His cup over runneth with grace and blessings for those who seek his truth. Praised be His name!
#Special Krug for the Salvation of the Don Novocherkassk City Hall, Provisional seat of the Don Krug
December 20th, 1918
The Krug assembled once again, a month earlier than scheduled and with a much larger attendance, which explained the rather cramped conditions in the city hall building. Most of the assembly consisted of officers as it usually was, but there were others this time: delegates from Denikin's army who had called during their recent traversal of the Don, so that they may record what was to be said. The Ataman of the Don Republic, Pyotr Krasnov, arrived with his company of officers and bureaucrats in full traditional Don Cossack regalia, much like his title of Ataman, had not been observed in Russia since the days of Peter the Great. A dozen or so men huddled to a cramped desk with pens at the ready, ready to produce transcripts in Russian, French and English to ensure the Ataman's words are not ignored in the absence of journalists.
The Don's government, which is effectively its army, has been marred by indecision, driven by the dissenting views of officers who hold differing views on the republic's purpose. A vocal minority view the Don Army's purpose to be a defensive one, to defend Cossack territory against the chaos that has swept Russia. But others, including the Ataman, know that it is the Don Cossacks' duty to protect Russia against the Bolshevik traitors. The Don Cossacks were once the most loyal of Russia's sons, and Krasnov, who was himself born in Petrograd, had never lost his will to see Russia restored. But Krasnov had his qualms about joining the remaining anti-Bolshevik forces: his position as Ataman is precarious and the separatists of his court could have easily removed him if he made the wrong move. That is not speak of his personal reservations with Denikin's leadership, largely as a result from his catastrophic experience in Petrograd, where he had lead the army under Denikin's orders. Nevertheless, Krasnov knows that without a unified anti-Bolshevik movement, the fight will be lost and the Don overrun.
Pyotr Krasnov took to the podium, flanked by the Don and Russian tricolours at his left and right respectively.
*"The news of victory in the Volga has arrived quickly, as has the bravery and courage of our Cossack forces under Colonel Sidorin. But the evil of Bolshevism is not yet defeated. At this moment, the Bolshevik armies are preparing to march again, to soak our Quiet Don with the bloo
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PHOTO: Cover, disc, and innersleeve
This album has been reviewed with an Onkyo TX-8020 receiver, Jamo S60 SUR bookshelf speakers, Yamaha YST-FSW050 subwoofer, and Pioneer PL-255 direct drive turntable.
The Almighty Defenders were a supergroup consisting of The Black Lips as well as The King Khan & BBQ Show. Both these bands are fantastic stalwarts of indie garage. Put together, do they deliver something as amazing as the sum of their parts?
Sadly, they do not.
Even so, the songs on their lone self-titled album have their moments of fun even as they fall flat on their face. And even as I believe this album could have been better, it has also exposed me to fantastic music I may have never otherwise discovered.
The Almighty Defenders' gimmick is that they're an "evil" punk gospel group. It's an intriguing idea that could have been spectacular if more thought was put into its execution. But in its haste -- it was recorded in little more than a week -- it never becomes better than an ill-conceived parody.
Let me be clear. This is a failure, and yet despite being a failure, it is never boring.
Themes
In 2009, The Black Lips were chased out of India by the authorities after concertgoers took offence to lewd acts being performed on stage. Abruptly cancelling the tour, the band recharged their batteries in Berlin where they were welcomed by King Khan and Mark "BBQ" Sultan.
After jamming together, they formed The Almighty Defenders as an excuse to fool around in the studio and crush a few cans of cheap beer.
As to why they chose to record a gospel album? I don't know. I suspect they liked gospel in an "ironic" sense, and they believed it would be funny.
Here's where everything goes wrong. One of the weaknesses of hipsterism, as an ideology, is that authenticity can be accessorized. With youth and a little bit of cash, cultural cachet can be claimed and appropriated, and then disposed.
One of the marks of this in action is in the album artwork. The Almighty Defenders clearly parodied the cover of Change Is Gonna Come by The Meditation Singers which features a cross. The Almighty Defenders took this cover and put the cross upside down. With their "evil" theme, they must have thought an upside down cross was super edgy.
However, if you're familiar with Christian iconography, an upside down cross is none other than the St. Peter's Cross. As the old story goes, St. Peter was crucified upside down because he f
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