2011 In Music Revisited

2011 was the best year for music of my lifetime. The records I listened to have for the most part held up incredibly and after the year ended I discovered even more amazing music. Here is my updated rankings of all the EP's and LP's I listened to last year from worst to best.

EP's Previous Ranking in Parentheses

7(7).Childish Gambino-EP

6.(6)Whitechapel-Recorrupted

5.(5)Periphery-Icarus

4.(4)Within The Ruins-Omen

3(3).Dying Fetus-History Repeats....

2.(2)Job For A Cowboy-Gloom

1(1).Between The Buried and Me-The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues

LP's Previous Ranking in Parentheses

104.(92)Metallica/Lou Reed-Lulu

103.(91)Emmure-Speaker Of The Dead

102.(90)The Crimson Armada-Conviction

101.(89)Incubus-If Not Now, When?

100.(88)Morbid Angel-Illuid Divinum Insanus

99.(87)Rings of Saturn-Embryonic Anomaly

98.(86)Black Tide-Post Mortem

97.(85)Rise Against-Endgame

96.(84)Limp Bizkit-Gold Cobra

95.(83)Five Finger Death Punch-American Capitalist

94.(82)Devin Townsend Project-Ghost

93.(81)Suicide Silence-The Black Crown

92.(80)Dream Theater-A Dramatic Turn Of Events

91.(79)Jay-Z/Kanye West-Watch The Throne

90.(78)Red Hot Chili Peppers-I'm With You

89.(77)Winds Of Plague-Against The World

88.(76)Bury Your Dead-Mosh N' Roll

87.(75)Lazarus A.D-Black Rivers Flow

86.(74)Wu-Tang Clan-Legendary Weapons

85.(73)Harm's Way-Isolation

84.(72)Betraying The Martyrs-Breathe In Life

83.(71)Jedi Mind Tricks-Violence Begets Violence

82.(70)blink-182-Neighborhoods

81.(69)The Devil Wears Prada-Dead Throne

80.(68)In Flames-Sounds Of A Playground Fading

79.(67)Molotov Solution-Insurrection

78.(66)Toxic Holocaust-Conjure and Command

77.(new)Fit For An Autopsy-The Process of Human Extermination

76.(65)Saviours-Death's Procession

75.(new)Naysayer-Laid to Rest

74.(64)Jamey Jasta-Jasta

73.(63)Death Grips-Exmillitary

72.(62)Abysmal Dawn-Leveling The Plane Of Existence

71.(61)Alkaline Trio-Damnesia

70.(60)Title Fight-Shed

69.(59)This Is Hell-Black Mass

68.(58)Texas In July-One Reality

67.(56)Primus-Green Nogalydte

66.(57)Cave In-White Silence

65.(54)Vader-Welcome To The Morbid Reich

64.(55)Tyler,The Creator-Goblin

63.(53)Sepultura-Kairos

62.(new)Exhumed-All Guts, No Glory

61.(52)Threat Signal-Threat Signal

60.(51)Devildriver-Beast

59.(new)iwrestledabearonce-Ruining it for Everybody

58.(47)Megadeth-TH1RT3EN

57.(50)Crowbar-Sever The Wicked Hand

56.(49)Touche Amore-Parting The Seas Between Brightness and Me

55.(new)Vildhjarta-Masstaden

54.(new)Rotting Out-Street Prowl

53.(new)The Wonder Years-Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing

52.(48)TesseracT-One

51.(46)The Black Keys-El Camino

50.(45)Chimaira-The Age Of Hell

49.(44)Dropkick Murphys-Going Out In Style

48.(43)Hate Eternal-Phoenix Amongst The Ashes

47.(42)Becoming The Archetype-Celestial Completion

46.(41)Cannabis Corpse-Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shall Rise

