The Outpost

Music Review - Hguols - Celestial Powers Intervened To True Supremacy

2011-06-01T21:27:00.000-04:00

The previous Hguols album I reviewed, 'Maunstraut,' was a primarily ambient/neoclassical/medieval venture; lots of keyboards, choir/orchestration. 'Celestial Powers Intervened To True Supremacy' isn't terribly different; however, there are some interesting distinctions.

This album focuses much more on achieving a black-metal sound, rather than the medieval atmosphere of the previous record. This is accomplished via a drum-machine and guitars playing a center role in the music, and the results are pretty solid. The drum-machine sounds fairly artificial but never really goes into superhuman speed, which is in itself an accomplishment. The music itself is geared more towards a 'grim' atmosphere accompanied by huge swells of dark orchestration; it's not very removed from the previous album in terms of it's core.

This is a slight point against the album, unfortunately; it almost feels like a rehash of 'Maunstraut,' but a little darker and with drums. The music is darker, but still retains a video-game feel to it, which can be awkward with the blast beats and guitar. The drums seem to fast for the most part, and while they aren't bad by any means it does seem like they're out of place considering the core of the music is still ambient/neoclassical/medieval.

This isn't all bad, however. The closer track, 'To Find Destiny,' is outstanding; dark, heavy and flowing, as is the opening track 'I Found the Essence of Darkness.' The rest of the songs are solid enough on their own but the style does get repetitive after listening to the entire album. As individual songs in say, an mp3 shuffle playlist, they would be terrific, but not so much as a body of music.

'Celestial Powers Intervened To True Supremacy' is not a bad album, but compared to 'Maunstraut,' it does seem lacking. The drums and guitar don't add enough to the somewhat rehashed music to make it stand out; 'Maunstraut' was a terrific balance of ideas that I'd love to see Hguols go back to. Give this a listen though, if only to hear what a sped-up, slightly darker and heavier 'Maunstraut' sounds like. I'd like to see another album in that style from Hguols, and if the drum/guitar combo is taken away and the songwriting becomes a little more tight, the next album will be a sure-fire winner.

Music Review - Atmosphere - The Family Sign

2011-05-25T23:19:00.000-04:00

Atmosphere has released another stellar album of rap/hip-hop, following their outstanding 'When Life Gives You Lemons,' and their whimsical freebie 'Leak At Will.' This record is full of blues, jazz, piano, soft rhymes, brilliant storytelling with very few weak points to be found.

As stated above, the music here comes from all live instruments; Atmosphere is now a full band and has very little sampling (beats, synths, etc). This lends a very organic sound to the music which is very common in the genre. Bluesy electric guitar leads, soft jazz riffs and acoustic playing take center stage, with lots of jazz/blues piano following. The mix is perfect, clear and not overwhelming with the bass.

The lyrics here are, as per usual, brilliant. From real-life anecdotes to more allegorical stories, every line is well thought out and perfectly placed. There's no forced rhyming or out of place lines anywhere to be found here, and the storytelling ability of Slug remains one of the best features about Atmosphere. Lyrics have always been Atmospheres forte, and this is no different. These are lyrics which have real meaning.

The tone of the album is very laid back, relaxed and even depressive, as seen in the second track 'The Last To Say,' where slide guitar and mellow guitar chords and a soft beat combine into one of the best tracks the group has ever released. Other songs are more upbeat, like 'Just for Show,' and the mostly-acoustic 'Ain't Nobody,' with it's bouncy beat and quirky keyboards.

The high moment of the album, however, would have to be 'I Don't Need Brighter Days,' with it's atmospheric keyboards, huge guitar leads and heavy beat; this is definitely the epic of the album and shows a potentially brilliant sound for the band.

While weaker moments are here ('She's Enough,' 'Millennium Dodo,' and 'Bad Bad Daddy,') the majority of this album is packed with catchy tunes backed by a real organic and home-grown feel. No gangsters, drugs or women to be found here; instead, it's family, real life, real struggles and real hardships, which, as Atmosphere has a knack for showing, can sometimes be much more gritty than the stylized world of hip-hop. 'The Family Sign,' is one of the better albums to come out of any genre in recent times, and I highly recommend this to anyone in search of well played, well thought out, creative music.

Music Review - Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times

2011-05-18T15:19:00.002-04:00

Satyricon's "Dark Medieval Times," ranks pretty high on my favorite albums list; as an exercise in atmosphere I regard it as more or less unparalleled. This to me is a pretty rare kind of album, one that perfectly captures the essence of what it sets out to capture, which is in this case, as shown by the title, "Dark Medieval Times."

The times are dark here indeed, and theres no light creeping in at any point. This is a cold, bleak, harsh and somber album with little respite. A haunting and ghostly and even otherworldly intro opens the album, and the mood is kept for the rest of the disc. What sets this apart in my mind is that "Dark Medieval Times," retains a real, genuine medieval atmosphere, as opposed to a folk-styled atmosphere or a merely dark atmosphere. The acoustic break in the title track and the pure acoustic "Min Hyllest Til Vinterland," really do retain a very unique, cold and dark feeling that brilliantly captures the darkness of the medieval period. This is an album that wouldn't be out of place in a film like Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal."

The instruments here are handled competently; being a fairly old-school style of black metal there isn't a lot of technicality to speak of as the focus is on atmosphere and not technicality. The drumming is typical, consisting of very fast blast-beats and standard but effective slower patterns. The vocals are a grating screech, which, while not terribly unique to the genre, fit the music perfectly.Organs, whispers, lots of acoustics are all used very effectively in creating the atmosphere.

There's little negative to say here; now and then the atmosphere breaks as the music meanders along and becomes uninteresting. "The Dark Castle in the Deep Forest," is a weaker moment, with some pretty chaotic guitar work that doesn't really do a whole lot in terms of atmosphere; but for the most part the music is solid and consistent.

The atmosphere that is achieved here is astounding. Genuine medieval darkness is here; dark castles, evil forests, otherworlds, the plague and cold are all present on this album to a degree that I've not found on any other album. For those looking for dark, grim mood music, look no farther. This entire album resonates with a feeling of ominous darkness, and almost dream-like atmosphere, and I highly recommend this for any fan of metal and medieval music.

Beer Review - Blue Moon Spring Blonde Wheat Ale

2011-01-30T23:38:00.000-05:00

I'm a Blue Moon fanboy, and I'm also a real big wheat beer fan, so when I saw this particular brew, I was pretty excited. Blue Moon has yet to let me down, and this Spring Ale has only strengthened my love for their beer.

Pouring a beautiful golden with a slightly citrusy aroma, this a light, crisp and refreshing ale that really capitalizes on a wheat beer's naturally more citrus flavors, with hints of orange and lemon creeping through. This definitely a beer meant to be enjoyed on warm afternoons or with a fish or chicken meal, and the lightness and refreshing qualities really make it an easy to enjoy brew.

There's nothing but pleasant tastes here, little-to-no bitterness, and really the best way I can describe it is as a very "mellow" beer that would be great to have on a trip to the beach, a barbecue or a warm summer evening. I highly recommend Blue Moon's Spring Blonde Wheat Ale as a terrific warm-weather beer, and so far one of my favorite wheat bears.

Music Review - Hguols - Maunstraut

2011-01-18T14:51:00.005-05:00

This is an interesting album; my first reaction was to label this as medieval ambient, but as I listened more and more, I don't think I can classify it just as that. There's a lot of elements of medieval ambient and I hear traces of classic acts like Taur nu Fuin and Wongraven (and I'd even compare parts of this to Slechtvalk's first album "Falconry") here and there, but I think the main influence would be neoclassical/ambient with some definite medieval influences.

There's nothing but keyboards to be found here; no drums, guitars, vocals, or anything of that nature. Swelling orchestral and choral chords, tons of harpsichord (and I do mean TONS) are the meat and potatoes here, and the music itself is pretty mellow and easy to listen to. It does tend to run together after a while though, and that's where I think the ambient influence comes in. There's a fair amount of repetition, and if done right, with this genre, repetition can be amazing and there's moments where it is pretty darn cool. "Epitome of Sovereign Toccata" is a good example and is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

I'm reminded a lot of old video game music when I listen to this album; older games like the Zelda series come to mind. That isn't an insult at all; the atmosphere conjured up here is extremely effective and one of the reasons I have a soft spot for this style of music. It knows what it's going for (a darker, mysterious atmosphere) and doesn't beat about the bush trying to achieve it, and it really does nail it, for the most part.

There are a few things I'm not crazy about though. The song lengths tend to be shorter (generally between 3 and 4 and a half minutes) and so by themselves aren't amazingly atmospheric, and that's why I think this is best listened to as a whole album rather than individual songs. There's also, like I said above, a good amount of repetition of ideas and it can drag on here and there. Some of the songwriting is a little odd; the start-and-stop idea is one I'm not too fond of for this style. An example of this would be the track "Epitome of Eternity (Tristmegistus)".

On the whole, however, this is a solid album that is sure take you back to dark, grim castles, long, foreboding hallways dimly lit and brooding forests. Hguols's "Maunstraut" is something every fan of this genre can really appreciate, and I highly recommend it to any fans of the medieval/neoclassical/ambient genres.

I'm definitely interested in seeing this style further explored by Hguols, and I think, with a little tweaking here and there, should there be another album of this style by the band, we might just have a rising star in the genre on the horizon.

Music Review - Extol - Synergy

2011-01-13T12:12:00.000-05:00

If there's one thing Extol cannot be accused of, it's of staying in one style for too long. "Synergy" was released before the depressive/post-rocky "The Blueprint Dives," and after the technical death/black album "Undeceived," and really, none of these albums sound like they came from the same band.

"Synergy" focuses mostly on high-speed technical thrash, and sadly thrash is a genre I really just don't like, so it's hard for me to really like this album as much as I want to.

The instruments here, being Extol, are brilliant. Fast, technical, heavy and as tight as ever. The production is perfect, with everything being mixed loud, clear, heavy and balanced with each other. I'm reminded of Dream Theater at their most progressive here in parts, with all the technicality and stop/starts the Extol likes to use here. The downside here is that there's not a lot of songs I like to listen to; the playing is phenomenal but it almost just sounds like speed exercises at times. The vocals are comprised mostly of high pitched screaming, and while they still have traces of Extols old vocal style here and there it's obvious that the brutal growls and shrieks are a thing of the past. Peter Espevolle begins to take over the clean vocals here, which is a little bit of a letdown because Ole Borud absolutely blows him (and almost every other vocalist) away with his singing.

It's not all just technical fanfare though, as there are some good songs present. The opener "Grace for Succession" has a killer chorus that really brings back memories of the "Burial" days. "Emancipation" opens with a solid riff that sticks out from the rest of the album and is one of my favorite tracks here.None of the tracks are really bad, per se, but they tend to run together after a while.

The exception here is the acoustic ballad, "Aperture," which really is out of place on this album. Being made up of only an acoustic guitar and Peter's clean vocals (which really sound great on this track) it's a gentle, quiet interlude on the album that probably wold have been more at home on "The Blueprint Dives," as a bonus track.

As a whole, I'd rank this as one of Extols' weaker albums; the songwriting here just isn't up to par with what they're capable of. Aside from a few really good moments that pop up and two or three strong tracks, there's not a whole lot to see here. It's technical to the max, it's heavy, but it's just not that good.

Music Review - Extol - The Blueprint Dives

2011-01-03T15:21:00.001-05:00

When I first heard this album, I thought I had the wrong CD playing; the Extol I knew was brutal, death/black/progressive metal, and in more recent times, a technical but still brutal thrash metal band. The Blueprint Dives, while still Extol, showed their most dramatic change in musical style, going from fast, technical thrash to an almost depressive rock with some thrash metal and post-rock influences.

It definitely takes some getting used to, on all fronts. Gone is the insane drumming, replaced by a much more subdued approach. Gone are the lightning fast guitars playing ten different things at one, replaced by a much more rock influenced sound. Gone are the brutal and savage vocals, replaced by an almost hardcore scream with lots of clean vocals. The vocals, in my opinion, are quite good, with the screams retaining at least the ferocity of Peter Espevolls style and the clean vocals going quite well with the softer and calmer portions of the album.

However, despite the drastic change in style, Extol prove to be excellent at their newfound sound. Fast tracks like the opener "Gloriana," and "Soul Deprived" show that they still have what it takes to put out some fast, intense music, while calmer numbers like "Lost in Dismay," and the fantastic ballad "Pearl" really showcase the softer and more relaxed side of the band. More somber songs like "The Things I found," "Void," and the closer "The Death Sedative" are much more depressive in tone and definitely highlight Extol's ability to really create a dark atmosphere and show more of the post-rock side of the band.

The production on this album is just perfect; every single instrument gets to shine and it all sounds gorgeous. It's heavy, clean, crisp and perfectly balanced. Kudos to whoever mixed this album for doing a fantastic job.

There's not a lot of real bad moments here that I can point to; "Essence" is a slightly weaker track that probably could have been cut from the album, and "Another Adam's Escape" just doesn't click with me as much as the rest of the songs, but aside from those two everything here is pretty solid.

Is this album a brutal masterpiece like "Burial," or "Undecievd"? No. But, as a standalone album, it's pretty darn solid, and one I enjoy fairly often. If you're a fan of Extol's old sound, look elsewhere, as there really is nothing here that even hints at their former styles. The band really has moved on, and The Blueprint Dives, while a very different animal than the rest of their discography, is still an excellent album, and one I recommend to any fans of depressive and post-rock. Give this album a listen, and just enjoy it for what it is; good, dark, relaxed hard rock.

Music Review - Noumena - Absence

2010-12-30T22:31:00.001-05:00

This album has quickly grown to become one of my favorite melodeath albums; the best way I can describe the sound on this CD would be that it's nearly a perfect blend of Kalmah and Insomnium, but with less aggression and a more relaxed/folk feel than either band.

Catchy riffs reigns supreme here; from heavy anthems like "A Day to Depart," with it's brilliant chorus; or more laid back, folky songs like "Everlasting Ward," every riff and melody is top notch and expertly crafted to create a general dark, mournful and bleak soundscape. The guitars sound great, heavy and crunchy and while there aren't a lot of solos here the constant leads more than make up for that; the drums keep to the mostly mid-to-slow range and tend to stay on the simple side, so don't expect any jaw-dropping fills or lightning fast blast beats. The bass is quite audible, providing a good heavy low end, but not really doing anything spectacular. It has a terrific, fat sound that's mixed in with the rest of the instruments perfectly though, which redeems its slightly uninteresting performance.

The vocals here range from deep, throaty growls to decent male clean vocals to female clean vocals in the track "Slain Memories," and all three are used flawlessly and really add to the songs. In fact, I'd say the use of clean vocals here are some of the better I've heard in the genre; there's no out of place moments for any of the clean vocals.

This album has a terrific atmosphere which I can only compare to Insomnium when they are at their most dark and folk sounding; while the atmosphere here isn't really depressing it is certainly very dark and has a genuine folk feeling, without any real folk instruments being used. During the more softer bits of the album I'm actually reminded of Agalloch; there's that same forlorn feel throughout the whole album.

There's not much I can really complain about here; there is a lot of variety in the songs and no two really sound alike. There may be weaker moments here and there, like the closing track "The Great Anonymous Doom," which doesn't quite grab me as much as the rest of the album did, but really there's nothing else here I don't like.

Noumena have shown with this album they can stand with some of the best in the genre and even at times surpass them. For fans of more relaxed, folk influenced, atmospheric melodeath in the vein of Insomium, I highly, highly recommend this album.

Movie Review - True Grit

2010-12-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

This is a film that I had been looking forward to for some time; the Coen brothers are master filmmakers and the entire cast gave me hope that this would be a great movie. While not an original story (this film is a remake of the John Wayne film of the same name) it is a story very well told and is a solid western.

Having not seen the original, I can't make any comparisons here, but True Grit is fantastically shot and acted; Jeff Bridges is completely at home as Rooster Cogburn, and Matt Damon shines in his role as a cocky Texas Ranger. Josh Brolin, while a good actor, doesn't really get a chance to flex in his role as Tom Cheney, the villain of the story, which is a slight disappointment. Hailie Steinfeld as Mattie Ross is fantastic, with a nearly tangible energy exuding form her character.

The cinematagrophy, done by Roger Deakins isn't really up to par with his other work (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, No Country for Old Men), but it is generally pleasing and very competently done. The last 10-15 minutes of the film, however, are shot fantastically and really showed Deakins talent for shots.

A minor complaint I would have for this movie is that there aren't any real brilliant moments here, and coming from the Coen brothers I did have somewhat higher expectations; everything is good and even really good, but there's no moments that really made me sit and and say "wow". As I said above, however, the final 10-15 minutes of the film really save the movie for me, with brilliant interplay between music an cinematagrophy which really show the talent of the directors. I wish the entire film had been shot in that style, honestly.

All in all, this is a good, solid western; full of gunplay, showdowns, villainous villains, rough cut good guys and a good story. While not a brilliant, genre defining movie, True Grit is definitely worth your time to see and so far is one of the better films to come out this year.

Beer Review - Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

2010-12-22T22:35:00.000-05:00

This winter ale is quite different than the others I've had this season; rather than a more mellow, richer and sweeter flavor that seems to be the norm, this ale takes a very spicy and bitter route, and this really sets it apart from the many other winter beers available this season.

This isn't one of the better beers I've had; the spice and bitterness really overpower every other quality of the beer to the point that I didn't really enjoy it that much. It was so bitter, honestly, that any more than a very small sip would almost be too much for me. There are faint wheat and sweet notes here and there, mostly in the aftertaste, but even these aren't enough to redeem this spicy and bitter ale.

The aesthetics of this beer are a little better; the color, smell and texture are all fantastic; this beer doesn't smell nearly as bitter as it tastes and the color is a beautiful dark copper color with a good solid head.

While I do enjoy Sierra Nevada beers, this Celebration Ale simply relies too much on spices to be an enjoyable beer, and I can't really recommend it. There are much better seasonal ales and I suggest that you pass this beer by.

Beer Review - Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale

2010-12-05T22:11:00.001-05:00

Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale has quickly grown to be one of my favorite beers and my favorite Blue Moon seasonal beer. Blue Moon is already one of my go-to breweries and this winter ale gives me one more reason to keep going back for more.

This beautiful dark copper ale has an amazing range of flavours; the most notable being a good, dark sweetness (not like a super-sugary sweetness, a real complex and rich sweetness) that goes perfectly with the touch of wheat this beer is brewed with. Notes of caramel also seep through, and the warmer this beer is served the sweeter the taste is. The aftertaste is that of a traditional Belgian-style wheat; mellow and pleasant. This is also an ale you're going to want to savour and enjoy slowly; I made mine last well over two hours.

This beer is best served in a wide-mouthed glass at room temperature to really get the full flavours and aromas offered here (it will have a darker, less sweet flavour if served cold), and like I said above, make sure and savour every drop. It's not a super potent beer, but I'd recommend drinking it with a good heavy meal; being a Christmas ale I suggest pairing it with a glazed ham to maximize flavours.

Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale is my new favorite seasonal beer, and one I recommend to any and all beer drinkers.

Music Review - Ihsahn - angL

2010-11-30T21:56:00.003-05:00

Ihsahn's second album, angL, has slowly but surely become one of my more played metal albums. The man behind the legendary Emperor really has some diverse talent, and it shows here.

The music here is incredibly varied and a testament to Ihsahn and his ability as a songwriter. Songs like the opener "Misanthrope" and "Malediction" really show his black metal/symphonic roots, while pieces like "Scarab," "Emancipation" and the last three songs all lean towards the progressive side, with numerous acoustic interludes, lots of clean vocals, relaxed fretless bass work and even a bluesy solo in "Threnody." There's a couple oddballs here, like "Alchemist," which opens with an insane riff and keeps to a pretty fast pace and closes with some fantastic solo work; and "Elevator," which is driven by soaring guitar and keyboard work.

All the instruments sound terrific and are perfectly handled; my only complaints would b that the drums sound weak, and that takes away from some of the faster sections of the album, and the bass remains mostly hidden, except for the fretless solos. Keyboards are handled flawlessly, never overwhelming the music and adding brilliant atmospheric touches.

The vocals, being Ihsahn, are superb. The singing is calming, the screams are ferocious and unsettling and both fit perfectly well with the music. Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth makes an appearance on "Unhealer," and contributes some of his trademark growls and roars which sound terrific.

Lyrical content here is excellent and is mainly centered on thoughtful, poetic, introspective looks at life, individualism and existence. Ihsahn has always had a knack for good lyrics and these are no exception.

If I had to pick a weak part of the album...I'd say "Misanthrope," "Alchemist," and "Malediction" are the songs I'm not as fond of. They focus more on speed and technicality and seem to lack the atmosphere the other songs have. They aren't "bad" songs by any means, just not as solid as the rest.

Like I said above, this is an incredibly varied album. It's got raging furious songs, calming and soothing songs and some plain old weird songs, but all together make for one heck of an album. I highly recommend this to any fan of black metal, progressive metal or heavy music in general.

Small Update

2010-11-29T23:34:00.000-05:00

For those few who follow my writings, I apologize for my lengthy absence. I've simply not had the drive to write much of anything lately, but in the very near future I shall return with a much more regular posting schedule. Thank you, and good night.

Music Review - Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time

2010-10-29T11:18:00.001-04:00

If this album shows anything, it's that after 25 years on the scene Blind Guardian is definitely one of the best bands out there. The last album was pretty weak, but this one more than makes up for it.

First off, Hansi's voice is immaculate. The guy's been singing like this for almost 3 decades and he's only gotten better. There's times here that he'll rip your face off with savage ferocity, there's times he'll shatter glass, and then he'll tone it down for a soothing ballad. The choirs sound perfect, as usual. Everything about the vocals on this album is pitch perfect.

