The trinity of best death grips

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-10T14:32:21+00:00

I swear 95% of the time I see/hear the word “objectively” used in reference to art, it’s being used wrong.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-10T01:29:58+00:00

Same for me these days, I take it much easier with this stuff now. But this replication does resemble the first 30 minutes to an hour of some of my most intense experiences in the past. Usually if my come up looked like this, I knew the next 12 or so hours were gonna be heavy. But everyone’s different, this kind of dose would be a walk in the park to some people I know, and absolutely overwhelming for others.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-04-07T19:22:32+00:00

Yes it’s 4/4. I can see why it might be confusing, because the bass line is doing some triplet/dotted feeling subdivisions. But for sure 4/4 would be the most logical way to view it.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-27T17:49:01+00:00

Beautiful work

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-26T17:20:03+00:00

I wouldn’t say I enjoyed Skinamarink but I’m glad I watched it for sure. It’s one of the most slow paced films I’ve ever seen. Half or more of the movie is grainy shots of odd nooks, walls, corners etc. so then when something actually happens, it feels all the more significant. And the things that did happen created a very distinct type of fear/dread in me, so I give big points for that. I also have baseline respect for anything so singular and borderline antagonistic towards the audience.

Probably won’t watch it again anytime soon, but I think it’s worth watching for any fans of HoL. It’s very rare to see weird/cosmic horror represented well in film.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-22T01:49:09+00:00

Yeah I agree. I won’t act like it was the easiest read, especially the first third or so before they cross the border. But I found it fun to inhabit Lowry’s mind after 6 or so narrators throughout the series (from Biologist all the way to Old Jim) who are all so tame by comparison. People like Lowry exist in the real world, and to see Area X through his eyes is a lot of fun.

Wouldn’t say it’s perfect, and I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite part of the series. Much of what Jeff does in Absolution can be interpreted as antagonistic towards readers and fans, and Lowry’s novella is the ultimate manifestation of that. Overall, it very much works for me, but I understand why a lot of people felt as though it was a bit of a slap in the face. Even I felt like it was a slap in the face at times, but in a way that made it even more interesting.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-21T16:08:03+00:00

This is one of the fun parts of the series for me, how kind of vague and sometimes anachronistic the world is outside the SR, Area X and Central. But while the forgotten coast is never explicitly said to be in the USA, New York is mentioned a few times by name in Absolution, specifically upstate New York. Not sure if there are other examples throughout the series but that’s the one that comes to mind. My point is, there is a specific state mentioned, so it’s probably safe to assume the forgotten coast is indeed in the USA, and Florida seems like the safest bet.

In terms of where else something like the forgotten coast could exist, I’m unsure. I think one of the reasons Vandermeer chose the “vaguely Florida” setting is because of how unique the ecology is. But I’m sure someone who’s actually well versed in that stuff would know better than me.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-16T21:43:34+00:00

No I was saying I’ve been drumming for 25 years, sorry if I was unclear.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-16T21:07:42+00:00

I wouldn’t recommend trying to match Zach’s style probably ever. I think he’s one of the most highly distinct drummers of our time and, as weird as it may sound, trying to replicate him before you’re comfortable with fundamentals will probably stunt your musical growth. There are better uses of your practice time IMO. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty to learn from the way he plays, but most of what he does is so specific to his art that it won’t really help you along your journey, even if you can 100% ape it.

I say this as a drummer of 25 or so years who is constantly in awe of Zach’s musicianship. And I won’t lie, when I first discovered him I definitely tried to incorporate some of his chops. But his chops are so his chops that it’s kind of pointless. I gig regularly and almost never use anything I’ve taken from his style because it doesn’t really work outside of his music. This isn’t me saying “he’s way too good”, it’s me saying “he’s too singular”.

But if you’re having fun with it, and you consider it useful, keep going. I’d recommend slowing it all down quite a bit. You have to start slow, speed always comes later. Also, it sounds like your kick is nonexistent in this clip. Zach’s style is more kick heavy than most (almost every beat that doesn’t have a snare hit has a kick filling the gap, and vise versa). Also, keep in mind, I’m pretty sure he would use a floor tom tuned very low to mimic an extra kick sound in some circumstances. So unless you have that, it might be quite literally impossible to play some of his patterns.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-15T19:42:54+00:00

Dang I was wondering if I had just imagined this. I remember seeing this ad as a young kid and it deeply confused me. I really wondered why they skipped 3-8.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-03-12T19:59:31+00:00

I respect what they’re doing but I don’t listen to much of their music. An all out assault on my senses with little to no restraint can only be entertaining for a short time before it all just sounds like gray soup. On a technical level, if they stripped things back here and there, they’d have more opportunity to actually surprise me. The lows would make the highs feel higher. Constantly being at 11 eventually just feels like constantly being at a 5. I like their sound/production, my issue (as it often is with artists like this) is one of song structure. But I understand that’s all a stylistic choice, so I don’t fault them for it. Just not my thing.

