September is always one of the most dead months of the entire year. Most studio dump their trash or films they know won't do well. This September has a couple of films I am intrested but for the most part it is a barren wasteland,Here is my analysis for the films of September.
Films I Am Exicted For
3.Devil(September 17)-M.Night Shamalayn films are like celebrity sex tapes, you know they are going to be bad but you watch them anyways. This film looks terrible and I am mainly seeing it for the laughs and to see if there is a dumb twist.
2.The Town(September 17)-I seem to be one of the few that is excited for this film. The cast which includes Ben Affleck,Jermey Renner,Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper is top-notch. Affleck is also directing this and his debut Gone Baby Gone was amazing. The trailer makes it look like a smart,intense thriller and I think it has great potential.
1.Machete(September 3)-Grindhouse was such a fantastic film and the faux-trailer Machete was one of the best parts. I am extremely excited for this film. It is going to be a crazy off the walls action flick and this where Robert Rodriguez excels. This is probably my most anticipated film for the rest of the 2010.
Films I am Unsure About
The American(September 1)-A very average looking flick with George Clooney. Clooney is a good actor but I have feeling like this could be a tedious Oscar-bait misfire. Might see it on DVD.
Going The Distance(September 3)-As I said last month this film has a great cast with Justin Long,Charlie Day,Jason Sudekis and Jim Gaffigan and a decent trailer, but it could be a run of the mill romantic comedy. Will check it out on DVD.
Easy-A(September 17)-Really don't want to see this but it doesn't look bad enough for me to put in the films to avoid section
Alpha and Omega(September 17)-Haven't seen a single trailer for this so I can't judge.
Films I am going to avoid at all costs
Resident Evil:Afterlife(September 10)-In all honesty I can't even believe they are still making these films. I saw the first two(which sucked) and as an avid fan of the games I will not support another one of these terrible movies. The one postive I can say is that when I saw Piranha 3-D a couple of weeks the trailer had very good 3-D in it so if you insist on seeing this at least go see it in 3-D.
Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole(September 24)- I love Zack Snyder's previous work and I am extremely excited for Sucker Punch which come out in March but this foray into kid's films looks very bad.
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps(September 24)-I saw the trailer for this film attached to every film I saw in a theater from early June to early August and the more I saw the trailer the worst it looked. It appears to be an unneeded sequel that was made just for the sake of being made and to give Oliver Stone some work. It could also be the fact that I hate Michael Douglas that I want nothing to do with this movie.
You Again(September 24)-Chick flicks like this are the film eqivulent of herpes. Betty White is hillarious and Kristen Bell/Odette Yustman are attractive but that is not enough to make me consider seeing this film.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Album Review: Cephalic Carnage-Misled By Certainity
The self-proclaimed kings of "Rocky Mountain hydro grind" are back and they mean buisness. After unleashing two of the finest piece of grindcore that I have ever heard in 2005's Anomalies and 2007's Xenosapien I was eagerly awaiting Misled By Certanity. My exictement hightened after seeing them at Summer Slaughter last month where they played 3 new tracks that all sounded great. Misled By Certainity is sadly a bit of a dissapointment.
Celphalic Carnage really pulled out all the stops with this album. They have always a grind band with a lot of influences that makes unique but this time I think they used every influence they have and then some. There is tech-death("The Incorrigible Flame","Abraxis Of Filth"), there is 30-second grind spazz-outs("Pure Horses","P.G.A.D") and some completely out there tracks that you can't even begin to comprehend("When I Arrive","Repangea"). I really appreciate the experimentation on this record but sometime it just goes overboard. I mean at times this record gives Nachtmystium a run for their money in the over ambitious what the fuck moments.
Cephalic Carnage still hit some of the right notes on this record. Its technically spectacular and precise. The guitarwork is blistering when it needs to be and the time changes are executed seemlessly. The drumming is also at an extremely high level and I find John Merryman to be a very underrated drummer. Easily the best moments of this record are the grind tracks. Cephalic Carnage was pretty much born to make spazzy grindcore, they are way too good at.
Misled By Certainity is a good but dissapointing record. At times this record is a very good death-grind record at other times it is a boring,over-ambitious god knows whats record. Cephalic Carnage is still one of the best grind bands on the scene their track record proves that but Misled By Certainity is not one of there finer works.
3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Pure Horses
2.The Incorrigible Flame
3.Warbots A.M
Monday, August 30, 2010
Update
I have been a bit busy the past couple days so I have not posted anything. I have reviews in the works for Repo Men and the new Celphalic Carnage/Disturbed albums. These should be posted in the next couple of days along with my final NFL preview of the NFC West and a preview of September's films. Thank to everyone for reading and following my blog, I am highly grateful.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
NFL Preview-NFC South
The NFC South is the home of the defending Super Bowl champs the New Orleans Saints. The Saints have a lot of ground to cover to attempt to defend their crown. The rest of the divison had pretty quiet offseasons and this is one of the weaker division's in the league.
Atlanta Falcons-The Falcons are a squad that are coming off a very dissapointing season. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner had big dropoffs in production and the defense was among the weakest in the league. The Falcons didn't make too many offseason moves but they did bring in a huge defensive asset in the form of cornerback Dunta Robinson. Robinson helps out a pass defense that was horrible last season. The Falcons are another team that's season is completely up in the air. They could be a pretty damn good team or they could have another dissapointing year.
Carolina Panthers-The Panthers are a team that is inexperienced across the field. After releasing veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme this left Matt Moore as the starting quarterback. Moore stepped in last year after Delhomme was hurt and did a serviceable job. I think Moore will not be as sucessful this year. On the defensive side of the ball they lost veteran Julius Peppers to free agency with leaves with lack of pass rushing. The only area where the Panthers are experienced is at running back. Deangelo Williams and Jonothan Stewart are a deadly 1-2 punch and could absolutely win the Panthers a few games this season by themselves.
New Orleans Saints-The defending champs have their work cut out for them. Most teams the year after winning the Super Bowl are terribly ineffective. I feel like the Saints could break the mold when it comes to this habit. The Saints are still pretty much the same team as last year. They had pretty much no key losses except for Scott Fujita and had pretty much no key additions except for Alex Brown. I like their odds of making the playoffs but they won't repeat/
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-The Buccaneers are still a joke of the team. They have pretty much no talent across the board. The only rays of hope they have are 2nd-year quarterback Josh Freeman who could amount to something eventually and Barrett Rudd who is a highly underrated lineback. Tampa Bay has an abomination of a defense and no weapons on offense. I am expecting an even worst finish than last year and a chance at the worst record in the league.
Predictions for the NFC South:
1.New Orleans Saints(10-6)
2.Atlanta Falcons(8-8)
3.Carolina Panthers(5-11)
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers(2-14)
Atlanta Falcons-The Falcons are a squad that are coming off a very dissapointing season. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner had big dropoffs in production and the defense was among the weakest in the league. The Falcons didn't make too many offseason moves but they did bring in a huge defensive asset in the form of cornerback Dunta Robinson. Robinson helps out a pass defense that was horrible last season. The Falcons are another team that's season is completely up in the air. They could be a pretty damn good team or they could have another dissapointing year.
Carolina Panthers-The Panthers are a team that is inexperienced across the field. After releasing veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme this left Matt Moore as the starting quarterback. Moore stepped in last year after Delhomme was hurt and did a serviceable job. I think Moore will not be as sucessful this year. On the defensive side of the ball they lost veteran Julius Peppers to free agency with leaves with lack of pass rushing. The only area where the Panthers are experienced is at running back. Deangelo Williams and Jonothan Stewart are a deadly 1-2 punch and could absolutely win the Panthers a few games this season by themselves.
New Orleans Saints-The defending champs have their work cut out for them. Most teams the year after winning the Super Bowl are terribly ineffective. I feel like the Saints could break the mold when it comes to this habit. The Saints are still pretty much the same team as last year. They had pretty much no key losses except for Scott Fujita and had pretty much no key additions except for Alex Brown. I like their odds of making the playoffs but they won't repeat/
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-The Buccaneers are still a joke of the team. They have pretty much no talent across the board. The only rays of hope they have are 2nd-year quarterback Josh Freeman who could amount to something eventually and Barrett Rudd who is a highly underrated lineback. Tampa Bay has an abomination of a defense and no weapons on offense. I am expecting an even worst finish than last year and a chance at the worst record in the league.
Predictions for the NFC South:
1.New Orleans Saints(10-6)
2.Atlanta Falcons(8-8)
3.Carolina Panthers(5-11)
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers(2-14)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Album Review: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers-Mojo
I have been on a pretty big Tom Petty kick recently. I haven't listened to him in years and I forgot how great his old material is. Tom Petty is now 59 years old an he still knows how to make great music. Mojo is the perfect example of how a veteran rock star like Petty should make an album.
Mojo in a way is uncharted territory for Petty. It is a much bluesier record than his past work. The blues stylings fit Petty extremely well. One of the more blues-influenced songs on the record opener "Jefferson Jericho Blues" is also one of the album's finest. Another intresting thing Petty does on this record is try out some longer songs. The jamming tendencies of tracks like "First Flash Of Freedom" and "Good Enough" are absolutley kick ass. I never expected any extended jamming in Tom Petty songs but it suites him really well and was a nice surprise. It is refreshing to see these changes in Petty's music it shows that he likes to take risks even this late in his career. It's not all experimentation you have tracks like "I Should Have Known It" that is a straight up rock song with a great riff and guitar solo.
Despite's Mojo's strengths there some definite misfires. There are some songs that are absolute filler. Tracks like "Lover's Touch" and "Candy" really serve no purpose and are pretty damn boring. Thankfully there are only about 3 or 4 songs that aren't too good.
Mojo is a pretty intresting little record. The blues influnces are a really nice touch to Petty's sound. Some of the tracks on here rank up there with Petty's classics, Seriously they are that good. Even with its few filler tracks it doesn't really derail the record. Mojo is an essential listen for Petty fans and blues-rock fans alike.
3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.I Should Have Known It
2.First Flash Of Freedom
3.Jefferson Jericho Blues
Album Review: The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza-Danza III: The Series Of Unfortunate Events
(Note: I am going to start centering my images it looks a lot better)
I listened to this record for 3 reasons 1: A few of my friends love this band and I haven't listened to that much of their stuff 2:It was raining extremely hard yesterday in Massachusetts and 3: Cephalic Carnage's MySpace player wouldn't load in my browser so I couldn't listen to their new record. Prior to this release I had seen The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza live this past April at the New England Metal and Hardcore festival and I was not particularly impressed by their performance. They were just an above average band with a hillarious name/song titles and not much else. After listening to this record I can say they are better than I thought where for sure.
