This one is covering the worst movies I saw in 2008. I will admit that a couple of these are technically films from 2007 that didn't see release of any sorts until this year (and on DVD nonetheless). But heck it still counts dang it! Here are ten films I would never wish on my worst enemy.
10. Trapped Ashes- I barely remember anything about this film, other than killer breasts. Literally. Hell I think I actually fell asleep after that segment. Its another one of those "tales compilation" films along the lines of Creepshow, Tales from the Hood, etc. Only not clever. Or memorable.
9. Semi-Pro-Will Farrell is officially dead to me. I couldn't stand Blades of Glory, and this was only better by a hair. I've heard that Step Brothers was actually MUCH worse than this, but after seeing him do yet another "loud, obnoxious sports figure who comes out on top in the end," I think I'm done giving him chances to prove that he has any versatility as an actor.
8. American Crude-A crazy tale revolving around murder, trannys, and affairs with Rob Schneider, Ron Livingston, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jennifer Esposito, and Missi Pyle? While it sounds slightly intriguing, it isn't. The characters are all pretty unlikable, plus it seems like a weaker version of Big Trouble. Which in itself wasn't a very good movie either.
7. Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay-God damn it. I REALLY didn't want this to suck. I loved the first film quite a bit, even with its flaws. They just focused too much on the crude humor in this one. And c'mon now: you can't have a movie with Kal Penn cumming on his own face then expect to try and talk seriously about the horrors of Guantanamo Bay and how it's wrong to stereotype people. Plus THEY SMOKE UP WITH GEORGE BUSH AT THE END. What fucking stoner do you know would be willing to do that? Most I know would rather smoke HIM than smoke WITH him.
6. Strange Wilderness-An earlier release that I allllmost forgot about until I rewatched "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." I reminded myself that Jonah Hill had co-starred in this really shitty faux-po "documentary" about a TV show crew who set out in search of Bigfoot. I admit that I got a couple of laughs out of this one (had I not it probably would have made top 3), but they were mainly due to the actual nature footage they spliced in. What a colossal misfire. So many talented people couldn't save this shit sandwich.
5. Drillbit Taylor-I didn't laugh a single time. Not ONCE. Hell even my #1 movie got a chuckle out of me. Mind you it was A chuckle, not several. But anyway, this was just plain terrible. I can't say I blame Owen Wilson for wanting to end his life after seeing this, though if he HAD passed away with this being the last film under his belt, that would be even more tragic. What was worse was that I watched the "Unrated" cut of the film. You would figure they had cut some raunchy or risky material that could have prevented them from getting their initial PG-13 rating, but they didn't. It was still a flat, lifeless piece of drivel.
4. Inside-Technically a 2007 film (as was Trapped Ashes), but again, it didn't see release until this year. It's sad when you see a film that has strong potential to be good go to absolute hell so fast. The French had concocted some pretty decent horror films so far, but they've all had their flaws. And no more are they apparent than here. Stupid characters making even stupider decisions, an ending that just feels like a gigantic middle finger, and less than perfect acting brought this down faster than I could have imagined. What a shame.
3. 10,000 B.C.-Hey guys! Let's take the plot from Apocalypto, throw some little parts from the Lost World and Quest For Fire in, make the CGI look like utter crap, and get the guy behind Godzilla to direct! It's sure to be a hit! Well...no.
2. Jumper-My mother actually saw this before I did and vehemently told me to stay as far away as possible. She and I usually share common ground on films, and even though I thought the trailer for this looked like garbage, I decided to tough it out on DVD. I really should listen to her more. What a pile of elephant shit. Hayden Christiansen CAN. NOT. ACT. I'm sorry but the guy can't seem to show any emotion whatsoever. Who cares if he's "OMG LYKE SOOOO HAWT?" The guy is more wooden than Keanu Fucking Reeves. Samuel Jackson also proved to me that he'll do anything for a paycheck. What baffled me the most was the real lack of an explanation as to WHY the Jumpers were being hunted. They just seemed to tell the audience "shut up, you don't need to know!" Ridiculous. I heard they were actually doing a sequel to this too. This may be one of the first times that I, a staunch Agnostic, ask of God "Please do everything in your power to NOT make this happen."
And now my worst film of 2008...
1. Meet the Spartans-Do I really need to explain WHY this is a piece of garbage? I thankfully didn't have to pay money to see this and, had I done that, I probably would have beaten up the theater manager and demanded my money back. No I waited for this to hit DVD. And per the request of my good friend Will Poole, I rented it (FOR FREE) in order to see just how bad this film was. Neither one of us had seen Date Movie or Epic Movie, and I don't think we intend to. You know the whole thing about "oh God it's even worse than I imagined?" Well, that's never been more true than with this film. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer are the worst directors in the world. Yes worse than Uwe Boll. Yes worse than Paul W.S. Anderson. Yes worse than Michael Bay. Yes worse than Roland Emmerich. They can't write a remotely clever joke to save their lives. Actually, scratch that. These aren't jokes. They're REFERENCES. Jokes are funny. These are just excuses to namedrop current films/shows/whatever you're making fun of. Here's a hint guys: IT ISN'T FUNNY IF YOU HAVE TO FULLY EXPLAIN THE JOKE TO THE AUDIENCE.
God fuck this movie. I'd rather 69 Marlon Brando's rotting corpse than to ever see anything of theirs again.
Well thats it for the worst movies of 2008. I'll be back in a day or so with the BEST movies.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
2008 part 2
Continuing with what I mentioned before in my previous blog entry, this is my list for favorite music of 2008. It was quite difficult narrowing this down, and even then, I'm pretty sure after I post this I'll be wanting to change the order slightly.
But for now, let's start it.
15. The Sword-Gods of the Earth.
I've been having to defend this band for a little while now, from cries of "hype band" or "they don't LOOK like a stoner metal band" and various other quips which shouldn't take away from their music. Hopefully the naysayers will be silenced when they listen to this bad boy. The riffs are stronger, the lyrics are a little more in keeping with stoner and sludge metal's territory. J.D.'s vocals could still use some work, but hopefully they'll get better with time.
14. TIE: Indifference-Impression, Depression and At Half-Mast-Fathers and Sons.
I couldn't value one band over the other, since they're both full of great guys, and making just as great music. Both melodic hardcore, both from the same area, but taking influences from different camps (one from One King Down and Unbroken, the other from Modern Life is War and Shai Hulud). It's rare when you can say that your surrounding areas produced two of the best records of the year.
13. Origin-Antithesis.
I've already stated how ridiculously awesome this tech death cd was, and how Origin are probably one of the few bands doing it that are worth a shit. But hell I'll say it again: this cd was awesome, and Origin are one of the few technical death metal bands on the planet who aren't boring as fuck.
12. Rotten Sound-Cycles.
This would have ranked higher, had I not listened to it so late in the year. I can credit my friend Eric for really getting me into this band, and I now have another reason to like Finland again (I sure as hell got bored with their melodeath scene). Fusing the best of crust, grindcore, punk, death metal, and a whole lot of groove, this could be the best thing they've done to date. Short and sweet (like all grind needs to be), but with still enough time to get their points across.
11. Fight Amp-Hungry for Nothing.
It's still kind of hard to believe that this band is from New Jersey, considering how much of a hardon they seem to have for the south. Hell you could almost call them Kylesa Jr. A good amalgam of sludge, doom, crust, hardcore, noise rock and some good vocal tradeoffs to boot. They apparently have to plans to record and release a followup some time this year. It should be interesting to see where they go from here.
10. Misery Index-Traitors.
One of my most anticipated collaborations of the year turned into one of my top albums. Kurt Ballou isn't just one of the most awesome guitarists in the world, but he has a knack for bringing out the best in bands. Heck quite a few of the albums on my list were produced by him. But enough Kurt ass kissing. Misery Index is almost too intelligent to be called a death metal band, yet they're too technical to be considered grind. Whatever the case, they're just plain awesome. The guest vocals from Guy of The Red Chord and Tomas Lindberg only add to this incredible release. Wonder what the new presidency will bring for their future albums?
9. Annihilation Time-III: Tales of the Ancient Age.
Again, I don't really need to explain this one since I already did in a previous entry. But just in case, the following is a list of what you may need to be a fan of in order to enjoy this: beer, weed, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Partying, Municipal Waste, good times, riffs, punk rock.
8. Trash Talk-s/t.
After some falling out with Deathwish Inc. (over what I'm still not sure), these California mad men made what could be considered the most pissed off album of 2008. It's over in nearly the blink of an eye, but that was kind of the point. Plus you may be too busy hitting repeat to notice. The production is dirty and there are several points which dabble with sludge, giving it an almost HHIG sound. They're already at work on a new EP set for release this year as well. GET PISSED.
7. Trap Them-Seizures in Barren Praise
As I've mentioned in previous postings, TT is one of my favorite bands I've discovered in the past couple of years or so. Their third release with Kurt Ballou, and their overall 2nd full length, this one is a mindfuck. Ryan McKenny's vocals sound like he's gargling with glass and Mike Justian's (The Red Chord, Unearth) addition on drums solidifies and strengthens the blasting. The most surprising addition to this disc though is the final track "Mission Convincers," which slows things down to a crawl and ends up being one of the strongest points of the disc. Good job gentlemen. If this crust/grind/death thing doesn't work out, giving sludge metal a shot wouldn't be a hard task for you.
6. Opeth-Watershed.
This album had one (well technically two) giant thing going against it: the departure of two prominent members, Peter Lindgren and Martin Lopez. The Swedes managed to conquer any doubt though and released, to me, their best album since Blackwater Park. The melodies are stronger than ever. "Burden" in particular has shot it's way into my top Opeth songs. Seeing them live twice in support of it helped seal the deal too.
5. Torche-Meanderthal
Yeah yeah, I know this is taking top spots damn near everywhere but I don't give a fuck. This record ROCKS. Nearly every song is perfect, and each guitar riff is memorable. It really IS like Foo Fighters meets Mastodon. Hell listen to "Healer" and "Across the Shields" and tell me you couldn't hear those played on the radio. Steve Brooks is the coolest dude sucking cock in the metal world. Yes even cooler than Halford. Mainly because he didn't try to release a concept record about Nostradamus.
4. Paint it Black-New Lexicon
Again, this would probably be even higher had I gotten around to listening to it earlier. But alas, it still made top 5. Dan Yemin is the man. He's not writing the typical bullshit punk rock/hardcore lyrics. Hell the dude has a degree in Clinical Psychology, so you know he isn't some imbecilic moron. This is another record that seems to end just as fast as it started, but it's odd use of ambiance and interludes help make this stand out from the pack.
And now we get into the top 3. The ones that will be remembered for quite a while...
3. Cursed-III: Architects of Troubled Sleep
Cursed's swan song is ultimately their best effort, showing that the furious Canucks were one of the few bands in hardcore to get better with each and every release. Everything here is dark, evil, and pissed, just the way you should like it. And if you don't like that, don't support this band. The artwork from John Dyer Baizley is only an added bonus. The chants at the end of "Friends in the Music Business" will be stuck in your head for quite some time. It's shame that a terrible incident with theft overseas caused them to disband before they could truly become legends. R.I.P.
2. Disfear-Live the Storm
Well how about that! My current favorite band from Sweden somehow managed to actually top their 2003 masterpiece "Misanthropic Generation!" How did this happen? Well, let's see: ex-Entombed guitar player in the fold? Kurt Ballou producing? Tomas Lindberg going more raw? The rock n roll vibe increased while still keeping it's crust/d-beat roots intact? Hell yeah! Every song was a winner here and just makes you want to drive down a highway fast. Or something. Now give me a full U.S. tour damn it!
1. Blacklisted-Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God
Taking a gander at the cover for Blacklisted's latest might give you a slight idea of what is in store. It is sure as hell bleak, and singer George Hirsch probably wouldn't make the best motivational speaker, but he sure as hell makes a great writer. The rest of the band is giving their all as well, throwing out tighter playing and, like PIB, adding in ambient interludes that only add to the despair found here. It's over in less than 20 minutes, which makes better sense than one would realize. Again, I can't stress enough about how poignant these lyrics are, with each one sticking out in your mind almost like a mini suicide note (opener "Stations" for example, opens with "Peace Is Just A Warm Gun Away..."). The last track "Wish" isn't likely to put you in a great mood, but it's one of the most heart-wrenching songs I've ever heard in hardcore, or hell for ANY genre of music for that matter. I'm almost afraid to hear the follow up to this, but then again I'm really hoping the band doesn't implode and I might be able to hear them perform these songs live.
Now for some minor mentions.
Favorite EP: The Carrier-No Love Can Save Me. I wasn't too ecstatic on this band's full length "One Year Later", but I did see a lot of promise. It seems like they're getting better with their approach to melodic hardcore, and this EP is solid proof. From the slow emotional dirge or "No. 51" to the singalong of "Epilogue: Forgiveness," this is more than likely to turn you into a full fledged fan. Should be interesting seeing them in March.
Favorite Splits: TIE: Disfear/Doomriders and Hour of the Wolf/Lewd Acts. Both were just as good as the other, though every band has their roots in punk rock and hardcore (with Doomriders showing their love for stoner rock as well). While the Disfear song is apparently an outtake from Live the Storm, Doomriders gave us their first new material in a couple of years, and it rocks harder than most of their older tracks. Which is saying a lot considering how awesome "Black Thunder" is. Lewd Acts are pretty pissed off, and don't seem as intent on partying or raging like HOTW does, but that odd mix doesn't really come across as bothersome or anything like that. Check both of em out. Unfortunately the first one is only available as a 7" so you might have to d/l that one.
That's part 2. Part 3, which will deal with movies (best AND worst) will be up in a couple of days or so.
But for now, let's start it.
15. The Sword-Gods of the Earth.
I've been having to defend this band for a little while now, from cries of "hype band" or "they don't LOOK like a stoner metal band" and various other quips which shouldn't take away from their music. Hopefully the naysayers will be silenced when they listen to this bad boy. The riffs are stronger, the lyrics are a little more in keeping with stoner and sludge metal's territory. J.D.'s vocals could still use some work, but hopefully they'll get better with time.14. TIE: Indifference-Impression, Depression and At Half-Mast-Fathers and Sons.
I couldn't value one band over the other, since they're both full of great guys, and making just as great music. Both melodic hardcore, both from the same area, but taking influences from different camps (one from One King Down and Unbroken, the other from Modern Life is War and Shai Hulud). It's rare when you can say that your surrounding areas produced two of the best records of the year.
13. Origin-Antithesis.
I've already stated how ridiculously awesome this tech death cd was, and how Origin are probably one of the few bands doing it that are worth a shit. But hell I'll say it again: this cd was awesome, and Origin are one of the few technical death metal bands on the planet who aren't boring as fuck.12. Rotten Sound-Cycles.
