2014 NFL Preview: NFC West

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals were able to raise to quite a few eyebrows in 2013 with a surprising 10-6 finish that left them right on the cusp of making the playoffs. With an arguably easier schedule and most of the team's vital pieces returning, there's no reason to believe the Cardinals can't recreate that success this year. The Cardinals offense is in the best shape it's been in since their Super Bowl run in 2008. Longtime top Larry Fitzgerald is still putting up numbers after all these years while the duo of wide receiver Michael Floyd and running back Andre Ellington gives the Cardinals two more able and exciting playmakers to go to. The emergence of Floyd and Ellington alongside Fitzgerald gives the Cardinals most lethal options on offense they've had since Fitzgerald entered the league in 2004. The resurgence of the Cardinals offense can largely be attributed to the play of Carson Palmer- who is easily the most stable quarterback they've had since Kurt Warner retired in 2009. It may seem kind of ridiculous to say that a guy who threw 22 INT's last season is a huge positive to his team, but Palmer was able to largely counteract that with over 4,000 passing yards and a completion percentage of 63%. Even with his all of turnovers, The Cardinals could count on Palmer to make plays when they needed him to and for the rest of the guys on the offense to rally around his leadership- which is more than you can say about any of the other clowns the Cardinals wheeled out at quarterback from 2009-12. If Palmer can continue to make plays and cut down on his high INT total, he could be a borderline-line top-tier quarterback this season. Defensively, this still one of the most quietly gifted units in the NFL. Aside from Patrick Peterson, who is widely regarded as one of the best corners in the league, I'm willing to wager that most people don't know of the other impact players on this defense. Excellent run stuffers such as nose tackle Dan Williams and defensive end Calias Campbell led a unit that was number one against the run last season, outside linebacker John Abraham is arguably the best situational pass rusher in the business and second-year safety Tyrann Mathieu looks like he is going to be a hell-raising monster of a player for years to come. This unit potentially got even better by adding cornerback Antonio Cromartie to their ranks in 2014. Cromartie is coming off an injury-plagued season where he looked consistently terrible for the first time in his career, which led to the Jets releasing him in the offseason. At age 30, Cromartie could easily bounce back and if he does, the Cardinals will have the most dangerous corner duo in the NFL. The offensive line remains a problem even with the signing of underrated tackle Jared Veldheer in free agency and suspended inside linebacker Daryl Washington will certainly be missed all season long, but ultimately I don't think either of these issues will be enough to sink this deeply talented team. If the Cardinals can win a majority of their divisional games and not lose their edge on defense, they can easily clinch a playoff berth.

 St. Louis Rams: The Rams kind of get lost in the shuffle in the ultra-competitive NFC West. The Rams are by no means a bad team, they just can't really compete in this talent-rich division. If the Rams were in literally any division in the AFC and most of the other divisions in the NFC, they would stand a chance of getting to the playoffs annually. What holds the Rams back from competing for a playoff berth is their lack of offensive weapons in a division that features three of the best defenses in the league. There is not a single guy on this offense that really scares defenses- especially units that are as stout as the Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks are. I will fully admit that far too much stock is being put into the season-ending injury to quarterback Sam Bradford on this offense. While I feel really bad for Bradford and his horrible luck with severe injuries, Shaun Hill is a completely apt replacement for him. Hill has been one of the most reliable backups in the league for the past decade with considerable success in his 26 career starts (13-13 record). Hill is every bit as talented as Bradford and there will not be a huge dropoff in 2014 with him as the starter. However, it doesn't matter if Bradford or Hill or basically anyone else was at the helm because quarterback is not really the problem with the Rams offense, it's the guys around them. The Rams receiving corps is loaded with mediocre young receivers with only 2013 first-round pick Tavon Austin showing any sort of potential for future success in the NFL. When your number two wideout is the trainwreck otherwise known as Kenny Britt, you are fielding a receiving corps that is lacking some serious talent. Zac Stacy is a stable running back with relatively high upside who can be counted to move the chains multiple times per game, but he isn't the type of the back that can take over a game at will. Stacy is a clear downgrade at the position for a team that has had the likes of Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson as their feature back for much of the past 10-15 years. The Rams offense always seems like it's going to work on paper, it just never seems to work in the actual execution thanks to the underachieving receiving corps and good but not great running backs. Where the Rams can and will contend with the rest of the division is on defense. Their defense keeps them in games and is the primary reason they finish in the ballpark of .500 every year. Their front seven- led by powerhouse defensive end duo Chris Long and Robert Quinn-is so dominant that you don't even notice the mediocrity of their secondary. That dangerous defensive front should only get better in 2014 as second-year linebacker Alec Ogletree continues to progress and freakishly athletic rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald adds another hybrid run-stuffer/pass-rusher to the mix. The Rams are continuing to head in the right direction, they just don't have the overall talent to be a playoff contender in 2014.

San Francisco 49ers: I can't remember the last time a team as good as the 49ers had an offseason that was so turbulent. Ever since the loss in the NFC championship game to the arch-rival Seattle Seahawks, it's been a consistent downward spiral for this team. In that game, inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman tore his ACL and MCL, and will be out for at least the first half of 2014. Bowman's injury caused a domino effect that led to an offseason full of bad luck. 3/4 of the starting secondary from a year ago (Tarrell Brown, Carlos Rodgers and Donte Whitner left in free agency, starting guard Alex Boone never reported for camp and continues to hold out for a new deal and to top it all off, outside linebacker Aldon Smith was suspended for the first nine games of 2014 for violating the league's personal conduct and substance abuse following a pair of offseason arrests. The defensive side of the ball pretty much in shambles to start the season as inside linebacker Patrick Willis and defensive end/tackle Justin Smith are the only proven pieces in place. The depleted front seven makes matters worse for the 49ers suddenly unproven, rebuilding secondary. Former slot corners Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver have been thrust into starting jobs for the first time in their careers. Behind Brock and Culliver are a pair of equally shaky veterans in Perrish Cox and Chris Cook- who was arguably the worst corner in the league last year with the Vikings. Brown and Rodgers weren't exactly superstars, but they were far more reliable than any corner the 49ers currently have on their roster. The 49ers' typically great safety pairings even took a hit with competent but fading veteran Antonie Bethea brought in to take Whitner's spot in the lineup alongside second-year stud and lone bright spot in this mess of a secondary, Eric Reid.  Even with all this turmoil, the 49ers should still be a quality, title-contending team in 2014. Say what you want about head coach Jim Harbaugh, but there are few coaches in the league that are more equipped to handle adversity than him. Harbaugh has brought this team to at least the NFC Championship in his first three years with the team and they'll be in a good place to get back there this year thanks to Harbaugh's ability to get the most out of his players regardless of the situation. Balancing out the major losses on defense is an offense that made some nice pickups that will allow them to spread the ball out more than they've been able to in recent years. The team made a big post-draft trade to acquire Stevie Johnson from the Bills to sure up the depth in the receiving corps. The addition of Johnson gives the 49ers the legitimate number three wideout they sorely lacked last year and will take some pressure off of the team's main receiving trio of Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. The team also went out and drafted another bruising running back in Carlos Hyde to complement Frank Gore. The combination of Gore and Hyde in the backfield could be seriously dangerous and give the 49ers an old-school, physical pair of backs that can quickly wear down a defense. Above all, the 49ers will benefit from having Crabtree healthy at the start of the season. With Crabtree out of the lineup for the first 3/4 of the 2013 season, the passing offense was a borderline disaster with no one besides Boldin and Davis doing much of anything. Crabtree not only gives this offense another threat, his chemistry with Colin Kaepernick is deadly and breaks games wide open for this squad. The 49ers may have a lot more question marks and obstacles to overcome than the previous few years, but it would be an absolute shock if the team wasn't once again playing well into January. 

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks time to shine finally came last season as the squad hoisted their first Lombardi trophy in one of the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history. Recent history has suggested that the Super Bowl winners struggle the year after they win it all, but I think the Seahawks are going to be the team that breaks the Super Bowl hangover curse. Unlike other recent Super Bowl winners such as the Ravens and Giants -who were decent teams that got hot at the right time- the Seahawks are absolutely loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. It goes to show you have just how gifted this team is on defense when they let guys like Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond and Clinton McDonald walk and their overall unit hasn't gotten any worse. Their defense is by far the most intimidating unit to emerge in the league since the Ravens of the early 2000's. With Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Bobby Wagner entering the primes of their career, this defense is not going to fall off anytime soon. While the defense runs the show, their offense can't be slept on. Russell Wilson is a budding star quarterback with maturity well beyond his years and running back Marshawn Lynch remains the focal point of this offense and arguably the hardest runner in the NFL at age 28. The X-factor for this offense is wide receiver Percy Harvin. Last year, Harvin missed all but one regular season game, which forced the Seahawks to stick to their run-first offense. When Harvin was on the field during the playoffs, he opened up this offense and give them a level of flexibility and explosiveness in the passing game that they have never had in the past. Harvin's versatility and proficiency in the rushing and passing game should be an incredible asset to this team and if he can stay healthy, this offense is going to be far scarier than they were in 2013. I firmly believe that the Seahawks could be the first team since the Patriots in 2003 and 2004 to win back-to-back Super Bowls.  

Projected Standings for NFC West
1.Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
2.San Francisco 49ers (10-6)
3.Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
4.St. Louis Rams (6-10)

Movie Review: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

The wait for a sequel to Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's 2005 cult favorite Sin City has been agonizing to say the least. Miller and Rodriguez signed on to do a sequel entitled A Dame to Kill For shortly after the original was released, but it kept getting pushed back as Rodriguez and Miller worked on other projects. The delays were so frequent that it seemed like the film was a myth. Just over nine years after the original was released, A Dame to Kill For has finally arrived, and it was well worth the almost decade-long wait.

As is the case with all sequels, fans of the original will be skeptical of whether or not the filmmakers can capture the magic of the first film again. Miller and Rodriguez seemed to be well-aware of that fact as A Dame to Kill For does exactly what any good sequel does  recaptures everything that was great about the first film. The trio of stories feel fresh and independent from the first Sin City yet maintain the same sleazy allure, grit and noir-throwback appeal that made the original such a dynamic film. 