Danza III:The Series of Unfortunate Events is an off the walls record. Not off the walls good but off the walls spastic. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza spasticness is not all bad. Their frantic brand of experimental metal lets their guitarist Josh Travis run wild. Travis is an exceptional guitar player who is easily the best thing about this band. Travis uses an 8-string guitar which adds more depth to his super-technical style of playing. This whole record showcases lightning-fast guitarwork but it works most effectively on tracks opener "Vicki Mayhem" and the album's fastest track "There's A Time and Place For Everything".
Danza III is not without its weaknesses though. The production is pretty sloppy. The drums get completely drowned out in the mix and the vocals are sometimes muddy. Another flaw is that they can be too insane for their own good at times and these tracks sound really sloppy and poorly written. Breakdowns are also used extremely poorly. Don't get me wrong I enjoy some breakdowns when they are used correctly and not forced in there but these breakdowns are annoying and not needed.
Overall Danza III is worth a listen. It's sure as hell not a great record and I am sure a lot of people will hate it and rightfully so The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza is not for everyone. I think if they had better production and stopped writing some sloppy songs they could be a very good band. There is a lot of percision and some excellent guitarwork to work with. The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravagnaza has potential lets see if they can use it.
3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.There's A Time and A Place For Everything
2.Vicki Mayhem
3.A Trail Of Tears
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
NFL Preview-NFC North
The NFC North picture was blown up last week when Brett Favre announced his return to the Vikings. With Favre back in the picture it makes the NFC North a lot more intresting. Along with the Vikings you have the Green Bay Packers who are hot off a playoff apperance last year. My beloved Chicago Bears who finished last season strong. Last but not least there is the Detroit Lions who made some offseason moves that could potentially get them out of bottom feeder status. Any way you look at it the NFC North is going to be very,very intresting this year.
Chicago Bears-My favorite team in the NFL made some great offseason moves. They brought in Julius Peppers who is a spectacular defensive end who will contribute right away and running back Chester Taylor who gives the Bears a great 2nd running option. I see Taylor and Matt Forte becoming a pretty dangerous 1-2 punch and I feel like that is an valuable asset for the team. With that newly acquired running talent that could take some of the pressure off of Jay Cutler, who is in make it or break it season. Cutler needs to find his groove this year and I think if he plays well the Bears could do pretty well. The Bears do have some big question marks though most notably how will Brian Urlacher come back from injury. Urlacher is a vital part of the Bears defense and his performance is a big key to success. The Bears biggest weakness by far is offensive line. They did not address in that offseason and Cutler could again be facing a ton of pressure which could seriously effect the team. The Bears are probably the biggest question mark in all of the NFL. This season could go pretty well or could end up being a travesty.
Detroit Lions-The Lions have been the laughing stock of the league for quite some time. They did make some pretty big moves this offseason that will help them out for sure. First in free agency they signed wide reciever Nate Burelson and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. Burelson gives the Lions a legitimate 2nd option at wideout and takes some of the pressure of Calvin Johnson. Vanden Bosch gives the Lions a solid pass rusher as well something they have not had in a long time. Their best offseason move was in the draft when they selected defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh who I think will be an elite player. Matthew Stafford is the player to watch on offense. His play is going to effect what happens for the Lions this year tremendously. Sure Detroit still has it fair share of weaknesses but the future looks bright for Detroit.
Green Bay Packers-The Packers are coming off a great year that ended in heartbreak with their overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs. The Packers are pretty much the same team as last year. The one key loss they did have was defensive end/linebacker Aaron Kampman. Though Kampman made an impact the Packers still have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball including standouts A.J Hawk and Nick Barnett. Aaron Rodgers should have another good year this year and other key offensive players Ryan Grant,Greg Jennings and Donald Driver should contribute. The Packers are most likely going to be playoff bound this season.
Minnesota Vikings-As everyone on the earth know Brett Favre is back in Minnesota. Favre's presence makes the Vikings a ton better right off the bat. Sure they have talent all over the field but without Favre they probably a 8 win team. That being said who knows how Favre will hold up this year with his bum ankle. In addition to Favre's nagging injury the Vikings have already lost Sidney Rice for the first 6-8 weeks of the year so that takes away Favre's favorite target in the passing games. Percy Harvin is also shaken up currently. The Vikings still have an insanely talented defense that is among the league's elite and that should carry them through their offensive uncertainties.
Predictions for the NFC North:
1.Green Bay Packers(11-5)
2.Minnesota Vikings(10-6)
3.Chicago Bears(8-8)
4.Detroit Lions(6-10)
Chicago Bears-My favorite team in the NFL made some great offseason moves. They brought in Julius Peppers who is a spectacular defensive end who will contribute right away and running back Chester Taylor who gives the Bears a great 2nd running option. I see Taylor and Matt Forte becoming a pretty dangerous 1-2 punch and I feel like that is an valuable asset for the team. With that newly acquired running talent that could take some of the pressure off of Jay Cutler, who is in make it or break it season. Cutler needs to find his groove this year and I think if he plays well the Bears could do pretty well. The Bears do have some big question marks though most notably how will Brian Urlacher come back from injury. Urlacher is a vital part of the Bears defense and his performance is a big key to success. The Bears biggest weakness by far is offensive line. They did not address in that offseason and Cutler could again be facing a ton of pressure which could seriously effect the team. The Bears are probably the biggest question mark in all of the NFL. This season could go pretty well or could end up being a travesty.
Detroit Lions-The Lions have been the laughing stock of the league for quite some time. They did make some pretty big moves this offseason that will help them out for sure. First in free agency they signed wide reciever Nate Burelson and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch. Burelson gives the Lions a legitimate 2nd option at wideout and takes some of the pressure of Calvin Johnson. Vanden Bosch gives the Lions a solid pass rusher as well something they have not had in a long time. Their best offseason move was in the draft when they selected defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh who I think will be an elite player. Matthew Stafford is the player to watch on offense. His play is going to effect what happens for the Lions this year tremendously. Sure Detroit still has it fair share of weaknesses but the future looks bright for Detroit.
Green Bay Packers-The Packers are coming off a great year that ended in heartbreak with their overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs. The Packers are pretty much the same team as last year. The one key loss they did have was defensive end/linebacker Aaron Kampman. Though Kampman made an impact the Packers still have plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball including standouts A.J Hawk and Nick Barnett. Aaron Rodgers should have another good year this year and other key offensive players Ryan Grant,Greg Jennings and Donald Driver should contribute. The Packers are most likely going to be playoff bound this season.
Minnesota Vikings-As everyone on the earth know Brett Favre is back in Minnesota. Favre's presence makes the Vikings a ton better right off the bat. Sure they have talent all over the field but without Favre they probably a 8 win team. That being said who knows how Favre will hold up this year with his bum ankle. In addition to Favre's nagging injury the Vikings have already lost Sidney Rice for the first 6-8 weeks of the year so that takes away Favre's favorite target in the passing games. Percy Harvin is also shaken up currently. The Vikings still have an insanely talented defense that is among the league's elite and that should carry them through their offensive uncertainties.
Predictions for the NFC North:
1.Green Bay Packers(11-5)
2.Minnesota Vikings(10-6)
3.Chicago Bears(8-8)
4.Detroit Lions(6-10)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
NFL Preview-NFC East
The NFC East in years past has been one of the most even divisions in all of football. This year things have been blown wide open. The Eagles traded Donovan McNabb and The Giants are fading fast. This is pretty much the Cowboys's division to lose.
Dallas Cowboys-The Cowboys are now the powerhouse of this conference. The team stands at the exact same place they where last year. Tony Romo is a great regular season quarterback. He doesn't make too many mistakes and can be a good leader. The drafting of Dez Bryant takes care of their holes at wide reciever. The Cowboys defense is still scary good as well. This is a team that should handly win this division and contend for the Super Bowl.
New York Giants-The Giants ended last season with a thud losing 6 of their last 8 games. I don't expect them to fare much better this season. The main reason they blew so hard the 2nd half of the year last year was because of Eli Manning's up and down play. I expect his up and down play to continue into this season. The Giants are overall just an up and down team. Running Back Brandon Jacobs could play a huge role in their success. When they won the Super Bowl they had a balanced offense with Jacobs doing a bulk of the running. Unless the Giants play better as team and certain key players step up on a consistent basis I don't see them doing anything this year.
Philladelphia Eagles-2010 marks a new era in Philly. Kevin Kolb takes over the reigns at quarterback from long time Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Kolb has stepped in pretty well when asked in the past but how he will do this season is a big question mark. Trading away a veteran like McNabb was a risky move. I mean Kolb has potential but this sets the team back a little bit. Besides quarterback the Eagles are still stacked. They have a great set of wideouts and a quick defense. The Eagles are a team that really could end up on either end of the spectrum this year depending on how Kolb plays.
Washington Redskins-The Redskins did some serious house cleaning this offseason. They traded quarterback Jason Campbell to the Raiders and fired coach Jim Zorn. Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan are the new quarterback and coach respectively in Washington. Both will make an instant impact for a previous DOA Redskins squad. The Redskins also now have a lot of depth at running back with the signings of veterans Larry Johnson and Willie Parker that brings a dangerous 3 running back attack in Washington. Even with the new additions I don't see Washington making an impact right away. They still have a subpar defense and a lack of explosiveness. In a couple of years the Redskins could be dangerous but for right now they are still below average.
Predictions for the NFC East
1.Dallas Cowboys(12-4)
2.Philladelphia Eagles(9-7)
3.New York Giants(7-9)
4.Washington Redskins(6-10)
Dallas Cowboys-The Cowboys are now the powerhouse of this conference. The team stands at the exact same place they where last year. Tony Romo is a great regular season quarterback. He doesn't make too many mistakes and can be a good leader. The drafting of Dez Bryant takes care of their holes at wide reciever. The Cowboys defense is still scary good as well. This is a team that should handly win this division and contend for the Super Bowl.
New York Giants-The Giants ended last season with a thud losing 6 of their last 8 games. I don't expect them to fare much better this season. The main reason they blew so hard the 2nd half of the year last year was because of Eli Manning's up and down play. I expect his up and down play to continue into this season. The Giants are overall just an up and down team. Running Back Brandon Jacobs could play a huge role in their success. When they won the Super Bowl they had a balanced offense with Jacobs doing a bulk of the running. Unless the Giants play better as team and certain key players step up on a consistent basis I don't see them doing anything this year.
