Be Forewarned

Take if from Bobby Liebling and I: much like drug addiction is a progressive disease – meaning a relapse will bring you right back to where you left off – Pentagram’s legendary and timeless appeal never wears thin, even after a decade of abeyance. In other words, I’m dutifully re-cramming the DC doomsters' 1994 release, Be Forewarned, back into my cake hole in order to fully do it justice; by God, the hour-long, thirteen tracked Peaceville Records offering sounds better than ever!

Granted, the reconstructed outfit’s third album, which starts off with the craftily haphazard and sloppy “Live Free and Burn”, may initially come across as off-kilter and hammy but rest assured it’ll grow on you right quick whether you’re an inveterate, seasoned doom fiend or open-minded genre tenderfoot thanks to its grisly choppiness and theatrically lugubrious ardor courtesy of Liebling’s back-handed, debonair flair (consider him the Vincent Price of doom metal) as well as stellar cast of musicians comprised of the incomparable Victor Griffin on guitar, the equally competent Martin Swaney on bass and long-time heavy metal journeyman Joe Hasselvander on percussions/drums.

Aside from a creeped out and carnival-esque “All my Sins”, the breath-taking-ly evil “The World Will Love Again” and plaintive albeit majestic jeremiad which is the eponymous title track and old school, 70s era Pentagram classic, the raucously rendered and largely upbeat compositions constitute new material I now consider trailblazing doom gems in their own right, from the freakishly swelling but soon-to-be all-out madcap liberating frenzy, “Too Late”, to boxy and appropriately kitsch chthonic romance aptly christened “Vampyre Love”. Sardonic chuckles aside, count on the latter's infectiously cyclical tempo and "toothsome" grit. Ha! I can't quite get enough of its swaggering square-dance umbrage dauntingly festooned with bleating percussion-based “tocks”. Dig Liebling’s greasy, laid back and oh-so-rock-ish overture on the former, backed as it is by a most gripping hard-driving slider of a riff/thunderously thwacking drum beat:

“Where in hell are we going
Cause heaven just can't wait
There's a hole in the sky
And there's dreams a dying
And I wonder if it's too late, too late
Oh yeah – listen!”

You could even say it puts Ozzy to shame! Once the track compellingly reverts to its slower wheezing groove all bets are off as modern-day 'gram ax man Victor Griffin swoops in for the kill with a spectacular, highly emotive pentatonic delivery whilst Hasselvander’s provocative clanging lends a further air of malevolent debilitation to the proceedings, the lot of sensually segueing back into said howling riff.

Elsewhere, Liebling’s wryly nasal falsetto is perfectly exemplified on the seven-minute “Life Blood” (on which Hasselvander unsurprisingly stars at the piano), where "Griff" readily proves his mettle with languidly drawn-out leads which feel like they’re crying out their pain for entire World to bear, his woeful squeals and Hasselvander’s maniacal percussion, notwithstanding. That said, even the more sulking guitar riffs and solos are rife with a dynamic and enthralling quality. At times, they’re downright explosive, amazing really, such as on the ravishing piece of vocal and instrumental wizardry which is, without a shadow of a doubt, my preferred track not only on this album but out of anything Pentagram has ever produced, the immortal and impeccably phrased “Wolf’s Blood”. Wow! It’s certainly one for the ages, with its rollicking and slambashing opening drum roll as well as succeeding, radical shuffle-boogie riff and bluesy, wailing lead harmony which masterfully swoons about thirty seconds in following a meticulous gang breakdown. Furthermore, I'm absolutely mesmerized by Liebling’s insanely captivating verses, possibly the coolest and most evocative horror themed opening lines I’ve ever heard:

“I hear stories about the nightlife
But not the ones that you know
Tales of terror and desperation
Somewhere out in the cold
Under the moon
When we hear the hounds
What's going down

Something knows what it's all about
And I gotta find out – wolfsblood!”

Trust me (Saint Vitus style), his “wolfish” motilities fly off the handle. Every bar is killer. Suffice to say, it’s my #1 lycanthropic penny dreadful by a long shot. What’s more, Griffin’s guitar soloing is orgasmic and every bit as amusingly twisted as Tony Iommi’s on Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and/or “Hand of Doom”.

