My Top 10 Albums Of 2015

Here’s what I enjoyed musically in 2015.

10. John Carpenter, “Lost Themes” : I’ve not only enjoyed this man’s films all my life but his music. For those that don’t know, the man who directed such classics as “Halloween”, “Escape From New York”, “The Fog”, “The Thing” remake, And “They Live” also did the scores for those films. It was only a matter of time before he did an album of his own.  Classic Carpenter. It’s like listening to a score from a movie that doesn’t exist.

On a side note, I haven’t been able to check out the new Zombi release. If you like John Carpenter, Jan Hammer, and the kings of italian horror prog Goblin; you’ll like Zombi.

9. Prince, “Hit N Run Phase One”: Not as great as his last 2 albums, but the fact Prince released 3 albums within a year is a rare treat in itself. This album is essentially an experimental album. He pretty much sat down with a young producer and created “current dance music”. I enjoyed it because it was interesting to hear a legend’s take on current music. Not bad.

I also had the honor of seeing him in a very intimate theater earlier this year. Musically, the best show I’ve ever seen in my life. That man did in 90 minutes what other try to achieve in a full scale 2 hour show in an arena. One of the biggest concert going highlights of my life. The fact I was lucky enough to have seen him overshadowed the fact he did play “Batdance”.

8. Fear Factory, “Genexus”: I was listening to a podcast with Dino Cazares (guitar player, riff machine). That sparked interest in me rediscovering these guys. I had only known Fear Factory from their cover of “Cars” and the video game of “Test Drive 5”.

Needless to say, I became a fan of these guys. They have the right counterbalance of industrial and metal.  Dino’s a freakin’ riff machine. I dig Burton’s clean vocals. I also like the fact they use a drum machine (not because they can, it’s a time and cost issue), to this day I have a hard time telling the live drum tracks and drum machine tracks apart.

Rediscovering this band taught me one important lesson: never look down on the music you grew up on. If it weren’t for nu-metal, I would’ve never gotten into Mastodon, Cauldron, Municipal Waste,  or Lamb Of God. While it might not be considered “cool’, it served as a foundation for myself to go out and discover the more aggressive metal music. So at the end of the day, I tip my hat to nu-metal.

7. Lamb Of God, “VII: Sturm und Drang”:  I am thankful these guys are still together. A incident of that magnitude would have destroyed some bands. I am proud to be a Lamb Of God fan. I have the utmost respect for these guys and I always will.

This record is a more refined, mature Lamb Of God. It’s still aggressive but at the same time you can tell they have matured just a little bit. They did a experiment on this record just a bit but not enough to turn away anyone.

6. Metal Allegiance, “Self Titled”: Mike Portnoy strikes back ! I’ve been waiting for this guy to do a legit metal record. This record is heavy and the guests on this album is a who’s who in metal. Unbelievable. I really hope these guys get around to doing a covers album in the future.

To date, my favorite post Dream Theater project Mike Portnoy has been involved with.

5. Ghost, “Meliora”:  This record is probably their heaviest record. This is their third record and they’re still going strong. I love this band. Saw them for the 3rd time this year and they still put on one hell of a show.

4. The Darkness, “The Last Of Our Kind”:  I hadn’t been a big fan of these guys when they first came out. It took me a few years to warm up to these guys and to really understand what they are about. The Darkness is just a old school rock and roll band with catchy ass tunes. I really dug this album.

3. Chad I Ginsburg, “Rock N Roll Alibis”:   I went through a CKY kick this year. While on my CKY kick, I came across news that Chad Ginsburg was releasing a solo album this year. I immediately bought it. This solo album is awesome. You can tell what role he played in CKY musically. If you love CKY like I do, you need to check this album out.

2. Rush “R40 Live”: Seeing these guys for fifth and final time was bittersweet. On one hand, I am glad to see this guys retire at the top of their games. On the other hand, I hate knowing that my favorite band is pretty much no more. But you know what, I’ll always have their music. That’s what gravitated me towards them in the first place; the music.

