holiday music. That being said I would like to say that I would listen to this album any time, holiday or not. The album starts with a haunting rendition of Carol of the Bells, which is probably my favorite track. Beyond Arcanta’s beautiful rendition, there are several well known artists performing for this compilation, including Voltaire, The Cruxshadows, Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Faith and the Muse. This is the holiday album to get this year both for Goths and non-Goths alike. A masterful collection from a legendary Goth and ambient label.
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By: Chris Stead

So, lately I have been doing quite a bit of thinking and my thoughts were best punctuated by James Treagus’ comment about Goths and aging. (If you aren’t familiar with James Treagus and his work, click here) Simply put, James said that people that are into CyberGoth and the like may not fair to well when considering that we all age. With this in mind, it made me think, so how am I aging? Well, for a while I wasn’t doing too well. Full Story »

By: The Gothling

Okay, so the time I got to spend at Con was flippin awesome! And very inspirational. The fashion I saw ranged from the expected (Jedi and Stormtroopers everywhere), the newly discovered (a group of people dressed as characters from my fave anime, Death Note), and the bizarre (a ninja banana?). One of my friends even found Waldo and Carmen San Diego! How cool is that? Full Story »

To see all of the comics by James Treagus, please check out 7ShadesOfBlack.com.

By: Beca Servoss

So, you’re tired of living in your parent’s basement and want to get a “real job” so they quit nagging you about when you’re going to move out. Or, perhaps you’ve passed this stage and have actually acquired this elusive, “real job,” and now you have to keep it. In either case, you’ve entered the dreaded corporate world; a place that will suck your soul dry of creativity, individuality and sense of self, if you’re not careful. But be at ease fellow darkling, there is shadow at the end of the tunnel. I should know. I’ve lived there quite happily for many years now. Full Story »

By H. M. Garber

Kyt Dotson’s second volume consists of three more chapters of her “Mill Avenue Vexations”: The Calm Before, The Wanton Wand, and The Hanged Man. Full Story »

By: Tanya Vasquez

Epica
Consign To Oblivion

If you’re a fan of Tarja Turunen and Sharon Den Adel of Within Temptation, and are looking for something in the middle, Epica’s Consign to Oblivion is something worth checking out. Simone Simons sounds something like Francine Boucher of Echoes of Eternity with Tarja’s vocal control and a mezzo-soprano/soprano vocal range. Together this combination makes Simone the melodic siren she is. The background keyboard work sounds as if you were gently touching a pond making ripples in the water. Full Story »

By: Asherra

There is no question that there is something within the gothic heart that is drawn to the morbid, the dark, and the profane. Red upon black, heavily contrasted images composed of black ink and grotesquely twisted figures. Scenes illustrating the mysteries of the night and drawing the viewer into a world of lonesome graveyards, back alleyways wet with a fresh coat of rain, or any other horrific setting the gothic mind can come up with. It’s not only with pictures however that goth’s choose to draw the minds eye in. The roots of the gothic movement can trace their lineage back to the early gothic literature movements of the eighteenth century. It was with these ‘graveyard poets” like Horace Walpole and his tale of the tragic and supernatural events at The Castle of Otranto that gothic literature took root. With the emergence of the graphic novel (other wise known as the comic) around the turn of the 20th century, it seemed natural that ever popular horror and supernatural stories would now come to life in this new style of media. From this point, the comic book became the staple of American popular media. Full Story »