This would have ranked higher, had I not listened to it so late in the year. I can credit my friend Eric for really getting me into this band, and I now have another reason to like Finland again (I sure as hell got bored with their melodeath scene). Fusing the best of crust, grindcore, punk, death metal, and a whole lot of groove, this could be the best thing they've done to date. Short and sweet (like all grind needs to be), but with still enough time to get their points across.11. Fight Amp-Hungry for Nothing.
It's still kind of hard to believe that this band is from New Jersey, considering how much of a hardon they seem to have for the south. Hell you could almost call them Kylesa Jr. A good amalgam of sludge, doom, crust, hardcore, noise rock and some good vocal tradeoffs to boot. They apparently have to plans to record and release a followup some time this year. It should be interesting to see where they go from here.
10. Misery Index-Traitors.
One of my most anticipated collaborations of the year turned into one of my top albums. Kurt Ballou isn't just one of the most awesome guitarists in the world, but he has a knack for bringing out the best in bands. Heck quite a few of the albums on my list were produced by him. But enough Kurt ass kissing. Misery Index is almost too intelligent to be called a death metal band, yet they're too technical to be considered grind. Whatever the case, they're just plain awesome. The guest vocals from Guy of The Red Chord and Tomas Lindberg only add to this incredible release. Wonder what the new presidency will bring for their future albums?9. Annihilation Time-III: Tales of the Ancient Age.
Again, I don't really need to explain this one since I already did in a previous entry. But just in case, the following is a list of what you may need to be a fan of in order to enjoy this: beer, weed, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Partying, Municipal Waste, good times, riffs, punk rock.
8. Trash Talk-s/t.
After some falling out with Deathwish Inc. (over what I'm still not sure), these California mad men made what could be considered the most pissed off album of 2008. It's over in nearly the blink of an eye, but that was kind of the point. Plus you may be too busy hitting repeat to notice. The production is dirty and there are several points which dabble with sludge, giving it an almost HHIG sound. They're already at work on a new EP set for release this year as well. GET PISSED.7. Trap Them-Seizures in Barren Praise
As I've mentioned in previous postings, TT is one of my favorite bands I've discovered in the past couple of years or so. Their third release with Kurt Ballou, and their overall 2nd full length, this one is a mindfuck. Ryan McKenny's vocals sound like he's gargling with glass and Mike Justian's (The Red Chord, Unearth) addition on drums solidifies and strengthens the blasting. The most surprising addition to this disc though is the final track "Mission Convincers," which slows things down to a crawl and ends up being one of the strongest points of the disc. Good job gentlemen. If this crust/grind/death thing doesn't work out, giving sludge metal a shot wouldn't be a hard task for you.
6. Opeth-Watershed.
This album had one (well technically two) giant thing going against it: the departure of two prominent members, Peter Lindgren and Martin Lopez. The Swedes managed to conquer any doubt though and released, to me, their best album since Blackwater Park. The melodies are stronger than ever. "Burden" in particular has shot it's way into my top Opeth songs. Seeing them live twice in support of it helped seal the deal too.5. Torche-Meanderthal
Yeah yeah, I know this is taking top spots damn near everywhere but I don't give a fuck. This record ROCKS. Nearly every song is perfect, and each guitar riff is memorable. It really IS like Foo Fighters meets Mastodon. Hell listen to "Healer" and "Across the Shields" and tell me you couldn't hear those played on the radio. Steve Brooks is the coolest dude sucking cock in the metal world. Yes even cooler than Halford. Mainly because he didn't try to release a concept record about Nostradamus.4. Paint it Black-New Lexicon
Again, this would probably be even higher had I gotten around to listening to it earlier. But alas, it still made top 5. Dan Yemin is the man. He's not writing the typical bullshit punk rock/hardcore lyrics. Hell the dude has a degree in Clinical Psychology, so you know he isn't some imbecilic moron. This is another record that seems to end just as fast as it started, but it's odd use of ambiance and interludes help make this stand out from the pack.And now we get into the top 3. The ones that will be remembered for quite a while...
3. Cursed-III: Architects of Troubled Sleep
Cursed's swan song is ultimately their best effort, showing that the furious Canucks were one of the few bands in hardcore to get better with each and every release. Everything here is dark, evil, and pissed, just the way you should like it. And if you don't like that, don't support this band. The artwork from John Dyer Baizley is only an added bonus. The chants at the end of "Friends in the Music Business" will be stuck in your head for quite some time. It's shame that a terrible incident with theft overseas caused them to disband before they could truly become legends. R.I.P.
2. Disfear-Live the Storm
Well how about that! My current favorite band from Sweden somehow managed to actually top their 2003 masterpiece "Misanthropic Generation!" How did this happen? Well, let's see: ex-Entombed guitar player in the fold? Kurt Ballou producing? Tomas Lindberg going more raw? The rock n roll vibe increased while still keeping it's crust/d-beat roots intact? Hell yeah! Every song was a winner here and just makes you want to drive down a highway fast. Or something. Now give me a full U.S. tour damn it!
1. Blacklisted-Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God
Taking a gander at the cover for Blacklisted's latest might give you a slight idea of what is in store. It is sure as hell bleak, and singer George Hirsch probably wouldn't make the best motivational speaker, but he sure as hell makes a great writer. The rest of the band is giving their all as well, throwing out tighter playing and, like PIB, adding in ambient interludes that only add to the despair found here. It's over in less than 20 minutes, which makes better sense than one would realize. Again, I can't stress enough about how poignant these lyrics are, with each one sticking out in your mind almost like a mini suicide note (opener "Stations" for example, opens with "Peace Is Just A Warm Gun Away..."). The last track "Wish" isn't likely to put you in a great mood, but it's one of the most heart-wrenching songs I've ever heard in hardcore, or hell for ANY genre of music for that matter. I'm almost afraid to hear the follow up to this, but then again I'm really hoping the band doesn't implode and I might be able to hear them perform these songs live.
Now for some minor mentions.
Favorite EP: The Carrier-No Love Can Save Me. I wasn't too ecstatic on this band's full length "One Year Later", but I did see a lot of promise. It seems like they're getting better with their approach to melodic hardcore, and this EP is solid proof. From the slow emotional dirge or "No. 51" to the singalong of "Epilogue: Forgiveness," this is more than likely to turn you into a full fledged fan. Should be interesting seeing them in March.
Favorite Splits: TIE: Disfear/Doomriders and Hour of the Wolf/Lewd Acts. Both were just as good as the other, though every band has their roots in punk rock and hardcore (with Doomriders showing their love for stoner rock as well). While the Disfear song is apparently an outtake from Live the Storm, Doomriders gave us their first new material in a couple of years, and it rocks harder than most of their older tracks. Which is saying a lot considering how awesome "Black Thunder" is. Lewd Acts are pretty pissed off, and don't seem as intent on partying or raging like HOTW does, but that odd mix doesn't really come across as bothersome or anything like that. Check both of em out. Unfortunately the first one is only available as a 7" so you might have to d/l that one.
That's part 2. Part 3, which will deal with movies (best AND worst) will be up in a couple of days or so.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
End of the Year Things
Today is Christmas, a day I've always cherished more for the presents rather than it's true meaning (which never really meant much to me). And hell I'm fine with that. It also means we only have a week left until the year is officially DUNZO. While there are many reasons I fully welcome 2008 coming to a close, there are some good things to look back on that occurred this year. Basically, here's my generic "Best/Worst" list for 2008. I'm doing this in 3 parts: top 15 for music, a top and bottom 10 for films (thought admittedly there were a LOT of films that came out this year that came nowhere near my little town), and a top 10 concerts. I didn't watch enough television to make a best/worst of list (though I will say It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the Colbert Report entertained me thoroughly, whereas Family Guy disappointed me immensely), and the same goes with books.
But hey, let's start this bad boy off with the top concerts. I went to a LOT this year, so narrowing this down was a doozy. I've only really got two left to attend (The Mongoloids/Mother of Mercy/At Half-Mast and more, and the NYE show @ Lucky's Pub) but I'll have to discard em for now.
10. TIE: Skeletonwitch/Rapture Cabaret & Skeletonwitch/Death Machine Weapons (both at Lucky's Pub). Yeah it seems sort of cheap to start a list with a tie, but alas, both gigs featuring the modern day thrashers were equally spectacular. It's rare when my mostly non-metalhead friends recommend me a band that I end up enjoying immensely, but by god after witnessing them steal the show from Dying Fetus last year, I'll be a devout follower of these guys.
9. Opeth/High on Fire/Baroness @ Lincoln Theatre- One of the best tour packages of 2008, and it would have been higher had the crowd not been rather snobbish. Every band gave 100% that night, and it was my first time seeing one of my favorite newer bands, Baroness. Being able to shoot the entire show made it even more special. Just saying to yourself "you're taking pics of Opeth!" is pretty cool.
8. Trash Talk/Alpha & Omega/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- One of the angriest shows of the year for sure. It was hard to NOT mosh at this show (heck even Mario got in on the action!), and it was remarkably cheap as well. Say what you will about Trash Talk as people, but they are a commanding and intimidating live band. Torch Runner are probably the best band playing hardcore in North Carolina right now too.
7. Trap Them/Fight Amp/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- Trap Them is incredibly fascinating, and I was beyond excited hearing about them coming to Raleigh. Fight Amp also put out one of my favorite records of 2008 (whoops, guess that's a spoiler for the top records list hehe). What topped this off was my first time witnessing Torch Runner, who like I said before, blew me away. Attendance wasn't high here, but those who went and stayed knew they saw something really special. Trap Them was intense and I couldn't be happier that they're getting more attention.
6. God Forbid/Death Angel/Soilent Green/Light This City @ Lucky's Pub- It was really surprising to see such a big tour package come to a place that couldn't possibly hold that many people, but it was even more surprising that so little people came out to watch. It's a shame, considering that every band performed to their best ability. It was also pretty refreshing to not have to drive a long distance for onceto see any of them. Shame that almost less than a month after this show that Light This City threw in the towel. R.I.P.
5. Ruiner/FC5 @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was expectedly awesome, but what made it all the more special was the time before the show spent with the two aforementioned bands. I already wrote a blog entry about this one though, so it might be easier to just read that instead of wonder on why it was so much fun.
4. High on Fire/A Life Once Lost/Saviours/Car Bomb @ Cat's Cradle- Without a doubt the best SOUNDING show of the year for me. While I can't really support the barricade aspect of the venue, the sound system was absolutely flawless. Every note of High on Fire's set was crystal clear. Every riff coming from Matt Pike's awesome guitar was audible. Each band brought much riffage that night. I'm still puzzled by the phantom "puncher" though that seemed the strike me in the back of the head at the end of HOF's set. Felt like being hit by a 2x4.
3. Paganfest (Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, Eluveitie) @ Volume 11 Tavern- Hurdy gurdy, violin, accordion, folk, humpa, beer, singalongs, Iron Maiden cover, war paint, women. That's really all you need to know. It was great to see a metal show that didn't have one part that made me want to pull my hair out. I think the 2009 lineup looks okay, but if this becomes a yearly event, it'll be hard to top it's inaugural year.
2. Modern Life is War @ Canal Club- Saying goodbye to one of your favorite bands is hard to do. I can't remember when I felt such a strong connection to one band's music, but when I saw the itinerary for this Iowa band's final tour, I knew I had to make at least ONE of the dates. I traveled to Richmond for one of their final dates on the east coast, and it was a memorable one. Playing nearly every song I've longed for them to play (I'm Not Ready and Farmer's Holiday Association were two highlights), screaming my lungs out, and just having some good conversations with the guys made this one really hurt. But it was inspiring. There's actually video of the whole concert up on youtube somewhere, so if you were kicking yourself for not making this, it's the next best thing.
Our Rebel Hearts Will Turn Restless Ghosts...They Can Never Truly Kill Us, and We Will Never Truly Die...
1. Every Time I Die/The Bronx @ The Soapbox- Pure insanity. If you imagine a variety of people stagediving every 5 seconds, beer being sprayed everywhere at various times, a man trying to masturbate on stage, huge mosh pits, and a room that barely fit the packed house, it still wouldn't be an accurate description of this banger. The crowd was slow to show up, but by the time that the Bronx came on (who delivered a rip roaring punk rock and roll performance), the room was already wasted and ready to rage. When the Buffalo metalcore/rockers came on, they were wound up and ready to let it all out. When they closed with We'rewolf, Keith invited a good chunk of the crowd to come up on stage and party. And lo and behold, they did. It's shows like this one that make overlook the negative aspects of Wilmington and make me love the town I'm in. I really hope they come back.
Honorable mentions:
Flogging Molly/Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Blues Band/The Mighty Stef @ Ram's Head Live- I'm FINALLY old enough to drink at a Flogging Molly show, and I couldn't have picked a better one to start at. While the prices were certainly questionable, the show itself was an immense amount of fun. RPBDBB was one of the most entertaining 3-pieces I've seen in YEARS, and FM delivered another solid set like always.
The Black Dahlia Murder @ The Soapbox- I've always liked this band, but never really LOVED them like so many others I know. But hot damn do they deliver in a small club. The support bands were sort of hit or miss (Braindrill is talented, but they got a little boring towards the end), but the main stars were on fire that night. I'm definitely anticipating their next nearby gig.
Municipal Waste/Soilent Green/Iron Lung @ Volume 11 Tavern- This would have made my list, had it not been for me breaking my nose and the club acting dumbfounded about what to do (I'm still amazed that they didn't have ICE of any sorts). The bands did an amazing job though, and it was very gratifying to see kids stagediving for Soilent Green.
Kids Like Us/Energy/The Mongoloids/Meantime @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was nothing special (though I thought Energy and Meantime were actually good), but the sheer amount of people attending coupled with the bizarre behavior of others at the show made it a memorable one. The second time around wasn't nearly as fun, but this still remains the most insane show I've ever seen at Lucky's Pub to date.
Terror/Trapped Under Ice- I moshed with my shirt off. If that doesn't tell you how much alcohol I had consumed that night, then I don't know what will convince you.
As far as the worst shows go, well, it's a little hard to say. Flogging Molly @ The House of Blues wasn't very good, but that was more the fault of the venue and the people who attended, especially since the bands were actually good. There were several notable bands I saw who I thought sucked the shit from a cow's asshole, but not an overall bill.
Some of the bands who I hope I never have to see again include:
Up From Ashes
Stick To Your Guns
Arsonists Get All the Girls
The Warriors
Emmure
Chimaira
Tera Melos
Know the Score
Legion of the Fallen
Recon
That's it for now. The cd list and movie list will be coming up later on.
But hey, let's start this bad boy off with the top concerts. I went to a LOT this year, so narrowing this down was a doozy. I've only really got two left to attend (The Mongoloids/Mother of Mercy/At Half-Mast and more, and the NYE show @ Lucky's Pub) but I'll have to discard em for now.