These guys ended their live career on a high note. 3 sets filled with deep cuts, consistent set changes catering to said era, and Neil playing on 2 kits (I almost broke out into tears when I saw him behind that icon kit). What more can you ask for ?

To Alex, Geddy, & Neil: Thanks for everything.

I have a tie for first:

1. Faith No More, “Sol Invictus”: What more can I say ? I’ve been waiting for this since my freshman year of high school. It didn’t disappoint at all. They are simply continuing on from 1998’s “Album Of The Year”. They have no interest in being nostalgic, which I love seeing in a band that hasn’t released any new music in 18 years.

Speaking of nostalgia, they did manage to reissue “Angel Dust” & “The Real Thing”. Those reissues are awesome and were much needed !

1. Takacs, “2015 Demo”:  Finally, after a few years of building a reputation playing live off and on campus, they finally recorded a demo. I could’ve been more excited. I wanted the world to hear what I’ve been hearing for 3 years.

The demo was recorded in their storage unit during the last few weeks of winter this year. They recorded on a 16 track soundboard onto a cassette which was later mixed and mastered on a PC. The end result is this rough, no holds barred thrash demo. I knew it was going to be great but I was blown away when I heard the final product. Very DIY and very reminiscent of something I would’ve gotten if I were alive and apart of a metal tape trading circuit of the mid 80’s.

Even though the band is not together anymore, it’s a killer demo that I am glad put out into the world.

For me, it serves as a soundtrack for some of the best times I ever had in my life.

That’s all for my music picks. Anything I missed or you want to chime in, feel free to comment.

Stay tuned for my top movies of 2015….

I Don't Know How To Take "Unfriended".

On that rare occasion, I just like to go see a movie.....

A movie I have no ties to. A movie I can't tell one of my friends I saw because of the director. A movie I know very little about. A movie that is playing at the cheap theater in a strip mall 30 mins from my house.

Why am I deviating from the norm ? Because I like to go outside my comfort zone from time to time. I get curious what a "normal, standard" American movie is like. I want to see what mainstream cinema is at. Is that bad as they say ? Sometimes I just have to see for myself because you can't believe everything you read on the internet.

I had about a few hours to kill on Saturday, so my brother and I seen "Unfriended".

The movie is about these five friends who spend their night Skyping each other. It's all fun and games until someone starts trolling them. The person trolling them is posing as a former classmate who committed suicide because she was bullied over a video that was posted online of her at a party. At first, they assume it's a mutual friend. When it becomes apparent it's not the mutual friend, they put blame on each other. The trolling from that point on gets real. That's pretty much the plot without revealing too much.

First of all, it's of all sudden cool to spend your nights glued to your computer screen ? Ten years ago, when I was in high school; I was the loser on AOL Instant Messenger talking to friends, listening to music, downloading bootlegs, and drooling over shit I wanted on eBay while the "cool kids" were out partying and getting laid. Now, the cool kids sit at home "Skyping" while the losers go party ? The times have indeed changed.

The one thing that struck me was lack of cinematography. Matter of fact, THERE WAS NO CINEMATOGRAPHY ! You never leave the computer screen. It was like watching one of those how to tutorials on you tube where the guy films his computer screen and provides commentary while he's showing you something. I really wouldn't call this "innovative filmmaking". Having zero camera work, I call this lazy.

Then again, the film was budgeted at 1 million. Assuming since the film doesn't leave the computer screen, you really don't need a crew. Certainly don't need to rent cameras or a camera crew. My brother and I assumed the money they did spend went to licensing Apple, Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, Gmail, and You Tube. Which begs me to wonder, was this a movie or just a big advert for these internet companies ?

To be honest, I don't know how to take this film. Are they trying to make a statement because online bullying is a ongoing issue in our society ? Are they poking fun at online bullying ? I am genuinely confused because I was laughing during the movie. Most critics are giving it positive reviews so maybe they get it. If they get it, maybe I am the asshole with the bad sense of humor that doesn't get it.

