. . .
This is my last new post at Invisible Oranges. I have some posts, including the rest of the Metallica series, in the queue that will go up later, but otherwise, this is it for me. The new editor is Mike Nelson, who heads a great staff that will take the site to new heights. Please give him a warm welcome.
It’s been an honor to have worked on Invisible Oranges. To this day, I’m still amazed that people read it, much less follow it consistently. Having an audience is never something to take for granted.
To this end, thanks are in order.
. . .
Thanks to the naysayers and negative people. You only inspire me to fight harder and get better.
Thanks to people who stay positive through negative times. You also inspire me to fight harder and get better.
Thanks to my original metal writing influences, Andrew Aversionline and Adrian Begrand. They inspired me to start writing about metal; they are still holding it down.
Thanks to all the editors who hired me and put up with my weaknesses.
Thanks to all Invisible Oranges staff, past, present, and future. Your energy is refreshing and invaluable.
A thousand thanks to all you readers. You are the community that makes this worthwhile.
Finally, thanks to the musicians who bring us metal music. It is a thankless task, and the best ones do it without complaint.
Rock hard, ride free.
. . .
Cosmo, thank you very much for your time and truly inspiring writing about something that I have come to see in whole new light by reading IO!
I kind of hoped that you would share where you will be riding off to …
And, of course, a very warm welcome to Mike – I really look forward to seeing where you will be taking IO!
Later dawg.
Thank you so much for providing some of the very best writing on metal that ever has graced the web (or print for that matter). It’s a rare treat to find people with actual writing talent that are able to translate their impressions on music into words in such an inspirational (and often thought-provoking) manner.
You’ll be sorely missed, and I for one would love to to follow your future writing persuits no matter what the subject/context is. Not sure if you’ve mentioned what’ll you be doing next?
And, of course, welcome to the new staff. They have big shoes to fill, but we’re all excited about the outcome!
Long-time lurker, first time commenter here.
This is going to sound terribly formal, but I’d just like to say that reading your articles on IO has shown me that writing about metal can be insightful, literate and engaging, rather than simply resorting to vulgarity and CAPITAL LETTERS TO EMPHASISE THE AWESOME.
Thank you for your time and commitment to IO and I wish you all the best for the future. I have high expectations of the new team and I’m sure that they will deliver!
Thanks for all the great articles. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Thank you, Cosmo.
Best of luck in your future endeavors Cosmo and a heartfelt thanks for all the awesome music that you’ve turned me onto over the years. \m/
Great website, wishing you all the best.
Thank you.
Thank you Cosmo for all those insightful articles and interesting interviews. Wish you all the best on your future endeavors.
Welcome Mike and the rest of the staff of, should I say, new IO.
Thanks for everything Cosmo, hope that isn’t the last we’ll hear from you out there.
Thanks to you Cosmo for having something that consistently upheld the ideals and underpinnings of Metal. It’s always been about the music for you, and you never cheapened your love of Metal by pandering to others. You also never dumbed it down or played into the mainstream image that people perceive to be “the Metalhead”. This was a place where people could come, talk about the music they love, occasionally find some great new stuff (I’ve found countless new and wonderful musical gems by coming here), and also occasionally find something they hate. It’s the people, much like you post about the old Pound SF, that make the place. That’s what I think you achieved here. Thanks again…
You stated earlier this year that the reason you chose the September 24th date would become apparent. I never saw or read anything about that. I’d really enjoying knowing why you specifically chose September 24th…
Hopefully we’ll meet up at MDF next year, if you’re going…
It is unfair you are leaving right now, I ve only followed your blog for less than a year and a half!
Anyway, thank you very much for all the interesting things you have posted. I have never found a more interesting blog and man, you really have a writing talent! i hope invisible oranges keeps being as unique and imaginative after you leave. Thank you again.
thanx, Cosmo, and good luck
thanks cosmo for all the support you’ve given to the rest of us dabblers as well.
Thanks, Cosmo.
Thank you Cosmo for the many great introductions to bands that I listen to and follow to this day. You even sold me on To Cast A Shadow. haarp, Slough Feg and Vastum were important introductions as well. Your reviews were always true to the music and well writen. Obviously you will be missed. Stay cool.
Cosmo,
Thank you for pouring so much of yourself into this. I’ve only been following this blog for six months or so, but since I found it, I’ve read it daily. This blog, and your posts in particular, are so heartfelt and sincere and insightful and well written and true, that it makes most of the rest of the Internet seem so false in comparison. I wish you well in your future endeavors and I hope to be able to read whatever it is that you write in the future.
Thank you,
Hunter
While we have pretty different tastes in metal, I always enjoyed reading and rarely skip a post. Thanks for all the work and best of luck.
