My Name Is Jasper

Girl With The Raven Mask

I saw you once before

All alone out on the moor

You were pointing to the clouds

You laughed and laughed and danced for hours

A little happy girl in a big black mask

Against the world

Where are you coming from?

Where are you going, can I come?

Girl With The Raven Mask – Leif Edling (241)

All Hallows Eve. Tonight evil spirits and ghost will come out to haunt. With that I mean cute kids dressed as princesses and superheroes.

Growing up in Belgium, Halloween was a non-event. These days that has changed, as Belgian businesses realized another children's holiday was needed between the back to school season and St. Nicolas day (242). Nowadays shopping malls lavishly decorate their stores with fake cobwebs, TV stations program scary movies and kids go trick-or-treating. When I was a kid, October 31st meant that the next day we'd go to cemeteries to lay flowers and think of lost loved ones. In Belgian, at least in our family, it is a very serene and personal reflection moment. Nowhere near the mass celebrations you see in other parts of the world. I would love to go Mexico City one day this time of year and experience the Día de los Muertos (243).

I'm feeling pretty excited as well, as today of all days a very special record was delivered that I had found on eBay: Coven's Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls (244)!

If you're thinking "Who? What?", don't worry; not many people these days know the album. Nevertheless, it was as influential as it was groundbreaking. It was also highly controversial with its openly satanic imagery and themes. Oh and the gatefold showed a picture of a Black Mass with a naked singer – the gorgeous Jinx Dawson – spread out on the altar. Needless to say the album got banged in many places.

Nowadays original pressings of the vinyl are much sought after by collectors and you'll have to dig deep in your pockets for one in mint condition. Used copies easily go for three or four hundred dollars. I was pretty ecstatic to find out that the copy I bought for a mere 115 bucks, it's an original pressing with minimal wear and tear damage.

Coven's debut album can be best described as occult psychedelic doom rock. Although it was banned in the U.S. Shortly after its release, it massively influenced the underground rock scene in England, and the world of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal for decades to come. It was the first time the sign of the devil horns was used in music (245), and it's the first time the phrase 'Hail Satan' is used in the lyrics of a Rock song.

Oh, and let's not forget one of the two songwriters in the band (and bass player) was named Oz Osbourne, and the opening track of the album is called Black Sabbath... Not much later English band Earth, who had their own Ozzy Osbourne, needed a new name. They adopted the Black Sabbath moniker and the rest – as they say – is history.

"Dammit! They keep passing our house!" Julie has been super excited to partake in trick or treating for days now. "Stupid little fuckers..." She kept telling me how cute the little kids will be. But so far no one has rung the bell. I guess we planned this poorly: There is no light in our patio, save for the few candles we lit up and the hallway light that switches itself off after a few seconds when it detects no more movement. This has resulted in a pretty funny take on musical chairs on the patio on the tunes of – you guessed it – Monster Mash (246). Compared to the abundantly decorated houses that flank us, it's no wonder people don't realize we've got a big bag of candy waiting.