In closing, I don't think this film was good enough for a theatrical release. It was more suited for a straight to video release or something MTV could have shown. Personally, If I wanted to watch something that never left the computer screen, I'd have a Skype session with my own friends or go on You Tube to watch a tutorial on how to use Format Factory.

My Favorite Films Of 2014

With franchises and overproduced adaptations of god knows what reigning supreme at the multiplexes nowadays, my trips to the nearest cinema is very limited. Without going on a long, boring diatribe about my thoughts on the film industry: here's the films I did enjoy this year plus my favorite Blu-Ray releases and what I am looking to forward next year.

My Favorite Films Of 2014:

1. "Boyhood"-   The best film I've seen this year.

Even beginning with "Slacker", Richard Linklater has always been an innovative filmmaker. This film however is no exception. Linklater spent 12 years off and on making this film. The end result is incredible. Watching a coming of age film with the same actors, the characters are aging along with the characters; that's genius. Kudos to Linklater for thinking outside the box.

Aside from how the movie was made, I thought the movie itself was phenomenal. Being from a divorced setting and growing up with that, to see that played out on screen in such an organic fashion was nice to see for once.

I do have to share a funny story involving seeing this movie. I seen this movie the week "Guardians Of The Galaxy" opened, I also made the mistake of wearing my Star Wars shirt to the theater as well. I walk up to the box office, the guy in the box office just shoots me the "I know what he's here for" look.

"Welcome to the AMC Lennox. Let me guess, 'Guardians' right ?"
"Excuse me ?" I reply back with legit confusion.
"You know, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' !?! With Groot and that talking weasel/Racoon thing. Judging from the Star Wars shirt, you're here for the 'Galaxy'. Just one ?"
"Oh no, I am here for the 4:30 showing of 'Boyhood'."

After what I told him what movie I really wanted to see, the look of utter disappointment on the box office guy's face was priceless.

2. "Gone Girl"- I'm down, Fincher is god !

 This one terrified me on so many levels. This film wasn't too "Hollywood", there's a sense of realism to this adaptation which I enjoyed. I also, without giving too much away, enjoyed how nothing was solved at the end. You got the answers of why but the problem wasn't really taken care of. The ending of this film gave you no closure at all. You went home knowing that and it was kind of nice. Films nowadays give you too much closure and sometimes, that's not always great.

David Fincher has really embraced digital filmmaking. He started out like everyone else in his generation shooting on film, which he was really good at too but he's really grown as a visionary shooting in digital. Case in point, "The Social Network", "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button", and "Gone Girl" were shot digitally and they look fantastic. I guess they're some directors out there that can use it for good as oppose using it as a time saving measure.

One more thing, Affleck was great in this film. I am a fan of his work. The dude has chops whether it's acting or being behind the camera. I can't wait to see what he does with being Batman.

3. "Interstellar"- Probably the best Science Fiction film I've seen in a long time.

I can't begin to explain this one. There's so much to this film that I can't review it and do it justice. You go in expecting one thing and that one thing becomes several other things. Absolutely mind blowing. I will be watching this on multiple occasion when I buy it, just so I can absorb it all.

I remember hearing and reading that people thought Christopher Nolan couldn't deliver a solid film outside of the "The Dark Knight" franchise. That's absolute bullshit, Nolan is a solid visionary. What he did for the Batman is only the beginning. I can't wait to see what he does next. This guy is a hybrid of the greats such as Stanley Kubrick, Ridley Scott, and I'll even throw pre-CGI latent Steven Spielberg.

I really wished I would've seen this in IMAX.

4. "Tusk"- I never thought someone reinventing themselves could so entertaining to watch.

 I've been a fan of Kevin Smith since I was thirteen. With that said, I grew up watching the Jay & Silent Bob saga and you would think I might show some resentment when Kevin started making movies without the lovable stoner duo. Absolutely not ! I didn't watch his movies for those guys, I watched them his movie because I connected with what Kevin was saying. I often consider Kevin Smith "the John Hughes of my generation". He's one of my favorite writers.