Invisible Oranges is dead, long live Invisible Oranges! \m/
You have created a site that stands out among the wasteland of substandard blogs. Thanks for the job well done!
Long time lurker, first time commenter. My grasp of English stops from getting my point across as detailed as I would like, so let me just say this: Your posts have been insightful, well written and they all have showed your love for the music you’ve written about. Hope to see you return to metal blogging somewhere down the road.
If I knew where you lived, I’d send you a hand-written thank you for everything. I lost count of how many people I’ve recommended this blog to, and I’ll still be thinking of and re-reading your insightful comments on music. Thank you.
Thank you very much for all the great read and lessons, I will definitely miss reading your thoughts here.
Take care and good luck for the future!
\m/
Rock on, brother. I always enjoyed the discussions your posts provoked.
Thanks. You inspired me to start blogging on metal bands and labels on Bandcamp.
Have been coming to this site for a couple years now. Whats always seperated it from others is your writing,and the intelligent discussions from readers because of it! Best of luck,your knowledge of the genre i love will be missed.
Thank you for your dedication and hard work, Cosmo. You will be missed.
We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
loved your work, cosmo. best of luck and thank you for your contributions to the metal community!
I think it is us who should thank you Cosmo. Brilliant writing about metal is hard to come by. Looking forward to the future.
Take care & good luck cosmo! sheers from colombia south america!
I think we can all agree IO is one of the finest sources of writing on metal! I’ve been a reader for many years now and will continue to do so, best of luck on future endeavors Cosmo!
Cosmo,
Thank you for your insightful, inspiring writing. Reading IO not only has pushed me to turn a more analytical eye on the music I enjoy, but also has given me new perspectives from which to view art and life in general. Perhaps one day I’ll try my hand at following your lead; until then, I can only thank you again, and wish you the best in whatever you go on to do. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be something truly special.
With all respect,
Nick Siepmann
Godspeed, Cosmo. You will be missed.
Thanks cosmo, not only did you and your website make my day go faster at my shitty job…but so did the music. Good luck with whatever you do. Thanks again.
Thank you and good luck, Cosmo.
Painkiller was an excellent image to go out on. Thanks Cosmo for all your writing. I will really miss the musicality you brought to metal blogging. No one else that I’ve read seems to dissect the intricacies of the music quite as well as you. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Thank you Cosmo for showing us how to do it. Good luck with everything you do.
Thank YOU, Cosmo! It was always a great pleasure to see you coming up with fresh ideas for topics to write about every time! Hope you will have some killer time from now on!
Thanks Cosmo for not breaking the oath. Please keep us updated on all your exploits metal or not. It’s been my first real experience on a site like this, and one doesn’t truly see how much hard work goes into it. Its appreciated. If you’re ever up in Portland, I will buy you a tasty beverage or three. Cheers.
Sayonara, dude. This site kept me active in my own little world of metal by inspiring me daily to seek out the new, revisit the old, and spread the gospel to anyone who would listen. Any piece of writing that alters your worldview is some pretty heavy shit, which makes this the heaviest site of them all. And for that, I thank you.
good luck!
Best of luck Cosmo! Thanks for your tireless work and always-fresh contributions. I may have said this to you before, but you’ve really helped build a site that is not only super-informative and creative in its scope, but is also effective as a community for intelligent discussion on heavy music. That’s a relatively new thing, I think, and I hope everybody who reads your blog as well as everyone who writes for it continue to uphold and enrich the interactivity this site encourages.
Good luck out there.
Thanks for still caring about the satanic / nonsatanic topic in 1992 BM.
S
Best of luck, man. I may not have always been interested in what you wrote about, but the way that you wrote about it made it interesting nonetheless.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
i’ll miss you and your writing- thanks for all the inspiration!
Ahhhh, Cosmo. Thank you for your inspiration and unique articulacy and commentary. Thanks as well for the endless encouragement. I’m very excited to see what you bring to your upcoming adventures. Rock on, literally!
Thanks. Thanks especially for the gift of Ludicra. And many others. Thanks man.
Thank you, Cosmo.
Didn’t you say you were going to explain the reason for your exit? Did I miss that?
He’s starting a deathcore band called Invisible the Oranges
I find this post much too bittersweet, especially as I only got to really work with you since January.
Thank you for Invisible Oranges, Cosmo. Will there be any way to find updates from you in the future? If so, please alert us readers via an Invisible Oranges post so we know where to hear from you (if you want to be heard from that is!).
Well, thanks for what you’ve given us. I came to this site pretty recently, but it’s one that I check as daily as possible. Good luck with what comes next.
