Scroll down to read the English translation or read the original in German HERE.

"If you have strength of character, you can use that as fuel to not only be a survivor but to transcend simply being a survivor, use an internal alchemy to turn something rotten and horrible into gold", says Zeena Schreck on the occasion of her album "Transcend," released almost two years ago and which served as the soundtrack for an exhibition in New York prior to its release. This Western-influenced thought pattern, reminiscent of the alchemists' ideas of transformation, also plays a major role in Tantric Buddhism, in which—in contrast to other forms of Buddhist teachings—even actions generally considered dangerous or even impure can become the engine of inner awakening.

This connection is interesting because Zeena has been active for many years as a yogini and teacher in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. She released the album on the Saga Dawa Düchen holiday, which fell on June 4th in 2023 and on which Buddhists commemorate the birth, awakening, and parinavana of the historical Buddha. The three tracks on the nearly hour-long album, whose titles "Ascent," "Parting Clouds," and "Gone Beyond" already allude to Buddhist themes, are conceived, according to Zeena, as "meditative journeys of contemplation and sonic catharsis, culminating in an intoxicatingly triumphant feeling of racing through space and time, shedding the burden of all pain and suffering and emerging victorious." The combative choice of words is by no means a personal whim of the artist, but rather a product of Buddhist tradition itself, as Buddhas are often referred to as victors (Sanskrit: Jina) because they are considered those who have overcome their inner enemies—especially ignorance, greed, and hatred.

In a simple description, the truly meditative music on "Transcend" could be described as ambient drones interspersed with numerous details, placing it in the tradition of the electronic avant-garde of the early 80s and so-called cosmic music, which differs greatly from the radio play-like music on the EP dedicated to F.W. Murnau by the former Radio Werewolf musician. "Ascent" initially reveals a flat structure and appears very clear in sound, but one quickly registers details such as something reminiscent of heavenly choirs, subtly mixed in with the drone. Over time, the music also reveals more and more of its undulating, tidal form. At certain moments, it's as if an avalanche is breaking out, but is quickly absorbed by the flow of sounds, similar to the stormy rush that is reminiscent of driving in the rain. Of great melodic beauty, this music is never truly lulling, but it does seem to evoke a sense of reverence, which is revealed especially in the breathy vocal fragments.
The nearly half-hour-long "Parting Clouds" is like the heart of the album. It begins with more organic sounds reminiscent of the whirring of low strings, and with its hypnotic yet never entirely regular waves, it seems to me to be the most accomplished and impressive of the pieces. It evokes memories of works that have long since become classics of ambient drone, such as Nurse With Wounds' "Salt Marie Celeste" and His Divine Grace's "Reverse Aleph." Online, one can find various comparisons to Brian Eno. At some point, one hears Zeena's looped voice, leading one through various layers of whirring sounds like a mystagogue, eventually becoming part of the background like a gentle choir. This fits well with the increasingly melodic sounds, which radiate something warm, comforting, and almost liturgical.

The following track, "Gone Beyond," has something of a glimpse into a new world, which may seem unusually eventful to the unfamiliar ear, still enchanted by the relaxed world of parting clouds. Here the liturgically colored melodies appear as if they were being shaken by storms, storms that also whip the fading tonal substance forward into fiery intervals. With its strange effects, which evoke memories of krautrock electronics from better times, it is the most "psychedelic" of the pieces and, without wishing to overinterpret it, wonderfully suited to the sonic accompaniment of an idea – "gone beyond," or paragate in Sanskrit, is a central term in the Buddhist wisdom tradition, as recorded in texts such as the "Heart Sutra," for the transition into a state beyond dualistic ideas.

Although “Transcend” is meant to be experienced, the titles can be seen as signposts indicating the direction the album is taking – the three tracks herald paths that lead to another place, regardless of whether they are crooked or straight – similar to the ladders on the cover. 
​-African Paper

​

KCH is happy to announce a new apparel category! The 'Notable Quotes' collection, developed from follower-based requests of popular quotes by Zeena combined with original background designs. As we're continuously developing our apparel collections, we're grateful for suggestions like this from our customer base. 
Also New: Celebrating the Five-Year Anniversary of the EP Bring Me the Head of FW Murnau featuring the front and back CD covers on a classic front and back T-shirt design.
All shirts offered in a variety of colour choices including classic black. Details about the designs and shirts are in the individual listings (click on images below to go directly to each listing).

Big Thanks to Humans vs Robots, Italian online magazine, for today's review of Zeena performing 'These Wounds Never Heal' on the new Sacred Legion album, 'The Higher Unknown'.
Scroll down to read the English version of journalist Max Zarucchi's review, or read the original in Italian HERE.

Zeena is a death rocker.