The instruments are the same way; after 25 years these guys know how to play their music flawlessly. Guitars range from ultrafast leads, riffs and solos to more standard chords and riffs. It all sounds amazing and the tone the guitars have here is just fantastic. Crunchy, heavy but not obnoxious. The drums...well, Thomen Staunch is still gone. Frederik has gotten faster...but he's still not the same kind of jaw-dropping drummer that Staunch was. He does a fine job but tends to stick to standard patterns and speeds, which is perfect for the music here. He does play all the flutes and bagpipes you hear though (which are used brilliantly in the ballad "Curse My Name"), so that makes up for the slightly boring drumming. On a more positive note, the drums are used perfectly in "War of the Thrones and "Curse My Name" and add a real bombastic and dramatic feel to both those songs.

The production on this album is absolutely perfect; I'll go so far as to say this is the best mix Blind Guardian have ever had. Everything, from the orchestra to the choirs to the instruments sounds perfect and the louder you turn it up the better. This is such a solid mix, I really have to hand it to them for knocking it out of the park with that.

The songs themselves are all really, really good stuff. From fast and aggressive throwback tracks like "A Voice in the Dark" and "Ride Into Obsession" to huge, bombastic and dramatic ballads like "Curse My Name" and "War of the Thrones" to huge mid-paced numbers like "Sacred Worlds" this album has it all. The choruses are huge, the melodies are uplifting, the build-ups are dramatic and the catchiness still has yet to be rivaled by any other band. There's not really a weak track here, but if I had to pick one or two I didn't like as much, it'd have to be "Tanelorn" and "Wheel of Time," as neither of them really have quite the same power behind them as the rest of the album. "Wheel of Time" in particular spends too much time playing around with a Middle-eastern sound, and it takes away from the orchestral bombast it tries to achieve.

While not the high point of their career, "At the Edge of Time" is a terrific Blind Guardian album that's leaps and bounds beyond the previous album. There's something for everyone on this album, and it's all put together so well that I highly recommend any music fan pick this up. Blind Guardian are masters of their craft and really show it with this album.

Music Review - Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine I

2010-10-24T12:34:00.004-04:00

Gothic music, whether metal or rock, tends to be something I'm not a fan of. It's usually cheesy (there are exceptions) cliche, over-dramatic and generally lacking in quality. There's obviously good bands in the genre, but for the most part my experience has been negative.

The debut album of Saviour Machine, "Saviour Machine I," however, may very well be one of the best goth metal/rock albums ever released and is up there with some of the best music ever released, in my opinion. This is a powerful album, with real feeling and atmosphere, relying on the writing and composition of the music rather than walls of typically mournful keyboards.

Eric Clayton's voice is brilliant, period. I don't know if there is another vocalist in the metal/rock world who has the power and emotion that this man has in his voice. Whether it's bloodcurdling screams, deep baritones, soft whisperings, huge operatic moments, passionate and gut wrenching notes or mournful wailing, the vocals here are absolutely second to none. There are notes hit here that will chill you with how powerfully they resonate; Eric Clayton is one of the very few modern singers who has such perfect control over his voice.

The instruments...where do I begin. Everything here is masterfully played. The bass in particular, while not being super-fast or super-technical, adds such a good feel and flavor to the music and does much more than just provide a low end; often it carries the entire melody of the song. Guitars are breathtaking. The opening track, "Carnival of Souls," is a good example of the guitars on this album; there's some brilliant leads, solid, catchy riffs, softer and cleaner breaks and outstanding solo work with true emotion shining through. The drums do a perfect job here, driving the music with terrific beats and expert fills. While not insanely fast (except for the beginnings of the tracks "Killer" and "The Widow and the Bride") they are flawlessly played by someone who is obviously a master at his craft.

As a whole, this album deals with mostly end-times themes taken from the Book of Revelation, and deals with them quite brilliantly. The lyrics are very, very well written; controversial and sometimes graphic but never playing for shock value. This is a quality every Saviour Machine song has and something that really separates them from the typical love/loss/suicidal themes of most goth music. When subjects like those are addressed they are done so from a mature perspective that shows them in a very thought-provoking light and provide sound ways of dealing with them.

Highlights for this album for me are "Legion," with its piano driven melody and absolutely spellbinding vocal work and "A World Alone," which may be the high point of Saviour Machines entire career (except for "American Babylon," which I will argue is their best song). "A World Alone" features a vocal performance that completely redefines soaring, with choruses so big and operatic that I'm hard-pressed to think of any comparable songs. Phenomenal writing and instrumentation make this one of the best songs I've heard in a long, long time.

To conclude, Saviour Machine, one of the most influential and well-respected Christian bands ever to form put out what I believe just might be one of the best metal/rock albums ever, goth or not. The fact that this is a debut album is almost astounding, as every second of this record is brilliantly and professionally put together. Please, buy this album, and see what heights gothic metal/rock is capable of reaching. Saviour Machine, with this debut album, set the bar as high as could be set.

PROJECT UPDATE

2010-10-07T21:12:00.001-04:00

This is a rough table of contents for the "It's Not Always Shakespeare...but it's Genuine", project. Anyone who wants to be a part of it can participate, just get in contact with me via e-mail or blog comments and let me know what you'd like to write about.

It’s not always Shakespeare...
But it’s Genuine.

Thoughts and Commentary on Life and Faith.

Topics:
(Some of these are tentatively titled)

• Finding the Open Door, by Lunkwill
• Theology, by Winnow
• Moderation in Christanity, by Will. R
• Faith/Culture, by Ghostkin
• Media Affects in Christianity, by M. Audrey
• TBA, Jeff B.
• TBA, by Josh P.

Music Review - Vardoger - Whitefrozen

2010-10-06T13:51:00.001-04:00

This is one of those albums that's really stuck with me over the years. Though it's Vardoger's only release, it is a brilliant EP that shows a mastery of the folk/viking/black metal genre.

This is definitely one of the more unique albums I've heard; the drums play weird rhythms, the songs are structured weirdly and the vocals are just plain odd sounding. This isn't an experimental, schizophrenic album though; it just employs non-standard methods to achieve it's atmosphere of unease, cold landscapes and occasional uplifting moments.

The instruments are handled brilliantly, especially the bass; bass doesn't usually do too much in a black metal band but this is one release I wouldn't want to listen to without the bass. Kudos to the band for using the bass guitar so well on this EP. The rest of the instruments are also equally well used. The guitar has a good, heavy, strong tone, the keyboards are used perfectly and add some amazing atmospheric touches. The drums, like I said above, are a big part of the music here, playing odd beats, folk rhythms and actually adding to the feel of the music. Blastbeats and fast double bass aren't even touched upon here, and for that I give the band a tip of the hat. Playing viking/black metal without blastbeats and double bass is something I've rarely seen.

The best part of this EP though is how authentic the viking/folk atmosphere is. There's not a lot of folk instruments used (there's some brief violin and flute used) but this EP sounds more viking/folk than almost any other release I've heard in the scene.

Highlights for this album are the title track, composed of entirely clean chanting vocals alongside some brilliant lead guitar and "Footprints of Thunder", with it's clean vocal chorus and somber and mournful folk atmosphere. This is an obscure release, but if you can find it, do yourself a favor and pick it up. "Whitefrozen" is a terrific viking/folk/black metal release that rises above the crowded scene and really carve out their own unique sound.

Beer Review - Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin Dark English Ale

2010-10-01T21:12:00.001-04:00

Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Dark English Ale is an interesting brew and is definitely different than the wheat based ales I've been focusing on lately.

. The aroma is that of fruit punch or cranberry juice, very sweet and fruity. The taste is at first sweet, almost syrupy feeling and has a slightly bitter finish. The initial taste took me by surprise as I wasn't expecting such a fruity tasting beer, but after a few more sips it became very enjoyable. The finish, while bitter, doesn't really stick around that long and I'm actually glad for that, as it's not a flavor I really enjoy that much. Each sip really brings out a lot of good, strong full flavors; there's no subtlety here.

With it's strong flavors and aromas, Wychwood Brewery's Hobgoblin Dark English Ale is a fantastic beer that I'd recommend to anyone, but beware: the first smell and taste may be a little overpowering at first, so make sure and give this brew the time it needs to be enjoyed.

It's not always Shakespeare...but it's genuine.

2010-09-28T16:12:00.005-04:00

"It's not always Shakespeare...but it's genuine," is the title of a new project I've decided to undertake. I've had it on my heart for some time to write a faith/life book, and I thought that instead of just me trumpeting my views (as wise and deep as they may be) it would be far more fun to include the views of many people in this project.

My proposition is basically to get a bunch of people together and just write whatever is put on their heart to write about, in a mature, tasteful respectful way; this includes, love, life, death, faith, sex, music, art, whatever it is anyone feels led to write about. There's no minimum length or maximum length; whether it's a paragraph or an essay is all good. I do not intend this to be a book on theology, political preaching (though writings on either of those are acceptable, but be aware this is not intended as a study guide for either) or condemnation but rather reflections on life from differing perspectives, all in one volume.

This is a project headed up by me, and I am a man of Christian faith, so it will come from that direction. I'm open to thoughts that may go against what I believe so long as it is (A) well thought out, (B) written in a non-derogatory, non-accusatory and more open tone. No insults, purposely controversial attacks against other beliefs though as I said above, I am not opposed to differing and even opposing viewpoints being included. However, I do reserve the right to screen all writings and either propose changes/edits to the writer or not allow it should it be inflammatory.

This honestly is more of a blogging idea and as much as I would like to be in published book format, I doubt that will happen. I've not yet worked out the exact format for this so do bear with me, but I can assure you that I have no guarantee of any kind of attention, fame, credit, profit or recognition for this.

My goal in this is to create somehting that will allow anyone who reads it, of any creed to come away with food for thought. I aim to neither convert nor preach.

If anyone is interested in being a part of this, contact me through comments on this post or email (which you can find on my info page) and let me know what you'd like to submit. The actual writing I leave to you. I will edit obvious errors in spelling or punctuation, but aside from that there is no standard I'm holding in terms of style. Write as you feel. If you specifically want certain grammar or punctuation to not be edited, please let me know.

I'm also thinking for organizational purposes, I'm going to come up with certain topics (like love, faith, stuff I listed above, etc), and then assign them to people who feel led to write on it. If anyone who's interested has a specific area they feel led to write on or like to write on, let me know.

Beer Review - Sierra Nevada Kellerweis

2010-09-25T20:40:00.001-04:00

Wheat beers are proving to be my favorite brews; I love the tastes, textures and looks of every one I've had so far. Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis is a great example of a solid beer.

This is a gorgeous looking beer, with a solid gold color and that foggy look that wheat beers have. It smells great too, giving off a bubblegum/banana aroma. The first thing I noticed taste-wise was that it seemed slightly more bitter than some of the other Hefeweisens I've had (like Blue Moon, for example) and few fruity tones to it. The aftertaste is a pretty standard bready/wheaty flavor that lingers for a good while and is quite enjoyable.

This is a medium bodied brew, I'd say, not super-potent but enough that you'd definitely want to take your time with it and have some food in your stomach before enjoying it.

Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis is a great beer for lazy, warm summer evenings; it's warm colour and welcoming flavors make it one I'll definitely be going back to.

Music Review - Raison d'Etre - The Stains of the Embodied Sacrifice

2010-09-13T13:24:00.006-04:00

Ambient is an interesting genre that covers a lot of musical ground. There's artists like Eluvium, whose gentle and warming static and nostalgic piano tunes are relaxing, happy and joyful. There's industrial ambient, martial ambient, blackened ambient, organic ambient, and probably thousands of other combinations. My favorites tend to be martial, industrial and organic, though I am partial to Eluvium and his joyful static.

Raison d'Etre, one of the oldest and most respected artists in the ambient world, is probably one of my favorite artists from any genre. Anyone who can take normal sounds,like clanking metal and make you feel uneasy, upbeat, depressed or any other emotion really knows his stuff, and this guy really knows his stuff. The Stains of the Embodied Sacrifice is probably one of Raison d'Etres harshest albums, with a lot less emphasis on more normal, gentle ambient keyboard work and a lot more emphasis on harsh sound, at times bordering on the actual genre of noise with the grating sounds of metal and screeching industrial tones.

A lot of the tracks here follow the fairly common formula of a nearly silent beginning, a slow build up to a harsh, loud climax with a sudden cutoff, and it works really well when it's used right. The only thing I don't like about it here is that it's used a little too much and sort of ruins what the effect is going for. There's three or four shorter tracks that follow this exact formula and they do tend to blend together after a while.

The real strength of the album is in the longer tracks(ranging from about 9 minutes to well past the 15-minute mark), "The Spirit Will Not Share the Guilt", "Desecrated by the Blood", "Without the Shedding There is No Forgiveness", "Death in the Body but Made Alive by the Spirit", and the closer "The Temple is Eternal Sacred." These are all brilliant tracks that alternate between harsh and grating noise, softer and more accessible ambient, slow and eerie industiral ambient, more religiously themed ambient (which is somehting I've always liked about Raison d'Etre) and the occasionally trippy ambient section. The closer track is one of my favorites off the album, being a track composed almost entirely of subtle, soft shimmering keyboard work and the soft but still commanding ringing of church bells which add that religious touch I mentioned earlier.

On an unmusical note, the song titles for this album are some of the coolest I've seen in a long while; and though I don't usually try and put a religious spin on lyrics/titles that don't really have one, these do carry a sort of religious feel to them. I'd actually venture a guess that the titles of the songs relate to the Christian faith in some way, but that's pure speculation on my part; the point of all that being that these are just really interesting song titles.

The Stains of the Embodied Sacrifice is a brilliant album by a brilliant artist, and while I'm not a huge fan of the shorter, harsher tracks, I feel that the longer pieces more than make up for those shortcomings. This is an album I'd recommend to fans of any kind of ambient and even to fans of more metallic music, though those who are not well acquainted with ambient and particularly the more harsh side of the genre will definitely need patience with this album. Give it a listen though, and I'm sure you'll get something out of it.

Coming soon...REVIEWS OF ASSORTED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

2010-09-10T19:30:00.001-04:00

Now that I'm of legal age to enjoy such things, there will be from time to time my opinions on whatever most recent drink (beer, liquors, and maybe once I acquire the taste for it, wine) I've enjoyed. Being that I've only been of legal age for a few days, it will be some time before these reviews appear, but rest assured, they'll be here in the near future. Any suggestion and discussion of good drinks is more than welcome

Music Review - Antestor -The Return of the Black Death

2010-09-07T22:39:00.002-04:00

Antestor's The Return of the Black Death is often hailed as the definitive black metal album by the Christian metal realm; while I don't agree with this completely I do certainly think it's one of the better albums that has ever come out of the Christian metal world and probably one of the better albums in this genre.

TROTBD is heavily influenced, at least in my mind, by Satyricons Masterpiece Dark Medieval Times. Raw but not really lo-fi, medieval but not folk and a gloomy and even depressing atmosphere at times. A lot of the music sounds similar between the two as well, from the drumming to the vocals and while the two do share similarities, TROTBD is definitely it's own album. The atmosphere is slightly less medieval and more oppressing here; I'd even say at times it becomes suffocating. While there's nothing really mind-blowing in terms of musical playing here this is a very well put together album from an atmospheric standpoint. The drums stick to pretty simple fast/slow patterns, keyboards provide an excellent backdrop for the guitars to wander and the vocals really tie it all together. The vocals, by Martyr, feature less of the extreme low guttural bellows from previous albums and much more black metal-esque screams and shrieks.

To elaborate on a point above, this isn't a technical masterpiece at all, nor does it have inhumanly fast drumming or guitar work. This is pure atmospheric black metal with some folkish/medieval touches. From the catchy "Sovereign Fortress" to the depressing dirge "Sorg" to the more uplifting "Kongsblod" and the chord-driven "Ancient Prophecy" this album oozes with a atmosphere that brings to mind the plague after which the album is named. If you want good, dark mood music, look no further.

While not the pinnacle of Christian black metal this is certainly one of the strongest albums from that realm as well as being one of the better pieces of atmospheric black metal out there. Dark but not overwhelming, oppressing but not crushing and bleak but with a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, The Return of the Black Death is an album I recommend to every fan of extreme metal.

Music Review - Drudkh - Songs of Grief and Solitude

2010-08-30T21:54:00.001-04:00

For the uninitiated, Drudkh are a band from the Ukraine who play a fairly decent style of folk/black metal, with emphasis on a mournful and at times dreamy atmosphere. I'm not one of their many, many fans who revere their music; actually so far I've only liked on average one or two songs per album they've made. However, this album, Songs of Grief and Solitude, caught my ear and has pretty much hooked me.

The biggest reason I like this album is because it's entirely acoustic. Acoustic guitars, flutes and a few percussive moments take the place of the normal guitar and black metal drumming, and the result is quite interesting. There's no vocals except for the odd whisper here and there and the songs are very, very, repetitive. This actually reminds me of Hex(or Printing in the Infernal Method) by Earth in that this is probably as close to drone as you can get in terms of musical writing without actually being drone. The mood is generally somber and mournful as is the norm for Drudkh, and if one knows the history of their home country one can see how this is a completely appropriate atmosphere to want to achieve. The repetition really is what makes the atmosphere what it is; gentle guitars and flutes playing very simple folksy melodies for nigh on 40 minutes can be quite an experience if the music is well composed, and I believe Drudkh more or less nailed it here. A lot of the music particularly the bits with the flute remind me of Native American music; it has that same feeling of being close to nature.

There's no flash here, no solos, nothing that will really make you stop and take note of what you just heard. This is gentle, somber music that takes one to the vast plains and forests of the Ukraine, under the stars beside a crackling fire. Songs of Grief and Solitude has become the mainstay of my pipe and cigar smoking playlist, especially when I smoke outside with the sunset. This is a relaxing journey through Drudkhs homeland, and a terrific piece of acoustic/ambient/slightly drone music. This music feels like nature, if that makes any sense. Relaxed, mellow, organic, ambient and even a little drone-ish, Songs of Grief and Solitude is well worth your time.

Music Review - Antestor - Martyrium

2010-08-30T12:32:00.001-04:00

Antestor is a band that means quite a bit to me. They were one of the first metal bands I ever listened to and I consider their music to be some of the finest extreme metal ever released. Martyrium, the debut album by Antestor, hearkens back to before they were a sweeping symphonic black metal band to when they were a fairly simple black/death/doom metal hybrid band, and this album while not their personal best is one of my favorite metal albums.

Slow, heavy and atmospheric is the formula here. At times the music does get faster, but even the fast parts aren't even super fast. There is a lot of clean guitar playing in the background, especially during the solos and slower moments and it really adds to the feel of the album. The tone of the guitars is pretty interesting in that it's not very "heavy" sounding but still manages to actually BE heavy. The use of a few different styles is also intriguing; the music here ranges from almost pure death/doom to blasting black metal to somber and gothic moments saturated with mournful keyboards, and in a few cases all three of those styles are interwoven with fantastic results. A weaker aspect of the music is the production, specifically the drums; they have no power whatsoever and when the toms are being pounded on in slow and steady fashion it comes off as amateur sounding. The bass and snare sound fantastic, but there's just no power in the toms.

The vocals, by Martyr, are fantastic. His low, guttural growls are some of the best I've heard in metal and his higher pitched screeches sound absolutely depraved. His baritone clean vocals, while probably not technically "amazing" fit the music perfectly, especially on the third track, "Depressed," where used with mournful piano and guitar create a truly depressing feel.

The weak point of this album, unfortunately, are the lyrics. Christian in nature and English by what appears to be very poor translation from Norwegian, they are so poorly worded that they almost sound comical at times. I don't blame the band for not being English scholars, but some of the lyrics are downright laughable. Skip over the liner notes if you want to continue taking the music as seriously as it wants to be taken.

What I find most interesting about this album is the mix of styles, in an era where this was far from commonplace in the metal scene. Like I said above, goth, black, death and doom metal all come together on this album in such an almost perfect way it's almost strange and to my knowledge rarely if ever used by bands of the day. While this is a pretty normal practice today among metal bands, I think I give Antestor credit for being among the (if not THE) first to combine all such styles in such a good way.

Highlights of this album for me would have to be "Depressed," with its gloomy keyboards and dark vocals; the title track/instrumental with it's brilliant drumming and use of clean guitars and transitions from blazing fast to slow and somber; and the closer track, "Mercy Lord," which while having a rather awkward opening minute and a half or so builds to a brilliant black/death/gothic/doom masterpiece complete with soaring female vocals and organs. "Mercy Lord" definitely ranks as one of Antestor's best songs and is a powerful way to end to the album.

Martyrium stands as the debut album of a brilliant band, and while not a perfect album by any means, there is enough good music here and enough interesting style and combinations of styles that any metal fan should be more than satisfied by this record.

But for the Grace of God...

2010-08-28T23:58:00.003-04:00

One of the, if not the most important teachings of Christianity is the ideal of Grace. Paul taught it, St. Augustine expounded on it and helped to use it to shape Christianity into what it is today and Christians everywhere profess to believe in it. It is the core belief of the faith; that no matter what sin we commit, from the most vile rape and murder to the most simple covetous or lustful glance, God's grace is enough to cover it and to redeem us from it with no questions asked and no remembrance of the sin. Paul was a persecutor of the early church to such an extent that after his
conversion believers were still terrified by him, yet he believed in this ideal so strongly that he was able to say that as Paul, he had not sinned. Grace is not something that allows the believer to sin with the intent to repent only to go back to those sinful ways and repent insincerely. Even the most wretched sinner can be saved, if his heart is truly set on repenting and receiving forgiveness and grace for his sins, and this is the subject of the hymn "Amazing Grace," which is universally recognized for both its power and truth. With grace, our fears are relived. We no longer worry about our eternal destiny. Those fears are gone, nothing more than powerless shadows deserving of nothing more than our scorn. It is the Grace of God that allows the believer to exist in the fallen state that he is in and still perform his duties for God here on Earth. That divine Grace, totally beyond our comprehension in every way is the cornerstone of the Christian faith and what separates the faith from so many other beliefs and what truly allows for one's life to be freed from bondage and to live as God would have them live on this Earth. It is something to remember for when one feels like they are nothing more than a wretched sinner undeserving of any respite, which is a feeling that everyone has had at some point. When sin crouches at your door desiring you and you open it and are taken by it do not waste time in self-condemnation rather offer your sin up to God and receive the grace that was bought and paid for by pure and righteous blood and it is in that blood that we find our solace and our redemption and our strength and it is but for this Grace of God that we will go into His kingdom instead of eternal damnation and separation from His presence and Love.

