Dead Hands Dig Deep

So my friend just finished watching Julia Ducournau's Titane (2021) which i had suggested and she said it lived up to its hype, ranked it as one of the most shocking films ever. I know it's a well made film and couldn't agree with most shocking ever tag. She has seen most of the famous gore films, New French Extremity, Troma and CAT III titles which are famous in gorehound circles. I wanted to recommend extreme Mondo films, titles from Aroma Planning/ Baroque Studio and the works of Kiyotaka Tsurisaki and Susumu Saegusa. But i was pretty sure it will be way too much and won't be able to stomach it. Later, I told her to watch 'Dead hands dig deep' and to go in blind. She had to see it in 2 parts because she could not bear it as it was real and not fiction.

So those who haven't seen this great work of art, this is a documentary on Edwin Borsheim of Kettle Cadaver, one of the most dangerous band to ever live. Let me break this, i know people be over reacting for notorious stories revolving around controversial bands. It is interesting how internet myths are carried away by sensational hyperbole. Some are barf-bag incidents that will leave you revolting, controversies that are myth distorted reality, while majority of shock acts after a while gets stale because you know what to expect.

Here we have Edwin, it is easy to make comparisons to GG Allin, Peter Steele, Rozz Williams Satan Panonski, Karcharoth (Infernum, Graveland), Sakevi (GISM), Wendy O. Williams (Plasmatics) and Yamantaka Eye (Hantarash) but he is so much more than that. Nothing against the artists but Edwin literally tops the game for stage antics and staying true till the very end. There are so many acts who for the sake of marketing hog all the internet attentions, pose as Satanists or national socialist for their extreme approach. I know many bands started out with pessimistic attitude towards humanity later toned down and changed their musical direction. So many well known bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica which was mandatory teenage angst listen have openly stated it was all a gimmick and few are actually super-Christian and conservative. Look up the stories of Dave Mustaine not willing to go ahead with tours cuz Rotting Christ and Dissection were on the bill with Megadeth as headliners. I cannot say every band is same but the majority follows the pattern and their entire second half careers debunks them as false. Edwin belongs to the pack of musicians like Jon Nödtveidt from Dissection, Conscicide Dominus Arcula from Bhaobhan Sidhe/Bestial Summoning, Dead from Mayhem, Mario Milette from Malvery, Cernunnos from Enthroned, Tchort from Masochist/Wind of the Black Mountains, Raphael Greaves aka the Grave Desecrator (Blood Coven) who swore allegiance to their beliefs and called it quit.

But I wouldn't put Edwin in the same category, he was a guy who pushed boundaries and wanted to create something that needed to stay underground, feared, buried and finally destroyed the very thing he tried to create. This guy is pissed cuz Slayer is called fake, he took it so seriosuly and changes his perspective to extreme approach. He lives in his own man cave: makes homemade weapon; sleeps in a coffin with optimistic approach; He is also accompanied by a wooden effigy of his ex-wife, Eva O, who in a prior relationship literally dated Richard Ramerez and was an actual fan of his and that's why she wrote Night Stalker with the Super Heroines. So far, so good but be prepared when it sucks you down into the abyss of one of Edwin's darkest rough places including his trailer, backyard, satanic jam room and the desolated vicinity. There is also footages of shocking live performances where Edwin is humping a coyote carcass, stapling his body, face with needles, syringes, nails and goes to the extreme stage to bring out its most shocking theatrical resorting to violent fights and mutilation by hammering his penis to a piece of wood with needles and nails. There's even POV perspective from those closest to Edwin as he rides the exhilarating highs and crushing lows of life. I found Raymond Shipley aka Lord Morder, who is regarded as the first black metal musician in the history of the United States to be tried as a "Satanic Terrorist." His take on Edwin is intense and he narrated it as presented. Especially, the murder of Sol Evil's drummer who was shot for quitting the band and taking up the cross. This didn't go well with Edwin and the bandmates. As unified for a cause and committed to the code of death before dishonour, which led to the drummers death inside a rehab.

I know there are more weird stuffs in this planet like the Burial practices, medieval torture or the ritual self mutilations observed by different religions across the globe especially in the third world countries. Even the history has examples of enduring pain to earn respect or warrior status for ex: Mandan tribe's Okipa ceremony. Then, some weird rituals where people offer their pain as penance to God. And then we have so many performing artists like Michael Curran, Ron Athey, Bob Flanagan, Franko B, Marina Abramovic, Daniel Valient, Allison Belmont, Mikel Balerdi (Check out Larva Mental - not for squeamish STRONG WARNING), Fakir Musafar, Allen Falkner, Martin O'Brien transgressing the boundaries for their fetish and art. But Edwin Borsheim's vision was unique and stands out. Yes, there is the same amount of violence and blood in which will cause a sense of discomfort and will shock you.

In closing, "Dead Hands Dig Deep" will provoke you, it will require a strong stomach and a strong psyche to get involved with the journey of Edwin Borsheim.

I was afraid to watch it as I was afraid they would portray Edwin as a monster instead of who he really was, and I didn't want to remember him that way. Instead, I found that the filmmaker kept this documentary pretty honest without diving too deep. It was sad to see the shape Edwin was in before he passed and how lonely he had become. How obvious it was that drugs had taken over. A shell of the person he once was, but still holding strong to a lot of his own beliefs. RIP Edwin.