I love "Red State". It was different, ambitious, controversial, and well made. Next to "Mallrats", "Red State" became my favorite Kevin Smith movie. I was real interested to see what Kevin was going to do next considering he wasn't going back to the well. The well being Jay & Silent Bob.

At first, "Tusk" freaked me out. It's so strange. It's really strange that it's a Kevin Smith film. Here's a guy who gave me some great insight about relationships in "Chasing Amy" and now he makes a movie about a guy in a fucking walrus suit ? What was the John Hughes of my generation trying to say ?

Then it occurred to me he wasn't trying to say anything, he's made those movies. He might come back to those movie every once in a while but for right now, he just wants to entertain. I am cool with that.

5."Godzilla"- This is how reboots should be done. Way more redeeming than the '98 attempt. We're just going to leave it at that.

Best Documentaries I seen in 2014:

1. "Adjust Your Tracking"- I haven't bought a brand new VHS tape in almost 12 years. I pre-ordered the VHS/DVD big box combo just so I can relieve the glory days of buying a brand new movie on video tape. And that's what this documentary does, it's a very nostalgic look at VHS and VHS collecting (yes, people aside from myself still buy videotapes !). Very informative and entertaining.

2. "Rewind This"- This documentary is essentially a continuation of "Adjust Your Tracking". It's just as awesome as well.

3. "As The Palaces Burn"- I will forever have the up most respect for Randy Blythe. Not very many people in his position would do what he did. Watching this, made me proud to be a fan of Lamb Of God.

4. "Winnebago Man"- Almost 90 minutes of a disgruntled old Winnebago salesman cursing, what more could you ask for ?

5. "Side By Side"- A very informative piece on digital filmmaking. By watching this, I learned that digital filmmaking can be used for good in a visual sense. But at the end of the day, I'd rather they shoot on film.

6. "Milius"- If you are a film geek and don't know who John Milius is, you need your film geek card revoked. This guy is amazing. Wrote some of the most important films in history. This documentary is a great tribute to his legacy and him as a person.

7. "Beware Of Mr. Baker"- Ginger Baker is a fucking lunatic. Great drummer but he's crazy. Made for a good documentary though.

Best Blu-Rays I Purchased In 2014:

1. Phantom Of The Paradise/ The Zombie Horror Picture Show
2. The Complete Halloween Collection
3. The Ailen Anthology
4. The Blood & Ice Cream Trilogy (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End)
5. Through The Never
6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
7. Once Upon A Time In America: Extended Director's Cut
8. Mallrats

Most Anticipated Films For 2015:

1. Rob Zombie's "31"
2. Terminator Genesys
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. American Sniper
5. Yoga Hosers

Still on the fence about Episode VII......

That concludes my favorite films of 2014, see you in 2015 !

My Favorite Albums Of 2014.

One of the things that stands out for me this year is the amount of music I listened to. If I wasn't working, sleeping, or watching a movie; I was listening to music. I think it has to do with a few factors. One, physical media is getting dirt cheap. Ten bucks for a new album of a band I've vaguely heard of but the cover art looks cool ? I'll give it a shot. Three bucks for an album I haven't listened to since the 7th grade ? I can afford to be nostalgic. 70 bucks for a pre-order bundle that includes the album on vinyl, CD, and digital download ? I love the album already. So many incentives for me to continue collecting and listening to music.

Second factor, I stream a heavy amount of music. I don't stream to be cheap; I stream to discover. If I dig something, I'll go out and buy it. Plain and simple. Streaming has only fueled my desire to discover new music even more than usual.

We had some pretty awesome music come out this year. I am thinking next year will top it though, maybe ? Anyways, without further ado.....here's my favorite albums of 2014

10. "Fuckface Unstoppable" By Fuckface Unstoppable: I came across this band while I was on my CKY kick this year. I didn't expect much, to be honest I expected this band to be another Gnarkill. To my surprise, this isn't bad. The music is really just dirty rock n roll. And with a name like Fuckface Unstoppable, you can't go wrong.