If our attention span when reading an article were the same as it was twenty years ago, the incredibly intense life of a figure like Zeena would deserve several thousand words alone: only in this way would we be able to truly understand how much this featuring of hers is a unique and rare event.

Her relationship with our Sacred Legion certainly didn't start yesterday (she was the one who chose both the band's moniker and the title of the 2020 album The Silent Lineage), but finding her voice on one of their songs is both a surprise for those who listen and a reason - and how could it be otherwise - of infinite pride for the band.

Her deep and hypnotic recitation is undoubtedly the focal point of this brand new These Wounds Never Heal, where the music chosen by our guys to accompany the Divine is a perfect hybrid between the dark hard rock of the seventies and the most direct and evocative death rock of the 80s. There is no room for unnecessary embellishments: the bloody rawness of the piece is more than enough, while it literally kidnaps the soul at first listen.

The Higher Unknown, the album in which this single is present, also gives us other special guests such as Adolphe Violet Le Duc (Chants of Maldoror) and Matteo (Spiritual Bats), which is why it will be difficult, in the genre, to keep up with it until the end of 2025: already a podium album, but it was inevitable for three musicians of the genre. Please take note.
- Max Zarucchi, 14 March, 2025

↦ Read also:
Sacred Legion (feat. Adolphe Violet Le Duc): Assassin Times
Sacred Legion: A Taste Of Turmoil
Sacred Legion: Hole in the Heart

For anyone in Rome in March, Sacred Legion officially presents the record with a live concert Saturday March 8 in Rome. For updates follow them on Instagram and/or Facebook.
Sacred Legion on Bandcamp.

The Path is the Goal is a Buddha-Dharma theme that emphasizes the importance of the journey in spiritual practice rather than fixating solely on the destination, such as Enlightenment or Nirvana. The same idea can also be applied to secular, worldly goals.

More than ever before, we live in a world driven by and focused on instant gratification and addiction to the hypnotizing effects and dopamine hits from billions of endless social media streams, news, and advertising, all competing with each other for our attention. ​

These monthly visual meditations nudge us to get off the hamster wheel and reground ourselves in the organic world, to breathe fresh air, to move our bodies, and to contemplate the value and meaning of our everyday lives and spiritual practices and to not dismiss the little things that happen “along the way” as meaningless. The Path is the Goal underscores the gradual transformative process of spiritual practice and life, which cannot be forced or rushed. The atmospheric images contained in this calendar, of different paths, remind us symbolically that there are many spiritual paths to follow, yet we're all reaching the same ultimate destination.

The monthly images serve as reminder to experience the present moment fully and that the effort, motivation, and practices we engage in are as important, if not more so, than the attainment of an imagined spiritual endpoint, or in secular terms, a goal that may change over time or never come to pass, within this lifetime. So it is more important to find meaning and worth in the process (the Path), regardless of the outcome. The outcome works itself out when we're fully engaged in the process!

About the Calendar:
The finely structured, matte surface of Fuji Crystal Archive DPII photo paper (234 g/m²) provides an extremely natural and noble appearance. The matte finish makes it virtually free from unwanted reflection and resistant to fingerprints. Archive quality suitable for cropping and framing after use.
Dimensions: 20.3x30.5cm / 8”x11½”

***Everything in our website shop is 15% off until July 31st when using coupon code: SUTEKH24

​About the shirt design:

The classic design with unique stylized image of Sutekh, encircled by an incantation from the ancient Greek Magical Papyri, is suitable for spiritual work focused on receiving clear messages in dreams, nightmares (of a revelatory nature) and heightened lucidity in hypnagogic/hypnopompic states of consciousness.

About the shirt:
​
Comes in two variants:
*Sutekh-24 Unisex classic tee as well as a Long-sleeved version. 

Colors: Blackest night, bull's blood maroon and royal purple
​
• 100% cotton
• Fabric weight: 5.0–5.3 oz/yd² (170-180 g/m²)
• Open-end yarn
• Tubular fabric
• Taped neck and shoulders
• Double seam at sleeves and bottom hem

Don't forget to check out our many other Seth/Sutekh related apparel & items in 
Magic & Mysticism Apparel and Set of 5 Sethian themed postcard size flexi-magnets !!!

Many thanks to John Gwatney for gifting me his book Bringer of Light: The Making of Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising! Bringer of Light is a true Labor of Love dedicated to unearthing the most obscure facts, details and images surrounding the circuitous occult creation of Anger's underground film Lucifer Rising. Reminiscences by still living participants shed light on the filmmaker's mindset during their time knowing him; each reflecting many different sides to his behavior, personality and creative process.