Philladelphia Eagles-2010 marks a new era in Philly. Kevin Kolb takes over the reigns at quarterback from long time Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Kolb has stepped in pretty well when asked in the past but how he will do this season is a big question mark. Trading away a veteran like McNabb was a risky move. I mean Kolb has potential but this sets the team back a little bit. Besides quarterback the Eagles are still stacked. They have a great set of wideouts and a quick defense. The Eagles are a team that really could end up on either end of the spectrum this year depending on how Kolb plays.
Washington Redskins-The Redskins did some serious house cleaning this offseason. They traded quarterback Jason Campbell to the Raiders and fired coach Jim Zorn. Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan are the new quarterback and coach respectively in Washington. Both will make an instant impact for a previous DOA Redskins squad. The Redskins also now have a lot of depth at running back with the signings of veterans Larry Johnson and Willie Parker that brings a dangerous 3 running back attack in Washington. Even with the new additions I don't see Washington making an impact right away. They still have a subpar defense and a lack of explosiveness. In a couple of years the Redskins could be dangerous but for right now they are still below average.
Predictions for the NFC East
1.Dallas Cowboys(12-4)
2.Philladelphia Eagles(9-7)
3.New York Giants(7-9)
4.Washington Redskins(6-10)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
NFL Preview-AFC West
The AFC West is easily the weakest division in the AFC. This is the only division in the AFC where I can say there is no legitimate Super Bowl contender in. Still you got a plethora of sub-par teams trying to catch the San Diego Chargers and some surprises could be looming.
Denver Broncos-The Broncos where a team that about a month ago I was optismistic about but that has since gone downhill. Offensive lineman Ryan Clady and lineback Elvis Dumervil suffered pretty serious injuries in training camp and are going to mis substantial parts of the season. Both players are key contributors. The loss of Brandon Marshall also makes their wideouts a lot weaker. The Broncos do still have good quarterback play from Kyle Orton that will help that out sure. Another strong asset that have is a veteran secondary with depth.
Kansas City Chiefs-The Chiefs where another team that came on strong at the end of last year. The offseason added even more promise to this young Chiefs team. They have brought in Romeo Crenell as defensive cordinator and Charlie Weis as offensive cordinator reuniniting the cordinating team that was essential to the Patriots dynasty. On the field they signed veteran running back Thomas Jones who had an excellent year with the Jets last year. The Chiefs are a young team on the rise but I still think they are a year away from greatness.
Oakland Raiders- Al Davis is honestly senial. He did make a great move cutting bust JaMarcus Rusell but trading for another bum in Jason Campbell was a really stupid move. They don't have a much of an offense at all. The pieces they have currently have not been effective in the past and I don't expect them to be this season. The one good move Davis did this offseason is draft Rolando McCain who is a serious talent and reminds me a lot of Patrick Willis(who is currently one of the best linebackers in the league). If the Raiders want success have Davis stop making stupid picks and stupid moves in free agency. Since that is not going to happen the Raiders are screwed.
San Diego Chargers-The Chargers currently have a little bit of turmoil with veterans Marcus McNeil and Vincent Jacksonholding out. I am sure these problems will be fixed but right now without these guys they lose a lot of talent. The Chargers really have solid units all over the field. Despite trading Antoino Cromartie and cutting LaDanin Tomlinson these moves should not effect the Charges too much. The Chargers are going to be good this year just not as good as in year's past.
Predictions for AFC West
1.San Diego Chargers(11-5)
2.Kansas City Chiefs(9-7)
3.Denver Broncos(6-10)
4.Oakland Raiders(3-13)
Denver Broncos-The Broncos where a team that about a month ago I was optismistic about but that has since gone downhill. Offensive lineman Ryan Clady and lineback Elvis Dumervil suffered pretty serious injuries in training camp and are going to mis substantial parts of the season. Both players are key contributors. The loss of Brandon Marshall also makes their wideouts a lot weaker. The Broncos do still have good quarterback play from Kyle Orton that will help that out sure. Another strong asset that have is a veteran secondary with depth.
Kansas City Chiefs-The Chiefs where another team that came on strong at the end of last year. The offseason added even more promise to this young Chiefs team. They have brought in Romeo Crenell as defensive cordinator and Charlie Weis as offensive cordinator reuniniting the cordinating team that was essential to the Patriots dynasty. On the field they signed veteran running back Thomas Jones who had an excellent year with the Jets last year. The Chiefs are a young team on the rise but I still think they are a year away from greatness.
Oakland Raiders- Al Davis is honestly senial. He did make a great move cutting bust JaMarcus Rusell but trading for another bum in Jason Campbell was a really stupid move. They don't have a much of an offense at all. The pieces they have currently have not been effective in the past and I don't expect them to be this season. The one good move Davis did this offseason is draft Rolando McCain who is a serious talent and reminds me a lot of Patrick Willis(who is currently one of the best linebackers in the league). If the Raiders want success have Davis stop making stupid picks and stupid moves in free agency. Since that is not going to happen the Raiders are screwed.
San Diego Chargers-The Chargers currently have a little bit of turmoil with veterans Marcus McNeil and Vincent Jacksonholding out. I am sure these problems will be fixed but right now without these guys they lose a lot of talent. The Chargers really have solid units all over the field. Despite trading Antoino Cromartie and cutting LaDanin Tomlinson these moves should not effect the Charges too much. The Chargers are going to be good this year just not as good as in year's past.
Predictions for AFC West
1.San Diego Chargers(11-5)
2.Kansas City Chiefs(9-7)
3.Denver Broncos(6-10)
4.Oakland Raiders(3-13)
Album Review: The Sword-Warp Riders
The Sword is a band that is pretty much known to the mainstream for their song "Freya" on Guitar Hero 2. "Freya" gave them the exposure they deserved. Fast forward to 4 years later and The Sword have released their 3rd full length Warp Riders. Warp Riders is full of The Sword specialties amazing riffs,a wide array of vocals and just plain great songs.
Warp Riders has the same elements has the past two records by The Sword 2006's "Age Of Winters" and 2008's "Gods Of The Earth" but they are still fresh and different. Warp Riders has a much bigger 80's metal influence than on their past records. Vocalist J.D Cronise sounds like a hybrid of early Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister. Cronise delivers his best vocal performance to date on Warp Riders. Lyrically it also shines with its intriguing sc-fi storyline. Knowing the storyline enhances the album but its not essential to enjoying it. As usual The Sword brings great catchy riffs to their music. The title track and "Night City" especially have absoultely spectacular riffs that are impossible to not bang your head to.
The Sword have done it again. They have made a heavy yet catchy and groovy record. The Sword is a band that appeals to many crowds from the stoner/sludge scene to old-school hard rockers that dig Van Halen and Aerosmith. Warp Riders is the most polished effort by The Sword yet. Pretty much every track(with the exception of lead single Tres Brujas) is extremely good.Warp Riders is an excellent record that is absoultey worth your money(or downloading it doesn't really matter). Listen to this record I promise you won't be dissapointed.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Night City
2.Warp Riders
3.Arrows In The Dark
Movie Review: Piranha 3-D
I really don't even know if I can express my thoughts on this film. I haven't left the theater more perplexed in some time. I will attempt to convey my thoughts in the coming paragraphs but it could be quite the task.
Piranha 3-D centers around the small town of Lake Victoria,Arizona. Lake Victoria is a quiet town untill Spring Break comes around every year. This year Spring Break has turned into a nightmare because just prior to the town's influx in population a man(Richard Dreyfuss, yes that Richard Dreyfuss) causes an earthquake with a beer bottle. This earthquake unleashes a group of blood-thirsty two-million- year- old piranha that threaten to disturb the entire town's activites. Sheriff Julie Forrester(Elisbeth Shue) and Deputy Fallon(Ving Rhames) decide to shut down the lake after talking to a local fish expert(Christopher Lloyd).The sheriff does her to best to save the college kids but it might be too late.
As I mentioned earlier in the review I really don't know how I feel about this film. It might be the most over the top,insane B-movie to be released in some time. I can tell you that this film is hysterical and some of the deaths are so funny that you might hyperventillate. The gore is turned up to such an insane level that it boggles the mind. Seriously, I don't think I have ever seen such graphic violence in a film ever. Any type of mutilation you can think of is most likely in this film. On top of the excessive of gore is an equally excessive amount of nudity. I am not going to spoil anything but there is a naked swimming scene that honestly might be the biggest WTF moment in movie history. The cast is also hillarious, I mean somebody really powerful had to have blown Christopher Lloyd and Richard Dreyfuss to be in this film. Granted they aren't in it for very long but still they are in it. The rest of the cast including Shue,Rhames,Adam Scott,Jerry O'Connell(who hams it up as a Girls Gone Wild wannabe producer) and Steven R.McQueen all do serviceable acting and since this a B-movie that did a good job casting for that. Last but not least the 3-D conversion job is horrendous. Barely any of the film is in 3-D and the trailer for the new Resident Evil film had better 3-D than the entire duration of Piranha.
Piranha 3-D is a baffling film experience. Not baffling in a mindfuck way but more in a what the fuck did I just watch way. You need to see to it to believe it. It takes gore and nudity to new heights. I mean what other movie has close-ups of a floating penis,half-eaten porn stars and Ving Rhames killing Piranha with a boat motor? Piranha 3-D greatest accomplishment though It is the first film ever that I can't give a star rating! Go see it and you will be just as puzzled as I am.
What The Fuck/5 Stars
Friday, August 20, 2010
NFL Preview-AFC South
The AFC South is home of the defending AFC champions Indianapolis Colts who are looking to defend the crown. This is yet another crowded divison with the surging Houston Texans,Jacksonvile Jaguars and Tennesee Titans to contend with.
Houston Texans-The Texans are a team that keeps improving vastly. Last season they played well throughout the year but did not make the playoffs. A big reason for the sucess is Matt Schaub. Schaub is probably the most underrated quarterback in the NFL. I predict another highly productive year for him. Andre Johnson is another dangerous asset the Texans have to work with. The only question marks are in the inconsistent running game and finding someone in the secondary to replace Dunta Robinson. The latter could be an extremely hard task due to the lack of talent in the secondary.
Indianapolis Colts-Really isn't much to say about the Colts that hasn't been said a millon times before. These guys are contender year in and year out. They have so much talent and Peyton Manning is such a sharp leader that keeps the offense performing at an elite level at all times. The only thing I see effecting them is that tough loss in the Super Bowl but even that is doubtful because the Colts have been there before and know how to deal with defeat.
Jacksonville Jaguars-The Jaguars sucess pretty much depends on Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is the fire starter on this offense and more than makes up for the horrendous recieving corps that they have. The defense picked up a key piece in free agency with Aaron Kampman. Kampman is a great pass rusher and that should bolster the Jaguars defense quite a bit. That being said plain and simple the Jaguars are really nothing but an above average team with a minimal chance of making the playoffs.