Miller- who authored the Sin City graphic novels and penned the screenplay- once again brings a series of dark, twisting stories loaded with fascinating characters to the screen. The assembly of antiheroes that make up this film may turn off some audiences, but it's a big part of why the film is so appealing to me. Every character was either born evil or has been someway corrupted by the city they live in. The motives for some of the characters are more noble than others, but there is not a single character in this entire film that is an upstanding citizen. During a time where cinema is so focused on sending positive messages, it's refreshing to see a film that is so unapologetically bleak.

The enormous ensemble cast was one of the strongest elements of the original and that remains the case in the second installment. Series newcomers Joesph Gordon-Levitt, Dennis Haysbert and Christopher Meloni as well as returning stars Mickey Rourke, Powers Boothe and Jessica Alba are all excellent in their roles. The two new additions who gets the most screen time- Josh Brolin and Eva Green-also manage to give the best performances in the entire film. Brolin takes over the part of Dwight McCarthy that was played by Clive Owen in the original and really takes the character to the next level by examining the character's struggle to keep his inner demons inside, and not let his criminal past seep into his current life. Brolin walks a fine line between being in-control and resorting back to his violent ways of the past every second he is on screen and it's absolutely remarkable to watch. Green is also perfect for her role as manipulative femme fatale Ava Lord, who uses her sex appeal to get exactly what see wants from any man she meets. As Green proved earlier this year with her scene-stealing performance in 300: Rise of an Empire, she is a perfect villain that burns up the screen with a relentlessly sinister energy. Green has made a serious resurgence in American cinema lately after spending years making films in her native country of France. With performances like this, I really hope she doesn't return to obscurity in the U.S. ever again.

While Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is a well-written film with plenty of great performances, you can't help but be swept up in the film's visuals. Miller and Rodriguez are able to create the film that feels exactly like a comic book. Every frame of the film oozes cheesy yet badass style and the green screen backdrops are packed to the brim with detail. The black-and-white color palette Rodriguez and Miller employ here is so striking that it even makes the barrage of CGI blood and severed limbs that regularly grace the screen look beautiful. This visual style may not be as groundbreaking as it was in 2005, but it still pops off the screen and looks better than a vast majority of films that have been released in the past decade or so. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is one of the most satisfying sequels of all-time and easily one of the finest films to be released in the first eight months of 2014.

4.5/5 Stars

 

A Beginner's Guide to Trap

Sub-movements within hip-hop happen all the time and at least once year, one of them really takes off. Of all the recent movements, none has been more fun or entertaining than trap. Trap is a genre that emerged out of the south and is arguably the most over-the-top, absurd style of hip-hip to ever catch on in the mainstream. The lyrics are often riddled with drug references and bizarre pop-culture references that can only be understood by the most savvy of listeners, each track has a distinct groove that can't be found in other styles of hip-hop, and there's a good chance you will hear a bird call, gun shot or other incomprehensible noise in every song. In short whether you love or hate it,  there's no way you're forgetting a trap song once you hear it.  Below is a checklist of the elements that are needed in order to make a successful trap song:
-Great flow
-Memorable, repeated hook
-A bass or synth-heavy beat with prominent snare drums
-Amusing lyrics
-Self-aware/deprecating attitude
-Impeccable swag

Here are 10 songs that I believe serve as a perfect introduction to the genre. As soon as your done listening to these tracks you'll either be a full-blown trapaholic or want to come to Massachusetts and beat the piss out of me for wasting your precious time with nonsensical rap songs. Hope you enjoy!

(I can't embed videos on this page at the moment, so I can only provide the links to watch the videos for these tracks on YouTube. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
2 Chainz-Crack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVjeKltMVJs  
A$AP Ferg-Let it Go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12tDb2KKHO4
A$AP Rocky-Angels http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO6XjVph3Y8
Danny Brown-Dope Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yewc-aTlSWU
Gucci Mane-Lemonade http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Q4s_ZdvAQ 
Jucy J-All I Blow is Loud http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kagjaZoBC3s
Migos-Hannah Montana http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHT1EDXtxws
Riff Raff-Wetter Than Tsunami http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNtd_XN6v1s
Trinidad James-All Gold Everything http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK2FqPNIT_U
Waka Flocka Flame-Word to the Wise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLFtBsz1ItM

2014 NFL Preview: NFC South

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons made a rapid decline in 2013, finishing 4-12 after falling just short of a Super Bowl berth in 2012. While the Falcons are unlikely to be as bad as they were in 2013, I also highly doubt they'll be back to Super Bowl-contending, let alone playoff-contending form in 2014. This team simply does not have the defensive firepower or talent on the offensive line to be a great team in the increasingly competitive NFC.  he Falcons did make some improvements in these areas by bringing in veteran defensive tackle Paul Soliai, guard Jon Ashmoah and using their first two draft picks on promising prospects in tackle Jake Matthews and defensive tackle/end Ra'Shede Hageman, but I don't think these pickups will be enough to fix the gaping holes they have at these positions. The offensive line is especially bothersome as they were nothing short of abysmal in 2013. Their lack of protection gave quarterback Matt Ryan practically no time to make reads and forced him to rush a lot of his throws, which led to him to finish with a career-high 17 INT's on the year. Matthews and Ashmoah need to come in and desperately change the fabric of this offensive line because none of the incumbent lineman played even remotely well a year ago. The Falcons also have a huge problem in the backfield as last year's high-profile free agent pickup Steven Jackson was injured for most of the year and looked terrible during the few times he made it onto the field. The team drafted Devonta Freeman, who has looked promising in the preseason, but he doesn't look like he has the skills to be an every-down back in the NFL. If Jackson continue to struggle with production and health and Freeman doesn't break out, The Falcons are going to be doomed in the rushing game yet again. Any chance the Falcons have at making a surprise run back to the playoffs lies squarely on the shoulders of Ryan. Ryan is a guy who doesn't get nearly enough credit for his accomplishments and is one of the very few quarterbacks in the league that can take over a game at will. Ryan was able to throw for over 4,500 yards in 2013 without a healthy Julio Jones or Roddy White for a majority of the year. With Jones and White back in the fold at 100%, Ryan is bound to improve from his already gaudy numbers from a year ago. The Falcons are no longer the threat they were just a few years ago, and will be lucky to finish on the right side of .500 in 2014.

Carolina Panthers: Pretty much the only story that has come out of Carolina this offseason is the fact that the Panthers let their top four wideouts (Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell, Ted Ginn Jr, Dominik Hixon) walk. While the receiver loss certainly doesn't help matters, I believe it will be the offensive line losses and Cam Newton's bum ankle that will prevent the Panthers from recreating their magical 2013 playoff run. 3/5 of the Panthers' starting offensive lineman- most notably three-time Pro Bowl tackle Jordan Gross- retired over the past months, leaving the team with quite the conundrum at the offensive line going into this year. Aside from center Ryan Kalil, none of the current starters can be trusted. The other returning starter, Byron Bell, is shifting to left tackle after playing right tackle during his first three years in the league while new starting right tackle Nate Chandler is a converted defensive lineman who is still learning the position after a stint starting at guard at the end of last year. The play of Bell, Chandler and rookie Trai Turner is going to be the deciding factor of whether or not this offense can get off the ground. The effect of the new receivers on this offense can not be entirely downplayed either. Save for tight end Greg Olsen, Newton does not have a rapport with any of these receivers, which could lead to some serious growing pains early in the year. Rookie Kelvin Benjamin has far exceeded expectations in training camp and the preseason thus far, but the Panthers are going to need at least one of their new veteran receiving options (Jericho Cotchery, Jason Avant, Ed Dickson) to step up and take pressure off Benjamin. While there's plenty of concerns with the Panthers this year, none is greater than Newton's health. Newton is coming off major offseason ankle surgery and has not looked like himself in the preseason thus far. To make matters even worse, Newton cracked a rib during last week's preseason game against the Patriots. Newton is the backbone of this team and if he can't overcome these injuries, you can kiss any playoff dreams this team out the window. The Panthers are once again going to be carried by their defense. Even though they have to assemble a patchwork secondary for the second year in a row, this defense will be unstoppable force thanks to their loaded front seven. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly and the best defensive end duo in the NFL in Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy- who is basically the only free agent the Panthers retained this season- cause a ton of matchup problems for anyone that faces them and are good enough by themselves to keep this team in games regardless of how the offense performs. If Newton can overcome the personnel and health obstacles that have been thrown at him and this defense can remain dominant, the Panthers could be squarely in the playoff picture once again.    

New Orleans Saints: The New Orleans Saints are the NFC version of the New England Patriots: There isn't a lot of change year in and year out and the team is going to always going to be competitive thanks to stellar quarterback play and coaching. The Saints are in a position to be even better in 2014 thanks to a couple of big pickups that further improved their talent-dense squad. The Saints were strapped for cap space this year, but still managed to make one major move by landing safety Jarius Byrd in free agency. Byrd gives the already stacked Saints secondary a game-changing safety with elite range and ball skills to place alongside rising star Kenny Vaccaro. Safe to say, Rob Ryan is going to have a field day with Byrd in this defense and it would be a complete shock if this unit didn't finish in the top five in pass defense once again in 2014. While Ryan has turned this defense into a pretty solid unit,  the centerpiece of the Saints remains Drew Brees and the passing offense and they should once again be dominant. Brees' favorite target in tight end Jimmy Graham inked a new, long-term deal that ensures that the duo will be causing a lot of problems not just this year (Graham was previously given the one-year franchise-tag designation before reaching a long-term deal ), but for the foreseeable future. The Saints also further bolstered their receiving corps by picking receiver Brandin Cooks- whose combination of great hands, route-running ability-with their first-round pick in this year's draft. Cooks gives Brees another potentially deadly weapon in his arsenal and could very well end up being the top wideout in the ridiculously deep 2014 draft class. In typical Saints fashion their weaknesses, just like their strengths, remain in tact. The team still has a carousel of mediocre running backs which managed to get even worse after they traded Darren Sproles to the Eagles in the offseason, and they still lack a pure run-stuffer in the front seven, which should caused their run defense to make a return to the bottom half of the league yet again. The Saints have the most talented roster they've had in years and they should be right in the thick of the Super Bowl chase if the injury bug doesn't ravage the team. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: In my humble opinion, no team improved more this offseason than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a 2013 season that was dragged down by the player's disdain for head coach Greg Schiano, the Buccaneers go into 2014 with a new head coach, improved roster and a whole lot of potential to become the surprise team of 2014. The Bucs replaced the hardass Schiano with his polar opposite in soft-spoken, players coach Lovie Smith. Smith not only brings in a new atmosphere that players will happily buy into, he is one of the most brilliant defensive minds in the modern NFL. The Buccaneers defense was already pretty good under Schiano, with Smith and Leslie Fraizer running the show, they should be downright dominant. Smith spent the offseason putting his fingerprints on team by bringing in a lot of pieces Smith broke his defensive-minded ways a bit and made a majority of the offseason moves on the offensive side of the ball. Smith completely overhauled the offensive line bringing in three new starters in center Evan Dietrich-Smith, tackle Anthony Collins and guard Logan Mankins, picked up a new starting quarterback in Josh McCown and using every single one of the team's six draft picks on offensive players. Of course Smith didn't completely ignore the defense as he brought in defensive end Michael Johnson, defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, safety Major Wright and most notably, cornerback Alterraun Verner to make the Buccaneers established defensive corps led by 2013 All-Pros defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and outside linebacker LaVonte David that much stronger. The biggest question mark surrounding the Buccaneers 2014 campaign is how McCown will fare now that he's out of Marc Trestman's quarterback-friendly in Chicago. I don't expect to him be quite as dominant as he was in Chicago, but I believe McCown will do just fine in Tampa Bay. McCown played under Smith for two years in Chicago and has a pair of giant, physical starting wideouts in Vincent Jackson and rookie Mike Evans that bare an eerie resemblance to the receiving duo that led him to great success with the Bears last year. Even if McCown falters or gets hurt, the Bucs have a very promising second-year quarterback in Mike Glennon,-who was one of the few bright spots for this team a year ago-waiting in the wings. If the Bucs happen to call upon him at some point in time this year, Glennon has the potential to be this year's Nick Foles. Between the roster improvements and new coaching staff, the Buccaneers have the tools to make the jump and become a playoff team in 2014. 