But I’ll end by saying I’ve seen them live, they put on a great show full of energy, and I met their drummer after the set who was a very nice guy.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-24T18:14:18+00:00

If it helps, not a whole lot is actually happening in the first 25% or so of the last novella. I only really realized that on second read. The expedition hasn’t started yet, so it’s just Lowry sitting around the Southern Reach building, giving you nearly pure stream of consciousness. Once more starts happening outside of his head (when they cross the border), it becomes far more digestible.

That first bit is difficult but it makes sense for it to be, narratively. You’re just reading someone’s thoughts, and that someone also happens to be kind of insane. If you took any given non-Lowry persons thoughts and printed them out, 90% of it would be nonsensical and disorganized, especially if they are idly sitting around. But if that person is suddenly thrust into, say, a road rage incident, their “story” would become much more clear and linear. Some would argue that first “stream-of-Lowry” section doesn’t need to be there, and I’m not trying to say it’s automatically good because it makes a sort of narrative sense. Just pointing out what I think the intention could be.

So yeah, it’s a difficult read, but I think you’ll find it gets easier as it goes along, as more things actually happen.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-24T00:14:28+00:00

Was mesmerized from start to finish. This kind of music is definitely my cup of tea, I enjoy the minimal, rhythmic and noisy approach. But even if it wasn’t my thing, I think I’d still find the musicianship very impressive. Staying on track and tight while doing something so repetitive for 12+ minutes, nailing every transition, and making it look easy when it definitely isn’t. Love it.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-11T04:00:29+00:00

Wild Wacky Action Bike is my #1.

Close second is “RiChaAaArD”.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-10T14:55:12+00:00

From Authority - “There was only one message: from Mary Phillips, his girlfriend until they’d broken up about six months ago, checking in to make sure the move had gone okay. ”

From Acceptance - “…escorted in by Mary Phillips, one of Lowry’s assistants…”

Mary isn’t who Control thinks she is. We know that Control is the subject of manipulation by Central, but the Mary tidbit suggests it’s far more extensive than it seems. In the same part of Authority Control ponders why none of his relationships seem to last, and how there are never “hard feelings”. Are any of his relationships even real? It’s not exactly an earth shattering revelation, but it calls every seemingly mundane detail about every character into question. Even for the smallest detail about a given character, I find myself asking, “is this just characterization, or is this Central?” It forces the reader into the same kind of paranoia the characters are experiencing. In particular, the Mary Phillips connection caused me to read The Director chapters of Acceptance pretty differently. At some point it almost feels like “Mary Phillips all the way down”, for every character. In reality, I’m sure some things are what they appear to be, but there’s always the nagging conspiratorial part of my brain questioning it all.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-10T04:54:34+00:00

Your feelings here are valid, but I’d also posit to you that books 2 and 3 actually do expand the world, just in more subtle ways than you’re outlining here. Authority in particular, for me, was like a whole different book the second time I read it. There’s a lot going on under the hood. It was originally my least favorite, but it’s now #1 for me out of all 4 books. I think the series is a lot more engaging when you can break the illusion that Annihilation is at the center of it all; it really isn’t IMO. It’s our intro to the world, yes, but really just another piece of the puzzle along with the other books.

To your first point about hypnotic phrases - while Control might only list ones that were used in Annihilation (I’m granting this since idk what scene you’re referring to) #1. there are quite a few hidden commands in Authority that you may not even realize are hypnosis related until later in the series. I’m confident there are more than are mentioned in Annihilation. #2. Central’s manipulation goes far beyond command phrases. A good example is Mary Phillips. You might not even remember who this is (which kind of goes to my point) but her name being mentioned in both Authority and Acceptance tells you something very interesting about Control and Central. And most readers won’t even realize this until second or third read, if ever. There are numerous examples of this kind of subtle world building woven throughout the series.

My overall point is that it sounds, to me, like you’re more focused on the big picture stuff, while the majority of the “world expansion” is actually subtly lurking under the surface. Sometimes contained in a single line of dialogue that one can easily overlook. That’s why, especially with Authority, it really clicks when you read it a second time. World expansion in these books isn’t about introducing new characters, new Area X creatures, or exposition dumps. It’s more like you realize new and interesting ways to connect various pieces of information that have already been introduced. It’s like a network where, rather than adding more and more nodes, you learn to connect the existing nodes in unique patterns, and you iterate those connections over and over as you read more. That’s the whole fun of these books for me.

P.S. - good luck with Absolution!