45.(40)Scale The Summit-The Collective

44.(39)Amon Amarth-Surtur Rising

43,(38)Evan Brewer-Alone

42.(37)Uneven Structure-Februus

41.(36)Ulcerate-The Destroyers Of All

40.(new)Vale of Pnath-The Prodigal Empire

39.(35)Thomas Giles-Pulse

38.(34)Atmosphere-The Family Sign

37.(33)Anthrax-Worship Music

36.(32)Origin-Entity

35.(31)Arsonists Get All The Girls-Motherland

34.(30)Children Of Bodom-Relentless Reckless Forever

33.(29)Decapitated-Carnival Is Forever

32.(27)Textures-Dualism

31.(26)Warbringer-Worlds Torn Asunder

30.(new)CunninLynguists-Oneirology

29.(28)Havok-Time is Up

28.(25)The Human Abstract-Digital Veil

27.(24)Grieves-Together/Apart

26.(23)Animals As Leaders-Weightless

25.(21)Landmine Marathon-Gallows

24.(new)A Loss For Words-No Sanctuary

23.(new)The Story So Far-Under Soil and Dirt

22.(22)Red Fang-Murder the Mountains

21.(20)Septic Flesh-The Great Mass

20.(19)Beastie Boys-Hot Sauce Committee Part 2

19.(18)August Burns Red-Leveler

18.(17)Devin Townsend Project-Deconstruction

17.(16)Foo Fighters-Wasting Light

16.(15)Darkest Hour-The Human Romance

15.(14)Last Chance To Reason-Level 2

14.(13)Obscura-Omnivium

13.(12)Times Of Grace-The Hymn Of A Broken Man

12.(11)All Shall Perish-This Is Where It Ends

11.(10)Born of Osiris-The Discovery

10.(9)Fleshgod Apocalypse-Agony

9.(8)Arch Enemy-Khaos Legions

8.(new)Fallujah-The Harvest Wombs

7.(7)Skeletonwitch-Forever Abomination

6.(6)Machine Head-Unto The Locust

5.(5)Mastodon-The Hunter

4.(4)Unearth-Darkness In The Light

3.(3)Protest The Hero-Scurrilous

2.(2)Revocation-Chaos Of Forms

1.(1)The Black Dahlia Murder-Ritual

Update

Well the summer is almost over for me as I start as school on Wednesday. I apologize for my recent output. There really hasn't been much new music this month I've been interested in listening to and I have written a review for every new movie I've seen this month (save for The Bourne Legacy because it was so mediocre that I couldn't muster up more than two or three sentences to write about it). I hope to write as much as I can before I get stuck in school. I'm going to try to see/review Lawless, finish up my NFL preview, bang out a review for MF Doom's new record, and post a list or two in the next six days. I can assure you that there will be more music reviews in September and especially October when an onslaught of new releases I'm excited about come out. Thank you for understanding and I can't send enough gratitude to each and every person that follows, reads, stumbles upon, loves, or hates my blog.

Chris Maitland

Movie Review: The Expendables 2

Sylvester Stallone: You've done it again. The Expendables 2 is everything I wanted it to be and more. The first one already did a great job of capturing the spirit of 80's action movies and the second one improves on the first in every possible way. The second installment has a more engaging story, a great sense of humor, and self-parody that the first one lacked, and of course, big, bloody, loud, awesome action set pieces. Stallone went out and improved the already stellar cast of action new stars new and old by adding classic action stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris (who very well might steal the show) to the fold. He also gave Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger bigger roles which was a great choice. Willis kills his role as smart-ass FBI agent Mr.Church and watching Schwarzenegger back on the big screen firing big guns was pretty much an instant time machine back to the 80's. Just like the first one, the last half-hour or so is one giant shootout and it's incredible. I didn't think they would be able to top the final showdown of the first one, but they easily did (save for the AA-12 hallway sequence with Terry Crews, which is still the best moment of either film). The Expendables 2 also benefited from Stallone handing over the directing reigns to veteran action director Simon West. West has a better handle on how to shoot the action sequences and it was just a better made film overall than it's predecessor without sacrificing any of the things that made the first one great. The Expendables 2 is one of the biggest, baddest, gleefully over-the top, and most entertaining action films to come out in the past decade. The amount of fun this film is truly infectious. It's clear they had a blast making it and you will probably have a blast watching it.