As soon as said harmony wraps up with a black bow, brace yourselves, whence throat-ripping split-fingered chromatic riff paves the groundwork for most dazzling, if not most incredible, pentatonic solo section you’ll likely ever hear; sectioned off in multiple parts, Griffin unleashes a ferocious slew of sizzling fret runs which, between 03:49 and 04:00 include downright scintillating and scorching finger-taps sure to get your “blood” pumping. Actually, I’m quite sure these wondrously ebbing and flowing, poignantly phrased leads, which unequivocally showcase him at the top of his game, are amongst my favorite of his, be it with Pentagram or the equally commendable Place of Skulls.

Aside from such detailed eloquence, what essentially makes “Wolf’s Blood” such a fascinating and highly memorable track is its balancing contrast between the happy-go-lucky main riff and mournful, elegiac secondary riff as well as Liebling’s widely varying vocal range; while these alone are reason enough for chair-catapulting fireworks, the rampant bridge (compounded by Liebling’s “The silver bullets my only threat/Wolfsblood runs black it runs deep...”) and incendiary lead break leave me trembling in awe.

Shuffling along now, “Frustration”, with its welcome undistorted guitar cool-down i.e. intermittently re-emerging intro as well as philosophically sagacious opening verse and overall cranky and dramatic riffing/soloing is another thirst-quenching humdinger worth mentioning alongside the characteristically heavy-hitting yet arresting and poised “Bride of Evil”, whose downwind cadence and moon-baying, swing-around chorus is sure to fasten itself to the psyche for some time to come. Expect wiry and elongated pentatonics as well as hat clamping drums to further reel you in past the point of no return!

One track which harkens back to the “day of reckoning” is the caustic and chiseling, mallet-swinging mid tempo grouchy wrangler “Petrified”, as it’s along the lines of past heavily brood-some worthies such as “Evil Seed”, “The Ghoul” and “Wartime”; if anything, it effortlessly makes itself at home amongst its more festive brethren. It also features a rather nifty and called for tribal tom-tom patter and rattle, thus enforcing expectations rising from the track’s solid, stone cold moniker. Rounding things off is the 2.5 acoustic instrumental. “A Timeless Heart”, which, if the rumors hold true, is gleaned years later on Spirit Adrift’s Curse of Conception (wait, am I thinking of "Change of Heart" here?). Regardless, this last is an auspicious Grand Canyon state development worth looking into as well as it strongly incorporates numerous Pentagram-ish vibes.

As implied, the self-titled closer is an unforgettable masterpiece in its own right as it beautifully displays Liebling’s natural talent. Essentially, he’s far from being simply some overblown and wantonly charismatic front man – he’s also a highly talented tenor as attested by his wistfully composed verses and convincing emotional presence throughout. As well, the version of the song presented here is as superbly rendered as the original from 2002’s First Daze Here compilation. For that matter, make to sure to stay tuned for Griffin’s mellifluous flamenco passage in addition to Hasselvander’s atmospheric percussion medley.

On the whole, the production on Be Forewarned is much sharper and rich than on Relentless, which ascribed to a rather muddy and damp level of production. Despite somewhat paralleling Day of Reckoning in both tone and musicianship, this release can be considered one-of-a-kind amidst the formation’s extensive, if not erratic, discography. While Swaney’s bass slightly sheds its overt punch and prevalence from past ventures, worry not as the rhythm section goes above and beyond to supply Griffin with more than enough fodder to work with.

All told, I almost (pro) rated this musical paragon slightly lower (i.e. 92-94%), but, considering, once again, I'm freaking hard over Liebling’s deadly prose and delivery, along with Griff’s stellar, mind-blowing chops backed by team Swaney/Hasslevander’s battering onslaught, makes sense to rate it highly so. Who cares if the frivolous, frill and ridiculously shrill albeit shudder-some, rabid drum fill dominated “Nightmare Gown” porte-manteau comes across as tacky with a capital “T” filler or that some of the tracks take a little while to duly take off?!

I dare all, upon giving Be Forewarned a spin or two, to challenge such panegyric praise, or counter with elaborately smug retorts, as Pentagram’s triad of revival releases, including here revered, constitute some of the greatest doom metal around.

Let's say you're listening to an hour-long album. The first questionable decision the band makes is 50 minutes in, and the slightly unnecessary 2 minute instrumental puts you into the most fragile state you've been in for months, right before the aching purgatory of 'Be Forewarned' crashes down on your soul. That's right, Pentagram fucking rule on this album. Review over, go home.

