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Favorite Films: Daedric’s Kristyn Hope Digs ‘Godzilla,’ ‘Companion,’ ‘Halloween,’ Rob Schneider ‘Comedy’

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews with tags , , , , , , , , , on 08/22/2026 by Kurt Orzeck


When we recently caught up with alt/metal frontwoman Kristyn Hope of Deadric to inquire about her favorite films, she responded immediately: “To give you a bit of background, I grew up on VHSs. We had about 200 movies and I’d watch the same ones over and over and over. It was very unhealthy.”

Sounds like a true movie aficionado to us.

She continued: “So anyway, my list of favorite movies is largely based on the ones we had. Because I grew up pretty poor, we didn’t rent movies often. I would go to the) library and get the free movies – you know, like C-level movies.

The proof of Hope’s testimony can be found in the ensuing rundown of her favorite flicks of all time;

Godzilla (1998)

The 1998 version of Godzilla was one of my favorites. I know it shouldn’t even count as a Godzilla movie, but it was the only monster movie I had [available to watch at home]. And I was so into monsters. The idea of a giant kaiju was so cool to me. It was just such an interesting creature. Also, the CGI – for the time – was good.

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On Tyranny: King Youngblood Frontman and Black & Loud Music Fest Co-Founder Cameron Lavi-Jones Says Musicians Don’t ‘Understand How Much Power They Have’

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags , , , , , , , , on 08/22/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

It’s more evident now than ever: Musicians are at a crossroads. Do they pursue their art, even if it means shedding part of their fanbase that doesn’t agree with their belief in free speech and other American ideals? Or do they try to “stay out of politics,” which is no longer possible in a country where financial hardship, ICE raids and the suppression of dissenters occurs on a daily basis and on a widespread level?

There’s no ambiguity when it comes to King Youngblood and their frontman, Cameron Lavi-Jones. He has chosen to be on the right side of history, is speaking out vociferously about his decision and doing whatever he possibly can to get other artists onboard. As the co-founder of Black & Loud, a festival taking place in Seattle and Portland on August 29 and 30, respectively, Lavi-Jones is expanding his reach to preach and proselytize to a grand scale.

The tagline for the event, which will feature performances by the Neville Brothers and many more, is: “In a world where independent music festivals are struggling, Black & Loud finds its footing and takes the Forefront.”

The Bad Penny could not be proud to present you with our conversation with Lavi-Jones, which we conducted over email a couple of days ago.

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What You Readin’ For?: Melvins’ Buzz Osborne Recommended John Fante’s ‘Dreams From Bunker Hill’ to mr.phylzzz Frontman, Who Attests That It’s a Worthy Read

Posted in Features, What You Readin' For? with tags , , , , , , , , on 08/20/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

It’s been a minute since we’ve published an installment in our series What You Readin’ For, in which musicians discuss and recommend good reads to fans of their music and this website. The latest pick comes courtesy of Clinton Jacob, who handles vocals and guitars for self-described trashy grunge band mr.phylzzz from Chicago. The duo of Jacob and drummer Danny Sein are putting out their newest album, Fear the Lord, September 4 on Amphetamine Reptile, one of the most important noise-rock labels ever. (Fun fact: mr.phylzzz and Buzz Osborne‘s Melvins are the only two active bands left on Amphetamine Reptile’s roster.)

Get a taste of Fear the Lord in the video at the bottom of this post, but before you scroll down, read Jacob’s pitch for John Fante’s tragicomedy Dreams From Bunker Hill, available for purchase on HarperCollins’ website:

I read a lot, but if there’s one book this year that has held my attention more than doom-scrolling my life away, it’s Dreams from Bunker Hill by John Fante.

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The 10 Best Belgian Metal Bands of All Time, According to Gnarly Native Sons 30,000 Monkies (Exclusive)

Posted in Features, Interviews, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 08/16/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Some 15 years after ganging up in their home city of Beringen in Belgium (population approximately 45,000 residents), 30,000 Monkies continue to claim the throne as the country’s most enduring we’re-kidding-but-not-really-kidding, noisy, sludgy, experimental doom metal band. Or so we presume; try as we may to acquaint ourselves with every arty, far-out band in every nation on the planet, The Bad Penny still has plenty of work to achieve that mission.

We were fortunate enough, however, to recently land upon Belgian rabble-rousers 30,000 Monkies. Not only did we find the spelling of their moniker worth a chuckle, we also came across a written plea to fans that appears on the quartet’s illustrious website:

Driving the point home, here’s a truly outlandish video that the band – who would fit comfortably on a tour with Mclusky, Ken MODE and/or Melvins – released six years ago:

Wacky personas and band presentation aside, 30,000 Monkies will once again prove their mettle – and heavy, fuzzy forays into their self-constructed fun house – with the September 12 release of Super Rebound (Champagne Metal) on September 18 via FVN KULT REKORDS. That said, when the band accepted our proposal to collaborate editorially in an idiosyncratic manner – rather than toss conventional queries about their upcoming record – we thought 30,000 Monkies would be fitting ambassadors to name the best heavy bands from their home country of Belgium. They obliged, and here’s the list they compiled exclusively for The Bad Penny.

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Favorite Films: Soulburn Are Passionate About ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ ‘Shining,’ ‘Lighthouse’ and 2 Flicks Starring Denzel and Depp

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews with tags , , , , , , , , , on 08/16/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

It was all the way back in 1996 that Dutch deviants Soulburn lit embers that eventually became a full-blown blaze of death metal and black-doom, lighting the path for legions of like-minded bands in the years ever since. As is so often the case, the band wasn’t initially appreciated, and they split just three years later. But as the metal world at large eventually caught up to their masterful melange of black, death and doom metal, guitarist Eric Daniels (also of Asphyx) reignited the project in 2013, and Soulburn have burned bright ever since.

