148GB

Possibly the worst news of the century... (not quite)

2009-06-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Today I shall bring you some painful non-harddrive news: Nine Inch Nails is not touring the US again.

This is especially painful for me because I've had two great chances to see them in the past year/year and a half, Lights in the Sky and the Wave Gooodbye tour (Hmmm, I should've got the memo). The first time they toured was on a weekend or something, basically school did not conflict. However, I just decided not to go because I didn't like them that much (True, they're not my favorite band but I've heard their live show is an experience). The second time they toured, just recently, was with Jane's Addiction who I hate so I decided not to go. Some excuse! I should've done what the other NIN fans did, leave during JA's set.

Inside, I'm weeping. I'm not going to travel to Europe anytime soon, but if I do...

-Ben

(Still no motivation to listen to the Stones)

An update

2009-06-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, two posts ago (over a month ago) I had said that the Zune software messed up The Rolling Stones. I wasn't lying. But I sort of found the solution. The solution? Add each album one by one.

Sure, the albums are still partially screwed up. But if I add each album one by one, I can easily fix the errors made by the software.

So far I have listened to 12 x 5/England's Newest Hit Makers, The Rolling Stones, Now! Out of Our Heads, and December's Children (And Everybody's)

12 x 5 was an extreme bore. I don't remember if I listened to all of it. It's classic blues and there''s nothing more to it.

The Rolling Stones, Now! was an improvement. Amazingly, there were a couple of songs I even recognized. Much better than 12 x 5.

Out of Our Heads and December's Children I am indifferent on, most likely because I don't remember anything special about them.

I will try to listen to some more later. Ciao.

-Ben

Mastodon/Kylesa/Intronaut (May 15th, Center Stage)

2009-05-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

This was probably my first "real" metal concert. Yeah, I've been to Slipknot before, but they're commercialized metal- they're on the borderline.

I arrived ten minutes before the doors opened- I don't know why. Intronaut didn't even start playing until 8:10. But Intronaut was great. They were heavy as shit, and the screaming helped- but randomly they would slow down and spew out some jazz riffs. They played for only 20 minutes, though. Much too short.

This place was much smaller than I had imagined- I had thought it would be the size of the Tabernacle. Boy, was I wrong. There was nothing wrong with that, though; it's just that it was by far the loudest concert I've ever been to. Even as I write this review the following morning, my ears are ringing (But I can't hear them now because my laptop is humming). Every seat was close to the stage. No, I didn't stand on the floor- I doubt I would've seen (even though I'm about 5' 9'').

Kylesa started playing about 20 minutes later. I had been really looking forward to Kylesa and I can't say that I was disappointed. I had thought they would open with "Scapegoat," the opening song of their latest album, Static Tensions. Instead they opened with "Where The Horizon Unfolds," an extremely heavy track. "Scapegoat" was their third song, and boy was it great. I only recognized one other song from the album, though. Whatever- it was still sick.

Mastodon came out a half hour later. In case you didn't know, they were to play their latest album, the 7-track, 50 minute Crack The Skye from start to finish. It was an experience not to be missed. Adding to that was the fact they would be playing clips from old Russian movies (I think) on the screen behind them. It was surreal.

"Oblivion" was perfect, and so was "Divinations," which encouraged a huge moshpit. "Quintessence" was next, a song I'm kinda indifferent on. It was slow, yeah, but during the heavier parts another moshpit formed.

Next was "The Czar." It was pretty good. It was at this time, though, that I noticed the horrible sound. During Part 1, I heard screeching like no other. I cringed, it was so bad. When they exploded into Part 2, the screeching got a little better- I guess the heavier they played, the better the sound. Or maybe the heaviness covered up the screeching, but I doubt it. However, they seemed to finish short.

The next track was "Ghost of Karelia," a song that until recently I didn't like. However, the screeching was back. I had read that Scott Kelly from Neurosis contributes the screaming vocals to "Crack the Skye," so I had wondered if Scott would do them on stage. he didn't. At first, I wondered whether Brent Hinds (Mastodon vocalist) was really screaming. I think he was. Nevertheless, the screaming parts were much heavier. What I liked about it was after the screaming, there were clean vocals (singing). However, if screamo comes to mind, then think again. The transition between the vocals is full of so much emotion, but it's not characteristic of screamo music.

The last song they played was "The Last Baron," a song my friend had told me was far better than "The Czar." Recently I realized he was right, but it was SO much better than "The Czar" live. This time I was sure they played the whole thing. With NO lack of a better word, this song was EPIC. It blew my mind away.

Now, I'm sure there were those who hadn't read online about the concerts, so many concertgoers may have been surprised that Mastodon played a second set. They played five songs from Blood Mountain- Bladecatcher, Colony of Birchmen, The Wolf is Loose, Crstal Skull, and Capilarian Crest.

