Album Review: Evan Brewer-Alone

The bass is (arguably) the most underused common instrument in all of music. The bass is very rarely thrown into the forefront of the music. Most bassists just slide into the background and let the guitarists take the spotlight. Ex-Animosity and current The Faceless bassist Evan Brewer decided to make the art of bass playing relevant again with his solo album Alone.

Alone is 100% bass. No guitars, no drums, no other instruments, just bass. I found this to be an incredibly unique idea for instrumental album. There are plenty of instrumental record with virtuoso guitarists, but none with virtuoso bassists. After hearing Alone, I can say without a doubt that Evan Brewer is one of the best bassists of all time.Brewer makes this record a diverse and enthralling ride with his knack for strong songwriting. Every style of bass playing you could possibly imagine is showcased during Alone's thirty-minute runtime. There is everything from sections of frantic slap bass to slow, haunting, jazz-fusion bass. There are even parts of the album where Brewer plays two basses at the same time! I didn't even know that was possible and I recently heard he can play two basses live too. That is a completely amazing talent to be able to pull off and just solidifies even further how special of a talent Brewer is.

Alone is a fascinating listen. Evan Brewer's bass playing is magical. The concept of an instrumental bass album is very innovative and Brewer's style of inventive bass playing makes it even better. He is extremely talented and I can't wait to hear the contributions he makes to The Faceless. This could have been a tedious record,  but Brewer's creativity and skill makes this record something worthwhile  Alone is an original, relaxing, and fascinating listen that showcases Brewer's immense talent as a bassist.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Currency
2.Actualize
3.Degenerate

Movie Review: Source Code

Wow is all I can say. Source Code is one of those rare films that blew my expectations away. Source Code is anchored by the rock-solid script/direction from Duncan Jones. This is one of the most mind-bending, suspenseful, original, and exciting films to be released in a while. The concept is completely original and fascinating and is approached in a complex, intelligent manner. The twists thrown in are surprising and really add to the fun and quality of the film. Between this and Moon, Duncan Jones is becoming one of the most promising young directors in Hollywood. On top of Jones's brilliant writing and direction, the acting is top-notch. Jake Gyllenhaal gives his best performance since Donnie Darko. His most recent films haven't been of the highest quality and it makes your forget how good an actor he can be when given good material to work with. You care about every decision he makes in the "Source Code" and you completely sympathize with his character. The audience grows an emotional attachment with the character and that can be attributed to the depth that Gyllenhaal gives the character. Source Code is easily one of my favorite films of the year so far. It's a completely unique and enthralling film, that is one hell of a ride.

4.5/5 Stars

Album Review: Jamey Jasta-Jasta

Solo albums can be risky business. They can either be great or turn into a really lazy effort for the frontman of a successful band. I was actually surprised to hear that Jamey Jasta was doing one. He didn't seem like the type of dude that would do a solo album. That being said, it should come as no surprise considering Jasta's other work that he made a quality solo album.

Jamey Jasta solo album is an interesting listen. It does conquer some uncharted territory for Jasta that he doesn't explore in Hatebreed or Kingdom Of Sorrow. There are a lot of melodic influences on this record. Jasta's use of clean vocals are an odd, but effective touch. At first, I was kind of taken back by his use of clean vocals, but it grew on me. It showed a different side of Jasta's vocals and I dug it. Don't worry Jasta fans, this isn't an entirely melodic affair. There is still plenty of heavy material on here. The best tracks on here are the heavier stuff."Walk That Path Alone" is a face-melter of an opener. It's very fast and has a definite thrash vibe. It's easily the fastest song Jasta has ever done vocals on. There is also some great guest artists on here. Everyone from Randy Blythe to Zakk Wylde appear on this record (the track with Blythe on it "Enslaved, Dead, or Depraved", is one of the best on here.) Jasta is able to make good use out of the plethora of diverse guest artists on here. Every guest spot adds to the quality of the song.

Jamey Jasta does a solid job with his solo record. It shows the different sides and influences that he has. He is able to pull off everything from thrashy tracks to very melodic tracks with ease. He is able to make excellent use of many guest artists that add to the quality of the record. As a fan of Jasta, this was a pretty cool record to listen to. It shows off his vast array of influences and gives you a good idea of his musical background.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Walk This Path Alone
2.Enslaved, Dead, or Depraved(ft.Randy Blythe)
3.With A Resounding Voice(ft. Tim Lambesis) 

Movie Review: Beastly (Film Number 8 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

Have you ever seen a film that almost made you vomit due how to bad it was? Beastly did that to me. Beastly is such a disaster that it caused me physical pain to watch. This film does absolutely nothing right. The acting is so bad that if you didn't know any better, you would think these weren't even professional actors. I've honestly seen better acting in porn. Alex Pettyfer is one of the worst, if not the worst, working actors in Hollywood. He was bad enough in I Am Number Four , but here he is even more bland and cringe-worthy. Vanessa Hudgens is almost as bad. She pretty much coasts through the film with one stupid expression on her face. The chemistry between her and Pettyfer is non-existent to say the least. The script has to be one of the most ridiculous, cliche-ridden pieces of shit I've ever seen. I was cringing throughout the entire film. Even for a romantic drama aimed at teenage girls, the script is unholy awful. Not even the normally great Neil Patrick Harris can save this film from the dumpster. Beastly is by far the worst film I've seen this year. Hell, it's worst thing I have seen in a long, long time. Even with it's brief runtime (86 minutes), it's feel like an eternity of suffering. I would not wish the pain of this fucking abomination of a film on anyone or anything.

