#and also them making them go in the tunnels of the building. paralleling robin and regina going in the tunnels of the castle. evil

[blairwld]

they were insane for this

[yesterdanereviews]

Trancers 4: Jack of Swords (1994)

Film review #479

Director: David Nutter

SYNOPSIS: Jack Deth, an agent of the council, is travelling through time in order to wipe out temporal anomalies, after he eliminated the trancer threat. However, an accident while travelling through time leads to Jack travelling to an alternate dimension, where the trancers are terrorising the people of the land and feeding on their energy. Once again, Jack finds he has to deal with the trancer threat...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Trancers 4: Jack of Swords is a 1994 sci-fi film, and the fourth film in the Trancers franchise. On opening, we see Jack Deth, the protagonist of the franchise, working with the ruling council after eliminating the trancer threat in the previous film, and now travels through time to preserve temporal order. On his way through time for his next mission however, an incident in the time machine causes him to instead land in an alternative dimension or parallel universe (it's not really explained) where trancers are again terrorising people: this time a medieval kingdom, and Jack must once again deal with them. The Trancers franchise is - as I have said in previous film reviews - a fairly low budget affair that you don't need to take too seriously, drawing influence from franchises like Terminator and Blade Runner, but never having the polish or just general quality they do, alongside not providing something original that sets it apart. The premise of travelling back in time to inhabit the bodies of your ancestors is a cool premise, but hasn't really been explored since the first film, with the films falling into very generic action films and away from the cool sci-fi noir it set out with.

With that in mind, let's look at where Trancers 4 has taken us: while the film begins with it's typical sci-fi setting, the majority of the story takes place in this alternative dimension with a medieval fantasy setting. This is obviously quite a departure for the series, and it doesn't suit it at all. The plot is basically a Robin Hood type affair, with Jack Deth working alongside the "tunnel rats" peasants of the kingdom who are rebelling against the lord of the land, who is a trancer...but also a vampire? Since Deth destroyed all the trancers in the previous film, why they're now showing up in parallel universes feeding on people's life energy like vampires is never explained and simply makes no sense. This really is a departure for the series, and it is quite odd that it took this direction; although I feel like the series has been running out of ideas since the first one, so just throwing Jack Deth into an unrelated medieval fantasy is one way to solve that problem, rather than building on what has already been established I suppose. The story itself is a typical "fish out of water" affair with Deth coming to terms with the world he has found himself in, and the locals being amazed at his technology and the like. It goes exactly like you would expect, except you would never expect the series to go in this direction.

None of the previous characters return from the previous films apart from Jack Deth, which again shows just how unrelated and disjointed the series has become. Deth himself, Still played by Tim Thomerson, is the same odd mix of action hero, noir detective, and quirky rebel: he's equally likely to swear and get serious as he is to make a quick one-liner. In one sense, his character is all over the place, partly due to the fact he is an amalgamation of tropes and characters from other (better) films. Alternatively, this unpredictability is strangely endearing, as you never know just how he is going to handle a situation, so you just have to keep watching. Deth is obviously not a great person: he keeps getting his partner's killed, he is rude to everyone, and is constantly trying to seduce women that are way younger than him. Thomerson does, however, do a good job of making the character flawed, but likeable. The rest of the characters aren't of any particular consequence, and they are barely worth a mention as they fill out very typical and predictable roles.

The production and design are very much a mixed bag: some of the futuristic props are nice, but the sets in the future seem to just be empty warehouses with no sense of place. The setting of the fantasy parallel universe world looks as you would expect, and offers few surprises. The action scenes aren't amazingly choreographed, and filled with stock sound effects that are just thrown in without any mixing or editing. Trancers 4 is a strange turn in a series that is already full of strangeness: the story and setting is very typical, and doesn't fit in with the franchise, and doesn't add much to it. The character of Jack Deth is still this weirdly interesting centre of attention that is entertaining enough, but everything that surrounds him just is not of interest.

[riffrelevant]

Article By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Editor

On September 25th, THE OCEAN will release their eighth full-length, ‘Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic‘, via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band’s own Pelagic Records (vinyl). In 2018, THE OCEAN released ‘Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic‘ – the first half of a sprawling, but superbly cohesive paleontology concept album. Now, the group is ready to release the eagerly-awaited concluding parts of the Phanerozoic journey.

For a preview of ‘Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic‘, a video for the new single “Oligocene” (filmed by band members Loic Rossetti, David Ahfeldt, and Robin Staps, plus edited and animated by Craig Murray) can be viewed at the end of this article. The video was shot in the Aragats mountains in Armenia, during the band’s “Siberian Traps” tour in the summer of 2019, which brought them to Russia, Kazachstan, Armenia, Georgia, and Japan.

“We found this place by accident: the dilapidated ruins of a soviet observatory & research station for cosmic radiation,” comments guitarist and founding member Robin Staps. “The building itself looked like a spaceship that had crash-landed up high in the mountains, but there were lots of interesting structures scattered across the landscape: concrete cubes, underground tunnels, rusted machinery, fallen power poles and watchtowers. It all looked like taken straight out of Andrej Tarkovsky’s ‘Stalker’ movie,” concludes Staps, referring to the ingenious classic that was also the backbone of The Ocean’s 2013 album ‘Pelagial‘.

The instrumental track was written by drummer Paul Seidel, but recorded with synth player Peter Voigtmann on drums. It serves as a transitional track from the busy and heavy first half of the record (Mesozoic) into the more relaxed, spacious and cold ambient vibes prevailing on the second half of the record (Cenozoic). For a preview of the ‘Mesozoic‘ part of the album, the previously released track, “Jurassic | Cretaceous” (featuring Katatonia’s Jonas Renkse), can also be heard below in audio via Bandcamp, along with pre-ordering options for ‘Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic‘.

