Thursday 13 Mar. 2025

Unfortunately, Morbid Curse Webzine has been inactive for some years. There have been several reasons for this, with the main one being that the sitebuilder is obsolete. As such, the site can no longer be edited in any way, effectively putting an end to my work there. Other issues meant that this was not that big of a deal as I wouldn't have been able to do much regardless of the functionality of Tripod's sitebuilder. However, I have occasionally wished to do something and looked into having the site moved elsewhere, with no luck. For anyone familiar with the site, it was quite clear that my web design skills are almost nonexistent. Still, in the old days of the internet, this was not much of a problem and since the original spirit of the site was to maintain the feel of those times, I thought to make an attempt at creating a successor here. Either way, thank you for visiting and hope that you find something worth your time.

As I bring over the content of the old site, it occurs to me that there are likely things among those writings that I no longer agree with. I'm not reading through anything at the moment, just copying/pasting and formatting. Once I have finished with setting everything up, I'll eventually take the time to give everything a look and see if I wish to make any edits. I definitely care far less about many things than I did years ago, so necessary revision should be made to reflect this. Also, I have ideas for reviews to add but I'll likely focus on a more concise, general style as opposed to the in-depth analyses/essays of the past. I just don't have the desire to sit and dissect every element of something to the point where I may end up ruining it for myself.

Wednesday, 27 Feb. 2019

As of now, Nattsvargr and Nocturnal Abyss are no more. Last year's releases were intended to be the final ones and each came about as close as possible to meeting the expectations that I had for these projects. There is nothing left to say.

Friday, 18 Jan. 2019

A statement regarding the site:

I've received a few messages from people, wondering whether or not I am dead, so I thought I would post something. A combination of factors have contributed to the extreme lack of new content for the longest time. Poor health, difficult circumstances and the death of the few that I've cared for have all played a part, I suppose. The depression has deepened, lack of concentration and focus has grown and motivation has dwindled. I also spend very little time listening to music compared to before and usually stick to favourites when I do feel like hearing something. I seem to value silence, when I can get it, more than anything else. That's not to say that I don't still value music, but it's hard to find the energy to invest in writing about why the latest Mayhem album is a piece of trash when the truth is that I just don't care. If I am struck with the inspiration to write at some point, I will, but I have no plans to force myself. For those who still see some value in my horrible writings (and I'm shocked at the number of you that have written to me over the years), I'll still keep the site up and maintain it, but don't expect a lot of new content.

While going through and making various revisions to the site, I read bits and pieces of the reviews and felt the need to address a few things. I am, painfully, aware of how tedious a lot of the older 'track by track' reviews can be, especially the ones where I struggled to find something to say about the material. I have neither the time nor energy to re-write all of those, though I wish that I did. Also, a fair amount of the reviews never should have been written, as I think there is a difference between writing a negative review of an album from a band that had, at least at one point, made good music versus just covering a band that I dislike and criticizing multiple releases. Years ago, I liked to remain pretty active with the site and was often just looking for things to write about, good or bad. In fact, negative reviews were easier to write since it's far easier to pick something apart and tell all of the reasons why I don't like it, as opposed to attempting to find different ways to praise albums that I like (as they'll often have similar characteristics). I should also say that, particularly early on, I still felt some sense of loyalty to certain bands and made an effort to find positive things to say about releases that actually didn't do much for me. While I've heard some say that I have been overly critical of many albums, I feel that the opposite is true. I was actually too kind, in several cases. I'm not going to read through all 700 or so of the album reviews, but there were a few that caught my eye and I couldn't resist editing a line here or a paragraph there.
At any rate, that is all for now. Thank you for your interest.

Thursday, 12 Apr. 2018

The new Nocturnal Abyss album, Among the Cold Graves, is now available on CD. Payments accepted via Paypal. Contact me by email for more info. To preview and/or purchase as a digital album via Bandcamp, click here.

Tuesday, 27 Feb. 2018

The latest full-length from Nattsvargr, Night of the Crimson Thirst, is now available on CD. Payments accepted via Paypal. Contact me by email for more info. To preview and/or purchase as a digital album via Bandcamp, click here.

Thursday, 26 Oct. 2017

Thank you to those that have sent messages in recent months. I am grateful for the support and the appreciation for the site. My apologies to those that seem eager for more content. As has been the case for a while now, injuries, pain, depression and unstable living conditions have all combined to make it exceedingly difficult to be as productive as I would like. Content will be added as circumstances allow.

