"What to expect and wish for in 2025"

I try to predict the future for the gothic country genre. The predictions are limited to the data and knowledge available to me, and may not be entirely accurate or comprehensive. The seer of seers, Nostradamus, didn't present disclaimers. Nostradamus is known for his book Les Prophéties published in 1555, a collection of no less than 946 poetic quatrains allegedly predicting future events. Some people believe that his prophecies are true. Nostradamus has purportedly predicted the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon and of Adolf Hitler, both world wars, and the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Moon landing, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Nostradamus has also predicted major events for 2025. War and plague. An asteroid threatens Earth. Global politics will shift. Natural disasters will increase. Economic instability is coming. A new world currency will emerge. A new power will rise from floods. Medical technology will advance. Space exploration will yield discoveries. All in all, a rather gloomy picture of what is going to happen next year. Should we be concerned? Well, it's in our nature to read into things that aren't there. Of the 946 predictions attributed to Nostradamus, only about seventy are considered to have had some kind of fulfillment, although this is only if you ignore the obvious and stretch credulity. For example, the Moon landing has been derived from "He will come to travel to the corner of Luna, where he will be captured and placed in a strange land". A very benevolent interpretation. The effectiveness is close to zero. Obviously, we want to believe. I also want to believe (at least when it comes to the future of the gothic country genre).  

This year turned out to be a modest year when it comes to number of releases. I count to six releases: Oldboy of the Fens (The Stillness And The Peace), Federale (Reverb & Seduction), Slim Cessna's Auto Club (Kinnery of Lupercalia; Buell Legion), Those Poor Bastards (Back To The Primitive), Lonesome Wyatt & The Holy Spooks (Afraid) and Swarme Of Beese (Waiting for a Sign). In terms of quality, 2024 was a good year. 

What about next year? I have three wishes for 2025. The first wish: a new gothic country album from Christian Williams. He relasead a cover, Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice", It's Alright" in November 2024 on Bandcamp so the dream is still alive. The second wish: to acquire one of the remaining three of the hard-to-find four missing albums, read more here (opens in a new window). The third wish: to get my Devil's Ruin Records collection complete. At the moment, I got 36 out of 40 registered albums on Discogs. The remaining four albums were probably never manufactured and distributed, read more here (opens in a new window). Well, then my third wish is a complete collection of Foddershock albums (this dream seems very far away).

What about new album releases in 2025? This is what I know: The Devil Makes Three (Spirits), The Woodbox Gang (untitled) is coming and Slackeye Slim is working on a new project. That's all. It looks like it's going to be a meager year, but you never know. Sons of Perdition will maybe or maybe not release their new album (Caul-Birth King and Other Abruptions). Those Poor Bastards release a new album now and then. So maybe it's time again. Antic Clay (Broom of Fire) has been scheduled for seven years in a row. Maybe the upcoming year is the year when it will finally happen? We will see what the future brings.