As an artist, this feeling is all too familiar, but as with such a gift, so too does it carry an unrelenting curse. The curse of trying to build an idea with tools you might be unfamiliar with. Whether you’re a songwriter who can’t quite shape the song how you see fit, or a large company who needs to rebrand a stale website from the ground up, this curse knows no bounds when it comes to creative roadblocks. While tutorials are more available than ever these days, true artistry is more rooted in connection, and collaboration.

Collaboration, at its heart, is the process of letting another perspective help guide your own. While that might seem counterintuitive to some, anyone looking to elevate their work often finds that another set of skills can unlock a door they never knew how to open. That is precisely where my strength in the studio shines, and why I’m opening my own door to artists who share the same passion for the process.

Whether it’s the smaller songwriter or the larger corporation, I’ve spent the past two decades helping people solve their own creative puzzle no matter the shape, size, or scope. It’s more of an analog element of effort that no TikTok tutorial, YouTube clip, or AI instruction can replicate. The little details built from years of experience that contribute to instinct, guidance, and perspective. All areas of creative focus that will help shape your idea in a way that’s both honest and unique to your own vision.

My own creative door into this field was opened with Autumns Eyes, a musical project I’ve grown over the years under the guise of heavy music born in the woods and bathed in darkness. Throughout my days creating with Autumns Eyes, I spent a lot of time helping other artists behind the scenes. Eventually it got to the point where, for business purposes, it needed a name. That’s where Beneath the Woods came from, a studio that carries the same love of nature that always found its way into my work.

If at any point you feel like your idea just isn’t getting off the ground in the way you want it to, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always up for a chat, even if it’s just to brainstorm some different ideas and see if something sparks another strike of lightning. Whether your project needs refinement, direction, or another set of skills to help bring it into focus, that is what Beneath the Woods was built for. If your idea is ready to take root, let’s see where it can grow.

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While diversity is always at the forefront due to my ever growing respect for all genres, the mood of the music has definitely shifted. Here we move away from the frost bitten dirge of winter, and into fresher, more enthusiastic soundscapes. While they might not be your cup of tea, thats totally okay, rest assured you will never find me judging you based on what moves you personally.

I may be an arrogant prick for dozens of reasons, but I am not the kind of elitist douchebag who thinks music needs a velvet rope. Let’s move on, shall we?

Neurosis

Last Light

A band that deserves to evolve, and an album that nobody expected would be here in 2026, let alone with such an iconic singer on vocal duties. Last Light is the final track on the new album, and one of the lengthier tunes this band has ever put out that’s certainly not short on emotion.

Converge

Hum of Hurt

I’ll be damned if I wasn’t shocked to see Converge announcing yet another new album this year after delivering this past February, but hey, it’s not like fans would turn down the opportunity to hear some of the heaviest hitting music you can find these days.

Nine Inch Noize

Closer

The entire album highlights how such a collaboration between Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize is a genius way to modernize such a classic industrial back catalogue. It’s a fresh entry for new fans, and a great rediscovery for old ones.

Black Sabbath

Hole In the Sky

With Ozzy being gone, it definitely leaves an eternal bruise on the heart of heavy metal, but songs like this remind us why his legacy will outlive us all. The remastered version also breathes new life into a dated production that was still great to hear, but in much need of sonic evolution to bring out its full potential.

Nevermore

Born

Their newfound revival is taking hold of the metal world, so it’s no surprise one of my favorite bands landed on this list with a track that encompasses everything they stood for. Outstanding guitar work with extraordinary vocals built over a solid rhythm section that solidifies Nevermore as some of the best to ever stand in the genre.

NOFX

Stickin In My Eye

Back when I was deeply hooked on NOFX, they were busy evolving from a chaotic mess into a tight, energetic machine. This track is a perfect snapshot of the sound that helped launch the 90s punk revival into the stratosphere.

Soul Asylum

Somebody to Shove

It would be sacrilege to put out a playlist without highlighting the heavy hitters of 90s rock, and Soul Asylum often gets unfairly glossed over in favor of their grungier counterparts. Make no mistake, they are incredible songwriters with melodic depth that proves they were far more than just the one hit wonders the mainstream tried to label them as.