Monday, 13 June 2016

The name of the site has now been changed from Rites of the Black Moon to Morbid Curse. Thanks to Roza for the logo, even if it did take two years for it to be used.

Friday, 3 June 2016

The new full-length from Nattsvargr, Winds of Transilvania, is now available on CD. Paypal payments are accepted. Contact me by email for more info. To preview and/or purchase as a digital album via Bandcamp, click here.

Monday, 13 Oct. 2014

After receiving a few messages, I thought it useful to point out that lack of updates to this section do not mean that the site is inactive. Just scroll down a little and check the "Latest additions", on the left side of the screen.

Questions, comments or suggestions can be sent to noctir@gmail.com.

Saturday, 26 Apr. 2014

"The Abyss" has been resurrected and can be downloaded from here. Just scroll down for the mediafire link. Depending on how it goes, the show may be resumed on a weekly basis.

Wednesday, 9 Apr. 2014

The Nocturnal Abyss full-length, From the Depths of Mörkvod, is now available through Redstream.org. The album can also still be ordered directly from the band as well. In addition, for those in or near Oslo, it can be picked up from Neseblod Records.

Monday, 17 Mar. 2014

The Return of the Winter Frost, from Bloodfrost, is now available. Also, regarding this project, currently seeking musicians for a new full-length to be recorded in the near future.

Monday, 23 Dec. 2013

The new E.P. from Nattsvargr is available on CD. I djupaste skogen av hat features three songs of raw, hateful Black Metal. The cost is $5 plus shipping (calculated by location). Those interested in using Paypal can contact at noctir@gmail.com for info.

Monday, 22 Apr. 2013

The debut full-length from Nocturnal Abyss, From the Depths of Mörkvod, is now available. The CD can be ordered directly from the band. Those interested in using Paypal can contact at noctir@gmail.com for info.

Monday, 25 Mar. 2013

My close friend and spiritual brother, David Parland, has passed away. R.I.P.

A Tribute to David Parland

Monday, 18 Mar. 2013

I regret the severe lack of new content in recent months. A few things have been added, but much less than hoped for. As some may know, I am struggling with homelessness and health issues, among other things. Unfortunately, no end is in sight. When/if these problems are resolved, it is my intention to resume writing on a more regular basis.

Friday, 21 Dec. 2012

"The Abyss" is on hiatus until further notice. In addition, the band Blackmoon has been laid to rest, based on discussions between myself and the other members. As for Nattsvargr and Bloodfrost, both of these projects are on ice for the time being.

Tuesday, 23 Oct. 2012

In the past week, a new interview was done with David Parland (aka Blackmoon) of Infernal (formerly of Necrophobic, Dark Funeral and War). It has now been added to the 'Interviews' section.

Tuesday, 11 Sept. 2012

A recent interview conducted with Shatraug of Horna / Sargeist is now available. Visit the 'Interviews' page to read it.

Thursday, 6 Sept. 2012

"The Abyss" now has a new home, as I have recently joined Hard Rock Radio Live. The show can now be heard on Thursday nights, from 7pm to 9pm (US Eastern Time) and can be heard here.

Despite a great amount of instability, I have tried to get back to writing new content for the site on a more regular basis. All feedback has been quite useful and is appreciated. I will do my best to reply in the near future.

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

A bad car accident and extensive travels have caused an interruption in writing, for the past couple months. This is temporary and many things are planned for the near future. Hopefully, things will get back to normal before the end of summer.

Thursday, 9 Feb. 2012

"The Abyss" will soon be featured twice a week, as I shall begin working with TNT Rock Radio. The show will be on Friday nights, from 9pm to 11pm (US Eastern Time) and can be heard here. This is in addition to the weekly broadcast on Metal Messiah Radio, which will continue airing on Saturdays, from 5pm to 7pm (US Eastern Time).

Friday, 2 Sept. 2011

In the coming days and weeks, attempts will be made to try writing less in-depth reviews, in addition to the normal (longer) ones. This is not for the purpose of becoming lazy and giving less effort, simply to be able to include albums that do not inspire so much thought and may not necessarily be worthy of the same lengthy treatment as others.