0/5 Stars (If I could rate it negative stars, I would)

Concert Review: Mayhem Fest, Mansfield, MA, July 22nd, 2011

It's that time of the year again! I have been to every single Mayhem Fest since it's inception. It's always a fun time and the 2011 edition was no exception.

It was a brutally hot day in Massachusetts. It hit the low 100's at one point in time, but it was all worth it. That being said, the show started with a thud. The Jager band this year was Deadseason from Maine. They were completely horrible. They sounded like a bad Pantera cover band mixed with the clean vocals of a bad Killswitch Engage cover band. These guys really had no clue what they were doing on stage. I mean don't have high expectations for the Jager band, but I must say this is the only time in my four years going to this where the Jager band was bad.

Straight Line Stitch was up next and they were even worse. Their singer is unholy awful. She can't sing, she can't scream, and she is annoying as shit on stage. As soon as their first song started, I knew I was in for an awful performance. The instruments sucked too, generic-ass metalcore that didn't go anywhere. The singer wasn't even nice to look at. They had nothing going for them and are one of the absolute worst band I've ever seen.

Finally the first worthwhile band of the day, Red Fang, hit the stage. Red Fang played an energetic set and their brand of sludge/rock provided a nice-change of pace opposed to the other bands on the bill. Sadly, most of the crowd wasn't into them. I met them later in the day and they were a good group of dudes, although they did seem a bit bummed that not too many people were into them.

All Shall Perish followed. It was my third seeing them and I was stoked to them again. Their new record, This Is Where It Ends, is currently in my top 10 of the year. They still put on a good show, but this was the weakest of the three performances I've seen. The set didn't really pick up until they played "There Is No Business To Be Done On A Dead Planet". Their set was quite enjoyable after a bit of a rough start with the first couple of songs.

Kingdom Of Sorrow played next and they were awesome. Jamey Jasta brings the same energy and amazing stage presence he has with Hatebreed. Seeing him play with sludge legend Kirk Windstein was just great. I had them before when they first started, they have greatly improved live since then. They have found their identity as a band and become a lot more cohesive in a live environment. The one misstep was they blew out the PA during "Free The Fallen", but that didn't derail the set. Kingdom Of Sorrow was one of the best side stage bands of the day.

Suicide Silence hit the stage next. I am so fucking sick of seeing this band. They aren't bad, but I have seen them five times and I'm not even a fan of their music. I have pretty much said everything there is to be said about their live show before (good energy, their vocalist is kind of a douchebag, their live show is all over the place in terms of quality, their songs can kind of bleed together blah blah blah) . They were better this go round then they were at Rock and Shock last October, but they still were still just average. The only joy Suicide Silence brought me was after the show when my friend almost hit Mitch Lucker(their vocalist) with his van. Mitch was walking his dog in the middle of an unlit part of the parking lot when my friend and I left during Disturbed's set. It was pretty fucking funny and was easily the best story of the day.

Massachusetts's own Unearth came on after that. They put on an awesome show for the hometown crowd. You could tell they were stoked to be back home and the whole band seemed extremely appreciative. Justin Foley from Killswitch Engage did a really good job filling in on drums for this tour. He hit the older material flawlessly, as well as the new stuff that he recorded with the band. I would have liked to have seen one more song from the new record, Darkness In The Light , but the setlist was still damn good. I want to see Unearth headline at some point (this was my second time seeing them and the first time was also a support set) so I can them play longer. They are a ton of fun live and they always give it 110% live.

It was Machine Head's first day as a side stage headliner yesterday(they were on the main stage for the first two weeks of the tour) and they destroyed. This was my second time seeing Machine Head and it completely blew the doors off the first time I saw them. Robb Flynn sounded awesome, as did the whole band. The crowd was going absolutely nuts throughout their set. The crowd really didn't go that nuts until Unearth came on. But once it started to cool down a bit, The crowd's got alot crazier and Machine Head's set proved that. They did have to cut a song, which kind of sucked. Still Machine Head put one of the most impressive shows of the day.

In Flames was the other side-stage headliner and they were fucking fantastic. Although In Flames's more recent studio material pales in comparison to their older stuff, their live show is still awesome. The songs they played (for the most part) are no where near their best, but all of their songs come across so much better live. Anders Friden is one of the funniest frontmen in metal. He was cracking jokes the whole set and had the whole crowd laughing their asses off. In Flames closed out the side stages with the best performance (out of the side stage bands.)

Trivium opened the main stage and what a surprise, they sucked! I will say their live performance has slightly improved since the last time I saw them. I only saw the second half of their set because I bought a Gatorade and relaxed for a few minutes before I headed up to the lawn.