9. "Pale Communion" by Opeth: To be honest, I really hadn't listened to Opeth in some time. I dug the musical direction they went on "Heritage" but I didn't enjoy it. This album however is a full blown 70's prog record. I am deeply impressed with this album. A complete game changer for sure. 

8. "Art Official Age" By Prince:  Finally, a new Prince record ! A new, very old school sounding Prince record I might add. If Prince went on a extended hiatus following the release of the "Batman" soundtrack and didn't make another until now: "Art Official Age" would be the album he would've made. 

7. Led Zeppelin Reissues: I remember obtaining a 30 disc bootleg of rarities once and thinking to myself "You know, this would be great bonus disc material for a future reissue release.". It took a while, but it finally happened.

Aside from the bonus material, I am stoked they're reissuing their entire catalog the right way and at a respectable price. I avoided buying the box-set and their entire catalog for this reason because I knew in the back of my mind this was coming. Really looking forward to the "Physical Graffiti" and "In Through The Out Door" reissues (My favorite Zep albums).

6. "Tyranny Of Will" by Iron Reagan: While I love Municipal Waste for the old school Thrash metal, I love Iron Reagan for the crossover/hardcore material. I was so stoked to see the Relapse logo on this record. Congratulations on the Relapse deal ! What started as a side project is now a big thing.

5. "PLECTRUMELECTRUM" By Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL:  You know how Prince's back up band is top notch ? Prince gives them an album of their own. Out of the 2 Prince's releases this year, I enjoyed this one more than "Art Official Age". This is essentially a jam album and I love it. I really dig 3RDEYEGIRL. These ladies are my heroes. They are killer musicians and they can stand on stage with a legend, do there thing and think nothing of it. If I were on stage with Prince, I would shit my pants and lose my composure. I hope a live album is in the works.

4. "Manslaughter" By Body Count: I love the first Body Count album. This one, I have to say kind of holds a candle to it. This is what constructive aggression sounds like.

3. "Down IV-Part II" By Down: I've really gotten into sludge/doom/stoner metal this year. For me, the center point of it all has to be Down. I am a sucker for a fat, juicy riff and on a Down record there's no storage of them. They're sludgy but at the same they have this groove element to him. I love this band.

2. "Bloodstone & Diamonds" By Machine Head:  I really dug "Killer & Kings", so therefore I figure I will enjoy the rest of the album. I bought this album almost a month ago and I've probably listened to this album from start to finish numerous times ! The production on this album is top notch. The strings on this are beautiful. Hard-hitting and just outright epic. Then again, did you expect anything less from a band that calls themselves Machine Head ?

1. "Once More 'Round The Sun" by Mastodon:  The soundtrack to my year. I love this album, enough said.

This one is for those "metal enthusiasts" that couldn't take a fucking joke.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR:

"Motherfucker" (Single) By Faith No More: These guys were the soundtrack to my freshman year of high school. 9th grade sucked but somehow Faith No More made it better. I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams these guys getting back together.

The only expectation I had for this was that it was going to be awesome. And you know what ? I was completely right. Time hasn't diminished the almighty Faith No More ! It just made them better.

I kind of get a sense the album is going to be a throwback to "The Real Thing" & "Angel Dust". But then again, this is Faith No More. You expect one thing and you'll get something entirely different. That's the beauty of this band and that's why I love them.

I will be buying this single when it gets released digitally. I am going apeshit over this song. It's like "High Road" all over again.

Word of advice: I really think Metallica should hold off releasing anything new next year. 2015, I think FNM will reign supreme.