Tuesday, 30 Nov. 2010

Due to health problems, I have been unable to add as much new content as I would prefer, in recent weeks. There are many things waiting to be written, and they will be published as soon as it is possible to do so.

Saturday, 26 June 2010

New content has, finally, been added. Things have slowed down, in recent months, due to my involvement in a few bands as well as some worsening health problems.

Saturday, 13 Mar. 2010

The second full-length album from NATTSVARGR, Vinterblod, will be released on 15 March 2010! Click here for information.

Saturday, 23 Jan. 2010

"The Abyss" will soon be resurrected. The year-plus hiatus is over, and the show will rise from the grave thanks to Metal Messiah Radio. More information (and past playlists) will soon be available.

Tuesday, 22 Sept. 2009

Movie reviews added to the horror section. There's also an extensive Horror List, providing a variety of recommended films for the upcoming horror season.

Also, a good number of new reviews have been added. They can be found by checking out the 'latest additions', to your left.

Everything is finally up-to-date. All material has been transferred from the old site.

Wednesday, 9 Sept. 2009

All of my computer knowledge is self-taught, so I'm learning as I go along. Please notice the new feature to the homepage, which should be to your left, which will list (and link to) the most recent additions to the site. Hopefully, this makes things much more convenient for visitors.

Thursday, 3 Sept. 2009

I have gotten several requests to review albums and demos from newer bands. At this time, I don't think this would be such a good idea. Typically, I enjoy reviewing albums that I know very well and have a strong opinion on, one way or the other. I have a generally low opinion of most newer music and this would probably result in an unfavourable review for your band.

Friday, 21 Aug. 2009

The lengthy task of putting up the playlists for "The Abyss" has just begun. 2006-2008 are now up. The previous years will take some time to add, since they need to be typed up and formatted. With luck, this will be finished in the near future.

Monday, 17 Aug. 2009

Finally, all of the album reviews have been added, so the site is current. This was the most brutal part of this whole endeavour. Now that this has been completed, I can attend to the less important details as well as begin writing new material. Currently, there is a new Dissection review, for the Into Infinite Obscurity E.P.

Sunday, 16 Aug. 2009

The transferral of material from the old site to this one is progressing at a decent rate. It would have been finished already, but such tedious work requires some amount of rest, in between sessions. It appears that there should be enough room for all of the content. Once all of the reviews have been added (I'm currently working on Testament), then I will turn my attention to putting up the transcribed interviews and so on.
All of this work has interfered with the writing of new material; however, I hope that this will no longer be the case in the coming week.

Monday, 10 Aug. 2009

So far, things are progressing in a more expiditious manner than was initially anticipated. It is by no means near completion; however, it would appear that the site may be finished by the end of the month. The only real concern is whether or not all of the content will fit within the 20 MB limit. Furthermore, even if I can squeeze it all in, there is no telling how much more I'll be able to add. Time shall tell.

Sunday, 9 Aug. 2009

So, for a mission statement; i.e. the reason the Rites of the Black Moon Webzine exists... I basically wanted a home for the reviews that I had been writing and posting elsewhere. I am sure that someone else has already done a more adequate job of reviewing these albums. Initially, I tried to stick with those that had not received much attention; however, this was limiting as I was forced to ignore releases that I felt strongly about, since I assumed someone else had done it first and done it better. But this site (as well as the original) isn't about writing the definitive album review for each one. This is simply my perspective. I often enjoy more personal reviews as opposed to those that were hung up on the technical aspects, only. If I am able to influence someone to pick up an album they have not yet heard or to give an older one another listen then I have succeeded at something. Even if this is appreciated as entertainment only, that is fine as well. More than anything, the process of writing is cathartic and this is, ultimately, a selfish endeavour.

Saturday, 8 Aug. 2009

First off, I understand that the site looks like hell; however, it has to start somewhere. This is a project that is currently in the beginning stages. I have never before developed an actual website, so this will be my first attempt. I am also not extremely familiar with this server, so the entire endeavour will be a learning experience. I have been planning for quite some time to give this a more proper home, as it is currently hosted by a blogging site. I've managed to link together several blogs to give the illusion of a website, but there are certain organizationallimitations that I wish to eliminate. I am not positive that Tripod will be the final home; however, it will serve as an experiment at the very least.

Due to my inexperience this may take some time. However, I hope to see this come to fruition by the end of 2009.