"Bladecatcher" is so awesome because it's spazztastic. I mean, just listen to it. Like I expected, it ingited a massive moshpit. "Colony of Birchmen" was cool. "The Wolf is Loose" and "Crystal Skull" were my favorites of the night, though. They were heavy as shit, with lack of a better word. Those two ignited large moshpits, as well. I didn't really recognize "Capilarian Crest" but it wasn't bad.

Then it was off to Leviathian. They played three songs from there- Megalodon, Seabeast, and Iron Tusk. These songs were very heavy as well and were accompanied with large moshpits.

Then it was their last song- "March of The Fire Ants" from Remission. This song was very sludgy and heavy and backed by screaming the whole way through. I had wondered whether this would be their last song- they had played 28 dates on this tour but only on a few had they played the 15-minute epic "Hearts Alive" from Leviathian. I didn't really care whether they did or not, as I wasn't a huge fan of the song, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did, as Atlanta is their hometown and I thought that they would maybe give their hometown fans a treat. I was wrong. I didn't care, though.

All in all, best concert I've been to. It beats Red Hot Chili Peppers by just an inch.

Another miss for Zune

2009-05-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

Or, if you'd prefer looking at the big picture, then Microsoft.

A long time ago I ran this weird process to figure out the largest folders (artists) in my hard drive. Beatles were first (that made me very happy), followed closely by the 'Stones.

Well, today I decided to add the 'Stones to the Zune software. I noticed there were about 30 albums. When I added them, I noticed on the bottom of the software it said about 720 songs were added. I headed over to the 'Stones in the software, and what I saw surprised me.

There were 160 songs.

I don't remember how I ended up there, but I headed over to Unknown Artist. There were a TON of albums there, more than I had remembered. I clicked on some of them, noting the fact that each album had only one song. Hmmmm...

It was then I realized that those Unknown Albums were all sub-titled (5/6/09).

Oh. My. Gosh. The Zune software had separated 500 'Stones songs into 500 one-track albums.

Now, I don't know if the metadata is screwed up, and that it's not the software's fault at all. I really don't know. I don't know how to view metadata anyways. I don't know why it would be screwed up, though, because there are only about 30 albums in the 'Stones folder on the harddrive.

I could probably just sort the songs into their respective albums. It's be easy- so I thought. I had believed that the first ten songs would be from the first album, the next ten songs from the second album, and so on. Unfortunately, no. It's all random.

This really sucks, if you haven't realized it. (Honestly, I don't know who I'm talking to. Nobody visits this blog.) I think this is really gonna make my listening experience painful. Eh, I'll wait to listen to them until this gets all sorted out.

Until next time,

-Ben

A public service announcement

2009-04-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

That Metal Show sucks.

I guess this is VH1's attempt to attract metalheads. Well, if I can be called up to speak for all the metalheads out there, I think they'd agree with me in that they're not attracted, not in the slightest. The obvious target audience is old farts- I mean, the host and two comedians (?) only talk about 80's hard rock and metal. Nothing later. Yes, it's true that the 80's are the Golden Age of Metal, but seriously, they need to get with the times. Modern metalheads like modern heavy metal in addition to 80's. If they don't cover modern stuff, then we will not come.

The jokes they make aren't funny. The "throwdowns" are non-legit. Old Metallica vs. New Metallica? You kidding me? How can that be debated? Did I hear correctly when one of the guys said Death Magnetic is the greatest Metallica release?

Okay, I rest my case. I recommend you watch an episode immediately so you don't have to ponder about the subject any more than you have to, and when someone goes up to you the next day and goes, "Hey, is That Metal Show any good?" you can fire back at 'em and retort, "It's shit!"

Have a good day.

-Ben

Riffmaster Flash

2009-04-19T08:29:00.001-07:00

Who else but Jimi Hendrix? For those who got the joke, I assure you, no racism intended.

Anyways, I listened to his album South Saturn Delta. It is riff-mania, lemme tell ya, but essentially it's pretty boring. I do love the song "All Along the Watchtower," but I wouldn't die for the others (neither would I die for "Watchtower"... it's an expression).

I did listen to Van Halen I and part of Van Halen II in the car a couple of weeks ago. Of course it wasn't the greatest listening experience; thus, I can't tell you much about the albums. Strangely enough, though, I've had no motivation since then to re-listen to those albums or their following albums. Hmmm....