It's hard to describe what makes this album so great without going track by track, so I'll try not to be boring or start licking Bobby Liebling's balls (wouldn't you, just to say you had?). I actually came to doom metal the wrong way round, because I had albums by My Dying Bride and Cathedral and Paradise Lost before I found my way to Pentagram or even engaged properly with Black Sabbath. So the old school quality of Be Forewarned is what I'll start with. Some of these songs are carried over from the band's original incarnation in the '70s and there are lots of classic/retro features, like the fuzzed out riffs and mellow chords or Liebling's impassioned hard rock vocal delivery. He comes to heavy metal in the same way that Ozzy does - from somewhere completely different. It's become old hat to ape Ozzy, but the truth is that he didn't sound like anyone else at the time, nor does he sound like anyone else now, because his imitators aren't trying to change anything. Ozzy sounded unearthly, Liebling sounded ungodly, and, at a push, Lee Dorrian might join them by merit of him sounding unusual. None of those 3 singers are really that talented, but they all sound utterly unique, which is far better. Plus, you can't argue with someone as terrifying as Liebling when his voice tolls out "I'll have no remorse for you my friend / When the light of the kingdom calls" on 'The World Will Love Again'.

Likewise, the talent of the other band members playing on this album is somewhat in question. Victor Griffin is a fucking hero for deciding that he could play in drop B tuning and he churns out memorable riff after memorable riff, but he isn't playing a lot of notes, he isn't expected to play fast, and he sticks to very limited patterns and range when he solos. However, he makes those limits seem more than sufficient, using rhythm, feel, and that ocean-dredging tone to create his impact; the crushing slower parts (check out the intro to 'Life Blood' for the dictionary definition of doom) make the uptempo parts so much more potent, so that 'Nightmare Gown' rushes along like the fever dream it is; he doesn't make a bad choice of note and nails the atmosphere absolutely, especially on that blissful quiet solo on the title track, or the exciting shrieks that pepper 'Frustration'. If you listen to his contribution to 'Vampyre Love', that song could have been written in the '60s and then heavied up a bit for the doom wave. The only song I think Griffin could have done better on is 'Petrified', which creeps about on the strength of one riff, with nary a solo in sight, but his generally excellent riffs and leads (melodies and solos) more than excuse a single disappointment.

You might question the involvement of a bassist at all in an album that includes Victor Griffin's signature guitar tuning, but Martin Swaney doesn't leave all the playing to the 6-stringer. His throbbing instrument (yup) is the motor of the band and the album would be pretty dud without it. Think about it - have St Vitus ever sounded as alive as Pentagram do on a song like 'Wolf's Blood'? Swaney's bass lets Griffin go on plunging and booming without losing the important energy from the band's sound, meaning that when things get fast (comparatively fast, that is) on a song like 'Live Free and Burn', the riffs still crush rather than sounding clumsy and weak. Joe Hasselvander plays an important counter-role to these two and actually displays the most ability here, cutting through the low end tar with a whip-crack of a snare and a sprightly, fill-heavy style. He's rarely just playing the beat and is the important factor in stopping this become "too" doomy - i.e. coma doom.

The great part about Be Forewarned is that it is quite clearly more than the sum of its parts. The details are all attended to with the utmost care. I own Peaceville's reissue of the album and it's absolutely gorgeous, a little bit off the wall, and totally appropriate. Some of the lyrics are stunning, such as the first verse from 'Ask No More':

"You're about to step up off the platform
You, the one who sold your soul away
To travel down my mind made moonlit passage
A million miles exactly to the day"

The musicians are all decent, but their performances are all impeccable. The songs are all heavy and doomy, but there is so much variety that you could easily pick a new favourite song of the album every month for a year. The whole album sounds timeless: some of these songs were written 20 years earlier than others, the influences are classic, and the sounds are modern, but the result is eternal. That's the point of doom metal. Doom metal isn't about the now, nor is it really about the past, even though that's what many bands turn to. It's about knowing that you have been doomed, that you are doomed, and that you always will be doomed, and there isn't a band who can explain that better than Pentagram.