Wish

2010-08-25T22:59:00.004-04:00

I'm not someone with tons of ambitions. I'm pretty easily contented, and whether that's a good or bad trait is another debate entirely. But something I've wanted to do for nearly as long as I can remember is to trek on foot somewhere absolutely remote, such as the Yukon Territory and simply survive. There's somehting that's always intrigued me about that part of the world, just the sheer loneliness and harshness of it appeals to me in a way. To be alone for a long period of time surrounded by nothing but the vast wilderness in every direction just surviving and trying not to die is something I truly hope to accomplish one day before I die. I'm not sure why, as most people don't find the idea of trying not to die to not be one that is super appealing, but the idea really just stirs something in me, and when I think about it for long periods of time I have to really resist the urge to throw away everything I have and run off into the wild. If I had to guess I'd say that it's the last little bit of primal instinct that every human has that also accounts for our inherent fear of rain and the dark and it's something that in myself I wish to preserve because I believe that in that primal wildness lies a part of the nature of God that we are close to forgetting and losing.

Perhaps one day the chance will be granted to me to live out this wish I have. Until then I'll content myself with my urban existence and life of school, work and thought.

You know, its interesting...

2010-08-20T22:01:00.006-04:00

How the love of God works.

I was driving home from work tonight during a heat lightning storm, which, if anyone here hasn't ever witnessed one, is one of the most beautiful things you can see on earth. I was listening to a live version of "Awesome God" by Rich Mullins and he was talking about how bizarre the love of God is from our point of view being that someone so utterly alone and so far above humanity would desire us so much that He would create us in His image and become one of us in every way so He could help us be more like Him.

While I don't entirely agree with every part and parcel Rich Mullins believed, I do believe he was one of the greatest men of God to ever live and certainly one of the most heart-after-God men since King David. Just to read his songs is enough to know that he had a relationship with God that is like that you would have with your wife or husband or lover in the most intimate way and it is this kind of relationship that God desires with every single human being that has ever been created and not only does he desire it but his love goes so far beyond what any lover could ever give you that it makes even the most close of relationships seem pale.

I'm going to quote one of my favorite dialogue from recent literature, which I believe makes the point far better than I ever could.

TAKEN FROM WATCHMEN:

Doctor Manhattan: Thermodynamic miracles... events with odds against so astronomical they're effectively impossible, like oxygen spontaneously becoming gold. I long to observe such a thing. And yet, in each human coupling, a thousand million sperm vie for a single egg. Multiply those odds by countless generations, against the odds of your ancestors being alive; meeting; siring this precise son; that exact daughter... Until your mother loves a man she has every reason to hate, and of that union, of the thousand million children competing for fertilization, it was you, only you, that emerged. To distill so specific a form from that chaos of improbability, like turning air to gold... that is the crowning unlikelihood. The thermodynamic miracle.

Laurie Juspeczyk: But... if me, my birth, if that's a thermodynamic miracle... I mean, you could say that about anybody in the world!

Dr. Manhattan: Yes. Anybody in the world... But the world is so full of people, so crowded with these miracles that they become commonplace and we forget... I forget. We gaze continually at the world and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another's vantage point, as if new, it may still take our breath away. Come... dry your eyes. For you are life, rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg; the clay in which the forces that shape all things leave their fingerprints most clearly. Dry your eyes... and let's go home.
-Watchmen

What a powerful ideal...the miracle of birth and life in itself is possibly the greatest testament to the value and worth of a person. Like the above characters, I forget by how many miracles I am surrounded by every day. Think how God must feel, with that love for every single person as if they were the pinnacle of his creation, which they, I and you are. To not consider a human just a set of cells and electrical impulses and animal instincts but the greatest single miracle in existence changes how you look at people. In a sense, yes, humans are nothing, dust in the wind, vagaries of perception, with love and emotions being no more than the temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose.

But in another sense, in the greatest sense, we are everything. The apple of God's eye. The greatest miracle he ever conceived. The thing he created out of nothing less than a pure burning desire to fellowship with in the most intimate way possible. Something that God loves in a way no human can even remotely begin to fathom. In that sense, we as creations are nothing less than the most immense and essential thing ever created, birthed out of a love so fiery and intense and so beyond comprehension that the Creator would take on our fallen and feeble form and die a sickening horrific death so that we could be with him if we so desired.

Which is what he desires.

Haiti Pt. 2

2010-08-17T18:13:00.001-04:00

http://bibledude.net/2010/08/the-haiti-mission-agenda/

This is a link to all the updates of the trip to Haiti that was undertaken by my church's youth group, courtesy of Bibledude.net. It says everything that needs to be said about the trip and the pictures say far more than I ever could, so please, check out the tweets and the accompanying pictures, and feel free to shoot me any questions you have about anything concerning the trip.

Haiti

2010-08-06T05:57:00.003-04:00

I'm going there today, for 10 days. I'll begin writing again when I return. Luck may be wished and prayers may be prayed. Goodbye, modern world.

The Border Trilogy

2010-08-04T11:51:00.001-04:00

I fished the Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy roughly a week and a half ago, and I've not been able to read anything since. The trilogy really knocked the wind out my reading sails, and I don't think I've ever had that happen to me before. Not even The Lord of The Rings trilogy was quite as much of a punch in the stomach as these books were, and that's really saying something. There was so much simple and profound truth in the Border Trilogy it was almost hard to take in, and the style made it a harder task than usual to read. They were something of a chore to get through at times, as three books of stream-of-consciousness writing can be a challenge to read one right after the other. But what I loved was that without writing a single emotion into his stories, McCarthy made them some of the most emotional stories I've ever read. There's a level of personal honestly and feeling that tells me these books had to be a reflection of the author.

This post isn't really much more than my rambling on about what I think about this trilogy, so I'm going to wrap it up now and just say that I highly recommend this trilogy. This is a moving, powerful and profound set of works that really show Cormac McCarthy's strength as a writer and prove why he is among the best living writers we have today.

Book Review - Cities of the Plain

2010-07-24T21:13:00.001-04:00

Cities of the Plain is the conclusion of the epic Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy, and if I thought he was an outstanding writer before reading this trilogy I now truly believe he is one of the greatest writers of recent times. This volume is by far the best of the three; it is both simple and absolutely profound in its simplicity to a degree that far outshines the previous two novels.

This book takes the characters from the first two books and entwines their lives together, which is something I had figured out almost as soon as I started the second book but is also something I was really looking forward to. This particular volume seems to be more dialogue-centered and less dependent on terrain and landscape as a character, which is also good as it really lets McCarthy's dialogue take off and when it takes off, it really freaking takes off. All the philosophical banter, monologues and stream-of-consciousness narration are at their peak here and I'd probably say that this is the peak of McCarthy's writing that I've yet read.

Without being cliche or cheesy, McCarthy really manages to bring out authentic emotion through his writing, and it's made all the more realistic because of it's simplicity. There's no fluff or filler when it comes to the emotion, it's all raw and out in the open. The same goes for the level of violence; as per his usual style it's brief and bloody and realistic. I doubt anyone but McCarthy could pull off such stark simplicity and still convey the deep and real feelings his characters have.

There's not a whole lot more to say about this book, as much as I loved it. It keeps the same style and pace as the other two, so if you've read them you know what to expect in terms of technical style. To sum it up, this is a brilliant conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. From the very first page to the very last page Cities of the Plain bristles with deep thoughts, blunt feelings and brutal violence. Cormac McCarthy is at his peak here, and this profound novel has cemented his place in my mind as one of the best writers of our time.

Movie Review - Good Night, and Good Luck.

2010-07-18T14:18:00.000-04:00

Good Night, and Good Luck is a film set in one of the most tumultuous periods in American history, the post-WWII communist scares of the 40s and 50s. The movie is centered on Edward R. Murrow, the television journalist who brought down Joe McCarthy, the man who was more or less terrorizing America with allegations of communists under every rock.

This is a fairly low-key movie; the music is mostly soft jazz, the dialogue is soft-spoken and there's no special effects or stunts. Lots of archived footage is shown here, and at times that's all thats being shown. The film is shot in black and white and filmed in a low-key style that every once in a while feels like a documentary.

While this is a low-key movie, that doesn't mean that it's a weak movie. The dialogue here is strong and is really what carries the film. Strathairn delivers some terrific speeches and monologues as Edward R. Murrow, and every one of the films large cast of notable talent (George Clooney, Robert Downy Jr., Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels and many more) delivers terrific performances.

While there isn't a lot of flash in this movie, Good Night and Good Luck is a fantastic period film that sheds light on a very important time in American history and some of the men who stood up to Joe McCarthy and his crazed anti-communist vigilantism. This movie is slow however, and will probably stretch the patience of those not used to films like this; but if you can stick it out you'll definitely find that it was worth your time. Good Night, and Good Luck is a movie I highly recommend to anyone who wants a good, slow-paced and well filmed movie.

Movie Review - Toy Story 3

2010-07-15T19:02:00.000-04:00

Trilogies can be tricky things, especially when the first parts are universally deemed to be excellent films; Toy Story 1 and 2 are two of the most popular American films ever produced. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't like Toy Story, and that fact alone means that the bar for a third installment in the series better be of equal or greater caliber. It's also difficult because no matter what, the third installment of anything will always be compared to the first two, and when the third isn't as good this can make it seem even worse.

Toy Story 3 on its own is a pretty decent film. There's an abundance of clever jokes, references to other Pixar films and as always the animation is top notch. Unfortunately, compared to the first two Toy Story Movies, it falls a little flat. I suppose the easiest way to describe how I feel is that while the first two films can be both enjoyed and also critically examined and still prove to be excellent films, Toy Story 3 fails to hold itself up on really close inspection. So as a fun movie to go see with friends, this does pretty good. As a serious piece of film, not so much.

There's a lot packed into this movie, with 2 main plot points and so many characters being added that the movie's slightly over 1 and a half hour time doesn't allow for any breathing room; it's a rush from one bit or disaster to the next with no time to develop characters or subplots like the first two movies did so well. That's not to say that they're not enjoyable or well done, but it almost feels as if you're watching a series of short films strung together than one cohesive movie. There's not as much background given to the toys present circumstance; I felt that a flashback or two would have given a lot more depth to the movie. The end of the movie was somehting I honestly thought was really weak and not thought through all the way, as it's just too unbelievable and reaches for emotion that it just doesn't produce.

I did enjoy this movie however, and there were so many clever jokes, one liners and plain old goofy things going on that I was kept laughing for the majority of the film, so my advice would be to go see it as nothing more than 104 minutes of brilliantly animated silliness. While not as good as the first Toy Story movies, Toy Story 3 is a decent ending to what is probably one of the most loved series of movies to come out of America. I'd recommend this be watched with nothing more than a desire to laugh and be entertained, as that's all I think this was really meant to be.

Book Review - The Crossing

2010-07-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

The Crossing is the second book in Cormac McCarthy's border trilogy, and so far it's the one I like best. While All the Pretty Horses was a fantastic book in ever way, it seemed a little too sparse and almost a little detached, and I wasn't as drawn to the characters as I was here. All the Pretty Horses reminded me of Black Beauty in a way, with it's intimate and detailed looks into the relationships of men to horses as well as men to men. The Crossing reminds me much more of White Fang, mostly because the story revolves around (for the most part) a boy and a wolf.

If you've read any of my reviews of McCarthy's works you'll have a good idea what to expect here: minimal prose and plain dialogue. There's a lot of dialogue here though, moreso than in some of his other books I'd say. The landscape plays a big role here, almost to the point of becoming a character unto itself; the descriptions of the Mexico/Texas border area are absolutely beautiful. I'd be willing to bet McCarthy has spent a good deal of time alone in this kind of wilderness to write such vivid descriptions.

The dialogue here is as strong as ever; I'd actually say it's some of the best I've yet read from McCarthy. The more philosophical side of his writing is really spotlighted here, and in my opinion is the highlight of the book. There's one particular monologue towards the middle of the book that was absolutely brilliant and one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read. I've read and re-read this particular monologue probably 5 or 6 times, and every time it leaves me awestruck with how simple but powerful it was. It's this little (actually not so little, the monologue is close to 10 pages long) section that really made me favor The Crossing over All the Pretty Horses, and I'd argue that it's one of the single best individual things McCarthy has written.

So far, the Border Trilogy has been absolutely outstanding, and as I said before The Crossing is my current favorite. Full of dialogue and deep philosophical meanderings and beautiful descriptions of the American Southwest, The Crossing is a brilliant book that I highly recommend.

Music Review - Blind Guardian - A Voice in the Dark

2010-07-07T12:08:00.002-04:00

After a 4 year wait, one of my favorite bands, Blind Guardian, is back. This single has two songs that will be on the upcoming album and one cover, and based off this single I'm pretty sure the full album will be fantastic.

The title track is more of a throwback to Blind Guardians speed/power metal days, with fast drumming and guitars and Hansi sounding as ferocious as ever. I'm not a huge fan of the bands older music but this is pretty good, with some awesome soloing and fantastic catchy vocals. I wasn't blown away by it but its a good solid Blind Guardian song.

The second song is a cover of the John Farnham song"You're the Voice", and since I'm not really familiar with the original I don't know how good this version really is in comparison. It's an okay song, nothing really amazing, and Blind Guardian have definitely done better covers.

Lastly comes "War of the Thrones". This song is why I love Blind Guardian. It's an acoustic ballad (but if I'm not mistaken the version on the album will not be acoustic, and this version will be a bonustrack) and definitely one of the best they've ever done. The vocals sound brilliant, guitars are as usual outstanding and the writing is top notch. It far outranks "Skalds and Shadows" from the most recent album and I daresay it's as good if not more so than "The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight" from A Night at the Opera. "War of the Thrones" is catchy, dramatic and has a brilliant ending chorus that ranks as one of the catchiest moments in Blind Guardians entire career. Definitely my favorite from this single.

A Voice in the Dark definitely has me salivating over the full length album, and it's definitely somehting I'll be buying as soon as it comes out. Blind Guardian have once again proved that they're one of the best bands in the business and I have no doubt the new album will be one of their best efforts.

Cigar Review - Neos Cappuccino

2010-07-06T23:34:00.000-04:00

I'm not big on flavored cigars (there are a few exceptions) and I'm even less enthusiastic about flavored cigarillos, as most of them end up being pretty cheap and bad tasting smokes. These little guys by Neos however, are fantastic, well flavored and well crafted cigarillos.

The flavor really comes through, and both the taste and smell are terrific. They're small, smaller than cigarettes actually, so they're perfect for a quick smoke or an after dinner dessert smoke. There's no filler or filters here, these are genuine little cigars. They're pre-cut and require no skill to light and smoke in 5-10 minutes. Next time your looking for a light smoke with a lot of flavor, an after-dinner smoke or maybe a chaser smoke after a bigger cigar, I highly recommend Neos Cappuccino.

Music Review - Summoning - Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame

2010-07-06T21:15:00.001-04:00

Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame is one heck of an album. It's not as murky and ambient as Oath Bound, and it's also much more "metal", and fairly accessible. It's not my favorite Summoning album and I don't think it's their best album, but it certainly is quite the record.

The most noticeable thing on this album is the clear production; LMHSYF is definitely the best produced (technically) album Summoning have made. The plodding drums are loud and heavy and somewhat faster than Oath Bound, the guitars are more towards the front of the mix and have a more chunky and heavy sound to them, but they also still have a slightly ambient feel to them at times. Keyboards are used in abundance here, and while not the best sounding keyboards I've ever heard they certainly do a good job of setting the mood. The vocals are basically the same as every other Summoning album, not amazing but definitely well performed black metal screeches and screams.

The songs are shorter here than on Oath Bound and seem to rely more on catchy melodies than on constant repetition. The melodies like I said above are more accessible and catchier, and there's a lot fewer long buildups to choruses and climaxes like on Oath Bound. To sum up songwriting: more concise, more catchy and shorter songs.

There's some real killer songs here, and really no song is bad. The samples used on "South Away" and "In Hollow Halls Beneath the Fells" are executed perfectly and really add to the songs. There's a good number of samples used here, mostly from old The Lord of the Rings radio dramas, which is a pretty neat idea to use in music like this.

The star of the show here is the last song, "Farewell," though, with it's dramatic trumpets and amazing choir use(this is first time clean vocals were used in Summonings music if I'm not mistaken). The chorus to this song is amazing, actually the entire song is amazing and is for me the highlight of the album.

Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame is a good solid album, with a really cool medieval feel. The songs are catchy and easy to follow, and really show the songwriting strength of Summoning. While not the band's best album, this is definitely a keeper.

Music Review - Dream Theater - Train of Thought

2010-06-28T21:53:00.002-04:00

This is probably my second favorite Dream Theater album, behind Scenes from a Memory. This album really shows the bands insanely technical side with a flair of heaviness not really seen in their previous albums.

Train of Thought is basically Dream Theaters heavy metal album; tons of double bass and ridiculously technical drums, downtuned guitars, downtuned drums, lighting fast guitar and keyboard solos and songs stretching past 13 minutes in places. This is a fast, heavy and hard-hitting album, but it's not without its terrific catchy melodies, though they do tend to air on the darker side.

James LaBrie, who is one of my all time favorite vocalists sounds perfect here, with some awesome high notes and even some rap influenced vocal lines, which actually sound pretty darn cool. The lyrics, honestly, aren't the best I've ever seen and really lean more towards whining and complaining about life, but heck, they fit the music and are sung really well, so I can suffer through them.

What's so cool about this album is just to hear the band absolutely cut loose on every instrument and just blast at full speed for the whole album. While they've always been technical, this is pure showmanship in every way. From almost death metal sounding instrumental parts in various songs to the quirky solos in the track Endless Sacrifice to the angry buildup and climax of Honor Thy Father to the epic closer In the Name of God, every song is packed to the brim with just insane instrumentation. The instrumental Stream of Consciousness is the high point for all of it, and I'd definitely say that it's the most technical and complex track here.

So in conclusion, Train of Thought is definitely Dream Theaters heaviest, most technical and catchiest album. Heavy guitars, angry vocals and brilliant playing by every band member solidifies Train of Thought as one of my favorite metal albums.

Cigar Review - Rocky Patel Java

2010-06-23T19:16:00.000-04:00

Rocky Patel Java is another of my go-to cigars. I really have yet to be disappointed by anything Rocky sets his hand to, but he really struck gold with this cigar. This is, to quote the gentleman who sold it to me, "like smoking dessert," and this is probably the best description I've heard for the Java.

Firstly, this is a sleek looking cigar; it's square pressed for an elegant box shape with simple and tasteful labels on both ends. Secondly, this is one of the best tasting cigars I've yet smoked, ever. Before even cutting it and lighting it it gives off a very good coffee/cocoa flavor, and I mean REAL flavor. I would honestly buy these and just chew on them for the flavor, delicious.

Once lit, it burned perfectly and evenly, with strong coffee and cocoa flavors dominating. As I smoked the Java down the flavors became darker and spicier until the final fifth or so the cigar, at which point it became rather bitter and I had to stop smoking it. The smell is terrific, and is one of the only cigars I've smoked that doesn't seem to repel non-cigar smokers away.

The Rocky Patel Java is a fantastic after dinner dessert cigar, with outstanding flavor, burn and smell. I highly recommend the Maduro version, as this has some deeper and more rich textures in the flavor. For any cigar smoker, the Java is a must-smoke.

Rocky Patel Drew Estate Java Maduro
rated 9/10
Brazilian Maduro wrapper with Nicaraguan filler
Lighting method used: 3 torch lighter followed by single torch

Book Review - All the Pretty Horses

2010-06-21T20:20:00.001-04:00

Cormac McCarthy has fast become one of my favorite authors, and I'm in the process of acquiring/reading as many of his works as I can. Having heard that he had written a Western styled trilogy of books, I went to the library and rented all three. I'll be reviewing each independently and when I finish the trilogy I'll post a brief recap of the whole story.

Cormac McCarthys style is fashioned after the styles of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway (among others), with long sentences, plain descriptions, simple dialogue and a very un-stylized style. This can be somewhat of a turn off, as individual sentences can sometimes run to almost half a page. It's an interesting technique that does take a little getting used too. The lack of punctuation besides the occasional comma, periods and apostrophes is also interesting and really speeds up the reading. I never noticed before how much punctuation can slow you down when reading before reading McCarthy.

I don't like giving away stories and plots in my reviews, so there's no spoilers here. I will touch on a few key points though: firstly, McCarthy is master of dialogue and showing what really makes people tick inside through simple observation. He really and truly is a master at his craft. Simplicity in the modern world is an almost bygone quality, but McCarthy has it down like few others ever have. While not as heartbreaking as his most recent work The Road, lots of emotion can be felt through the sparse and sometimes harsh dialogue. There's also a good amount of philosophizing to be found here, in long and drawn out sentences. Some of it really struck a chord inside me, some of it seemed to be more or less rambling, but all of it at least sounds good. I don't mind rambling about nothing, so long as it is conveyed in an interesting way.

All the Pretty Horses isn't for the faint of heart, despite it's deceptive title. There is a lot of harsh violence depicted in this mid 1900s western novel, and the dialogue between the various thieves, killers, criminals and innocents can be as terse and harsh as the descriptions of the surrounding Mexico/Texas landscape. While nothing to grotesque, those put off by stark looks at violence should be warned.

In conclusion, All the Pretty Horses is another evocative novel from Cormac McCarthy. Bleak, brutal and sparse in every way, I loved this book and am eager to begin the next in the trilogy.

Movie Review - The Book of Eli

2010-06-18T22:18:00.002-04:00

This was a potentially interesting take on the post-apocalyptic genre of film, and I was genuinely interested in seeing it. It's concept was something fairly untapped in recent film, and I liked the idea of books being so valuable in the post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately for me, this movie was somehting of a letdown.