Not Completely Terrible But Rather Hit Or Miss:

1. "Redeemer Of Souls" By Judas Priest: It wasn't "Nostradamus" bad nor was it "Angel Of Retribution" good. Then again, this is the almighty Judas Priest ! The same band that gave us such classics as "Painkiller", "British Steel", "Screaming For Vengeance", "Defenders Of The Faith"....the list goes on. Point is, they don't need to release another "masterpiece" because they already have so many. I am okay with that.
2. "Space Invader" By Ace Frehley: He's doing the whole "we're going to sound and play like it's 1976" thing. That's something KISS is doing. You're not in KISS anymore and you're better than KISS, sound like it ! On a minor note, love to see another Frehley's Comet album.
3. "Constricting Rage Of The Merciless" By Goatwhore: I don't think I listened to this one enough.
4. "Primus And The Chocolate Factory" By Primus: So great to see the trademark line-up of Primus back together. However, I don't get the point of this. While I will say this is an interesting take on Willy Wonka, I hope an album of original is in the works. I want to hear what the trademark line-up of Primus can do now musicially.
5. ".5: The Gray Chapter" By Slipknot: The aggression that was lost on "All Hope Is Gone" is found on this record. I don't know, I really didn't enjoy this album beyond the singles that were released. I will say this, I have the up most respect for any band that can carry on after a member passes.

Most Anticipated For 2015:
-Faith No More
-Rob Zombie
-Anthrax
-TAKACS DEMO

The Summer I Discovered Cult....

 My discovery and love for Cult Films started in the summer of 2000.....

Being a child of divorce, I spent most of my summers at my mom's. I kinda hated it because I was away from my Dad and my friends. I kinda enjoyed it because my mom lived in the suburbs, had high speed internet, cable television, the mall was a block away, the movie theater was a few more blocks away and my mother paid me some nice cash for chores. She paid the most for mowing the lawn and babysitting my little brothers. Both tasks were guaranteed 10 or more dollars. Growing up in households that didn't hand out allowances, that was a godsend.

At some point that summer, I had babysat my brothers. Real easy task: throw 'em in front of the TV and feed them every so often for 2-3 hours. My Mom paid me 15 bucks for the whole ordeal.  After I received payment, I begged my Mom to take me to the mall. It just so happen she needed to go that day. SCORE !

While my Mom was busy being child wrangler, I roamed the mall freely. With 15 bucks in my pocket, the sky was the limit.  Do I buy an expensive McFarlane figure from Spencer's ? A cheaply printed shirt from the Gags N Gifts ? Or find some CD or VHS for cheap at FYE ? I am going with the last option. It had been awhile since I bought a CD or VHS.

And what did I end up getting with my hard earned babysitting money ?

I had kind of became fond of Mr. Kid Rock's music during my pre-teen years. My parents weren't too thrilled with it. My mom wasn't too thrilled with this purchase. To this day, I still remember the look she shot me when I showed her this. It could have been worse ? Right ? Had I reached my lowest at this point ?

The appropriate thing to do: wait until everyone went to bed to watch this. Instead, I waited till everyone was out of the room. The video opens with all these strippers moaning "Kid Rock". This is great but were's the live footage or the music videos at ? During the moan session, the TV happen to be loud enough for my Mom to hear. She walked in and took one look at the strippers on the TV screen. Immediately, she sends me out of the room. I go to the kitchen. 

A few minutes later, she walks into the kitchen and hands me the videotape. 

 "Do you have the receipt ?" she says. 

"Yeah, why ?" I reply back.

 "You're taking this back tomorrow."

"Why ? They where just saying his name. What's the big deal ?"

"They took off their clothes."

"Oh." Followed by an awkward silence.

"Did you know there was strippers in this ?"

"No ?". Innocently enough, I didn't know. Then again, Kid Rock's name is on the fucking thing. I should have known there would've been at least one stripper in this.

The next day, my Mom and I went back to FYE. After my Mom berates the sales person for selling this to her 13 year old; I get my money back. Despite embarrassing the living fuck out of me, she's cool enough to take me across the overpass where a  Best Buy was located to buy something else. 

So I don't make the same mistake again, I opt for buying a cheap movie that I know she's never heard of or would watch with me. As I stroll through the VHS aisle, one VHS in particular caught my attention.