Spectre General

Nothin’s Gonna Stand In Our Way

As if I needed a reason to watch the Transformers animated movie again? Take all your best cheesy 80s metal songs and toss em’ in the trash, because they don’t hold a candle to the tunes on this soundtrack.

Mobb Deep

Survival of the Fittest

Dirty NYC hip hop will always have a home in my playlist, and this entire album is one of the best examples of how hauntingly poetic this sonic landscape can get. I’m a sucker for grungy production too, which is painted throughout all the vibes this album carries with it.

Deadmau5 and Kaskade

I Remember

A hypnotic dance classic that always warms my soul every time it comes on, and another great example of collaboration gone right, with two titans of the industry pairing up to create an iconic song.

Grateful Dead

Bertha

It’s probably the loss of Bob Weir that has me nostalgic for old dead tunes, but this 1971 performance at the Fillmore remains one of my favorite tracks the band ever released. Such a great groove, with equally great melodies soaring over top.

Cleveland Eaton

Slipping Into Darkness

I’m a sucker for great funk music, and this album delivers on levels reminiscent of anything the Isley Brothers or Herbie Hancock did back in those glory days of 70s funkadelic. There is so much going on in the production, it only gets better and better with each listen.

Return to Forever

Sorceress

Legendary musicians Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Al Di Meola, & Lenny White got together to make music, and the result was nothing more than some of the greatest jazz fusion this side of sanity. It’s almost telepathic how well they were able to vibe together all those years ago, and create music that still stands the test of time.

The Beatles

I’ll Follow the Sun

There are so many fond memories I have of time spent with my mom years ago as a kid with The Beatles playing somewhere in the background. This was one of those tracks, and it’s one of the ways I stay connected to her after she’s been gone.

Enigma

Prism of Life

I’ve always been a massive fan of Enigma, even long before the Pure Moods disc tormented us all at 2am back in the 90s, but this track always brings a huge smile to my face. It’s such an uplifting tune with a soundscape so unique, I still ponder how Michael Cretu comes up with this stuff.

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The animated show was one of those rare instances where what you saw on screen was just as good as what you read on the page. It also elevated the story by incorporating sound, something the pages lacked, and its sonic influence would soon take hold of me some years later. Once I started recording the album Please Deceive Me back in 2010, I toyed with the idea of doing a song inspired by The Maxx, but I had no desire to sing about such oddities, so I kept it all instrumental. The track, appropriately titled in jest, Pangea, mirrored the story with its song structure. Starting out with tribal rhythms that reflected the outback setting of the story, and flashing abruptly into the dank, dark, depressing sludge of the city realm. A stark contrast that made The Maxx so relatable to those of us who loved to let our minds wander into the unknown.

Pangea was never a major hit with fans, many of whom questioned how a track like that fit on a record centered around Halloween and other spooky themes. In truth, it was less about cohesion and more about satisfying my own fascination with such a brilliantly influential story. While Sam Kieth created many other tremendously imaginative works, his contributions to The Maxx left the deepest impact on my life, and on the lives of many others. It offered a glimpse into a strange, singular world where heroes don’t resemble the big, strong, square jawed archetypes we’re taught to admire. A world where terrible things happen, yet are presented through a lens that allows even evil a place to rest, something rarely seen in comic book storytelling at the time.

Death never feels like an appropriate time to resurrect your admiration for someone you haven’t talked about in so long, but that doesn’t mean their memory needs to be buried with equal silence. While I never knew Sam Kieth personally, I connected to his work on a personal level that left an immeasurable impact on my creativity. Few moments pass where I don’t reach for nostalgia to ease the weight of an uncertain future, and part of that nostalgia lies within The Maxx, and the stories that Sam helped create. For that, I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in his twisted little tales. Thank you Sam, and rest peacefully in whatever realm you ventured on to from here.

The post Sam Kieth and the Song He Inspired appeared first on Autumns Eyes.

It happened during the airing of one of my favorite shows, 120 Minutes, a program that played a barrage of up and coming indie bands as diverse as you could imagine. One music video would feature a heavy band attacking your senses with walls of guitars and drums so raw they felt like they were breaking your TV speakers. On the other side of the coin, you’d have a somber band swirling simple chords from a mellow keyboard, with a singer so mesmerizing you’d wonder how the human voice could extract such emotion. Then there was the night I heard the sample from Kool & the Gang titled “Funky Man” looped and pitched up, which gave way to one of the best music video experiences I can remember. I use the word “experience” because that’s precisely what these were at the time. We were young, obsessive, angry, angst ridden teenagers looking to light up whatever counter culture was prime for igniting, and music videos helped fuel that fire.

