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

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.