Released seven years after Day of Reckoning, Be Forewarned is at an odd spot in Pentagram's discography. It still features the lineup that made their first two efforts so legendary but came too late to capitalize on their momentum. It isn't exactly obscure but it sets the band up for obscurity as Victor Griffin and Martin Swaney would immediately depart upon its release.

Like Day of Reckoning before it, Be Forewarned bares a great influence from Black Sabbath. But while that album mostly channeled the Ozzy era, this effort has more in common with what Sabbath was making around the same time in the early 90s. The guitar tone reminds one of Dehumanizer, most notably on "Bride of Evil," while the title track could've found a place on Dio's Strange Highways. Of course, the band's old school flair is still at full force with "Too Late" and "Frustration" serving as more light-hearted rock numbers and "Vampyre Love" riding an excellent Hendrix-style swagger.

The band dynamic also seems to have gone through some changes between albums. The vocals are more restrained than before and the chunky guitar tone seems a bit darker, but these factors aid the atmosphere rather than bring it down. Elsewhere, Joe Hasselvander's drums keep their jazzy feel and you can hear the bass a little better than before.

But with there being thirteen tracks on here comes the thought that there may be a bit too much. You've certainly got your classics and "Nightmare Gown" is the only song that is less than great, but songs like "The World Will Love Again" and "Wolf's Blood" don't quite have the same excitement as past anthems. Fortunately, you still can't accuse them of lacking variety as "Live Free And Burn" starts things off on a speedy note while "A Timeless Heart" is a lonely acoustic instrumental that builds up to the title track in a melancholic fashion.

Overall, Pentagram's third album is rockier than past efforts but still has a lot that makes it worth checking out for doom fans. It would've been better if it had come out three or four years before it did, but it still gives the Death Row era a good send-off. Sadly, this is the last album that I would safely recommend to new fans as even the diehards found it hard to keep track of the ensuing decline...

Highlights:
"Live Free and Burn"
"Vampyre Love"
"Frustration"
"A Timeless Heart"
"Be Forewarned"

Originally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com
"Be Forewarned"

Something about ‘Be Forewarned’ has sunk itself into my spongy brain matter and haunted me in the depths of night, exacerbating the unfortunate visions I have – not too dissimilar to the artwork of ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ – of those nebulous and meddlesome nymphs cavorting around my bed… perhaps it was time to stop drinking, but I’d much rather blame ‘Be Forewarned’ for such damnable iniquity in my room.

‘Be Forewarned’ is a punishing album, make no mistake about it. Some of what’s here can be considered incredibly accessible but still, it’s very much punishing. Sure, it’s not punishment in the blatant, brutal sense – this is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that I thought it to be simply an excellent doom album, unaware of its sepulchral menace – but ‘Be Forewarned’ waits until it’s too late, ahem, before it reveals its more entrancing and macabre side. By this time you’re probably too far gone, the supremely dark yet melodic craft has probably already had you scrawling one last note about some horrid vision you saw, before you take one last hit of opium and then throw yourself towards the welcoming grey of the pavement below.

But, the punishment is incredibly welcoming; it’s a temptation almost as great as the apple was to Eve or the lure of the Scarlet Whore’s lips were (but I was promptly unaware of the reincarnation of Aleister Crowley who promptly took me from behind… the ‘Filthiness of her fornication’, indeed). But yes, ‘Be Forewarned’ and its evil is not an inaccessible one, far from it, with their school in the 70’s craft; Bobby Liebling, Victor Griffin and Joe Hassevander make this album a very easy one to be mesmerized by. This isn’t ‘Under the Sign of the Black Mark’, this is that 70’s sort of evil, the most dangerous kind that everyone can access (even your own children!) Though the aforementioned black metal classic has probably shifted more units than this… but such is the curse of the Pentagram.