The number one reason I attended, thrash legends Megadeth hit the stage after that. They exceeded my insanely high expectations. I am actually kind of sad it took me this long to see them. Megadeth put on one of the best live performance I have ever seen. Dave Mustaine sounded perfect. He sounded exactly the same as he does on record. The band was perfect too. They hit everything, not even one mistake. That is extremely impressive considering the speed and complexity of Megadeth's songs. Chris Broderick is the best guitar player I have seen play live. Seeing him nail the solos on tracks like "Hangar 18", "Peace Sells" and "Holy Wars" was jaw-dropping. If you haven't seen Megadeth live, do it ASAP. Amongst the top five performances I have ever seen for sure.

The other Massachusetts band on the bill, hard rockers Godsmack, played next. I haven't listened to Godsmack on a regular basis since I was 13 or 14. My expectations were pretty low considering I'm not really a fan. To my surprise, Godsmack was actually very good. I don't know if it was the hometown crowd, but Godsmack put on a high-energy, fun, show. They had a pretty cool duel drum solo/ song jam near the end of the set was a unique and interesting break in the action. Godsmack highly exceeded my expectations.

Disturbed, on the otherhand, was a letdown. I have grown out of Disturbed in the past few years , but their live show at Mayhem 08 was great, This time around... not so much. They weren't awful, they just weren't anything special. David Draiman's voice is strained to shit. The various noises he made during "The Game" sounded awful. I left about 3/4 of the way into their set to beat the traffic. Disturbed was barely above average and should definitely take that hiatus that has been heavily rumored recently.

Another Mayhem has past and it was another fun year. A lot of quality performances amongst a few duds. If Mayhem continues to produce solid lineups, I will continue the tradition of going every year. I've had nothing but great experiences at Mayhem during it's four year run and I hope it can continue to remain a fun festival for years to come.

Scores:
Deadseason 3/10
Straight Line Stitch 1/10
Red Fang 8/10
All Shall Perish 8/10
Kingdom Of Sorrow 8.5/10
Suicide Silence 5/10
Unearth 9/10
Machine Head 9/10
In Flames 9/10
Trivium 3/10
Megadeth 10/10
Godsmack 8/10
Disturbed 6/10


Setlists:
Red Fang:
Into The Eye
Sharks
Wires
Malverde
?
Prehistoric Dog

All Shall Perish:
Wage Slaves
Gagged,Bound,Shelved, and Forgotten
There Is No Buisness To Be Done On A Dead Planet....
Procession Of Ashes
In This Life Of Pain
There Is Nothing Left
Eradication

Kingdom Of Sorrow:
Behind The Blackest Tears
Free The Fallen (PA went out during this song near the end and song was never finished)
Enlightened To Extinction
? (song off Jamey Jasta's solo album)
Begging For The Truth
Monuments Of Ash
Led In To Demise
Lead The Ghost Astray
?

Suicide Silence:
Wake Up
Unanswered
You Only Live Once
Fuck Everything
Disengage
Slaves To Substance
No Pity For A Coward

Unearth:
Equniox (intro)
My Will Be Done
Sanctity Of Brothers
This Lying World
Watch It Burn
Endless
Eyes Of Black
The Great Dividers

Machine Head:
Imperium
Beautiful Mourning
Locust
Halo

In Flames:
Cloud Connected
Alias
Pinball Map
Deliver Us
The Hive
Where The Dead Ships Dwell
The Quiet Place
Take This Life

Trivium(last four songs):
Like Light To Flies
Built To Fall(first Trivium song going to radio according to Matt Heafy)
Down From The Sky
Throes Of Peridition

Megadeth:
Trust
Hangar 18
Wake Up Dead
Head Crusher
A Tout Le Monde
Public Enemy No 1
Symphony Of Destruction
Peace Sells
Holy Wars...The Punishment Due

Godsmack:
Cryin' Like A Bitch
The Enemy
Forever Shamed
Straight Out Of Line
Awake
Speak
Love,Hate,Sex,Pain
Voodoo
Ballata Dos Los Tambores (including jams of Back In Black,War Pigs, Tom Sawyer, and a couple of others)
Whatever
I Stand Alone

Disturbed:
Remnants
Asylum
The Game
Prayer
Liberate
The Animal
Inside The Fire
Warrior
Fear/Meaning Of Life/Numb/Voices medly
Another Way To Die (left during this song)

Movie Review: Rango (Film Number 7 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

Rango didn't really do anything to peak my interest when it came out in theaters and prior to seeing it this week my expectations were low. Rango was able to exceed my low expectations, but it's still not anything special. It starts off promising, but then soon dives into mediocrity when the main plot comes into play. It really lacks the spark, charm, and laughs that the great animated films from Pixar have. You really don't any form of attachment with the characters and at the end of the film you feel nothing. There is also one really odd scene where Rango visits "The Spirit Of The West" that left be dumbfounded. It was the only point of film that I absolutely despised. On the positive side, it's nice to look at. All of the animations are beautifully textured and full of details. Bottom line is that Rango is an average film that is no where near as good as it was cracked up to be by professional critics.

2.5/5 Stars

Album Review: All Shall Perish-This Is Where It Ends

2011 just continues to impress me. This is honestly the best year for metal in my lifetime. Just about every record I have heard this year has been at least good, if not great. All Shall Perish joins the long list of bands that have released their best record in 2011 with the excellent This Is Where It Ends.

