Denizens of the Tower, I feel I need to address some recent happenings. First of all, my good friend and colleague has been helping me handle promos as I never had a stable internet connection. He allowed me to hear the material and then review it, as I had no other way to do so.
As of recent, he went into an unexpected depression and felt the need to get proper medical help. Folks, his life is a bit more important than the work I do here, so that is going to mean that things will change a bit with The Grim Tower.
First of all, I just won't be able to download or stream any Haulix related promos. This is because Haulix does not have a mobile download feature and I don't have enough data to stream every album. If you want something reviewed, mailing it is the best option.
Secondly, since I won't be able to get any Haulix promos (can't get anything at all right now as I'm throttled) or any newer non-haulix promos and even digital submissions (I can't download anything at all until my data is restored) I have to work with what I've got. That might mean older albums, which to me isn't so bad. Many of these records just didn't get proper promotion and I'd rather use this site to promote artists that actually need it.
This might sound controversial, but if you're being promoted by major sites like Metal Hammer, Blabbermouth, Metal Injection and others that populate my social media feeds with clickbait, what do you really need a little site like mine for? Some of these pages even offer full streams, which are better than any review I can write. Nothing describes a record better than actually listening to it, after all.
That being said, I found several albums promoted on much larger sites from acts I very much enjoyed. As much as I loved Veilburner and Polyptych this year, so many other more competent and well-known places have covered them. Am I upset? Of course not. They NEED and DESERVE that kind of promotion. I want to see these kinds of acts on the covers of magazines someday. Yet that's not entirely likely, as stuff like that new Amaranthe I was sent (I really thought it was a joke and felt that those guys couldn't be serious) will more than likely be plastered everywhere. Spoiler alert, Maximalism is a pop record.
But that's why this little site exists. To cover the little guys, the artists that people forgot. Those talented acts that get looked over by the media. The New Noise gig allows me to cover larger acts professionally on a more reputable page, but here we do things differently.
Thirdly, I have to announce something a bit major. Though I've been working with bands and labels for a number of years now, this time hasn't been very beneficial to me as an independent author. I feel like I've been trying to promote three to six year old novels for the past six years of my life as I spent much of that time reviewing records like a machine. Truth is, as much as I enjoyed that work, I never felt that this was my calling in life. I've been writing fiction since I was a child, and I just feel that in all that time, I could have put out at least five more books - different books that would show a side of me that people don't expect. I have so many characters and worlds to share with people, whether they're grown adults or adolescents (Y/A) with a penchant for curiosity and the unknown. (No plans for children's books as I feel that you must have children of your own before you can actually write a good children's novel. I more than likely will not have that option, but you never know.) Instead of being an author that writes the same old crap, I feel it is imperative to write all sorts of differing fiction genres. Keeps it fresh, so to speak.
When I started this work, I was twenty-five years old. I'm now thirty-one and have spent a good number of years putting a lot of effort into it. Now it is time to set this aside as a hobby project to handle just a few times a week. People online seem to be interested in my story concepts and character ideas, to the point where they are actually considering reading my books. That's the best you can hope for as an author.
Saying little more, I still think you can expect at least six to eight reviews a week and New Noise will have some as well. I'll try to deliver one interview a week, but I may not be able to come through on that all the time. Remember that it is just me, a cellphone and a laptop without internet. I'll do what I can, I always have. Apps are a lifesaver, I will say that much. I can actually edit and post right from my phone! The phone itself was less than $100 as well, which was a much better deal than the one I had before.
Thanks for reading and look forward to some reviews tomorrow. I've spent most of the day at the doctor's office and will be going back and forth for a while as I undergo some physical and mental evaluations.
- The Grim Lord
No comments:
Post a Comment