Tennesee Titans-The Titans started off last year horribly after a fantastic season in 2008. Mid way through the season they gave Vince Young the starting quarterback job and the team was given new life. This year they are absolutley playoff contenders with the duo of Young and Chris Johnson. Johnson is seriously the most dangerous player in the NFL. His explosivness can break games wide open. I don't he run for 2,000 yards but he will come damn close. The Titans still don't have the greatest defense ever and that could be the reason they don't make the playoffs.
Predictions for the AFC South
1.Indianiapolis Colts(12-4)
2.Houston Texans(10-6)
3.Tennesee Titans(9-7)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars(7-9)
Houston Texans-The Texans are a team that keeps improving vastly. Last season they played well throughout the year but did not make the playoffs. A big reason for the sucess is Matt Schaub. Schaub is probably the most underrated quarterback in the NFL. I predict another highly productive year for him. Andre Johnson is another dangerous asset the Texans have to work with. The only question marks are in the inconsistent running game and finding someone in the secondary to replace Dunta Robinson. The latter could be an extremely hard task due to the lack of talent in the secondary.
Indianapolis Colts-Really isn't much to say about the Colts that hasn't been said a millon times before. These guys are contender year in and year out. They have so much talent and Peyton Manning is such a sharp leader that keeps the offense performing at an elite level at all times. The only thing I see effecting them is that tough loss in the Super Bowl but even that is doubtful because the Colts have been there before and know how to deal with defeat.
Jacksonville Jaguars-The Jaguars sucess pretty much depends on Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is the fire starter on this offense and more than makes up for the horrendous recieving corps that they have. The defense picked up a key piece in free agency with Aaron Kampman. Kampman is a great pass rusher and that should bolster the Jaguars defense quite a bit. That being said plain and simple the Jaguars are really nothing but an above average team with a minimal chance of making the playoffs.
Tennesee Titans-The Titans started off last year horribly after a fantastic season in 2008. Mid way through the season they gave Vince Young the starting quarterback job and the team was given new life. This year they are absolutley playoff contenders with the duo of Young and Chris Johnson. Johnson is seriously the most dangerous player in the NFL. His explosivness can break games wide open. I don't he run for 2,000 yards but he will come damn close. The Titans still don't have the greatest defense ever and that could be the reason they don't make the playoffs.
Predictions for the AFC South
1.Indianiapolis Colts(12-4)
2.Houston Texans(10-6)
3.Tennesee Titans(9-7)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars(7-9)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
NFL Preview-AFC North
The AFC North is another extremely tight division. It should an intresting race at the top and there are many compelling storylines coming of this division
Baltimore Ravens-The Ravens are among the top teams in the NFL. Their addition of Anquan Boldin makes them even more dangerous. They really didn't have a strong set of wideouts but Boldin takes care of that problem. Their running game is also extremely dangerous with Ray Rice. The Ravens finally have a really good,balanced offense to go with their elite defense. I would say they are one of the early contenders to win the AFC East.
Cleveland Browns-The Browns are a squad that made a really impressive run at the end of the season last year. I can see them improving this year even further. They signed veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme who brings them some stability at the position. Scott Fujita was a nice pick up on the defensive side of the ball as well. They still have some weaknesses in the running game and defensively but I do them see them improving this season.
Cinncinati Bengals-The Benglas are flat-out dangerous. The league's best offense got even better. They now have the best wide reciving corps in the league. Sure they picked up Terell Owens but they also picked the highly underrated Antonio Bryant who was very productive with the abysmal Tampa Bays Bucs last year and rookie Jordan Shipley who could be a great slot wideout. Carson Palmer is still a great quarterback and I think his leadership is a very strong asset for them. Overall the Bengals really don't have any glaring problems and they had a great offseason with no major losses and a few key pick-ups. The Bengals are a force to be reckoned with.
Pittsburgh Steelers-The story of the offseason has absolutely been Ben Rothelisberger. His off the field issues have cast a dark cloud over the Steelers. I think his suspension really hurts the Steelers playoff chances this year. I really don't trust Byron Leftwich with this team at all. Besides the Rothelisberger sideshow they also traded Santonio Holmes their number 2 wideout. The Steelers did a get few familar faces back in free agency with Antwan Randle El and Larry Foote returning to Pittsburgh after stints with the Redskins and Lions respectively. Pittsburgh should be good but not great.
Predictions for the AFC North
1.Cinncinati Bengals(13-3)
2.Baltimore Ravens(12-4)
3.Pittsburgh Steelers(8-8)
4.Cleveland Browns(4-12)
Baltimore Ravens-The Ravens are among the top teams in the NFL. Their addition of Anquan Boldin makes them even more dangerous. They really didn't have a strong set of wideouts but Boldin takes care of that problem. Their running game is also extremely dangerous with Ray Rice. The Ravens finally have a really good,balanced offense to go with their elite defense. I would say they are one of the early contenders to win the AFC East.
Cleveland Browns-The Browns are a squad that made a really impressive run at the end of the season last year. I can see them improving this year even further. They signed veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme who brings them some stability at the position. Scott Fujita was a nice pick up on the defensive side of the ball as well. They still have some weaknesses in the running game and defensively but I do them see them improving this season.
Cinncinati Bengals-The Benglas are flat-out dangerous. The league's best offense got even better. They now have the best wide reciving corps in the league. Sure they picked up Terell Owens but they also picked the highly underrated Antonio Bryant who was very productive with the abysmal Tampa Bays Bucs last year and rookie Jordan Shipley who could be a great slot wideout. Carson Palmer is still a great quarterback and I think his leadership is a very strong asset for them. Overall the Bengals really don't have any glaring problems and they had a great offseason with no major losses and a few key pick-ups. The Bengals are a force to be reckoned with.
Pittsburgh Steelers-The story of the offseason has absolutely been Ben Rothelisberger. His off the field issues have cast a dark cloud over the Steelers. I think his suspension really hurts the Steelers playoff chances this year. I really don't trust Byron Leftwich with this team at all. Besides the Rothelisberger sideshow they also traded Santonio Holmes their number 2 wideout. The Steelers did a get few familar faces back in free agency with Antwan Randle El and Larry Foote returning to Pittsburgh after stints with the Redskins and Lions respectively. Pittsburgh should be good but not great.
Predictions for the AFC North
1.Cinncinati Bengals(13-3)
2.Baltimore Ravens(12-4)
3.Pittsburgh Steelers(8-8)
4.Cleveland Browns(4-12)
Album Review: Miss May I-Monument
As the summer is winding down I have a lot of free time on my hands. When I am bored I like to download new albums from bands I haven't listened to much to give them a chance. This is how I came across Miss May I's new record Monument.
Miss May I has really emerged in the scene over the past year earning spots on a quite few tours and I had a heard a couple of tracks off of last years "Apologies Are For The Weak" that I liked but besides that I knew pretty much nothing about Miss May I's music.
Monument is a pretty good release. The intro riffs on pretty much all of the songs are good. I feel like a lot of bands in this genre don't really try anything with intros and Miss May I is the opposite their most ambitious moments come in the intro of their songs. Another thing about Monument that I am a fan of is the clean vocals. They aren't whiney and Ryan Neff can actually sing pretty well.
In all honesty Monument really doesn't have a bad song on the album. Despite there not being a bad song on the record very few are above decent. A couple of the longer tracks(longer might be pushing it their is only 3 4+ minute songs on the whole album) "Masses Of A Dying Breed" and "We Are The Fallen" kind of drag on. The songs that click though really click such as "Relentless Chaos" and "Creations". These songs show the potential that Miss May I has as a band.
Monument is by no means a bad record but I feel like Miss May I could do better. Some of the songs are a bit generic at points but there are other moments where they rise above that. They seem like a band that isn't challenging themselves as musicians when they show on some tracks they have the talent to do so. Miss May I has potential for sure and I look forward to their next release.
3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Creations
2.Relentless Chaos
3.Gears
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
NFL Preview-AFC East
Over the next few days I am going to share my thoughts on what is going to happen this season in the NFL. Each day I will do focus on a different division starting today with the AFC East. This divison as usual should be a very interesting division to watch.
Buffalo Bills-The Bills are really the only team in the AFC East that has no chance of winning. They are a team for sure in the rebuilding stage. Buffalo really made a questionable hire at head coach with Chan Gailey and they did nothing in Free Agency to improve their weaknesses. The only postive thing about Buffalo this season is rookie running back C.J Spiller. I have high hopes for him besides that expect another doom and gloom year in Buffalo.
Miami Dolphins-The Dolphins made one of the top offseason moves by trading for Brandon Marshall. This brings a legitmate threat in the passing game to Miami that could make Miami a playoff team. The Dolphins already have one of the top one-two running back punches in the form of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. I think Chad Henne will have another good year and will continue to mature as a player. Their defense is solid and the addition of Karlos Dansby makes them better. Don't count them out of a playoff spot.
New England Patriots-The Patriots are always a contender but I think this year is really up in the air for them. A big question mark for them is the wide reciever position. It's a mystery as to how well Wes Welker will perform and they took a big blow with Torry Holt getting injured for the season. Their defense is still old and their offensive line is banged up especially with Logan Mankins holding out. That being said The Patriots still have an excellent offense and their linebacking core is pretty solid.
New York Jets-This team is scary. A lot of great free agent pick ups were made by them including Santonio Holmes,Jason Taylor and LaDanin Tomlinson. Tomlinson brings a power back to the Jets running game to complient the speed of Shonn Greene. Holmes boosts one of the Jets's weak points their wideouts and Taylor adds a veteran to the Jets already stacked defense. If Darrelle Revis signs before the start of the season(which he will) The Jets will be pretty much unstoppable.
Predictions for the AFC East Standings
1.New York Jets(13-3)
2.Miami Dolphins(10-6)
3.New England Patriots(9-7)
4.Buffalo Bills(4-12)
Buffalo Bills-The Bills are really the only team in the AFC East that has no chance of winning. They are a team for sure in the rebuilding stage. Buffalo really made a questionable hire at head coach with Chan Gailey and they did nothing in Free Agency to improve their weaknesses. The only postive thing about Buffalo this season is rookie running back C.J Spiller. I have high hopes for him besides that expect another doom and gloom year in Buffalo.
Miami Dolphins-The Dolphins made one of the top offseason moves by trading for Brandon Marshall. This brings a legitmate threat in the passing game to Miami that could make Miami a playoff team. The Dolphins already have one of the top one-two running back punches in the form of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. I think Chad Henne will have another good year and will continue to mature as a player. Their defense is solid and the addition of Karlos Dansby makes them better. Don't count them out of a playoff spot.