All Shall Perish has been steadily improving as a band since The Prince Of Existence came out, but This Is Where It Ends is a big improvement over everything else they have ever done. Part of this can be attributed to new guitarist Fransesco Artusato. He is the best guitarist All Shall Perish has ever had and considering how many great guitar players All Shall Perish have had over the years, that is quite an accomplishment. The riffs and solos are outstanding. There where numerous times on this record where I was completely blown away at some of the solos Artusato was rolling through. The speed,twists, and technicality of the guitarplaying is amazing. The songwriting overall has improved too. It's more cohesive and elaborate songwriting really pays off big time. Album closer "In This Life Of Pain" is easily the most complex (and probably my favorite) All Shall Perish song to date. The song starts off with a near two-minute piano intro and then leads into the best solos, drum work, and vocals of All Shall Perish's career. It's just a kick-ass song and the seven-minute duration flys by. On top of everything else, Eddie Hermedia gives his best vocal performance to date. His vocals are even better and more intense than before. He has one of the best screams in modern metal, it's fucking menacing.

This Is Where It Ends is by far the best All Shall Perish to date. The musicianship and songwriting have never been stronger. Fransesco Artusato is one of hell of a guitarist. The guitar solos on this record are some of the best of the year so far. This Is Where It Ends is a fucking fantastic record and I suggest even non-fans of this band check it out, it's one hell of a record.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.In This Life Of Pain
2.Spineless
3.The Past Will Haunt Us Both

Concert Review: Children Of Bodom, Worcester, MA, July 19th, 2011

Last night at The Palladium marked the first of four shows on the docket for me this summer. It also marked the first time I went to a show where none of the bands were from the United States (Children Of Bodom is from Finland, Devin Townsend is from Canada, Septic Flesh is from Greece, and Obscura is from Germany.) Let me just say it was one of hell a way to start off the summer concert season.

Obscura opened the show (which was a surprise the venue had Septic Flesh listed as the opener.) From the opening notes of "Septuagint" to the closing notes of "Centric Flow", Obscura blew me away with their technicality. Every thing that was on record was hit flawlessly live. That really impressed me considering how complex their material is. On of top being spot-on instrumentally, their vocalist sounded awesome and they had a lot of energy. The crowed went fucking nuts for them too, which I didn't really expect. Their vocalist said they will coming back to the United States soon. Amazing performance from Obscura and I will definitely be seeing them again.

Septic Flesh was up next. I am pretty new to Septic Flesh. I just listened to their new record The Great Mass last week and I dug what I heard. The set was heavy on material from that record, which was good since I was familiar with just about every song they played. Their live show was great. The whole vibe was epic with the symphonic parts and the singer's stage presence. He got the crowd amped and had not one, but two walls of death during the set. Septic Flesh was heavy and epic as hell and I really enjoyed their set.

Devin Townsend Project was up next. I have seen Devin Townsend before and he was great, but this time around he was 100x better. His show was more energetic and funny. He is the single funniest performer I've ever seen. The jokes he was cracking throughout the set were hysterical. I could probably make a whole other post just with all of his quotes from the set. The highlight though was him bringing a dude that looked him on stage saying it was his clone and then kissing him on stage and saying right after "Why do I have an erection?" His setlist was awesome as well playing two of the best tracks of his new record Deconstruction ("Stand" and "Juular"). He said he is coming back on a headlining tour in October and I will try my hardest to attend. Devin Townsend had the best show of the night. Heavy, hilarious, and just plain awesome.

During Bodom's set-up time I got to meet Devin Townsend. He was a fucking awesome dude and he seemed really appreciative for me coming out to the show and supporting him. By the time I got back from meeting Townsend, Bodom was just about finished with set opener "Not My Funeral". This was easily the best performance I have seen Bodom give. The previous two times they seriously let me down (first time they were far too drunk and second time they were pretty good, but still disappointing.) I was just excited to finally see a great Bodom performance. The setlist wasn't the greatest, but I finally got to see "Needled 24/7" and "Children Of Bodom" which made me really excited. Alexi Laiho and Janne Warman are both so fucking good at what they do and they nailed everything throughout the entire set. Great performance from Bodom and it restored my faith in them as a live act.

Overall it was a great fucking show. Every band surpassed my expectations which made the night that much better. I don't know if it was because it was the last night of the tour, but every band seemed to be on the top of their game. I would love to see every band again. Great start to the summer concert season and I'm excited for my second show of the summer Mayhem Fest on Friday!

Scores
Obscura 9/10
Septic Flesh 8.5/10
Devin Townsend Project 9/10
Children Of Bodom 8.5/10

Setlists
Obscura:
Septuagint
Anticosmic Overload
Ocean Gateways
Vortex Omnivium
Centric Flow

Septic Flesh:
The Vampire From Nazareth
Communion
The Great Mass Of Death
Pyramid God
Persepolis
Five-Pointed Star

Devin Townsend Project:
By Your Command
Truth/OM
Supercrush!
Kingdom
Stand
Juular

Children Of Bodom:
Not My Funeral
Bodom Beach Terror
Needled 24/7
Shovel Knockout
Roundtrip To Hell and Back
In Your Face
Living Dead Beat
Children Of Bodom
Hate Me!
Blooddrunk
Angels Don't Kill
Follow The Reaper
Downfall
Encore:
Was It Worth It?
Are You Dead Yet?
Hate Crew Deathroll

Movie Review: Horrible Bosses

2011 has really needed a memorable comedy. Don't get me wrong I was one of the few that actually thought The Hangover Part II was funny,  but that was a sequel and it paled in comparison to the original. It took seven months, but we finally have the first (non-sequel) great comedy of 2011 with Horrible Bosses.