4.5/5 Stars

NFL Preview: NFC East

The NFC East is often one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive division in the league. This year looks to be no different with all 4 teams hungry for a run at the divisional crown. Here are my predictions for the NFC East this year.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys are the most underachieving team in the league and this year could be even uglier than the past few. Dallas has always had the talent, but their production has never been up to par. Dallas's biggest problems lie in the receiving core. Star wideouts Dez Bryant and Miles Austin are both banged-up and that could effect their play all season. Austin is especially of concern due to a lingering hamstring injury that has hampered him since pretty much the beginning of last season. DeMarco Murray who had a breakout rookie season last year, is also coming off a major ankle injury and on top of that has a long history of injuries. Then comes their production problems. If they don't step up as a team, they aren't going back to the playoffs anytime soon. Dallas will probably end up around or at exactly .500, which isn't too bad for a team with this much turmoil, but this team has pretty much no chance of making the playoffs in a pretty deep NFC.

New York Giants: The Giants are coming another incredible playoff run which lead them to another Super Bowl victory. Clearly this team knows when to step up and if they keep up their high level of play from the end of last year through the playoffs, they should have no problem taking the NFC East title. Outside of the minor losses of Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross, and Brandon Jacobs, this is pretty much the same team that won the title last year. They still have a lethal offense led by Eli Manning and the knockout 1-2 reciver punch of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and the best pass rush in the league anchored by Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Unimeniyra and Mathias Kiwanuka. They also bolstered their depth on offense by drafting running back David Wilson and wide reciever Ruben Randle in the draft (Both have shined in the preseason). The Giants are a pretty safe bet for success this season.

Philadelphia Eagles: Call me crazy, but I like the Eagles chances this year. The last four games of last season they started playing they should've been all of last season. They got their heads out of their asses after the dream team comments in the preseason and became a really scary team after living up to their immense potential. I think they are going to ride that momentum into this year. Michael Vick had a shit year last year and he realizes it. I think he is going to do everything in his power to help the Eagles land a playoff spot after his disapointing season last year. It also helps that the Eagles have a top 5 running back in Lesean McCoy (who absolutely shreds defenses when on the top of his game) and weapons in the passing game with DeSean Jackson,Jeremy Maclin, and Riley Cooper. Their defense also improved in the offseason when they traded overrated corner Asante Samuel to Atlanta and picked up promising defensive tackle Fletcher Cox in the first round. I really like the Eagles chances this year and they are a top contender for a wild card spot in my eyes.

Washington Redskins: There's a lot of hype around the Redskins this year. For some odd reason, Robert Griffin III is getting more hype than Andrew Luck. Redskins fans are touting him as franchise quarterback before he's even played a down in the regular season. I'm not on the RG3 bandwagon at the moment. It's not even because of him, it's because of the team. The Redskins have become a talent cesspool of late. If you go to Washington and you were once good, your talent escapes you immediately . Of course Griffin could overcome this, but I don't like his odds with the cancerous ownership and the coaching of the once great, but now senile Mike Shanahan. They gave up a lot to get him and I'm not so sure on how it will work out (Then again I could be 100% wrong like I was about Cam Newton last year). The Redskins once again spent a lot of money on free agents bringing in Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan and re-sigining Adam Carriker to way too high deals. Garcon and Morgan are talented receivers, but once again Washington is almost always a talent-draining black hole for players. The Redskins do have some talent, but overall I don't think the pieces fit together and if RGIII struggles, this team will be one of the worst in the league yet again.