New England Patriots-The Patriots are always a contender but I think this year is really up in the air for them. A big question mark for them is the wide reciever position. It's a mystery as to how well Wes Welker will perform and they took a big blow with Torry Holt getting injured for the season. Their defense is still old and their offensive line is banged up especially with Logan Mankins holding out. That being said The Patriots still have an excellent offense and their linebacking core is pretty solid.
New York Jets-This team is scary. A lot of great free agent pick ups were made by them including Santonio Holmes,Jason Taylor and LaDanin Tomlinson. Tomlinson brings a power back to the Jets running game to complient the speed of Shonn Greene. Holmes boosts one of the Jets's weak points their wideouts and Taylor adds a veteran to the Jets already stacked defense. If Darrelle Revis signs before the start of the season(which he will) The Jets will be pretty much unstoppable.
Predictions for the AFC East Standings
1.New York Jets(13-3)
2.Miami Dolphins(10-6)
3.New England Patriots(9-7)
4.Buffalo Bills(4-12)
Monday, August 16, 2010
Album Review: War Of Ages-Eternal
Pennslyvania's War Of Ages has been around for a while. Despite being around for 8 years they didn't catch my attention untill recently. War of Ages was opening for As I Lay Dying and they where the only band I hadn't heard of on The Cool Tour lineup. Long story short listened to a few songs liked what I heard and then I saw them live and they where great so I decided to check out more of their material. Their latest release Eternal is a very good release and surely has garned some attention for them.
The main thing on Eternal that works so well is how seemlessly they blend their melo-death and hardcore influnences. With that perfect blend established it proves they know to make good metalcore. Eternal start with a bang in the form of "Collapse". "Collapse" is heavy,has a great a solo and a really good clean-sung chrous. These guys remind me a lot of their tourmates from The Cool Tour As I Lay Dying. They play a type of old-school metalcore that not many bands tend to do anymore. This reigns true throughout the album with other standouts like "Desire"(with a guest spot from Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying) and "My Resting Place".
War Of Ages is a band to watch for in the next few years. I can really see their popularity blowing up. It is refreshing to see an approach to this genre like this and I think with a couple more releases they will be joining bands like As I Lay Dying,Killswitch Engage and Unearth in the metalcore gods tear. If you are looking for a great old-school metalcore release with great musicanship across the board,songwriting and well-timed breakdowns then look no further than War Of Ages.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Collapse
2.Desire
3.My Resting Place
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Movie Review: The Expendables
As an action movie whore I have been eagerly awaiting The Expendables for quite some time. I mean even the thought of an action film with this many action stars was great. As expected The Expendables does what it sought out to do brillantly.
The Expendables are an elite team of merceniaries led by Barney Ross(Sylvester Stallone). Their most recent job is to go to the island of Vilena and overthrow a dictator named Garza(David Zayas). After discovering intel The Expendables find out that an ex-CIA agent(Eric Roberts) is working with Garza to keep Vilena a dictatorship. It is up to Ross and the rest of his team including expert knife thrower Lee Christmas (Jason Statham),martial arts expert Yin Yang(Jet Li) and explosives expert Toll Road(Randy Couture) to stop them from completely overrunning the country and killing Garza's daughter.
Clearly The Expendables is not a film that prides itself on plot. It is a shoot'em up old school action film and it knows it. It never takes itself too seriously and know its campy. Sylvester Stallone had one goal in mind with this movie and that goal was to make a kick-ass action movie and he prevailed. The action sequences are jaw-droppingly good. The last 45 minutes is pretty much just a giant bloodbath that will leave you out of breath. On top of all the action it was great to see all these action stars sharing a screen. Seeing legends like Stallone with today's action heroes like Jason Statham and Jet Li was pretty much an action-movie fan's dream come true.
The Expendables is a great action film. It is brainless fun and if you like action movies in this vein than The Expendables is essentially a wet dream for you. It is an hour and forty-five minutes of pure adrenaline and testerone in film form. The Expendables is big,dumb,loud and I loved every damn minute of it.
4.5/5 Stars
Friday, August 13, 2010
Album Review: Iron Maiden-The Final Frontier
Iron Maiden's reunion-era material has not really gone over well with me. I liked the first reunion record "Brave New World" but after that I haven't liked a single one. The Final Frontier continues my dissapointment with new Maiden records and hell this might even be the worst Iron Maiden record with Bruce Dickinson on it.
The main thing with The Final Frontier is the songs are just extremely weak. From the what the fuck opener "Satellite 15......The Final Frontier" with its really long,dumb intro and the lead single "El Dorado" with its bass line that sounds exactly the same as Heart's Barracuda I had a bad feeling about the rest of the record and I was only 2 tracks in. That bad feeling came true when I listened to the whole record and I was insanely bored. I mean I like prog metal a lot and I can appreciate slower material but it just does not work for Iron Maiden. They are a band that was pretty much meant to play fast(or even mid-paced) and when you take them out of their element they don't really succeed. Another glaring problem is how bad Bruce Dickinson's sounds on vocals. In my opinion Bruce Dickinson is the greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time but on The Final Frontier he sounds strained,exhausted and very weak. The guitar's are also way too low in the mix and the production as a whole is awful. In all honesty I that only postives about this record are the middle instrumental section in "Starblind" and "The Talismen"
The Final Frontier is just a straight up bad record. Iron Maiden is my 3rd favorite band of all time and it pains me to criticize them like this but this record just doesn't click at all. Their is a lack of good riffs,Bruce sounds awful and the songs are just extremely weak and boring. At the end of the year this record will absoultely be near the bottom of my list. I know there are going to be people out there that will want my head on a stake for this review but I just really can't find much of anything to like about this record. The Final Frontier is dull,lifeless and just plain bad.
1.5/5 Stars
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Rock and Shock 2010 lineup
Here is the lineup for the annual Rock and Shock festival in Worcester,MA at The Palladium.
October 15th
Suffocation
Suicide Silence
MyChildren MyBride
The Faceless
Through The Eyes Of The Dead
Decrepit Birth
Dawn Of Ashes
Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza
Moltov Solution
Conducting From The Grave
Stick To Your Guns
As Blood Runs Black
Attila
For The Fallen Dreams
Close Your Eyes
October 16th
GWAR
Nevermore
Black Veil Brides
The Casualities
William Control
Warbringer
Motionless In White
Mutiny Within
Hatesphere
Infernaeon
Mobile Deathcamp
The cool thing about this year's fest if you purchase a ticket to the Rob Zombie/Alice Cooper show on the 16th at the DCU Center in Worcester you get free enterance to the show at The Palladium if there is space.
Friday's lineup is intresting. I really want to see Suffocation and I think its great they get to headline the day. I have seen Suicide Silence 3 times and they do put on a pretty decent show but I am a little sick of seeing them. Could care less about MyChildren MyBride saw them last summer and they are just an extremely average run of the mill band. The Faceless is one of my favorite bands around right now and they always bring it live. Through The Eyes Of The Dead is good as well saw them in April and they were pretty good live. Decrepit Birth is a good live act. Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravangza is ok they are a little bit boring but they really aren't too bad. Moltov Solution,Stick To Your Guns and Conducting From The Grave all decent bands that I don't listen to much but I am not opposed to seeing live. When it comes down to it the only 2 shit bands on the bill are As Blood Runs Black and For The Fallen Dreams. Never listened to Dawn Of Ashes,Attilla or Close Your Eyes.
Bottom Line: Friday's lineup is pretty good overall. Suffocation has been near the top of my bands I need to see live list for a while. Downside is there is a lot of average/just above average bands on the bill. Pretty decent chance I will attend this show.
Saturday lineup is very,very odd. You take a look at the top 3 bands on the bill and most likely "How the fuck did that happen?". GWAR is headlining and I have really wanted to see them for quite some time. GWAR was pretty much made to headline a horror-themed festival. I am not a big Nevermore fan. They are extremely talented and they probably put on a good show but I would not go specifically see them. Black Veil Brides are fucking horrendous and are easily the worst band on the festival. The Casualities are out of place big time being an old-school punk band they are out on tour with GWAR should interesting to see how that pans out. Warbringer is a great new thrash band I would say they are the 2nd best band on the bill for this day. Motionless In White is another shit band they are clearly on tour with Black Veil Brides and they will most likely be recieved terribly. Mutiny Within and Hatesphere are both alright. Mobile Deathcamp is pretty good as well from the few songs that I have heard. Never listened to William Control or Infernaeon.
Bottom Line: It's an alright lineup. GWAR is a big draw for me and the fact that will most likely start after the Zombie/Cooper show is awesome. A lot of the bands don't do much for me but if I end up going to the Zombie/Cooper show I will most likely watch Warbringer and GWAR.
October 15th
Suffocation
Suicide Silence
MyChildren MyBride
The Faceless
Through The Eyes Of The Dead
Decrepit Birth
Dawn Of Ashes
Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza
Moltov Solution
Conducting From The Grave
Stick To Your Guns
As Blood Runs Black
Attila
For The Fallen Dreams
Close Your Eyes
October 16th
GWAR
Nevermore
Black Veil Brides
The Casualities
William Control
Warbringer
Motionless In White
Mutiny Within
Hatesphere
Infernaeon
Mobile Deathcamp
The cool thing about this year's fest if you purchase a ticket to the Rob Zombie/Alice Cooper show on the 16th at the DCU Center in Worcester you get free enterance to the show at The Palladium if there is space.
Friday's lineup is intresting. I really want to see Suffocation and I think its great they get to headline the day. I have seen Suicide Silence 3 times and they do put on a pretty decent show but I am a little sick of seeing them. Could care less about MyChildren MyBride saw them last summer and they are just an extremely average run of the mill band. The Faceless is one of my favorite bands around right now and they always bring it live. Through The Eyes Of The Dead is good as well saw them in April and they were pretty good live. Decrepit Birth is a good live act. Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravangza is ok they are a little bit boring but they really aren't too bad. Moltov Solution,Stick To Your Guns and Conducting From The Grave all decent bands that I don't listen to much but I am not opposed to seeing live. When it comes down to it the only 2 shit bands on the bill are As Blood Runs Black and For The Fallen Dreams. Never listened to Dawn Of Ashes,Attilla or Close Your Eyes.
Bottom Line: Friday's lineup is pretty good overall. Suffocation has been near the top of my bands I need to see live list for a while. Downside is there is a lot of average/just above average bands on the bill. Pretty decent chance I will attend this show.