I listened to the Suicidal Tendencies albums Suicidal Tendencies and How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today. Lemme tell ya, their self-titled is damn good hardcore punk. They certainly like to say their own name in their songs. "Suicidal Failure" is a pretty funny song. How Will I Laugh is more of a thrash metal/hardcore hybrid (think D.R.I.), but none less awesome. Surprisingly, Prime Cuts (their best-of album) only collected two songs each from the above albums, so I only had to delete four tracks from the fourteen tracks on there. “Gotta Kill Captain Stupid” is a cool song; of course that’s the one I remember the most.

-Ben

Sugarment

2009-04-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sugar Ray- Sugar Ray

I like this band. This album didn't do much for me, though. It's pretty poppy, having a punk-pop sound to it kinda sorta. There are a few good songs on it, but I guess it's not much for me.

Testament- Souls of Black

I first heard of Testament when they released their sick comeback album, The Formation of Damnation. So I was pretty excited to hear Souls. My input? It's freakin awesome. This is thrash metal, so often you hear Metallica. Yet, Souls is darker and a bit heavier than anything 'Talica's put out. The vocalist often sounds like Hetfield, but often does not. When he does not, he sounds br00tal. This is a definite buy.

I finally got a mp3 player so I can now listen to much more stuff. Therefore, you will be hearing from me more often. ~~You hope~~ I hope.

Priestera

2009-04-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Before I get into the real juicy stuff, I’m entitled to tell anyone that’s reading that apparently Mastodon is no longer on the Relapse label. I’m telling you this because I took part in the Relapse 2-for-1 sale. That is, buy one Relapse album and get another free (I purchased Crack the Skye). To be honest, I probably knew that Mastodon is no longer with Relapse, but it slipped out of my mind. Anyways, it was extremely misleading. Mastodon shows up on the ‘Relapse artists’ category. How the hell was I supposed to know that Mastodon is no longer with Relapse? This is very unfair- I may have to bring it up with the folks at Relapse. Eh, it’s not a big deal anyway. The free CD I requested was Death is The Communion by the doom/stoner band High on Fire, an album I own digitally. I wanted to own it on hard copy, but it’s all good. Plus, I was going to buy Crack the Skye on CD anyways- maybe I wouldn’t have paid 16 bucks (that includes shipping), but at least I’m supporting a kick-ass heavy metal label. They take enough moola from their bands as it is, but they can continue to sign kick-ass bands.

Well, these past two weeks I've been listening to Pantera and the mighty Judas Priest.

First and foremost, I already own Vulgar Display of Power- a truly great album- as well as Reinventing the Steel- another great album-but I had no intention of revisiting them, so I just skipped over it.

The first time I previewed Cowboys from Hell, I like it, but that was about four to five years ago. Later, I previewed it again and didn't enjoy it as much. But this time, as I actually listened to it, I enjoyed it. Seems to me like there's some traces of their glam past in it, but most people disagree with me. Nevertheless, it's a slightly different sound than their later albums. Highly recommended.

Next album I listened to was Far Beyond Driven. Many people claim that this is their heaviest album, and I agree. I don't think I've heard many albums heavier than Driven. "Slaughtered" sounds like a modern death metal song. Highly recommended.

The Great Southern Trendkill is also very heavy, but in my opinion it sounds more focused to me, rather than just pure aggression. There's two acoustic songs, as well (or maybe it was one- I listened to it more than a week ago). Recommended.

I listened to two covers on their 'Best of' album- "Cat Scratch Fever," originally by Cat Stevens, and 'Hole in the Sky,' by none other than metal's greatest, Black Sabbath. Both are great covers, and if you already own their albums, I'd say at least download the covers.

I've read that their live album, 101 Proof, is legendary, but I'll save that for later.

Following the freakin' awesome Pantera, I listened to Judas Priest. This proved to be a long ordeal, though quite enjoyable.

Sad Wings of Destiny is heavy, full of hooks, and just plain' rockin. It would actually turn out to be one of my favorite Priest albums.

Next, Sin After Sin. I'll be honest, I found it quite boring. Nothing too innovative or anything.

Next, Stained Class... I've read that this album is really good, but I didn't think so. I mean, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't very exciting, either.

Next, Killing Machine, aka Hell Bent For Leather. Okay, I absolutely LOVE this album. It's sick good. I'm indifferent about their cover of "The Green Manalshi," but the rest of the album slays, and the title track kicks ass.

The next album I listened to was Screaming for Venegance, but that was because I have the 2001 reissues of British Steel and Point of Entry. I've listened to Steel before and it's an awesome album. Sure, there are the hits- "Breaking the Law," "Living After Midnight, "United," but there are also the fan favorites- "Metal Gods," "Grinder," and I gotta say the fans know best. "Grinder" has got to have the coolest freakin' chorus I've ever heard in my life, and "Metal Gods" just kills. "Living After Midnight" is catchy as hell, though.