Nick (Jason Bateman),Dale (Charlie Day), and Kurt (Jason Sudekis) are three best friends that all hate their bosses. Nick's boss Dave Harkin (Kevin Spacey) is a cocky,insane, lunatic that constantly abuses Nick and makes him work unholy hours. Dale's boss Dr.Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston) is sex-obsessed and constantly attempts to seduce Dale by sexually harassing him in the workplace. Kurt's boss Bobby Pellitt is an immature cokehead who doesn't give a shit about the company he inherited from his recently deceased father. After a night of drinking and bad events occuring at work,  Nick,Dale,and Kurt come up the perfect solution to their problem: Kill their bosses.

Horrible Bosses is by far the funniest film of 2011 so far. The laughs start early and keep coming steadily throughout the entire film. The cast is what makes this film so special. The three leads are all outstanding.  Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, and Charlie Day are all really hilarious and likable. Day steals the show as always though, he is just a geniuely funny actor that thrives in every single role he has. On top of the great work from the leads, the supporting cast is awesome as well. It was cool to see Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell step out of their comfort zone. Aniston is normally the squeaky-clean good girl, but she is extremely vulgar here and Farell normally doesn't do comedy. They both did a great job with their roles. Yet another scene-stealing performance by Jamie Foxx as the "murder constultant" to the three main characters adds even more laughs to this film.

Horrible Bosses is a wonderful comedy. It provides a ton of laughs throughout thanks to a great, clever, and sometimes dark script. The cast is brilliant from top to bottom (especially Charlie Day and Jamie Foxx.) Horrible Bosses is by far the funniest film of the year so far and is the first comedy of 2011 that will standout in my mind for years to come.

4.5/5 Stars

Movie Review: Hobo With A Shotgun

When I found out the fake trailer from Grindhouse Hobo With A Shotgun was being made, I was giddy. The trailer was great and the concept was completely hilarious. Now that I have seen the film, I can say that Hobo With A Shotgun is not only a success, it's grindhouse perfected.

This is one of the goriest,violent,campy, and over-the-top films I have ever seen, but that's why it's so fun. The whole 85 minutes are full of corny fun. The plot and characters are utterly ridiclous, but it's part of the vintage B-movie fun. This film is so violent and gory it makes Machete look like an episode of Sesame Street. Rutger Hauer completely nails the role of  the Hobo. His performance make the Hobo one of the most fascinating and oddly likable characters in B-movie history. The cast of mostly unknowns all do a great job as well. Everyone involved seemed to get really into the obscene and crazy nature of this film and they all nailed their parts. Hobo With A Shotgun is not for the faint of heart or anyone that is easily offended. But if you don't mind large amounts of violence and gore, then you will probably love the B-movie brilliance that Hobo With A Shotgun has to offer.

4.5/5 Stars

Album Review: Decapitated-Carnival Is Forever

It's been five long years since Decapitated has made a record. After the tragic death of drummer Vitek and paralysis of vocalist Covan in a bus accident in 2007, some thought Decapitated would never make music again. After a couple of years, lone original member, guitarist Varg, found a guitarist and drummer to continue Decapitated. Decapitated has done Vitek and Covan proud with Carnival Is Forever.

Unlike a certain legendary death metal who made a terrible comeback record after a lengthy hiatus (** cough cough Morbid Angel**), Decapitated make a hell of a return with Carnival Is Forever. I was kind of nervous after the Morbid Angel debacle last month and the weird album title and cover art, but Decapitated proved me wrong. Carnival Is Forever does stumble a little bit out of the gate with the album's weakest track "The Knife", but after that Decapitated reminds the listener how good Decapitated is. From the straight-up,relentless, heaviness of "United" and "Pest" to the atmospheric vibes of "A View From A Hole" and "Carnival Is Forever", Decapitated makes every song exciting and unique. Varg did a damn good job with writing the music and the riffs throughout are memorable. The new guys, vocalist Rasta and drummer Krimh do a great job of filling the voids left by Vitek and Covan. Varg made the perfect choices when finding replacements. On top of all that, this might be the best production on any record I've heard this year. Everything is so clear in the mix and it just sounds amazing.

Carnival Is Forever is a triumphant return for Decapitated. They have not slowed down,sold out, or gotten sloppy during their hiatus. Varg is still one of a hell guitar player and the new vocalist and drummer are great. This is the Decapitated that everyone remembered and loved in the extreme metal community. Decapitated has kept their legacy alive and well with Carnival Is Forever.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.A View From A Hole
2.United
3.Pest

Album Review:Incubus-If Not Now, When?

We waited five years for this shit?

Incubus has been one of my favorite non-metal bands of the past 10 years or so. I thought they had a very diverse sound and their first five records are fantastic. Their previous record, Light Grenades was the first time I was ever let down by an Incubus record, but at least it wasn't awful. If Not Now, When? is a gigantic letdown that could potentially be the demise of Incubus.