Aside from the exhaustively detailed research that went into this tome, there's a rich representation of scanned documents and photos, many of which were acquired first hand from the original photographers or subjects of the photos with accompanying anecdotes making the book itself a “picture within a picture”. Never before seen photos of the personalities involved in the making Lucifer Rising include Robert Fraser, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, each of The Rolling stones, Michael Cooper, Marianne Faithfull, Dennis Hopper, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Donald Cammell, Anita Pallenberg, Bobby Beausoleil and The Freedom Orchestra at Tracy Prison, and of course of Kenneth himself, exhibiting his radically transforming appearance from the late '60s to early '80s.
​
The large format book (cloth hardcover, 11-1/4” x 9” / 28-1/2cm x 23cm) allows for full bleed printing for maximum quality of the most rare images.

Because Gwatney unearthed much more additional material, beyond the boundaries of the specific topic of this volume, he has decided to begin a follow-up book about Kenneth Anger in general. For that project, I'm happy to report that Gwatney has begun a series of interviews with me! Since it will undoubtedly take considerable time to complete, you can begin getting a taste of what is to come by reading Bringer of Light by ordering at: https://www.luciferrisingbook.com/ !

Om A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhih
~Zeena

In 2023 multimedia and multidiscipinary artist Zeena unveiled her newest musical endeavor, Transcend, at the Movement of the Triangle series exhibit at the Snow Gallery in New York City. Though the exhibit took place last June, Zeena’s music was preserved as a digital-only album published via Bandcamp.
​
In the 80s and early 90s Zeena made gothic and death rock music while part of Radio Werewolf. Years later she would begin releasing her own music while exploring different genres. In 2020 Zeena realized her debut solo endeavor, Bring Me The Head Of F. W. Murnau, which was part silent film score, a hint of experimental-industrial, and a large dose of field recordings. Concurrently, Zeena explored a spiritual angle through her music, which listeners got to preview with her live performance of “Sethian Dream Oracle” that was released on the John Murphy tribute compilation All My Sins Remembered in 2016. Transcend can be thought of as the next canonical entry in Zeena’s spiritual music output.

Transcend balances two genres – new age and ambient – though neither in an expected fashion. Ambient music, in the Cryo Chamber vein, can conjure up images of deep space, forgotten cities, desolate alien landscapes, and so on, with an emphasis on droning and emptiness. It can certainly be a lonely genre. Transcend has some of these aspects of “alone-ness” yet it is hardly lonely. The album places an emphasis on the self, but acts as a companion in the process – a guide. The listener’s journey with Transcend may be as an individual, but the album provides a presence, ensuring the listener is not by themselves. Transcend also invites internal exploration, which is the opposite of other ambient varieties that prompt external exploration.

Transcend contains three tracks: “Ascent,” “Parting Clouds,” and “Gone Beyond.” The track list may be small but the runtime is substantial, coming in at over fifty minutes of music. If one takes the names of the three titles along with the album name, visuals of climbing a mountain are conjured up. Going a step further and bringing in an element of a silent film score (as Zeena had done with the aforementioned Bring Me The Head Of F. W. Murnau), transforms the listening experience into an aural version of a bergfilm. Transcend is a three act mountain film without the visuals, yet rife with both movement yet contemplation, depicting the overcoming of obstances, be them physical or psychic. 

Act one, “Ascent,” is the initial mountain climb. The ambiance has a calming “awww” to it, but slowly as the song progresses, a breathing pattern begins to emerge, before becoming dominate over halfway through the song. The song’s breathing has two functions: to invite the listener to partake in breathing exercises, but also to convey the sense of exertion as one climbs the album’s metaphorical mountain. 

Act two, “Parting Clouds,” is the resting song. The listener is sitting on an outcropping, seeing the land through wispy clouds, taking in the imagery and a respite on their journey. There is the simile of a string instrument that flutters in the song, adding an essence of alpine folk. The final act, “Gone Beyond,” is a mirror of “Ascent,” with the heavy breathing surfacing again like a train starting to gain momentum. Though the song is the album’s last, it is the next step in the listener’s journey as they resume their quest up the mountain, into the sky, and beyond. 

The cover art of Transcend is a part of a larger piece titled Ladders that was created by Zeena. The imagery of the ladders, of course, invokes the feeling of going “up,” which ties into the theme of the album. However, the shadow play of the ladders, that they all appear to be going in different directions, with one even bent, generates a German Expressionist cinema vibe to the piece (Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-esque). Such evocations can be found a-plenty in Zeena’s prior album, Bring Me The Head of F. W. Murnau, which also tie into the bergfilm vibes of the album as well.

In Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss quips “You’re off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” Though the passage is whimiscal, its text is certainly appropriate for Zeena’s Transcend. There is a concept to conquer, be it a literal or metaphoric mountain – or something else, for the betterment of the self. Transcend is the soundtrack for that journey, with a great place (spiritually, mentally, or something else), waiting at the summit. 

If you want to learn more about Transcend or the other music works of Zeena check out the links below.

