As some of you may have noticed, I missed the August edition of the newsletter. To a large extent this was due to the Dieux Des Cimetières concert on August 1st in support of Beherit – preparing and rehearsing was a considerable undertaking.
But now I’m back! This time around I’m concentrating on reading tips and some choice highlights from ODIR, but come next month, I’ll resume spreading the good word about what friends and other interesting parties in the underground are up to. So make sure to send me your news via the contact form on the ODIR site!
May autumn treat you well,
J.
Highlights from ODIR
- Since we are already closing in on the final quarter of the year, one can start dropping serious candidates for album of the year lists. Here’s one that will certainly feature on my list, and probably on pole position: Danish Die Weisse Rose’s second album The Evenings And Other Songs About Sex, Violence And Nihilism. Don’t believe me? Read my review: https://onlydeathisreal.rip/2026/08/26/die-weisse-rose-the-evenings-and-other-songs-about-sex-violence-and-nihilism/
- Another long overdue sophomore effort is Hungarian martial industrial project’s Sturmast’s Nos Ipsi, featuring member from Napsorvadás, who we interviewed last year: https://onlydeathisreal.rip/2026/09/02/sturmast-nos-ipsi/
Reading suggestions
- For Finnish readers, Kiuas Kustannus published a new edition of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s Kuoleman riemuvoitto (Trionfo della morte), which opens an interesting view into the legendary Italian’s mind, considering parts of it are more or less autobiographical. It is also one of the very few Finnish translations of D’Annunzio’s work – and a fine novel in its own right.
- Returning to an old classic, Mircea Eliade’s The Myth of the Eternal Return is a brilliant and remarkable study of the cosmology of the archaic man. One cannot entirely group Eliade together with Traditionalist thinkers (Mark Sedgwick places him adjacent); but nonetheless, The Myth of the Eternal Return’s first half is one of the most inspiring descriptions of a perennialist way of thinking.
- The Angelic language, or Enochian, as it is also known, will most likely be at least marginally familiar to most of ODIR’s readers – at least everyone into Impaled Nazarene. Developed or discovered by John Dee and Edward Kelley in the 16th century, the Angelic language and the Enochian system of magick have become staples within Western Esotericism. James Geoffrey’s The Enochian Evocation of Dr. John Dee reconstructs Dee’s writings and notes into the structure of a 16th century grimoire, attempting to present a coherent framework for Enochian magical work based on Dee’s writings, without the copious elements added by later adopters of the system. It’s an interesting book – one that sent me down a rabbithole thanks to which I now have a copy of the Enochian Dictionary and other books on the topic in my reading pile.
- Speaking of later adopters of the Enochian system, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is certainly one of the most prominent. Israel Regardie’s Ceremonial Magic is a concise introduction to Golden Dawn style ritual work; focusing on introducing the reader to the Opening by Watchtower ritual, it’s a hands-on guide to ceremonial and ritual magick well suited for beginners. It doesn’t discuss the metaphysics of magick almost at all, so some care is advised when putting theory into practice. Also, incidentally: the Opening by Watchtower ritual is heavily influenced by Enochian magick!
From our friends
- Two videos from DDC’s aforementioned gig were uploaded by Misantropia Records, who also released DDC’s newest album Mercy & Severity, which is still available directly from the label and assorted distros: Kuoleva jumala and We Came To See The Sun.
- More news from Misantropia Records: fresh off the press is the label’s latest release, M W Daniel’s Beyond Mamushi CD, the soundtrack to Daniel’s horror short: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYdieCn4bMA
Only Death Is Real 