If Not Now, When? is the definition of a sell-out record. Incubus has always been extremely popular and their sound was always unique and interesting. I don't really know what they were trying to accomplish with this record. Incubus dumbs down their music to mind-numbing levels of simplicity. This is Incubus trying to sound like Coldplay (that's not a compliment). Gone are the catchy melodies, great songwriting, and edge Incubus had and they are replaced with them droning along through boring songs. These tracks are so dull and lifeless that I was fighting sleep throughout the entire record.  Incubus is normally great at ballads, but the ones here are really,really bad. It's as if Incubus lost their knack for writing ballads during their five-year hiatus. Brandon Boyd can still sing well, he just sounds really bored with the material. The only track that is even half-decent is "Adolescents" and even that sounds like a half-assed version of Incubus's former self.

If Not Now, When? is such a disappointment after all these years. I mean this is really the best Incubus could do after a five-year hiatus? This is a completely phoned in, tedious record. I really can't even believe this is an Incubus record due to it's completely unoriginal and lazy sound. I wouldn't recommend this record to anyone unless they were a Coldplay fan or suffered from sleep apnea (this record would cure that almost instantly). If Not Not, When? is one of the worst records of 2011 so far and one of the most, if not the most, disappointing.

1.5/5 Stars
Standout Track
1.Adolescents

Album Review: Limp Bizkit-Gold Cobra

Limp Bizkit has been one of the laughing stocks of the music industry for quite some time. Ever since their debut, droves of people (myself included) have loved to hate Limp Bizkit. For that reason, I downloaded Gold Cobra (as a joke) to see what Limp Bizkit would do in 2011.

Gold Cobra far surpassed my expectations. There was actually a few catchy riffs and a couple of songs are actually pretty good. It's also kind of amazing that Limp Bizkit has kept their core sound in tact for all these years. Gold Cobra sounds like it could have been released in the late 90's during the height of the nu-metal movement. Really the only difference between Gold Cobra and Limp Bizkit's older material is that Gold Cobra is better written. The music is a lot catchier and complex than Limp Bizkit's previous releases.

That being said Gold Cobra still suffers from the same flaws as old Limp Bizkit did. In traditional Limp Bizkit fashion, the lyrics are completely horrible. It's the same macho, faux-tough, wigger garbage that Fred Durst always spits. There are quite a few times on this record where I was laughing out loud at the cheesiness of the lyrics. I understand that Limp Bizkit is not a complex band and their lyrics have always been like this, but the lyrics are just too awful for me to ignore. The album also has the unholy use of auto-tune. One of my biggest musical pet peeves is auto-tune, this made "Loser" and "Autotunage" the two worst tracks on this record. If you thought Fred Durst sounded bad without auto-tune, wait until you hear him with it. It's an unholy spectacle of shit.

Gold Cobra is the best Limp Bizkit record has ever made, but that doesn't mean it's any good. There are moments where it's kind of fun has some solid riffs. There are other times where it's cringe-inducing awful. Limp Bizkit has definitely gotten better at their shtick, but it's still the same old Limp Bizkit. The old fans should be pleased that they haven't changed and I am genuinely surprised how much better this is than their older stuff, but at the end of the day I can't recommend this record.

2/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Gold Cobra
2.Walk Away

Album Review: Sepultura-Kairos

I was completely ready to write Sepultura off. Ever since the Cavalera brothers left, Sepultura has become very boring. After hearing the positive reception on Kairos, I decided to give it a listen. I'm glad I did, Kairos is the best thing Septultura has done since the Cavaleras left.

The biggest reason Kairos succeeds is that Sepultura brought back the groove of the old Sepultura records. The lack of groove is a major part of why the last few Sepultura records have been so damn dull. In addition to the groove, the riffs are pretty damn good. "Mask" is easily the best Sepultura track in a long time. It's heavy as hell and the riff is completely awesome. It sounds like a B-side from Arise or Chaos A.D. The rest of the record is not even close to as good as "Mask", but there are a ton of solid tracks on Kairos. Album opener "Spectrum" starts off the record with a fast,heavy bang. I could tell from the start this was going to be a solid record. After a few records it seems the new Sepultura lineup has finally hit their stride. New vocalist Danny Green sounds pretty good. I didn't like his vocals on the previous efforts, but on Kairos they improved tremendously.

Kairos is a solid effort. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's just good to hear Sepultura making listenable music again. There are a few tracks that are great, but for the most part it's just a pretty good thrash/groove record. Sepultura is back finally and I think their next record will be even better.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Mask
2.Spectrum
3.Embrace The Storm

Update

Hello readers of my blog! I am on my last full day of vacation in North Carolina today. I will be returning on Sunday and I will start posting reviews again on Monday starting with Kairos by Sepultura. Thank you for reading my blog and I will be back (in Massachusetts) and posting again on Monday.

Album Review: Grieves-Together/Apart

Rhymesayers Entertainment is the only hip-hop record label that is filled with great artists. Rappers like Atmosphere and Brother Ali has been keeping hip-hop alive for years. One of the less seasoned, but just as good artists, Grieves, has been on the fast track to being the one of the best artists in hip-hop. Together/Apart further solidifies his case.