Here's what I liked: The main character, Eli, had a good moral compass. I like that a lot. He prays to God, has good values and refuses to compromise sexually. There's some really cool action sequences, the cinematagrophy is excellent and the acting is good, which is no surprise since its Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. There's some thought provoking material here, and the script is fairly solid.

Here's what I didn't like: The execution is shaky. I wasn't aware Eli was supposed to be blind until some time after I saw the movie, and I don't really think he was. There were scenes that left me puzzled, such as when he gets shot from behind, but nothing happens and he continues walking on. I didn't know if the shot had missed, been deflected, or what. Eli shooting a cat with his bow and arrow, if he was blind, seems really implausible. Did he acquire these skills previously, are they divine or what? That was never answered. There's a sense of "seen it before" through the whole film; the villains are all suitably evil-looking, the main bad guy (Oldman) is a good villain but just seems cliche. Eli is a typical loner, wandering down his road on his God-given quest. Not a bad story, but nothing really innovative. The violence tries far too hard to be shocking, hard hitting and almost...philosophical and ends up being in bad taste more than anything.

There is one scene though, towards the second third of the film if I remember rightly, in which Eli and his companion wander into the home of some very friendly people that turns out to be an almost fatal decision that was brilliantly filmed. Without giving it away, I can say this was a perfect, eerie, unsettling scene that really made me sit up and pay attention. Kudos to the director and crew for filming that scene so well.

It certainly is a good film to look at; the colours are interesting, the camera-work is terrific. I wish that most of the really neat action scenes hadn't been shown in every trailer, as I felt that that they showed all the best parts in the trailers. Timing was also bad here, as The Book of Eli was released within a very short time as The Road, and since both movies have nearly identical plots it really took away from The Book of Eli.

All this isn't to say its a bad film; it just could have been better. Too much time was spent trying to philosophize in a Matrix-esque way, and this took away from the overall movie, I think. Had 20 or 30 minutes cut out of it and some of the weaker segments of philosophical/ethical discussions that take place been cut out, I thank it would have fared a lot better. Overall, this is a plain okay film that isn't terrible, but isn't anything amazing.

Music Review - Insomnium - Above the Weeping World

2010-06-15T17:02:00.002-04:00

Above the Weeping World is Insomnium's 3rd album, and while not as strong as their newest album Across the Dark, this record is a strong combination of melodic death metal and soft acoustic interludes, some of which border on ambient. While not my personal favorite of theirs, ATTW is definitely a solid album.

The melodic death metal of the album hasn't changed a whole lot since the first release by the band, but this isn't a bad thing at all. There's some real killer guitar work here, especially on the first three songs. While there aren't any blazing solos or wild technical riffing going on, there is still genuine emotion in the melodies played here, which is Insomniums greatest strength. As on every other of their albums, sorrow, nostalgia, anger and even a few glimmers of happiness can be found here, all of which are conveyed in real meaningful ways and avoid sound cheesy or over the top. The vocals contribute a lot to this, with deep powerful roars and growls that really add a lot of feeling to the music. Another big factor is the brilliant use of acoustic guitars, which more than anything here add feeling to the music. Whether used in intros or interludes, the soft acoustic moments are gentle and quite lovely, never out of place and something I really applaud the band for using so well. The pace is slow-to-mid with occasional fast breaks, however these are few and far between and the majority of the album is content to amble along at a mostly slow speed.

The lyrics are another strong point; Insomnium write some of my favorite lyrics of any band. Resembling poetry more than most bands lyrics (and in the 3rd song using an actual poem from Francis William Bourdillion) they are dreary and sorrowful, but like the actual music avoid being cheesy, which is something a lot of artists fail to do.

The highlights of this album for me are the first three songs, the third of which, Drawn to Black, is my favorite off the album and my favorite Insomnium song. The main riff is brilliant, the pace is perfect and the entire song simply works beautifully. There are some slower and duller moments though, particularly towards the end of the album. These are offset by some terrific acoustics though, and don't really take too much away from the album.

Overall, this is a strong effort by a fantastic band. Outstanding use of acoustics combined with mostly engaging melodic death metal make for a good combination, and Insomnium pull it off very well here.

Movie Review - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

2010-06-13T20:34:00.004-04:00

When you think of a Western, the first thing to usually pop into your head is a shootout. Shootouts and Westerns go together like Star Wars films and lightsaber duels; they're more or less the focus of both. Also typical of Westerns are bar fights, carriage robberies, Mexican standoffs, horse chases and lassoing. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has none of those. This isn't a Sergio Leone gunslinging epic, in fact guns are only drawn a few brief times in the whole film. This is a film that focuses on acting, cinematagrophy and dialogue to tell an amazing story that just happens to be set in the Old American West.

First off, the acting here is some of the finest I have ever seen. Brad Pitt, as Jesse James gives a performance that is up there with some of the all time greats, going form insane to gentle and back again with an ease that I've rarely seen. This is definitely one of the highlights of his entire career in my mind. Casey Affleck, playing Robert Ford is just as good though, giving something of an eerie and uneasy feel to his character that adds to the entire feel of the movie. While these two are the powerhouses, every single actor/actress here is in top form and leaves nothing to be desired. It's rare that such a large cast does such a brilliant job all around.

Secondly is the cinematagrophy, which is as brilliant as the acting. I've only seen a few movies shot this well and with minimal digital assistance (if any). The colors and lighting are honestly perfect, and coupled with the actual camera-work perfectly set the tone for the whole movie. Real feelings of nostalgia, dreariness and unease are made real simply through the cinematagrophy. 10/10 for every shot being nothing less than beautiful.

Lastly is the dialogue. Dialogue is a big point for me in movies, and this film certainly delivers. While hard to understand some of the soft, southern-accented mutterings, the dialogue here is top notch in every way. Banter between Jesse and Robert Ford turns deadly and back to normal with almost frightening ease. Like the cinematagrophy, every line is carefully crafted to fit perfectly with the scene at hand.

Another element of the movie that is probably my favorite is the score, done by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The music here is beautiful, perfectly and brilliantly capturing the sad, nostalgic feel of the movie and giving a real dreamy quality to the films narration. Comprised of mostly piano and violins, these sad and haunting tunes are another of the pieces that really make this movie so good. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are fantastic artists, and in my opinion this is their best soundtrack they've yet made. Sad, ominous, eerie, the duo does it all here.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is definitely not for those seeking a standard shoot-em-up western.When the violence does emerge though, it is in very brief and intense blasts, sometimes lasting no longer than a gunshot. This movie is long, and very slow; I'd actually say one of the longest and slowest I've seen. It is also one of the most dreary movies I've seen; there's no cheer or laughter or comic relief to be found here. It can drag on at times, particularly towards the middle of the movie, so viewers beware. However, a combination of some of the best acting and cinematagrophy make this a must see, in my opinion. Devoid of any cliches of the Western genre, this film is one of my favorites and a movie I highly recommend.

An Early Memorial Day Thought

2010-05-30T19:01:00.000-04:00

Since tomorrow is Memorial Day and I'll likely be too busy to post anything here, I'm going to do it a day early.

I read the book Flags of Our Father some time ago, and that book really changed how I thought about World War 2. The utter hell that millions and millions of men and women willingly went through to preserve the freedoms enjoyed by America and many other great nations is something I can't really grasp. I then went to Europe for 3 weeks and basically did a WWII tour with my uncle, an historian. We walked along Point du Hoc, where hundreds of artillery craters still stand and barbed wire still lines the tops of the cliffs. We walked along Omaha beach where 65 years earlier our soldiers were being riddled with Nazi bullets. I walked in foxholes dug by Easy Company in the forests around Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge and saw buildings still covered in bullet holes. We visited countless cemeteries and museums and historical battle sites and monuments.

It was really an eye-opening experience for me and a trip that I'd encourage every American to make at least once. 3.5 million people since 1776 have died on our Armed Forces in order to preserve the freedoms that we hold so dear, take for granted and sometimes don't even realize how much of a privilege they are to have.

I'm sure everyone has heard this before, but freedom truly isn't free. I could post countless quotes by many people way smarter than me on the subject, but I'll keep it simple. Freedom is not free. Period. There will always be those who want and hate freedom and want nothing more than to take it away from others, and it is in defense of that freedom that 3.5 million people have died.

There are just wars. There are necessary wars. There are times when it is necessary to kill. That's just how it is. That's how it will always be. Regardless of the opinions of countless anti-war groups, people, etc, that's how it is. To quote a member of Easy Company, Herb Suerth Jr.:

"It does no good to wish that other countries would simply lay down their arms and be nice to us. It ain't going to happen. Unless you stand up and be counted for what you believe in, you will lose all the freedoms that are important to you. Freedom isn't, and never will be, free."

3.5 million people have died to ensure that everyone who came after them would not have to. Freedom is not free, and to all those serving in the Armed Forces, and to all the veterans who given so much to keep us free, thank you. Thank you.

A Rorschach Test

2010-05-25T21:07:00.000-04:00

In case you don't know, I'm an avid fan of Watchmen, both the novel and film. I'm particularly drawn to one of the central characters, Rorschach, named for the ink-blot test commonly used in psychotherapy. His mask is one of ever changing Rorschach patterns, but the black and white never mixes and are always symmetrical. This is a reflection of his thought process, that while his views do change, they are always absolute in their conviction. This is his greatest strength, more so than his immense physical strength and his extremely agile mind.

He believes in absolute good and absolute evil, often to a fanatical degree. That which is good he will protect, by punishing that which is evil in any way possible, often by killing it outright. While his views do lean towards the extreme to the point of impracticality, its his unwavering devotion to his ideals of good that I admire. His refusal to compromise in any way, even at the expense of world peace and in the end his own life is a spirit that is sorely lacking in todays world of moral relativism. Instead of taking the easy way out, instead of compromising his ideals and beliefs, Rorschach trudges on sullenly, doing his part to rid his world of evil in the form of killing all those who threaten the good and innocent.

While I don't necessarily advocate vigilante justice (though it is a topic I would be willing to argue in favor of) the thought process being it, that of absolute uncompromising devotion to good, is something I do advocate and try to practice in my own life, though with less than stellar results in many cases.

The challenge in all this is determining what really is or isn't "good." There's only one standard that I can really call absolute, and that is the Bible. Attempting to hold fast to any other thing is, while maybe with admirable devotion, in the end doesn't amount to much. There's simply no other book of absolute good in this world. There are some fine teachings from ages and ages of philosophizing and thinking, but when you boil it down, the Bible, being the written word of God, is really all you can call absolute. I make no claim to be perfect, but I try my best to simply not compromise on things that are in that Book.

It's not something one can do on one's own though, and despite Rorschachs godless world, it is only though God that one has any chance of adhering to the Bible at all. Through God.

Anything else, any other attempt through any other means will be, to quote Rorschach, "Nothing Short of compromise."

Book Review - Rocket Men

2010-05-19T11:10:00.001-04:00

Going to the moon was pretty much the biggest deal in human history. There's no way around that. It was a big freaking deal, and it really still is. I'm sure most everyone has seen documentaries on the History Channel or National Geographic on the moon landings and/or seen the movies Apollo 13 or The Right Stuff. If you're an American, then it's pretty much your default setting to know at least a little about the moon landing. There are also quite a few books on the subject, and most of them are pretty darn good. There are a LOT though, so for one to really stand out it'd have to be pretty darn spectacular. A blurb on the cover of this book, Rocket Men, says that it's "brilliant" and "spectacular". Well, I have to disagree on those two, but it's still a good read nonetheless.

This is basically a more behind the scenes look at the Apollo program, with hundreds of memoir-like quotes from engineers, pilots, scientists and politicians on the moon landing. The more personal and historical side of the book is actually very interesting as it really shows the human side of the people involved and just how much of a strain this task really was. The astronauts become less mythical and much more human, and their differing views on the project and all around world-views are something I hadn't heard a lot of before this book. Like I said, when the story becomes focused on the people and the history of the Apollo program, this book really soars. The downside is that a lot of the book is engineer/scientist talk, with pages of technical details and things that just plain old didn't interest me very much. I'm not downplaying the importance, obviously, but to someone like me who isn't an engineer it just wasn't conveyed in an interesting way.

There's some really good stuff here though; the politics and infighting of things like who would be the first man to walk on the moon, what he would say and what would be on the plaque left on the moon are all things I didn't know before. The history of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War and how it related to the Space Race were fantastically conveyed; as I said before the historical narrative is where this book really shines.

Overall, this isn't a book I'd really call epic and spectacular. It's a well-written and very informative look at the more historical and personal side of the Apollo Program, which isn't usually the norm for books on the subject. Rocket Men, while not really reinventing the wheel for Space Race books, gives a good in depth look at the Apollo Program from a much more personal and human perspective than most books on the subject. It's well-written and something I recommend for any fan of space or American history.

Music Review - Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos

2010-05-18T21:14:00.002-04:00

I have to say, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this album. I love Dream Theater and no one can deny that the band members are incredible players, but this is an odd album for me. There's times when I listen to it and love it, and then times when I listen to it and really don't think it's that great.

There is some top-notch stuff here, though. The opening two songs are fantastic, with the former (In The Presence of Enemies Pt. 1) being a pretty solid Dream Theater song, with lots of soloing and terrific playing all around. It's sort of the kind of song I expect them to do on a regular basis; it's not amazing but it certainly isn't too shabby at all. Forsaken, the second track, is a terrific shorter piece, focusing more on a slightly darker (and dare I say "gothic") atmosphere and a good catchy chorus. Forsaken was the single and if I'm not mistaken the song that got radio play. The rest of the songs sort of waver between okay, good and not that great, except for The Ministry of Lost Souls. This is the kind of song Dream Theater need to be writing; long, technical, multiple long solos and non-conventional structuring. It's one of my favorite Dream Theater songs and definitely the strongest on the whole album. There's a few interesting moments here and there, such as the Opeth-like psychedelic rocker Repentance, which is a good relaxing song and something of a throwback to the psychedelic/trippy feel of 70s progressive rock. Other than that though, the songs are just not that great. The solos are all cool, the band is in top form and James LaBrie sounds terrific, but the songs just don't pack any real punch.

I don't hate this album and I listen to it fairly often, but my selection of songs on it is pretty thin. When the band tries to sound heavy and metallic, like on Constant Motion and The Dark Eternal Night, it just plain old doesn't work. However, the softer songs like Repentance and the more typical Dream Theater songs like the opener and The Ministry of Lost Souls really let the band shine. This isn't a bad album, it just lacks some of the fire that other Dream Theater albums have. Thankfully the slight slump in songwriting isn't an ongoing problem, as the latest album has shown.

In conclusion, Systematic Chaos has a couple of good Dream Theater songs and a couple of not so good songs. Don't expect to be blown away by this album but don't expect a total failure. I'd recommend buying a couple song off of iTunes or whatever service you use, and leave the rest alone.

Father and Son

2010-05-16T21:28:00.001-04:00

I was recently talking to a fellow blogging (and real life) friend about various books we've read, and one of the books I had out was The Road. If you've read some of my posts you'll know I'm a big fan of both the book and movie, and of course, the author. I was making a point about one particular line of narration, my favorite in the novel and my favorite from recent times. It describes how the Man and Boy sustain each other in their hellish world:

"Each was the others world entire."

What a powerful idea...the love between father and son is so strong that that's simply all there is to their existence. That's quite the love, if you think about it. Love so powerful between two people that it literally is the only thing keeping them alive. I wouldn't imagine there's too many people who would use something like that to describe how they feel about most anything or anyone.

I don't really have a profound statement to make on this subject, but I suppose my conclusion is that that's the kind of love that really should be manifesting itself in ones life and that one should be striving for. Again, I have no deep thesis on this, this is just something I was rolling around in my head. Give it some thought.

"Each was the others world entire."

Movie Review - Robin Hood

2010-05-15T09:52:00.001-04:00

I will be blunt with this. Robin Hood was not as good as I was hoping for it to be. This was a plain old not very good movie, which was really disappointing. Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe have done some fantastic movies together and on their own, but this is definitely not one of them.

Throughout this movie, there was just an overwhelming sense of...almost laziness. The characters of Robin Hood, Marion, Will Scarlet, Allan a Dale, Little John, the Sheriff of Nottingham are never really expanded on and developed; most of them with the exceptions of Robin and Marion remain mostly background characters. The scenes feel rushed, as if all that was really wanted was to do as many cool battle/action scenes as possible, and even those aren't all that impressive. While Rusell Crowe is a brilliant actor, the portrayal of Robin Hood here is actually boring in spots, as is Cate Blanchett as Marion of Locksley. This isn't entirely their fault though as the script is very, very weak. The dialogue is totally unremarkable and simply doesn't do anything. It is some words spoken by actors. That's it. Even the scenes where "epic" speeches are given fall flat; there's just no fire in the script. Like I said before, the script just feels rushed, like it's just filler in between "epic" fight and battle scenes that aren't that cool, which is really disappointing considering some of the movies Scott has made that incorporate those. The story is just plain simplistic, weak and not even well thought out. The movie as a whole suffers from flat out poor script writing.

There's not a whole lot more to say on this film...it wasn't a terrible film, but it certainly wasn't amazing or exceptional or even memorable. There's just nothing here really but negatives: next to no character development, flimsy dialogue and half-hearted battles scenes. Ridley Scott has done some terrific period epics, like Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven that really are terrific movies, but Robin Hood is nowhere near as good as those. I'm hard pressed to find any real big redeeming factors about this movie, but it's just so mediocre and halfhearted I can't really find any. I don't really recommend this movie, as there's really nothing to see here.

Essential Listening- Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory

2010-05-14T10:58:00.001-04:00

I have to admit, I'm something of a Dream Theater fanboy. With the exception of some of their earliest albums, there's nothing of theirs I don't like. I honestly believe that they're one of the most talented groups of musicians to ever form, and this album to me is the high point of their entire career and one of the high points of music as a whole.

There is a LOT going on in this album, so I'll start with some general specifics. This is a LONG album. Three of the 12 tracks are over 11 minutes long (Beyond This Life, Home and Finally Free), and each of these is basically the band playing as furiously as possible for as long as possible. These do take some getting used to just because of how long and drawn out they can be, but they're balanced by several shorter and more accessible songs. These include Fatal Tragedy and Strange Deja Vu, which while having incredible solos throughout are also catchy and more conventionally structured songs. There's also shorter interludes (Regression, Overture 1928, Through My Words, and One last Time ranging from a minute to four minutes, and these are actually very enjoyable.

While not really what I would call a "metal" album, it does have its heavier and more metallic moments, involving very fast double-bass drumming courtesy of Mike Portnoy and some good heavy (but still very catchy) guitar riffs delivered by John Petrucci. The tempo is generally mid-to-slow paced and airs more on the progressive rock side, as opposed to metal. The writing here is superb in every area, with elements of classical, jazz, blues, psychedelic rock (Home), ragtime (The Dance of Eternity) and gospel (Through Her Eyes and The Spirit Carries On) all being used and used brilliantly. Since this is Dream Theater, no real explanation is needed on the proficiency of the actual playing; every member here is a virtuoso, period. James LaBrie is brilliant here as well, hitting some absolutely terrific high notes and putting a tremendous amount of feeling and soul into his singing.

The two best parts about this album for me would be the instrumental The Dance of Eternity and the ballad The Spirit Carries On. The Dance of Eternity is nothing short of a mind-blowing display of technicality from the band, with something like 130 time changes in 6 minute song, a ragtime piano solo, an insane bass solo and more guitar and drum solos than you can count. Incredible piece. The Spirit Carries On is quite the opposite; it's a very relaxed ballad but I'm willing to say it's the single best Dream Theater song ever written. Flawless vocals and a guitar solo that would make Pink Floyd blush as well as a full gospel choir, this is the epitome of brilliant.

While Dream Theater have had a fantastic career with some truly brilliant albums, this is the pinnacle of it all. Technically brilliant but still having real soul and emotion in every song, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory is definitely essential listening for anyone who likes good music.

Music Review - Earth - Hex-Or Printing in the Infernal Method

2010-05-10T11:15:00.002-04:00

The Old West was a brutal place to live. In fact, I'd rank the Old West as the worst time and place you could have been alive, after ancient Egypt and the Dark Ages. Life was dangerous, harsh, monotonous and dreary, which is almost exactly how I'd describe this album by drone pioneers Earth. This is an interesting album, and of a style that isn't too often seen. Instead of the enormous fluctuating walls of bass and low end that usually define drone, this is made up of entirely clean instrumental playing that includes banjo, steel lap guitar and even some tribal drumming in a style that really brings the epic Western music of Ennio Morricone to mind.

This album is basically 45 minutes of really, really, really slow and really, really, really heavy country/western music, with hints of the bands drone history as well as some psychedelic moments thrown in. The guitars twang sounds like something out of a Johnny Cash era country album and definitely give the album a real authentic Western flavor. There's no real amazing solos or crazy riffing going on here; this is pure mood/atmospheric music. Some songs, such as An Inquest Concerning Teeth and Tethered to the Polestar convey feelings of hope and more uplifting themes, while tracks like the ominous Raiford (The Felon Wind) really bring to mind images of the Badlands in all their desolate and harsh glory and is the only time I've ever heard a banjo sound heavier than a metal guitar. Raiford (The Felon Wind) is the probably my favorite song off the album simply because it's one of the most crushing songs I've ever heard yet still manages to retain its country/western style. Being a drone album (and I use "drone" loosely here) this is very slow and repetitive music; it really has more in common with ambient than drone, I think. There's moments here and there where the music really isn't that interesting, and part of me thinks that this goes along with the dreariness of pioneer life, and the other part of me says they just ran out of ideas for the song at hand. But for the most part the music is engaging and genuinely atmospheric, calling up images of vast deserts and canyons, vultures circling and many other harsh realities of life in the Old West.

If you're looking for normal, happy and upbeat western music, this is not for you. However, if your looking for authentic, truly mood setting western styled drone/ambient, or just interesting country/western music in general, this album is for you. While not perfect, as it can drag on as ideas are simply repeated over and over, this is an all round interesting album by a fantastic band.