Saturday lineup is very,very odd. You take a look at the top 3 bands on the bill and most likely "How the fuck did that happen?". GWAR is headlining and I have really wanted to see them for quite some time. GWAR was pretty much made to headline a horror-themed festival. I am not a big Nevermore fan. They are extremely talented and they probably put on a good show but I would not go specifically see them. Black Veil Brides are fucking horrendous and are easily the worst band on the festival. The Casualities are out of place big time being an old-school punk band they are out on tour with GWAR should interesting to see how that pans out. Warbringer is a great new thrash band I would say they are the 2nd best band on the bill for this day. Motionless In White is another shit band they are clearly on tour with Black Veil Brides and they will most likely be recieved terribly. Mutiny Within and Hatesphere are both alright. Mobile Deathcamp is pretty good as well from the few songs that I have heard. Never listened to William Control or Infernaeon.
Bottom Line: It's an alright lineup. GWAR is a big draw for me and the fact that will most likely start after the Zombie/Cooper show is awesome. A lot of the bands don't do much for me but if I end up going to the Zombie/Cooper show I will most likely watch Warbringer and GWAR.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Movie Review: The Other Guys
Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have become one of the trusted comedy pairings in Hollywood. On their 3 previous efforts 2004's "Anchorman", 2006's "Talladega Nights" and 2008's "Step Brothers" they created 3 of the most memorable comedy films of the past decade. Their latest teaming The Other Guys is another memorable entry for Ferrell and McKay.
Alan Gamble (Will Ferrell) is a cop that is comfortable with his role doing paperwork and does not feel like he should be doing any other forms of police buisness. Terry Hoitz(Mark Wahlberg) was a cop out in the field until an accidental shooting got him reassigned to desk work. After the top police officers in their precinct die in the line of duty Gamble and Hoitz spring into action. The case that Gamble and Hoitz assign themselves to involves David Ershon(Steve Coogan) an accountant that has made some shady transactions for a major company. Not only do Gamble and Hoitz have to deal with this case they also have to deal with two other cops(Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans Jr.) that are trying to become the top duo on the police force and the constant naysaying of their chief(Michael Keaton).
The Other Guys is absoultely hysterical. Honestly I didn't go a minute without laughing my ass off. The jokes are so clever and there so many fantastic quotes. Another thing that works about the humor is that their is a lot of surprises/unexpected situations that are all hillarious and it reminded of "The Hangover" in that regard. Will Ferell and Mark Wahlberg make a hysterical team. Of course Ferrell has proven time and time again that he is a great comic actor but Wahlberg had a lot to prove and he did. I was so happy to see Wahlberg in a movie that was actually good for once it has been kind of a rough road for him after The Departed with him just starring in a bunch of awful,awful movies. The supporting cast also added a lot to the mix. Michael Keaton in particular really stepped to the plate and had some great line.
The Other Guys is another brillant entry from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. They know to make a comedy work. The script is really fantastic and filled with a lot of amazing jokes/hillarious situations. If you are a fan of Will Ferrell or buddy cop spoofs go see this right now. The Other Guys is a contender for the funniest film of the year and ranks about equal with the previous Ferrell/McKay films.
4.5/5 Stars
Friday, August 6, 2010
Revisiting 2009's albums.
2009 was a banner year for music. I will look back on that for the rest of my life and remember how many memorable albums have were relased that year. This year I have taken the time time to revisit those albums and even listen to 10 more that I missed from last year. This was such a hard list to make as a lot of these albums are pretty dead even in terms of quality. Here is the revised list of albums complete with the previous rankings from my list at the end of last year.
80.(70)Green Day-21st Century Breakdown
79.(69)Rose Funeral-The Resting Sonata
78.(68)Jay-Z-The Blueprint 3
77.(64) Weezer-Ratiude
76.(67)Marliyn Manson-The High End Of Low
75.(66)The Chariot-Wars and Rumors Of War
74.(65)Pearl Jam-Backspacer
73.(63)Bury Your Dead-It's Nothing Personal
72.(new)Busta Rhymes-Back On My B.S
71.(62)Unholy-New Life Behind Closed Eyes
70.(60)The Devil Wears Prada-With Roots Above and Branches Below
69.(57)Static-X-Cult Of Static
68.(61)Trigger The Bloodshed-The Great Depression
67.(59)The Mars Volta-Octhedron
66.(58)Chimaria-The Infection
65.(56)AFI-Crash Love
64(55)Oceano-Depths
63.(54)CKY-Carver City
62.(52)Suicide Silence-No Time To Bleed
61.(49)Five Finger Death Punch-War Is The Answer
60.(51)Hatebreed-For The Lions
59.(new)Thy Will Be Done-In Anicent Of Days
58.(35)Eminem-Relapse
57.(50)GWAR-Lust In Space
56.(53)Arsonists Get All The Girls-Portals
55.(48)Dying Fetus-Descent Into Depravity
54.(47)Atmosphere-Leak At Will
53.(new)Animals As Leaders-Animals As Leaders
52.(46)Slayer-World Painted Blood
51.(44) A Day To Remember-Homesick
50.(45)Cannibal Corpse-Evisceration Plague
49.(43)Suffocation-Blood Oath
48.(new)Them Crooked Vultures-Them Crooked Vultures
47.(38)Kreator-Hordes Of Chaos
46.(39)Despised Icon-Day Of Mourning
45.(new)Isis-Wavering Radiant
44.(37)The Crimson Armada-Guardians
43.(36)Lacuna Coil-Shallow Life
42.(42) 3 Inches Of Blood-Here Waits Thy Doom
41.(new)Every Time I Die-New Junk Aesthectic
40.(new)Struck By Lightning-Serpents
39.(41)Born Of Osiris-A Higher Place
38.(new)Scale The Summit-Carving Desert Canyons
37.(34)August Burns Red-Constellations
36.(33)Warbringer-Waking Into Nightmares
35.(31) Dream Theater-Black Clouds and Silver Linings
34.(40)Augury-Fragmenting Evidence
33.(32)Cattle Decapitation-The Harvest Floor
32.(22)Vader-Necropolis
31.(30)Devildriver-Pray For Villans
30.(new)Revocation-Existence Is Futile
29.(28)Muse-The Resistence
28.(29)Gaza-He Is Never Coming Back
27.(26)Darkest Hour-The Eternal Return
26.(25)Kylesa-Static Tensions
25.(19)Killswitch Engage-Killswitch Engage
24.(24)Enfiserum-From Afar
23.(23)Municipal Waste-Massive Agressive
22.(27)Winds Of Plague-The Great Stone War
21.(21)Rammstien-Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da
20.(18)Napalm Death-Time Waits For No Slave
19.(16)Shadows Fall-Retribution
18.(20)Converge-Axe To Fall
17.(17)Job For A Cowboy-Ruination
16.(15)Nile-Those Whom The Gods Detest
15.(14)Hatebreed-Hatebreed
14.(13)The Red Chord-Fed Through The Teeth Machine
13.(12)Baroness-Blue Record
12.(11)Lazarus A.D-The Onslaught
11.(10)Alice In Chains-Black Gives Way To Blue
10.(8)Goatwhore-Carving Out The Eyes Of God
9.(9)Skeletonwitch-Breathing The Fire
8.(7)God Forbid-Earthsblood
7.(new)Behemoth-Evangelion
6.(6)Doom-Born Like This
5.(5)Megadeth-Endgame
4.(4)Lamb Of God-Wrath
3.(3)The Black Dahlia Murder-Deflorate
2.(2)Mastodon-Crack The Skye
1.(1)Between The Buried and Me-The Great Misdirect
80.(70)Green Day-21st Century Breakdown
79.(69)Rose Funeral-The Resting Sonata
78.(68)Jay-Z-The Blueprint 3
77.(64) Weezer-Ratiude
76.(67)Marliyn Manson-The High End Of Low
75.(66)The Chariot-Wars and Rumors Of War
74.(65)Pearl Jam-Backspacer
73.(63)Bury Your Dead-It's Nothing Personal
72.(new)Busta Rhymes-Back On My B.S
71.(62)Unholy-New Life Behind Closed Eyes
70.(60)The Devil Wears Prada-With Roots Above and Branches Below
69.(57)Static-X-Cult Of Static
68.(61)Trigger The Bloodshed-The Great Depression
67.(59)The Mars Volta-Octhedron
66.(58)Chimaria-The Infection
65.(56)AFI-Crash Love
64(55)Oceano-Depths
63.(54)CKY-Carver City
62.(52)Suicide Silence-No Time To Bleed
61.(49)Five Finger Death Punch-War Is The Answer
60.(51)Hatebreed-For The Lions
59.(new)Thy Will Be Done-In Anicent Of Days
58.(35)Eminem-Relapse
57.(50)GWAR-Lust In Space
56.(53)Arsonists Get All The Girls-Portals
55.(48)Dying Fetus-Descent Into Depravity
54.(47)Atmosphere-Leak At Will
53.(new)Animals As Leaders-Animals As Leaders
52.(46)Slayer-World Painted Blood
51.(44) A Day To Remember-Homesick
50.(45)Cannibal Corpse-Evisceration Plague
49.(43)Suffocation-Blood Oath
48.(new)Them Crooked Vultures-Them Crooked Vultures
47.(38)Kreator-Hordes Of Chaos
46.(39)Despised Icon-Day Of Mourning
45.(new)Isis-Wavering Radiant
44.(37)The Crimson Armada-Guardians
43.(36)Lacuna Coil-Shallow Life
42.(42) 3 Inches Of Blood-Here Waits Thy Doom
41.(new)Every Time I Die-New Junk Aesthectic
40.(new)Struck By Lightning-Serpents
39.(41)Born Of Osiris-A Higher Place
38.(new)Scale The Summit-Carving Desert Canyons
37.(34)August Burns Red-Constellations
36.(33)Warbringer-Waking Into Nightmares
35.(31) Dream Theater-Black Clouds and Silver Linings
34.(40)Augury-Fragmenting Evidence
33.(32)Cattle Decapitation-The Harvest Floor
32.(22)Vader-Necropolis
31.(30)Devildriver-Pray For Villans
30.(new)Revocation-Existence Is Futile
29.(28)Muse-The Resistence
28.(29)Gaza-He Is Never Coming Back
27.(26)Darkest Hour-The Eternal Return
26.(25)Kylesa-Static Tensions
25.(19)Killswitch Engage-Killswitch Engage
24.(24)Enfiserum-From Afar
23.(23)Municipal Waste-Massive Agressive
22.(27)Winds Of Plague-The Great Stone War
21.(21)Rammstien-Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da
20.(18)Napalm Death-Time Waits For No Slave
19.(16)Shadows Fall-Retribution
18.(20)Converge-Axe To Fall
17.(17)Job For A Cowboy-Ruination
16.(15)Nile-Those Whom The Gods Detest
15.(14)Hatebreed-Hatebreed
14.(13)The Red Chord-Fed Through The Teeth Machine
13.(12)Baroness-Blue Record
12.(11)Lazarus A.D-The Onslaught
11.(10)Alice In Chains-Black Gives Way To Blue
10.(8)Goatwhore-Carving Out The Eyes Of God
9.(9)Skeletonwitch-Breathing The Fire
8.(7)God Forbid-Earthsblood
7.(new)Behemoth-Evangelion
6.(6)Doom-Born Like This
5.(5)Megadeth-Endgame
4.(4)Lamb Of God-Wrath
3.(3)The Black Dahlia Murder-Deflorate
2.(2)Mastodon-Crack The Skye
1.(1)Between The Buried and Me-The Great Misdirect
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Album Review: Finntroll-Nifelvind
I am finally starting to catch up on a few records that were released in the first half of the year. I still have some left to listen to but it seems like there were a few gems that I ignored untill now. Among those is the new record from Finnish folk metal act Finntroll.