Grieves, like his mentor Slug from Atmosphere, masters the art of emotional,thought-provoking rap music. Grieves's lyrics are full of real pain and his amazing flow and delivery add to the effectiveness of his rapping. Together/Apart does get off to a disappointing start with "Bloody Poetry" and "Light Speed", but after the underwhelming first two tracks, Together/Apart lives up to the strength of Grieves's earlier material. Producer Budo's jazz-influenced beats, with Grieves's spurts of soulful singing create a really unique jazz vibe that adds a really cool, experimental angle to his music. "Boogie Man", "Pressure Cracks" and "Prize Fighter" are the standouts on this album. These tracks is where Grieves's emotional prowess reaches it's peak. Grieves has the amazing ability to get across to the listener with the real emotion in his lyrics.

Together/Apart is the best hip-hop record of the year so far. Grieves is easily the one of the most underrated rappers, if not the most underrated rapper in the game currently. His lyrics, beats,flow, and sincerity are all amazing. Grieves is the future of rap and he lives up to the legacy of Rhymesayers Entertainment.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Prize Fighter
2.Pressure Cracks
3.Boogie Man

Album Review: Suicide Silence-The Black Crown

Suicide Silence is a band that my opinion has changed on a million times. At first, I thought they were one of the absolute worst metal bands around as I soon as I heard their awful debut The Cleansing. After seeing them live twice and listening to No Time To Bleed, I thought they were a decent band. I saw them another two times after No Time To Bleed was released and now I am completely indifferent on them. That opinion still stands after listening to The Black Crown.

Suicide Silence really just doesn't do much special on this record. I will say the music has improved overall. The solos don't bleed into each other and sound the same like they did on their two prior records and there are a couple of slow sections which caught be my surprise. The guest spots from Frank Mullen of Suffocation and Jonathan Davis of Korn are pretty cool and help make "Smashed" and "Witness The Addiction" two of the best songs on this record. Outsides of these few bright spots, it's for the most part just run-of-the mill deathcore that doesn't really go anywhere. There is nothing really special or interesting going on during this record. Mitch Lucker's vocals have definitely gotten worse. His voice sounds strained and it seems like he has blown out his vocal chords since No Time To Bleed. Lucker has never been an amazing vocalist, but he has never sounded this weak and he is the worst part of the album for sure. On top of his weaker vocals, his lyrics are still stupid. Lyrics aren't really that big of a deal for me normally, but Lucker's lyrics are completely sophomoric and seems like he only writes lyrics to get kids pumped in the pit at shows.

The Black Crown is a very average record. The music has improved, but the vocals and lyrics have gotten worse. There are a few good tracks ("Smashed", "Witness The Addiction","Cancerous Skies") and a couple of duds ("Fuck Everything", "You Only Live Once"), but for the most part it's just complete mediocrity. I am sure a lot of kids will eat this up, but I really don't find anything special about Suicide Silence. They aren't awful, but they just don't do much to rise above the middle of the road.

2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Smashed
2.Witness The Addiction
3.Cancerous Skies

Movie Review: Just Go With It (Film Number 6 In My Goal For 2011 Films)

When I first saw the trailers for Just Go With It, it looked like the worst Adam Sandler movie in a long time (and his recent films have not been too good). To my surprise Just Go With It is actually the best Adam Sandler film since The Longest Yard. The cast actually is quite likable. Jennifer Aniston does a damn good job and made a great pairing with Sandler. Brooklyn Decker was actually good in her first acting role, she actually might have future in acting. She is easily the best model-turned actress in quite some time. Sandler,Aniston, and Decker aren't just responsible for the laughs, the supporting cast is quite good. Nick Swardson steals the show as Sandler's cousin. It was good to Swardson be funny again after his horrible recent roles. Just Go With It is easily the funniest Sandler film in the last five years and is a lot better than the trailers made it out to be. A pleasant surprise for sure.

3.5/5 Stars

Album Review: Unearth-Darkness In The Light

Unearth, in my opinion, is one of the finest metalcore acts on the planet. They were one of the innovators of the genre and have made consistently great music throughout their long career. Another awesome thing about Unearth, is some of their members are from Lynn, Massachusetts (which is the city right next to where I am from.) With Darkness In The Light, Unearth proves yet again why they are one of the elite bands not only in metalcore, but in metal in general.

Darkness In The Light is particularly interesting because it blends the best parts of the last three Unearth albums together. The melodic undertones and clean vocals of The Oncoming Storm, the aggression of III: In The Eyes Of Fire, the amazing solos of The March, and of course, Unearth's classic breakdowns that have the great ability of hitting hard in every song without being redundant or feeling forced. As soon as I heard lead single "Eyes Of Black" back in May, I knew Darkness In The Light would be the best Unearth record to date. "Eyes Of Black" has that Unearth edge with a sick solo and probably the best breakdown of their career. Unearth deserves a breakdown medal for "Eyes Of Black" (and the rest of the record for that matter) . The breakdown-whoring deathcore acts should owe Unearth a large sum of money for raping the art form that they have mastered. On top of the excellent guitar playing, the rest of Unearth steps up big time as well. Trevor Phipps gives his top vocal performance to date. Phipps takes a lot of shit for his vocals (I have always enjoyed them, but many people disagree with me), but I think that should end with Darkness In The Light, he sounds great here. Justin Foley of Killswitch Engage does a solid job with the drumming on this record. It was cool to see him play on a non-Killswitch Engage record and I look forward to see him play older Unearth tracks on Mayhem Fest this year.