The latest evidence of the Netherland band’s brilliance is found in Quantifying Cosmic Doom, which is jam-packed with bangers as complex and rich as the album’s title suggests. Testimony put out the album – which arguably underscores Soulburn’s black-metal bona fides more than any of their previous four studio efforts – roughly two months ago. Get a taste of the record via the below video, then check out movies that each member of the badass band graciously shared with The Bad Penny for the latest installment in our ongoing Favorite Films series.

And now, here are Soulburn’s movie picks:

Twan van Geel (bass, vocals):

Antichrist (2009)

Of the many movies I like, this one [written and directed by provocative auteur Lars von Trier] popped up as being one that really intrigued me. The whole atmosphere, the depth, the tone, the colouring, the pace, the unsettling creepy ungrabbable vibe, I just love it immensely. Also Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are incredible here. Antichrist is unsettling not just because of what it shows, but because of the deeper ideas it disturbs. Its unease comes from a fusion of psychological, symbolic and existential themes that never fully resolve. That’s also why I keep coming back to this one. It creeps under your skin.

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Pet Sounds #90: Fires in the Distance’s Cat Narrowly Escaped Strict Landlord – and Lived to Pee About It

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , , , on 08/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

“She was just my perfect companion for 14.5 years. Every day I was happy to see her, and I’m honored to say she was happy to see me too.”

-Fires in the Distance vocalist/guitarist Brendan Hayter

There’s a strong case to be made that melodic death-metal bands gain notice and recognition, and cultivate their fanbases, by devoting far more time and energy to their recorded output as opposed to touring. Fires in the Distance are an exception to that generalization – because their exceptional live performances are as exceptional as their studio material. Amorphis and Dark Tranquillity helped the Connecticut band gain notice with an opening slot on the European heroes’ joint tour three years ago, on the strength of just two Fires in the Distance full-lengths: 2020’s Echoes From Deep November and 2023’s Air Not Meant for Us.

Like clockwork (as another Scandinavian extreme-metal band, Meshuggah, would say), Fires in the Distance just issued their third record, Circadian Promise, after another three years of dutiful songwriting and recording – and issued it via Prosthetic, which put out the quartet’s first two gems. (That’s notwithstanding an instrumental album released in ) On paper, what’s most striking about the new record is that it features a new frontman: vocalist/guitarist/lyricist Brendan Hayter, whose surname is as well-suited for a metal band as his chops are for the doomish MDM crew.

In an effort to further acquaint Fires in the Distance fans with Hayter, The Bad Penny recently connected with him to participate in our ongoing Pet Sounds series, to which he graciously obliged. He told us all about his cat Mimsy, and while we typically don’t include discussions about pets post mortem, Hayter’s touching recollections about his companion and how he worked through her loss are valuable advice to pet owners about how to deal with both love and grief over animals.

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On Tyranny: Dumb Waiter, the Next Big Thing in Noise Rock, Say ‘It’s Hard Not to Be Political’ Now

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 07/29/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Dumb Waiter’s saxophone player and vocalist, Tristan Brennis, is wise to the fact that many musicians are speaking out in resistance to MAGA and fascism because the war being wages is between right and wrong, not right and left.

“In this day and age, you know, in 2026, it’s kind of hard not to be political,” he says. “I don’t think, when writing [our new] album … any of us intended to make it political. I think it’s just we’re a reflection of our surroundings. You close your eyes, you blink, and all of a sudden, you’re like, ‘Wait a second, we’re actually pretty pissed off.'”

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Favorite Films: If You Loved ‘Backrooms,’ You’ll Probably Dig ‘The Cell’ Too

Posted in Essays, Favorite Films, Features with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/28/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

To the surprise of no one, the summer blockbuster to beat is Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey which, based on the reactions of critics and average-joe moviegoers alike, seems to be the best movie of all time ever made ever in the history of all times. But there’s still a curious mid-card match taking place far more unexpectedly: the jostling between two very low-budget psychological horror flicks, Obsession and Backrooms. Both are very unnerving, mostly sparing in the use of violence, and tap into Americans’ widespread fear these days of psychological insanity and not knowing what’s real (cough, MAGA, cough) versus physical violence.

The Bad Penny highly recommends both films – and one more, although it dates back 26 years. The Cell was a thoroughly original horror movie (more so than sci-fi, the genre in which it was primarily marketed and classified). It starred Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D’Onofrio, who didn’t make for the strongest acting ensemble, but that issue was mitigated by the fact that visionary Indian director Tarsem Singh helmed The Cell.

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Happy Birthday to These Sparkling (or Rotting) Famous People!

Posted in Happy Birthday with tags , , on 07/26/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

It’s a day that ends in “Y,” which means it’s time to wish a happy birthday – two words that also end in “Y” (if you really think about it) to all the people who have made a difference – in some cases, a tremendous, murderous difference – during their time spent on this mortal coil.

There’s a couple of twists here, though. One of the individuals pictured is dead, and two – not necessarily one of the dead ones! – are series killers. Stumped which are which? Ask your kids! That’s what they’re there for, right?

PS: Another famous person celebrated their birthday recently. Can you guess who? Click here if you cry “uncle” – although the person is probably neither an uncle nor ever played one on the small or big screens.

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Pet Sounds #89: Strange Mono’s Strange Dog Product Promo Is the Cat’s Pajamas and the Bees’ Knees

Posted in Esoterica, Features, Pet Sounds with tags on 07/26/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Not entirely sure what this Strange Mono product promo means, or who it’s even trying to reach, but we adore it as much as our lab/hound. We’re pretty sure there’s a reference to the movie Seven in there, and maybe Jules Winnfield one too.

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