• Bandcamp Product Page for Transcend
• Zeena’s Official Website
• My article on Zeena’s Bring Me The Head Of F. W. Murnau
• My article on the Zaum of Zeena

​--by Nicholas Diak, June 19, 2024

From Zeena: "Big Thanks to Snow Gallery and Frank Haines, in collaboration with Whaam!, for inviting me to contribute my art to their newest exhibit, VAPOURS OF DELPHI, opening this week! 
Anyone in the NYC area who's interested, check it out!"  ~Zeena

VAPOURS OF DELPHI
Opening Night: Thursday June 6th from 6-8pm

Exhibit runs June 6 - June 29, 2024.

Exhibit will be held at Whaam! Gallery:
15 Elizabeth Street, #113
New York, NY, 10013

Links: 
https://www.snowgallerynyc.com/
https://www.whaamwhaam.com/

Author G. Connor Salter reached out to Zeena for this in-depth interview which extrapolates on the psychological and philosophical underpinnings of her father's choice to name her after the mystical fortune teller character, Madame Zeena, from the novel Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham.

In the interview, Zeena covers her father's claims to have personally known Gresham, details about his early life history, his brushes with occult and esoteric groups in the '50s and other Noir influences on his early development, which in turn influenced Zeena's early development, making this a richly detailed and insightful exploration into the mind.

The article also features photos of two vintage paperback editions of Nightmare Alley and a movie poster for the 1947 film,  which lived in the kitchen of the Black House (Zeena's childhood home), from Zeena's personal archives.

G. Connor Salter is known for his exhaustive research in and written contributions to scholarly studies of the 1930s-40s literary group The Inklings and by extension CS Lewis's wife Joy Davidman's first husband, Noir author William Gresham. Salter is currently working on the unpublished writings of Gresham to which this interview is a small portion of a larger project.

​Read the full interview here: punknoirmagazine.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/a-conversation-with-zeena-schreck-about-nightmare-alley-by-g-connor-salter/

Zeena's in-depth interview by Annette Lamoth-Ramos featured in this issue was the first after many years hiatus from mainstream media spanning her early life until the early '00s. After much interest and feedback generated from this interview, VICE invited Zeena to write her own column, 'From the Eye of the Storm' .​

In February 2024, VICE media announced they are stopping both the online and print magazines. BUT we have unearthed a limited number of print copies - 10 in English and 13 in German - all in original (not pre-owned) condition. Signed and numbered on the lead photo by Zeena, there's also an option to have it personalized on the TO ORDER PAGE.

Condition: Original, Mint to Very Good. Excellent binding, pages are unmarked and clean.
Binding: Softcover
High quality six-color printing on all pages, glossy cover.
114 pages. 8½”x11” / 21½cm x 28cm.​

The only differences between the English and German versions are:

The English edition originally came with a paper wraparound advertisement on the cover for the action-adventure game Dishonored (see image). To offer collectors this item exactly as it was when it hit the stands twelve years ago, we're leaving it on.

The German edition doesn't have any advertising on the cover but features a short write-up about photographer Florian Büttner, who did the photo shoot with Zeena and who gives his impressions of that experience. (See image below for the original German text, English translation follows.) This is photographer profile is only in the German edition and not included in any of the other VICE language editions of the same issue.

Zeena's art along with other artists featured and for sale this week at New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) Miami 2023. All info below.

Snow Gallery
NADA Miami
December 5–9, 2023
Ice Palace Studios
1400 North Miami Avenue
Miami, FL 33136

VIP Preview (by Invitation):
Tuesday, December 5, 10am–4pm

VIP Hour (by Invitation):
Wednesday, December 6, 10–11am

Open to the Public:
Tuesday, December 5, 4–7pm
Wednesday, December 6, 11am–7pm
Thursday, December 7, 11am–7pm
Friday, December 8, 11am–7pm
Saturday, December 9, 11am–6pm

In related news, Zeena's latest album, Transcend which debuted at Snow Gallery NYC on June 3rd, 2023 for their third exhibition in a series, 'Movement of the Triangle,' inspired by Kandinsky’s 'Concerning the Spiritual in Art' is now available as Bandcamp dowload!

Album cover for Transcend is a detail from a larger piece, 'Ladders,' by Zeena Schreck, (original art sold).

Summer Solstice is upon us and what better way to celebrate the transitioning season from pastel Spring to Summer bonfires than with the legend of the flame-bearded Barbarossa?!
​Embedded below is a new video of the 1991 Radio Werewolf song commemorating Summer Solstices of yore, in which we envision the long-sleeping Emperor Barbarossa awaking yet anew.
May your Summer Solstice be marked with renewed energy to facilitate spiritual awakenings and psychonautic victories!
-Om Vajrasattva Hum-
Zeena