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COOL BEANS: Carson started a new blolog. It seems he’s bored at work.

Also since everyone is gone, I’ve had a nice break for a while, Carson’s starting a rivalblog, and I’m not in school for 4 months, I’ll be starting my Double True Revival soon.

To the Readers: For most of you, this is probably a relief, as you are likely weary of my continual metal posts. But to the crazy people who actually enjoy reading them, I have one final gift for you:

CJ’s #1 all-time favorite song:

Live long and prosper – CJ

Artist of the Week – Matt Barlow

Matt Barlow

Matt Barlow was a policeman for about five years before returning to the music scene. As an officer, he did more than just police. He sang for the First State Force Band, performing to schools with anti-drug and anti-violence themes. However, as a musician, he sang for the renowned power/thrash metal band, Iced Earth. Their themes were much darker, such as the fall of man and the comic book character, Spawn. His vocal style is mainly a mixture of growlish aggression and high-pitched, melodic power, though he does sing ballads with impressive technicality and passion. His voice has incredible range and power, but also employs a high level of control. With the strength in his voice (and his heart), he has rightfully earned his place as the Artist of the Week.

Album of the Week – The Dark Saga (Iced Earth)

The Dark Saga

I was debating whether to give this to Primal Fear’s 16:6 – Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, but this album has been running on my playlist too long to forget about. The Dark Saga is based on the comic book character Spawn and his emotional struggles, as well as those with antagonists, such as the Violator. There is a mixture of heavy and light sections (though it is mostly heavy), as well as fast and slow (though it is mostly fast). However, it is dark, filled with anger and sorrow throughout. Nonetheless, it has become one of my favorite albums (at least top 50), and also has one of my favorite songs, the Song of the Week.

Song of the Week – A Question of Heaven (Iced Earth, The Dark Saga)

This is definitely one of Barlow’s greatest vocal performances. It is the last song on the album, dealing with Spawn’s pain of eternal damnation for the woman he loves. The song starts very mellow and builds up into a powerful burst of emotion that makes you cry inside. Although the instruments are nothing amazing, they do a fine job of reinforcing the vocals. Barlow’s sorrow is truly heartfelt during the softer passages, while his pain his personally aching during the heavy sections, especially the passage from 6:00 to 7:00, ending with the unbelievable Ab5 note. It’s hard to say if I’ll ever stop liking this song.

Thanks to Mr. Barlow for a wonderful week. I’ll try not to have anything too heavy for you guys next week, but no promises. Enjoy the last week of your break!

I hope everyone is having a very happy and relaxing holiday right now.  School’s already been over for a week but I still feel like I’m just recovering…

I will be exiled to work in a cold northern camp next month.  Not sure how that’s going to be, but I’m quite glad I won’t be having any more university for another 4 months.

Hopefully next week I’ll feel up for some writing.  Till then, what better way to celebrate the holidays than with a Mario medley? It’s played by none other than the legendary composer himself, Koji Kondo.

There are tunes from NSMB, Super Mario Galaxy, Yoshi’s Island, SMB3 and of course the original Super Mario Bros.

Nice...

The Music (rating: B-)

1. Dr. Stein (Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2)
2. Future World (Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 1)
3. If I Could Fly (The Dark Ride)
4. Where the Rain Grows (Master of the Rings)
5. The Keeper’s Trilogy
6. Eagle Fly Free (Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2)
7. Perfect Gentleman (Master of the Rings)
8. Forever and One (Never) (The Time of the Oath)
9. I Want Out (Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 2)
10. Fallen to Pieces (Gambling with the Devil)
11. A Tale That Wasn’t Right (Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 1)

As you can see, Unarmed consists of no new songs. They are all re-recordings of what the band considers to be their best. However, they share very few similarities with their predecessors. With the exception of “The Keeper’s Trilogy,” they are light rock (possibly even pop) as opposed to metal. The vocals are much lower, the double bass drumming is virtually non-existent, and the guitar solos are acoustic non-shredding. Many orchestral instruments are included in this album (especially in “The Keeper’s Trilogy”). If guitar is evident, it is usually acoustic or with a light crunch. The drumming is light and the bass is noticeably groovier and more melodic. So if you expect vintage Helloween, you will get the opposite.

Hate is most probably the dominant sentiment towards this album. Most will immediately be turned off just by the fact that it is not very metal; I almost was. Due to my love for Helloween, I forced myself around the initial shock and listened to the album in full. Honestly, it’s not that bad. Despite the absolute reversal in atmosphere and genre, the overall base and form of every song remains mostly unchanged. So basically, the band didn’t go too far out of their way as to ruin the classics (for the most part). Such songs as “A Tale That Wasn’t Right” and “Dr. Stein” even have an appropriate spin to them, while others like “I Want Out” are poorly executed. There are a a couple hits and a couple misses which balance out to a marginally mediocre album.

I could be wrong and this album could actually be really good. My judgment could be clouded by my overwhelming expectations from these metal masterpieces. However, the fact remains that none of these songs will come close standing their ground to the original recordings. For example, how can “Eagle Fly Free” compare to the 1988 version with more than a minute cut out; the section with the bass, guitar, and drum solos? And how can “Future World” be better without the chorus’ ear-pleasing E5 vocals? Such musical aspects are what fueled these songs, and the re-recordings are running on empty. Now I must ask: what reason do I have to purchase this album?

Overall (rating: C)

Even if you think the music is good, there are better options. If I said the originals greatly surpass the new versions, only one in a million would argue against me. So why not just buy the originals? More than half of the album is comprised of the Keeper of the Seven Keys albums, and those are must-haves in any metalhead’s collection. I honestly have not heard any other Helloween albums, but I’ve heard praise towards them. Instead of buying this album, why not buy the others? Despite your opinion of the quality of this album, the truth is that there is little incentive, if any, to buy this album.