Finntroll has always been a band that plays a unique style of folk metal. Of course they still have the folky crazy parts with folk instruments but out of all the folk metal acts that I listen to Finntroll is the heaviest. They effortless blend folk metal with old-school euro black/death metal. Througout its duration Nifelvind seems like one big party. From the intro track "Blodmarsch" to the preceding track "Solsagan" you can tell exactly how great and fun Nifelvind will be. Sure its still a heavy record for folk metal its actually very heavy but Fintroll knows how to blend the elements of folk and death metal extremely well. Plain and simple if your are listening to this record and are a fan of the genre you will have a fun time listening. That being said if you don't like folk metal this album most likely won't change your mind. It has all the core elements of a typical folk metal record and really doesn't try anything too out of the blue for folk metal.
Fintroll has done it again an stuck to their winning formula. They have made a folky and fun yet heavy record. I am sure these tracks sound even better live and hopefully they do another US tour soon so I get the chance to see them live. Nifelvind is going to make a run at my top 20 albums of the year for sure. 2010 needed another great folk metal record and Finntroll has delivered in that area. Bottom line when it comes to folk metal not many acts maintain the balance of heavy and folk as well as Fintroll and they are absoultey one of the leaders for the genre.
4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Solsagan
2.Ett Norkensdad
3.Forfamnad
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Rant: Crunkcore/Auto-Tone in Metal
I tend to be open minded when it comes to metal and clearly there are bands I don't like. Even If i don't like a band I tend to respect someones opinion. There are plenty of bands I would consider to be complete shit including Bring Me The Horizon,Emmure,Cradle Of Filth and plenty more.These bands I just named are all bad in my opinion but none of them are guilty of the single worst thing a heavy band do and proabably the only thing a band can do that would make me think "How the fuck did they get a record deal". That thing is be associated with the Crunkcore genre.
These crunkcore acts such as broKENcyde,Asking Alexandria,Attack Attack! and Vampires Everywhere! just to name to a few out of this newly popular trend are a disease to music. I mean the fact that all these bands do is play fucking two-chord breakdowns and whack off with synths and auto-tone vocals it is just sickening. I mean this music can't be serious can it? "Heavy riffs" with goddamn electronic auto-tone vocals and half-assed screams it has to be a damn joke. These bands are all a bunch of pretty boy bitches who only care about getting laid. I think that's about the only excuse I can think of for making such lame fucking music. I mean the fucking fans of these shitty,shitty bands are all either 12-16 year old girls who just want to bang the dudes in the band and could give a shit less what they are playing or scene kids who are riding the trend just to go to a show and show off their sweet hardcore dancing moves and sweet haircuts and look very bored in the pit untill one of the 60,000 breakdowns per song with a rap beat or a synth behind come on and then they all go to to town fighting the air.
I mean I don't tend to get this mad about people liking music. I'm just some 18-year old asshole at a computer screen. I like and/or respect most music. When it comes to metal I am pretty much down with everything. I listen to a wide variety of bands from a wide variety of subgenres. That being said this crunkcore shit though needs to go. Honestly these bands are fucking polluting the heavy music scene with their garbage,garbage music. Hell I would rather listen to Bring Me The Horizon a band that I absoultely loathe with a passion because at least they don't have fucking autotone. I really don't know how anyone could like bands like Asking Alexandria,Attack Attack! etc. Their music has no merit its not brutal,its not catchy,its not heavy, its just lame as fuck. Actually I take back the fact that I even refered to it as metal it really has 0 metal qualites in it. Everything about it the image,the shithead fans who don't respect each other and of course the music it just makes me sick. My advice to these bands: hang up the towel you talentless hacks, leave autotone alone and let T-Pain and the army of shitty dance-pop singers to jerk off with that shit.
These crunkcore acts such as broKENcyde,Asking Alexandria,Attack Attack! and Vampires Everywhere! just to name to a few out of this newly popular trend are a disease to music. I mean the fact that all these bands do is play fucking two-chord breakdowns and whack off with synths and auto-tone vocals it is just sickening. I mean this music can't be serious can it? "Heavy riffs" with goddamn electronic auto-tone vocals and half-assed screams it has to be a damn joke. These bands are all a bunch of pretty boy bitches who only care about getting laid. I think that's about the only excuse I can think of for making such lame fucking music. I mean the fucking fans of these shitty,shitty bands are all either 12-16 year old girls who just want to bang the dudes in the band and could give a shit less what they are playing or scene kids who are riding the trend just to go to a show and show off their sweet hardcore dancing moves and sweet haircuts and look very bored in the pit untill one of the 60,000 breakdowns per song with a rap beat or a synth behind come on and then they all go to to town fighting the air.
I mean I don't tend to get this mad about people liking music. I'm just some 18-year old asshole at a computer screen. I like and/or respect most music. When it comes to metal I am pretty much down with everything. I listen to a wide variety of bands from a wide variety of subgenres. That being said this crunkcore shit though needs to go. Honestly these bands are fucking polluting the heavy music scene with their garbage,garbage music. Hell I would rather listen to Bring Me The Horizon a band that I absoultely loathe with a passion because at least they don't have fucking autotone. I really don't know how anyone could like bands like Asking Alexandria,Attack Attack! etc. Their music has no merit its not brutal,its not catchy,its not heavy, its just lame as fuck. Actually I take back the fact that I even refered to it as metal it really has 0 metal qualites in it. Everything about it the image,the shithead fans who don't respect each other and of course the music it just makes me sick. My advice to these bands: hang up the towel you talentless hacks, leave autotone alone and let T-Pain and the army of shitty dance-pop singers to jerk off with that shit.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Concert Review: Summer Slaughter Worcester,MA July 31st,2010
Got to the show around 3:40. I ran to the door thinking I was going to miss Vital Remains. Thankfully The Palladium had put 1 local band on the main stage prior to the Summer Slaughter tour package. The local band was playing their last song when I got in. They sounded like a mix of The Faceless(instrumentally) and Arsonists Get All The Girls(vocally).
Anways onto the Summer Slaughter tour package. The New England Death Metal legends Vital Remains took the stage. These dudes know to put on a great show. Vital Remains should be billed higher on this tour simply on merit and experience alone, but I do understand from a popularity standpoint that they aren't very popular despite being around for 20+years. The crowd was going absoultely apeshit during their set. One of the best performances of the day for sure.
Animals As Leaders was also great. Seeing an instrumental band was a nice change of pace on a strictly extreme metal tour and the crowd was into them for the most part. It was really cool to finally see them after recently listening to their studio stuff and really digging it.
I hate Carnifex and thankfully the Over The Limit tour was playing upstairs at the same time. The only band that I liked on that whole tour is Arsonists Get All The Girls(I didn't even end up watching them they were on at the same time as Celphalic Carnage) but I figured any band on that bill is better than Carnifex. When I got upstairs, Thick As Blood was playing. They are pretty much a very average version of Hatebreed, at least middle of the road hardcore is better than shitty ass Carnifex.
Looked at the merch while Decrepit Birth was setting up. Pretty much every band has great designs and the merch is pretty cheap for every band. Onto Decrepit Birth they were pretty good. I am not a fan on disc but their material sounds a lot better live. I really have never understood why I don't like their studio stuff being a pretty big tech-death fan but I have just never gotten into them. I am glad I gave them a chance live and I enjoyed their set a pretty good deal.
Cephalic Carnage is fun as hell live. They go absoultely ballistic and they have great banter. The new songs sound really good I don't remember the names of the new ones but they are about smoking weed and watching Star Trek, and chronic masturbation.
Veil Of Maya is a severely underrated band. Their new album (id) is great and will most likely rank pretty highly on my end of the year list. The thing is with Veil Of Maya is that they are good live but they are better on album for sure. Their set was plagued with weak sound and the guitarist screwed up a few times. Despite those flaws they still put on a good show.
The local heroes from Revere,Massachusetts The Red Chord were on next. The Red Chord never fails to deliver live. They put on an amazing show every time and they look like they are having the time of their lives on the stage. Guy Kozoywk(spelled that wrong for sure) is a whirlwind on stage and he was so excited to be in front of the hometown crowd. He along with his bandmates were out and about all day talking with fans. The Red Chord is truely a class act and a fantastic band.
All Shall Perish is a band that is so much better live than they are on disc it is scary. I like them on disc but live they are 100x better. Sure they have some pig squealing and breakdowns but their guitarwork is fucking fantastic. All Shall Perish is a band that reminds me that deathcore can be done right when in the right hands. Met the singer right after their set as well, he is a really nice guy. Great performance and I will most likely see them next time they come around.
The Faceless was one of the reasons for me to come to this show. They are one of my favorite bands around right now and imo the best tech-death band to emerge in quite some time. This was my 2nd time seeing them and they are fucking great live. Derek Rydquist is a monster of a vocalist. Michael Keene hit every one of his solos to perfection. Best part was they played a longer setlist than they have been playing for most of the tour. Technically perfect,brutal and flat out fantastic. Tied for the best show of the day with The Red Chord.
I had to miss Decapitated and that killed me. Hey I had to make a small sacrifice for my friend not a really big deal. He drove me there and I know he wanted to see Decapitated as well but he wanted to see his girlfriend on her birthday so I gotta respect that. I do love Decapitated and I am sure they will tour again and I will make damn sure that I am there when do.
Great fucking show and If this is coming to your city go. With the exception of Carnifex there is not a weak band on the bill and I think every extreme metal fan will go home happy after this show.
