Last week we examined the origin of the term black metal via Venom’s second album, which gave the genre its name. In this week’s edition of Black Metal Friday we examine what many consider to be the first true example of the black metal sound and aesthetic. Listen to the sample below.

Bathory was a Swedish band founded by 17-year-old singer and guitarist, Thomas Forsberg aka Quorthon in 1983. The band was named after notorious Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory who was rumored to have tortured and killed hundreds of girls and bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth. Venom had also name checked her with the song “Countess Bathory.”

Here below with the third track from their self-titled debut album is Bathory, performing the track “Reaper.”

Of all the shows that the CW Network has produced, Reaper was among the best. In fact, some would even argue it was the only show they’ve ever aired worth watching. It’s also a show that was canceled far too soon, after only two seasons. And like many other similar shows, fans were outraged and fought to see it revived, but to no avail, sadly.

Little has been heard of the show since its cancellation, but it doesn’t appear to be dead yet. At least not entirely dead (it’s only MOSTLY dead). According to reports, FearNet has made their first off-network deal, licensing the show.

The deal sees FearNet acquiring the rights to all 31 episodes of Reaper‘s two-season run to air, and they also will produce a brand new reunion special for fans.

In early July ’09, the world was informed that Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine — stars of prematurely-canceled hits Firefly and Reaper — would be starring together in a horror comedy called Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Now the movie has a little visual accompaniment with the discovery of the film’s trailer. This particular trailer apparently was first making rounds back in October via Bloody-Disgusting, but that run eluded these very eyes, and so it is here now if you missed it as I did!

The movie follows Tucker and Dale, two simpleton rednecks who are about to experience the “wrong place, wrong time” stigma to its most extreme level. When the duo discovers an abandoned cabin, they think it’s their luckiest of days, but when a string of mishaps leads a group of college kids to think that Tucker and Dale are vicious serial killers, the pair fall victim to the dreaded world of stereotypes and must find a way to set things right.

This trailer looks like it might just be a leaked version or a very early online peek, and it also could be considered NSFW, so click on over at your own risk to see it while you still can!

Reaper
Season 2
Starring Bret Harrison, Tyler Labine, Rick Gonzalez, Missy Peregrym, Ray Wise
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 9, 2009

The second season of Reaper had the unfortunate disposition of being seemingly cursed from the very start. After a highly-acclaimed first season gained it a large cult following, the show’s future was still in danger, and the writer’s strike did not help their cause. Eventually, when the dust settled a bit, it was decided that the show would get more of a second chance than a second season with a shortened 13-episode run. Sadly, this uphill battle ended like the finale of Glory, and at this moment Reaper has been canceled with only a few small chances at another network being it’s savior (Read: “˜Reaper’ Canceled: The CW Decides It Wants To Be Just Like Fox When It Grows Up). This of course isn’t the first time a great show was killed too early, and even in this depressing hole, Reaper still has plenty to offer those who have yet to see it.

Reaper is a show about Sam (Bret Harrison), a regular guy who works at a home improvement super store called The Work Bench with his best friends Ben (Rick Gonzalez) and Sock (Tyler Labine), as well as his love interest/friend Andi (Missy Peregrym). On his 21st birthday, Sam discovers that his parents (thinking that they would never have children) sold the soul of their first born child in order to heal his father who was very sick at the time. After he turned 21, the Devil (Ray Wise) comes to claim him and set him off on his new eternal job as the Devil’s bounty hunter, who catches the souls of the damned who escape hell. The show for the most part sounds like a horror movie, and certainly does have scary content, but rest-assured, it’s an incredibly fun and funny series.

UPDATE: Thanks to Reaper DMV who informed us that SBC is still pondering maybe continuing Reaper in syndication. While not so glamorous, keeping Reaper is all that matters, so if you’re a fan, GO HERE and do what you need to do.

Nothing can anger the fanboy masses more so than a great TV show being canceled for no reason. Some of the titles that have fallen to this hypothetical axe: Firefly, Family Guy, Rome, Futurama, with many others.

One more title can be added to the mix, as Reaper, the great show on the CW network, has officially been canceled. The show mixed fiction and lightly-handled religious elements with loads of great humor. It starred Brett Harrison, who becomes a bounty hunter for the Devil, bound for eternity to find and re-capture souls who have escaped from the fires of Hell. Harrison (who played Sam) was joined by his two friends, Sock (Tyler Labine) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez), and his female interest Andi (Missy Peregrym), who all work together at a home improvement superstore as their day jobs. The Devil (played brilliantly by Ray Wise), was one of the best TV characters today.

The second worst thing in all of this is that the show still had so many great storylines going for it, and with only the Season 2 finale left, I’m not sure they will be able to cover all of the bases and wrap it up as well as one could hope for.