As many have said before -- and will say after -- the Pacific Northwest seems to be the ideal breeding ground for the Industrial/Gothic genre.  Is it the weather?  Whatever of the reason, Seattle-based Legion Within is an excellent example of the original musical projects calling this perennially rain-swept environment home.

Legion Within's fourth album, Mouth of Madness, has a terrifically confident and unique sound -- club-friendly beats (Someone's Speaking), ambient (Memories of You), and rock influences (Mouth of Madness, the title track) can all be found here.  To my ears there are some diverse musical influences at work on this album: guitar that at times would be at home in a PJ Harvey song, electronics and beats reminiscent of Angel Theory, and of course deep romantic vocals that are simultaneously familiar and yet defy any direct comparison.

Mouth of Madness has certainly made it into my daily rotation -- there are some stand-out tracks that are rapidly becoming some of my favorite songs.  This is an album that I highly recommend.

Visit the official Legion Within website here.

Unfortunately the Gothic: Dark Glamour exhibit at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology is over but the website lives on.

Curated by Valerie Steele, author of "The Corset: A Cultural History" (Yale University Press, 2001)and "Fetish: Fashion, Sex and Power" (Oxford University Press, 1996) her latest book and publication is also titled "Gothic: Dark Glamour" (Yale University Press in conjunction with FIT, 2008).

"Gothic is an epithet with a strange history, evoking images of death, destruction, and decay. It is not just a word that describes something (such as a Gothic cathedral); it is almost inevitably a term of abuse, implying that something is gloomy, barbarous, and macabre. Ironically, its negative connotations have made it, in some respects, ideal as a symbol of rebellion. Hence its significance for youth subcultures. Today the words "goth" and "gothic" are popularly associated with black-clad teenagers and mascara'd rock musicians. But the gothic has many layers of meaning.

"The Beautiful Deadly Children, The Gospel According to Goth" by Bertie Weirdly

This book has been my first exposure to The Beautiful Deadly Children, and I must say they seem like over-the-top theatrical Gothic fun.  Described early in the book as putting on shows mixing high-couture fashion, comedy, and rock extravaganza, the reader is thrust into the world of band members Paul Steventon-Marks, John Douglas Maddison, Olivia Barnard-Firth, and Kit Kat Mahoney.

Over the course of 100 pages author Bertie Wierdly presents profiles of the band members, explorations of their influences, fashion and makeup tips, and even some drink recipes (which I will be trying one day soon...)  Lest you think the theatrics would be left to your imagination, this richly-illustrated book contains more than a few inspiring fashion ideas.

While much of the text focuses on fashion and theatrics, let's not forget that this is in fact a band.  Drawing influences from classic Goth-rock with a hint of Darkwave, BDC's music is energetic -- I like what I have heard and would be interested in hearing more.

Obviously reveling in the Gothic sense of drama and perhaps even flirting with the edge of propriety, The Beautiful Deadly Children are anything but commonplace.  If you have the opportunity, definitely check them out.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Open Grave: the Book of Horror, I was very pleased to receive a copy of Jeani Rector's latest book, Around a Dark Corner.  This book follows the same overall structure as the last: a series of short stories followed by a novella.  I am a big fan of this format, each story adding to the anticipation of the next.   

Like Open Grave this book varies in subject matter -- stories such as 'A Medieval Tale of Plague' (a sort of diary of one persons' escape from London during the mid 1300s) and 'Flight 529' (based on factual events) have a restrained quality, while 'The Golem' and 'A Teenage Ghost Story' are examples of classic horror storytelling.  All have a feeling of "the uncanny", and all are fascinating in a unique way.

This book adds to my impression that the author is very much at home in this genre -- the writing is confident, and as a result it is easy to become fully engrossed in the stories. There is no sensasionalism here, but instead clever and intelligent writing that stands out as an excellent example of modern Gothic storytelling.

Be sure to visit aroundadarkcorner.com -- the book can be purchased directly from the publisher website.

The third movie in the Underworld series appears to take place before the first film, and will hopefully explain the origins of the war between the vampires and lycans.

Less than one week until the film opens!