10. TIE: Skeletonwitch/Rapture Cabaret & Skeletonwitch/Death Machine Weapons (both at Lucky's Pub). Yeah it seems sort of cheap to start a list with a tie, but alas, both gigs featuring the modern day thrashers were equally spectacular. It's rare when my mostly non-metalhead friends recommend me a band that I end up enjoying immensely, but by god after witnessing them steal the show from Dying Fetus last year, I'll be a devout follower of these guys.
9. Opeth/High on Fire/Baroness @ Lincoln Theatre- One of the best tour packages of 2008, and it would have been higher had the crowd not been rather snobbish. Every band gave 100% that night, and it was my first time seeing one of my favorite newer bands, Baroness. Being able to shoot the entire show made it even more special. Just saying to yourself "you're taking pics of Opeth!" is pretty cool.
8. Trash Talk/Alpha & Omega/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- One of the angriest shows of the year for sure. It was hard to NOT mosh at this show (heck even Mario got in on the action!), and it was remarkably cheap as well. Say what you will about Trash Talk as people, but they are a commanding and intimidating live band. Torch Runner are probably the best band playing hardcore in North Carolina right now too.
7. Trap Them/Fight Amp/Torch Runner @ The Brewery- Trap Them is incredibly fascinating, and I was beyond excited hearing about them coming to Raleigh. Fight Amp also put out one of my favorite records of 2008 (whoops, guess that's a spoiler for the top records list hehe). What topped this off was my first time witnessing Torch Runner, who like I said before, blew me away. Attendance wasn't high here, but those who went and stayed knew they saw something really special. Trap Them was intense and I couldn't be happier that they're getting more attention.
6. God Forbid/Death Angel/Soilent Green/Light This City @ Lucky's Pub- It was really surprising to see such a big tour package come to a place that couldn't possibly hold that many people, but it was even more surprising that so little people came out to watch. It's a shame, considering that every band performed to their best ability. It was also pretty refreshing to not have to drive a long distance for onceto see any of them. Shame that almost less than a month after this show that Light This City threw in the towel. R.I.P.
5. Ruiner/FC5 @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was expectedly awesome, but what made it all the more special was the time before the show spent with the two aforementioned bands. I already wrote a blog entry about this one though, so it might be easier to just read that instead of wonder on why it was so much fun.
4. High on Fire/A Life Once Lost/Saviours/Car Bomb @ Cat's Cradle- Without a doubt the best SOUNDING show of the year for me. While I can't really support the barricade aspect of the venue, the sound system was absolutely flawless. Every note of High on Fire's set was crystal clear. Every riff coming from Matt Pike's awesome guitar was audible. Each band brought much riffage that night. I'm still puzzled by the phantom "puncher" though that seemed the strike me in the back of the head at the end of HOF's set. Felt like being hit by a 2x4.
3. Paganfest (Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, Eluveitie) @ Volume 11 Tavern- Hurdy gurdy, violin, accordion, folk, humpa, beer, singalongs, Iron Maiden cover, war paint, women. That's really all you need to know. It was great to see a metal show that didn't have one part that made me want to pull my hair out. I think the 2009 lineup looks okay, but if this becomes a yearly event, it'll be hard to top it's inaugural year.
2. Modern Life is War @ Canal Club- Saying goodbye to one of your favorite bands is hard to do. I can't remember when I felt such a strong connection to one band's music, but when I saw the itinerary for this Iowa band's final tour, I knew I had to make at least ONE of the dates. I traveled to Richmond for one of their final dates on the east coast, and it was a memorable one. Playing nearly every song I've longed for them to play (I'm Not Ready and Farmer's Holiday Association were two highlights), screaming my lungs out, and just having some good conversations with the guys made this one really hurt. But it was inspiring. There's actually video of the whole concert up on youtube somewhere, so if you were kicking yourself for not making this, it's the next best thing.
Our Rebel Hearts Will Turn Restless Ghosts...They Can Never Truly Kill Us, and We Will Never Truly Die...
1. Every Time I Die/The Bronx @ The Soapbox- Pure insanity. If you imagine a variety of people stagediving every 5 seconds, beer being sprayed everywhere at various times, a man trying to masturbate on stage, huge mosh pits, and a room that barely fit the packed house, it still wouldn't be an accurate description of this banger. The crowd was slow to show up, but by the time that the Bronx came on (who delivered a rip roaring punk rock and roll performance), the room was already wasted and ready to rage. When the Buffalo metalcore/rockers came on, they were wound up and ready to let it all out. When they closed with We'rewolf, Keith invited a good chunk of the crowd to come up on stage and party. And lo and behold, they did. It's shows like this one that make overlook the negative aspects of Wilmington and make me love the town I'm in. I really hope they come back.
Honorable mentions:
Flogging Molly/Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Blues Band/The Mighty Stef @ Ram's Head Live- I'm FINALLY old enough to drink at a Flogging Molly show, and I couldn't have picked a better one to start at. While the prices were certainly questionable, the show itself was an immense amount of fun. RPBDBB was one of the most entertaining 3-pieces I've seen in YEARS, and FM delivered another solid set like always.
The Black Dahlia Murder @ The Soapbox- I've always liked this band, but never really LOVED them like so many others I know. But hot damn do they deliver in a small club. The support bands were sort of hit or miss (Braindrill is talented, but they got a little boring towards the end), but the main stars were on fire that night. I'm definitely anticipating their next nearby gig.
Municipal Waste/Soilent Green/Iron Lung @ Volume 11 Tavern- This would have made my list, had it not been for me breaking my nose and the club acting dumbfounded about what to do (I'm still amazed that they didn't have ICE of any sorts). The bands did an amazing job though, and it was very gratifying to see kids stagediving for Soilent Green.
Kids Like Us/Energy/The Mongoloids/Meantime @ Lucky's Pub- The show itself was nothing special (though I thought Energy and Meantime were actually good), but the sheer amount of people attending coupled with the bizarre behavior of others at the show made it a memorable one. The second time around wasn't nearly as fun, but this still remains the most insane show I've ever seen at Lucky's Pub to date.
Terror/Trapped Under Ice- I moshed with my shirt off. If that doesn't tell you how much alcohol I had consumed that night, then I don't know what will convince you.
As far as the worst shows go, well, it's a little hard to say. Flogging Molly @ The House of Blues wasn't very good, but that was more the fault of the venue and the people who attended, especially since the bands were actually good. There were several notable bands I saw who I thought sucked the shit from a cow's asshole, but not an overall bill.
Some of the bands who I hope I never have to see again include:
Up From Ashes
Stick To Your Guns
Arsonists Get All the Girls
The Warriors
Emmure
Chimaira
Tera Melos
Know the Score
Legion of the Fallen
Recon
That's it for now. The cd list and movie list will be coming up later on.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The one thing...
Just to say, this isn't directly attacking anybody particular, though if any of these descriptions sound vaguely familiar to anybody you may know (or possibly even you yourself), don't be surprised.
The one thing that shows these days are lacking is women. I'm not referring to the sheer amount of young females who are showing up just to say they were at a show, the females who are accompanying their boyfriends only to hide whenever he may leave her side, or the females who sit on or off to the side of a stage without paying any real attention to the acts and performers sometimes pouring out their hearts and souls into their music. I'm talking about the WOMEN who go out, mosh, buy merch, sing these lyrics like it truly means something to them, and don't let gender separate them from anyone else (after all, we're all human beings). It's just depressing going out to shows and seeing a general sense of apathy towards the show itself from these girls (which begs the question, why are you really even here then if nothing about this intrigues you in the slightest?). I suppose going to see This is Hell last night was the straw that broke the camel's back. While they definitely got a great reaction, and singing along with everyone else there was exhilarating like always (props to the woman in the front who knew all the lyrics to "Nobody Leaves Without Singing the Blues"), the aforementioned girls I described were definitely noticeable. At one point on, even TIH seemed to take a little shot at them by giving them a spare mic before one song to say ANYTHING, but all they could do was look bewildered at the band. Needless to say, it wasn't surprising that during one song, Travis Reilly, This Is Hell's singer, did a front flip onto said girls, presumably to get ANY sort of rise out of them.
And before anyone chews me out, there are PLENTY of shitty guys in these scenes as well, if not even more than the girls. Guys who feel the need to follow a trend, when following any sort of trends is what these types of music are prohibiting and encouraging people to not do. If your friend likes this band, then by God I have to like them too. Hear that mosh part? Oh yeah, you KNOW you gotta go off for it. If you aren't wearing this band's shirt, I may not be down with you. And that band we saw two months ago? Ehhh well this kid said they got kind of boring, so it be for the best that if we should go to their show, it'd be more interesting to stand around and only move if they play a cover (and the more ironic, the harder we shall mosh). It's rather discouraging to see genres of music that usually promote individualism and telling you that being an outsider is cool, are now turning into the new flavor of the month for the younger generation.
It isn't deterring me from going to shows though, nor should it deter anyone else. You can stick it out, and keep tabs over whom will truly be attached to this scene for years and years to come, and who will just fade away and join the next popular fad.
The one thing that shows these days are lacking is women. I'm not referring to the sheer amount of young females who are showing up just to say they were at a show, the females who are accompanying their boyfriends only to hide whenever he may leave her side, or the females who sit on or off to the side of a stage without paying any real attention to the acts and performers sometimes pouring out their hearts and souls into their music. I'm talking about the WOMEN who go out, mosh, buy merch, sing these lyrics like it truly means something to them, and don't let gender separate them from anyone else (after all, we're all human beings). It's just depressing going out to shows and seeing a general sense of apathy towards the show itself from these girls (which begs the question, why are you really even here then if nothing about this intrigues you in the slightest?). I suppose going to see This is Hell last night was the straw that broke the camel's back. While they definitely got a great reaction, and singing along with everyone else there was exhilarating like always (props to the woman in the front who knew all the lyrics to "Nobody Leaves Without Singing the Blues"), the aforementioned girls I described were definitely noticeable. At one point on, even TIH seemed to take a little shot at them by giving them a spare mic before one song to say ANYTHING, but all they could do was look bewildered at the band. Needless to say, it wasn't surprising that during one song, Travis Reilly, This Is Hell's singer, did a front flip onto said girls, presumably to get ANY sort of rise out of them.
And before anyone chews me out, there are PLENTY of shitty guys in these scenes as well, if not even more than the girls. Guys who feel the need to follow a trend, when following any sort of trends is what these types of music are prohibiting and encouraging people to not do. If your friend likes this band, then by God I have to like them too. Hear that mosh part? Oh yeah, you KNOW you gotta go off for it. If you aren't wearing this band's shirt, I may not be down with you. And that band we saw two months ago? Ehhh well this kid said they got kind of boring, so it be for the best that if we should go to their show, it'd be more interesting to stand around and only move if they play a cover (and the more ironic, the harder we shall mosh). It's rather discouraging to see genres of music that usually promote individualism and telling you that being an outsider is cool, are now turning into the new flavor of the month for the younger generation.
It isn't deterring me from going to shows though, nor should it deter anyone else. You can stick it out, and keep tabs over whom will truly be attached to this scene for years and years to come, and who will just fade away and join the next popular fad.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Do Yourself a Favor Now and Leave Me in the Dust...
Not really much of a blog, but more of a little kudos/shout out to a few specific bands that remind me that while these states around me may not be perfect, its music scene gives me some sense of hope.
At Half-Mast: I first met these guys before I even gave their band any listen and judging from their similar taste in music, I knew I'd like their band. Watched em for the first time @ This is Hell/Soldiers/Reign Supreme and came out damn near blown away. I know the term "passionate hardcore" is thrown around a lot, but they seem like the real deal to me. It's a shame that their lineup problems have been keeping them down and under the radar lately, since their newest album "Fathers and Sons" is one of the best undiscovered gems of 2008. They WILL be heading out on tour very soon though, with a new(ish) lineup. For fans of: Shai Hulud, Modern Life is War, Ruiner, Killing the Dream. http://www.myspace.com/athalfmasthc
Indifference: I was lucky to catch this band at their 2nd show ever, where they played with the previously mentioned At Half-Mast, Legacies (another good band who seem plagued by lineup problems), and Disnihil. I had heard plenty of hype from kids in Wilmington about just how great they were, despite only having one show under their belts. I was definitely impressed after catching em that day. A few weeks ago I ran into Ian, their bass player, at the 2nd outing of Kids Like Us/The Mongoloids. The show itself was kind of more of the same, but my real highlight came from buying their just-released first full-length "Impression, Depression." It's a rare situation when within just a few months we can see a good band transform into a GREAT band, but this is one of those rare occurances. I wouldn't classify this as "emotional" hardcore seeing as how I know someone from the band would kick me in the nuts for it. :P It IS, however, a great piece of smart hardcore that will be sure to please fans of Integrity, One King Down, and Unbroken. http://www.myspace.com/indifferencehc
Torch Runner-My first words after witnessing this band live were "Holy shit. Wow." Not many bands can make me do that. Greensboro seems to be a hotbed for great music. We've already gotten Giant (who still owe us all a new album damn it!) and now Torch Runner comes along to, well, carry the torch. This is the most furious band from NC I think I may have ever witnessed, and one of the few that acually managed to steal the show from bigger names they've shared a bill with (Trash Talk, Trap Them and Advent come to mind). They're apparently touring with Giant and Advent sometime next year, so should this bill come near you, do NOT miss it. I would say pick up an album of theirs, but the band have yet to release any material yet other than songs to their myspace. Highly recommended if you like His Hero is Gone, Cursed, or any sort of dark metallic hardcore group.