Scores
Vital Remains 8.5/10
Animals As Leaders 8/10
Thick As Blood 5/10
Decrepit Birth 7.5/10
Cephalic Carnage 8/10
Veil Of Maya 7.5/10
The Red Chord 9/10
All Shall Perish 8.5/10
The Faceless 9/10
Setlists
Vital Remains
Dechristianize
Savior To None,Failure To All
?
Hammer Down The Nails
Animals As Leaders
Wave Of Babies
Tempting Time
On Inpulse
CAFO
Cephalic Carnage
Hybrid
Endless Cycle Of Violence
New Song
New Song
New Song
Lucid Interval
?
Kill For Weed
Veil Of Maya
(id)
Unbreakable
Crawl Back
Dark Passenger
Pillars
We Bow In Its Aura
It's Not Safe To Swim Today
The Red Chord
Demoralizer
Bone Needle
Black Santa
Floating Through The Vein
Hour Of Rats
Nihillist
Dreaming In Dog Years
Antman
All Shall Perish
There Is No Buisness To Be Done On A Dead Planet....
Stabbing To Purge Dissimulation
When Life Meant More...
Gagged,Bound,Shelved and Forgotten
Never....Again
Eradication
Wage Slaves
The Faceless
Shape Shifters
Coldly Calculated Design
Sons Of Belial
Xenochrist
The Anicent Covenant
Horizons Of Chaos I: Oracle Of The Onslaught
Legion Of The Serpent
Planetary Duality I: Hideous Revelation
Planetary Duality II: A Prophecies Fruition
An Autopsy
Anways onto the Summer Slaughter tour package. The New England Death Metal legends Vital Remains took the stage. These dudes know to put on a great show. Vital Remains should be billed higher on this tour simply on merit and experience alone, but I do understand from a popularity standpoint that they aren't very popular despite being around for 20+years. The crowd was going absoultely apeshit during their set. One of the best performances of the day for sure.
Animals As Leaders was also great. Seeing an instrumental band was a nice change of pace on a strictly extreme metal tour and the crowd was into them for the most part. It was really cool to finally see them after recently listening to their studio stuff and really digging it.
I hate Carnifex and thankfully the Over The Limit tour was playing upstairs at the same time. The only band that I liked on that whole tour is Arsonists Get All The Girls(I didn't even end up watching them they were on at the same time as Celphalic Carnage) but I figured any band on that bill is better than Carnifex. When I got upstairs, Thick As Blood was playing. They are pretty much a very average version of Hatebreed, at least middle of the road hardcore is better than shitty ass Carnifex.
Looked at the merch while Decrepit Birth was setting up. Pretty much every band has great designs and the merch is pretty cheap for every band. Onto Decrepit Birth they were pretty good. I am not a fan on disc but their material sounds a lot better live. I really have never understood why I don't like their studio stuff being a pretty big tech-death fan but I have just never gotten into them. I am glad I gave them a chance live and I enjoyed their set a pretty good deal.
Cephalic Carnage is fun as hell live. They go absoultely ballistic and they have great banter. The new songs sound really good I don't remember the names of the new ones but they are about smoking weed and watching Star Trek, and chronic masturbation.
Veil Of Maya is a severely underrated band. Their new album (id) is great and will most likely rank pretty highly on my end of the year list. The thing is with Veil Of Maya is that they are good live but they are better on album for sure. Their set was plagued with weak sound and the guitarist screwed up a few times. Despite those flaws they still put on a good show.
The local heroes from Revere,Massachusetts The Red Chord were on next. The Red Chord never fails to deliver live. They put on an amazing show every time and they look like they are having the time of their lives on the stage. Guy Kozoywk(spelled that wrong for sure) is a whirlwind on stage and he was so excited to be in front of the hometown crowd. He along with his bandmates were out and about all day talking with fans. The Red Chord is truely a class act and a fantastic band.
All Shall Perish is a band that is so much better live than they are on disc it is scary. I like them on disc but live they are 100x better. Sure they have some pig squealing and breakdowns but their guitarwork is fucking fantastic. All Shall Perish is a band that reminds me that deathcore can be done right when in the right hands. Met the singer right after their set as well, he is a really nice guy. Great performance and I will most likely see them next time they come around.
The Faceless was one of the reasons for me to come to this show. They are one of my favorite bands around right now and imo the best tech-death band to emerge in quite some time. This was my 2nd time seeing them and they are fucking great live. Derek Rydquist is a monster of a vocalist. Michael Keene hit every one of his solos to perfection. Best part was they played a longer setlist than they have been playing for most of the tour. Technically perfect,brutal and flat out fantastic. Tied for the best show of the day with The Red Chord.
I had to miss Decapitated and that killed me. Hey I had to make a small sacrifice for my friend not a really big deal. He drove me there and I know he wanted to see Decapitated as well but he wanted to see his girlfriend on her birthday so I gotta respect that. I do love Decapitated and I am sure they will tour again and I will make damn sure that I am there when do.
Great fucking show and If this is coming to your city go. With the exception of Carnifex there is not a weak band on the bill and I think every extreme metal fan will go home happy after this show.
Scores
Vital Remains 8.5/10
Animals As Leaders 8/10
Thick As Blood 5/10
Decrepit Birth 7.5/10
Cephalic Carnage 8/10
Veil Of Maya 7.5/10
The Red Chord 9/10
All Shall Perish 8.5/10
The Faceless 9/10
Setlists
Vital Remains
Dechristianize
Savior To None,Failure To All
?
Hammer Down The Nails
Animals As Leaders
Wave Of Babies
Tempting Time
On Inpulse
CAFO
Cephalic Carnage
Hybrid
Endless Cycle Of Violence
New Song
New Song
New Song
Lucid Interval
?
Kill For Weed
Veil Of Maya
(id)
Unbreakable
Crawl Back
Dark Passenger
Pillars
We Bow In Its Aura
It's Not Safe To Swim Today
The Red Chord
Demoralizer
Bone Needle
Black Santa
Floating Through The Vein
Hour Of Rats
Nihillist
Dreaming In Dog Years
Antman
All Shall Perish
There Is No Buisness To Be Done On A Dead Planet....
Stabbing To Purge Dissimulation
When Life Meant More...
Gagged,Bound,Shelved and Forgotten
Never....Again
Eradication
Wage Slaves
The Faceless
Shape Shifters
Coldly Calculated Design
Sons Of Belial
Xenochrist
The Anicent Covenant
Horizons Of Chaos I: Oracle Of The Onslaught
Legion Of The Serpent
Planetary Duality I: Hideous Revelation
Planetary Duality II: A Prophecies Fruition
An Autopsy
Sunday, August 1, 2010
August In Film
August is a very iffy month for movie releases. Here are the film I am excited to see along with the ones I don't and all that jazz.
Flims I am excited for
3.Piranha 3-D(August 20)-This movie look absoultely terrible but it is also a contender for comedy of the year so it qualifys for the films I am excited for section soley for that purpose.
2.The Expendables(August 13)-As an action movie whore this is pretty much a dream come true. Getting this many action starts from past and present in one movie is just fucking awesome. The trailer looks great and it should be a hell of an action film.
1.The Other Guys(August 6)-I am a huge Will Ferrell fan and this being his 4th collabration with Adam McKay(Anchorman,Talladega Nights,Step Brothers) as well as the fact that it has great supporting cast(The Rock,Samuel L.Jackson,Craig Robinson,Michael Keaton) make it a must-see.
Films I am unsure about
Takers(August 27)-It looks alright and better than expected but I doubt I will ever see it.
Lottery Ticket(August 20)-See Takers
The Last Exorcism(August 27)-I haven't seen the trailer or any ad's at all so can't really form an opinion.
Going The Distance(August 27)- The trailer looks alright and it has a great cast. Most likely will check it out on DVD.
Films That that there is no chance in Hell i will ever see.
Step Up 3-D(August 6)-It shames me to say that I have seen the first Step Up and I kind of liked it but they really need to stop making these films. There is only so much you can do with a fucking dance movie and why the hell is it in 3-D?
Eat,Pray,Love(August 13)-Plain and simple just not my kind of movie.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World(August 13)-I like Michael Cera and director Edgar Wright and the concept sounded funny on paper. The trailer changed my mind completely. It looks like absolute horse shit and there is nothing even remotely funny about the trailer.
Vampires Suck(August 18)-They gaves the Epic Movie guys another movie? I can't even believe this was green lighted. I would rather watch every Land Before Time movie on a loop for the rest of my life then watch this sure to be the stupidest thing you have ever seen movie.
Nanny Mcphee Returns(August 20)-Just no.
The Switch(August 20)-This looks pretty bad. I kind of like Jason Bateman but I will pass on this one.
Flims I am excited for
3.Piranha 3-D(August 20)-This movie look absoultely terrible but it is also a contender for comedy of the year so it qualifys for the films I am excited for section soley for that purpose.
2.The Expendables(August 13)-As an action movie whore this is pretty much a dream come true. Getting this many action starts from past and present in one movie is just fucking awesome. The trailer looks great and it should be a hell of an action film.
1.The Other Guys(August 6)-I am a huge Will Ferrell fan and this being his 4th collabration with Adam McKay(Anchorman,Talladega Nights,Step Brothers) as well as the fact that it has great supporting cast(The Rock,Samuel L.Jackson,Craig Robinson,Michael Keaton) make it a must-see.
Films I am unsure about
Takers(August 27)-It looks alright and better than expected but I doubt I will ever see it.
Lottery Ticket(August 20)-See Takers
The Last Exorcism(August 27)-I haven't seen the trailer or any ad's at all so can't really form an opinion.
Going The Distance(August 27)- The trailer looks alright and it has a great cast. Most likely will check it out on DVD.
Films That that there is no chance in Hell i will ever see.
Step Up 3-D(August 6)-It shames me to say that I have seen the first Step Up and I kind of liked it but they really need to stop making these films. There is only so much you can do with a fucking dance movie and why the hell is it in 3-D?
Eat,Pray,Love(August 13)-Plain and simple just not my kind of movie.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World(August 13)-I like Michael Cera and director Edgar Wright and the concept sounded funny on paper. The trailer changed my mind completely. It looks like absolute horse shit and there is nothing even remotely funny about the trailer.
Vampires Suck(August 18)-They gaves the Epic Movie guys another movie? I can't even believe this was green lighted. I would rather watch every Land Before Time movie on a loop for the rest of my life then watch this sure to be the stupidest thing you have ever seen movie.
Nanny Mcphee Returns(August 20)-Just no.
The Switch(August 20)-This looks pretty bad. I kind of like Jason Bateman but I will pass on this one.
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