I remember looking at the cover, it really didn't reveal too much. This movie could be the best or worst thing I would ever seen. Then again, I remember my uncle telling me how awesome this movie was. My uncle is an awesome guy that would never lie to me. And for 8 bucks, what did I have to lose ? When we got home, everyone but me retreated to the backyard. I popped the tape in and immersed myself into the world of George Romero. 

For 139 minutes, I watched four people take a news station helicopter to escape the "zombie" epidemic until they end up taking refuge in a shopping mall ? It instantly became my favorite movie of all time. The film was simple, brilliant, and fun to watch. I needed to see more movies like this.

I did my research and found out two things. One, "Dawn" was a part of a trilogy that was referred to as George A. Romero's "Dead Trilogy" (Remember, we still had 4 years to go until "Land Of The Dead" was released"). Instantly, I remember doing some chores so I could buy the other 2 films. By the time school started that August, I owned both "Night" & "Day".

Two, "Dawn Of The Dead" was considered a "cult movie". From that point on, I was all about watching/collecting cult films. Cult movies became my favorite type of movie. My parents had no idea about these movies. They usually sold for cheap. And last but not least, they stood out. Years later, I am still watching and enjoy them. 

In closing, I would like to thank my Mom. If it weren't for her being a Mom and being grossly offended by Kid Rock; I would've never discovered "Dawn Of The Dead" and the cinematic joys of cult films. Sometimes, even the smallest things happen for a reason.

Once More 'Round The Mastodon

Fair warning before I start: I don't like, I fucking love Mastodon. With that said, I am probably going to be just a tad bit biased in this post-review blog. If you hate them, I wouldn't recommend reading beyond this sentence. If you like them, I recommend at least glancing over this post. If you fanboy (or girl) over them such as I, I recommend you read this entire thing. We clear ? Moving on......

The issue that introduced me to the almighty
Mastodon.

I first became aware of these Atlanta proggers in 2009. They were getting a ridiculous amount of press over their album "Crack The Skye". Aside from how this album came to be, I was also intrigiued of how every media outlet considered them to be "Progressive Rock" and or "Prog". Being somewhat of a prog connoisseur, I thought prog was a thing of the past; it does not exist anymore. Yeah we had Dream Theater and Queensryche, but when was the last time you seen them Rolling Stone or Revolver ? When was the last time they released an album with so much hype from the media ?

The one last thing that really grabbed my attention; they were mentioning Rush, Genesis, and Frank Zappa in their articles. My curiosity is at a all time high: I had to hear this album.

At first listen, I was just completely blown away. I was completely aware of musicianship and song structure of that magnitude still existed. Prog is back in a bold, new, aggressive way. Their metal but at the same time they are so much more. The musical diversity in this band is unreal. One track is metal, the other is sludge, and the other is something that Genesis would've done if they where a progressive metal act. After several listens of this album, I immediately obtained their entire back catalog and became a huge fan.

I pre-ordered this bad boy the first day they were available.

 My patience was tested a week prior to the release. Why ? Because I think I am the only one in my inner circle that actually waited to listen to this album on it's release date. Everyone of my peers who dig this band listened to this album a week prior via streaming. Me, I wanted my first listen to be on vinyl on the release day. I hate how we have options now, I miss the days where the only option to listen to a new album was on the release day. Sometimes, I hate the internet.