I’m sad to see you go, Cosmo. You’ll be missed, thanks for all the great work!
Thank you very much for all your Work. I discover many, many bands thanks to invisible oranges and read it every day, thanks adiós
Bummer. I totally forgot this was your last month. Thanks for writing so much Cosmo, your blog has been one of a small handful of blogs that stick out to me, it’s not gonna be the same without you.
Right back atcha, Cos. You’ve raised high the bar for all of us.
Thank you Cosmo for all you have done to cover and represent underground music!! Best wishes in your future endeavors!!!
Love you, Cos. I’ll forever be glad that you started this blog and that it lead to us becoming pals. You’re the best.
Thank you, you’ve been a great read and source of good music. Keep in touch and best of luck.
Just wanted to chime in and give my thanks and respect. To say I’ve enjoyed your writing would be an understatement. Good luck in the future!
Thanks for everything, Cosmo, and best of luck in the future!
Thanks for all the great writing, Cosmo. Been a fan since the early days of IO (Invisible Oranges Myspace!), so it’s very sad to see you go. Best of luck in the future.
Thank you, Cosmo, what are you going to be contributing to writing-wise from here on out?
As much as I’ve read this blog, I’ve never felt compelled to submit a comment, for various reasons, but mainly because my sentiments / opinions have generally been expressed previously by someone else. And to write a “ditto” or “me too” statement never seemed like it would add to the mostly interesting discussions that followed each article.
However, in this instance, I feel that repetition is relevant and necessary. I wanted to voice the same opinion to show that there are many people who have been positively affected by this site. Cosmo, you have made IO my NPR of metal. I’ve learned a lot from this site, and you’ve helped me to discover and try more new music than any other source.
I’m excited by the fact that many people find value and importance in this style of writing and the standards to which you and the other writers hold yourselves.
Best of luck to your future endeavors Cosmo!
Cheers to the new staff!
Sorry to see you go Cosmo… But thanks for all the excellent reading!
Thanks, Cosmo. I always enjoyed your writing, even when I didn’t agree with you.
Great, great site. Easily some of the best writing about metal I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Thank you, and best of luck in whatever you decide to do next. All hail Invisible Oranges.
this is the end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4WJlLNIsyY
just kidding, soldier on cosmo
Cosmo, as a fellow music writer, I’ve always appreciated how publicly appreciative you are towards those writers that have inspired you (I still think about that Henry Rollins essay you linked to a couple years back). And I can honestly say that your writing has influenced me. Thanks for your many years of food for thought. Hope to see you at a show sometime, whether you’re in front of the stage or on it.
Like the others, I feel compelled to at least offer a brief thank you for the entertainment you’ve provided over the years. I still do my Spartacus workout each week as part of my fitness program and even though its apparent that not everyone shares the same tastes music wise as you all the time, I don’t know of any other metal blog that actually makes the comments section worth reading and not ignoring. You’ve done well mate.
thank you for what you’ve given.
Thanks, Cosmo. Your writing has filled my heart with musical delights for many years, and your internet presence will be missed. Excelsior to you!
COOL!
This really is a heart-wrenching moment for me. I never post, but I always read. You’ve achieved something with your ability to perceive the magic in something, and manifest it words. Your posts have helped me reconnect with the wonder I had when first discovering heavy music, while helping me appreciate newer elements, other facets of wonder to be found in my adulthood.
There’s always been strong, healthy romanticism in metal, one could say it is the heart of it (one that very little address), or that they’re even one in the same, and you capitalize on that, and elevate it.
For me, Invisible Oranges has been devoted to the magic of music, the spirit, the life of it, the abstractions, the intangible. I can’t speak for everyone, but you’ve helped me reevaluate what’s important, and reintroduce me to the fire. And I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if you’ve exposed the very artists that you’ve covered to untapped power, and rationalizations of that power in their music.
I suppose what I’m getting at, well, first and foremost, thank you, and beyond that I express my hope that the magic, the spirit, the romanticism will remain the heart of Invisible Oranges. The pursuit to expose and translate the X factor, not what things are, but why things are. Good metal is evocative, and good metal journalism is no different, and that is why you’re my favorite.
Thanks again, Cosmo. You will be dearly, dearly missed.
- Kyle
I wouldn’t even consider myself a true “metal-head”, but I visit this website on a consistent basis because it reminds me to approach music respectively from a business-like, cultural, and personal-yet-intelligent perspective. Thanks Cosmo for all of your incredibly hard work. I truly TRULY TRULY appreciate it.
Thank you very much too, you inspired me too to write about music and metal particularly.