Movie Review - Watchmen

2010-05-07T22:48:00.012-04:00

Zack Snyder, director of 300 and Dawn of The Dead, decided to tackle one of the most complex and in depth pieces of modern fiction ever penned, the graphic novel Watchmen. Translating this 12 volume work to the big screen was obviously something of a challenge, as the extremely complex ideas, psychologies, mythologies and many plots and subplots were all crucial to the story itself. In bringing Watchmen to film, Zack Snyder made not only a terrific adaption of the novel but also one of my favorite films of all time.

This is not a normal superhero movie, and it is definitely not an action film. In fact, this is basically a long, slow, dialogue filled drama that happens to have a few action scenes in it. For those looking for cheap thrills and predictable heroes, look elsewhere . The "heroes", which I use loosely (since with the exception of one, none have any real powers) are from all different walks of life; one of the main ideas behind the novel was to create several radically different views of the world and let the reader decide which was best, and radical they are. From the brutal black and white moral absolutism of Rorshach (played by Jackie Earl Hayley) to the equally brutal and extreme amorality of The Comedian (played by Jeffery Dean Morgan) to the morally relative Nite Owl and Silk Spectre (played by Patrick Wilson and Malin Ackerman) to the uncaring god-like Dr. Manhattan, played by Billy Crudup), the differences in world views and vast and thought provoking. The philosophizing and ethical dialogue here is worthy of very close study and honestly have given me hours and hours of thought and even debate as to some of their meanings and implications, but since this is a film review and not a philosophy class I'll leave that for another post.

Watchmen is very, very stylized, and those who saw 300 will have a pretty good idea how this movie will look. While the stylization is frequent, it's all done very tastefully and never comes off as overdone, though it certainly is over the top. But there lies one of Zack Snyders strengths: making overdoing and overdone look really, really, cool. This is a dark, bleak, violent and sometimes disturbing movie though, make no mistake about it. The novel itself was all of those things, but the film takes it to another level. There's scenes of violence here that are genuinely hard to watch, simply because of the brutality of it all, and I have to say there's a few places where I disapproved of the way a scene was portrayed. Theres two in particular that I dislike, and both were dramatically altered from the novel in ways that leave me to think that Snyder was going more for shock value than artistic integrity. So as a warning to those faint of heart, this is a hard movie to watch.

However, despite the dark and in places film-noir feel of the movie, it does have it's lighter moments, and you'll know exactly when those are when the music cues. The soundtrack here is one of the best I've heard; while composed mostly of pop hits such as Bob Dylans The Times are a Changin, Simon and Garfunkels The Sounds of Silence and Jimi Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower every song fits absolutely perfectly with the scene at hand. Kudos to the man behind the music selection and editing for doing a brilliant job.

Watchmen, with it's cynical look at humanity and bleak outlook on life, is a very, very interesting film. While not the most true adaption to the book as it could have been, Snyder and Co. have done a fantastic job brining to the big screen one of the most well-written stories ever. Watchmen, in my mind, has also set the bar for superhero movies. Shying away from predictable plots and plot devices, Watchmen is a thought provoking, deep and interesting take on humanity, that also happens to be one of the most entertaining and satisfying movies I've seen in a long, long time.

Book Review - No Country for Old Men

2010-05-06T21:22:00.000-04:00

This is the second Cormac McCarthy book I've read, the first one being The Road. While written in the same sparse and minimalistic way, this is a very different tale than The Road, focusing on what happens to people thrown into out of control situations and forced to survive. The main difference between the two, in my mind is the dialogue. There is a lot more of it here, and it's less sparse than The Road was, much less so in fact. It's altogether more accessible, I think, simply because it's a more normal kind of story. The story itself is simple, but don't let that fool you, as it's through this simplicity that McCarthys strengths shine through the brightest.

The dialogue here is what really stands out to me. There's just so much of it; most of the novel is not carried by harrowing action scenes but by page after page of banter between killers, police and drug runners. Action is present though, and quite forcefully so. McCarthy is typically blunt in describing gruesome scenes of violence and murder here, but these are outnumbered by terse conversations leading up to and following the action scenes. I generally prefer dialogue to action, as long as it's well done, and I could honestly read the narration and dialogue between characters over and over and over again. Like I said before, the strength of this novel is in the dialogue.

No Country for Old Men is a few different things: it's a western, it's a mystery/detective story, it's a chase story and it's even a psychological thriller. Theres pages of thought provoking narration and revealing and even intimate dialogue and glimpses into the minds of the characters that McCarthy has created, and that's why I like this book so much. While it is a grim and gruesome read at times and not recommended for the faint of heart, No Country for Old Men is a sparse, hard edged and brilliant novel that I highly recommend.

Music Review - Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

2010-04-30T11:47:00.002-04:00

Dream Theater ranks as one of my all-time favorite bands. There's nothing about them I don't like; from the insanely long and complicated songs and solos, the virtuosity of every member of the band, the self-referencing that appears on ever album, everything. I love this band, and I say that about very few band in the metal world.

Black Clouds and Silver Linings is the tenth full length album from Dream Theater, and in my opinion ranks as one of the best albums they've put out. I'm not a huge fan of their earlier music, from When Day and Dream Unite(their first album) until Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, which I consider the bands high point and the high point of the entire progressive/rock/metal scene. I'd honestly put that album above Pink Floyds Dark Side of The Moon as the greatest album of the genre. While BCASL isn't quite on that level, I'd certainly rank it in the top 3 or 4 best albums Dream Theater have ever made.

After the previous album, Systematic Chaos, (which wasn't a bad album on its own, but for Dream Theater, it was pretty weak) I didn't have terribly high hopes for this album. Thankfully the band decided to basically do the opposite of Systematic Chaos, which is to say that they put a heck of a lot more effort into the songwriting than on SC. The writing here is the strongest its been in years; from the heavy and hard-hitting opening track to the gargantuan 20 minute Count of Tuscany to the arena rock ballad of Wither, the band is in absolute top form. This is Dream Theater firing on all cylinders, and the result is amazing. John Petrucci really gives a stellar performance (as always) on guitar, with some insane solos, heavy, complex riffs and some fantastic acoustic playing. Mike Portnoy is his usual brilliant self on drums, with a few really fast double-bass and even blast-beats thrown in, which is a first for Dream Theater if I'm not mistaken. Keyboards and bass, handled by Jordan Rudess and John Myung are both brilliant as well, though both are slightly more in the background than on previous albums, with less keyboard and bass shredding and placed in more supporting roles, though the keyboards do break out in a shred on occasion.

My favorite part of Dream Theater, however, is James Labrie, whom I consider to be one of the best male vocalists alive. I absolutely love his voice, and I think I'm in the minority for this, but I consider him to be a brilliant singer. While he's not hitting those ear-splitting high notes like on the first DT albums, he still puts on quite a show, with highs, lows, and everything in between belted out perfectly. While I happen to think his best vocal performance was on the Score 20th Anniversary tour for Dream Theater, this is definitely one of his finer moments.

Black Clouds and Silver Linings is Dream Theaters best album in years, and is hopefully a good indication of where the band is going musically in the years to come. Highlights from the album would be The Best of Times, a tribute to Mike Portnoys deceased father and one of the best Dream Theater songs ever written; Wither, a terrific power ballad; and A Nightmare to Remember, which is one of the bands heaviest songs in years. For anyone who likes virtuoso playing, brilliant song-writing and all around flawlessly executed music, this album is for you.

Book Review - The Road

2010-04-27T16:27:00.002-04:00

Sparse. Bleak. Dark. Cold. Challenging. Post-apocalyptic.

All these are words that perfectly describe The Road, the latest novel by Cormac McCarthy. This was my first McCarthy book, and it was quite a different kind of reading experience for me. This is minimalist fiction, I suppose; the only dialogue, narration and even punctuation present is the bare minimum needed to get the ideas across. This minimalism helps convey a sense of traumatized silence in the wake of a horrible, unnamed catastrophe that's left the world a shattered and broken place. It's a very emotional style of writing that is perfectly suited to the subject of The Road: a Man and his Boy, simply trying to survive in a world gone to hell.

This is a very personal feeling book; there are incredibly intimate scenes between father and son that really resonated with me, just because of the plain and bluntly emotional style its conveyed with. Most of the dialogue between the Man and Boy consists of one word questions and answers, but its the simplicity that really carries the emotion and feeling behind these simple conversations.

This is the real strength of the book, in my opinion: the naked emotional connection between father and son. Theres no pretense or selfishness; to quote the novel, "Each is the other's world entire." That sums up the connection between the two, and its conveyed beautifully through simplicity. The theme of "carrying the fire" used in the very end of No Country for Old Men is also picked up here and made into a symbol of the goodness that the main characters carry within them. It's this Fire that is a continual reassurance to the Man and Boy that they aren't losing their love and compassion for each other (and to a lesser extent the rest of humanity) in spite of the horror they endure every day simply trying to survive.

This is a thoroughly challenging book to read, however, and there are some very disturbing and graphic scenes that depict the state of the world its bleak, post-apocalyptic and savage state. Eerie scenes of confrontations of vicious and even cannibalistic travelers are the norm in The Road. McCarthy pulls no punches in describing some pretty horrific scenes, and again it's the sheer simplicity of the descriptions that really makes it so horrific.

In spite of all the dark and dreary and even disturbing imagery, The Road is at heart a simple story of two people trying to survive and how their love for each other is what keeps them alive and going day after day. Simple but heartfelt emotion between father and son is beautifully portrayed here, and makes The Road one of my favorite books from recent times.

Top Ten # 1 - Reservoir Dogs

2010-04-27T11:08:00.003-04:00

Quentin Tarantino is probably my favorite filmmaker alive. While he's not terribly original in terms of story or concept (since every movie he's ever made has been a tribute, homage or remake/interpretation of another work) his style of making films is completely and absolutely unoriginal. In my opinion, Tarantino flat out writes some of, if not the, best dialogue in film. No other director can hold my attention with film after film 2 hours or more in length and comprised of 70-90% dialogue like he can. Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 2, Jackie Brown and Inglorious Basterds were all examples of that; movies almost completely driven by amazing dialogue. I'd say that's Tarantinos strongest talent.

Reservoir Dogs, the independent debut of film of Quentin Tarantino is the high point of all the above listed qualities. This is, in my opinion, the best American movie ever made. This film is savage, ferocious, fiery and has an intensity level that very, very few movies I've ever seen can rival. This really is the product of a master filmmaker and has a stellar cast, with Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Chris Penn and Lawrence Tierny all giving brilliant performances.

This movie has one of Tarantinos more unique concepts: this is a heist movie shown without the heist ever shown. All that's shown is how the men involved deal with an already bad situation that steadily goes from worse to even worse. It's an interesting idea that takes away from the countdown style of most heist movies and turns it into live ticking clock style that adds a real intensity to the film.

Intensity here is the key word, and this film is bathed in it. The situations are intense, the men are intense, the dialogue is intense. The violence is especially intense, even for a Tarantino film, and I'd argue that this is the most violent film his ever made. **Spoiler warning**: this movie contains some very intense scenes of violence towards a police officer that is barely averted from becoming even worse.**

What I really believe makes this the best American film ever made is the combination of three things: the intensity, the realism and dialogue. Simply put, this movie feels real. There's no stylization or fancy effects or digital anything here, and combined with Tarantinos masterful dialogue, this feels like your really a part of the heist and not just watching. Secondly, as I already spent a good deal of words explaining, the dialogue. The banter between thieves and killers, ranging from Madonna to Pam Grier and a particularly brilliant monologue by Steve Buscemi on why he doesn't tip are the best I've ever heard. Combine those two with the through-the-roof intensity and it makes one explosive package.

Reservoir Dogs is the peak of American film-making, and remains Tarantinos best movie and my favorite by him. Raw, savage and brilliantly filmed, Reservoir Dogs stands as my Number One Movie of all time.

Music Review - Flogging Molly - Float

2010-04-22T11:41:00.002-04:00

This is actually an album that took me quite a while to get into. The previous album, Within A Mile of Home, was a bagpipe laden punk album, with heavy guitars and a breakneck pace. In an almost complete turnaround, Float is nearly devoid of any punk, heaviness or anything resembling either of those two. I was expecting another album full of crazy drunk Irishman music, and I was pretty surprised at what this album really is.

Float is basically a folk/rock album, though I use rock here very loosely, as theres no heavy guitars or or dominating percussion here. Hints of Flogging Molly's previous punk attitude creep through every once in a while, but the majority of the music here is laid back, relaxed and mellow Irish folk tunes, with a slight leaning towards rock, mostly found in the faster songs. The writing here is much more traditional Irish, with most of the songs made up of multiple instruments (violin, fiddle, pipes) playing the same melody. Every instrument here is handled brilliantly and supports the other perfectly. The tightness of the band is just fantastic throughout the whole album. Songs range from softer acoustic pieces like Us of Lesser Gods to faster songs like You Won't Make a Fool Out of Me, which has a brilliant transition about midway through the song from guitar to flute being used as the lead instrument. There's really not a weak song here; every one is catchy but not cheesy, well-written and engaging.

My favorite thing about this album is just how relaxed it is; even the fast songs have a very chill feel to them but at the same time it's clear just how passionate the band is about their music. Theres also a real personal feel to it, and while a lot of the lyrics don't have immediately obvious meanings, one can tell that most of them deal with personal themes of the band members. This is a perfect album to play when driving at night or just sitting and reading and relaxing in general. There's just a good laid back feeling present on every song.

The highlight of the album, if I had to pick just one, is the last song, The Story So Far. This is probably Flogging Molly's best song; a poignant, soft, slow ballad with a very nostalgic feel. The outro is just fantastic and definitely the bands finest moment.

In conclusion, while maybe not as immediately accessible as their earlier music, Float has slowly become one of my all time favorite albums. Chock full of catchy melodies, great vocals and lyrics and a relaxed but slightly nostalgic feel, FLoat gets a hearty recommendation from me to anyone who likes good, laid back Irish music.

Music Review - Ahab - The Call of the Wretched Sea

2010-04-21T22:44:00.004-04:00

I love the story Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. It's terrific, dark and entertaining story about one of the most hard lines of work ever, whaling. All the characters are memorable and the monologues of the insane Captain Ahab are some of the best ever written. So a band that makes an album based on this story allready have a pretty good chance of winning me over.

Ahab play a style of music known as Funeral Doom metal. Basically, this is a super slow and super heavy version of death metal, with the deep, guttural vocals, hugely down-tuned guitars playing crushing chords and leads and slow, heavy, and massively echoing drumming. There is honestly nothing special, musically speaking, about Ahab at all; they are the perfect example of generic funeral doom. However, they are also the perfect example of being so good at what they do that nothing groundbreaking or genre-defying is necessary. The music here perfectly conveys the feeling of Moby Dick; dark but not really evil, heavy but not really extreme and very entertaining.

To those not well-versed in the metal world, this record will probably sound extraordinarily extreme, but really, its not that extreme at all. I'd actually almost call this a chilled-out metal album, as its repetitive and long (the songs here range from almost ten minutes to over twelve minutes long, with a short instrumental) structure, combined with the elegant and almost dreamy guitar riffs and leads really make for a relaxing listen, at least to me. There are times when the metal rages furiuously, or at least as furiously as funeral doom can be raging. The opening track is a good example of the whole album: a very slow, soft opening, a heavy and intense middle section with guttural growling vocals, slow, dirge-like drumming dominating with some mid-paced drumming to be found and very long and simple but effective soloing and leads. Variations on all these are found throughout the album, with deep chanting vocals, keyboards and even ambient all making appearances, some mere cameos and some for longer spans. All of it is very well put together and not a note is out of place; the writing here is simple but top notch and avoids the pitfalls of a lot of funeral doom metal, namely pure boring repetition. The drumming here is a big point here; it's slow, heavy but also very dynamic and engaging, which definitely keeps the music moving and prevents stagnation.

While nothing groundbreaking at all, Ahab have pretty much made the definition of solid but not amazing album. From the mellow opening of Old Thunder to the eerie ambience of Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales to the extremely slow and plodding The Pacific, this is a highly satisfying album that perfectly captures the feel of Melvilles masterpiece novel. Pick up this album for a perfect introduction to funeral doom or just a solid funeral doom album in general, and you won't be disappointed.

Top Ten # 2 - The Proposition

2010-04-19T19:45:00.001-04:00

**I reviewed this movie some time ago when I was first starting my blog, but since it was before I had begun the Top Ten countdown, I'm going to review it again**

The Proposition stands as one of the most brilliant films I've ever had the pleasure of watching. This is a powerful, brutal, savage and bleak western that really has cemented itself in my mind simply one of the finest things to ever come out of the film industry.

The Proposition is without a doubt a harsh film, and I honestly can't recommend it to any but the most hardened movie viewers. The level of violence in this movie is staggering, ranging from classic western style shootouts to brutal and sometimes sadistic executions. It's an unforgiving look at life in the Australian outback that pulls no punches to emphasize just how harsh it really was, and believe me the point is well made. But while it is indeed a very violent and dark film, it also has a very tender and meaningful side, as the violence is simply a product of the story, rather than the other way around. There are scenes of intimacy and love that are touching and, as cliche as it may sound, heartwarming. If one can get past the brutal nature of the movie, a very thoughtful and poignant look at the softer side of the people living in the Outback is seen.

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis did the music for this movie, and as usual did a brilliant job. The music lends an eerie, unsettling and occasionally happy feel to the movie and perfectly emphasizes the moods and emotions of the characters in the film.

The dialogue, story, and cinematography are all outstanding. Each completely compliments the other, and there is no filler dialogue or shots here. Every single line and shot is meant to be exactly where it is and nowhere else.

Since I already wrote one review on this film, I'm not going to drag this one out any further. The Proposition, quite simply, is one of my all time favorite film and certainly one of the finest ever produced. While it is extremely violent and in places very hard to watch, The Proposition is a brilliant film which I recommend at least one full viewing, though be warned, that the violence can be excruciating to watch. Nick Cave (who wrote the screenplay) and John Hillcoat (director) have truly made one of the finest films of the decade with The Proposition.

Harmony

2010-04-18T00:04:00.002-04:00

The 2004 film The Alamo was a flop. It did terrible at the box office and didn't come anywhere close to making its budget back. It's too bad , really, because it' a really cool and really intense movie about the Battle of the Alamo that deserved a lot more recognition than it got.

Billy Bob Thorton plays Davy Crockett, a man who's as equally adept at killing Mexicans as he is at playing fiery tunes on his fiddle, and towards the end of the movie he says and does something really profound.

As the Mexican army plays its nightly reveille, the American men remark how much they hate the music they're hearing. Davy Crockett promptly takes his fiddle and plays a perfect harmony with the music of the Mexican army, and after the song is done a dead quiet falls over both camps. He then turns to his men and remarks:

"It's amazing what a little harmony can do."

Not a single shot is fired, insult hurled or sword raised for the entire rest of the night.

Top Ten # 3 - There Will Be Blood

2010-04-14T20:56:00.004-04:00

I went and saw this movie by myself, expecting nothing more than a run-of-the-mill western. I left the theater completely speechless. This is hands down one of the greatest films ever made.

When I reviewed The King of Comedy, I talked about earth-shatteringly good performances. This film contains the second of only a bare handful of acting performances I'd ever dare to call earth-shatteringly good. While the entire film is absolutely brilliant, the acting here stands at the pinnacle of acting in modern times.

Loosely adapted from Upton Sinclairs book "Oil!", this film is a stark look into the dark, twisted, gritty and disturbing side of the American Dream. This is a journey back into the brutal Christianity of the old American west, with psychotic preachers bellowing hell and damnation every step of the way and crazed oil men who will do anything for profit. This is a movie about what happens when, to quote one of the many theatrical posters for the film, "When Ambition Meets Faith."

Daniel Day-Lewis is in top form here, as always. His insane method acting pays off here as he delivers one of the most fiery, bloodthirsty and maniacal performances in recent memory (and dare I say, of all time). Honestly, this tops Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction for sheer savagery. There are scenes of acting here that are almost terrifying to watch as Day-Lewis completely becomes Daniel Plainview (and they actually scared the production crew when Day-Lewis was being filmed) . I truly can't say enough how absolutely amazing the acting is here. All the characters here are played perfectly though, especially Plainviews adversary for the majority of the film, the quietly deranged Reverend Eli Sunday, played by Paul Dano. If Day-Lewis is the high point of insane, fiery acting, the Dano is the opposite, playing one of the most unsettling roles I've ever seen in a film. Theres an underlying presence of insanity that every once in a while makes an appearance, and its some of the eeriest and plain old weirdest acting I've come across.

Brilliant acting is just one strength here as every aspect of the movie is completely perfect. The music is unsettling, tension-building and eerie and probably the most eclectic music choice I've heard in a movie. The cinematography harmonizes with the music in tension building and really adds to the weird and off-kilter feeling the encompasses this film. 10/10 for every facet of the actual film-making.

The highlight of this movie though, is the ending. A nearly half-hour long sequence builds to the point of pure insanity captured on film; this ranks as my absolute, all time favorite ending of any movie I've ever seen. Without giving away any details, I can firmly say that the climax of this film is the height of film as a whole; this ending left me speechless. This is the most perfect sequence I've ever seen in a movie.

To conclude this particularly long-winded movie review, please, do yourself a favor and see this movie. This is one of the best movies I've ever seen, and I'd really say it's one of the best movies of all time. Powerful, incredible acting, brilliant cinematography and a terrific script make There Will Be Blood my Number 3 Top Ten Movie of all time.

Top Ten # 4 - No Country for Old Men

2010-04-12T20:35:00.004-04:00

If I had to pick one single word to describe this movie, it would be hard. This is a hard movie, set in hard country with hard characters. If I had to pick another word to describe it, it would be different. This is a very different movie, with nearly no score, very little dialogue and very little action. Combine these two and it becomes one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Adapted from Cormac McCarthys novel of the same name by Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men is a very simple and stark look at the lives of 3 interconnected (but never interacting) men in hard Texas country. Simple is key here; as stated above there is nearly no music and very little dialogue, but surprisingly the film doesn't fall flat on its feet because of this. Rather, it lends strength to an already impressive story about the perils of the drug dealing business.