1. Tread Lightly: A very calm before the storm kind of opening for the album. Doesn't leave any clues of what your in store for the rest of the album. I love listening to albums with that kind of mystery.
2. The Motherload: A very uplifting tune.
3. High Road: I cannot stop listening to this song ! Do I have a legit problem or is this song that good ? The riffs are just chugging and heavy as fuck. The chorus is catchy. What's not to love about this song ? I am happy to announce that I have heard this song on the radio !
4. Once More 'Round The Sun: The third title track in the Mastodon catalog. After a complete listen of the album, I think it represents the album pretty well.
5. Chimes At Midnight: After hearing "High Road", I wasn't too crazy about this song at first listen. After repeated listens of this album, I grew to like it.
6. Asleep In The Deep: A pretty mellow tune.
7. Feast Your Eyes: A typical Mastodon tune.
8. Aunt Lisa: Love that "Hey Ho, Let's Fucking Go !" chant.
9. Ember City: I really dig Brann's vocal work on this album. Granted, he's only singing doing the chorus on this one. He's becoming the Phil Collins of metal.
10. Halloween: I just imagine this becoming a really wicked, crazy, visually entertaining music video.
11. Diamond In The Witch House: This one reminded me a lot of "Sleeping Giant". The song's pretty grand in scale. What a great track to end the album on.

"Once More 'Round The Sun" is very reminiscent of all of their previous albums. Which as a huge fan tells me that they haven't forgotten where they came but at the same time their moving forward. Too many bands fall victim to trying to recapture a certain sound they once had. Some call it "selling out". It's not selling out, it's called progress. You can't make that one defying album over and over again. For one, it gets boring. Two, your telling people you've reached your peak and you have nothing better to offer. They could have easily tried to do another "Crack The Skye" or "Leviathan". But they didn't because they are hellbent on progressing forward.

It'll probably be another 2-3 years before the next Mastodon opus. As with this record, the wait will be well worth it. In the meantime: they'll be touring, making crazy music videos, and even putting things out here and there. I'd read somewhere that they have leftovers from this album which they plan on releasing later on. Can't wait. You best believe I'll be listening to it on the release day.

Their set at this year's Rock On The Range. Third time's a charm !

Selling Out To The Man: The Beginnings Of Becoming An Online Only Consumer.

"Why Do You Collect ?"

There are many reasons, one of those reasons is the thrill of the hunt. 90 percent of the time, I have a clear perception of what I am after. How about that other 10 percent ? Aside from the item I am after, what else is in store for me ? What other cool thing might I find while I out ? All of those preconceived notions are why I collect; the thrill of the hunt.

However, there was an incident a month or so ago where my game changed entirely.

After my eye appointment, I decided to go to the mall. I have no use for the mall however, I was in the neighborhood and the FYE inside the mall usually has a good bargain or two. That and I knew they would have the reissue of Pantera's "Far Beyond Driven". I got there, checked new releases: not there. Check the "metal" section: not there either. What the fuck ? This is not an obscure release, why don't you have this !?!?!

I ended going to three other places that day to find it. None of them had it.

Usually if there's something I feel I desperately need: I go online. In this instance, I went to Amazon.  Amazon had it in stock and for 5 or 6 dollars cheaper.  I also managed to snag a few other items as well. In the end, my total was just about the same in comparison to going out to get it.

"That was easy" I thought. Not only was it easy but I got it cheaper. Then it came to me: maybe doing all of my purchasing online isn't a bad idea after all.

To be honest, I didn't want to become that guy. That guy that does the whole online thing (not knocking on anyone who does). For awhile, I was like "where's the fun in that ?". You just go on a site, type in what you want, find it, check on it, pay for, and in a few days to a week it's yours. Where was the fun in that ? I like the notion of going out to look for something. There again, the thrill of the hunt

On the flip-side, doing the whole online thing is super convenient. I got what I wanted plus more at a very reasonable price. None of the shit I bought, the price wasn't jacked up or at suggest retail price. Maybe I've been looking at this all wrong. Rather that using Amazon as my last resort, maybe it should be my only go to. Which isn't a bad idea considering where physical media is going. You ever notice that any department store with a media section is getting smaller ? It's a sign: physical media will be a thing of the past. Everyone wants to stream it, have a digital copy, or illegally download it. It sucks but I get. And you know what ? I can't hate on the streamers or pirates. Why ? Because they're making my hobby a even cheaper one.

In closing, my days of going to the mall or any other place that sells media are about over. It's sad but then again, it's called progress.

P.S. I'll still go to record stores. They will never disappoint or shove a god awful new release down my throat.