Point of Entry is terrible- it reminds me of frickin country. Shame on you, Judas Priest.

Screaming for Vengeance won the fans back- if they were ever lost (I would imagine so). This album is pretty good, not amazing, however the opener "Electric Eye" is completely awesome, and there's absolutely no words at all to describe "You've Got Another Thing Comin.'"

Following the success of Vengeance, Priest released not one, not two, but three ridiculously bad albums. Defenders of The Faith sucks. Turbo sucks. Ram it Down is okay.

Following the success of their past three albums- wait, who am I kidding, I'm sure they bombed- Priest released the too-awesome-for-words Painkiller. I listened to Painkiller about two years ago, and I didn't really like it. But that was my first Priest album, not having listened to Leather, Steel, or Vengeance, and not the three bombs after Venegance that made this re-listen even sweeter. Let's be honest, this may be one of the greatest return-to-form albums ever made. It's heavy as hell. Period. This is Classic Priest Reloaded- so what are you waiting for, take in the scent of awesomeness and rejoice.

After this fantastic effort, Rob Halford left the band. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently there were some problems. Tim “Ripper” Owens joined as lead singer on the next two albums:

Jugulator and Demolition have a more “modern metal” feel to the. Actually, they’re not that bad, to tell you the truth. I liked ‘em more than Point of Entry, no doubt about that. “Ripper” is not a bad singer, he’s pretty talented actually. He’s no Rob Halford, but ten again, who is?

Halford later rejoined the Priest crew and they released an album, Angel of Retribution. It maintains the more modern heaviness heard on Jugulator and Demolition. It’s different than its predecessors, sure, but in comparison to earlier Halford-Priest material, it’s modern. The opener, “Judas Rising,” is catchy. The rest of the album is good, too. The album closer is pretty epic, if I say so myself. Not a bad addition to your Priest collection.

METALLICA

2009-03-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

As a self-proclaimed metalhead, Metallica is a code. I have already listened to Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice for All, Death Magnetic, and even St. Anger. No Black Album? Honestly, I never got into that one.

Metallica's entire discography is on the harddrive- surprise!

First, I listened to Garage, Inc., an album I've been wanting to listen to for some time. It's full of covers, demos, and outtakes, but mostly the former. It's great to hear Metallica's versatility. Some of these covers really kick ass- eh, most of the covers kick ass. It's a good listen.

Second, I listened to Ride the Lightning. I bought this album years ago, but I lent it to a friend and never got it back. I haven't listened to it for years, so I took it for a spin. It's really good. Metallica's first three albums- Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets- are all thrash metal classics, but each is different. Kill has hints of hardcore punk (at least I think it does), Master is heavy as shit, but Ride has more of a classic metal sound. It's more symphonic, melodic, and progressive than its predecessor I guess. First three tracks are the best.

Third, I listened to the Black Album. I skipped track 1- "Enter Sandman"- because it's played on modern rock radio fifty times a day. "Sad but True" is more awesome than I remembered (yeah, I heard this on the radio as well), a heavy standout. I don't really remember "Holier than Thou." I skipped "The Unforgiven" because I just listened to it to compare it with its two sequels (on Reload and Death Magnetic). I've heard "Wherever I May Roam" but it's such an awesome song so I listened to it again. Next, "Don't Tread on Me," a good song but lacking hooks. The second half of the album was strong but lacked major hooks. Not including "Nothing Else Matters," of course, a haunting ballad.

Up next: Load and Reload, whic I am not looking forward to...

Hmmm.....

2009-03-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Ya know, I never really thought about it, but I don't think anyone visits this blog...

Well, I don't really care, because this blog is more for me, I guess...

Anyways, another blogger at Zunetracks.net mailed me his flash drive with a bunch of music:

Black Box: WaxTrax! Records - The First 13 Years
Exactly what it sounds like, a compilation of artists signed to WaxTrax! Records for the first 13 years... Diverse stuff, for the most part electronic, a bit of industrial here and there, pretty cool...

That was the main thing, then he sent me some other stuff as well:

Sevendust: Home, Greatest Hits
I love Sevendust, they're one of my favorite bands. The Greatest Hits album was cool, I especially like the songs from their first album. Home was pretty good. I've got Seasons already, which he actually sent me, but it's all good. I've also got Alpha (wicked cover art!)

Orgy: Vapor Transmission, Punk StatiK Paranoia
He didn't send me the full-lengths, only a select songs from each, but hey, it's all good in the neighborhood. I downloaded their cover of "Blue Monday" several years ago, which I really dig. These songs he sent me are pretty heavy on the electronics, especially Vapor, and then Punk sounds a bit nu-metalish to me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I disgress.