The big talent here are Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, and each of them bring some very impressive performances to the table; Jones with his rough old-time police personality, Brolin with his Texas-bred laid-back (but not lazy) mannerisms and Bardem with his absolutely chilling portrayal of a psychotic and slightly philosophical hit man that would give Hannibal Lector the willies. All three do superb jobs here and completely flesh out the characters from McCarthys novel.

Cinematography plays a key role here; clever and interesting shots and angles are used to set the mood where music normally would fill in. Action sequences are minimal but very effective when they do appear. The dialog,while also minimal, is superb and one of my favorite aspects of the film. Tommy Lee Jones narration is something I could listen to all day, but really all dialogue here is fantastic (as is to be expected, since most of the script came directly from the book with little or no changes).

While this is a minimalistic movie in the normal sense of dialogue, music and cinematography, it brilliantly sets the mood of this very bleak picture. For reasons that seem hard to describe, this film works perfectly in every way. The Coen brothers really outdid themselves with this one, and its slowly become one of my all time favorite movies. While it is an extremely violent and bleak movie, it also retains a sense of almost relaxation; the lack of music and fast moving action shots really allow the movie to flow at a very even and relaxed pace which I love. It makes the movie easy to watch, in spite of the fact that its so non-conventional. Watch this movie and really give it your full attention; if you do your in for one interesting ride.

Cigar Review - CAO Brazilio Gol

2010-04-08T12:32:00.004-04:00

Continuing my current CAO run, I decided to give the Brazilia Gol a try; having only had it one other time a long while ago it was more or less like trying it for the first time, and as with all CAO cigars I was most impressed.

This is a much darker and stronger cigar than its Italian brother and leans more towards cocoa/coffee flavors rather than the spicy and bitter Italian. Coffee and cocoa were the dominant flavors during the first third of the smoke, and towards the second third the earthiness almost completely took over, which is something I love about CAO cigars. Towards the end of the cigar the strong coffee taste returned, though the cocoa was nearly gone and there was a bitter taste to it.

The burn alternated between even and uneven, but there were no unsightly fingers or other signs of a badly burning cigar. The ash was solid and dark grey and fell in solid clumps all three times I ashed the cigar and the burn even with each ash. The draw was perfect, neither too tight or loose and every puff was accompanied by a large cloud of smoke.

Overall, this dark and strong cigar is definitely recommended by me; it would go great with some good strong coffee after a full meal and gets a hearty recommendation from me.

CAO Brazilia Gol

rated 7.5/10

Brazilian wrapper with Nicaraguan filler

Lighting method used: 3 match

Cigar Review - CAO Italia Ciao

2010-04-06T18:27:00.006-04:00

This is one of my favorite cigars, hands down. There's 2 or 3 cigars that are sort of my go-to cigars; whenever i don't know what to buy i just go with one of those. The CAO Italia Ciao is one of these. It's a consistently good smoke, which is a quality all CAO cigars have and why CAO is my favorite brand.

This cigar has all the features that I love in cigars: a perfect draw, neither too tight or too loose, a fantastic burn with nearly white ash and some great flavors. This is medium-bodied cigar, leaning towards stronger more than milder. The flavors that jumped out at me were spicey, peppery, with that earthy taste I love in CAO cigars. Towards the last third of the cigar or so it became slightly more bitter, like strong bitter coffee.

The burn was terrific, and even almost the whole way around except near the middle part of the smoke where it unevened, but after a few more minutes it evened itself out and stayed that way until I finished smoking it.

This is a great cigar, and I recommend it to anyone seeking a good medium-bodied, great burning and great tasting smoke.

CAO Italia Ciao
rated 8/10
medium-to-full body with strong tendencies
Italy, Nicaragua, and Peru filler with Honduran wrapper
Lighting method used: punch with a tri-jet lighter

Top Ten Movie Countdown #5 - Goodfellas

2010-04-06T17:44:00.005-04:00

Martin Scorceses Goodfellas, to me, stands as one of the pinnacles of American film making. This is without a doubt one of the best motion pictures ever made; there is literally no weak spot here. A stellar cast including Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci and Robert de Niro, a brilliant soundtrack, absolutely superb story and dialogue combine for what I believe to be the peak of Scorceses movie making career.

It's hard for me to actually describe why I love this movie so much. The easiest way is to say that everything simply works, and works beautifully. The cinematography is superb, with lots of trademark Scorcese shots and sudden stops to allow for narration. The music, comprised mostly of Sinatra or Sinatra-eque crooning compliments the movie perfectly and adds a real happy go lucky, fun feel to what could have been a very bleak film. The picture moves along at a good clip and never gets bogged down, which is quite a feat for such a long and dialogue-centered movie.

The actors here are all in top form and clearly having a good time playing blue-collar mafia men, and the chemistry is almost tangible; it really feels like everyone in the film has spent their whole lives being gangsters together. Not a whole lot more to be said on the acting, its nothing more than perfect and some of the best out there.

Being a crime movie (and more specifically a Scorcese crime movie), there is a enormous amount of bloody and brutal violence (shootings are the norm, as are beatings and stabbings) and an even more enormous amount of harsh language, but honestly, somehow, the atmosphere is kept light throughout it all, mostly due to the music accompanying each sequence. Hearing Sinatra belting his top hits while hitmen go about their business turns out to be quite a combination.

This is Martin Scorcese at what I believe to be his best, and in my opinion certainly hasn't made anything since Goodfellas that's quite on the same level. Rarely do all the above factors combine to produce something so profoundly good as Goodfellas, and when they do, as I've spent most of this review expounding on, its pretty darn awesome. While not for the faint of heart at all, I highly recommend Goodfellas as one of the top American films ever made.

Carrying the Fire

2010-04-02T22:48:00.004-04:00

In Cormac McCarthys book The Road (and to a much lesser extent in No Country for Old men) the characters frequently reassure themselves that they are "carrying the fire." What does that mean? In the context of The Road, it means carrying all the good traits of humanity, like love, courage, hope, when the rest of the world has almost literally gone to hell. It is this "fire" that keeps them alive and is something that the characters have to constantly say to each other. This is obviously something everyone should try to do. However, to a person of Christian faith, it means something different. Well, perhaps not so much different in what it means, but in exactly what the fire is is what's different.

The fire a believer is supposed to be carrying is not the qualities of a person (though it certainly isn't bad to carry these qualities). It is the qualities of the the Author of our faith. That is the fire that a believer is supposed to carry. The same qualities in name (love, courage, hope, etc) but instead of simply carrying your own of these qualities, carry those of the Author and Finisher of Our Faith.

Music Review - Ihsahn -After

2010-04-01T13:12:00.008-04:00

Ihsahn, the main man behind the renowned and almost revered black metal band Emperor, is back with his 3rd full length album, After. His previous work aNgl was very Opeth-like, with lots and lots of acoustic interludes, soothing fretless bass work and very well sung clean vocals. After is almost nothing like aNgl, as this album forgoes most of the softer acoustic moments (though they are still here, the first 3 minutes of Undercurrent is almost entirely acoustic) in favor of an extreme jazz metal kind of atmosphere, with several uses of saxophone and frequent jazzy and almost bluesy guitar work.

The first thing I noticed was how much better the album sounded production-wise; it has a much heavier and beefier sound to it that aNgl was sorely lacking, particularly in the drumming department. The guitar is good and heavy and has a thick lead tone that sounds fantastic during rhythm and solos alike. Something I didn't like was how the bass was pushed a little more into the background on After; it makes some appearances but its frequency has been toned down and regulated to mostly providing a low end to the music. The saxophone sounds rough and raw and fits the overall sound of the album perfectly, but it itself tends to sound out of place on some of the faster tracks. On slower songs like On the Shores, the raging sax solos fit in perfectly with the doomy jazz-esque metal, providing a real film-noir atmosphere; but on other songs like A Grave Inversed it simply whines through a stream of fast notes that don't really sound that good.

Ihsahns vocals have only gotten better; full, thick screeches and calming clean vocals intertwine their way throughout the album, complimenting and contrasting each other throughout.

Overall this is a good effort from Ihsahn; not the best I've ever heard but a solid album nonetheless. The mixing of experimental saxophone, jazzy guitars and extreme metal guitars and drums make for an interesting listen, and I highly recommend this to fans of dark jazz, avant-garde and heavy metal.

Music Review - Dark Tranquility - Fiction

2010-03-31T20:08:00.005-04:00

This is the first Dark Tranquility album I ever bought, and it's also one of the best metal albums I've ever bought. This is the definition of a fantastic album and it's definitely one of my favorites.

This entire album has a real forlorn feel to it; there's almost a sense of film-noir jazz about it, particularly in the opening seconds of Inside the Particle Storm. There's just a laid back feel to it that's hard to describe, as the music itself isn't laid back. It's just a sort of...cool, almost relaxed atmosphere throughout this whole album.

The music itself is chock full of sharp riffs, fantastic drumming (this album has some of my favorite drumming on it) terrific guitar leads and solos and some killer vocals courtesy of Mikael Stanne, delivered in his trademark higher-pitched rasp as opposed to a typical death metal growl. The lyrics are fantastic, with a very cold, futuristic vibe to them, and are one of my favorite things about the album. The production is crystal clear and sharp and fits this album perfectly; kudos to the sound engineer who mixed this record.

The futuristic vibe of the lyrics is enhanced by occasional techno-ish keyboards and industrial-esque breakdowns, though both are used with such infrequency that impact rather than annoyance is what is felt. If there's one musical high point of the album though, it would be Icipher, which stands as one of the best metal songs I've ever heard. The breakdown that occurs mid-song is chilling and in my mind is not only a high point for this album but for the genre as a whole. Every song has its strengths though, from the pounding of Focus Shift to the dark noir-jazz feel of Into the Particle Storm to Blind at Heart with its hard industrial breakdowns. The songwriting here is absolutely top notch.

Fiction is, as I said above, one of my favorite metal albums. It's fast, heavy, well thought and and well written metal with a real forlorn feel to it, and I heartily recommend this to anyone who likes good heavy, aggressive but also laid back (if that makes any sense at all) Gothenburg Death Metal.

Cigar Review - CAO La Traviata

2010-03-31T18:49:00.007-04:00

I have to admit, I'm a little biased towards CAO, as they're my all time favorite cigar brand. I've yet to be disappointed by any cigar bearing the CAO label, and when I saw this new and un-smoked (by me anyways) cigar, I had to try it out.

I was not disappointed. This is a medium-to-full bodied cigar, a little on the stronger side though (but not Maduro) with a slow and very even burn (except for the first few minutes, but that was a lighting error on my part). It has that good earthy with slightly salty and bitter taste all CAO cigars have and keeps the same flavors throughout its roughly 50 minute burn. The draw was a bit tight though and it was a little tough to get properly lit, but it kept a good even burn once completely lit with a medium amount of smoke throughout.

My only real complaint I have is that the cigar I purchased began unraveling about halfway through, and by the time I was 3/4 done with it the entire end was unraveled.

CAO has consistently produced one excellent cigar after another, and this is no exception. While not the greatest cigar I've ever smoked, this is a slow burning, flavorful, medium-to-strong bodied cigar that I'll definitely be purchasing more of in the future.

CAO La Traviata
rated 7.5/10
medium-to strong bodied
Nicaraguan and Dominican Republican filler with Cameroon binder

Lighting Methods: Punch, with a tri-jet lighter.

Music Review - Summoning - Oath Bound

2010-03-28T20:44:00.009-04:00

Summoning, next to Blind Guardian, are probably the most faithful Tolkien themed metal band out there. These guys really know their stuff and include in their lyrics excerpts from some of his most obscure poems. But what I really love about this band is their absolutely brilliant ability to perfectly capture the mood of the subject matter of the lyrics, in this case having to do with Hurin and the curse on his family (taken from the Silmarillion).

Summoning are like few other metal bands; their music, to be blunt, is very slow and very repetitive. However, the melodies that they repeat are so well thought out and so well written that it produces a vast, deep feel to the music that's unlike any other I've heard. In combination with the plodding and heavy drums devoid of any blastbeats or double bass or even typical metal beats, murky production and non-linear songwriting, Summoning produce music that is completely worthy of the Silmarillion.

There are some truly epic (and not cheesy epic) tracks here, with one of my favorites being Beleriand. The entire song and particularly the chorus ischilling; I'd go so far as to say that this song more or less defines what "epic" should mean. Every song here is long, slow and winding and takes its time building up and up and up, sometimes ending with a climax and sometimes ending with utter silence. The vocals fit perfectly with the music, while not in and of themselves overly amazing screeches and rasps.

If there's one high point here, its the final song, Land of the Dead. This song may just be the greatest metal song ever written; without giving anything away I can say that it is by far Summonings greatest song and an absolute achievement in every way. Absolutely spellbinding in its composition of simplicity and simply one of the most brilliant songs I've ever heard.

This is one of my all time favorite metal (if one call really call it "metal" as there is experimentation with ambient, martial ambient, and several other genres here) and in my opinion a landmark for metal as a whole. This isn't crushingly heavy, mindbogglingly technical or even all that extreme. This is the spirit of Tolkien's Middle-earth captured in musical form.

Tolkien Study#7 - The Silmarillion pt. 2

2010-03-28T20:02:00.003-04:00

Going a little farther into the history of Arda we find an interesting event: the coming of Men into the West. This differs from the Elves and Dwarves who were created on the scene; Men more or less just wander into the story from the far East, running from some darkness that they simply won't speak of (and never do, there is very little history on this subject). The most commonly held theory is that they were running from Morgoth, and the strongest evidence for this is in Hurins debate with Morgoth. Morgoth attempted to enslave them from the very beginning and did indeed succeed with some of them, but nothing other than this is ever found out; it seems to be the most closely guarded secret in Middle-earth (other than Tom Bombadil, but that's another post). All that is known is that they came from the East fleeing a great darkness.

The East is something of an enigma in Middle-earth. There are very few references to it, though it would be reasonable to say that it's mostly a desert wilderness home to a very warlike and very numerous people. It's also interesting to note that two of five Chief Wizards went into the East and were never heard of or seen again. The East of Middle-earth is probably one of the most mysterious places in Arda; more is known even of Harad than the East. East is the direction of nearly all evil, with Sauron dominating the peoples of Harad and Rhun (the only named part of the East) and recruiting many of them to his will.

What is it about the East that is so mysterious and dark? It's something of a representation of Sin unchecked (at least in my mind) and allowed to run rampant in ones life and also of a life lived without any clear purpose, meaning or higher calling. A wasteland, completely uninhabited by any kind of people except for warring barbarians and dark spirits borne on the wind. That is what one becomes when Sin is allowed to run in ones life, and I think that is why the East of Middle-earth is so dark and enigmatic. It's simply a vast, wild land where there is no central law and evil is allowed to fester at will.

Top Ten #6 - Master and Commander-The Far Side of the World

2010-03-26T10:21:00.006-04:00

This is a movie I initially didn't really think too highly of and didn't even really care about until I first watched it; I thought it was going to be a boring, second-rate pirate movie. I've always thought that it had bad luck in being released within a few months of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie; even though it was several months apart I still think that was one of the main reasons it didn't do as good as it should have done at the box office. It's really too bad this film didn't receive more attention, because Master and Commander is by far one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany play the two main characters, Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Mautrin, and the two interact with absolutely perfect chemistry; it really does feel like the two men have been on many long voyages together. The banter and dialogue between the characters is exquisite, and really it's a a joy two watch two such good friends interact so well.

This is in my mind, a nearly perfect movie. The cinematography is absolutely outstanding and some of the best I've ever seen in a movie; from sweeping shots of the Galapagos Islands (accompanied by Yo-Yo-Ma's masterful cello playing) to intense and violent shots of battle to more intimate close up shots of the officers of the ship fellowshipping, absolutely 10/10 for the cinematography. The music, comprised of mostly classical pieces, ranks as one of the best scores for a movie I've ever hear, period. All the acting is nothing less than fantastic, with everyone from cabin boys to the captain being portrayed as well as could possibly be.

There are some hard to watch moments here though, as life on board a ship of war is not all pleasantries. In one heart-wrenching scene the crew is forced to cut loose a man cut overboard so as to save the ship, and it definitely comes in as one of the saddest and hardest to watch scenes I've ever seen. The battle scenes are intense, violent and bloody and is again a very faithful depiction of the brutal style of combat needed for boarding a ship.

Master and Commander is a brilliant depiction of life on a ship of war during the Napoleonic era. The courage and strength of Capt. Jack Aubrey in his leadership is portrayed brilliantly by Crowe in one of his best performances. While at times a brutal and harsh movie, it also is one of the well-shot, poignant, and honest look at the strength and bravery needed to survive the life at sea, and also the strengths of the friendships and loyalty that are also forged on the wooden world of Master and Commander.

Tolkien Study #6 - The Silmarillion

2010-03-23T19:20:00.006-04:00

I'm going to begin delving into the First age of Arda (the physical world) with an examination of Feanor, who is arguably the most important character in the entire legendarium of Arda. He is the greatest craftsman that ever existed or ever will exist, and was the one who created the Silmarili, the jewels that housed the light of the Two Trees of Valinor in their unbreakable crystal spheres. His name literally means spirit of fire; upon his death his spirit is seen to be so fiery that it consumed his physical body and left nothing but ashes. It is said that no one ever changed his mind by force, and few even by talking ever dissuaded him from anything. His skill at creating with his hands was unrivaled even by the Gods, and it was Aule (who himself was unable to rival Feanor in works of craft) the patron Vala of all craftsmen from whom Feanor got all his skill.

However, he was probably one of the worst people to ever inhabit Arda. His love for his works was an obsession that reached violent and murderous levels (a partly understandable trait when the works he created are seen as the "works of his heart" which he could not ever make again). Such was his obsession with his creation that he was willing to forsake Valinor and journey to Middle-earth to make war on Morgoth until his death or the return of the Jewels and in the process begin a curse of strife and death that destroyed his entire family and most of his race. He had no love for his wife or brothers, and the only affection he had was given to his father, whose murder by Morgoth prompted his rallying of the Noldor in revenge. To be blunt, he was a selfish, self-centered, haughty, murdering,war/fear-mongering and vain Elf, who was responsible for sundering of the Elves from Valinor into Middle-earth, the death of the majority of his people and nearly all of the events recorded in the Silmarillion.

Ultimately I'd say the story of Feanor (of which this is a brief summary) illustrates the danger of the Sin of Pride, and what can happen if pride is allowed unchecked in ones life and that if there is no love for others in your heart, the most impressive, beautiful and monumental thing you ever achieve is nothing.

Tolkien Study #5 - The Power of Love

2010-03-22T20:54:00.004-04:00

Before I begin focusing and dissecting on the Silmarillion and events of the First age like I said I was going to do, I'm going to conclude with one final look at the Lord of the Rings story(though I may divide it into one or two separate posts). There is much to be found here, and though it was not the work of Tolkiens heart it is the most accessible of his writings (in my opinion).

The overall moral backing of the story is rooted firmly in love, camaraderie and mercy/pity. It is the great love between the Fellowship of the Ring that allows it to serve its part as the ultimate destruction of Sauron. Without the deep and binding love that each member of the Fellowship had for the other, despite their vast differences in size, strength and personalities, the Fellowship would have been nothing and the Ring would have gone back to Sauron. One could really say that it was love that was the ultimate destroyer of Sauron. This is probably most evident in the passage where Sam Gamgee literally picks up Frodo bodily and carries him Mount Doom.

Love is a powerful catalyst in the Middle-earth legendarium; indeed, it could be argued that love is THE catalyst in the legendarium, though perhaps some of it is misplaced. Feanors misplaced (or obsession) love for his jewels sets in motion not only a war spanning an entire age, but the reshaping of the entire planet Earth, as well as all the events recorded in the LOTR. However, it is the love of Tuor and Idril, a Man and an Elf, that allows for the salvation and redemption of both races at the end of the First Age. It is Faramirs arguably misplaced (yet still fiercely loyal) love to his father Denethor that almost kills him, yet it is the same quality of love that make his men respect him all the more as a captain of arms. It is the love beyond all hope of Beren and Luthien that results in one of the greatest and heroic feats in the entire history of the world of Arda (which I'll go into more detail later). For all the battles, conflicts and wars fought, it was love that was the primary mover of men and Elves.

Tolkien Study #4 - On Hobbits

2010-03-21T13:29:00.007-04:00

An interesting note in Tolkiens writings (particularly the Lord of the Rings) is his use of the smallest imaginable people to accomplish the biggest and most important tasks. While Hobbits are small, mild-mannered, quiet, and even somewhat self-centered creatures, it is through them that the destruction of Sauron is achieved. As said in the LOTR many times, the hope of victory was never based on the strength of arms or the valour of warriors, but rather on the loyalty to the cause of Good and the great love for each other of Frodo and Sam, the Ringbearers.

There is another parallel between this topic and Biblical Christianity, and that is Gods use of the small and insignificant to confound the plans of the wise and powerful. It's a simple concept, really: The plans of the most powerful establishments here on Earth can be brought down and disrupted by the smallest and most insignificant person, and it is most often those very people that God will choose to use to disrupt such designs. Its this sort of thing that gives me comfort, knowing that as big and bad and dark of a place as this world can be, God has it under his control. And to quote Gandalf, "That is an encouraging thought".

Book Review - The Children of Hurin

2010-03-20T20:44:00.007-04:00

Published 30 years after J.R.R. Tolkiens death, this is the first true standalone version of the the Narn i Chin Hurin, or The Tale of the Children of Hurin. Centered primarily on the tragic life of Turin Turambar and modeled after both Greek and Finnish tragedies, this is a bleak, dark and moving epic tale of the highest caliber.