Conquer Me-Wilmington's hardcore scene is coming along slowly, but the fact that it even chooses to exist is what matters most. They're another band from the Carolinas whose 2nd show I managed to catch (playing alongside of A Shot Below the Belt, who I'll take about in a bit and Folsom, whose name will never ever be mentioned again in my blog as long as I live). Though their band time is even younger than any of the bands mentioned above, they're already offering a great taste of things to come. Check em out if you're into modern bands like Blacklisted, Reign Supreme, or Trash Talk. Fast, furious, heavy, mosh, ya know the deal. http://www.myspace.com/conquermehc
A Shot Below the Belt-It's so odd to see how many small lineup changes this band has gone through, yet its helped make them stronger than ever. I'll advise anyone who may have ever listened to or seen this band in the past to watch them in their current incarnation. Its a whole new experience. Like watching Black Flag with Morris vs Black Flag with Rollins: both really good, but the latter just seems tighter and more fitting (not that I'm comparing ASBTB to Black Flag musically.) Again, another band where I met the dudes who play in it before I heard the band itself. They've been playing faster, with better guitar melodies thrown in here and there with the new tracks. Keep an eye out for em in the future. They're planning to tour again next year so check em out. http://www.myspace.com/ashotbelowthebeltnc
Obstruction-Charlotte seems to have an obsession with fast hardcore and punk, and when you hear these guys, it shows. Ironically, their vocalist Josh sang in an old metalcore band called Oblivions Rise, but I never had the chance to see them live. He sounds quite comfortable here, and the rest of the band does some damn good/fun D.R.I.-style thrash. It's a serious band, but not too serious it seems. I wish I could write more awesome things about em, but I think in keeping with their quick songs, I'll just end it here: for fans of D.R.I., Municipal Waste, Spazz. http://www.myspace.com/obstructionthrash
At Half-Mast: I first met these guys before I even gave their band any listen and judging from their similar taste in music, I knew I'd like their band. Watched em for the first time @ This is Hell/Soldiers/Reign Supreme and came out damn near blown away. I know the term "passionate hardcore" is thrown around a lot, but they seem like the real deal to me. It's a shame that their lineup problems have been keeping them down and under the radar lately, since their newest album "Fathers and Sons" is one of the best undiscovered gems of 2008. They WILL be heading out on tour very soon though, with a new(ish) lineup. For fans of: Shai Hulud, Modern Life is War, Ruiner, Killing the Dream. http://www.myspace.com/athalfmasthc
Indifference: I was lucky to catch this band at their 2nd show ever, where they played with the previously mentioned At Half-Mast, Legacies (another good band who seem plagued by lineup problems), and Disnihil. I had heard plenty of hype from kids in Wilmington about just how great they were, despite only having one show under their belts. I was definitely impressed after catching em that day. A few weeks ago I ran into Ian, their bass player, at the 2nd outing of Kids Like Us/The Mongoloids. The show itself was kind of more of the same, but my real highlight came from buying their just-released first full-length "Impression, Depression." It's a rare situation when within just a few months we can see a good band transform into a GREAT band, but this is one of those rare occurances. I wouldn't classify this as "emotional" hardcore seeing as how I know someone from the band would kick me in the nuts for it. :P It IS, however, a great piece of smart hardcore that will be sure to please fans of Integrity, One King Down, and Unbroken. http://www.myspace.com/indifferencehc
Torch Runner-My first words after witnessing this band live were "Holy shit. Wow." Not many bands can make me do that. Greensboro seems to be a hotbed for great music. We've already gotten Giant (who still owe us all a new album damn it!) and now Torch Runner comes along to, well, carry the torch. This is the most furious band from NC I think I may have ever witnessed, and one of the few that acually managed to steal the show from bigger names they've shared a bill with (Trash Talk, Trap Them and Advent come to mind). They're apparently touring with Giant and Advent sometime next year, so should this bill come near you, do NOT miss it. I would say pick up an album of theirs, but the band have yet to release any material yet other than songs to their myspace. Highly recommended if you like His Hero is Gone, Cursed, or any sort of dark metallic hardcore group.
Conquer Me-Wilmington's hardcore scene is coming along slowly, but the fact that it even chooses to exist is what matters most. They're another band from the Carolinas whose 2nd show I managed to catch (playing alongside of A Shot Below the Belt, who I'll take about in a bit and Folsom, whose name will never ever be mentioned again in my blog as long as I live). Though their band time is even younger than any of the bands mentioned above, they're already offering a great taste of things to come. Check em out if you're into modern bands like Blacklisted, Reign Supreme, or Trash Talk. Fast, furious, heavy, mosh, ya know the deal. http://www.myspace.com/conquermehc
A Shot Below the Belt-It's so odd to see how many small lineup changes this band has gone through, yet its helped make them stronger than ever. I'll advise anyone who may have ever listened to or seen this band in the past to watch them in their current incarnation. Its a whole new experience. Like watching Black Flag with Morris vs Black Flag with Rollins: both really good, but the latter just seems tighter and more fitting (not that I'm comparing ASBTB to Black Flag musically.) Again, another band where I met the dudes who play in it before I heard the band itself. They've been playing faster, with better guitar melodies thrown in here and there with the new tracks. Keep an eye out for em in the future. They're planning to tour again next year so check em out. http://www.myspace.com/ashotbelowthebeltnc
Obstruction-Charlotte seems to have an obsession with fast hardcore and punk, and when you hear these guys, it shows. Ironically, their vocalist Josh sang in an old metalcore band called Oblivions Rise, but I never had the chance to see them live. He sounds quite comfortable here, and the rest of the band does some damn good/fun D.R.I.-style thrash. It's a serious band, but not too serious it seems. I wish I could write more awesome things about em, but I think in keeping with their quick songs, I'll just end it here: for fans of D.R.I., Municipal Waste, Spazz. http://www.myspace.com/obstructionthrash
Thursday, November 27, 2008
All Shall Perish-Awaken the Dreamers
I really, REALLY don't like deathcore. I've never seen the attraction to what I think is watered down death metal with misogynistic lyrics and a giant abundance of breakdowns. The closest thing I've ever come to liking within the genre was Glass Casket and the Red Chord, and most would consider those bands more akin to metalcore than the dreaded genre mentioned at the beginning.
But at the request of many people I know, I was urged to listen to this album. People told me it was "fuckin sick" and "brutal" which will never really sway me, but when I heard the word "diverse" being thrown around, I scoffed, but was now intrigued. I was never a fan of ASP's previous material, though I didn't hate the band. They were one of the originals in this now stagnant and stale genre, and like Job for a Cowboy (another band I've never been fond of), I can't really blame them for turning the term/genre into the joke that it's become (I'd give that dubious "honor" to bands like Carnifex, Suicide Silence, and Emmure, who have nothing but plagiarize more successful bands and dumb it further to appeal to the lowest common denominator).
The first song "When Life Meant More..." kicks off with an intro that reminded me of Decapitated, which leads into an okay death metal groove. I already hear some vocals in the middle that remind me somewhat of James Hetfield. Seriously. A little cheesy, but it raised my eyebrow. Some great solos are unfortunately ruined by cutting into a rather bland breakdown. Hopefully this doesn't become a pattern here.
Everyone told me about how awesome "Black Gold Reign" was and I gotta say...they're mostly right. 2/3 of the track consists of some appreciated nods to the gothenburg scene (which about 90% of the American metal scene now owes much to), but the other third's experimentation falls flat. Their (to my knowledge) first foray into power metal sounds like a drunken, bearded guy singing 3 Inches of Blo....hey wait a minute!
The guitars in "Never...Again" are actually charmingly over the top. They also sound strikingly similar to a video game soundtrack. The same sort of groove/half breakdown returns from the first song, but without the repetitive breakdown that ruined that song's ending. Pretty solid.
We get an instrumental break next that is actually fairly refreshing, though it's a shame that it's only a minute or so long. So far, this is much more of a melodic album than I thought it would be. Most of the experimenting (if you call singing clean experimenting) isn't too grating.
The title track tries to force some Opeth influence in , and is rather commendable for their first try. But uh oh, it allllmost goes into a typical "bro chant," one of the things that I have always despised about the genre. Keep the bro chants in youth crew hardcore please. Thankfully, it's saved by another melodic chorus and catchy riff towards the end.
"Memories of a Glass Sanctuary" sounds like the band had a day off and made the decision to smoke dope and blast "Damnation" on repeat. It's a rather soft song that you could probably give to your girl, so long as the name wouldn't drive her away. Trust me, trying to make a member of the opposite sex who ISN'T a fan of aggressive music appreciate artists with names like "Napalm Death" and "Vital Remains" is a pretty big task.
"Stabbing to Purge Dissimulation" is a good reminder about why I never liked this band before. Pig squeals, monotonous, lifeless breakdowns, and a distinct lack of guitar prowess that was seen on previous songs. Bleck. I know that those who were disappointed in the album not being "heavy enough" will most likely adore this song.
"Gagged, Bound, Shelved, and Forgotten" isn't helping the stereotype of deathcore being seemingly anti-women, and it continues the bland direction of the previous track (plus bringing back those underwhelming power metal shrieks). I also couldn't help but notice the little "cyber riff" towards the beginning. It's fairly common amongst most modern "chug chug" bands like Emmure (if you can tolerate it, go listen to the beginning of "When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong" and you'll see what I mean). It just sounds like a tactic to get the kids in the pit to move, nothing more, nothing less.
I remember Guy from the Red Chord saying he found that deathcore had more in common with nu-metal than death metal, and the beginning of "Until the End" could prove him right. It isn't hard to imagine a kid with a Disturbed shirt and baggy pants getting down to this one. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a catchy song. But catchy doesn't necessarily equal good. It turns into typical territory towards the end though. At this point, I'm already yearning to turn this off and just put on Cursed-III again.
The opening riffs of "From So Far Away" actually surprisingly reminiscent of Baroness. It turns into another wank session almost immediately afterwards, though it retains some of the slow churning that it had at the beginning. It's another instrumental as well, and feels like half Malmsteen, half Mastodon.
"Misery's Introduction" is just that; an acoustic guitar/orchestral introduction to the final song on the album, "Songs for the Damned." I originally mistook this as a Soilwork cover, which would have ruled, seeing as how their knack for decent melody probably would have worked well. Alas...oh yeah the song. It's kind of underwhelming. The song more or less feels like something that should have been placed in the middle of the record, and GOD some of the lyrics are lame ("It's 2 minutes past the midnight hour and you hate my voice like sugar coated sour"). I will give props to the clean singing at the end though. I'm not big on the good cop/bad cop routine anymore, but it was rather well done.
Overall, I went into this album dreading it, and actually came out pretty surprised. This has more in common with modern melodic death metal than deathcore (minus a few tracks in the middle) and shows me that there might be some life left in the rotting carcass of this genre. Not all of these new ideas work out, but there are enough that do that warrant it from being forgettable. I think some of my friends big into European metal could find several things to like with this, as could the band's fans who are looking for them to grow. A strong 7/10.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Wish
Wish I knew safety.
Wish nothing phased me.
Wish I felt more than just feelings of unrest.
Wish the darkness didn't cloud me.
Wish I wasn't an emotional wreck.
Wish nothing phased me.
Wish I felt more than just feelings of unrest.
Wish the darkness didn't cloud me.
Wish I wasn't an emotional wreck.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Maladjusted, forever fucked
The two weeks or so have surprisingly been rather satisfactory. Actually makes up for the lackluster months I've had before it. Well, almost.
The only thing that really sucked was the whole post office ordeal turning out to be a scam. I really don't even want to go into further detail about it since I've explained far too many times now, and it really boils my blood to even think about it.
But on to the positives:
-Going to Opeth/High on Fire/Baroness in Raleigh was one hell of a great time. Despite being incredibly irritated by a large portion of that crowd, I had a blast and loved every performance that night. High on Fire should have played longer, Opeth took an HOUR to set up, and I wish Baroness had a better sound mix, but overall it was great. What really pleased me was that I was actually able to shoot the show and add these 3 (relatively) big bands to an already extensive portfolio.
-Trash Talk/Bracewar/Alpha & Omega/Torch Runner/Capital Ill/The Shotdowns the next week was even better. For all concertgoers like myself, you ever have that one show that you just absolutely NEED to happen? This was it. I had a lot of built up rage that I needed to let out, and this was the perfect place to do it. I suppose my only complaint was that I was nailed right in my manhood during A&O's set, but I quickly recovered, as I do after most blows below my waist. Trash Talk was on fire tonight, and A&O made a fan out of me for sure. Torch Runner is still the best unsigned band in NC right now. Get into them while you can. Soon they'll be big. What may have been even more memorable than the show itself was the experience afterwards. I had 3 people in tow with me (drives to Raleigh by yourself suuuuck), so per their suggestion, we went to a place called Cookout, which was reminiscent of Checkers and Sonic. Unfortunately, I decided to trust my GPS with directions, which did indeed take us to Cookout, albeit a GHETTO one. We were repeatedly harassed by a homeless gentleman, who most likely was on more drugs that night than what may have been humanly possible. After I gave him a couple or so bucks, he went up to the poor guy working the place, and spouted a lot of gibberish and anti-Mexican slurs at him. Fucked up.
-More extras work on One Tree Hill. Paycheck for that should be coming soon. Ironically, we filmed a scene inside of a church. Luckily lightning didn't come down and strike me. Sophia Bush looks a lot better in person than I thought, and there was another girl shooting scenes who might have had one of the smallest frames I've ever seen, but was one gorgeous creature. If anyone knows anything about the show and its regular cast of females (this one had brown hair), lemme know about this chick.
-Caught a screening of Zack and Miri Make a Porno. I enjoyed a good portion of it, but it seemed like a lot of the humor fell flat. I know everyone is saying that it looks like Kevin Smith is trying too hard to copy Judd Apatow with this one, but one forgets that if anything, Apatow's films are more similar to Smith's older works (occasional grossout humor, smart, realistic dialogue, an awkward serious act towards the end). Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, and Justin Long were the highlights. I definitely can't watch Superman Returns again after seeing Brandon Routh's role in here. I'm sure another screening of it will cause it to grow on me, but for now, I'd say just catch it on video.
-I've landed a new job. Starting this Thursday, I'm working at Journey's in the mall. While it really pains me to go back to the hellhole that is Independence Mall, I'm just grateful to have landed a steady job right now. What is better is that when they open their kid's store, I'll transfer over to that, and most likely will be in the running for co-manager. Yay.
-Halloween downtown was a blast. Didn't really have to spend a lot of money on anything that day (costume-wise or drink-wise) but it still turned out to be quite fun. Dressing up as a bloody jesus surprisingly didn't get me killed. Jessica Gard and myself took quite a few pics which are up on my myspace page. Probably the best costume I saw all night was a tie between Mystique (from the comics) and the Greenman from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
-I attended Today is the Day/Jucifer/Monkeyknifefight at the soapbox. To call it an interesting show would be an understatement. While every band did a swell job, little things here and there prevented it from being an amazing show. Weedeater canceling (due to their guitarist breaking his hand) drove away a majority of the crowd, Jucifer having BAD guitar problems after their first song, and Today is the Day's films making no sense whatsoever. That being said, it was still one hell of a good show though. Can't wait to see Jucifer again at the end of the month in Raleigh with Black Skies.
