An autographed copy of Volbeat’s album “Beyond Hell/Above Heaven” just arrived in our mailbox and we could send it your way, but it’s going to take a little work. The Danish metal band’s latest album debuted at #1 across Europe, hit #1 on CMJ’s Loud Rock chart, premiered in the top 10 of iTunes’ rock chart and was #5 on Revolver’s Magazine’s best albums list of 2010. Get the picture? Not only is this thing signed, but the contents are top notch, too!
Now that we’ve got you salivating, here’s how to get your hands on it. In honor of the album’s title, “Beyond Hell/ Above Heaven”, we want to hear a made-up tale or true story about a person who has a near death experience. Based on the results of our Get Scared giveaway, we know creative juices are flowing in you Shockya readers, so we’re making this one especially tough and putting a 300 word cap on the entries. We want something short and sweet, but still packing the power to make us squirm. Leave out the gory details and focus on the emotional experience of being on the border of life and death. You’ve got till April 13th!
Post your tale in the comments section of this article and e-mail your submission to shockyapr@gmail.com.
by Lonnie Nemiroff
Your senses are overloaded with feeling, the mind numbed with crippling fear as your brain struggles to process what your crippled body is suffering. The stabbing pain that tears through your frayed nerves is what you imagine a white hot globule of metal to feel like as it sears a path of destruction through your tortured skin. Or is heat the wrong definition? Maybe what you feel seeping into your bones is the breath stealing, overwhelming cold of a glacial river as it pulls the life from your battered limbs. Your mind fights the urge to let this wave of pain and suffering wash over you for fear that it is the last feeling you will ever experience, or endure. But deeper and darker than any physical pain is the hollow, burrowing, gnawing realisation that you must face this journey on your own. The memories and faces of friends, family, those you held dear your entire life fade as you feel the weight of the impending journey pressing you forward to the darkness like a cold hand on your shoulder. All the while your consciousness, your individualism, your character and soul kicks and screams in silent protest and frustration as the darkness settles in. Like a body slipping beneath the waves you fight with every last fibre of your being to stay awake, to stay with the light. Every breath is laboured. The coppery taste of blood is strong in your mouth as you choke down your last few gulps of air before your chest lies still. As you begin to slip away from all you have ever known, a cry rings out. Distant yet full of tragedy, the greatest pain yet is the one experienced by those who are left to deal with the gaping hole of your passing…