Basically, I think it is an okay album. But given what Helloween has already brought to the table, this album has nothing profound to offer, not even a good reason to purchase it (other than a pretty cover). Being a fan, I appreciate this thank you gift, but I’ll have to say “thanks, but no thanks”. I haven’t given up on these guys, and I’m looking forward to their next “real” album, whenever that may be. Good luck in the future, boys!

Artist of the Week – tbartels007

It is critical that every drummer develop their own unique style and interpretation. Therefore, I do not memorize any song exactly. I have spent 30 years playing drums and have developed my own style, which I prefer. I keep my playing within the framework of the song and will play a part exact if that part is either iconic (like Phil Collins In The Air Tonight) or critical to the success of the song.

This drummer has clearly proven his worth with both his technicality and philosophy. He’s more than perfectionist robot; he is a true musician. I feel no shame awarding tbartels007 with artist of the week, well done!

Album of the Week – Frizzle Fry (Primus)

Frizzle Fry

When people hear the word “Primus,” they immediately think of bassist, Les Claypool. He is insanely amazing, no doubt. However, that is not my thinking. My sympathies go to guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim Alexander, for they are immensely under-credited.

Frizzle Fry is quite an old album, but I listened to it for the first time in the past couple weeks. Yes, the guitar work is great. Yes, the bass performance is amazing. But what about the drums? They are absolutely phenomenal! Alexander proves himself to be musical genius in this album and puts himself on the same level as Claypool. With such monster drum performances as “Frizzle Fry” and “John the Fisherman,” how can one argue? I greatly recommend this album, though I would advise complete attentiveness to every aspect of the music rather than solely the bass (though it is stellar).

Song of the Week – Wooden Jesus (Temple of the Dog, Temple of the Dog)

This is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums, and hey… it’s not metal!!! Recently, I’ve begun learning the drums to this song. It has been taking me a while (because I suck) so I’ve been consequently listening to this song a lot. Not to worry, listening to this song is not at all a chore. The musicianship is incredible, and so is the instrumental performance. The vocals (Chris Cornell) are top notch; the drums (Matt Cameron) are heavenly! It is a masterwork from the brilliant intellect of Temple of the Dog.

I guess I didn’t make the deadline. I’d apologize but my apology would most likely go unheard. If anyone actually reads this, I’ll see you next week (hopefully on time).

This Webiste Has Been Hacked By Iranian Cyber Army

PANIC

Hey looks like Twitter’s been hacked by IRANIAN CYBERTERRORISTS!

I’m having myself a good lol here but jeez it’s this easy for Twitter to get hacked? Eff what about my passwords and my mobile phone information? Hope they’re well encrypted…

Couldn’t see the hacked page within like 5 minutes of it happening so I’ve documented it for posterity. The site is just inaccessible now as of like 10:57-ish MST.

There was also a message at the bottom of the page:

U.S.A Think They Controlling And Managing Internet By Their Access , But They Don’t , We Control And Manage Internet By Our Power , So Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples To …………..

NOW WHICH COUNTRY IN EMBARGO LIST? IRAN?USA?

WE PUSH THEM IN EMBARGO LIST ;)

Take Care.

Green Day: Rock Band

No one can say they’re surprised, only saddened. When it came to the question of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, I’ve always favored the former. In my opinion, Guitar Hero has tracks that sell, as opposed to Rock Band which has tracks that play well. Although, things are different now; Rock Band has changed. Harmonix used to be a company that makes money off of good games; it seems they’re becoming a company that makes money.

But hey, who am I to judge? The Beatles: Rock Band has been widely acclaimed as a game that set the new standard for band-specific games. Many have raved about it, calling it a whole new experience of both the game and the band. Initially, I was neutral towards it. I felt that it had enough effort towards it to warrant a full-priced game, but the absence of any major gameplay additions and lack of challenge or long-term value disinterested me. It was a healthy mixture of praise and pessimism regarding this game. Now, however, I harbor only disappointment towards it. This has nothing to do with the game itself, just my interpretation of its representation with respect to the company’s direction.

The Beatles: Rock Band

The popularity of The Beatles as a band is primarily a result of the media. Though there are commoners whose support comes from blind obedience of the media, there are still fans who enjoy them for their music, regardless of how much face time they have in pop culture. The fact is that there are many bands for whom this is true, but their lack of exposure in the media keeps them from being found, restraining their popularity. Basically, the size of one’s fanbase is ultimately determined by the media.

When The Beatles: Rock Band first came out, I believed it was Harmonix paying tribute to the music they enjoy. Now that Green Day: Rock Band is on its way, I feel that Harmonix has fallen into the mainstream, where quality is short-ended by what sells; where the decision as to what thrives is relinquished to the stranglehold of the media. It could be possible that the company is just paying tribute to more music they love (though how can you honestly love Green Day that much?). However, there are other bands who meet that requirement and are not getting appreciation. Harmonix’ beloved Megadeth, for example, have been in three out of four of their main productions (Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Rock Band 2) but are not given this much of the company’s attention, likely due to the smaller fanbase. The gameplay of a Megadeth-based game would no doubt exceed that of Green Day, but the big question in the industry is: how much will it sell?

I am still willing to purchase Rock Band 3 when it comes out if it offers significantly more than Rock Band 2. However, given the apparent direction they have taken, I won’t get my hopes up. I am not implying that I scorn Harmonix for these business decisions. I am simply acknowledging the sad truth that money is the priority in this industry, and that there are not many paths leading to it. Now, when it comes to the question of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, does it really matter?