Cop Shoot Cop: Release, Ask Questions Later
Cop Shoot Cop is a forgotten rock band, a cult band if you will. I can't really describe their sound, let Wikipedia help you. He sent me a few songs from Ask, and all but two from Release. They're worth checking out.

Chris Connelly: Shipwreck, Phenobarb Bambalam
Chris Connelly is an electronic/rock artist. My fellow blogger sent me a song from Shipwreck and a song from Phenobarb. Not to mention a couple of songs on the WaxTrax! compilation. He's not bad, pretty catchy, good stuff...

Two: Voyeurs
Rob Halford's electronic side project. ....What? Yeah, the same guy from Judas Priest. No, I'm not shitting you. Surprisingly, it's pretty good. Maybe because the electronics are supplied by Mr. Trent Reznor himself... Reznor's pretty popular with famous musicians, did you know Johnny Cash covered his song "Hurt"? Yeah, I thought it was the other way around, too.

The Clash: The Clash
Well, unfortunately I trashed this album. Yeah, it wasn't for me. I guess I was expecting a punkier Clash. I mean, I heard The Clash were a pioneering punk band, but maybe I shouldn't have compared them to Black Flag or Minor Threat. Yeah, their self-titled album is more reggae, I think...
He sent me a few random songs, though, like "London Calling" and "This is Radio Clash." I bet this stuff is on the harddrive, anyways.

Well, that's it from me today, I suppose you'll have to wait until next week to hear anything harddrive-related. Ciao.

-Ben

Myspace music FTW

2009-03-05T07:55:00.000-08:00

I promised a return to original programming, and here it is:

Hidden Treasures is an EP of non-album tracks, including compilation and soundtrack tracks, etc. If you've been missing heavy Megadeth then try this. This shit is rockin'. Furthemore, there are two covers: "Paranoid" (Black Sabbath) and "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (Alice Cooper). They are very good covers. I remember I had something to say about the Cooper cover...but I forgot. Sorry.

Mr. Hard Drive didn't supply me with Cryptic Writings and Risk (the latter is understandable because I heard it sucks). Anyways, next:

The World Needs a Hero is, in my opinion, Megadeth's most eclectic album yet. It was about two weeks ago when I listened to it, so I can't tell you too much about it, but trust me: it's very diverse.

The System has Failed is Megadeth's return to roots. This one is riff-driven and very heavy. As the second half of the album comes, however, some eclectic elements are introduced into the mix. Still, this is Megadeth's heaviest work since Rust in Peace, which was released 18 and a half years ago.

Now that that's over with, let me let you in on a secret:
Myspace Music rules.

Okay, now, I've always known this: certain full-length tracks by a band could be streamed, and for many bands, the songs were free to download!

I noticed this not too long ago, but now bands can post unlimited full-length tracks up for streaming. Furthermore, they can organize them into albums.

What does this mean for us? That means, folks, that if there is an album that you've been wanting to listen to, rather than simply preview it, then you can do it. Maybe. Not all bands post albums up for streaming, and in addition, not all bands post every single album up. But there's still a pretty good chance that the album you want is up for streaming on the band's Myspace profile. DO IT.
I've been listening to some SLAYER!!!!!!!!!!! and Chimaira.

\m/ \m/

-Ben

Before I forget, lemme tell you about this concert

2009-02-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the good fortune of seeing Slipknot live in concert.

At first I wasn't sure, but as the metal raged on I started enjoying it more. When the show ended I was STOKED.

They played well. I have a few complaints, though:

-crowd sucked... from my seat, I could see maybe ten people moshing. And by moshing I mean running into each other, not headbanging.

-no visuals... I guess one could argue that their masks are enough, but usually they have a bunch of pyrotechnics. There was none of that, not even visuals in the background. The only thing that deserved attention was Joey's drumset going inverted in the air.

-sound was not top-notch... of course, I've never been to a Slipknot show before, but I had a hard time knowing that (sic) and Eyeless were even playing. The reason I brought this up was because I saw someone talking about it on the Slipknot forums.

Songs that were best live: Everything Ends, Surfacing, and as much as I hate to admit, Psychosocial.

----------

The lineup for Mayhem fest '09 has been released.

First stage:
Slayer (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SSSSLLLLAYYYYERRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Marilyn Manson (Awesome)
Bullet for My Valentine (These guys are pretty good)
Killswitch Engage (Another good band)

Second stage:
Trivium (I love Trivium...and I missed them at the Slipknot concert)
God Forbid (These guys kick serious ass)
All That Remains (Blechhh... way too melodic for me)

Third stage:
Cannibal Corpse (SUCKS)
Whitechapel (Also SUCKS)
Behemoth (I listened to these guys the other day; they're not too bad, actually)
Job For a Cowboy (Not bad)
Black Dahlia Murder (Not bad)

I missed it last year, so hopefully I can go this time around. Last time Slipknot, Disturbed, Mastodon, and Dragonforce headlined, and a bunch of other kick-ass bands that I can't remember played.