-After the aforementioned show ended, I received a text and call from Rob Sullivan, vocalist for Ruiner, saying them and FC5 (a melodic hardcore band from Japan) were almost in town and were going to get in by about 4am. The gang of 10 did indeed get here by then and crashed overnight. I barely got any sleep due to my weird reactions with hearing rain outside. After everyone got up the next morning, we made a trip to the mall so FC5 could shop. According to the band, everything in Japan is more expensive than over here, so they wanted to do some clothes shopping. We spent a little over an hour there, and then made a trip to Walmart, so the van could have its oil changed. I made an offer for those interested to go record shopping, since I knew Walmart loves to take their sweet time with looking at automobiles. So, with three of the dudes from Ruiner tagging along, we went to Gravity and did some vinyl shopping. Everyone bought at least 2-3 items (myself included) and then we went back to Walmart. It took over THREE FUCKING HOURS to get oil in a van changed. Ridiculous. Before this, FC5 mentioned that they wanted a good priced steak from around here. So, like every red-blooded American doofus would do, I suggested Outback Steakhouse. :P Wasn't super cheap, but I noticed nobody had any complaints afterwards. :D After we got done eating, they went to the show to load in. I went back home and grabbed my camera and changed (was super smelly from being out all day and from the rain). The show itself was AWESOME. Right up there with MLIW in VA and Trash Talk as far as being one of the best hardcore shows of the year. A Shot Below the Belt and Conquer Me gave what I thought were their best performances they've had so far. Ambush wasn't too bad, but I thought the breakdowns seemed forced. FC5 though, stole the god damn show. For a group of quiet guys from Japan who just wanted steak and vans shoes, they were superb and on fire on stage. I haven't been that impressed by a hardcore band I had very little knowledge on since I saw At Half-Mast last year. They threw in a Refused cover as well (Rather Be Dead), and I think I was one of the few who noticed what it was. Ruiner did an great job themselves like always, and it was funny being fucked with/jokingly called out by Rob for being a drunk moron. The brief speeches that were given were very appreciated too (such as saying that nobody is special these days, and that Rick Ta Life is a jerkoff. That makes 2 bands I've seen this year that have called him out hahaha). What made this show worth it though was the turnout. Nobody really had any real idea about how well, if at all, this show would draw, but it seemed to be a damn good turnout for a Monday. Kids circle pitting and dancing a LOT for about 85% of the night. Made my little bad self smile. After the show was done, I picked up a few pieces of merch, got a big "end of tour" group photo and said my parting words. All great guys, and two of the best bands in melodic hardcore right now.
Thats it for now it seems. I'm sure some other fun stuff will come about this week. I'm watching the house from this Saturday until the next, and have MC Chris at the soapbox to attend. I'll keep my fingers crossed on the job and hope that I don't go insane being back in the cesspool that is our mall.
The only thing that really sucked was the whole post office ordeal turning out to be a scam. I really don't even want to go into further detail about it since I've explained far too many times now, and it really boils my blood to even think about it.
But on to the positives:
-Going to Opeth/High on Fire/Baroness in Raleigh was one hell of a great time. Despite being incredibly irritated by a large portion of that crowd, I had a blast and loved every performance that night. High on Fire should have played longer, Opeth took an HOUR to set up, and I wish Baroness had a better sound mix, but overall it was great. What really pleased me was that I was actually able to shoot the show and add these 3 (relatively) big bands to an already extensive portfolio.
-Trash Talk/Bracewar/Alpha & Omega/Torch Runner/Capital Ill/The Shotdowns the next week was even better. For all concertgoers like myself, you ever have that one show that you just absolutely NEED to happen? This was it. I had a lot of built up rage that I needed to let out, and this was the perfect place to do it. I suppose my only complaint was that I was nailed right in my manhood during A&O's set, but I quickly recovered, as I do after most blows below my waist. Trash Talk was on fire tonight, and A&O made a fan out of me for sure. Torch Runner is still the best unsigned band in NC right now. Get into them while you can. Soon they'll be big. What may have been even more memorable than the show itself was the experience afterwards. I had 3 people in tow with me (drives to Raleigh by yourself suuuuck), so per their suggestion, we went to a place called Cookout, which was reminiscent of Checkers and Sonic. Unfortunately, I decided to trust my GPS with directions, which did indeed take us to Cookout, albeit a GHETTO one. We were repeatedly harassed by a homeless gentleman, who most likely was on more drugs that night than what may have been humanly possible. After I gave him a couple or so bucks, he went up to the poor guy working the place, and spouted a lot of gibberish and anti-Mexican slurs at him. Fucked up.
-More extras work on One Tree Hill. Paycheck for that should be coming soon. Ironically, we filmed a scene inside of a church. Luckily lightning didn't come down and strike me. Sophia Bush looks a lot better in person than I thought, and there was another girl shooting scenes who might have had one of the smallest frames I've ever seen, but was one gorgeous creature. If anyone knows anything about the show and its regular cast of females (this one had brown hair), lemme know about this chick.
-Caught a screening of Zack and Miri Make a Porno. I enjoyed a good portion of it, but it seemed like a lot of the humor fell flat. I know everyone is saying that it looks like Kevin Smith is trying too hard to copy Judd Apatow with this one, but one forgets that if anything, Apatow's films are more similar to Smith's older works (occasional grossout humor, smart, realistic dialogue, an awkward serious act towards the end). Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, and Justin Long were the highlights. I definitely can't watch Superman Returns again after seeing Brandon Routh's role in here. I'm sure another screening of it will cause it to grow on me, but for now, I'd say just catch it on video.
-I've landed a new job. Starting this Thursday, I'm working at Journey's in the mall. While it really pains me to go back to the hellhole that is Independence Mall, I'm just grateful to have landed a steady job right now. What is better is that when they open their kid's store, I'll transfer over to that, and most likely will be in the running for co-manager. Yay.
-Halloween downtown was a blast. Didn't really have to spend a lot of money on anything that day (costume-wise or drink-wise) but it still turned out to be quite fun. Dressing up as a bloody jesus surprisingly didn't get me killed. Jessica Gard and myself took quite a few pics which are up on my myspace page. Probably the best costume I saw all night was a tie between Mystique (from the comics) and the Greenman from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
-I attended Today is the Day/Jucifer/Monkeyknifefight at the soapbox. To call it an interesting show would be an understatement. While every band did a swell job, little things here and there prevented it from being an amazing show. Weedeater canceling (due to their guitarist breaking his hand) drove away a majority of the crowd, Jucifer having BAD guitar problems after their first song, and Today is the Day's films making no sense whatsoever. That being said, it was still one hell of a good show though. Can't wait to see Jucifer again at the end of the month in Raleigh with Black Skies.
-After the aforementioned show ended, I received a text and call from Rob Sullivan, vocalist for Ruiner, saying them and FC5 (a melodic hardcore band from Japan) were almost in town and were going to get in by about 4am. The gang of 10 did indeed get here by then and crashed overnight. I barely got any sleep due to my weird reactions with hearing rain outside. After everyone got up the next morning, we made a trip to the mall so FC5 could shop. According to the band, everything in Japan is more expensive than over here, so they wanted to do some clothes shopping. We spent a little over an hour there, and then made a trip to Walmart, so the van could have its oil changed. I made an offer for those interested to go record shopping, since I knew Walmart loves to take their sweet time with looking at automobiles. So, with three of the dudes from Ruiner tagging along, we went to Gravity and did some vinyl shopping. Everyone bought at least 2-3 items (myself included) and then we went back to Walmart. It took over THREE FUCKING HOURS to get oil in a van changed. Ridiculous. Before this, FC5 mentioned that they wanted a good priced steak from around here. So, like every red-blooded American doofus would do, I suggested Outback Steakhouse. :P Wasn't super cheap, but I noticed nobody had any complaints afterwards. :D After we got done eating, they went to the show to load in. I went back home and grabbed my camera and changed (was super smelly from being out all day and from the rain). The show itself was AWESOME. Right up there with MLIW in VA and Trash Talk as far as being one of the best hardcore shows of the year. A Shot Below the Belt and Conquer Me gave what I thought were their best performances they've had so far. Ambush wasn't too bad, but I thought the breakdowns seemed forced. FC5 though, stole the god damn show. For a group of quiet guys from Japan who just wanted steak and vans shoes, they were superb and on fire on stage. I haven't been that impressed by a hardcore band I had very little knowledge on since I saw At Half-Mast last year. They threw in a Refused cover as well (Rather Be Dead), and I think I was one of the few who noticed what it was. Ruiner did an great job themselves like always, and it was funny being fucked with/jokingly called out by Rob for being a drunk moron. The brief speeches that were given were very appreciated too (such as saying that nobody is special these days, and that Rick Ta Life is a jerkoff. That makes 2 bands I've seen this year that have called him out hahaha). What made this show worth it though was the turnout. Nobody really had any real idea about how well, if at all, this show would draw, but it seemed to be a damn good turnout for a Monday. Kids circle pitting and dancing a LOT for about 85% of the night. Made my little bad self smile. After the show was done, I picked up a few pieces of merch, got a big "end of tour" group photo and said my parting words. All great guys, and two of the best bands in melodic hardcore right now.
Thats it for now it seems. I'm sure some other fun stuff will come about this week. I'm watching the house from this Saturday until the next, and have MC Chris at the soapbox to attend. I'll keep my fingers crossed on the job and hope that I don't go insane being back in the cesspool that is our mall.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Origin-Antithesis
I'm incredibly picky with extreme metal, specifically death metal. I've always felt like most bands in the genre bored me, though I respect their talents. There have been a few notable exceptions over the years, such as Dark Tranquillity, Vital Remains, and the band I'm reviewing now, the mighty Origin.
This band can play better than you. Its a pretty established fact. Most of the focus goes to skinsman John Longstreth, who deservedly gets a lot of credit for helping make this band so (in)famous. But some of the real stars of this album are guitarists Paul Ryan and Jeremy Turner, whose speed and technical prowess could put most of the noodlers out there to shame. The previously mentioned three musicians don't leave you feeling bored like most tech-death bands, but rather floored. How can human play this fast without the assistance of computer tools and whatnot? Hell the intro to "Wrath of Vishnu" sounds like they smoked crack, put on Calculating Infinity and said "dude let's try this for a change." Its catchy as hell, and also confusing as hell (in a good way of course!).
What stood out to me about this record wasn't just how fast they played, but the underlying melodies and surprisingly catchy riffs. In these departments, the bands usually prefer to stray away and try to remain as "brutal" as possible, thus sometimes forgetting that you're writing, what do they call them again? Oh yeah, SONGS. Origin write SONGS that just happen to feel like you're getting hit in the face with an anvil repeatedly. And craft up some really insanely catchy riffs and melodies that might be hard at first to pick up with first listen, but with a few more, you're hooked.
I suppose if I had one complaint, it would be that the vocals are kind of buried in the mix. You can still hear them decently well, but they should stand out more on a death metal album if you ask me.
If you're finding yourself bored with extreme music, especially the overcrowded technical death metal scene, give this a shot. It might not be super-revolutionary or anything like that, but it sure is a lot of fun (and the fun of trying to air drum to this is certainly tiring).
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Annihilation Time-III: Tales of the Ancient Age
Have you ever wondered what Black Flag might sound like had they grown up worshiping bands like Deep Purple and Iron Maiden? Well...this might not be the exact answer you've been looking for, but god DAMN if it doesn't come close. The album's subtitle is appropriate, as its a perfect blend of all the aforementioned bands, but also adding in Municipal Waste's partying attitude and retro appreciation. This, to my knowledge, is the third full length from these long time punk rockers, but its their first for retro-loving label TeePee Records. And it couldn't be more fitting. I know I've already discussed just how much of a love letter this is to the bands of yesterday, but thats why this record has so much charm. Sometimes its fun to revisit the past once in a while. Some hardcore purists might look down on this due to the length of most of the songs (though the longest is 4:29) but it shouldn't be that much of an issue to everyone else. Its also rare that most hardcore bands these days have RIFFS. Like the kind of riff that Tony Iommi would lay down on record and would cause many youngin's to break out their bong. Lyrically, its all the typical fun stuff that makes you wanna say "hey dude, lets get smashed and fucking RAGE tonight." Its pretty hard to hate an album with songs like "Just Guzzlin'."
I love this record. Its the best party album of the year, unless of course you're a frat who thinks punk is for "faggots" and would rather look for more intellectual music like Trapt. Get into this now. Like NOW.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Century Media: 20 Years of Extreme
For quite a good amount of years, Century Media was my favorite record label on the planet. They could do no wrong and were picking up fresh bands that could change the metal landscape (Shadows Fall, Lacuna Coil) or old timers who were already established as well-rounded reliable bands (The Haunted, Iced Earth, Dark Tranquillity, Napalm Death). Over the years though, they've made an abundance of questionable decisions that ranged from signing unoriginal bands that would most likely be forgotten in 10 years (In This Moment, IWABO and the Agonist anyone?), to bands only designed to cater to the new emerging deathcore phenomenon (Arsonists Get All the Girls, Winds of Plague, and, no offense to them, Despised Icon). They've become a shadow of their former selves, but with this new compilation, celebrating their 20 years of existence as one of the most "extreme" labels on the planet, they gathered together all of their current roster and asked them to cover a song from a band (past or present) to add to the piece.
When I first heard about this, to say I had mixed feelings might be an understatement. I was happy to hear some of the bands on the roster giving us new materal, though I was just as unenthusiastic to hear about some of their choices of bands
And now, I shall break down and review each cover, letting you which might warrant you picking this up and which are better off downloaded from random music blogs. Or if ANY of these might just be a better excuse for you to check out the original track instead.
1) Arch Enemy-The Book of Heavy Metal (originally done by Dream Evil). The intro certainly feels like Arch Enemy thats for sure, as does the first verse. Angela's vocals on here are definitely NOT a plus though. She tries to above and beyond her typical death growl on this (no, don't worry, she is NOT doing clean singing). If you were to listen right after Amott's solo, you'll see what I mean. She sounds more like Minnie Mouse getting a vasectomy on here than the strong female she's set out to sound like on their past few albums. Disappointing, but not overall bad. Just please Angela, don't do that higher than high voice again. Ever.
2) Dark Tranquillity-Broken (originally done by Sentenced) This was my most anticipated cover on here, being a HUGE DT fan and though I was never a huge Sentenced fan, I thought their lyrics were kind of close to the other. Mikael rarely uses his clean vocals in songs these days, but uses them to GREAT effect here, before bring out the "good cop/bad cop" part towards the end of the verse. Kind of depressing that this was the last track to feature long time bassist Michael Nicklasson, who departed the band not too long ago. So far, my favorite of the album and one that'll probably keep listening to even after tiring of this.
3) Heaven Shall Burn-Whatever That Hurts (originally done by Tiamat) While the first two covers on here kind of make sense (Arch Enemy had Gus G. of Dream Evil tour with them once, as did DT and Sentenced tour in the states together for their first times over here), this is an oddball. One is a German straightedge, vegan metalcore band, the other being a Swedish doomy, goth metal band. This is very cool though. They've given the track an almost Daylight Dies/heavier Katatonia vibe, and the sparse female vocals work wonderfully here. A pleasant surprise.
4) Shadows Fall-December (originally done by Only Living Witness) If I'm not mistaken, they've already released this elsewhere. Good for the Shads to give props to the old metallic hardcore scene that they grew out of, now just go on and make good music again dang it! Oh yeah the song. Brian doesn't hold a candle Jonah Jenkins when it comes to singing (go listen to his contribution on "Grim Heart/Black Rose by Converge to see what I mean). Not too shabby, definitely one of the groovier things they've done lately (groove n gloom baby). Solid job.