Projected Standings for the NFC South:
1.New Orleans Saints (12-4)
2.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
3.Carolina Panthers (9-7)
4.Atlanta Falcons (7-9)

Album Review: Ariana Grande-My Everything

Ariana Grande has risen from Nickelodeon star that dabbled in pop music to full-blown pop superstar in just a years time. Grande's rare vocal talent and collaborations with other high-profile artists such as Mac Miller and Iggy Azalea have allowed to not only dominate the pop world, but crossover into other genre's fanbases with ease. While Grande's second full-length, My Everything, is sure to further expand her rapidly-growing following, it ultimately fails to live up to the hype and Grande's potential as an artist.

As you would expect, the vocals on My Everything are phenomenal throughout. Not since Lady Gaga has a pop vocalist delivered consistently potent vocals or shown a wider range than Grande does. Unfortunately, just about everything else surrounding Grande's vocals manages to underwhelm. The production on this record is especially weak. Based on the thumping, wildly catchy production of lead single "Problem", I expected this to be a really well-produced record, but "Problem" ended being the sole highlight from a production standpoint. The rest of the record Grande spends time experimenting with everything from electropop ("Break Free", "One Last Time") to piano ballads ("My Everything", "Just A Little Bit of Your Heart") with very little success. I'll give Grande points for diversity, but not a single one of the styles she tries suits her voice well at all. The production on "Problem" made Grande's vocals pop that much more, the rest of the material hear her voice manages to either get buried under how overwhelming the beat is or just so generic that no amount of virtuoso vocals can save how pedestrian the track is. Tackling multiple genres is well within Grande's vocal skill set, she just needs the quality production to make her multi-genre ambitions work.

Grande's frequent collaborations with hip-hop stars also don't mesh well with her sound. Iggy Azalea and Childish Gambino sounds completely out of their element on "Problem" and "Break Your Heart Right Back" respectively. The energy and tenacity Azalea and Gambino typically bring on the mic is completely missing and neither one of their guest spots serves as anything but an unnecessary detour from Grande's singing. While Azalea and Gambino fall short of their potential on their verses, it's nothing compared to the colossal failure A$AP Ferg has on "Hands on Me". When the track last for My Everything came out, I was extremely intrigued to hear how a track featuring the Trap Lord and Grande would sound. Now that I've heard the finished product, I wish this song had never been recorded. Ferg has never sounded more uncomfortable and awkward on the mic as he tries to alter his gritty trap style to fit Grande's radio-friendly sound. Ferg loses everything that's special about him as his typically dynamic flow becomes stilted and dull during this self-inflicted mainstream assimilation. At least Juicy J's toned-down verse on Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" displayed the same charisma he has in his solo stuff, Ferg just sounds like a bumbling, lifeless moron alongside the ever-confident Grande in his first jaunt into mainstream pop music. Oddly enough the least gifted MC to appear on this record, Big Sean, is the only one that sounds right at home with his guest spot on "Best Mistake"-which has a similar feel to the pop-rap drivel Sean drops on every single one of his records. The only collab on this record that can be deemed a real success is "Love Me Harder"- which features Canadian crooner The Weeknd. The Weeknd's dreamlike falsetto vocals sounds fantastic alongside Grande's and the last minute of the track where the pair trade off vocal lines is easily the most poignant moment of the entire record. "Love Me Harder" is a reminder of just how great Grande can be when given the right hook and beat and has a collaborator that gels with her style.

My Everything is a wildly uneven listen that fails to capitalize on the strength of Grande's vocals. The few highlights on here flash serious potential and are amongst the best pop songs of the past decade, but the middling material that takes up most of the record makes this album frustratingly forgettable on the whole. Grande has the tools to be one of the greats in this genre and at age 21 with only two LP's under her belt, she has plenty of time to realize her potential and truly flourish as an artist.     

2.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)
2.Love Me Harder (feat. The Weeknd)
3.Be My Baby (feat. Cashmere Cat) 

Update 8/25

Hello all,
I'd like to take this time to update you on my current projects. The content was far less frequent last week than his over the past number of weeks, which I sincerely apologize for. This week should more than make up for that as I'm planning on not only wrapping up my NFL previews series, but posting a few music/movie reviews and continuing the long-delayed Top 50 Underrated Albums of the 2000's so far countdown. Thank you for sticking with me during this reduced production period and I hope you enjoy the plethora of new material that's in the works for the coming weeks.

Chris Maitland

Quick Movie Reviews: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transcendence, Get on Up, The Amazing Spider-Man 2,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: I went into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with basically no hope after the horrible trailers, but left the theater shocked at how much I enjoyed it. Are there gaping plot holes? Yep. Are Megan Fox's acting skills comparable to any amateur porn star? You betcha. Are the action scenes shaky-cam orgies that would make the film's producer Michael Bay unfathomably giddy? Absolutely. All of these issues are completely forgivable though because the film is so god damn entertaining. The fun, hokey atmosphere this film has made me feel like a kid again. After seeing the overlong, facepalm-inducing abomination that was Transformers: Age of Extinction earlier in the summer, it was nice to see a nostalgic live-action adaptation of a cartoon serve its purpose as a relatively mindless good time at the movies without overstaying its welcome.
3.5/5 Stars

Transcendence: A film directed by Christopher Nolan's longtime cinematographer/protege and starring the likes of Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara and Cillian Murphy can't be bad right? Wrong. Not only is Transcendence bad, it's easily one of the worst films I've seen in 2014 so far. The film takes a fascinating concept (uploading a human conscience to a computer) and makes it a muddled bore. I can't think of another film that is loaded with big words and computer-tech/scientific jargon that's simultaneously incredibly stupid and nonsensical. It seems like screenwriter Jack Paglen just watched a few TED talks on the downsides of modern technology and read a couple passages of Stephen's Hawking's work then tried to turn the tiny bit of knowledge he gained into a fully fleshed out idea. The results are disastrous to say the least as the story as the story makes practically zero sense and the dialogue often sounds like it was written by someone who had trouble graduating elementary school. Transcendence has lofty ambitions to serve as a commentary on the perils of techonology, but is too dim-witted and dull to make even a single point that will resonate with the viewer. The only thing that will stick with me long-term about Transcendence is the fact that Wally Pfister's skills as a cinematographer don't translate to the director's chair.
1.5/5 Stars 

Get on Up: James Brown is one of the more underappreciated musical pioneers of all-time so it's about time Hollywood made a biopic about him. Get on Up is one of the more satisfying biopics in recent memory because it doesn't hold back in its portrayal of its subject's flaws. Aside from his strong work ethic and business sense, the film doesn't make Brown out to be a hero at all, spending much of the non-musical portions of the film showing just much of a selfish, violent control freak he was. It's refreshing to see a biopic that's bold enough to put such a heavy emphasis on its subject flaws. Just because Brown was a musical genius with a rough upbringing that overcome adversity and poverty to become a major success in the music business doesn't mean he was a good person. The film's constant time-jumping narrative (the films goes across three decades in the first 10 minutes alone) can be distracting at the times, but the film never really gets off track thanks to the spectacular cast who oozes confidence and puts everything they have into every frame of this film. While every performance is pretty much note perfect, it's Chadwick Boseman's work as Brown that deserves the most attention. Boseman embodies every aspect of Brown from the way he talked down to his signature wild dance moves with almost spooky accuracy. Boseman brings the electricity and swagger that is needed to play a high-personality character like Brown and is as an absolute force of nature every second he is on screen. Based on his work here and in last year's 42, Boseman has shown that he deserves to be the next big thing in Hollywood and I hope that he'll continue get more exposure in the coming years. Get on Up certainly isn't a perfect film, but the stellar acting ensemble and plethora of powerful scenes throughout make it well worth the watch regardless of whether or not your a fan of Brown's music.
4/5 Stars

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Basically everything that was wrong with the first Amazing Spider-Man is once again present in the sequel. The villains are about as cheesy and lame as you can get for a superhero film, Director Marc Webb continues to show no aptitude for shooting action scenes and the sarcastic barbs Spider-Man hurls out when fighting the bad guys are nothing short of cringe-worthy (I'd honestly rather have emo Spider-Man from Spider-Man 3 than this unfunny douchebag Spider-Man.) What holds The Amazing Spider-Man 2 together and makes it a slight improvement over the original is the strength of the relationship between Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). It's odd yet mildly refreshing to see the human being underneath the mask be far more compelling than their superhero alter ego. Garfield and Stone- who are a real-life couple- have an excellent chemistry together and there is real emotion and acting chops being displayed in every one of their scenes together. While most of the film ranges from pretty terrible to mediocre, these scenes are truly great and are the glue that holds this mess of a film even somewhat together. At the end of day, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 proves once again that this series is wholly unnecessary. Unless they bring in a new writer, director and actually get some good villains in the mix (which is unlikely given the ending of this film), this franchise won't even come close to touching Sam Rami's original trilogy.
3/5 Stars