Back to the original programming shortly...

-Ben

Megadeth

2009-02-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

One of the Big Four of thrash bands (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer), Megadeth is often called Music's greatest revenge band.

Huh?

Let's start with some history. Metallica's original lineup included Dave Mustaine on lead guitar. This was before Kill 'Em All. Right before they recorded their debut, Mustaine was kicked out of for drug abuse. He went on to form Megadeth.

Megadeth's first album was Killing is my Business...and Business is Good! It was a very heavy, extremely raw-produced album. One of the peculiarities is "Mechanix." I didn't notice anything weird until the chorus hit. I was thinking, "Have I heard this song before?" Sort of. Mustaine wrote this song while he was in Metallica. Metallica slightly revised the track and included it on Kill 'Em All as "The Four Horsemen." Aha!
Killing also had a parody-cover of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made For Walkin'." Perefct example of their Megadeth's humor.

Next up: Peace Sells...but Who's Buying? Too bad, I already own this album. I don't remember the last time I listened to it, but it must have been not too long ago, because I don't feel like listening to it again. However, the album is stellar. The title track is a masterpiece; the other songs are great, as well. The album is consistently heavy (I think).

Third up: So Far, So Good...So What? I understand that critics didn't like this one too much, but I disagree. It's not as raw as Killing, but it's heavy. Megadeth put another cover on here, it's called "Anarchy in the U.K." Surely you've heard of it. Anyways, it's a great cover. The standout here is "In My Darkest Hour," an EPIC track. When I first heard it, my initial reaction was, "This'll be a cool song to play on guitar".... not that I play, but my best friend does.

Fourth up: Rust in Peace. Like Peace Sells, I've heard this one before. So, time for the magic question: Which one did I like better? I'm gonna pull the fairness card. It's been a while, you know. I think I've always slightly preferred Peace Sells, but maybe just because of the title track. However, Rust In Peace has "Holy Wars, "Hangar 18," and "Rust In Peace...Polaris." Pretty sweet deal. As far as I can remember, Rust In Peace is heavy, and critics call it very progressive- maybe their equivalent of ...And Justice For All? That would be right because next up is their equivalent of Black Album.

Fifth up: Countdown to Extinction. This one has the same producer as Rust In Peace, but this time around he pushed the band towards a commercial direction. It worked: Countdown is their biggest selling album. Its songs have a more traditional rock structure, and are geared towards a mainstream audience. Best songs: The singles. "Symphony of Destruction," "Skin O' my Teeth," "Sweating Bullets." Most of the songs are good, though.

Youthanasia followed the same structure as Countdown. Much more underrated, though. The best song is "A Tout Le Monde," which is perhaps their most melodic song yet. Yet it kicks major ass.

More Megadeth coming soon...

-Ben

More Zeppelin

2009-02-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last week I listened to disc 1 of Physical Graffiti.
Yesterday I listened to disc 2.

No wonder Robert Plant denied the claim that Zeppelin is a heavy metal band, his reason being that over a third of their music is acoustic. I dunno if disc 2 is mostly acoustic, but lemme tell you, the first six tracks are definitely NOT hard rock. The only tracks that had Zeppelin's trademark hard rock sound were "The Wanton Song" and "Sick Again." Now, I'm not a hard-rock whore; I can appreciate basic rock. But disc 2 of Physical Graffiti I did not.

Presence was next. Now I didn't dislike Presence at all. It was a return to riff-driven rock for the Zeppelin crew. "Achilles's Last Stand," the ten-minute album opener, is epic. "Candy Store Rock" is a cool song. Now this is one of those exceptions where I don't remember any of the songs but they were still good. I give Presence a thumbs-up.

Next was In Through the Out Door. This is their final real studio album. In Through the Out Door is diverse. I say this mainly because there's a bluegrass song on here. Bets are you don't know the song "Fool in the Rain," but when you listen to it you'll realize that you do know it. "All My Love" is a good track, a sad one. It was written for Plant's son who died around that time. This is no Houses of the Holy or IV but it's not a bad way to end their career.

Finally, there was Coda. "Wait, didn't you say In Through the Out Door was their final studio album?" Indeed. Whether Coda is a studio album or a compilation is up for debate, but I see it as a compilation, because the crew didn't sit down and write a bunch of tracks. No, they sat down and compiled a bunch of old demos and outtakes that were never released on their albums. If you're still digging some hard rock, look no further- this stuff is from the good ol' days. Plus, there's a track that is described as Zeppelin's answer to punk rock- "Wearing and Tearing." I'll be honest, even though I can't remember each song clearly, they're all great. This is a must for any fan's collection.