It also goes without saying, what with all my musings on evil, that this album is an immensely atmospheric one. After years of unrelenting listens, I have come to the conclusion that ‘Be Forewarned’ is the product of two things:
1.Spending a lot of time in graveyards.
2.Taking hard drugs.
Of course, this morbid curiosity has spilt over into other areas; lyrical themes deal with more horror movie fare at times. Which are of course delivered with vivid ghoulishness, this should be the case for a band that has clearly spent a long time at the funerals of complete strangers. The production enhances this atmosphere; the drum production is fantastic unlike its predecessors (‘Day of Reckoning’ suffered from a snare sound that was a little too tight and the debut was quite muffled). Joe Hassevander emerges as an absolutely phenomenal drummer here, with some awe-inspiring hard-hitting fills. Better still though, is his brilliant accenting of the riffs, see the sparse rolling toms and percussion in the verses of ‘The World Will Learn to Love Again’ for a marvellous example. The drums are so good however that despite accenting other players at times they always retain my attention. Victor Griffin’s guitar sound, too, has come to its perfect fruition. In a way his tone here is quite trebly in comparison to what went before it, but it’s perfect. Any more treble and it would be fizzy, more bass and it would be overbearing and less mid-range would result in too much of a hollow sound. This isn’t the lifeless solid-state buzz of Dimebag Darrell, nor is it the scooped-out stupidity of mid-era Hetfield; this is a characteristic and warm tone, perfect for conveying such emotion as displayed here…and lest we forget that’s what great guitarists deal with.

It is of note that a fair proportion of Mr. Liebling’s compositions here date back to the 1970s. One could point a critical finger at his wonderfully moustached person accusing him of artistic stagnation, however, when considering any this one must remember that these songs had not been previously available on any major release and generally these songs occupied a few boxes of stuffy and mislabelled vinyl. So the re-working of these songs is immensely functional and, in light of actually hearing the earlier versions, a great listen for the Pentagram fan and let’s face it, I was still probably learning how to wet my bed in 1994 so there wasn’t a cat in hell’s chance I would have been able to hear these songs in any other way prior to the release of ‘First Daze Here Too’. Also any criticism of Bobby can be stifled because of his phenomenal vocal display, that ranges from the lobotomised deathly moans on ‘Life Blood’ (which have an uncanny similar to Lee Dorian’s on ‘Forest of Equilibrium’), to the cooler-than-thou drawl on ‘Vampyre Love’ and the more familiar territory of the title track which vocally harkens back to vintage 70’s Liebling. Perhaps Bobby’s writing input has lessened to an extent… but you’d expect twenty-four years of drugs and Satan to take their toll, wouldn’t you?

Ignoring traditional folkloric wisdom the boys don’t ‘keep the wolf far thence’ and as such once again delve into the familiar theme of Werewolves on ‘Wolf’s Blood’, which turns out to be the most bounding and energetic track here. The riffs are still mournful but somewhat invigorated by the full moon and Victor’s lead guitar is effortlessly memorable, once again sinking into my spongy brain (perhaps it’s that meningitis that the student council were so keen on?) with some really racy melodic touches. Unlike its lyrical predecessor ‘Sign of the Wolf’ which was more a tale (tail?) or a doomed man in a perplexed state over his more hairy moments, ‘Wolf’s Blood’ is more curious with its refrain of ‘I gotta find out’.

‘Live Free and Burn’ is a wonderful opener and features riffs so malevolent and brisk (for a doom album at least) that they sound as if they spend their days donning hoods and nicking the purses of old ladies. Notably and thankfully, Victor has toned down the 4th harmonies he relied on greatly on ‘Day of Reckoning’ and they only make an appearance on this one song. They were fun, but you get the sense that if he’d continued doing them at the rate he had on ‘Day of Reckoning’ it would have been a bit gimmicky and Chuck Schuldiner he is not. A nice bit of technical editing from Mr. Griffin! Now if only he’d tone down the God rock that plagues Place of Skulls! Though this song itself has lyrics warning of evil and dates back to the early 80s… so perhaps the God rock has always been part of Victor’s persona. But more importantly this shows that ‘Be Forewarned’ achieves the ‘Psalm 9’ syndrome, in which an at times near Christian record out evils most of the inverted crucifix crowd. Fantastic!