My Predictions for the NFC East Standings
1.New York Giants (12-4)
2.Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
3.Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
4.Washington Redskins (5-11)

 

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games has to be one of the most hyped movies in recent memory. The books came out of nowhere and became insanely popular almost instantly (Just like Twilight a few years ago). I knew even though I didn't want to see it initially, It was going to be one of those movies that everyone sees eventually. While I did enjoy The Hunger Games way more than I expected to, At the same time I didn't find to it be nearly as good as most people did. The biggest strength The Hunger Games has is an interesting concept. There's no denying this film is a rip-off of the Korean book/film Battle Royale, but that doesn't make the story not gripping. The story grabs you from the beginning and keeps you pulled in throughout. The actual Hunger Games sequences are well done. Director Gary Ross is able to establish an effective doomsday atmosphere with an equal sense of urgency and intensity. The action scenes are driven by shaky cam shots and are really frantic and chaotic like they should be given the setting of the film. It's a shame he won't be back for the sequel because he handled the tone of the film very well. The film is also bolstered by a strong performance by Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role of Katniss and some interesting side characters led by Woody Harrelson as a previous champion of the Games (He is easily the best character in the movie and I wish he had more time on screen). They couldn't gotten some one better than Lawrence for the role of Katniss. She is one of the best young actresses out there and in the hands of a lesser actress, This movie very well could've have been doomed. That being said, The Hunger Games has it's fair share of flaws. The biggest problem I had with it was how tame it was for a fight to the death movie. A movie like this should be way more violent and gory. The violence was beyond sugar-coated and that took away from how powerful the film was. Another big problem was the really forced love story at the end. Katniss and Peta (Josh Hutcherson) had zero chemistry and the way it was worked into the story was just plain bad. It seemed like the writers wanted to give something to the teenage girl audience, so they just threw a really poor love story into the plot. There is also a lot of useless and annoying characters. Maybe it's because I didn't read the books, but the Elizabeth Banks character (Effie Trinket) was especially useless and obnoxious. Her character served no purpose other than reading the names of the contestants for the Games. Besides that she just stood there looking like a rejected Tim Burton movie character. The Hunger Games was good enough to grab my attention and to obtain an interest in seeing the rest of the series, but it's not the masterpiece it was out to be either.

3.5/5 Stars

NFL Preview: AFC West

The AFC West is probably the messiest and most confusing division to predict this year. None of the teams are dominant and all have major question marks clouding around them. Here are my thoughts on each of the AFC West teams going into the season.

Denver Broncos: Denver is coming off a division victory last year and they had a wild offseason that saw a lot of changes coming to the Mile High City. Clearly the most notable was the signing of Peyton Manning which also resulted in the end of Tebow Mania in Denver. Manning's signing is the definition of high risk/high reward. On the plus side, It is Peyton Manning. He is a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer and the type of special talent that can turn your franchise around. The downside is that he is 36 and is coming off a major neck injury that sidelined him for all of last season. This fact alone makes Denver's season a complete crapshoot. It could work out great for them or it could be an absolute nightmare. Manning wasn't the notable signing Denver made this year, They also brought in cornerback Tracy Porter from New Orleans (who ironically got a game-changing pick-six on Manning in the Super Bowl two years ago). The combination of Porter with the old, but still great Champ Bailey gives Denver an elite cornerback pair. Denver is pretty squared away on defense as a whole, but their offense is where problems may arise. Willis McGahee had a great year last year, but he has had durability issues throughout his career and those could rear their ugly head again this year. The bigger problem for Denver though lies in their mediocre and unproven receiving core. Even if Manning is on his game, guys like Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas are not particularly dangerous receivers. The bottom line is that the key to their season lies on how well Peyton Manning plays. Definitely going to be one of the most interesting teams to watch the progress of this season.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs are a team that I feel is getting no love in 2012 and it's not really justified. There was no team in the league that suffered from more injuries than the Chiefs last year and all things considering they didn't do too bad last year (they finished 7-9). I honestly think they are the strongest team in the division this year if all their players come back at full strength. I mean welcoming back key players like Jammal Charles, Tony Moeaki, Eric Berry, and Matt Cassel certainly isn't going to hurt. They won the division two years ago and I can't see why they couldn't do it again if they play at their full potential. Dwayne Bowe is probably the most underrated receiver in the league and if Peyton Hillis steps up after his horrible year with the Browns last year, that gives you a potent power back for 3rd down and goal line situations. They also have a pretty decent and underrated defense that could help that much more in their quest to win the division. Jammal Charles is the X-factor on this team though. If he is back to the level of explosiveness he was at two years ago prior to his injury, he will be back at elite status and will cause a tough matchup for opposing defenses. Again though their success boils down to how well their players coming off injury can play. The Chiefs are a risky, but underrated team that I feel can win this division this year.