The video for Smack My Bitch Up started with a POV shot from someone getting ready for a night on the town, a night that would soon devolve into such debauchery that there still may be a mark on the ground of that basement from where my jaw hit the floor. It showcased everything from drug use to vomiting to straight up full nudity with explicit sex, all of it making even the hottest Hollywood sex scenes feel timid in comparison. It was something you’d never see on television, and my brain was equal parts confused and amazed as this all unfolded in front of my terribly impressionable adolescent eyes, especially given the unique twist at the end. Not only was it my first experience seeing this type of smut on television, but it was also my first introduction to The Prodigy, a band that would forever cement itself as a major influence on so much of what I would later create as a musician.

Following such an intense evening was a day at school where I asked all my friends if they had seen the same thing I did, with little to none of them making sense of what I was talking about. Few believed me, and it didn’t help my case that MTV decided not to air the video anymore due to its vulgarity, but the impact had already been made. I was led down a rabbit hole that pulled me deep into the band’s albums, live performances, and merchandise. Hell, I even contemplated cutting my hair to look like the devil horned frontman, Keith Flint. Needless to say, I wasn’t alone, as the album Fat of the Land skyrocketed to the top of everyone’s playlists, with countless great tunes polluting the airwaves that our parents all but condemned from the earth.

The song Smack My Bitch Up was just as creative as the music video, with samples from bands like Kool & the Gang, as I mentioned before, while also utilizing samples from current bands at the time like Rage Against the Machine. It was creativity on acid, and I loved every minute of it. The band showed me how to carve my own corner in a landscape filled with copycats and clones. While everyone was trying to imitate the massive grunge movement that came before, bands like The Prodigy were leading their own charge and creating music just as heavy as any underground metal band at the time.

They had the sound, the look, the attitude, and even after all these years, their legacy remains intact. Losing Keith (RIP) didn’t slow them down either, as the band continues to move forward, drawing massive crowds that pay homage to their past while paving the way for future artists to draw inspiration from these unique musical madmen. I’ll never forget the first time I saw that video or the intensity it stirred within me. It was a feeling I still chase, a reminder of how good music should feel. Raw, uncensored, unabashed, and completely unrestrained from the confines of what society thinks it wants to hear.

The post The Night an Uncensored Music Video Rewired My Brain appeared first on Autumns Eyes.

Music always comes first in this operation, so daily duties typically arrive with some form of melody standing at my doorstep.  I’ve found myself extremely fortunate while crafting the skeleton of this new album, with pre production paying off as the sounds fit together perfectly. Either I’ve actually learned a bit over the years, or I’m just so easily flattered by songs that don’t have such dense layers as the last album, which often found me drowning in too many overlapping elements. Whatever it may be, I am thankful for the progression, as it makes things that much easier when it comes time to mix and master the final product. As I’ve said in prior entries, the sound of this album is very much in line with the album “Ending Life Slowly”, so to call it a spiritual sequel would be more than appropriate.

With music at the forefront, I’ve also been shifting my attention towards merchandise, an area that I feel has been sorely lacking in the Autumns Eyes department for some time now. Years ago I was pushing out new designs monthly, with a slew of support from models I hired to help promote the product and spread the good word. It was a time when Autumns Eyes found more notoriety in the underground metal community, a task that has proved almost impossible in such an oversaturated market these days. While it’s not so much about competing in that landscape, I’d rather say it’s about supporting the brand as much as possible. The only issue I face is new designs and a solid marketplace to offer them, which are details I’m ironing out as we speak. A proper update is on the horizon, it’s just going to take a bit of time to get there.

Studio work has also become a necessity as of late, and by that I mean something that pays the bills. I started offering up my freelance work to anyone interested in web design, graphic design, photography, video production, music production, and marketing services. Obviously my clientele tends to skew more towards my own niche market, but the doors are always open to anyone interested. I don’t plan on creating social channels for Beneath the Woods, as I feel Autumns Eyes will draw enough eyeballs in that department for the time being. As jobs come and go, I remain grateful for the chance to do what I love daily, and look forward to new collaborations with those who share a similar creative journey.