----------

I'll admit it, I'm a big fan of Korn. I've got all of their studio albums except Issues, See You on the Other Side, and Untitled. Well, you guessed it, Korn's on the harddrive. Issues? No. See you on the Other Side? No. Untitled? No. Greatest Hits? Yeah. And, whaddya know, there are four tracks from Issues on Greatest Hits.

The tracks from Issues- Make Me Bad, Somebody Someone, Trash, Falling Away From Me- are kinda different. I've read that Issues shies away from nu metal, and leans towards alternative metal. Sounds right. The tracks aren't bad, but they don't receive my praise, either. Not to say that I'm a nu-metal whore, because I'm not, but Korn should really stick to what they're good at. After all, they started nu metal.

Plus, there are two exclusive songs on Greatest Hits, a cover of Cameo's "Word Up" and Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall." At this moment I can imagine hordes of Pink fans shouting "blasphemy!" To be honest, I haven't heard all of the original, but I don't have to listen to it to know it's better than Korn's version (but I'll let you know when I get to Pink Floyd). Why? 1) The original (almost) always beats the cover, 2) Pink Floyd is almighty, and 3) Korn isn't the right band to cover such greatness anyway.

-Ben

Led Zeppelin

2009-01-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

I had the (sorta) pleasure of listening to several Zeppelin albums.

When I last posted, I had said that I had listened to their self-titled debut. Under normal circumstances, Led Zeppelin II would be next. However, I just listened to that a couple of weeks ago in the car (I was using my brother's iPod, and he's got that album on there). As far as I can remember, though, that album is great. It improves on the greatness of their debut greatly. Most of the songs are awesome, but the standouts are: "Whole Lotta Love," "What is and What Never Should Be," "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)," and "Ramble On." This is one of their more hard rock-based efforts in my opinion.

So I listened to Led Zeppelin III. You guessed it, I didn't like it. Probably because the songs are more folk-rock than hard-rock. "Immigrant Song" was the only notable song; hell, it was the only song I remembered. What does that say about the album?

"Immigrant Song" is a pretty cool song, though. I've always been pretty annoyed by it, because of Plant's weird "ooooooooooo waaaaaaaaaa ahhh" (no, not the thing in "Down with the Sickness"). It's hard to describe the sound in typed words, but people that have heard the song should know what I'm talking about. But, yeah, it adds a weird touch to the song, and it's not bad. That reminds me; did you know the song was about Vikings? Me neither. Listen to the first two lines carefully, and it should be clear to you...

Next up: Led Zeppelin IV.
...I listened to that album in the car, too.
However, IV is epic, for lack of a better word. It's a masterpiece...well, maybe "Stairway" defined it. But, if "Stairway" wasn't on there, the album would still be great. Don't believe me? "Rock and Roll," "Black Dog," "When the Levee Breaks." That's all I have to say to you. Like II, IV is hard rock at its best. Every self-respected hard rock fan should own this album.

So the next album I actually listened too was Houses of The Holy. HOTH is a solid album. If you've never actually listened to this album, bets are that you've heard more than a few songs from it anyway. You've probably heard "The Song Remains the Same," "Over the Hills and Far Away," "The Crunge," "Dancing Days," "D'yer Maker," and "The Ocean" (6 of the 8 songs on the album, jeez). And to be fair, let's say you've heard "No Quarter" as well. Holy shit.

This is a great rock album, maybe not as heavy as II and IV but flawless nonetheless. Another must-have from the Zeppelin crew.

I also listened to disc 1 of Physical Graffiti. I have mixed feelings about this er...disc. Don't get me wrong, the songs are great; I just don't remember any of them except for "Kashmir." You may recall that I bashed III because I didn't remember any of the songs. In this case, I just didn't remember the songs because they didn't stand out, not because they sucked (which they didn't...they just didn't have the magic Zeppelin touch).

"Kashmir" wasn't as good as I remembered... It's definitely a weird song. I don't knowcif I agree with Plant that "Kashmir" is their best song, but it's still a good song.

Well, to give Physical Graffiti the justice it deserves I'll listen to disc 2 tomorrow. Until then, stay classy.

-Ben

[I Cheated]

2009-01-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I listened to Powerslave and Led Zeppelin.

Huh? Iron Maiden recorded an album called Led Zeppelin?

Well, no...they didn't.

I cheated.

Powerslave was not as epic as its predecessors. I noticed it had a more melodic sound. Also, on the cover their mascot Eddie is depicted as a pharaoh- is this significant in some way? You tell me. Maybe, just maybe, Powerslave has an Egyptian sound to it, but hell, I'm just throwing stuff out.