  Tracklist:

01. Triassic 02. Jurassic | Cretaceous 03. Palaeocene 04. Eocene 05. Oligocene 06. Miocene | Pliocene 07. Pleistocene 08. Holocene

Widely hailed as their finest work to date, ‘Phanerozoic I‘ brimmed with moments of wide-eyed melodic brilliance, alongside the expected warping and weaving of post-metal conventions. “The first part of ‘Phanerozoic’ really is a ‘no-regrets’ album, which is quite rare,” says guitarist Robin Staps. “Maybe even the first time I can ever say that.“

In contrast with the compositional directness of ‘Phanerozoic I‘, the new album – ‘Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic‘ – is a vastly more progressive and perverse piece of work. “‘Phanerozoic II’ is more experimental, more eclectic in musical style and direction, and more varied in terms of tempos, beats, guitar work and the use of electronics,” notes Staps. “This was an intentional choice: we wanted Part I to feel rather streamlined and to have a strong cohesion between the individual songs. We wanted to create a certain vibe to linger from the first until the last note throughout the whole record. We kept the weirder, more daring and more progressive material for Part II.“

Tracked in Iceland, Spain, and Germany and produced by esteemed studio guru Jens Bogren, ‘Phanerozoic II‘ is underpinned by some of the most imaginative and challenging music that THE OCEAN – completed by drummer Paul Seidel, keyboard maestro Peter Voigtmann, bassist Mattias Hagerstrand, and guitarist David Ramis Åhfeldt – have made yet. Divided into two sections – Mesozoic and Cenozoic – the album once again showcases the detail and depth that have become two of THE OCEAN‘s most enduring trademarks. While ostensibly delving into the extraordinary realities of the Earth’s shifting temporal tides, Staps and his comrades have long drawn hazy parallels between their chosen subjects and the emotional experiences that their music strives to convey. ‘Phanerozoic II‘ is essentially an album about time, with some very poignant and pointed allusions to the modern world woven into the new music’s spiritual fabric.

Staps explains, “The outcome is a record that is a real journey. It starts in one place, and concludes in a totally different place. In a way, it relates to 2013’s ‘Pelagial’, which was similar in that it was also a journey: but a more guided, focused and predictable one. ‘Phanerozoic II’ on the other hand is closer to the experience of free fall.“

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– deluxe edition CD (tri-fold digipak) – instrumental CD (remus spine digipak w/ UV gloss) – box set completion (both vocal and instrumental versions) bundles * exclusive vinyl and various bundles with shirts and merch items, plus digital options also available

Pre-order various options [link]. 

THE OCEAN:

Loic Rossetti David Ahfeldt Robin Staps Paul Seidel Peter Voigtmann Mattias Hagerstrand

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website | Spotify | YouTube | Bandcamp

Also find THE OCEAN 2021 tour information below the video for “Oligocene“.

        The Ocean Tour Dates 2021

w/ pg.lost, Hypno5e, Svalbard

“This tour has been planned for a long time already and despite the unprecedented situation we’re all currently going through, we decided to announce it and put tickets on sale. We hope that this will serve as a strong positive statement for bands, promoters and music fans alike.

As this develops, we have to assess, analyse and make the right decisions for everyone involved. The tour going ahead in early 2021 relies on many elements to fall into place, and if it can’t go ahead, then we have a backup routing in place already for later in the year, and all tickets purchased for this tour will be transferrable to that.

Be assured that we will keep assessing this situation as we head later into 2020, and be in communication with everyone. Much love and we hope to see you guys out there in January!”

Jan. 7 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Schlachthof Jan. 8 – Colmar, France – Grillen Jan. 9 – Paris, France – La Machine Jan. 10 – Nantes, France – Ferrailleur Jan. 11 – Toulouse, France – Le Rex Jan. 12 – Bilbao, Spain – Stage Live Jan. 13 – Lisbon, Portugal – LAV Jan. 14 – Madrid, Spain – Caracol Jan. 15 – Murcia, Spain – Gamma Jan. 16 – Barcelona, Spain – Boveda Jan. 17 – Bordeaux, France – Krakatoa Jan. 18 – Lyon, France – CCO Jan. 19 – Fribourg, Switzerland – Fri-Son Jan. 20 – Lucerne, Switzerland – Sedel Jan. 21 – Vienna, Austria – Viper Room Jan. 22 – Prague, Czech Republic – Nova Chelmnice Jan. 23 – Berlin, Germany – Festsaal Jan. 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset Jan. 26 – Hamburg, Germany – Bahnhof Pauli Jan. 27 – Leipzig, Germany – Conne Island Jan. 28 – Munich, Germany – Backstage Jan. 29 – Essen, Germany – Zeche Carl Jan. 30 – Osnabruck, Germany – Kleine Freiheit Jan. 31 – Zwolle, Netherlands – Hedon Feb. 01 – Cologne, Germany – Volta Feb. 02 – Brussels, Belgium – Botanique Feb. 03 – Utrecht, Netherlands – De Helling Feb. 04 – Bristol, UK – The Fleece Feb. 05 – Glasgow, UK – Slay Feb. 06 – Manchester, UK – Club Academy Feb. 07 – London, UK – 229 Feb. 08 – Brighton, UK – Patterns

Tickets: https://bit.ly/theoceanEU2021tickets

  THE OCEAN Share “Oligocene” Video From Upcoming ‘Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic’ Album Article By: Leanne Ridgeway, Owner/Editor On September 25th, THE OCEAN will release their eighth full-length, '