I'm not going to go into detail about the plot here, but I'll touch on a few key points about the book in general. First off, it is not necessary to have read the Silmarillion (from where the story is drawn) or any of Tolkiens other works, though it certainly wouldn't hurt. Secondly, this is a tragedy. There are few points of light or cheer to be found in this tale, and there is a near tangible cloud of heaviness on the plot and characters. I wouldn't recommend this to people who like light and fluffy stories at all. Thirdly, this is a Tolkien story. That means that it's written in what is nowadays known as an "archaic" form of speaking, and there are lots of what would also be called "long-winded" passages and dialogues; though if one knows of Tolkiens study and love of languages it is made clear that neither of those descriptions are true at all. Going along with that last point, there are lots of odd names and place-names, which for the uninitiated Tolkien reader will no doubt be confusing. This is definitely a work that takes more than one read to fully understand the names and geography of it all.

Now, on to why I think so highly of this story. Simply put, it is moving. There are scenes of heroism, love, courage, grief and self-sacrifice which have yet to be rivaled in modern fantasy and writing in general. There is a genuine sense of history and depth, again because of Tolkiens vast knowledge of linguistics. The sense of brooding and despair can be felt until the very climax of the tale, and it is not a happy ending; but when one studies the writings of Tolkien, it becomes clear that happy endings were not the desired goal.

My final thoughts on the story are this: This is a dark story. It is a tragic story. It is an almost depressing story. But it is also a genuinely moving story of love, and courage in the face of utter defeat; don't expect a light-hearted fantasy tale like The Hobbit. Expect a dark, brooding drama that engulfs one of the most tragic groups of people Tolkien ever invented, The Children of Hurin.

Music Review - Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth

2010-03-20T17:57:00.006-04:00

The shortest way to sum up this album is that it's really just a much, much simpler A Night at the Opera. It's certainly not the bands best album, nor is it their weakest, but it has a few of their strongest and weakest points. Firstly, Thomen Staunch is gone, so the insane, wildly overdone drumming is repleaced by the capable (but much more laid back in his approach) Frederik Ehmk. The songwriting as a whole has undergone a massive reduction in complexity, resulting in what I wouldn't hesitate to call Blind Guardians most accessible (but not best) album.

I really do like this album, though I seem to be in the minority for doing so. While as I've stated above this isn't a mind-blowing album, it's a very strong Blind Guardian album, chock full of huge choruses, brilliant (in my opinion some of Hansis best) vocals, terrific guitar work and the trademark catchiness that the band has always had. Songs like Otherland, Turn the Page Fly and Another Stranger Me are all excellent, catchy, clever and fun songs and showcase the simple yet catchy strength of this album. The two ballads, Carry the Blessed Home and Skalds and Shadows show that Blind Guardian still know how to write slow, pompous and atmospheric pieces that fit in with the rest of their superb ballads.

There are a few weaker tracks though, and they're concentrated towards the end of the album. Lionheart, The Edge and The New Order just don't have the same punch the rest of the album has; they're decent enough songs on their own but almost seem like afterthoughts compared to the earlier, much better songs. If those three songs had been cut from the album, no harm would have been done to the record.

Perhaps it's just that I downloaded the album from iTunes, but the production sounds a little...muffled, almost quiet, compared to the earlier albums, and there are several instances when Hansi hits the super-high notes and it sounds fake, for lack of a better word. His high-scream of the opening track sounds more like guitar or keyboards than vocals, and it can get irritating at times.

However, those few complaints aside, this is a solid, rocking album from a band that has defined the genre of power metal for years. Strong moments include Fly, which is a brilliant track all the way through and one of the catchiest the band has ever written; Turn the Page, which I recommend for the same reason as Fly, fast, catchy and rocking, another stellar track. A few weak moments aside, I heartily recommend this album.

Music Review - Atmoshpere - When Life Gives You Lemons

2010-03-18T16:20:00.004-04:00

When one mentions rap, a few things usually come instantly to mind. Loud beats, overwhelming bass, obscene and often derogatory lyrics and a violent, thug-like attitude and mentality. It's much less common to find a rap artist who is actually that, an artist, without the posturing and strutting of the gangster side of rap; but that's precisely what Atmosphere is.

This album takes more from old time jazz/rhythm and blues than most rap does, with the inclusion of mostly real instruments ranging from steel lap guitars to jazz guitar to more normal synths and beats. The tone of the album is often dreary, nostalgic and bleak, and the lyrics deal with topics ranging from single parenting, how to deal with the loss of loved ones and simple everyday people trying to survive and live their dreams in an often hard and cold world.

The beats here are soft and lacking in the massive low ends of typical rap (though bass is still a very prominent feature), recalling more the style of Mobys more recent efforts. The vocal delivery ranges from soft whispering to an occasionally more angry and forceful delivery and there are often female backing vocals.

The two high points of the album for me would be the nihilistic Painting, with its steel lap guitar and soft beat and Guarantees, a simple song consisting of only mellow jazz guitar riffs and vocals. Both songs contain the real-world, urban and none to hopeful feel of Atmosphere. Other good tracks include the friendly and almost bouncy Yesterday, a piano and drum oriented track about the loss of ones father; and You, which tackles the common theme of single (mostly women) parents working hard to support their dreams and makes excellent use of soft background synths and a catchy chorus.

While not an entirely family-friendly album (there's several uses of harsh language and subject matter) this is a low-key, intelligent and often relaxing album about life and the people, dreams and struggles who inhabit it.

Top Ten Movie Countdown #7 - The King of Comedy

2010-03-15T20:07:00.005-04:00

There are thousands of good acting performances. There's hundreds of excellent performances. There are dozens of amazing performances. Past amazing there are what I like to call "earth-shatteringly good" acting, and in my experience with movies, there have only ever been a bare handful of earth-shatteringly good acting performances. This is the best out of that bare handful.

Directed by Martin Scorsese and filled to the brim with his signature and evocative style of shooting and with Robert deNiro in the lead role, this is a brilliant film, and in my opinion Scorsese's best and certainly deNiros best.

Everything about this movie is absolutely top-notch; there simply isn't a weak point to be found. Cinematography is outstanding and the story and script flow perfectly with twists and turns that left me gaping and at times smiling. Scorsese is in his prime here, and it certainly shows.

The real high point of the movie, is, as stated above, the brilliant Robert deNiro as Rupert Pupkin, a man desperate to be a late-night comedian. If any proof was ever needed that deNiro is one of the greatest actors to ever live, this is it. This is, in my opinion, the single greatest performance of acting ever captured on film. Not a whole lot more can be said other than this is a brilliant, powerful performance that has yet to be rivaled.

This is a short review, because I can't think of much more to say other than this is a brilliant film with one of the, if not the, greatest actors putting on the greatest show in movies.

Tolkien Study #3: Origins

2010-03-11T12:58:00.005-05:00

The easy way to answer a question on the origins of Tolkiens fantasy is to simply say Northern mythology (for the most part). Much, if not most of the legendarium is taken from Scandinavian and Northern European epics and poems. Many of the names have counterparts in actual European histories and landscapes and even much of the actual plot of the stories aren't entirely original.

However, in my reading of the Bible, i came across an interesting passage:

Psalms 107

¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

² Let the redeemed of the LORD say this—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

³ those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south. ^a]">[a]

⁴ Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.

⁵ They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.

⁶ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

⁷ He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,

⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

¹⁰ Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom,
prisoners suffering in iron chains,

¹¹ for they had rebelled against the words of God
and despised the counsel of the Most High.

¹² So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

¹³ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.

¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom
and broke away their chains.

¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,

¹⁶ for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.

¹⁷ Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

¹⁸ They loathed all food
and drew near the gates of death.

¹⁹ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.

²⁰ He sent forth his word and healed them;
he rescued them from the grave.

²¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.

²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.

²³ Others went out on the sea in ships;
they were merchants on the mighty waters.

²⁴ They saw the works of the LORD,
his wonderful deeds in the deep.

²⁵ For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
that lifted high the waves.

²⁶ They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril their courage melted away.

²⁷ They reeled and staggered like drunken men;
they were at their wits' end.

²⁸ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.

²⁹ He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed.

³⁰ They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them to their desired haven.

³¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men.

³² Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.

³³ He turned rivers into a desert,
flowing springs into thirsty ground,

³⁴ and fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

³⁵ He turned the desert into pools of water
and the parched ground into flowing springs;

³⁶ there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.

³⁷ They sowed fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a fruitful harvest;

³⁸ he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not let their herds diminish.

³⁹ Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

⁴⁰ he who pours contempt on nobles
made them wander in a trackless waste.

⁴¹ But he lifted the needy out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.

⁴² The upright see and rejoice,
but all the wicked shut their mouths.

⁴³ Whoever is wise, let him heed these things
and consider the great love of the LORD.

I read that once over not really thinking about it, then skipped back to it. That passage is nearly the entire Silmarillion in a condensed form.

I've always held the belief that Tolkien had a profoundly spiritual side that no one really was aware of. He was a man of devout faith and that's reflected in his writings; however, it was the reading of Psalm 107 that really made me see just how strong in his faith he was. Everything from a Hidden City to a Straight Way to God stirring up a tempest of the water because of their desperate cries for help is seen in both this passage and the Silmarillion, and I feel that its no mere chance that these similarities exist.

Tolkien Study #2: Basic Ideals - Grace and Courage pt.2

2010-03-08T22:05:00.008-05:00

The second most prominent ideal is Grace; not the prayer said before a meal or in dancing, but mercy. The LOTR stories are heavily structured around Grace as a very powerful ideal/act; examples therein abound, however the example I'm going to focus on is the Voyage of Earendil the Mariner

Earendil was one of the oldest components of Tolkiens writing, and was a very important character, possibly one of the most important. Earendil is the idea of the power of simple intercession on behalf of a great cause, and a good analogy can be drawn between Earendil and the Christian faith.

During the course of the 450+ year war of the Elves against Morgoth, there was born a man named Earendil. He saw that the cause of Elves and Men was lost against Morgoth, for since Morgoth was a Valar (and the mightiest of these) there was no hope of victory by force. Earendil took the one Silmaril that had been won back by Beren (another tale altogether which I'll go into in another post), bound it to his brow and sailed off into the West to find Valinor. After a long and hard journey he finally reaches the Valar and begs for their help (remember, the Valar had sworn to neither aid nor hinder the Elves, but also doomed them to eternal banishment from Valinor for going to war), admitting the wrongs that had been done in the course of the war and explaining that it was a truly lost cause without divine intervention. The Valar take council and decide to aid the lost cause, and descend on Morgoth with such fury and power that the land of Beleriand is broken and the face of the world is changed forever. Morgoth is thrown down and cast out of the living world for all of eternity and the war of the Jewels is ended. Earendil, however, is not permitted to go back to mortal lands ever again and is judged as one of the Elves; his ship sails into the Void with the Silmaril on its prow, and is known as the Morning and Evening Star in Middle-earth in the later ages.

The ultimate point of the story, in my opinion, is how powerful grace/pity/mercy can be, and that even the smallest acts of such (though the one listed here certainly wasnt small) can often, to quote Gandalf "rule the fates of many." In fact, Gandalf really summed up the idea of grace in the LOTR during a dialogue with Frodo:

"What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!"
"Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity."

"He deserves death."

"Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, or good or Ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many - yours not least."

That's one of the more well-known lines from the book/movie, but in my mind perfectly sums up the ideal of Grace on Tolkiens Legendarium.

Tolkien Study #2: Basic Ideals - Grace and Courage pt.1

2010-03-04T22:22:00.007-05:00

Tolkien's two most prominent ideals, in my mind, are Courage and Grace. Most of the Lord of the Rings story is centered primarily on those two main ideas, along with a host of others. Courage and Grace, however, seem to be the most prominent. This section deals with the former, Courage.

Courage in the Tolkien legendarium is often without hope, cheer or any kind of positive backing. This stems from an understanding of the Theory of Northern Courage, which can be defined in one basic event: Ragnarok. Ragnarok was the day in Northern mythology when every good and every evil thing to have ever existed would fight, and evil would be triumphant. The idea behind this is that even though the right and good side was without any kind of final hope, it wouldn't do to simply let evil run unchecked. Good must oppose evil, with or without hope, because that is simply the way that things are. The moral backbone is one of Tolkiens greatest strengths in his stories; characters so utterly selfless and willing to oppose evil that, if need be, they willingly give their lives that others may reap the benefits of their sacrifice.

Courage here doesn't simply mean not being afraid or just trying to out-macho the opposing forces. It has more to do with a kind of willingness, even if it's a sad and resigned one, to oppose evil no matter what for the purpose of all that is good. As stated above, few if any characters in the legendarium ever have anything even remotely resembling hope. Therefore, courage cannot be defined by a simple hope for the best and ignorance of whatever opposing forces there are. It is defined by a willingness to endure any and all hardships necessary to oppose that which is not Good, whether a physical opponent or negative emotion.

When reading the legendarium, particularly LOTR, there is a real sense of sadness about the characters. Many people make the mistake of confusing sadness, a natural and healthy emotion, with depression and even despair. Despair is what happens when one abandons both hope (which, while not necessarily vital to courage is certainly vital to keep one's spirits up) and courage altogether. Take for instance the father and son duo of Faramir and Denethor, from the latter part of the LOTR story. Faramir says himself it is long since they(his people, the kingdom of Gondor) have had any hope; yet he does not make the mistake of falling into despair, precisely because he hasn't entirely given up on the idea that what he's fighting for is truly the right side. Denethor, on the other hand, loses all hope(due to his seeing Saurons plans in detail) and abandons courage, reason and hope in exchange for a fey madness; one that almost takes the life of Faramir. Faramir certainly had acess to nearly the same knowledge; his duty was a captain of Rangers, and his duty called him to scout far ahead of the main body of Gondorian soldiers to spy on the enemy and report on their numbers and movements. So hope/despair/courage isn't even really dependent on the knowledge of your enemy's strength, its a simple matter of remembering which side you are fighting for. As long as one can remain steadfast in ones cause, regardless of how hopeless it may seem, one will always have hope, and Courage.

Tolkien Study - #1

2010-03-01T21:33:00.007-05:00

The first installment of this series is going to begin with some basic background work necessary for a closer look at the mythology of J.R.R. Tolkien and its meanings, metaphors and applications in life.

A very short and non-exhaustive framework of the completed mythology is as follows (in chronological order):

-The creation of the Universe (Ea) by Illuvator(the One, God)
-The creation of lesser spirits and deities(the Valar and Maiar collectively called the Ainur , the latter of of which Gandalf and Saruman belong to)
-The Music of the Ainur, in which the very fabric of creation is made, and the original rebellion of Melkor, the most powerful of all the Valar and the reason evil exists in the world
-The creation of Arda(earth) by the Valar
- The creation of the Elves and their journey from Middle-earth to Valinor, the land of the Valar.

Those events comprise the very beginning of counted time. I'm not going to go into a detailed history of the world during the First Age, as that would require many hundreds of pages, but a brief summary of the First Age after creation is as follows:

-Feanor creates his Silmarils(there are three) and sets in them the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor, from which the light of the World came.
-The Two Trees are destroyed by Morgoth and Ungoliant, a huge primeval spirit in spider-form. After the destruction of the Trees they steal the Silmarils, and Morgoth retreats to his fortress in Middle-earth(Thangorodrim)
After the theft of the Jewels and the death of the Trees, the Valar bring forth the Sun and Moon to light the world. Feanor rallies his people(the Noldor) together and decides to take revenge on Morgoth for his theft. He leads the majority of the Noldor out of Valinor.
-The Valar, not intending to stop Feanors crusade, deliver an ultimatum of doom, death and sorrow to the Noldor. Feanor attacks the Teleri(Elves who dwelled by the Sea and renowned seafarers) and steals their ships to get to Middle-earth. Thus begins the War of the Jewels. It is in this war that some of the most moving and powerful scenes occur, and it is those that I'll be looking at first.

# 8 - The Sting

2010-02-26T10:29:00.005-05:00

**Part of an ongoing series of reviews of my top ten favorite movies**

Winner of the Best Picture Oscar in 1973, The Sting is a movie packed with intrigue, suspense, humor, a little action and a whole lot of snappy dialogue. With Robert Redford and Paul Newman (along with a host of other terrific talent), one of the greatest caper movies ever made begins.

Robert Redford and Paul Newman have terrific chemistry onscreen here, and it's really a pleasure to watch the two con men interact with quips, barbs and verbal abuse in such a witty and fun way. Robert Shaw also puts on a terrific show as Doyle Lonnegan, a big-time Irish racketeering boss in Chicago, and Robert Earl Jones does a fantastic job as a retired grifter and con artist. There's a dozen more notable talent at work here, and every one of them does a amazing job. Everyone is a seasoned actor, and it is nothing less than pure fun to watch the cast do what they do best here. 10/10 for a brilliant cast.

The Sting, while being extremely entertaining, is certainly not a simple movie. There's multiple plot twists and few giveaways to warn you of whats coming, and that makes it even more fun to watch. The final plot twist at the end of the film still makes me smile every time I see it. Terrific writing and scripting.

The Sting has several of the same qualities that make The Truman Show so enjoyable; a fantastic cast, smart writing and a whole lot of humor. This film is by far one of the most clever and playful films to ever be made; its plain that the cast and crew had a lot of fun filming it, and that's what makes it such a joy to watch. It's a simple formula, but one that doesnt seem that easy to make work. However, when a movie like The Sting pulls it off, the result is one of the most entertaining and clever movies to ever be made.

# 9 - The Truman Show

2010-02-23T18:28:00.002-05:00

**Part of an ongoing series of reviews of my top ten favorite movies**

The Truman Show is by far one of my favorite movies, and for a number of reasons. I believe it to be one of the most clever and brilliant movies made in recent memory; the sheer number of clever moments, some obvious and some requiring multiple viewings, are staggering. Jim Carrey is at his finest here, mixing both the serious and his completely unique brand of humor for a terrific and highly entertaining performance. This is a film that is both highly entertaining, funny, serious and thought-provoking at the same time, which is a combination things that most movies can rarely pull off with good results. This movie not only combines them effectively, it combines them perfectly, with amazing results.

First off, Jim Carrey really gives a stellar performance here; funny and serious in the way that only he can do. There are some laugh out loud moments, as well as many more subtle and clever moments of humor, and also some very emotional and poignant moments. The rest of the cast, particularly Ed Harris, all give terrific performances. Excellent job on all parts of the cast.

The big draw for me here is simply the writing. There's no special effects, no amazing or unorthodox camera shots, no ultra-violence or anything shocking. The real strength is simply the brilliant writing. When viewed several times, little things start to become more obvious to the viewer, to reflect how Truman is slowly becoming more aware of the circumstances of his life. I oftentimes find myself watching the background action of scenes to see whats going on, and there's some interesting things that happen if close attention is payed.

The music is superb and completely fits the feel of the film; quirky but also complementing the feel of the scene at hand. Two thumbs up for the score.

In summary, this is a clever, witty, funny and moving film, and by far the best movie Jim Carrey has ever acted in, and certainly one of the (if not his) best acting jobs he's done. I've watched this movie countless times (I can quote 90% of the dialogue) and every single time I notice something I didn't notice before, and every time I enjoy it just as much as the last time, if not more. A stellar cast, a brilliant script and excellent score make this #9 on my Top Ten movies list.

#10 - Castaway

2010-02-19T20:08:00.005-05:00

**Part of an ongoing series of reviews of my top ten favorite movies**

My countdown begins with Castaway, which in my opinion may be the finest movie that Tom Hanks ever acted in. Castaway does not rely on special effects, gratuitous sex scenes, violence or controversial topics to be a compelling and powerful film. Instead, nearly the entire movie is carried, with hardly a word of dialogue or music, by what I wouldn't hesitate to call one of the greatest acting performances in recent times.

Tom Hanks is obviously the major talent here, and here he really proves that he is one of the greatest actors of all time. While the opening and closing sequences of the film do contain conversation and dialogue, the vast majority of the film goes unspoken and in doing so portrays the struggles of a lone man surviving (at times against his will) on a deserted island, and the emotional, physical and psychological tolls it has on a person. The performance here is nothing less than powerful, with Tom Hanks showing a man going from in-charge to being at the mercy of nature, from confident to suicidal, from being a calculating businessman to going slightly insane, and from being in love to having his emotions completely shattered. I've seen few actors put on a performance of this caliber.

The cinematography, while simple, is very effective, consisting of fairly normal, but very effective shots. A feeling of desolation is almost tangible throughout the film, partly due to the lack of a musical score; most of the sound is the ambiance of a deserted island.

The format for this film is simple and nothing groundbreaking, and the story is one that's been done before many times; so why is this on my Top Ten list? In a word, the acting. Very few movies can be carried by (mostly) one actor, and to do so takes an enormous amount of talent; Tom Hanks delivered that and much, much more. As I said above, this is one of THE acting performances of recent times, if not of all time. The emotion shown is tangible and in places heartbreaking, and at other times uplifting and hopeful. For a thought-provoking, powerfully acted movie, I recommend my #10 Top Ten Movie, Castaway.

My Tolkien Study

2010-02-18T18:29:00.001-05:00

For nearly 10 years now, I've been studying the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. My interest was piqued after i saw The Fellowship of the Ring in theaters, and I've been reading Tolkien ever since. I've read nearly everything he wrote and am in the process of acquiring more of his books. Soon, I'll be beginning a series of blog posts on his works and my thoughts on them. Comments for discussion, rebuttal, etc are more than welcome.

Books I've recently acquired:

Stay tuned...

Top Ten Movie Countdown

2010-02-09T15:30:00.007-05:00

I'm going to begin a series of movie reviews which comprise my Top Ten Movies of All Time (with an honourable mention section.) Most will be from the early 90s onward; most of the honourable mentions will be older films. Stay tuned, as the first installment will be coming shortly...

Music Review - Insomnium - Across the Dark

2010-01-21T22:06:00.005-05:00

Insomnium are one of maybe 3 or 4 melodic death metal bands I can listen to without being annoyed after 5 minutes. I've never really thought At the Gates, In Flames or Arch Enemy were that good, to be honest, I've never thought they were anything more than annoying, lame and boring. Irritating high-pitched screeches, lame riffs and just an overall boring feel was something that plagued these bands, but fortunately Insomnium suffers from none of these.

