For this week’s edition of Black Metal Friday we head down under. No, not Hell… Australia! Destroyer 666 is a blackened thrash band from Melbourne. The band started in 1994 as a one-man project, but soon evolved into a full band for both touring and recording.

Watch Destroyer 666 performing live here below.

From their third album Phoenix Rising (2000), here is Destroyer 666 performing “I Am the Wargod (Ode to the Battle Slain)” at The University of York (England) in 2012.

From time to time I find myself revisiting television shows and films that were integral parts of my childhood, but I haven’t actually sat down and watched in many years. For example, last week I watched The Monster Squad on a Blu-ray I had to bid $30 for on Ebay because the disc is no longer in print and it came as no surprise to me that the movie still holds up as charming, kickass entertainment for kids and adults alike 25 years after its less-than-stellar theatrical release.

My latest nostalgic obsession is a TV show that made its debut the same year as The Monster Squad and also suffered an unjust fate before it had the chance to grow into a beloved hit, a reputation that – like many movies and shows before it – has been redeemed over time thanks to an ever-increasing cult following.

I am speaking, of course, about Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.

Phoenix Rising
A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel
Paperback | Kindle
By Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris
HarperCollins Voyager
Release Date: April 26, 2011

You know how everyone says to never judge a book by its cover? Well, I did”¦ and boy, was it worth it! I was intrigued by the title Phoenix Rising, or rather the subtitle — A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel — but was snared by the art on the front. Going in with an expectation of sexy, steampunk fantasy I was happily rewarded with an excellent introduction to the characters. Agents Braun and Books came to life immediately. Even better, they continued to grow slowly throughout the book keeping me interested in not just the plotline, but in the character development as well. As with any steampunk novel this book is full of mechanized gadgets, well described and alluring. I might perhaps be doing this book an injustice by labeling it so, as it does have all the earmarks of an excellent fantasy-mystery. That said, it was a well-written, highly entertaining romp.