These pieces all add to the puzzle that make my life such a pleasant space to fill. I feel as I’ve aged, and turned 44 this past December, that days no longer matter as much as they used to. They kind of come and go just as water would pass through a stream. I used to obsess over the intricacies of each day, to the point where it would consume me with trepidation. I found that, overall, meaning and purpose don’t come from the adherence to structure, but rather from the result of letting go to an extent. Call it life being too short if you will, but I don’t have time for any frivolous nonsense that doesn’t make me happy. The world will always see eras of turmoil, that will forever be a part of life, but it does not have to carry such an impact that drags me down with its decrepit gang of bottom feeding leaches who thrive on negativity. I haven’t the time nor the desire to engage in such things, so I simply discard of them.

I see a life ahead of me filled with family, friends, fans, and genuinely caring people I am fortunate to surround myself with for whatever time I have left here. That, in and of itself, is enough to keep me smiling, let alone the fact that I get to create with Autumns Eyes on a level that allows me to express all those twisted little ideas swirling in my head. The same ones I had as a child, a teen, and now an adult, all stemming from a creepy curiosity towards all things dark and demented. It’s a great feeling, and one I look forward to every day I get to open my eyes.

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Bitching and moaning aside, I’ll dive a bit more into the foundation this new album is finding via its percussive roots. Overall, it has a feel similar to the 2017 album Ending Life Slowly, in that it’s more simplistic and driving, rather than complex or challenging. You’ll find more engaging grooves that reinforce the guitar parts in a way that makes you want to bang your head, rather than count math equations on your fingers. The sonic characteristics of the drums also find themselves fitting nicely into the entire mix, something that proved quite challenging on the last album Grimoire of Oak & Shadow. The density of those songs created a tight sonic landscape which made it difficult to sit the drums in a space that wasn’t competing with the other 900 instruments playing at the same time. So, Im quite fortunate to have found a kit that plays nicely with the guitars, bass, and keys. It makes things that much easier once it comes time to mix everything, and put the finishing touches on the album as a whole.

I should also mention that song titles are all wrapped up as well, a detail usually procrastinated until the last phases of recording are complete. To my shock and surprise, the lyrics and song titles revolve around, DEATH! What a unique perspective for an Autumns Eyes album, where almost every album revolves around the same somber reflections on ones own mortality. To be fair, there is a bit of levity in these lyrics, with many bits of uplifting thoughts to help contrast those of dread. All details any therapist would love to overanalyze, had I ever committed myself to paying someone to listen to my demented thoughts, rather than just have the world listen to them willfully. Either way, Im relieved to have gotten these thoughts out of my mind and into melodies. While the album itself doesn’t have a title yet, all bets could be placed on something morose and melancholy. Any suggestions?

You would think someone with such twisted thoughts would have to be living a life reflective of such despair, but honestly, life has been beautiful. There are always challenges, but thats what you want, isn’t it? How would we ever grow and learn if we immediately had everything we wanted in life? I’m a big believer in that phrase “the obstacle is the way”, which boils down to turning challenges into chances. Opportunities to capitalize on setbacks by learning how to manage them better, thus making it easier to navigate when those problems inevitably arise again and again throughout your life. Having the ability to channel frustration and fear into music is a gift I am always thankful for, but keeping the mind strong with motivation is a task only achieved through practice and purpose. I am surrounded by people whom I not only love, but who make me a better person day in and day out. The same goes for all of the fans of this music. The people who continue to share their support over the years who reinforce my desire to explore such an obsession with spooky songwriting. Without them, this project exists in a void that dies the moment it’s born, so to them I am forever grateful. On that note, I return to the studio where drums await my attention. For there is much noise to make, and more music waiting to be summoned.

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Where Frankenstein failed to find any frights, the Derry show kept me on the edge of my couch in certain moments, wincing at the screen at such disgusting displays of beautiful brutality. Frankenstein tried to weave several threads into its story that didn’t make sense to me. The female character bounces from Dr. Frankenstein’s brother to Dr. Frankenstein himself and then suddenly shifts her love interest to a creature she met for all of five minutes. This rapid change of devotion left me feeling hollow and unsympathetic toward her character, something that most likely shaped how I viewed the rest of the story.