Darkness In The Light is the finest work of Unearth career. It has all the riffs, solos, and breakdown that Unearth is known for, thrown in with improved vocals and the return of clean vocals. This record is an absolute monster overall. Unearth shows here that they continue to improve and have established themselves as elite metal veterans at this point in time. Buy this record, go see them this summer on Mayhem Fest and support one of the finest metal bands in the game.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Arise The War Cry
2.Eyes Of Black
3.Coming Of The Dark 

Mid-Year Report: Film

2011 has been a solid year for films (for the ones I have wanted to see at least.) As some of you may know, my goal for 2011 films is to see just about everything. I have already seen a bunch of films I didn't want to see, and I will continue to do so for the rest for the year. Here is my full list of films I've seen so far this year complete with ratings.

*Films I didn't want to see I did not want to see initially (Films that were part of my goal for 2011 films)

2011 Films( Worst to Best 21 films, June 29,2011)
21.The Roommate*(1/5)
20.The Rite*(1.5/5)
19.The Dilemma*(2/5)
18.I Am Number Four*(2/5)
17.Battle: Los Angeles(3/5)
16.Your Highness(3.5/5)
15.No Strings Attached*(3.5/5)
14.The Mechanic(3.5/5)
13.Drive Angry(3.5/5)
12.Hall Pass(3.5/5)
11.Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides(4/5)
10.Kill The Irishman(4/5)
9.The Green Hornet(4/5)
8.Thor(4/5)
7.The Lincoln Lawyer(4/5)
6.Transformers: Dark Of The Moon(4/5)
5.Sucker Punch(4.5/5)
4.The Hangover Part II(4.5/5)
3.X-Men: First Class(4.5/5)
2.Super 8(4.5/5)
1.Fast Five(4.5/5)

Mid-Year Report: Music

2011 has been a monumental year in music so far. The level of quality among albums released so far this year has been crazy. Sure, there has been some disappointments (I'm looking at you The Crimson Armada, Rise Against, and most of all Morbid Angel.), but for the most part this year has been mind-blowing. Making a year-end top 10 is going to be a near-impossible task and there is still a large number of releases that are potential top 10 candidates (including new ones from Revocation, The Faceless,Fleshgod Apocalypse, Tool(if it comes out),Converge,Gojira(EP),All Shall Perish, Landmine Marathon,Skeletonwitch, and of course, Mastodon) along with many others that I am excited for. Let's see what the rest of 2011 has in store. Here is my complete list of albums and EP's I've heard so far along with ratings.
(*No Review Written **No Review Written, but will be written in the near future)
EP's
3.Periphery-Icarus*(3.5/5)
2.Job For A Cowboy-Gloom(4/5)
1.Between The Buried and Me-The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues(4.5/5)



LP's
41.Emmure-Speaker Of The Dead(0/5)
40.The Crimson Armada-Conviction(1/5)
39.Morbid Angel-Illuid Divinum Insanus(1.5/5)
38.Rise Against-Endgame(2/5)
37.Devin Townsend Project-Ghost(2/5)
36.Suicide Silence-The Black Crown**(2.5/5)
35.Lazarus A.D-Black Rivers Flow(3/5)
34.Winds Of Plague-Against The World(3/5)
33.TesseracT-One(3/5)
32.In Flames-Sounds Of A Playground Fading(3/5)
31.Abysmal Dawn-Leveling The Plane Of Existence(3.5/5)
30.Red Fang-Murder The Mountains*(3.5/5)
29.Texas In July-One Reality(3.5/5)
28.Tyler, The Creator-Goblin(3.5/5)
27.Crowbar-Sever The Wicked Hand*(3.5/5)
26.Sepultura-Kairos**(3.5/5)
25.Dropkick Murphys-Going Out In Style(3.5/5)
24.Devildriver-Beast(4/5)
23.Becoming The Archetype-Celestial Completion*(4/5)
22.Hate Eternal-Phoenix Amongst The Ashes(4/5)
21.Scale The Summit-The Collective(4/5)
20.The Human Abstract-Digital Veil(4/5)
19.Amon Amarth-Surtur Rising(4/5)
18.Thomas Giles-Pulse(4/5)
17.Atmosphere-The Family Sign(4/5)
16.Arsonists Get All The Girls-Motherland(4/5)
15.Last Chance To Reason-Level 2(4/5)
14.Beastie Boys-Hot Sauce Committee Part 2(4/5)
13.Children Of Bodom-Relentless Reckless Forever(4/5)
12.Grieves-Together/Apart**(4/5)
11.August Burns Red-Leveler(4/5)
10.Devin Townsend Project-Deconstruction(4/5)
9.Obscura-Omnivium*(4/5)
8.Foo Fighters-Wasting Light(4/5)
7.Darkest Hour-The Human Romance(4/5)
6.Times Of Grace-The Hymn Of A Broken Man(4/5)
5.Born Of Osiris-The Discovery(4.5/5)
4.Unearth-Darkness In The Light**(4.5/5)
3.Arch Enemy-Khaos Legions(4.5/5)
2.Protest The Hero-Scurrilous(4.5/5)
1.The Black Dahlia Murder-Ritual(5/5)