2014 NFL Preview: NFC North

Chicago Bears: In typical Chicago Bears fashion, the 2013 season showed plenty of signs for optimism only to end in crushing disappointment. Head coach Marc Trestman was able to turn around the long-suffering offense in his first year with the team, but of course as soon as the offense was fixed, the defense crumbled due to a combination of injuries and poor play from the front seven. The Bears head into 2014 with even more of a chip on their shoulder and their most promising roster since their NFC Championship run in 2010. Trestman's offensive system has made this unit one of the scariest in the league. Whether it's via the rushing game or the passing game, this team can hurt you and they should only be able to get better this year. Brandon Marshall is the model of consistency at wide receiver with seven straight 1,000 yard+ seasons, Alshon Jeffery is quickly becoming the league's next premier receiver thanks to his great hands and knack for making improbable catches and Matt Forte is one of the very few running backs left in the league that excels in every aspect of the game. Of course you can't go through talking about the Bears offense without mentioning one of the most polarizing figures in the NFL, quarterback Jay Cutler. The Bears handed a Cutler a huge new contract in January and now it is up to him to prove that he can lead this team and perform on a more consistent basis. With an offensive line now in place that actually will allow him time to make reads and not get murdered every time he throws, the excellent coaching from a lauded QB guru in Trestman and all the weapons around him, Cutler has never been in a better position to succeed in his career thus far. After years of being mocked by fans and analysts alike, I think this will be the year Cutler silences his critics and plays like the franchise QB he's always been capable of being. While Cutler may be considered by a lot of people to be the biggest thing holding the Bears back from being a contender, I think the play of the defense is ultimately going to determine whether or not the Bears can finally break their recent curse. The team went out and invested heavily on defense- especially on the defensive line- in the offseason to try and make sure the 2013 debacle doesn't happen again. Defensive end Lamarr Houston gives the Bears one of the best run-stopping defensive ends in the NFL while defensive ends Jared Allen and Willie Young should give the Bears the huge pass-rushing boost they needed after putting up a paltry 31 sacks in 2013. The interior line also underwent a big makeover as the team is relying on a combination of veterans in Jeremiah Ratliff (or as I like to call him "The Artist formerly known as Jay Ratliff"), Stephen Paea and Nate Collins and rookies Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton to become an effective run-stuffing rotation. After being the root of many of the problems in 2013, the play of the interior line is going to be an especially important factor if the Bears defense wants return to dominant form in 2014. The biggest question mark on this defense remains at safety, where the Bears have no clear starters enter to season. With Major Wright now with the Buccaneers and Chris Conte starting the season on IR, there is a currently battle going on between new veteran additions Ryan Mundy, M.D. Jennings, Adrian Wilson, Danny McCray and rookie Brock Vereen for the two starting spots. Safety play was a huge problem for the Bears last season, so hopefully whoever wins the jobs can provide some much-needed stability at the position. If the defense can play at least play relatively well throughout the year and Cutler doesn't go down for any extended period of time, I fell like the Bears can end their four-year playoff drought this season.

Detroit Lions: Much like their divisional counterparts in Chicago, The Lions had yet another season in 2013 that started out well only to end in the familiar ugliness and misery of a losing season. Their failure to win the division despite being in firm control in early November and losing six of the last seven games on the year caused the Lions to fire Jim Schwartz after five seasons as head coach. The Lions are coming into 2014 with a new head coach in Jim Caldwell, who is the antithesis to Schwartz in both personality and game-planning/what side of the ball takes precedence. Caldwell-who was the Colts head coach for three years after Tony Dungy retired and the offensive brainchild behind the Ravens Super Bowl run in 2012- has plenty of offensive weaponry to work with and will probably get more out of them than the defensive-minded Schwartz  did. Not only will Caldwell will probably get more production of out this offense, he now has more weapons to work with than Schwartz did in any of his five years with the team. They helped out quarterback Matthew Stafford by bringing in veteran wideout Golden Tate and drafting tight end Eric Ebron to give them more trustworthy options in the passing game alongside the one and only Calvin Johnson. While Ebron may take some time to get acclimated to the NFL, Tate should make an instant impact on the flow and production of this offense as he gives the Lions their first legit number two wideout in years. These new weapons in the passing game paired with arguably the best running back tandem in the league in Reggie Bush and Joique Bell gives the Lions an opportunity to have the most potent offense they've had in the modern era. As usual with the Lions, just about the only weakness the team possesses is on the back end of the defense. The team once again did nothing to address their secondary problems in free agency or the draft. For whatever reason, the team has a lot of faith in young corners Darius Slay and Bill Bentley, despite the fact that they haven't produced much. The safety situation isn't much better as they have the decent but not overly productive Glover Quin and journeyman James Ihedbigo holding down the middle of the field. The Lions secondary isn't asked to do as much as most secondaries due to the quality of their defensive front, but they still manage to cost the Lions games due to their poor play. The Lions are moving in the right direction, but I don't think they have enough in the tank to have anything more than an outside chance of making the playoffs in 2014.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers are an old-school franchise that relies on the draft to build their team. Because of this approach to running a football team, the Packers don't change much on a year-to-year basis, which is both a good and bad thing. Aaron Rodgers is in the prime of his career and as long he's calling the shots, the Packers are going to be contenders. Though Rodgers is the type of guy that makes everyone around him it better, it helps that he has plenty of elite talent around him in the form of wide receivers in Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and second-year running back Eddie Lacy. Nelson and Cobb are bound to get more targets this year now that James Jones and Jermichael Finley are out of the picture and they should live up to that challenge as they are two of the more consistently reliable wideouts currently in the league. While Cobb and Nelson are undeniably important to the success of this offense, Lacy has been a godsend for a Packers offense that struggled with the run for years. His old-school power back style has given the Packers a much needed additional facet to their offense that takes pressure off Rodgers and the receivers from being the team's sole source of offense. While the Packers still have much of the core of their team in tact, they just aren't as scary as they once were. The defense lacks any dynamic playmakers outside of Clay Matthews and can be easily beaten by any above-average offense. The team did draft a potentially elite safety in HaHa Clinton-Dix in the first round this year, but even if Dix ends up being a stud, he won't be enough to fix the general lack of talent they have throughout most of the defense. The Packers offense will keep them competitive and give them an edge over most teams, I just feel that they don't have the defensive firepower to beat a lot of the high-caliber teams in the NFC.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings are yet another team that has undergone a major makeover from 2013 to 2014. The team has brought in a new head coach in Mike Zimmer, offensive coordinator in Norv Turner and potential new starting quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater to hopefully get the Vikings back on track after a disastrous 2013 to follow-up their surprise playoff berth in 2012. Of all the Vikings offseason moves, bringing in Zimmer as the new head coach is the most intriguing. Zimmer has been one of the elite defensive coordinators in the NFL for over a decade and this head coaching opportunity is long overdue. If Zimmer's toughness and intelligence as a coordinator translates to the head coach position, Zimmer will turn around the Vikings in no time. Turner's presence as an offensive coordinator should also be very beneficial to the Vikings rebuilding effort. Turner did the best job he possibly could on a trainwreck Browns team in 2013 and with a lot more talent to work with in Minnesota, his impact should be much greater. Turner should especially make his mark in the passing game where the team has a rising star in wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and a underrated tight end in Kyle Rudolph that could be deadly in Turner's tight-end friendly scheme. The Vikings weren't too active in free agency, but did make a few moves on defense- that were no doubt influenced by Zimmer- by signing defensive tackle Linval Joesph and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn to mid-level deals. Joesph and Munnerlyn were two of the most unsung players in the league in 2013 and under Zimmer's wing, have serious potential to be even better this season. Munnerlyn was an especially great pickup that gives second-year Xavier Rhodes a veteran mentor while also giving the Vikings a huge boost at a position that gave them a lot of problems a year ago. The Vikings comeback aspirations are being held up by one key position: quarterback. At the time of this publication, the Vikings have no official starting quarterback. Last year's main starter Matt Cassel and the rookie Bridgewater appear to be dueling for the spot, while longtime Viking Christian Ponder appears to be the odd man out. Whether it be Cassel, Bridgewater or Ponder who ends with the job, I don't know if any of these guys are truly the answer the Vikings are looking for at quarterback. Cassel looked good at times last year, but is ultimately too inconsistent to serve as the team's long term starter, Ponder has proven time and time again that he can't be a starter in the NFL and Bridgewater, while demonstrating some potential in OTA's and the preseason after a string of shaky pre-draft workouts, is far from a sure thing. The team may have the freak force of nature that is running back Adrian Peterson to fall back on, but the speed of the Vikings turnaround is going to depend on how well the starting quarterback plays. The Vikings are putting the right pieces in motion to return to relevancy, I just don't think 2014 will be the year that they actually do so.