5) Brand New Sin-Watching Over Me (originally done by Iced Earth). This was one of the few ones I was very nervous on. One thing is certain, this dude ain't Matt Barlow. Nor is he trying to be. BNS has always been a hard rock band with some slight southern metal influences, so I would expect that covering a power/thrash band wouldn't come out perfectly. The solo is pretty spot on, and it retains some of the same sorrow that the original had. I was actually hoping the whole song would be done acoustically like the intro was. But it wasn't. Pretty good one here. Now if Godbelow (their old band) had done this...hahahaha.
6) Wolf-Alma Matter (originally done by Moonspell). Well another odd combo haha. Wolf rule, Moonspell kinda do. But they ain't down to do the evil thing. They managed to turn a rather dark, evil track into quite a drinking song that sounds like something that could have come out of the early 80s. I wonder if the Moonspell guys even party, because if they do, I'm sure they'll get a kick out of this. This ruled.
7) Mercenary-Burning Angel (originally done by Mercenary). One band I kinda like covering one I got sick of. But hot DAMN do the Danish blokes give this song balls again! Mercenary's high vocals have always been one of their high points and it doesn't disappoint. The guitars sound just as tight as the original, with the solo actually sounding even more varied than Amott's from 2001. Probably up there with the DT and Wolf tracks as my favs so far.
8) God Forbid-Master Killer (originally done by Merauder). I AM DA MASTA KEEELAAAA. Oh what a classic of NYHC. Good to see they haven't forgotten their roots either. The production makes it sound like an outtake from "Gone Forever." Its a good two-stepper much like the original was, though I think the drums get to sound like overkill at times. Byron sounds a little bored here too. Though GF has had some tendencies to do covers live these days (they covered Sepultura's "Propaganda" when I saw them last year), I doubt they'd perform this even after numerous requests.
9) Warbringer-Execute Them All (originally done by Unleashed). And here, one of thrash's new upstarts covers one of death metal's OGs. Fitting that the guys obsessed with war and the apocalypse would choose a true viking anthem. Lyrically, I could actually have believed Warbringer would write a song like this. Quite thrashy, with some of the same death metal attitude left intact. I'm sure it'll be easy to get the kids in the pit to scream along to "EXECUTE THEM ALL! THAT'S MY FINAL WORD!"
10) Grave-Vermin (originally done by Asphyx) Grave only reformed a few years ago and decide to cover the recently reformed Asphyx (playing at MDF next year!). These two were always underrated in the death metal scene (Phil from ATR said Grave influenced him to start singing), so it should be perfect. And it is. This is the first track to actually almost make me headbang. Groovy, catchy, heavy as hell. I actually hit replay on this one.
11) Architects-Officer Down (originally done by Stampin' Ground). And now we approach CM's newer roster of mostly "odd" bands. Architects are from the UK, as were the band they're covering (if you've never heard of SG, you're better off). They're touring with Sceneacide Silence and Manure, but I don't know why. This is fucking GOOD. They've got bits of the same chaotic noise that I find in bands of the heavy hardcore variety, though that could always be parts of the SG song that I'm hearing.
UPDATE: after listening to Architects online, its definitely the SG parts. Oh well. Architect (no s) is better anyway. :P
12) Napalm Death-Outconditioned (originally by Despair). Its ND, what do ya expect? This went by rather short, though I suppose thats common practice for Barney and co. At first I had trouble trying to figure out which "Despair" band this was. Turns out its the old thrash band who put out 3 albums between the late 80s and early 90s. This song is half the time that the original was but it still thrashes quite well. Cool, but Napalm's had better covers.
13) Krisiun-Human Dissection (originally done by Demolition Hammer). I've always had trouble getting into Krisiun due to most of their production, but ironically its a cover that lets me finally listen without getting irritated. Yet another nod to an underrated thrash band. Lyrically, this song still sounds silly, even with a trio of crazy dudes from Brazil singing over it. Definitely a good headbanger though for the thrash and death dudes who would be interested in this comp.
14) Cryptopsy-Oh My Fucking God (originally done by Strapping Young Lad). Probably my 2nd most anticipated cover on here for various reasons. Partly, I wanted to see if there was ANY ounce of the old Cryptopsy left after that ATROCIOUS album they released this year, and partly because anybody covering SYL better do it right. Or Devin's skullet may find them and eat them. The sample is still in there. The drums sound off in the distance towards the beginning, but once the sample is done, it kicks in. Its got some of the same vibes as the classic, but the vocalist sounds like he's trying to be Devin a little too much at times instead of himself. Flo's drumming on here is top notch though. Weird to see one drumming great cover another. However the big blunder that knocks this down a peg, is the lack of a certain classic line from the original. It helps make the song so unique, but yet I guess a "serious" death metal would rather not demean themselves with such silly song banter. Boo at you gentlemen. Boo.
15) Maroon-Baphomet's Throne (originally done by Samael). Another case of HSB/Tiamat here, though Samael has more flirts with black and industrial than doom. Instead of playing it slow though, they kick it into overdrive. Vocals are quite wicked, with the keyboards keeping its original black metal feel intact. It develops an almost metalcoreish groove towards the beginning, which started to scare me, but its saved by one little fast break at the end. Okay.
16) Watch Them Die-Breeding Death (originally done by Bloodbath). Love the intro sample. Don't remember if it was in the original. WTD is an interesting band, crust punk one minute, death/thrash the next, metalcore the next. But thats why they rule. The gross out lyrics of Mikael Akerfeldt's other band, oddly fits them. Obviously, Mikael's growls are better. The middle of the song is where it goes from good to fucking awesome. Pat's delivery here makes him sound like a demented killer, whereas Mikael kinda sounded like another gruff death metal d00d. Another pleasant surprise.
And now on to disc 2:
16) Firewind-Believe in Nothing (originally done by Nevermore). Wow TWO covers of this song this year? All That Remains did a pretty decent on their newest album. Sadly, one of my most anticipated songs on here is also the most disappointing on here so far. I love both bands, seriously. But Firewind just sound BORED here. Where's the same explosive passion they usually have? I mean yes this is a slow song, but the original still had some crunch to it! And those vocals toward the end...ughhh. At least Gus G. does a pretty good impression of Jeff Loomis' solo.
17) Dream Evil-Let the Killing Begin (originally done by Arch Enemy) Wow TWO AE covers on here? Kinda cool, I guess. At least this is from the Johan-era. Thankfully, the main singer doesn't try to sing like Johan (sorry AE fans reading, but I think the dude sucked on those first few records). I always thought this track needed a clean singer over it and I'll be damned, they took a mediocre song and turned it into an awesome, fist banging power metal song! The guitars, ironically still sound like Michael Amott's though. Like his exact tuning, production over it, etc. Maybe they did some wonders in the studio and just took out their own guitars, while throwing in the original's.
18) Fear My Thoughts-The Weapon They Fear (originally done by Heaven Shall Burn). One German band covering the other, difference being that the intro this time is spoken as opposed to being screamed. This is definitely not the same. Feels kind of like FMT gave this their own little spin, but with the frontman trying to imitate the singer from A7X. Too bad its spinning in the wrong direction. I'm ever so stoked that German nu-metal is still alive, though I wonder if it were ever even alive. This was an interesting one to say the least, though not in a good way.
19) The Agonist-Monochromatic Stains (originally done by Dark Tranquillity).
20) The Forsaken-You'll Never See (originally done by Grave). The Forsaken have always worked better as a cover band than an actual band (go seek their Metallica covers to see what I mean), so its no surprise that this is pretty cool. Vocals are kind of comical, and don't really have the same impact that the original Swedish band has. Kind of disposable, though fun.
21) Devian-Isolated (originally done by Morgoth). Well I'll be honest. This is the first track where I've heard of neither band, so this was like a completely new experience for me. I'm sure there are many death metal fanboys who are taking a break from metal-archives to call me a poser while reading this. As for the song itself, its got quite an evil riff towards the beginning. Vocals kind of remind me of Jeff Walker and Ross Sewage (Impaled) at times. When its slow parts kick in, its a little reminiscent of Morbid Angel and Obituary. Its a pretty rockin tune, very early 90s sounding.
22) Heaven Shall Burn-Downfall of Christ (originally done by Merauder). Two HSB tunes, and a second Merauder cover? Look nothing against either band, but I'm sure there are plenty of bands that you haven't paid homage to yet. Song's kinda standard stuff. At least they're playing this one at normal HSB speed. I can't imagine slowing down a Merauder song and having it sound like anything but garbage.
23) Aborted-Playing Dead (originally done by Turmoil). WHAT THE FUCK. ARE. YOU! DOING. ABORTED. THIS. COVER. BLOWS. See I made a little Turmoil pun/reference. I r teh funnaye. Well, at least its more ironic than this joke of a cover. I suppose its fitting considering Aborted talk about death and gore so much to pick Turmoil's most "violent" sounding song. Too bad none of the lyrics are gorey/bloody you imbeciles. I suppose it does take some talent in order to turn a classic metallic hardcore song into a completely unlistenable deathcore turd. Skip this one.
24) Terror-Boxed In (originally done by Subzero). I wasn't even aware Subzero was on CM. Though I love Terror, I kind of wish they had picked a band to cover that didn't sound so similar to them. I know at one point the Cro-Mags had a brief partnership with CM. That would have been rad to hear Scott Vogel singing "Don't Tread on Me."
25) Napalm Death-Messiah (originally done by Hellhammer). This is from an older CM Napalm Death release (Leaders Not Followers Part 2) that came out 4 years ago. Kinda feels weak that they'd throw this one on here considering most people have already heard it. Don't get me wrong, this still rules hard. But I wonder if they could have used this vacant spot for something else.
26) Asphyx-Os Abysmi Vel Daath (originally done by Celtic Frost). These old timers just got back together, and for their first new piece of work, they covered one of Celtic Frost's NEW songs from 2006's Monotheist. A lot of old time CF fans didn't care for their new record, complaining that it was "slowed down" as opposed to being fast and evil like the CF of old, so its odd that any band, much less an old legend like Asphyx, would choose to cover one of the songs from that record. This is a pretty decent one, though it gets somewhat boring halfway through.
27) Zimmer's Hole-Doommaker (originally done by Old Man's Child). Zimmers Hole brings teh lulz, OMC does not. Its quite a task to take a serious black metal song and strip it down to a groovy, beer-raisin' thrasher while still throwing in their little brand of ZH humor. But my god Jed and co. did it. This must not have been hard for Gene Hoglan to do, seeing as how he drummed for both bands. Another one I hit repeat on.
28) Fu Manchu-Words to Live By (originally done by Penance). Modern doom/stoner gods Fu Manchu have never really gotten the credit they deserve, and neither has the band they're covering here. This. Fucking. Rules. Go smoke a bowl and listen to this one. This is the equivalent of finally getting the hot girl you've been lusting after for so long. It may have actually taken the top spot for my favorite song on the record.
29) Manntis featuring Maria Brink of In This Moment-Heaven's a Lie (originally done by Lacuna Coil). Much like my review of The Agonist, I think this sums up my thoughts on this one.
God that was painful.
30) Kivimetsan Druidi-Leaves (originally done by the Gathering). How does one go about pronouncing that name anyway? Anyways, pagan/folk metal covering one of the classic bands of the gothic metal genre. This one just doesn't work. The harsh male vocals sound awkward, and the female singer doesn't carry nearly the same range or emotion that Anneke (who if you're reading this, I love you and want to father many babies with you). I'm sure this band's own material sounds great, but they can't seem to pull off a cover well. At all.
31) Intronaut-Dixie Whiskey (originally done by Eyehategod). Oy FINALLY we reach the end. And what an end! Slooooowwww and heavy covering sllloowwwweeerrrrr and heavierrrrrrr. It seems like a match made in heaven, or rather, maybe in an ABC store. Even though CM's been a bad signing spree lately, Intronaut was one of the few ones that stood apart. And for good reason. They aren't playing grade-D metalcore and aren't trying to please the br00tal kids looking for something to wear under their Emmure and Carnifex hoodies. Its progressive metal for the sludge/doom crowd, and they cover this song with class. Bravo gentlemen. May you have a bright future in the world of extreme music.
In conclusion, its a much more solid release than one might expect. Though there are quite a few mediocre, and downright awful tracks here (most of the former and latter are from the newer signings), there are just as many that remind us of when this label used to be the king. Its a nice addition to any metal fan's collection, and remind us that cover songs can still be fun and even a joy to listen to. If I had to rate this, I'd give it, oh, 7 out of 10. If you can find this cheap, buy it. If not, download it and keep the tracks you like (though I hope you don't like the Manntis and Agonist tracks. Them shits sucked yo). I myself, will most likely be uploading some of the tracks I appreciated most from this to the blog in the next few days from now.
Until then...I AM DA MASTA KILLAAAAAA.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Recent Downloadzzz part 2
Century Media: 20 Years of Extreme
Origin-Anthithesis
Coffins-Buried Death
Atavist-II: Ruined
Ringworm-Justice Replaced by Revenge
Rot in Hell-Discography
Rosetta-Wake/Lift
Rise and Fall-Hellmouth (because I realized I have everything of theirs minus this)
Kylesa-No Ending/ A 100 Degree Heat Index
Masaru Sato-Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla OST (go ahead make fun of me. ;____;)
Give Em Hell-We Are the Wolves.
Most of these will have real reviews come tomorrow (though I can say already that Rosetta is amazing, and the Kylesa EP is solid as shit), with the CM compilation getting its own entry due to it being just covers.
Sorry theres been such a small amount of activity lately. Being sick + having an ear infection + job hunting still=no time for the bloggy blog.
So uh, see you soon folks.
Origin-Anthithesis
Coffins-Buried Death
Atavist-II: Ruined
Ringworm-Justice Replaced by Revenge
Rot in Hell-Discography
Rosetta-Wake/Lift
Rise and Fall-Hellmouth (because I realized I have everything of theirs minus this)
Kylesa-No Ending/ A 100 Degree Heat Index
Masaru Sato-Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla OST (go ahead make fun of me. ;____;)
Give Em Hell-We Are the Wolves.
Most of these will have real reviews come tomorrow (though I can say already that Rosetta is amazing, and the Kylesa EP is solid as shit), with the CM compilation getting its own entry due to it being just covers.
Sorry theres been such a small amount of activity lately. Being sick + having an ear infection + job hunting still=no time for the bloggy blog.
So uh, see you soon folks.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Recent Downloadzzzz and reviews
Because I realized just how big of a thief I really am.