‘Vampyre Love’ shows once again that Pentagram simply refuses to fall into the trappings of the sub-genre. Whereas Candlemass or Reverend Bizarre filled their albums up with a pleasant but at times uneventful approach to doom metal, Pentagram write gloomy, effortlessly cool and almost poppy songs. Riffs are truly an occulted affair in the swirling blissful tremolo effect the opening guitar features. From this onwards the song takes on a confident strident feel, reflecting its subject matter perfectly. If the Cradle of Filth vampire themes are say ‘Queen of the Damned’ or some other tacky modern day nu metal vampire flick, then this is Christopher Lee covered in strangely raspberried blood in the bottom of a quarry… but sexier. Again, it’s atmospherically heavy if you listen closely you can just about smell the acrid smoke rising from the tombs of those Romanian long-in-the-tooth counts. In short: don’t play this song in that old abandoned church you found, unless you’re clutching the holy rood and three Frenchman’s worth of garlic lest you end up like the unfortunate dame on the album cover. It is of interest in the pacing of this album that after such a strange gothic pop song we have ‘Life Blood’, the band’s take on the more modern approach to doom metal. So Pentagram are one gear Sabbath clones, right?

At the end of this stunning record (both in terms of strength and its bizarre lack of recognition) we have ‘Be Forewarned’ itself. More dark and macabre than its 1972 predecessor. The brisk death-like jangle of the original (no really) is replaced with statuesque slabs of creeping doom. To reference vampires again, it’s less Nosferatu bumbling about in a creepy if somewhat quirky manner but rather the sonic equivalent, once again, of a lone soul baying at the moon. The backing vocals in the chorus are strange and out of place, but I like the effect it has. They give a strange banshee-like quality and strengthen the ghastly quality of the song. It’s a harrowing way to end the album and a fantastic musical journey into the depths of moustachioed depravity. Haunting, harrowing and unmistakably doomed – you’ve been forewarned – and it’s the final sound you hear as you realise the night has come down once again, you’re alone now and it’ll never let you go. One more night awaiting the mob of angry villagers with their torches firmly in hand, black dogs on the sea front and storm clouds above the abbey.

‘I have loved heroin and dabbled with iniquity, therefore I have no cash’ B. Liebling, 1994.

Be forewarned, because this album is great. It is Doom Metal at its finest. Right at the top up there with Candlemass as the masters of Doom Metal, ‘Pentagram’ are a HIGHLY overlooked classic.

If you’ve never heard Pentagram’s stuff, you probably have heard Black Sabbath. (I don’t know what you’d be doing on this site if you haven’t…) Well, Pentagram are, in many ways, similar to the great Sabbath. Same heavy, catchy riffs. Highly distorted downtuned guitars creating memorable riffs. We’re all familiar with Sabbath’s unforgettable tunes like ‘Iron Man.’ Although perhaps Pentagram don’t offer such classics as ‘Iron Man,’ they do come close. For example… there’s the song ‘Wolf’s Blood.’ For a long time it has been my favorite Doom Metal song because it is simply amazing. Dare I say that this album is worth getting for that song alone? It is THAT good. All of the ‘Be Forewarned’ album, ‘Wolf’s Blood’ especially, demonstrates incredibly accomplished songwriting skills.

The guitarwork is, as I said, unforgettable and very well done, both riffs and solos. But then there is the drumwork as well… Another great plus to the album. It is complex and original, and actually sounds sophisticated. That is the problem with many metal bands, in my opinion. The drums sound like something a ten-year-old could play. This is definitely not the case here. Nice rhythms, good patterns, adds a great eerie atmosphere throughout the album (as is essential in doom metal releases.) No complains on my part.

There is not much more to say, except for the fact that it is a shame how little recognition this band has received. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of ‘Be Forewarned.’ Recommended highly for fans of doom and traditional metal alike.

-Marcin C.

I can't find anything wrong with this album. Every doom-laden riff is heavier than an elephant's ass (as Solitude Aeturnus's Rob Lowe once described Dio's Shame on the Night) and absolute headbanging material. Beautifully harmonized soloing without ever being flashy, and haunting (& vaguely AiC-ish) vocals. Or maybe it's the other way around, I'm no expert on chronology, just providing a point of reference here, y'know? Anyway, the drummer has some mean chops too, double bass and all which shine through occasionally without ever being overbearing, and, lest I should forget, the album has one of the greatest songs ever written-Wolf's Blood. Every single riff and solo and everything in this song is perfection, it rocks so hard it hurts. The album's lyrics even range from relevant issues of mortality to the obligatory mystique-shrouded verses about wolf's blood and all that fun stuff. If you have any interest in melancholic doom metal that isn't operatic and pretentious bullshit which is flooding shelves these days, you need to own this fucking album, enough said. Also recommended for fans of Victor Griffin's work with Place of Skulls.