The long and storied career of Anathema is not just a template of the trajectory of a certain type of metal band but also a massive influence on the lives, minds, and hearts of Langdon and Eden. In this episode, we dive into the ways in which Anathema has changed over time, the power of their music, and the personal impact it has had on us. Music played: Anathema - One Last Goodbye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5znnV1XLLEM Anathema - Lightning Song https://anathema.bandcamp.com/track/lightning-song

The door to the Wizard's Tower opens and reveals... An interview with author LJ Pemberton! Witness the process by which she wrote the Dublin Literary Award longlisted Still Alive! Thrill to music by Darkthrone!

Joe Kasabian, who you might know from his memoir The Hooligans of Kandahar, his sci-fi novels and the military history podcast Lions Led by Donkeys joins us to talk about his new book The Highlands Burn, and the responsibility writers have for getting conflict right. Music by Panopticon

Is Elon Musk just a guy who can't post, or is he the avatar of Muskism - a new philosophy for our postliberal age? Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff's book Muskism: A Guide For the Perplexed argues the latter, taking us through techno-fascist South Africa to Silicon Valley - and along the way we find out that two of the most insightful critics of technology and neoliberalism know a *lot* about anime. Music by Neurosis: https://neurosis.bandcamp.com/album/an-undying-love-for-a-burning-world You too can become meme by joining our Discord (it's free): https://discord.gg/mk928WGds

Langdon and Eden dive into the collapse, tackling Event Factory, the first book from Renee Gladman's Ravicka novels. Meaning disappears, rituals empty of signal, and the malaise of our urban existence is revealed. But also, potentials are exposed, connections are made, and understanding hinted at. Music played: Ordh - Apis Bull https://ordh.bandcamp.com/track/apis-bull

Sports betting, crypto, predictions markets, Buy Now Pay Later, getting a credit card to pay off your credit card - what if we said that isn't even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to nihilism and finance? Amin Samman joins us to talk about his book Currency of Nihilism, punk rock, the abyss of meaning that is money and why French poststructuralists are Like That. Music by Warning: https://warningdoom.bandcamp.com/album/rituals-of-shame Give us your money: https://www.patreon.com/DeathSentence Hang out with us on Discord (for free!): https://discord.gg/zHBV9qCE

This time around, we go back to the early 20th century to discuss a foundational work of British Weird - The Human Chord by Algernon Blackwood! We survey the cultural trends of the 19th and 20th century literary and occult scenes in general, the gripping power of this tight and precise novel, and the feeling of dread and awe so often invoked by the weird. Music played: Cryptic Shift - Hyperspace Topography https://cryptic-shift.bandcamp.com/track/hyperspace-topography-2

All books are bad but Langdon and Eden have stumbled on one that SHOULD have been good but is actually awful - PKD and Roger Zelazny's Deus Irae. Confused theology, mish-mashed desert journeys, and more questions without answers than a church all blend together in a collaboration that should, and almost did, stay unpublished. Music played - Exxûl - Blighted Deity https://productionstso.bandcamp.com/track/blighted-deity

Eden launches into Hiron Ennes' The Works of Vermin, using it as a platform to explore ideas around the potentials and contradictions of living in modern cities. He also discusses the influence of the French Second Empire (yes) on the New Weird, why that period of time holds so much of interest, and sketches an upcoming essay on these ideas. Music played: Pallbearer - The Ghost I Used to Be (2025 Mix) https://pallbearer.bandcamp.com/track/the-ghost-i-used-to-be-2025-mix

Langdon and Eden meet to discuss a smörgåsbord (say it with us) of topics like mental health, the uses of online discourse, and a collection of books they've been reading. Music played: The Holy Pale by Wildhunt https://jawbreakerrecords.bandcamp.com/track/the-holy-pale