Projected Standings for the NFC North:
1.Chicago Bears (11-5)
2.Green Bay Packers (10-6)
3.Detroit Lions (8-8)
4.Minnesota Vikings (6-10) 

2014 NFL Preview: NFC East

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have long been the whipping boys of the NFL with their consistent underachieving and track record of choking in high-stakes situations. As much as Cowboys want this streak of being a mediocre football team to end in 2014, I would be shocked if it did. Hell, I would be shocked if the Cowboys can even get back to their typical 8-8 level this year. The Cowboys still have the offensive tools to get the job done, it's just that their defense is an absolute joke. The 2013 Cowboys were one of the worst defenses in NFL history; getting pummeled in both the rushing and passing game every time they took the field. Somehow this unit only got worse this year with the departure of two of their best players defensive tackle Jason Hatcher (free agency) and defensive end DeMarcus Ware (released after refusing to take a pay cut) in the offseason. Losing Hatcher and Ware was bad enough, but things managed to only get worse when inside linebacker Sean Lee tore his ACL in OTA's. Lee is really the only player on this defense that can make a serious impact. Lee is one of the premier two-way linebackers in the league and this defense is a completely different unit when he's on the field. Not having him for an entire season is going to be devastating for this already weak defense. Owner/GM Jerry Jones once again demonstrated his incompetency at the position by failing to bring in anybody that can really make this defense better. Jones' idea of reworking the defense is bringing in guys who did alright in a strong rotation (Jeremy Mincey) and one of the biggest busts in recent history has caused nothing but headaches during his tenure in the NFL (Rolando McClain). When your best pickup to fix the defense is a defensive tackle coming off a torn ACL (Henry Melton), you know something has gone horribly wrong. Somehow these random veteran pickups weren't the dumbest thing Jones did this offseason. Jones not only completely avoided addressing the biggest problem on the defense (secondary) in either the draft or free agency, he went out and used the team's first round pick on an offensive lineman- a position they were already stacked at-when there were a ton of promising players on the board that could helped them out tremendously. Maybe Jones will feel some type of regret for not taking a defender in the first round when his Cowboys are getting ripped to shreds week in and week out for the whole season. The Cowboys offensive prospects aren't even quite as bright as usual with Tony Romo coming off major offseason back surgery. If Romo returns to form this year, this offense will probably be even more deadly than usual due to the combination of a poor defense that will allow Romo and co. to be on-the-field more than ever and pass-happy Scott Linehan taking over offensive coordinator duties. Even if Romo bounces back from surgery without any setbacks and has a career year, the Cowboys are still going to be pretty much DOA due to their defense. The Cowboys are going to need make some major changes in personnel on and off-the field if good ol' Jerry wants to gets back to the Aikman/Staubach glory days of the franchise.   

New York Giants: The Giants may have finished on a strong note in 2013, but the season was still a major disappointment for the G-Men as they missed the playoffs for a second straight year. With that disappointment in mind, the Giants went and out addressed their two biggest problems last season- offensive line and running back- in free agency and the draft. The offensive line woes a year ago where the major reason that the running game was ineffective and Eli Manning threw so many interceptions. The Giants now have three new potential starters in guard Geoff Schwartz, center J.D. Walton and rookie center/guard Weston Richburg- who is battling for the starting right guard spot with incumbent Giant Brandon Mosley. These new starters are leading a much needed youth movement for a Giants line that was old and often overwhelmed a year ago and should also provide a lot more consistency with both rush and pass blocking. Behind the refurbished offensive line, the Giants went out and invested in a pair of new running backs to fix their 29th ranking rushing offense from a year ago. In my humble opinion, Rashad Jennings was one of the most underrated pickups of this offseason. Jennings has quietly put up pretty good numbers with the Jaguars and Raiders over the past two seasons and should thrive now that he's finally been given the opportunity to be the feature back. The team also went and out drafted Andre Williams to be their new power back after both Andre Brown and Brandon Jacobs left the organization in the offseason. Jennings and Williams have all the skills necessary to be the next great "Thunder and Lightning" rushing duo. The Giants free agent spending spree carried over to the defensive side as the team invested in the likes of cornerbacks Domniqiue Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond, defensive end Robert Ayers and inside linebacker Jameel McClain to bolster the depth of their already solid defense. With all the smart pickups the Giants made in the offseason to help him out, The Giants are going to need Manning to step up now more than ever. Manning's 2013 season was miserable, but I believe he possesses the poise and talent to turn this team around. Manning was the guy that led this team to two Super Bowls in the past decade and if he wants to get this team back there again, he's going to have dig deep and rediscover the part of himself that is a winning quarterback who can take over a game at will. With an improvement in overall talent and a brilliant head coach in Tom Coughlin running the show, the Giants certainly have the potential to surprise and take home the NFC East title in 2014.  

Philadelphia Eagles: There's a lot fewer questions marks surrounding the Eagles going into this season than there was at this time last year thanks to their success in 2013. Chip Kelly's offensive magic translated to the NFL, they have a legitimate starting (and quite possibly long-time franchise) quarterback in Nick Foles and the offensive line went from a mess to arguably the most dominant unit in the league in the matter of a single season. The only question that remains in Philly this season is can they do it all again in 2014. The answer will come in due time, but as of right now, I think they are fully capable of repeating their success this season. I would be absolutely flabbergasted if Foles' incredible play last season was a fluke. Foles was able to master Kelly's rapid-pace offense without get flustered or overwhelmed with the pace at any point The poise and intelligence Foles that demonstrated under center last season was rare for a second-year player and it should only improve in his third season. In addition to having the next potential superstar quarterback in Foles, the team has perhaps the best running back in the league not named Adrian Peterson in LeSean McCoy. McCoy was built for Kelly's offense and it showed in 2013 as he racked up over 2,000 total yards including a league-leading 1,607 yards on the ground. At the still young age of 26 and the added presence of speedster Darren Sproles in the backfield this year to take away some of the focus that is normally put on him, McCoy is primed to be just as dominant in 2014.  Despite all their strengths, there's still some question marks on this team, primarily on the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles D is a relatively young unit that made a ton of mistakes in 2013 that led to quite a few big plays being made against them, and I don't expect much to change this year. The Eagles tried to work on their league-worst secondary from a year ago by adding safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback Nolan Carroll in free agency. Jenkins brings a more stable presence to the middle of the defense than any of the safeties they had last year while Carroll is a relatively solid corner that gives them someone to fall back on if injuries occur to their starters, but ultimately I don't know much of an impact these guys will make on the quality of this unit. There's also the problem of finding someone to replace the production of the team's top wide receiver DeSean Jackson- who the Eagles released for no apparent reason after having a career year in 2013. Rookies Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff have looked good in OTA's and the preseason thus far and having Jeremy Maclin back in the mix after missing all of 2013 with a torn ACL is a huge plus, but it's going to be a tall order for any of these guys to match the explosiveness and consistent big-play ability Jackson brought to this offense. The Eagles are a young team on the rise with a whole lot of potential for future success, but in the interim I think they lack the playmakers on defense to make a deep playoff run and be serious title contenders.  

Washington Redskins: There is no team going into 2014 that I find to be a bigger crapshoot than the Washington Redskins. This is a squad that went from promising upstart franchise in 2012 to lowly bottomfeeders in 2013. The Redskins true identity lies pretty much solely on the shoulders of third-year quarterback Robert Griffin III- who is entering a make-or-break year in 2014. Is Griffin III the poised, dynamic playmaker that won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 or the jittery guy that relied way too much on his feet and got shut down for the last quarter of the season in 2013. With no major injury to bounce back from this year and a fully-loaded arsenal of playmakers around him (running back Alfred Morris, wide receiver Pierre Garcon, tight end Jordan Reed and new addition DeSean Jackson), we will see the player Griffin truly is come out this year. Griffin has the benefit having a brilliant offensive mind in new head coach Jay Gruden in his corner to help him and try get back on track in 2014. Gruden had great success in his tenure as the Bengals offensive coordinator making Andy Dalton a reliable starting quarterback. Gruden brings a relatively balanced offensive system to the Redskins that has proven to be successful year in and year out. If any coach in this league can unlock the potential Griffin has, it's Gruden. While Griffin is certainly the most pressing issue for the Redskins, it's certainly not the only issue the Redskins face in 2014. Their defense is still loaded with holes and they didn't really have the cap space or number of high draft picks (thanks to the trade to get Griffin in the 2012 draft) to fill them this offseason. Defensive tackle Jason Hatcher is still in his prime and will bring a huge playmaking force to the middle of the line, but outside of him there's not a single pickup they made that will make much of an impact this year. Tracy Porter is just another expendable corner, Akeem Jordan is an above average inside linebacker at best and rookie Trent Murphy- this team first draft pick in 2014- won't see much action because the Redskins already have a lethal pass-rushing outside linebacker tandem in Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo. Even if the offense fires on all cylinders, there's little doubt in my mind that their overall lack of talent will hold them back. The Redskins have the potential to be either right in the middle of the playoff hunt or be back in the league's basement depending on how well their offense plays and if their defense can make enough stops to win close games.

Projected Standings for the NFC East
1.Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
2.New York Giants (9-7)
3.Washington Redskins (7-9)
4.Dallas Cowboys (6-10) 

2014 Fantasy Football Sleepers

If you play fantasy football, you know that finding hidden gems in the later rounds of the draft is essential if you want to win your league. With that mind, here are the unheralded guys that I think have the potential to make a huge splash in 2014.

Quarterback: Josh McCown (Buccaneers) (Average Draft Position: 11th-13th round)
Josh McCown's surprising success with the Chicago Bears filling-in for an injured Jay Cutler made him a great mid-season waiver wire pickup in 2013. McCown may be with a new team in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but should once again be surprisingly productive this season. Just like with the Bears, McCown has two huge targets to throw to in Vincent Jackson and rookie Mike Evans. Jackson and Evans aren't quite as gifted as Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey, but have the reliable hands and downfield abilities alongside the size that is needed to cause a whole lot of matchup problems for opposing defenses. With this Evans/Jackson tandem leading the charge, don't be the least bit surprised if McCown is a top 10 fantasy quarterback in 2014.
Other Potential Sleepers: Ryan Tannehill (Dolphins), Carson Palmer (Cardinals), Jake Locker (Titans)

Running Back: DeAngelo Williams (Panthers) (Average Draft Position: 10th-12th round)
DeAngelo Williams have been a solid RB3/4 option for years with the Panthers thanks to his guaranteed 12-15 touches a game and consistent albeit unremarkable numbers. With Cam Newton coming off offseason ankle surgery and a plethora of new wide receivers on the team, Williams has a legitimate chance to be more heavily featured in this offense this year. Williams' familiarity with the offense and abilities as a two-way back make him a valuable asset for an offense that is going through such a major overhaul in its receiving corps. With 2014 being the shakiest year for running backs in recent memory, Williams is a good guy to gamble on.
Other Potential Sleepers: Terrance West (Browns), Lamar Miller (Dolphins), Jeremy Hill (Bengals)

Wide Reciever: Terrance Williams (Cowboys) (Average Draft Position: 7th-9th round)
Terrance Williams may not be as much of a sleeper as the other guys on this list, but that doesn't mean he's not being undervalued going into 2014. Williams is the clear number two wideout in the powerful Cowboys offense and is coming off of a pretty impressive rookie campaign where he picked up 736 yards and 5 TD's. With a notoriously pass-happy offensive coordinator in Scott Linehan now calling the plays in Dallas and a shockingly porous defense will simultaneously allow a lot of points to opponents and a lot of opportunities for this offensive unit to shine, look for Williams to put up potentially eye-popping numbers this year.  
Other Potential Sleepers: Jeremy Maclin (Eagles), Robert Woods (Bills), Doug Baldwin (Seahawks)