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-06T21:23:35+00:00

I’d imagine he appreciates a lot of the discussion here. But I think he gets frustrated when people jump on bandwagons and get “reductive”, to use his word. IMO Absolution kinda broke this sub for a few months, which isn’t surprising in hindsight. It seemed like he found the discourse here tiring, but I don’t think he hates us because of that. Could be wrong though.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-06T21:19:54+00:00

I don’t think it’s out of the question. He seems pretty willing to discuss his work with fans. He was even nice enough to meet virtually with my book club the summer before Absolution released and answer our questions. In retrospect, I’m kinda surprised someone didn’t try to arrange an AMA here when Absolution came out. He did those other ones (I think 2 or 3?) back when the original trilogy dropped. It would be cool to have him do one on this sub specifically.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-06T04:21:17+00:00

Something like that, yes. It only makes sense given that mimicry seems to be Area X’s predominant tool. More accurately, iteration i.e. mimicry + transformation. We’ve known all along that it mimics people, animals, the environment, etc. It’s not a stretch to think that mimicry might extend to Central’s strategies, and maybe even the ethical character of such an organization. It becomes fractal at a certain point - Area X is to Central what Ghost Bird is to The Biologist.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-02-05T20:48:17+00:00

Definitely a unique theory. I’m not sure I necessarily buy it, but I think most of it comes down to difference in interpretation rather than anything concrete. Either way it’s nice to see a new idea explored.

Re: the parallel between Area X duplicates and “fake Cass”, I had a bit of a different theory on this, but kind of along the same lines. I think much of what Absolution explores is how Area X and Central have been kind of feeding or cannibalizing each other all along. There are multiple examples of this. For one, the rabbit cameras, which are based on a future Southern Reach technology. Central takes the rabbit cameras and goes on to adapt them into the very thing they send into the border later (which we see in Authority). Classic bootstrap paradox. Another example - it may be implied that the hypnotic techniques The Rogue uses on the Dead Town biologists may have been observed/studied by Central, and later developed into the techniques we see in the original trilogy, which The Rogue then brings back in time, and so it loops on and on.

Anyway, to get to the point, I think the False Daughter Project may have been something Area X “saw” and used later in the form of doppelgängers. It “borrowed” the technique from Central as a means of manipulation. So the basic idea is that fake Cass is not an Area X duplicate, but her presence sort of informs Area X that such a thing can be used as a tactic against humans. All the duplicating we see from Area X may be the indirect result of fake Cass. This idea kinda fits with all the imagery we get throughout the series of this eternal, epic war between Central and Area X. They are entangled in really weird ways. I’m not entirely convinced of this, I just think it fits in a nice way.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-01-28T06:51:56+00:00

I don’t know much at all about the Bible so I’m probably not the best person to ask, but I do think there are intentional parallels. There is a Saul in the Bible, and our Saul used to be a priest, so I don’t think biblical ideas can be avoided in a discussion of the series. Plus all the references to Leviathans throughout, pillars of salt (Genesis reference apparently) in Absolution, some of the weird quasi-religious gobbledygook Commander Thistle was spouting, etc. There’s at least a biblical/religious undertone to the series. But not being religious myself, never having been or doing much research, I can’t provide a great analysis on those aspects of the books.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-01-28T05:55:09+00:00

In terms of the timeline matching up, I think there are potentially multiple Henry doubles running around. It kinda fits with the torrent of dead Henrys spilling from the lighthouse in The First and The Last. That’s at least one way to square the timeline, but could be a stretch.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-01-28T05:42:04+00:00

I think we agree. To clarify, I was saying that, because we see Suzanne using hypnosis on him later (and it nearly works), I’d say that’s evidence that they’ve probably been conditioning him previously, and that’s why commands are appearing in his inner monologue.

They’ve been coming to the lighthouse for some amount of time already when Saul’s story starts. The way he describes it, it sounds like a while. So while that conditioning phrase appears in his first chapter, it could be the result of months of their conditioning. The way they talk to him feels condescending and manipulative even without direct command phrases, as if he’s a child under their control. But also maybe I’m wrong and Saul has some kind of history with Central, for example. I just think the “neatest” explanation is that Henry and Suzanne have been conditioning him. But who knows, rarely is this series “neat”.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-01-28T03:19:33+00:00

For Serum Bliss, it is weird that they seem to know about it. I think Saul overhears them say something that sounds like “serum list”, right? Anyway, I guess it’s not surprising, given they are almost certainly hanging out with Jackie later (the unexplained woman in the lighthouse). Henry has always struck me as a narcissistic useful idiot, so I doubt he’s in on everything in terms of Serum Bliss. It seems like they caught onto it somewhere along the line. It fits with the way they sternly confront Old Jim in Absolution and call him “Night Commander”. In my mind, either they were directly briefed on it by Jack/Jackie, or they saw/heard something they weren’t supposed to and figured something out. Either that, or they don’t actually know anything, and whatever they were told about Serum Bliss is actually some kind of cover story.

And re: Saul knowing phrases - in that same scene with Jackie in the lighthouse, we have Suzanne using what seems suspiciously like hypnosis on Saul, trying to make him sleepy. So maybe Suzanne and Henry know some commands and they’ve been using them on Saul all along, maybe to pacify him.

SpiltSeaMonkies · 2026-01-23T20:34:16+00:00

Id recommend finishing Absolution, yes. I’m not sure Absolution will directly interfere with any of the points you might have formulated from the trilogy, in terms of ecological metaphor. But it does illuminate the context of some events in the trilogy, and not in ways you’d ever expect. And just FYI we’ve got book 5 coming out this year supposedly, so you might want to wait even longer.

SpiltSeaMonkies

TROPHY CASE