Hour of the Wolf/Lewd Acts-Split EP. Really very solid stuff. HOTW are already one of the most underrated bands in punk/hardcore, and these three tracks further prove why they should be bigger. Fast, catchy, good lyrics, and pretty damn fun. Lewd Acts has been a band I've been meaning to check out for some, but these four tracks from them REALLY make me wish I had done it sooner. No bullshit here, pissed off punk with a slight hardcore influence. Last track is probably my favorite off of the whole split. My love for this drove me to download...
Lewd Acts-Dark Days. Fast, cool. angry. Just liked I expected. Their interview on hardtimes.ca only helped build my interest in them and this cements them as a crucial band in my book.
Misery Index-Traitors. One of the few death/grind bands I can still stand (and listen to regularly) and this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Kurt Ballou not only plays guitar for one of my favorite acts, Converge, but has produced many of my favorite records of the past few years (Modern Life is War, Hope Conspiracy, Disfear, and Blacklisted to name a few) and he doesn't disappoint here. They haven't sounded this alive in a long time, and the grind and crust influences are stronger than ever here. The re-recorded version of "Ruling Class Cancelled" with guest vocals from Tomas Lindberg is badass as well.
Negative FX/Last Rights-Discography. All the shit I've heard about Jack Kelly still didn't stop me from checking this out. I'll admit, Ceremony's cover of "Feel Like a Man" played a part in me checking it out as well. You can feel the hostility and anger of the 80s here and even the last track, a live one from their gig at Mission of Burma's last show, gave me an understanding of what they were. Dudes might have had an unintentional hand in giving birth to hardline (which I hate) but this music is damn impressive.
Hour of the Wolf/Lewd Acts-Split EP. Really very solid stuff. HOTW are already one of the most underrated bands in punk/hardcore, and these three tracks further prove why they should be bigger. Fast, catchy, good lyrics, and pretty damn fun. Lewd Acts has been a band I've been meaning to check out for some, but these four tracks from them REALLY make me wish I had done it sooner. No bullshit here, pissed off punk with a slight hardcore influence. Last track is probably my favorite off of the whole split. My love for this drove me to download...
Lewd Acts-Dark Days. Fast, cool. angry. Just liked I expected. Their interview on hardtimes.ca only helped build my interest in them and this cements them as a crucial band in my book.
Misery Index-Traitors. One of the few death/grind bands I can still stand (and listen to regularly) and this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Kurt Ballou not only plays guitar for one of my favorite acts, Converge, but has produced many of my favorite records of the past few years (Modern Life is War, Hope Conspiracy, Disfear, and Blacklisted to name a few) and he doesn't disappoint here. They haven't sounded this alive in a long time, and the grind and crust influences are stronger than ever here. The re-recorded version of "Ruling Class Cancelled" with guest vocals from Tomas Lindberg is badass as well.
Negative FX/Last Rights-Discography. All the shit I've heard about Jack Kelly still didn't stop me from checking this out. I'll admit, Ceremony's cover of "Feel Like a Man" played a part in me checking it out as well. You can feel the hostility and anger of the 80s here and even the last track, a live one from their gig at Mission of Burma's last show, gave me an understanding of what they were. Dudes might have had an unintentional hand in giving birth to hardline (which I hate) but this music is damn impressive.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Fakes Like You (Make Me Sick)
Yesterday was probably one of the worst days I've had, in terms of health at least. There wasn't a single time within an hour where I didn't have to use the bathroom. While I think its entirely possible that I caught a bug from eating at Taco Bell (something that I don't do very often), its more likely that some drunken fratboy passed something on to me at the Flogging Molly concert on Friday.
And speaking of that, there is no worse feeling in the world as a music fan than when one of your favorite bands' fanbase suddenly becomes infected with these guys.
The scum of all music fans, the frats. They don't really know much about the band, minus that one AWESOME DRINKING SONG THEY GOT, and don't really believe in respect for those around them, but they're going to the show anyway. They worship Sublime and think Jack Johnson is a poet. They just want an excuse to drink and act rowdy. They'll mosh to anything with distortion and even if it calls for it, the radio.
These guys absolutely ruined the show for me, and for quite a few in attendance as well. It was my fourth time seeing Flogging Molly, and my second time seeing the Loved Ones (who were great, even with the obnoxious trash who thought they were "too emo"). You could NOT not be sucked into the pit at this show. Heck even my mother, who will be 60 in July 2010, was being pushed and crushed by their drunken stupidity. This also marked the first time I've ever purposely uppercutted someone in the balls. I think my biggest gripe with the whole experience though was comparing this to another show: I had to attend As I Lay Dying a few months ago (due to many friends wanting to go, I offered to be the nice guy and drive them). Security was about as strict as a giant outdoor concert that night, yet at this show, they could clearly see people being physically hurt and just ignored it. There were men beating their girlfriends outside and nothing was being done about it. It was disgusting, and those main contributing factors (plus an absurd price on drinks, alcoholic or not) that have influenced me to make a decision to never go there again. Sorry to folks expecting to see me at Rise Against/Alkaline Trio/Thrice/Gaslight Anthem, but I'd rather drive 6 hours to MD and see those bands than to suffer through corporate ignorance and drunken idiocy again.
But now that thats over, this week's show will hopefully make up for it.
Trap Them, Fight Amp, Advent, and Columns are playing in Raleigh on Thursday. Quite a fan of every band, though I've yet to see any of them live. Torch Runner is also playing, but alas I haven't listened to them yet. I've been a major Trap Them binge recently, and can't wait to see them. Fight Amp is perfect for anybody who likes Kylesa, Torche, and Tragedy.
Until then, take care. And stomp a fratboy.
And speaking of that, there is no worse feeling in the world as a music fan than when one of your favorite bands' fanbase suddenly becomes infected with these guys.
The scum of all music fans, the frats. They don't really know much about the band, minus that one AWESOME DRINKING SONG THEY GOT, and don't really believe in respect for those around them, but they're going to the show anyway. They worship Sublime and think Jack Johnson is a poet. They just want an excuse to drink and act rowdy. They'll mosh to anything with distortion and even if it calls for it, the radio.
These guys absolutely ruined the show for me, and for quite a few in attendance as well. It was my fourth time seeing Flogging Molly, and my second time seeing the Loved Ones (who were great, even with the obnoxious trash who thought they were "too emo"). You could NOT not be sucked into the pit at this show. Heck even my mother, who will be 60 in July 2010, was being pushed and crushed by their drunken stupidity. This also marked the first time I've ever purposely uppercutted someone in the balls. I think my biggest gripe with the whole experience though was comparing this to another show: I had to attend As I Lay Dying a few months ago (due to many friends wanting to go, I offered to be the nice guy and drive them). Security was about as strict as a giant outdoor concert that night, yet at this show, they could clearly see people being physically hurt and just ignored it. There were men beating their girlfriends outside and nothing was being done about it. It was disgusting, and those main contributing factors (plus an absurd price on drinks, alcoholic or not) that have influenced me to make a decision to never go there again. Sorry to folks expecting to see me at Rise Against/Alkaline Trio/Thrice/Gaslight Anthem, but I'd rather drive 6 hours to MD and see those bands than to suffer through corporate ignorance and drunken idiocy again.
But now that thats over, this week's show will hopefully make up for it.
Trap Them, Fight Amp, Advent, and Columns are playing in Raleigh on Thursday. Quite a fan of every band, though I've yet to see any of them live. Torch Runner is also playing, but alas I haven't listened to them yet. I've been a major Trap Them binge recently, and can't wait to see them. Fight Amp is perfect for anybody who likes Kylesa, Torche, and Tragedy.
Until then, take care. And stomp a fratboy.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Extra extra read all about it!
Oh how I wish I could have thought of a more clever pun than that one. Alas, it'll have to do.
I guess this is an update of sorts on my last entry.
-Apparently, you can't just set up a time to take the postal exam. Rather, you are e-mailed as to when there is an opening for a test. Why I wasn't informed of this before is baffling. Oh well. I'm still keeping my fingers and toes crossed on this one. I've got confidence that I could do something with this. And if not, at least I'll get a refund for purchasing that damn book.
-No All That Remains, No Carcass, No Afroman, but I DID go to Weedeater/Earthride/Hope and Suicide. Show was great, though there was a somewhat somber mood throughout the night due to Gollum's drummer having passed away two days beforehand (they were originally scheduled to open the show). When I first moved to this town in September 2005, Gollum was the first local band I watched. They played for free at Riverfest 05 and I managed to talk to the guys, specifically their guitarist Frank. They were always down to earth and very thankful for every bit of support they got. I can't imagine what they're going through right now, but I wish they all the best. But as for the show, Weedeater played for quite a while, but were just awesome. Not only are they this town's heaviest band, but they're probably one of the heaviest bands you'll ever see live. Hope and Suicide were a lot better than the last time I saw them, kinda sound like if Botch and Coalesce grew up worshiping stoner metal. Earthride were rad. Just the right amount of dirge, groove, and heaviness that one could ask for. And plus they were from MD! I couldn't ask for more. :D
-Burn After Reading was very entertaining. I wouldn't name it as one of my favorite Coen Bros. films, but it was still quite the enjoyable black comedy. Frances McDormand was great, and I think I might try to be Brad Pitt's character for Halloween. Hehehe
-The extras work wasn't particularly thrilling, nor is it something that I'd do for a living, but I can't complain too much about being paid to basically do one simple routine throughout the day. I worked on a "Slamball" segment for One Tree Hill. All we had to do was play a part in the audience, reacting when needed with cheers, applause, concern, etc. The catering food was pretty dang good (had some great pasta). I spotted a few people that I knew down there (some that were a pleasant surprise to see, another one not so much) and got to spend most of my time talking to a very nice (and very attractive) actress who decided to do extra work that day (though she originally thought it was work on a different set). Go check out Maureen Mountcastle on imdb and thats her. She even gave me the names of several people who do agent work and headshots photography in case I come to like this. I will say though, that she is the first person I've met who not only disliked the Dark Knight, but complained about how its big budget could have been used to feed nations throughout the world instead....................okay......because as we all know a) Hollywood runs the world and our government shouldn't be the ones fixing this problem and b) we all want our movies to look like they were made by The Asylum. But anyways, I'll be mailed a check for my work and am actually going back for more work next Monday. w00t.
I think thats it for now. I'm heading down to Myrtle Beach for Flogging Molly/The Loved Ones/Beat Union on Friday, then possibly hitting up the Hazmat for the first time for a show on Saturday. The only things I downloaded recently were Black Ships-Omens and Negative FX/Last Rights-split, but I haven't really gotten around to listening to either. I'm sure I'll post some more schtuff within the next few days.
I guess this is an update of sorts on my last entry.
-Apparently, you can't just set up a time to take the postal exam. Rather, you are e-mailed as to when there is an opening for a test. Why I wasn't informed of this before is baffling. Oh well. I'm still keeping my fingers and toes crossed on this one. I've got confidence that I could do something with this. And if not, at least I'll get a refund for purchasing that damn book.
-No All That Remains, No Carcass, No Afroman, but I DID go to Weedeater/Earthride/Hope and Suicide. Show was great, though there was a somewhat somber mood throughout the night due to Gollum's drummer having passed away two days beforehand (they were originally scheduled to open the show). When I first moved to this town in September 2005, Gollum was the first local band I watched. They played for free at Riverfest 05 and I managed to talk to the guys, specifically their guitarist Frank. They were always down to earth and very thankful for every bit of support they got. I can't imagine what they're going through right now, but I wish they all the best. But as for the show, Weedeater played for quite a while, but were just awesome. Not only are they this town's heaviest band, but they're probably one of the heaviest bands you'll ever see live. Hope and Suicide were a lot better than the last time I saw them, kinda sound like if Botch and Coalesce grew up worshiping stoner metal. Earthride were rad. Just the right amount of dirge, groove, and heaviness that one could ask for. And plus they were from MD! I couldn't ask for more. :D
-Burn After Reading was very entertaining. I wouldn't name it as one of my favorite Coen Bros. films, but it was still quite the enjoyable black comedy. Frances McDormand was great, and I think I might try to be Brad Pitt's character for Halloween. Hehehe
-The extras work wasn't particularly thrilling, nor is it something that I'd do for a living, but I can't complain too much about being paid to basically do one simple routine throughout the day. I worked on a "Slamball" segment for One Tree Hill. All we had to do was play a part in the audience, reacting when needed with cheers, applause, concern, etc. The catering food was pretty dang good (had some great pasta). I spotted a few people that I knew down there (some that were a pleasant surprise to see, another one not so much) and got to spend most of my time talking to a very nice (and very attractive) actress who decided to do extra work that day (though she originally thought it was work on a different set). Go check out Maureen Mountcastle on imdb and thats her. She even gave me the names of several people who do agent work and headshots photography in case I come to like this. I will say though, that she is the first person I've met who not only disliked the Dark Knight, but complained about how its big budget could have been used to feed nations throughout the world instead....................okay......because as we all know a) Hollywood runs the world and our government shouldn't be the ones fixing this problem and b) we all want our movies to look like they were made by The Asylum. But anyways, I'll be mailed a check for my work and am actually going back for more work next Monday. w00t.
I think thats it for now. I'm heading down to Myrtle Beach for Flogging Molly/The Loved Ones/Beat Union on Friday, then possibly hitting up the Hazmat for the first time for a show on Saturday. The only things I downloaded recently were Black Ships-Omens and Negative FX/Last Rights-split, but I haven't really gotten around to listening to either. I'm sure I'll post some more schtuff within the next few days.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Agenda for the next couple of weeks
Being jobless, while slowly driving me insane, has actually given me more opportunities to set up better future plans.
Such as:
-Setting up a time to take the postal service exam. Shit looks relatively easy. If anyone hasn't heard already, they're opening a new post office in town and they're looking for help. You can either call and order the testing book or, if its more convenient, head to your local library and check out the testing book. You don't HAVE to get a perfect score, seeing as how most of the test is double checking addresses and zip codes, and they'd rather you get get 150 exactly right than get 100 out of 300 wrong. Plus, $20/hr, including benefits=WINRAR.
-Trying to head to All That Remains in Myrtle Beach. I WAS going to try and head to Carcass/Rotten Sound in Raleigh, but a combination of ticket price, distance, merch price, and responsibilities (watching the house for a few days while ze mutha is out of town) are interfering with that show. Figure it might just be easier to see ATR in Myrtle Beach because a) I can head out late since they're the only band I give a shit about on the show and b) the show is half-priced. Everyone going to Carcass though, have fun. But PLEASE don't spend $30 on a shirt or $60 on a hoodie like they're charging. Doing a reunion for the kids my ass.
-Doing extras work on Monday the 15th. Fincannon apparently rarely calls people back, and you have to be the one to continuously call them in order to find openings for work. But alas, I got a call today about working for 12 hours on Monday. I wasn't informed about what film or show it might be for (if its my guess, its One Tree Hill) but its money regardless.
-Going to Afroman! Been a while since I've been to a rap show and this should be sure to provide many lulz.