Cheers Cosmo,
Thanks for the intro to heaps of new, interesting new music and providing fresh thoughts on old classics.
Best of luck for the future
Thanks Cosmo. I hope metal is a whole lot more enjoyable now that you’ve put aside the Sisyphean task. And best wishes to those who are taking over the rock!
Take care, enjoy your break. You won’t stay away for long, that’s not how this metal thing works.
Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Okay, got that out of my system.
Seriously, you are going to be missed. You give a much-maligned, much-misunderstood, much-dismissed genre of music thoughtful, articulate consideration, while celebrating the things about it that make it genuinely appealing. You treat metal music like art, as it should be. This blog is the reason I started mine, and although I’m going to keep reading (if you vetted these folks, how could I not?), you’re going to be sorely missed.
Wow, the end of an era. It just seems like yesterday when you got in touch wanting to put up an Intronaut song (when they were still on Goodfellow, that is), which really was one of the first contacts we had received from a metal-only blog wanting to do something similar.
Thank you, Cosmo, for everything you have done with IO. Your site was and still is a huge inspiration to me and it one of the reasons that I started Hellbound.ca. It showed me that a web based metal publication could work. The dedication and creativity that your site has given to metal over the past six years or so is impressive. Your contributions will be missed, but best of luck with everything in the future!
This was and hopefully will continue to be the best metal blog…loved it. Period.
oh, and thanks or the hard work and the dedication. And for the high standards.
Thanks Cosmo, loved this blog. Hope to continue enjoying it as much as it moves into the next phase of its existence.
I might have given you some grief over the years but this is probably the only metal website that I’ve checked everyday for about 3 or 4 years straight now. Hope to meet you someday, keep rockin
Thanks a lot, Cosmo. I just recently started reading consistently this year, and I regret not starting sooner. Good luck.
Thanks for everything boss. Hopefully we can keep things interesting for the readership you worked so hard to cultivate. All my best wishes.
Cosmo, as a long time reader I want to thank you for your awesome work here; you’ve been an inspiration as a writer, a thinker and a fan of this music that has brought so many people together. Horns up, eternal hails and best of luck in your future endeavors.
Your departure is kind of unfortunate for me because I was hoping to contribute more to the comments on this blog. With that said, best of luck in your new endeavours !
Thank You Cosmo!
Thank you for all the fun and knowledge. Your insight has been an invaluable lifeline “back to the world” through so many years overseas. I hope you know your site represents much more important things than simply talking about music. I truly appreciate it. Take care.
Thank YOU for what you have shared here through all these years; your writing has been a constant inspiration and you will be missed. Good luck with your new projects and if you need anything you know where we are
Thanks for your honestly and expertly written take on what went on with metal all these years. Even at my most cynical in terms of internet metal reviews, you kept me coming back here every damn time. The 24th is marked no longer by my birthday and the death of Dr. Seuss alone, but also the opportune end of IO Mk. 1. Cheers and have a good one.
Thank you so much Cosmo for sharing your thoughts and love of metal with us. Invisible Oranges has been a great companion in discovering new frontiers in metal lore. I wish you all the best in your coming efforts and enjoy a well deserved break.
Hails \m/
Thank you, sir. Thank you, very, very much. Cheers!
Been following this blog for about a year now. I take solace in two things:
1. The vast archives of Invisible Oranges.
2. Your new roster of writers, editors, etc.
Thanks Cosmo for the great writing and, above that, the great insights.
Keefe
Thanks for all your effort over the years.
Great thought provoking blog which certainly show there is more beyond society’s stereotypical metal ideals.
You will be missed.
Thanks, dude!
Cosmo, wow that is a shock to the system- the best metal blog on the interwebz loses its chief writer and genius. I wish you all the very best with your next endeavour, and I gotta say it was a genuine pleasure to know you- albeit from afar.
If there’s more to life than listening to metal and writing about metal, then well done on finding that elusive exit door. I sincerely hope that for metal’s sake your absence from the blogterati is only temporary.
Oh -one last thing before ye go – what do you reckon to my theory that Venom is the most influential metal band of all time? Discuss. Ha Ha
Adios fella!
I like your theory, Dig. I’ve made a similar comment on my blog, when talking about Grand Magus’s last album: “It’s not extreme metal, so it owes nothing to Venom like 9/10 of the albums I review here.”
Though I hadn’t post here for a longtime, i never stopped reading your always thoughtful and imaginative arcticles and reviews.
I’m confident the site will stay in good hands and you will move on to better things. Hope the world gives as much as you’ve bben giving us.
Thank you!
Later Homey! Now you can finally get a girlfriend!
and thank you to you for introducing me to new music and also making me look at music that I already knew from a new perspective. I wish you well in whatever you are off to do.
