Taking its title from an extant concept in chaos magick -- that magickal practices post-millenium will contain a mix-and-match approach, and that chaos being the order of the day, one might as well take advantage of it -- PandaemonAeon (break it down) salutes the rule of misrule. Two versions of Alex Chandon's (Bad Karma, Pervirella, Drill Bit, Cradle of Fear) nasty little video for "From the Cradle to Enslave" are introduced by Cradle screamer, frontman Dani Filth; needless to say, these won't be making their way to MTV anytime soon. And it's not just that the thing's yummily obscene, but rather that it's gothic camp that deserves to be taken seriously at some level, and that's profoundly disturbing when you consider that this song inaugurates a rein of terror so profound we've not yet properly processed it as a nation. Two groups from the Wiltshire area, namely the Discordians and the Chaosians, must surely have influenced Cradle's philosophy. These psychedelic pranksters and media virus vectors would have us believe that our time is one of extreme turmoil in which all bets are off. And the Chaosian premise haunts all of these songs, featured in the live set from London's Astoria: "Cruelty Brought Three Orchids," "Beneath the Howling Stars," and "Malice Through the Looking Glass." Cradle are so profoundly ahead of their time in being exactly of their time, I salute them and invite you to buy this DVD. For the state-of-the-Cradle, check out their new full-length, Damnation and a Day, and take a break from the monstrous war of aggression being waged in the name of democracy.

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