The previous album, Above the Weeping World, was a good blend of dreary acoustics and good solid melodic death metal; however, the death metal was never more than solid (with one or two exceptions) but I LOVED the acoustic sections. Here, on Across the Dark, its reversed. The acoustics take a back seat to some of the best melodic riffs the band have ever written (and I'd say some of the best in the melo-death scene) and while the acoustic sections aren't bad, they aren't really up to par with ATWW nor are they as numerous or as long lasting. As I said before, the melo-death has really been amped up, with some awesome melodic riffs, leads and melodies, and in some cases, soaring keyboards and clean vocals. Both of those are new ground for the band, and while the vocals aren't exactly awe-inspiring, they fit reasonably well and generally compliment the melody of the song at hand.

The extreme vocals are even better than they were on previous albums; deep, powerful, angry, desperate, sorrowful and perfectly executed. Insomniums vocals are second to none in the scene and have just such a force and power behind them that puts the shriekers and screamers that inhabit melodic death metal to shame.

Guitars are handled perfectly; melodic and heavy with some terrific leads and riffs. The production lends a good thick sound to both the guitars and drums, which gives it a powerful and hard hitting feel. Drums are well-played; there's not a lot amazing or jaw-dropping technical feats, but they're played with a fantastic tightness and accuracy.

The lyrics are as well-written as ever, and convey genuine sorrow and emotion without being cliche or cheesy or over the top. I wish they'd delved more into poetry as they did with Drawn To Black from ATTW though; I was slightly disappointed in that. Other than that small gripe though, lyrics are top-notch.

The overall feeling of this album is sadness, nostalgia and dreariness, but every once in a while a ray of sunlight with creep through, however brief. Moments of brutality are woven together with moments of delicate acoustic guitar and piano that make for a truly enjoyable listen; I highly recommend this album to anyone even remotely into heavy music.

Music Review - Blind Guardian - A Night at the Opera

2010-01-20T10:16:00.009-05:00

Following the brilliant and (in my mind) genre-defining Nightfall in Middle-Earth, Blind Guardian produced what is possibly one of the (if not the) most overdone, pompous and generally over the top albums of all time, A Night at the Opera. The band really fired on all cylinders with this one, with hundreds of vocal, guitar and keyboard tracks being used to create an enormous and dare I say, epic atmosphere. The result is nothing short of amazing.

Blind Guardian basically took the formula from NIME (huge vocals, prominent keyboards and a focus on atmosphere as opposed to speed and heaviness) as far as it could be taken here . There's nothing frugal about this album at all; if there's singing, its a chorus of hundreds of voices. If a guitar plays, its complicated and leads and huge chords. The production is a big part of this and is definitely a step up from the previous album, and is some of the best production I've heard in a metal album. Every voice and instrument is crystal clear, loud but not obnoxiously loud and perfectly balanced with the other instruments.

The band itself is in top form here. Drums are fast, technical, bombastic and flawlessly played and one of the highlights of the album, full of ultra fast rolls and fast double bass work; I'd go so far as to say this is one of the best drumming jobs in all of metal. Guitars are melodic, fast and layered for a very full sound. Keyboards are used a LOT here, and with amazing results. The orchestration and choir work is second to none, and like the keys there is a ton of both. The choirs were really unleashed on this album, which I love, since the choirs are one of my favorite things about Blind Guardian. As I said before, everything in the mix compliments each other, and makes for a good tight sound.

Every song here is a brilliant piece in its own right, but there's 3tracks in particular that draw my attention. Firstly is the insanely catchy The Soulforged, which could have easily been included on NIME, and is much more of a traditional song with a verse/chorus pattern. One of the catchiest songs Blind Guardian have ever written in my opinion. Secondly is the ballad The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight, a seemingly calm ballad that explodes into a massive arena-rock styled power ballad. Lastly is the 14 minute epic And Then There was Silence, based on the fall of Troy. Every second of this song is absolutely amazing, with constantly changing rhythms, beats and speed; the vocals on this song are simply astounding. Listen to And Then There was Silence and you'll know the true meaning of an "epic" song.

All told, this is probably Blind Guardians most complex and pompous album, and one of my all time favorite albums. Regardless of what styles of music you like, this is an immensely entertaining album that I highly recommend everyone listen to at least once.

Movie Review - The Road

2010-01-15T06:00:00.004-05:00

When I went to see this movie with 2 of my friends, their first reaction was to say how depressing this movie was, to which I strongly disagree. This movie is NOT depressing. It is very sad, very bleak and at times quite dark, but it is not depressing. The reason this movie is not depressing is because of two simple things: love and hope. Love, because that is the one thing holding the father and son (hereafter referred to as the Man and the Boy) together as they travel through a gray, dead and violent world. Hope, because that is what continues to push the Man and the Boy along the Road when their journey seems all but doomed.

Directed by John Hillcoat, (who also directed the brilliant "The Proposition,") starring Viggo Mortensen and with music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (who did the music for The Proposition and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), this film met and exceeded all my expectations, and in my opinion surpassed the book in conveying the emotions felt by the Man and the Boy on their long, lonely and dangerous journey.

Bleak, gray, lifeless landscapes dominate the film; there is next to no color, cheer or happiness to be found here. Violent and cannibalistic bands of marauders roam at will, and this is made extremely clear in one eerie and disturbing sequence in which the Man and Boy narrowly escape from one such bands house. Not all the film is so dark though, and one particularly moving scene where the Man and Boy find a large cache of food and blankets brought a tear to my eye. I've seen very few scenes which have that level of love and emotion portrayed so well.

The cinematography is simple, yet very effective. Wide and evocative shots reminiscent of The Proposition sneak in on occasion, but for the most part simplicity reigns, and reigns well. Every single shot is well thought and has a purpose; there's no filler shots here.

Music is absolutely brilliant and the high point of the movie, with very delicate piano dominating. From very sad and somber to more lighthearted to almost bluesy, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis pull off another perfect scoring job. Rarely have I heard a score that so perfectly conveys the emotions that the characters are going through; I cannot praise the music here enough.

The Road is one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time, and I'll be sorely disappointed if it isn't up for a Best Picture or Best Director award at the Oscars. I highly, highly recommend this movie; by far one of the most moving pictures to be released in some time.

Movie Review - Public Enemies

2010-01-14T16:18:00.004-05:00

Mediocre is not really a thing that any person, film, song, book or food wants to be. Mediocre, from Dictionary.Reference.com is defined as "of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate," and I don't know if I've ever seen a movie more worthy of that description. Complete and utter mediocrity is the only way I can describe this film, which is highly disappointing, as the potential for an excellent period gangster piece is clearly visible.

I'll start with the casting first; the only real notable talent here would be Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger with almost...laziness; there's nothing fiery or dashing or charming about Public Enemy #1 here. Christian Bale gives his standard stoic and in my opinion, boring, performance as Melvin Purvis, the guy in charge of catching Dillinger and his gang of bank robbers; again, nothing moving or really provoking in this performance. Sadly, the rest of the cast follows suit, and not a single performance stands out. Character development is next to non-existent, and there were times when someone would be shot or be talking and I wouldn't know who their name was. I actually thought that John Dillinger had died at one point when he had somehow just vanished out the scene at hand with no explanation, only to reappear later randomly. Very poor job on the characters.

The dialogue is weak as well, consisting of grunts, shouts, and a couple of really poor Southern accents. Nothing at all to write home about, the dialogue here is just flat out weak. Every once in a while a snappy line will creep in, but other than that, nothing special at all.

My biggest gripe would be the camera work; the film is dominated by hand-held documentary-styled shots, which is extremely irritating when used poorly and too frequently. There are movies which have made excellent use of this style of camera work, but this looks downright cheap and amateur-ish in parts, and is really a low point for the movie. There are points in the movie where it quite literally looks like your viewing a home movie sent to Americas Funnies Home Videos, and I was extremely disappointed/irritated by this. However, in one gun-battle sequence, the shaky camera work is used to great effect and adds a lot of chaos to the scene; this is an example of using shaky camera work well. For the rest of the movie, it simply makes it look very sloppy. The brief attempts at more graphic violence and brutal treatment of criminals came across as distasteful, and I suspect were only inserted to appeal to fans of more "hardcore" gangster movies, but do nothing to really advance the story. I have no problem with ultra-violence, but this was just done poorly.

I suppose if I had to summarize my thoughts for this movie, it would be that Public Enemies is little more than a 2nd or 3rd rate Untouchables. The film is without direction and cannot decide if it wished to be a mystery/chase/gangster like The Road to Perdition, a vigilante police officer/gangster film like the Untouchables or a more relationship-centered movie; and by reason of trying to spread itself out too much ends up succeeding at none of the above. Public Enemies, as I stated above, is a thoroughly mediocre film, and I can't find any reason to recommend it to anyone.

Movie Review - Inglorious Basterds

2010-01-06T09:58:00.002-05:00

"We will be cruel to the Germans, and through our cruelty they will know who we are. And they will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, and disfigured bodies of their brothers we leave behind us. And the German won't not be able to help themselves but to imagine the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, and our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the German will be sickened by us, and the German will talk about us, and the German will fear us. And when the German closes their eyes at night and they're tortured by their subconscious for the evil they have done, it will be with thoughts of us they are tortured with."

With that forceful declaration, the tone is set for Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino's WWII revenge epic. Packed with savage violence, witty and engaging dialogue and brilliant acting, Inglorious Basterds ranks among the best films Tarantino has ever done and is one of the most entertaining movies to come out in a long time.

The first thing I thought as I watched this film was how toned down the overall intensity was in comparison to his earlier Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, which were much more shocking, violent and fiery in their dialogues. By contrast, Inglorious Basterds is much more laid-back and relaxed in delivery, a style that recalls more of Kill Bill 2 in its slower and quieter moments, but make no mistake: when Quentin Tarantino wants to kick you in the teeth, he will. The moments of violence and intensity, although more scarce, are just as effective as they were in Pulp Fiction, and perhaps by reason of their scarcity occasionally even more so.

The big box office draw was obviously Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine, a sadistic and Nazi-hating backwoods American Army officer who delights in killing German foot soldiers. He plays the role to perfection, with obvious enthusiasm for the part. Definitely one of the most fun roles Pitt has ever taken on. Other notable performances are Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, a charming and romantic yet psychopathic SS officer in charge of hunting down Jews hiding in France; Michael Fassbender as Lt. Archie Hicox, a British officer who assists in the Allied effort to assassinate Hitler and Diane Kruger as Bridget Von Hammersmark, a German actress secretly in league with the Allies; and finally, Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish girl determined to avenge the extermination of her family at the hands of Hans Landa. Every role is played to absolute perfection, nothing more can be said.

On a slightly less enthusiastic note, this is probably the first Tarantino movie in which I've been disappointed with the character development. Of all the major characters in the movie, only one is really delved into to show why he is the way he is, Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz (played by Til Schweiger). Compared again to the character development of Reservoir Dogs, in which every major character is given full background, Inglorious Basterds is lacking.

That aside, the movie more than makes up for its shortcomings with stellar dialogue sequences and outstanding cinematography, and I really would rank this as one of the top movies of the year. Is it the best movie Quentin Tarantino has ever done? No. That honor goes to Reservoir Dogs, however, Inglorious Basterds is by far one of the most enjoyable and accessible movies he's ever crafted. Two big thumbs up and a hearty recommendation are all I can give for Inglorious Basterds.

Movie Review - Sherlock Holmes

2009-12-28T22:32:00.002-05:00

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was extremely excited. Guy Ritchie (director of Revolver, Snatch, Rockenrolla) and Robert Downey Jr.(Natural Born Killers, The Soloist, Tropic Thunder)? No wrong could be done with that combination. Guy Ritchie is a seasoned director and has some excellent films to his credit, and combined with Downey Jrs. immense talent I was on the verge of salivating. So was the film as good as the hype? (and there was hype a-plenty;I saw this movie advertised on the sides of those giant gas station mugs you get filled with 20 gallons of beverage for 49 cents. That's hype.)

Sadly, this movie was somewhat lacking in the amazing department. My hopes of a Snatch-esque super stylized, super fast paced, super thick plot and super snappy dialogue detective caper film were all but dashed as what I can only imagine to be Guy Ritchies desire to film a movie that actually made an impact at the box office took over. All his trademark filming techniques(multiple zigzagging plots lines, a diverse and quirky cast, odd camera angles and music choices)were exchanged for a completely...normal(for lack of a better word) type of movie, and I was sorely disappointed.

The shortcomings of lackluster cinematography was made up by the acting however; Robert Downey Jr. gives another terrific(though not brilliant) performance as the deductive Sherlock Holmes, assisted by Watson, played by Jude Law; also a solid if unamazing performance. Other roles include Lord Blackwood(Mark Strong) as the very obvious villain of the movie, and Rachel McAdams as Holmes rival/love interest Irene Adler, and both roles are well handled by the Strong and McAdams.

My biggest complaint towards the movie is one I addressed earlier: its just another normal movie, devoid of any of Guy Ritchies trademarks. Everything is GOOD, nothing is really...great. The plot is loose at best, being a simple villain-taking-over-the-world tale; at worst the plot being almost non-existent, and nothing more than a bunch of actors running through the streets of late 1800s London.

However, all this does not mean that it isn't an entertaining film. Downey Jr. and Jude Law have excellent chemistry onscreen, and the relationship between the two characters comes across as a genuine case of two very different individuals who happen to be best friends. The dialogue does pick up in spots, and every once in a while Guy Ritchie makes his presence known with some really gritty action scenes, particularly a slow-motion boxing scene that is is almost identical to a boxing scene from Snatch; but those moments are few and far between, and the movie is too long and too devoid of any real plot to hold the viewers interest between the few excellent scenes.

My final verdict is a rather unenthusiastic one; a National Treasure style plot and a overall subdued feel make this a rather disappointing movie; don't see this movie expecting anything amazing; rather, expect a somewhat disjointed, occasionally very entertaining film that well overstays its welcome.

Music Review - Extol - Burial

2009-12-26T11:28:00.002-05:00

I'm not going to beat about the bush on how I feel about this album: this is the single best tech/death/black metal album ever created. Suffocation,Brain Drill, Necrophagist, Pitbulls in the Nursery and the entire tech-death scene can bow down to this absolute masterpiece. Let me state it again: this is, bar none, the greatest album of technical extreme metal ever made. Period.

I've heard a lot of metal in my time, and I've heard lots of technical death/extreme metal. Lots of boring, fast, hyper-technical, mindbogglingly boring metal. Extol is not one of those bands. The level of ferocity and savagery in this album has yet to be rivaled by any band currently active (except maybe Nile, but that's another review); I have never heard such a brutal combination of pure heaviness, technical wizardry without being boring, feeling and, to re-use a previous adjective, brutality. From the insanity that is "Burial", "Embraced," and "Celestial Completion," to the sad and somber "Tears of Bitterness," the folkish-black metal "Renhetens Elv" and the crushing "Work of Art," not a single song is filler or out of place.

The technical ability of the band-members absolutely is second to none here, but the two things I want to praise the most are the drumming and guitars. David Husvik put on a drum performance that, in my opinion, has not been rivaled since this albums release. Insane blasting, crazy double bass, slow, bombastic rhythms and ridiculously time changes are all just another day at the office for David, and he handles all this and more with the utmost ease. Guitars, handled by Ole Borud(who also handled the amazing clean vocals) are just as brilliant as the drums; fast, technical, and heavy, all without being retarded shredding or mindless technicality.

Vocals are flawless. Brutal, deep, shrill, and again, a performance that hasn't been equaled.

As I said before, this is THE extreme technical metal album. Released in 1998 on Solid State/Tooth and Nail records, this album stands as one of the greatest metal albums of all time, rivaled by few if any others. While their follow-up albums would all be very different and receive much criticism, with Burial, Extol cemented their place in metal history as one of the greatest bands to ever exist.

Music Review - Antestor - The Forsaken

2009-12-22T16:18:00.002-05:00

In the early 90s, while the infamous and violent second wave of black metal was still going strong in Scandinavia,a small group of musicians in Jessheim, Norway decided to form a band under the moniker "Crush Evil." After producing a single demo under that name, the group was renamed Antestor, and went on to produce several more albums, eps and demos, among them being the landmark Christian Black Metal album "The Return of the Black Death." Their most recent(2005) album, The Forsaken, has in my opinion taken the place of TROTBD as the greatest Christian Black Metal album ever made.

The Forsaken is a marked departure in style compared to the much more primitive TROTBD(which I would compare to Satyricons masterpiece Dark Medieval Times in terms of style), and boasts modern production, more complex song structure, more prominent keyboards and, most surprisingly for Antestor fans, several long and technical guitar solos. Hellhammer(of Mayhem fame) was also recruited to play the drums, and he does nothing short of an astoundingly good job, and sets the bar once again for black metal drum performances.

The songwriting exhibited on this album is the strongest its ever been for Antestor; songs like "Old Times Cruelty", with its insane blasting and mad choirs, or "Betrayed" with its haunting keyboards and powerful lyrics are far beyond anything ever written by the band before. While the overall speed of the album is mid-to-fast paced and aggressive, there are slower, more emotional moments, like "Vale of Tears" with its uplifiting intro guitar, slowly becoming more somber; when the clean vocals emerge it nearly becomes a funeral dirge of sorts. Near the end of the album is the seemingly out of place "As I Die" consisting of power metal oriented guitars and minimal keyboards, and an almost folk-metal styled riff/breakdown midway through the song.

The lyrics are some of the best I have seen in any metal album, Christian or otherwise. Thought-provoking, dark, haunting and seemingly hopeless, but with a glimpse of light in every song, they are the high point of the album.

The individual instruments are handled with the utmost skill and tightness; guitars have a very sweeping feel to them, the keys are prominent and the drums have the signature Hellhammer sound. A minor would complaint would be the apparent lack of bass, I would have liked it to have been higher in the mix. Vocals are absolutely flawless, and performed by Ronny Hansen, who I wouldn't hesitate to call the best extreme vocalist in the metal scene today.

The Forsaken stands as one of, if not the, greatest Christian metal album ever created. Antestor have crafted a powerful, aggressive and emotional album of bleak thoughts, despair and pain, and of the hope, love and faith that sustains one through all the struggles of this world. If you are a fan of extreme metal in any way, make this album a top priority for acquiring. You will not be disappointed.

Music Review - Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth

2009-12-21T20:43:00.003-05:00

Based on J.R.R. Tolkeins "The Silmarillion", Nightfall in Middle-Earth is a bombastic, epic journey across vast frozen plains of ice, dark fortresses and titanic battles.

First off, Hansi Kursch is absolutely one of, if not THE greatest male vocalist alive. His range is amazing, high, low, and everything in between; I've never heard another vocalist that sounds anything like him. The vocals are layered what sounds like thousands of times, especially on the choruses, giving the music an even grander feel. Songs like "Nightfall" prove this point, and that particular song may just be the catchiest chorus in all of metal.

In my opinion, this album is THE power metal album. This is everything power metal tries to be; fast, dramatic, catchy and even a little cheesy. The tightness of the band is impressive; you can tell these guys had been playing together for years and years when they made this album. Faster songs like "Mirror, Mirror," and "The Curse of Feanor" get your blood pumping with blazing solos, while slower tracks like the above mentioned "Nightfall" and "Blood Tears" really set the more somber mood for this epic tale.

All the instruments on this album are played exceptionally well, especially the drums. Thomen Staunch is the top power metal drummer in the scene today, and this album definitely shows it. Fast and technical, slow and dramatic, this guy does it all, and with an awesome tightness. Guitars are fantastic, awesome tone, great layering and superb solos, my only complaint is they seem to be mixed a little low and lack a good punch.

The narrations are a weak spot for the album; having an album of 22 songs, of which almost half are 30 second narrations broke up the momentum of the album. I'd have preferred one or two longer narrations as oppose to a half dozen short ones.

Narrations and slightly weak guitar mix aside, this a nearly flawless album. Highly recommended for anyone who likes power metal, catchy music in general and J.R.R. Tolkeins works.

Movie Review - The Proposition

2009-12-21T17:40:00.002-05:00

The Proposition, directed by John Hillcoat, is the bleak, brutal and touching story of of Charlie Burns(played by Guy Pearce), who is given an impossible proposition by Captain Stanley(played by Ray Winstone), who is in charge of the local army unit: to hunt down and kill his psychopathic murderer brother, Arthur Burns(played by Danny Huston), or have his younger, mentally challenged brother, Mike Burns, hung on Christmas Day.

To be blunt, this is not a mainstream, cookie-cutter movie. It's a very long, very slow, drawn out story that takes its time getting from one place to the next. The violence, as I stated above, is brutal, at times sadistic, but comes and goes in relatively brief doses. The treatment of blacks by whites is period-accurate, which is to say it is degrading and humiliating and in a few instances violent. The dialogue can be hard to follow, as much of it is almost muttered, and the thick accents of the characters makes subtitles a near necessity for first time watchers.

However, in spite of the the movies more violent and harsh tendencies, it is at heart a morality story, and a very moving one at that. Charlie Burns relationship with his younger impaired brother Mike is very protective and caring, though not overly affectionate. Captain Stanley and his wife Martha (played by Emily Watson) share a very affectionate and loving relationship that is at times strained by Captains Stanleys duties to civilize the land. All of the acting is superb and the dialogue, though muffled and thickly accented, is outstanding.

The cinematography is one of my favorite things about the movie; the lingering shots and beautiful landscaping is nothing short of amazing; it truly showcases the Outbacks brutality, desolation and beauty.

As beautiful as the cinematography is, I beleive that the movies greatest strength lies in the music, which conveys perfectly the feeling of unease, sadness, harshness and difficulty of life in the Outback. Written and performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, the music is nothing short of beautiful.

An outstanding cast, amazing cinematography, powerful story and brilliant music make The Proposition one of my all time favorite movies. A harsh look at life in one of the harshest places to live in the world, and also a softer look at love, family, morality and faith in the Australian Outback, The Proposition is a must-see movie and one of my top recommendations.