MUSIC

Do Not Go To War With the Demons of Mazandaran by Lowen

An absolutely epic album based on Iranian / Persian myth from UK based metal group Lowen. You know it’s gonna be good when the album art looks like a lovechild of H. R. Giger and Hieronymus Bosch. Found this one through an episode of The Metal Show on Bandcamp Radio featuring the group, in which singer Nina Saeidi talks about her experience of being Iranian-British, her creative process, and her favorite horror movies, along with guitarist Shem Lucas.

The lyrics are based on fables from the Shahnameh, the Persian book of Kings. A longing for power, wealth, divinity itself; the perils and folly of greed, of wanting ever more and more; of using one’s power for selfish gain rather than the good of those you are called to lead and protect. All woven with invocations to silent yet watchful gods, dancing devils, and the vast, uncaring cosmos, in both English and Farsi, the tongue of those ancient kings for which these stories were written.

A very apt album, considering the times we live in. It’s a shame that not all of the lyrics are available, especially untranslated from Farsi, but Nina’s intense vocal performance is enough to spark the imagination all on its own. Combined with the driving instrumentals, with influences from Middle Eastern melodies, progressive rock, and dark, sludgy doom metal, it really evokes the image of a journey through a vast, unforgiving desert. (I can say from personal experience that it makes a great workout album.)

Lowen’s music is available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and Youtube. They also have merch and vinyls for purchase, and that cover art would look dope up on a wall.

Favorite Tracks:
Track 2 - Najang Bah Divhayeh Mazandaran
Track 3 - Waging War Against God
Track 4 - The Seed That Dreamed of Its Own Creation

GAMES

Bluesky DOOM Map Jam

An awesome collection of DOOM maps created by DOOM fans that have found greener (bluer?) pastures over on Bluesky.

Every mapper drew from a provided collection of assets, mostly themed around the color blue, but these assets are used in creative combination with others, so every map has it’s own visual identity. These blues are often paired with warm colors to add contrast between areas, or to add a pleasing accent to the cooler hues.

It’s a fairly large set of maps, and my busy Responsible Adult life means I haven’t played all the way through all four episodes (with a chonky 40+ levels). What I have played was very enjoyable. Lots of creativity on display; every level has it’s own personality, visually and in regards to gameplay. Great enemy encounters and fun usage of scripting.

Every level is a good challenge on UV, with some spikes in difficulty. Bear in mind, I’m not exactly insanely adept at this game. I’m good enough to handle base Doom 2 on Ultra-Violence with little issue, but someone with way more playtime than me might have different standards for a reasonable challenge. It stings a bit to admit that Map 11 forced me to skip it via console pretty quickly. I’m simply not quite good enough at the game to deal with ‘slaughter’ level numbers of enemies in a confined space, and I simply don’t have time to fuss over one out of over 40 levels.

This was my only real roadblock, and it was purely skill-based on my end. Map 21 is a similar spike in difficulty, and that was where I decided to call it for the sake of being able to write this entry. Map 21 feels very doable with practice, though, and your mileage may vary on that.

I may write a follow up should I manage to complete the rest of the collection, but for know, I recommend you check it out for yourself.

Favorite Levels:
Map 3: Beyond a Broken Passage
Map 8: Blue Sky Inlet
Map 12: The Bathhouses
Map 16: Nails Firmly Fixed
Map 17: … Is The Warmest Color
Map 18: No Jumping In the Velvet Room
Map 20: Rhetus Periander