Oakland Raiders: The forever subpar Raiders made another stupid choice in firing their coach of one season in Hue Jackson after an 8-8 year last year. That makes two unjustifed coach firings in two years and they will probably make it three after this year if they don't get a winning record. On the bright side, this is their first full year with Carson Palmer. Palmer definitely isn't a franchise quarterback, but he is solid enough to win you games and lead you in the right direction as a team. Darren McFadden is also a great running back (when healthy). He has looked great in training camp so far and this could end up being his breakout year in the league. The Raiders, like their divisional foes the Chiefs, also have a solid, underrated, young defense that can keep them in games even when their offense isn't playing well. That being said, The Raiders are still kind of a mess. The aforementioned injury problems with McFadden are a big issue (He hasn't played a whole season in his career so far) and now with Michael Bush in Chicago they have no proven number 2 back which could be costly. Then you have the inconsistent play of the rest of the offense. You never know to know what to expect from Carson Palmer and the receivers are also wildly inconsistent (though Denarius Moore was decent last year and Darius Hayward-Bay is starting to come around). Oakland seems like they are smack dab in the middle of another average season and I can't see them breaking out of that mold anytime soon.

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers are probably the biggest question mark in a division full of question marks. It's kind of bad that I think the Raiders might be more dangerous than them. Phillip Rivers can still play well, but he has kind of an Island of Misfits toys group of receivers at the moment and he is coming off the worst year of his career. The departure of Vincent Jackson is going to sting hard and I don't think free agent pickups Eddie Royal or Robert Meachem or longtime Charger Malcolm Floyd have the talent to be a number 1 wideout. It also doesn't help that tight end Antonio Gates's numbers have been in decline for the past few years. Then comes the good, but not great play of Ryan Matthews. He has proven to be pretty productive, but he's not the game changer the Chargers had hoped for.  He's also frequently hurt which is  a big obstacle that is preventing him from reaching that next level (He is already hurt this year and looking to miss the first few weeks of the season). The Chargers defense is looking pretty good though. They got a steal in the first round with Melvin Ingram, who has impressed the hell of scouts early on and should be a dual threat in the run-stop and pass-rush. Second-round pickup Kendall Reyes looks to have bolstered the Chargers veteran d-line as well. The Chargers do have some signs of life, but I think they are a team in the decline after last season. Their glory years of 4-5 years ago appear to be over and they could be in store for a last-place finish in the division.

My Predictions for the AFC West Standings:
1.Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
2.Denver Broncos (8-8)
3.Oakland Raiders (7-9)
4.San Diego Chargers (7-9)

Movie Review: The Campaign

In an election year the American public needed a film like The Campaign. The run for office gets so absurd and The Campaign lampoons that brilliantly. The script from Eastbound and Down writers Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell is fantastic. All the stuff that is portrayed here either has happened, is happening or could happen, Which is actually kind of scary/sad given the events of this film. The satire may appear to be dumb, but it's actually spot-on and very clever. Besides the great writing, the cast really rises to the occasion. They elevate this great material to the next level. Will Ferrell and Zach Galfinakis each nail their respective roles. The two play off each other brilliantly with their vastly different characters and undeniable comedic talent. As with most great comedies, the supporting cast shines as well. The show-stealers for this movie are Dylan McDermott and Karen Maruyama. McDermott absolutely kills as the psychopath campaign manager for Galifinakis's characters and Maruyama is hysterical as an Asian maid who is forced to talk like a slave. The Campaign may be a vulgar, insane comedy but it actually does a good job of making fun and exposing the corruption and ridiculousness of politics.

4/5 Stars