Tight End: Kyle Rudolph (Vikings) (Average Draft Position: 8th-9th round)
Kyle Rudolph has been a reliable endzone threat for years now, but look for 2014 to be the year where he really flourishes. New Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner is essentially the tight end whisperer with his ability to get maximum output out of whatever tight ends he has to work with. Turner's skills were especially on display last year in Cleveland, with the great season he managed to get out of the previously unknown and ineffective Jordan Cameron. Turner should yet again have a field day this year with Rudolph- who is bigger and has better hands than Cameron. Rudolph has the perfect scheme and skill set to be the best tight end in the league this year not named Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski or Vernon Davis.
Other Potential Sleepers: Garrett Graham (Texans), Dwayne Allen (Colts), Tyler Eifert (Bengals)

Defense: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Average Draft Position: 12th-15 round)
Out of all these sleeper picks, there is none I'm more confident in than this one. The Buccaneers had two All-Pro players (Gerald McCoy and LaVonte David) and a defense that ranked in the top half of all fantasy and real-life defenses last year with the cancerous Greg Schiano at the helm. Now that defensive masterminds Lovie Smith and Leslie Frazier are in the respective roles of head coach and defensive coordinator and there's a third perennial All-Pro caliber player in the mix (cornerback Alterraun Verner), this defense is set to be an absolute force to be reckoned with in 2014. The Buccaneers defense is a huge bargain for where they're going in the draft and should handsomely reward anyone that waits till the last few rounds to take a defense.
Other Potential Sleepers: Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints       

2014 NFL Preview: AFC West

Denver Broncos: The 2013 Denver Broncos were pretty much an unstoppable force until they ran into a brick wall otherwise known as the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. The Broncos took a valuable lesson from their blowout defeat in the Super Bowl and went out and made some major moves in the offseason to fix their problems on defense, which makes their already strong team that much better in 2014. The secondary was the only real problem for the Broncos last year, especially when cornerback Chris Harris and safety Rahim Moore went down in the early stages of the playoffs. The Broncos fixed that issue in a big way by bringing in two of the best players in the league at their respective positions in cornerback Aqib Talib and safety T.J. Ward. Talib gives the Broncos the shutdown corner they've lacked since Champ Bailey slowed down and got out of elite form a few years ago while Ward brings another sure tackling run-stuffer to an already stacked rush defense as well some pretty solid pass-coverage skills that are an improvement over basically every safety that they had on their roster last year. Their other high-profile offseason pickup, defensive end DeMarcus Ware, isn't anywhere near the player he used to be, but should at least give them another able pass-rusher if he's used as a part of a rotation. However, the biggest difference maker for this 2014 Broncos defense is the return of outside linebacker Von Miller to the lineup. This defense was a completely different animal in the nine games Miller appeared in 2013 and with him back healthy alongside their new additions and 2013 standouts Terrance Knighton and Danny Trevathan, this defense should be back to the elite level they were at in 2012. The Broncos have a rejuvenated defense going into 2014 that should nicely complement their powerhouse offense- which should remain the most deadly unit in the league as long as Peyton Manning continues to play like Peyton Manning. Of course, Manning isn't going to repeat his record-breaking 2013 campaign, but it's not like he's going to all of sudden poop out either. This offense is just as good, if not better than the unit that helped him set records last season. Number one wideout Demaryius Thomas is now entering the prime of his career, the Broncos went out and replaced departed redzone target Eric Decker with another monster target in Emmanuel Sanders, and the league-best offensive line from a year ago is set to get even better with the return of three-time Pro Bowl/All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady to the lineup after missing almost all of 2013 with a Lisfranc injury. If they stay healthy and Manning continues to play like his inhuman self, it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if the Broncos made it back to the Super Bowl this season.

Kansas City Chiefs: 2013 was a tale of two teams for the Kansas City Chiefs. They started off 9-0 and were the last undefeated team in the league before going on a 2-6 skid to end the season that was punctuated by one of the biggest collapses in NFL history as they blew a 28-point lead in their wild card matchup with the Colts. I expect the 2014 Chiefs to be in line more with the team that had the epic late-season collapse in 2013 than the team that look the league by storm in the first half of the year. Let's face it, the Chiefs success in 2013 was a fluke. They beat a bunch of subpar-to-terrible teams in the first nine weeks of the year in 2013 and got their asses handed to them the minute they started playing playoff-caliber teams in the latter stages of the season. With their 11-5 finish last season and matchups against the NFC West, they're facing much stiffer competition this season, making the odds of repeating their success in 2014 very slim. Not only do the Chiefs have a tougher schedule this year, they also have regressed as a team. The offensive line essentially got nuked this offseason as starting left tackle Branden Albert and starting guards Geoff Schwartz and Jon Ashmoah left the team in free agency. The moves leave the team with three, inexperienced new starters and saddles second-year tackle Eric Fisher- who struggled immensely throughout his rookie season- with the role of anchoring the line at left tackle. There is no offensive line in football that I have less faith in this season than the Chiefs and I expect both the passing and rushing game to suffer because of their instability and overall lack of talent. The Chiefs offense is also still incredibly one-dimensional as the offense basically runs through handoffs and shovel passes to running back Jammal Charles. If Charles went down in their current offensive scheme, I honestly don't know how would they function. While Charles is an undeniably excellent back, they're going to need someone else to step up and make plays if they want to improve on offense and become a perennial playoff contender. Quarterback Alex Smith may not be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he can make some plays if you give him the opportunity and, the Chiefs have competent receivers in Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery and Anthony Fasano that would allow to do so. The Chiefs are coached too well and have too much talent to go back to their 2012 bottom-of-the-barrel status, but I'd be highly surprised if they were able to get back into the playoffs this year.

Oakland Raiders: Mark Kriegel of NFL AM hit the nail on the head when he referred to the 2014 Oakland Raiders as "the football version of The Expendables". The Raiders had an almost endless amount of space this season and they decided to spend it on every available member of the 2009 Pro Bowl class, all the while letting two of the most talented players on their roster (tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive end Lammar Houston) move onto other teams. The Raiders did make a few good pickups in free agency (wide receiver James Jones, cornerback Tarrel Brown, defensive end Justin Tuck), but a vast majority of the guys they signed this offseason are once great players who now are just shells of their former selves (running back Maurice Jones-Drew, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, tackle Donald Penn to name a few). Out of all the moves The Raiders made this offseason, none was more baffling than the trade they made with the Texans for quarterback Matt Schaub. Schuab's play has been consistently declining since 2011, with his trainwreck 2013 campaign where he completed more passes to the defense than his own guys proving that he has basically nothing left in the tank. Why anyone would turnover the reigns to their offense to Schaub at this point in his career is mind-boggling. Unless Schaub miraculously stops his recent downward spiral and goes back to his pre-2011 form, the Raiders will probably be benching him in favor of rookie Derek Carr by the time October rolls around. Even if the Raiders had a competent quarterback, they just simply don't have the talent to win a lot of football games. Their rushing attack is being led by one of the most fragile players in the league (Darren McFadden) and a former elite back who's consistent injury history has slowed him down immensely (Jones-Drew), their receiving corps besides Jones is practically non-existent, and their defense is a combination of really talented young players with almost endless potential (Sio Moore, Nick Roach, their 2014 first-round pick Khalil Mack) and veterans who are too old to do much of anything but collect a paycheck and make the occasional nice play (basically every one else on the defense), which makes them an average unit at best. This season will more than likely go down as the last year of the Dennis Allen/Reggie McKenzie-era and potentially the last season the Raiders ever play in Oakland, as the lease on their stadium is up and the ownership has pondered moving them to either San Antonio or Los Angeles. Whether they end up staying in Oakland or moving elsewhere, I don't believe the Raiders will start winning until they get an owner whose last name isn't Davis and a dynamic coach that can bring a new attitude and winning culture to this long-struggling franchise.

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers are coming into 2014 fresh off a playoff berth and basically the same roster in place, which is both a good and bad thing for this squad. On the good side, Philip Rivers is finally back in his groove with head coach Mike McCoy and Frank Reich- who got promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator after Ken Wisenhunt left for the head coaching job with the Titans-running the offense. With another year to build his rapport with budding star wide receiver Keenan Allen and a solid offensive line that won't allow him to get murdered every time he drops back to throw, Rivers should be able to do even better this season. The McCoy effect has also translated to the backfield as Ryan Matthews and Danny Woodhead emerged as a really solid two-headed beast out of nowhere last season. Matthews finally lived up to his potential in 2013 with a league-high six 100-yard rushing performances while Woodhead was the perfect complement to Matthews' bruising style with his reliable hands and quickness out of the backfield that led to him finish the year with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 8 TD's. As long as Matthews can remain healthy and Woodhead doesn't suddenly flounder, this duo should be lethal yet again for this offense.The problems with the Chargers pretty much solely lie on the back end of their defense. Their secondary was abysmal last season and they don't really look like they're going to be much better in 2014. They have a pair of potential new starting corners in 2014 first-round pick Jason Verett and ex-Chief Brandon Flowers, but I don't think this duo will be enough to turn the tide for this putrid unit. Verrett is a player I liked coming out of the draft this year due to his physical presence, but he's too small to be the number one corner and will be more than likely stuck with a nickel role in this defense. That number one corner spot will probably go to Flowers, who has suffered one of the saddest declines in recent NFL history going from highly underrated shutdown corners to one of the worst corners in the league over the last couple of years. Unless defensive coordinator John Pagano is a literal wizard, Flowers will not return to his old form in San Diego. If Flowers even manages to serve as a serviceable stopgap corner before the Chargers bring in someone else next season via free agency or the draft, his season can be deemed a great success. The Chargers will be in the hunt for the playoffs once again, but with the same holes that plagued them last year and a much tougher schedule this year, I expect them to just miss the cut.