Welcome to Derry, on the other hand, has done a brilliant job of not only weaving in several Stephen King easter eggs, but it’s played out almost like reading a King novel. The pacing is steady and building toward something, all while keeping you tense and eager to see what’s around the corner, despite how creepy or disturbing it may be. The show subverts expectations and creates characters that linger in your mind after you watch, at least for me anyway. I understand art is totally subjective, but that’s the whole purpose of this article: to share my perspective toward two giants of the genre who are sharing the spotlight.

My own personal disdain aside, I am glad to see Frankenstein is doing well, and people are praising director Guillermo del Toro for his passionate efforts on a film he’s been wanting to make for ages. The man has been a blessing for the horror community, and his work will live on as some of the greatest the genre has ever seen. On the other side of the coin, you have a director in Andy Muschietti who has seemingly found his footing in these Stephen King stories. While IT: Chapter 2 didn’t perform as well as the first entry, it’s clear from this new series that he has his finger on the racing pulse of not just King’s work, but his fans’ yearning to dive headfirst into the vast universe King created over the years.

If I were to recommend either entry, I would start with Welcome to Derry if you are interested in long format storytelling with gruesome surprises around every corner. If you are someone with a taste for more theatrics, almost that of a stage performance, I would easily recommend Frankenstein. The acting is over the top, and the story embraces that intense portrayal of theatricality, which at times for me was cringe worthy, but the reviews don’t lie, and plenty of people are praising it for reasons well beyond my own understanding.

Whichever you choose to watch, I feel as if they are both great examples of how the horror genre is still as strong as ever. It wasn’t long ago when the thought of mentioning a horror movie for Best Picture at the Oscars was as uncommon as Dracula eating at the Olive Garden, but here we are. We live in a time when horror is not only abundant, but truly capable of going toe to toe with even the snootiest of dramas. As a lifelong fan of horror movies, that makes me as happy as Pennywise with a sewer full of souls.

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Throughout countless days of Type O Negative led drives through the woods, and endless nights of horror movies, I worked my way through October with a level of curiosity that was seemingly lost over the years. Whatever bug I’d been bitten by had worked its magic in such a way that I even found myself compelled to write a classical piece for the upcoming album. A piano concerto with haunting synth layers accompanying the melody, to be more specific. Whether or not this piece will fit when the puzzle is complete remains to be seen, but the sheer fact that I was able to compose on that level has me wondering if there’s more at play than just a seasonal burst of energy.

Books have been by my side more than any other time in my life, and as an avid fan of them, I’d wager their words are doing a better job of sticking inside my head these days. I feel as if my life has been undergoing a silent shift into uncharted waters of comfort that left me long ago. A sense of purpose and clarity ahead that may be unknown, yet still a path I can tell is welcoming to where I want to be. There were a few years recently where I wondered how I would ever navigate through such stress and strain, but that all seems to have come and gone as quietly as the fog rolls away from my windows every morning. Whatever the reason, I need not worry about the whys and hows behind it, rather just accept it for what it is and move on.

My son asked me a curious question the other night before going to bed. He asked, “What happens if I die?” to which I had to stop and think for a minute how to respond. I asked in return, “What do you mean if?” and proceeded to explain that we are all dying from the moment we are born and beyond. Each day that passes, our bodies decay a little more, and our youth is stripped away from us as are the days we try to cling to with scarce hope and helpless anxiety. Surely I didn’t state these things in such words to a seven year old, but the gist of what I told him was that we are all saying goodbye to yesterday, and those are days we never get back, so no matter which day ends up being your last, just make sure you enjoy them all as much as you can while they are here.

It’s a lesson I learned late, but with great gratitude toward everything I hold close and all that awaits me. Sharing it with my son is just as much a gift as the peace he brings to not only myself, but our family as well. Life can hold many meanings for many different people, but here in my humble home, the meaning isn’t as worthy as the moments and memories it holds. Ones like this month of October, where I was reminded why I love this season, and this life that dances in all its ferocious inspiration.

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