I’ve been reading on and off for the last two years, mostly on for the last year or so of that. Thanks for your litany of incredible work and for your fresh perspective to writing about metal. I’ve discovered bands I certainly wouldn’t have heard of without IO, and I wouldn’t have been inspired to start my own blog up were it not for your work, which stands out among others.
Good luck in whatever you do, hope it isn’t too long before you come back in some form or another. Cheers!
Being able to read your articles on IO daily has tremendously increased the depth of my appreciation for this music, and I would like to sincerely thank you for your thoughts and time.
It has honestly been a privilege to have so many additional nuances in this music revealed to me that I previously either a) took for granted or b) just plain didn’t realize over the two and a half years or so since I started reading IO.
To echo the sentiments of others, I wish you the best in your future endeavors, and look forward to seeing what comes next with IO.
Thanks & good luck, Cosmo!
Good luck, Cosmo!
Thanks Cosmo. You’re writing will be missed.
Thank you Cosmo. It has been fun, informative, thought-provoking, frustrating, thin, full-bodied, vast, and laser-focused… but always, always a requirement. Good luck & horns up high with whatever the future holds for you.
Best of luck to you and, Cosmo.
-Jon
Thank you Cosmo for the great journey you’ve taken us on every post on Invisible Oranges.
It’s been great to read you and to share your point of view.
Hope to read you soon in some other site, and hope Invisible Oranges continues the great
work done by you trough the pen of some other great writers.
Thank you and have a great journey.
Thanks for all the great work Cosmo! Through this blog, you have turned me onto a lot of great music and made me reconsider some that I had overlooked. It is greatly appreciated. Thank you and good luck!
Cosmo, you will be missed! Seriously, you have introduced me to so many fantastic bands — my rule of thumb was that it was worth checking out any band that you covered on here, and through that I’ve discovered many amazing new bands that I never would have heard of otherwise. And I really appreciate your evaluation and critique of metal as an art form — you dig in so much deeper and provide keener insights than most metal writers, that’s for sure. Thanks for everything!
You rock, Cosmo.
Thanks.
Thank you, Cosmo. You will be missed.
Thanks Cosmo, what a great ride. I will always treasure the new perspectives you offered on old favorites, and your writing style in general. Good luck!
Cosmo, thank you for everything you’ve contributed. Drop back by and see us sometime!
thanks, Cosmo – you’ve done a fantastic job with this site, i hope it continues the quality and seemingly unending ability to provide fresh perspectives that have kept me reading it for so long. my best to you and whatever lies ahead for you.
Thanks for all of your effort. Good luck in all you do, I’m sure there are great things to come!
Cosmo, thank you for all your hard work. What you’ve done with invisible oranges is a model for what can be done in the new emerging music industry/un-industry. Using tools that anyone can access musicians, writers, fans can interact directly with each other while the lines between us dissolve. The gate-keepers will have less influence as we learn to use these tools to bypass them. I thank you for your writing, support, and advice! I wish you the best on your future endeavors.
Thank You, Cosmo.
Good luck and godspeed, Cosmo. You will be missed here. My best wishes.
And now, welcome Mike!
Cosmo, thanks for all the love and work you have poured into this site. It shows and is a big reason why I keep coming back.
Best wishes for your future endeavors and welcome to the new staff!
Holy crap, Mike Nelson is the new editor! I hope tom servo writes occasional guest articles…
Bye Cosmo, thanks for running that Body Hammer review way back when. I might also mention that your reviews in decibel are always the ones I consider most fair and well thought out. Thanks.
Cosmo, you are a rare writer whose words help people rediscover something they already love and are familiar with, in a way that makes everyone feel included and part of a community. I too am a little disappointed not to find out (after such a long drumroll) where you’re taking this talent of yours, but I hope you’re taking it somewhere fantastic (and somewhere where they give you breaks).
I miss Cosmo already. :[
Shit, Cosmo, just saw it… Godspeed (or, Satanspeed, haha) mate, whatever you do from now on.
Oh Cosmo…
“Thank-you” just doesn’t cut it.
Your writing is brilliant, and nothing will be the same here without you.
If you’re ever in Chicago, let me know! I owe you many beers and several baked goods.
Horns up, brother. Thank you so much for everything you’ve written.
Good luck!
thank you Cosmo. Invisible Oranges is a classic in metal literature.
cheers from Italy
Cosmo = Integrity.
Thank you for everything. You’ve added immensely to my already pathological love of metal over the past several years.
I wish you nothing but happy trails, loud music, and beautiful women in your future. I hope we’ll stay in touch.
\m/