Projected Standings for the AFC West:
1.Denver Broncos (13-3)
2.San Diego Chargers (8-8)
3.Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)
4.Oakland Raiders (4-12)  

2014 NFL Preview: AFC South

Houston Texans: The 2013 Texans campaign was a shocking nightmare, as the team followed up two straight playoff berths with a 2-14 season that ended with 14 straight losses. While the Texans are almost a lock to do better in 2014, there isn't much of a reason to get really excited about the Texans this year. It's undeniable that the Achilles heel of the Texans last season was quarterback play. Matt Schaub was a turnover machine, Case Keenum looked good at times, but struggled to get the ball in the endzone and T.J. Yates was pretty much useless in his one start. For whatever reason, The Texans didn't really do much to address this problem in the offseason. They brought in journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick and drafted Tom Savage in the fourth round, but I don't see either of them being able to solve the problem. While Fitzpatrick isn't quite as bad he's made out to be, he's not a guy that you can really count on to consistently win games. At the very least, Fitzpatrick does have experience and won't completely flop with veteran playmakers like running back Arian Foster and wide receiver Andre Johnson around him, making him the reluctant best option for the starting job. Savage is a completely different story, as he's a rookie with a huge arm and a lot of potential to be productive at the pro level in the future. The problem with Savage is that's he's far too unpolished at the moment to see the field at all this season, let alone be the starting quarterback. Of course, you always have Keenum as a fallback option, but he probably won't get much done as this is mostly the same offense he failed to produce with last season. It's a shame too because the Texans are built like a playoff team outside of the quarterback position and only got stronger in the offseason with the addition of number one overall draft pick outside linebacker/defensive end Jadeveon Clowney,  a potential sleeper tight end in third-round pick C.J. Fiedorowicz. and veteran safety Chris Clemons to their already talented units on both sides of the ball. The Texans are a squad with a lot of talent, but they won't return to the playoffs until they find a steady, productive quarterback.

Indianapolis Colts: In an extremely weak division, the Colts reigned supreme in 2013 going 11-5, which was a mere four games ahead of the second-place Tennessee Titans. In 2014, nothing has changed as the Colts are still head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in the division, and have only improved in the offseason. The Colts biggest additions were on the defensive front as they picked up defensive end Arthur Jones and inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson to help turn around a rush defense that ranked 26th in the league in 2013. Jones and Jackson alongside the wildly underrated inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman and ageless pash-rushing demon Robert Mathis give the Colts a pretty lethal front seven that could really turn some heads this season. While the additions on defense certainly make the Colts a stronger team, the biggest reason the Colts should be even better in 2014 is quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck was sensational in 2013, cutting down his turnovers substantially and showing a lot more poise in and out of the pocket. Throw in the return of a healthy Reggie Wayne and Dwayne Allen, a potential comeback season for offseason pickup Hakeem Nicks and his ever-growing chemistry with T.Y Hilton, and Luck has all the tools he needs to have his best season to-date in 2014. Really the only giant question mark this team has is in the running game. Trent Richardson proved last year that he can not handle the duties of being a number one back in this league. Richardson's god awful vision and inability to break tackles isn't something that can be easily fixed, and I expect him once again struggle this season. The news doesn't fare much better in the Colts backfield behind Richardson as Vick Ballard is already out for the season with a torn achilles, leaving the injury-prone Ahmad Bradshaw as their backup and most reliable option in the running game. With basically no contingency plan in place if Richardson struggles yet again, the Colts could be forced into being a completely one-dimensional offense this season. The Broncos and Patriots clearly still run the AFC, but if there's any team that can emerge as a dark horse and unseat them from their throne, it's the Colts.

Jacksonville Jaguars: A sense of optimism may be around the corner in Jacksonville. The team used their first pick in the draft this year on quarterback Blake Bortles, who they believe is their quarterback of the future. Based on his college game tape and pre-draft workouts, I believe Bortles possesses the talent to eventually turn this down on their luck franchise around when he gets the chance to start in the coming years. However, that feeling of hope will be not be present this year as 2014 is shaping up to be yet another year of misery for the Jaguars. Of all the teams in the NFL, I don't think there is a team with less talent on their roster than the Jaguars. They did have a decent draft this year and added some solid enough veterans in free agency, but they still have giant gaps on both sides of the ball that weren't remedied in the offseason. First off, their offense is still an absolute disaster with middling journeyman quarterback Chad Henne leading the charge. Henne hasn't done much of anything in his two seasons with the Jaguars thus far yet he remains the starting quarterback. Henne's subpar production isn't entirely on him, as his offensive line has been terrible and his best wide receivers are often injured or suspended . Going into this season, Henne faces the same problems as the offensive line is still weak (even with the addition of ex-Bronco guard Zane Beadles) and number one wideout Justin Blackmon is suspended indefinitely. The Jaguars only hope on offense is running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart has been touted as the next bellcow running back that's going to take the league by storm by many analysts and Jaguars coaches this season. Gerhart certainly has the size to be a dominant back (6'0, 231 lbs), but you don't know if he can handle that workload since he's never been a starter nor do you know how good he really is since he only got a small number of carries each year backing up Adrian Peterson with the Vikings. For the Jaguars sake, they better hope Gerhart pans out. They've got basically an entire offense riding on him at the moment. Things aren't much brighter on the defensive side of the ball. The team did invest heavily in a new, veteran-led defensive line, but I don't think guys like Red Bryant, Chris Clemons and Ziggy Hood are going to do much of anything to turn this team around. Seahawks castoffs Bryant and Clemons are going to be asked to do a lot more with considerably less talent around them and I really don't think they can live up to the challenge. Hood has a similar problem as Bryant and Clemons as he's also coming from a talented defense that thrived with or without his contributions. Hood struggled mightily last year for the Steelers and I doubt his elevated role with the Jaguars will do anything to help matters. Outside of these new guys, this is basically the same defense that finished in the bottom five in total defense a year ago. I expect this unit to be just as bad, if not worse in 2014. Gus Bradley is a good, motivated coach who is respected by his players and is able to get the most out of them. The problem is that no matter how good the coaching is, there just isn't enough talent on this squad to make a splash anytime in the near future.

Tennessee Titans: The Tennessee Titans are a team that is pretty easy to forget about. They aren't offensively bad, they certainly aren't great, they're kind of just there and I don't expect that to change in the slightest in 2014. Aside from the departure of longtime running back Chris Johnson and budding star cornerback Alterraun Verner, it's pretty much business as usual with the Titans. Just about the only intriguing storyline for the Titans this season is how quarterback Jake Locker will fare  in a make-or-break season after the Titans declined the fifth-year option on his rookie deal due to his inability to stay healthy for a full season. How Locker plays this year will not only decide his future with the Titans, but as a starter in the NFL in general. Locker looked better than ever in his five starts last season and if he can beat the odds and stay healthy, I believe he will string together a solid season and become the Titans long-term starting quarterback. The other intriguing storyline involves the impact of rookie running back Bishop Sankey could have on this offense. Sankey was one of the most heralded running back prospects in this year's draft thanks to his elusiveness, ability to catch passes out of the backfield and pass-block. With Johnson gone and an offense that is hurting for additional weapons next to wideout Kendall Wright, Sankey has the potential to be an integral part of this offense this year. The Titans are a bit better off on defense with 2013 All-Pro defensive tackle Jurrell Casey and linebacker Zach Brown anchoring a surprisingly stout front seven, but suffered a huge loss on the back end with Verner departing in free agency. Verner was a dominant presence in this secondary that was excellent in coverage and created a lot of turnovers. This secondary has instantly become more vulnerable without Verner and whoever gets the starting job (either Coty Sensabaugh or Blidi Wreh-Wilson) next to Jason McCourty is more than likely going to have endure some serious growing pains. The Titans might a new coach in Ken Wisenhunt, (potential) new franchise running back in Sankey and a handful of other new faces on offense and defense, but this is still the same old mediocre Tennessee Titans.

Projected Standings for the AFC South:
1.Indianpolis Colts (11-5)
2.Houston Texans (7-9)
3.Tennessee Titans (6-10)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)

Concert Review: Summer Slaughter-- Worcester, MA-- August 9th, 2014

The Summer Slaughter Tour has served as the peak of the summer for extreme metal enthusiasts in the United States since 2007, and I finally got that annual feeling of joy on Saturday when this tour hit The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. With its heaviest lineup in years, this year's edition successfully brought the tour back to its death metal roots.

My friends and I arrived around 2:30 and found out that there was a local opener going on before the tour package started. We wisely used that time to get food, water, etc. since none of the touring bands were worth missing. We got back to the venue shortly after tour opener Boreworm had started their set. The Michigan-bred act won a nationwide contest tour organizer's held to fill the opening slot for the tour package this year. For an unsigned band, Boreworm showed an incredible amount of poise and chemistry on stage, and you can tell they were stoked to be playing on a tour with so many bands they admire. As for the music, their blend of deathcore and prog didn't always gel, but every song had moments that were impressive- which is more than I can say about a lot of the unsigned bands in Massachusetts. Boreworm certainly has potential moving forward and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they eventually got signed.

Fallujah was the first signed national act to play on the day. There are a lot of great bands on this tour that I really wanted to see, but Fallujah was firmly at the top of my most anticipated list. Even with the immense around of hype I had going for, Fallujah didn't disappoint in the slightest.The previous time I saw them opening for The Black Dahlia Murder last October, their set was dragged down by an awful sound mix that all but completely drowned out the guitars. A near flawless sound mix made all the difference in the world for the quality of the performance as the guitars sounded excellent, the vocals were punishing and most importantly, it allowed the nuances and beauty of their music to shine completely through. The setlist was divided evenly between their two LP's: 2011's The Harvest Wombs and the newly released The Flesh Prevails- which is currently my favorite record of 2014. The setlist ended up serving as the perfect showcase of what Fallujah is about as a band. New songs "Carved From Stone" and "Sapphire" laid on the atmosphere while "Become One" and "Cerberal Hybridzation" showed just how great they are crafting full-on tech death with stunning melodies. The only problem with their set is that was an all too brief 20 minutes. Fallujah blew the doors off the first time I saw them and set the bar high for the rest of the bands on the bill right out of the gate. I'm crossing my fingers they can land on a tour where they get longer than 20 minutes to play in the very near future.