-Seeing Burn After Reading. The Coen Bros are probably in my top 3 of my favorite filmmakers and any time they work with George Clooney or Frances Mcdormand, they produce gold. I'm considering seeing Righteous Kill, but its been so long since either of those has had a really good film to me (though I did like RDN in Stardust).
And thats about it for me. Go download the new cd from Mitch Hedberg "Do You Believe in Gosh?" Its one of the last shows he did before he died. Listen to Harms Way. Don't stagedive if you're heavy. Go see Death Threat on their new tour. Read the Walking Dead.
-R
Such as:
-Setting up a time to take the postal service exam. Shit looks relatively easy. If anyone hasn't heard already, they're opening a new post office in town and they're looking for help. You can either call and order the testing book or, if its more convenient, head to your local library and check out the testing book. You don't HAVE to get a perfect score, seeing as how most of the test is double checking addresses and zip codes, and they'd rather you get get 150 exactly right than get 100 out of 300 wrong. Plus, $20/hr, including benefits=WINRAR.
-Trying to head to All That Remains in Myrtle Beach. I WAS going to try and head to Carcass/Rotten Sound in Raleigh, but a combination of ticket price, distance, merch price, and responsibilities (watching the house for a few days while ze mutha is out of town) are interfering with that show. Figure it might just be easier to see ATR in Myrtle Beach because a) I can head out late since they're the only band I give a shit about on the show and b) the show is half-priced. Everyone going to Carcass though, have fun. But PLEASE don't spend $30 on a shirt or $60 on a hoodie like they're charging. Doing a reunion for the kids my ass.
-Doing extras work on Monday the 15th. Fincannon apparently rarely calls people back, and you have to be the one to continuously call them in order to find openings for work. But alas, I got a call today about working for 12 hours on Monday. I wasn't informed about what film or show it might be for (if its my guess, its One Tree Hill) but its money regardless.
-Going to Afroman! Been a while since I've been to a rap show and this should be sure to provide many lulz.
-Seeing Burn After Reading. The Coen Bros are probably in my top 3 of my favorite filmmakers and any time they work with George Clooney or Frances Mcdormand, they produce gold. I'm considering seeing Righteous Kill, but its been so long since either of those has had a really good film to me (though I did like RDN in Stardust).
And thats about it for me. Go download the new cd from Mitch Hedberg "Do You Believe in Gosh?" Its one of the last shows he did before he died. Listen to Harms Way. Don't stagedive if you're heavy. Go see Death Threat on their new tour. Read the Walking Dead.
-R
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Audio Goodness
2008 has been pretty shitty so far when it comes to bands' longevity. I speak mainly of the breakups of new school/future kings such as Modern Life is War, Cursed, Sinking Ships, Himsa, etc.
Luckily though, we've been privileged to have some already solid records come out as well. Some come as already welcome additions to a strong catalog (Cursed, Trash Talk, Disfear), while some come as complete surprises that nobody would have expected (Metallica!).
So here's a list of some of 2008's jams that I've been digging this year. Hope you get around to checking some of em out.
My personal 5 favs so far this year have been:
Disfear-Live the Storm. Didn't think they could top Misanthropic Generation, but leave it up to Kurt Ballou to make it possible.
Cursed-III. Every record gets angrier, dirtier, and smarter. Unfortunately they broke up the same year that they released this, their magnum opus.
Blacklisted-Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier than God. They keep getting better, and Blacklisted have shaken off any notions of what they might or might not be by delivering a bleak, quick, but brilliant piece of hardcore.
Torche-Meanderthal. Probably the best "rock" record of the year that isn't getting the attention it deserves. I know Steve Brooks has tried to refrain from calling his band "metal," but if this doesn't get you raising the horns and nodding/banging your head, you're listening to the wrong record.
Trash Talk-s/t. If this doesn't make you want to just punch something or someone, get your ears examined. 12 songs in just 14 minutes (the longest being 4:31 and the shortest being :09) and yet every single one of them packs a wallop. And hell, how can ya not resist screaming "RIP ME SUCK ME STAB ME FUCK ME!" at the top of your lungs?
Some other ones worth mentioning:
The Banner-Frailty
The Carrier-No Love Can Save Me
Ceremony-Still Nothing Moves You
Eluveitie-Slania
Fight Amp-Hungry for Nothing
Flogging Molly-Float (took quite a while to really absorb though)
Killing the Dream-Fractures
Made Out of Babies-The Ruiner
Metallica-Death Magnetic
Opeth-Watershed
Reign Supreme-American Violence
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band-The Whole Fam Damnily
Soilent Green-Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction
The Sword-Gods of the Earth
This is Hell-Misfortunes
Toxic Holocaust-An Overdose of Death
Trapped Under Ice-Stay Cold
There's still quite a decent amount of cds that I still have to get around to listening to, like the new Ghostlimb, The Endless Blockade, Arsis (bought it but haven't listened to it yet), and the new Jucifer (same deal as Arsis). I'm sure they won't disappoint though.
Luckily though, we've been privileged to have some already solid records come out as well. Some come as already welcome additions to a strong catalog (Cursed, Trash Talk, Disfear), while some come as complete surprises that nobody would have expected (Metallica!).
So here's a list of some of 2008's jams that I've been digging this year. Hope you get around to checking some of em out.
My personal 5 favs so far this year have been:
Disfear-Live the Storm. Didn't think they could top Misanthropic Generation, but leave it up to Kurt Ballou to make it possible.
Cursed-III. Every record gets angrier, dirtier, and smarter. Unfortunately they broke up the same year that they released this, their magnum opus.
Blacklisted-Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier than God. They keep getting better, and Blacklisted have shaken off any notions of what they might or might not be by delivering a bleak, quick, but brilliant piece of hardcore.
Torche-Meanderthal. Probably the best "rock" record of the year that isn't getting the attention it deserves. I know Steve Brooks has tried to refrain from calling his band "metal," but if this doesn't get you raising the horns and nodding/banging your head, you're listening to the wrong record.
Trash Talk-s/t. If this doesn't make you want to just punch something or someone, get your ears examined. 12 songs in just 14 minutes (the longest being 4:31 and the shortest being :09) and yet every single one of them packs a wallop. And hell, how can ya not resist screaming "RIP ME SUCK ME STAB ME FUCK ME!" at the top of your lungs?
Some other ones worth mentioning:
The Banner-Frailty
The Carrier-No Love Can Save Me
Ceremony-Still Nothing Moves You
Eluveitie-Slania
Fight Amp-Hungry for Nothing
Flogging Molly-Float (took quite a while to really absorb though)
Killing the Dream-Fractures
Made Out of Babies-The Ruiner
Metallica-Death Magnetic
Opeth-Watershed
Reign Supreme-American Violence
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band-The Whole Fam Damnily
Soilent Green-Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction
The Sword-Gods of the Earth
This is Hell-Misfortunes
Toxic Holocaust-An Overdose of Death
Trapped Under Ice-Stay Cold
There's still quite a decent amount of cds that I still have to get around to listening to, like the new Ghostlimb, The Endless Blockade, Arsis (bought it but haven't listened to it yet), and the new Jucifer (same deal as Arsis). I'm sure they won't disappoint though.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Home is where the heart is?
My trip to MD went pretty well considering I took it for no real purpose other than to see my dad and a couple of my friends. It feels weird though. I always complain to others about how terrible Wilmington can be at times, and yet after my most recent trip, I feel more complete and even content being back here. In the 3 years I've lived in Wilmington, I've accomplished more feats and met far more friends and companions than I did in my NINETEEN years in MD.
I did pick up some great vinyl and comics when I was up there though. Around April, I started what will hopefully become a decent-sized vinyl collection, and I can add 3 more records to that ever expanding list.
Blacklisted-HTH,LTG (Gatefold transparent white w/ blue splatter)
Killing the Dream-Fractures (gatefold blue)
Trash Talk-s/t (blue)
Thanks to the LEOG (a weekly podcast through spill.com) my interest in comics has been reinvigorated as well. The new pickups include:
Preacher vol.1 (heard a lot of praise for it and decided to give it a shot)
The Walking Dead vol.1 (which so far, is very VERY cool)
The Dark Knight Returns (I've read it before several times, but oddly never owned it myself)
The comic store I visited was unfortunately out of Mark Millar's "Kick-Ass" so thats next on my agenda.
Hitting up some great shows in the next couple of weeks as well. People who know me know I have a big passion for music and a love for my local scene.
8/28 The Banner (NJ hardcore punk with slight goth/horror touches), Said and Done (ex-Gloves Off. Kinda sound like Lifetime and NFG. Be my first time seeing em), Indifference (one of the best bands now in Carolina hardcore. PASSION YO), and White Flags Burning (used to be called Degeneration, took a hiatus, this is their comeback/farewell show. Hopefully the Black Flag cover stays).
8/29 Beer Wolf (buds of mine. Good stoner/instrumental stuff. Its a reunion show as well), Blacktusk (if you're into stuff like Kylesa, Baroness, etc. this is right up your alley. What is it with GA and good music?)
If you can't make this, try to at least make the Glass Casket reunion show in Winston-Salem. That should be awesome.
9/1 Soldiers (side project of Rick from This is Hell. A lot more pissed off, a little more mosh but fun nonetheless). Stray from the Path is playing too and despite their singer sounding like a 12 year old prepubescent boy, they pull off a fun (if not retarded) Limp Bizkit cover. Hahaha.
9/6 Death Threat (who I thought broke up loooooong ago, but hey whatever. Should be fun)
Hopefully a more coherent and thoughtful entry will come soon.
I did pick up some great vinyl and comics when I was up there though. Around April, I started what will hopefully become a decent-sized vinyl collection, and I can add 3 more records to that ever expanding list.
Blacklisted-HTH,LTG (Gatefold transparent white w/ blue splatter)
Killing the Dream-Fractures (gatefold blue)
Trash Talk-s/t (blue)
Thanks to the LEOG (a weekly podcast through spill.com) my interest in comics has been reinvigorated as well. The new pickups include:
Preacher vol.1 (heard a lot of praise for it and decided to give it a shot)
The Walking Dead vol.1 (which so far, is very VERY cool)
The Dark Knight Returns (I've read it before several times, but oddly never owned it myself)
The comic store I visited was unfortunately out of Mark Millar's "Kick-Ass" so thats next on my agenda.
Hitting up some great shows in the next couple of weeks as well. People who know me know I have a big passion for music and a love for my local scene.
8/28 The Banner (NJ hardcore punk with slight goth/horror touches), Said and Done (ex-Gloves Off. Kinda sound like Lifetime and NFG. Be my first time seeing em), Indifference (one of the best bands now in Carolina hardcore. PASSION YO), and White Flags Burning (used to be called Degeneration, took a hiatus, this is their comeback/farewell show. Hopefully the Black Flag cover stays).
8/29 Beer Wolf (buds of mine. Good stoner/instrumental stuff. Its a reunion show as well), Blacktusk (if you're into stuff like Kylesa, Baroness, etc. this is right up your alley. What is it with GA and good music?)
If you can't make this, try to at least make the Glass Casket reunion show in Winston-Salem. That should be awesome.
9/1 Soldiers (side project of Rick from This is Hell. A lot more pissed off, a little more mosh but fun nonetheless). Stray from the Path is playing too and despite their singer sounding like a 12 year old prepubescent boy, they pull off a fun (if not retarded) Limp Bizkit cover. Hahaha.
9/6 Death Threat (who I thought broke up loooooong ago, but hey whatever. Should be fun)
Hopefully a more coherent and thoughtful entry will come soon.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
We have to start somewhere I suppose
I suppose that its better to get an understanding of who I am and why I made this than to just randomly stumble across here and be confused as to what the hell you're reading.
The name's Ryan. Folks in this town (well, most of em) call me Ryhan. My friend Eric was the one who devised the nickname for me, and its stuck since.
I'm 22, I'm originally from the MD/DC area (specifically Silver Spring) and I moved to this little town in September 2005 with very little background about it other than my mother's b/f at the time had moved here, and she was coincidentally retiring from her job that year. If your only two options at the moment are to stay up north with your nagging and pushy father and stepmother or to go with your understanding, cool mother, well you'd see why it wasn't even hard to choose the latter.
At the present moment, I'm unfortunately unemployed. I had to quit my last job about 3 weeks ago due to a managerial change which would have brought about my termination due to no particular reason. Not kidding. I guess with most new managers these days, at least in retail, they feel its easier to try and start fresh and mold the store into something THEY want, rather than try and work with the current staff to make the store even better. Oh well.
For my free time, I do photography at shows, I write little mini-reviews for my Facebook page, and assorted other media-related tasks. Unfortunately, with the lack of a job right now, the number of that which I review or attend may drop considerably.
So why did I create this blog? Honestly, I'm not 100% sure as to why I did. I guess I just needed a more viable means of ranting and speaking my mind and lord knows you can't seem to do that anymore on certain other sites without being critiqued by dickless little scenesters who don't have a full understanding of life yet, or even much of an identity themselves.
Plus its cooler to do movie reviews on blogs anyway. :P
So I guess thats an intro if I ever had to give one. If you're looking for more details, talk to me in person. I'll try to update this as soon as I can with actual rantings/opinions like most blogs should be filled with. But for now, sleeeeeep.
The name's Ryan. Folks in this town (well, most of em) call me Ryhan. My friend Eric was the one who devised the nickname for me, and its stuck since.
I'm 22, I'm originally from the MD/DC area (specifically Silver Spring) and I moved to this little town in September 2005 with very little background about it other than my mother's b/f at the time had moved here, and she was coincidentally retiring from her job that year. If your only two options at the moment are to stay up north with your nagging and pushy father and stepmother or to go with your understanding, cool mother, well you'd see why it wasn't even hard to choose the latter.
At the present moment, I'm unfortunately unemployed. I had to quit my last job about 3 weeks ago due to a managerial change which would have brought about my termination due to no particular reason. Not kidding. I guess with most new managers these days, at least in retail, they feel its easier to try and start fresh and mold the store into something THEY want, rather than try and work with the current staff to make the store even better. Oh well.
For my free time, I do photography at shows, I write little mini-reviews for my Facebook page, and assorted other media-related tasks. Unfortunately, with the lack of a job right now, the number of that which I review or attend may drop considerably.
So why did I create this blog? Honestly, I'm not 100% sure as to why I did. I guess I just needed a more viable means of ranting and speaking my mind and lord knows you can't seem to do that anymore on certain other sites without being critiqued by dickless little scenesters who don't have a full understanding of life yet, or even much of an identity themselves.
Plus its cooler to do movie reviews on blogs anyway. :P
So I guess thats an intro if I ever had to give one. If you're looking for more details, talk to me in person. I'll try to update this as soon as I can with actual rantings/opinions like most blogs should be filled with. But for now, sleeeeeep.
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