Fallujah is a tough act to follow, but Within the Ruins didn't do a bad job of doing so. Within the Ruins is often accused of being a "robotic" band that completely relies on studio mastering and electronic effects to play their music. Anyone that thinks Within the Ruins is a studio-manufactured band that has no real talent and can't play live needs to go to one of their shows the next time they come to their city. Everything they play on record, they can hit live without missing a beat. Aside from being very precise, Within the Ruins is just a damn good time in a live setting. From the dizzying, insanely technical playing style of guitarist Joe Cochi to the biting and consistently improving vocals of Tim Goergen, there is never a dull moment when Within the Ruins is on stage. Making things that much better is how amped the crowd gets when they play. They're from Westfield, Massachusetts-which is an about an hour from Worcester- and the hometown crowd made them feel more than appreciated with an absolutely explosive reaction from everyone in the room. As an active member of the Massachusetts metal scene, I've witnessed firsthand their rise from practically unknown local band to rising extreme metal stars in only a few years time. It's always great to see a band from your state break out of the local scene and thrive on a national/international level. They were slightly less energetic and commanding as the last time I saw them, but Within the Ruins still put on a pretty great set.

Decrepit Birth was up next and though it's been four years since the last time I saw them, nothing has changed a bit. Vocalist Bill Robinson is still a beast, guitarist Matt Sotelo can still shred with best of them and the drums are remarkably powerful even for a death metal band. The one thing that made this set particularity standout was the antics of Robinson. He came onto the stage smoking a joint and spent the entire first song alternating between screaming and puffing on the joint when an instrumental section came in. Things only got weirder from there as Robinson proceeded to do a series of spastic hand motions next to Sotelo every time he played a solo. These hand movements looked like a combination of spirit fingers and what you would do if you were trying to conjure up a demon from the depths of hell. Robinsion's antics were really unexpected and entertaining, and that paired with how stellar they sound as a band made this the best set I've seen from Decrepit Birth to-date.

Origin was up next. After years of hearing how crazy they were live, I was really excited to get the chance to finally see them. Crazy doesn't even being to describe Origin's performance,  they're a full-on sensory overload live. Saying that Origin was basically like listening to a wall of noise for 30 minutes would be a gross understatement. The vocals, guitars and drums were at the highest possible levels you could fathom, which made their set a roller-coaster that constantly teetered between overwhelming and enthralling. I'm well aware that Origin is a highly technical band with a consistent sense of chaos in their music, but a slightly more toned-down mix would have benefited them immensely. Gripes with sound aside, there's no denying that Origin has a insane stage presence. Vocalist Jason Keyser is a hell of a frontman that brings a hardcore type of energy to a death metal and bassist Mike Flores is a madman who spent the whole set losing his mind on the lefthand corner of the stage away from the rest of the band. Origin certainly had moments of greatness, but were ultimately just too much to take in to be anything more than solid.

Goatwhore hit the stage next and brought back every ounce of momentum that was lost during Origin's performance. Their southern-tinged blackened death/thrash is great on disc, but it really flourishes in a live setting. The set was driven by cuts from their latest LP Constricting Rage of the Merciless, which all slay live. Thrashers "Baring Teeth for Revolt" and "FBS" are amongst the best material in the catalog with riffs galore and the trademark snarls of Ben Falgoust on full display while "Schadenfreude" shows that they can write killer material with a bit of a melodic edge to it without giving up any of their aggression or evil aura. Goatwhore is the rare band who is unapologeticaly heavy yet still fun as hell live.

Thy Art is Murder was up next. Their studio material isn't anything particularity noteworthy, but their live show is undeniably impressive. Their music is not even close to original as it's the same breakdown-riddled deathcore that has dominated the extreme musical landscape for the past six or seven years, but they are so damn good at it that it doesn't even matter. You'll be hard pressed to find deathcore bands that have a better vocalist, more punishing breakdowns or as imposing of a stage presence as these guys do. Just like their last time playing this tour, they managed to get one of the biggest crowd receptions of the day with people screaming along to every song and going absolutely berzerk in the pits throughout the set. Their rapid ascent in the scene over the past couple years may shock some people, but if you even pay a lick of attention to deathcore, their success couldn't be any less surprising. These guys put on consistently killer live shows and have mastered all of the key elements that are needed to have a successful deathcore band. Like it or not, Thy Art is Murder is proof that deathcore isn't dead.

The Faceless hit the stage next. Even though I've seen them four times and they've been one of my favorite bands for the past five years, I was still shocked at just how amazing The Faceless was at this show. With all the member shakeup that has occurred with these guys over the past few years, I didn't expect the newest version of The Faceless to be the tightest lineup they've had to-date. The band was firing on all cylinders from start to finish. I don't think it can be stressed enough how much of an impact Geoffrey Ficco has had on their live shows. Not only he is an energetic, charismatic frontman, but he has some of the most devastating high and low screams I've ever heard. I was a big fan of their previous vocalist Derek Rydquist, but I have to say that I like Ficco quite a bit more. His stage presence and vocals have completely overhauled this band's identity as a live act for the better. This show also marked the first time I was able to actually hear Michael Keene's clean vocals for the whole set. Keene's clean vocals have been practically inaudible every other time I'd seen them, so it was awesome to actually hear them clearly for the first time. Keene's cleans being present on "Accelerated Evolution", "The Eidolon Reality" and "Coldly Calculated Design" made these tracks feel more complete and were able to match the power of the studio recordings perfectly. The setlist was pretty standard for them, but "The Ancient Covenant" and "Hymn of Sanity" were pleasant unexpected inclusions that ended up being amongst the highlights of the set. After all these years as a touring band and enduring member changes galore, The Faceless have finally grown into a live act that is comparable to the incredibly high-quality of their studio material.

Dying Fetus hit the stage next. This was my fourth time seeing them and there really isn't much to say about them that hasn't been said countless numbers of time before. Even on a tour full of brutal bands, Dying Fetus still manages to blow everyone else away with how insanely heavy they are. It's remarkable to me that a trio is able to be the single most powerful and destructive force in all of heavy music.  If you're a death metal fan and you haven't seen Dying Fetus, you're missing out on a special experience and you need to do everything in your power to correct that immediately.

The crowd thinned out an alarming amount prior to Morbid Angel's set, which doesn't really shock me because Morbid Angel doesn't have the clout they once had and based on the reaction they got, it was clear that Dying Fetus was the headliner of this tour in most people's eyes. Regardless of the relative emptiness of the crowd, Morbid Angel put on a great performance that reminded everyone of why they are death metal royalty. I had been waiting to see Morbid Angel for a long time and after the trainwreck that was Illuid Divinum Insanus, I was relived to find out that they still have the raw intensity that defined their essential works of the late 80's and early 90's. At the ripe old age of 49, David Vincent sounded almost unfathomably excellent delivering classic tracks like "Maze of Torment", "God of Emptiness" and "Rapture". Even though Vincent has made a lot of questionable musical decisions of late and has one of the corniest stage presences I've ever witnessed, he hasn't lost a bit of the vocal edge that made the early Morbid Angel records so special. Morbid Angel's lone remaining founding member and one of my all-time favorite guitarists, Trey Azagtoth, is also continuing to tear it up after all these years. His grimy guitar tone and distorted solowork was an absolute pleasure to see live and was often the most endearing aspect of their set for me. The setlist was solid enough with a lot of prime cuts from Covenant, but only two tracks from Altars of Madness (the aforementioned "Maze of Torment" and "Immortal Rites") and a decent amount of material from the vastly inferior Steve Tucker-era made it a tad bit disappointing on the whole. I'm honored that I was finally able to cross Morbid Angel off my to-see list and it's great to see how good they still sound 25 years after their debut came out.

Side Notes:
-Boreworm's vocalist looks like a younger, slightly skinnier version of Corpsegrinder from Cannibal Corpse.
-I had not another close call with getting a guitar pick after Fallujah was done. Scott Corstairs' pick landed basically right in front of me and once I found on the floor, some kid came from behind me and grabbed it.
-Decrepit Birth vocalist Bill Robinson went on a rant about racial/gender equality and gay rights before they played "Symbiosis". I didn't expect that at all during a death metal show, but it was definitely a cool moment.
-Origin had the audience do a silent wall of death before they played "The Aftermath"
-Goatwhore vocalist Ben Falgoust kept calling for the crowd to "pump their fists like they were seeing Priest in 84"
-Goatwhore had the crowd do the "Four Sides of the Apocalypse" before they played "FBS". It was essentially a wall of death where people ran from the four corners of the floor and met in the middle. It was incredibly badass to watch and looked like a lot more fun than a tradtional wall of death.
   

Scores:
Boreworm 6.5/10
Fallujah 9/10
Within the Ruins 8/10
Decrepit Birth 8/10
Origin 7.5/10
Goatwhore 9/10
Thy Art is Murder 8/10
The Faceless 9.5/10
Dying Fetus 8.5/10
Morbid Angel 8.5/10
 
Setlists:
Fallujah:
Carved From Stone
Cerebral Hybridization
Become One
Sapphire

Within the Ruins:
Gods Amongst Men
Invade
I, Blasphame
Feeding Frenzy
Calling Card

Decrepit Birth:
Metatron
The Infestation
The Resonance
A Gathering of Imaginations  
Prelude to the Apocalypse
Symbiosis

Origin:
?
Expulsion of Fury
All Things Dead
The Aftermath
Portal
Unattainable Zero

Goatwhore:
Poisonous Existence in Reawakening
Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult
An End to Nothing
FBS
Schadenfreude
Baring Teeth for Revolt
Apocalyptic Havoc

Thy Art is Murder:
Shadow of Eternal Sin
Laceration Penetration 
The Purest Strain of Hate
Dead Sun
Whore to a Chainsaw
Reign of Darkness

The Faceless:
An Autopsy
The Eidolon Reality
(Shape Shifters)
Coldly Calculated Design
Accelerated Evolution
The Ancient Covenant
Legion of the Serpent
(Hail Science)
Hymn of Sanity
Xenochrist

Dying Fetus:
In the Trenches
One Shot, One Kill
Intentional Manslaughter
Justifiable Homicide 
Your Treachery Will Die With You
From Womb to Waste
Praise the Lord (Opium of the Masses)

Morbid Angel:
Immortal Rites
Fall from Grace
Day of Suffering
Rapture
Maze of Torment
Vengeance Is Mine
Ageless, I Still Am
Curse the Flesh
Existo Vulgore
Where the Slime Live
Blood on My Hands
Bil Ur-Sag
Word of Shit (The Promised Land)
God of Emptiness