After, I added Led Zeppelin's discography to my Zune Software, not to listen, but you know, just because. Well, actually, recently, I have been addicted to "Stairway to Heaven." Anyways, I cheated and took a listen at Led Zeppelin.

Did I like it? Yeah.

It's infused with helpings of blues-rock and folk-rock, as well as Led Zeppelin's signature hard-rock sound. Best tracks: "Dazed and Confused," "Good Times, Bad Times," "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You."

The riff in "Dazed and Confused" is stellar. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is sorta like a dyslexic "Stairway."

Tonight I listened to Somewhere in Time- yes, back to Maiden. I found this one potentially arena-rock, sorta "power metal." It was all right. Actually, I think I'm gonna "cheat" again- not saying that Maiden is bad, because that's FAR from the truth, but I just find myself dreading listening to them.

Back to the Zeppelin mobile, then.

-Ben

Iron Maiden

2009-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

Today I listened to three Iron Maiden albums- Killers, The Number of the Beast, and Piece of Mind.

A fair comparison to Iron Maiden wouldn't be in order, because I listened to that one more than two weeks ago, and I don't remember it all that well.

So which one is best? Erm... what I am about to say may anger some hardcore Maiden-heads, but hell, I can't tell the difference.

Number of the Beast has some damn good songs that stand out, but aside from that, nope.

"Run to the Hills" is catchy, as "Number of the Beast" is, but it really isn't all that good. "Number of the Beast" was better. But I honestly liked the rest of the songs on the album better than those two. Also, I'll admit that I couldn't tell that Bruce Dickinson was new on this record until "Number of the Beast." (Well, maybe if I knew at the time of listening, I would've paid more attention and noticed..."Number of the Beast" sorta reminded me)

Killers is good. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a great song.

Piece of Mind has a slightly different sound. I can't say what it is, but I mean, I noticed a difference between the previous three albums.

That's enough Maiden for today. Let's see about tomorrow.

-Ben

10 best albums of 2008

2008-12-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't been listening to music on the harddrive, because the past few days I've been forming a list of the best albums of '08 for a music blog I write for.

I don't know when the list is going to be up, but it'll be at the following location:

zunetracks.net

EDIT: It's up now- by the time you read this, however, it may be on the second page

To form this list, I used the zune pass, a $15 dollar music subscription for the Zune Marketplace. I can download all I want, but it expires when I cancel my subscription. Bummer.

So, right now I'm enjoying my Zune Pass, listening to all sorts of shit, so you probably won't hear from for a while. Well, it is a 2-week free trial, so I'm cancelling it at the end of this week, or whenever my family decides to leave to visit our family in Florida (probably Saturday).

Keep rockin.'

-Ben

A revelation

2008-12-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago I listened to Awake by Godsmack. It wasn't a bad album or anything, but I just found myself bored after a few songs.

It was then I had a sort of revelation. I've always loved nu metal, which kind of puts me on the not-metal map. But after listening to this, I realized when nu metal is good, it dominates; but anything just ordinary is mediocre.

Now, you may accuse me of hypocrisy for having this sudden change of heart. But just listen. A few months ago (well, more than that) I picked up The Darker Side of Nonsense by Dry Kill Logic, a perfect example of nu metal. I had previewed it on iTunes and really liked it. However, when I got home and played it, I found myself disappointed. So, I played the ol' parental advisory trick.

The Darker Side of Nonsense had tons of curses in the lyrics- but no warning sticker. Uh-oh! My mom had done this before with the self-titled Slipknot album. She had gone up, demanded a refund (well, she did it nicely). When I had opened up the disc in the car and read the lyrics, my mom snatched it from me when she saw there were about 20 instances of the f-bomb just in the first two songs or so (I was much younger at the time). At first, the clerk refused, but my mom asked to speak to the manager, and the manager granted my mom a refund. At the time, I wasn't happy about it.

So I asked my mom to return Nonsense. I felt kinda bad about it, but hey. I heard it was much harder for her this time. Why? I could've burned it to my computer. (I deleted it from there- I don't steal)

Anyways, the point here is that nu metal only stands out when it's done correctly. Otherwise, it's garbage.

--------------

I also listened to Iron Maiden's self-titled debut. I liked it a lot. It sounded like a really heavy classic rock record. They're pretty similar to Judas Priest, too.

Let's see, this guy's got 246 songs in Iron Maiden's discography. Not too bad compared to the Beatles (850 songs). But then again, he's got every studio album, compilation, and live album. For the Beatles he had every single too...

I don't think this will take me too long, I managed to listen to every Beatles studio album during Thanksgiving break, which was three days off school, and the weekend. (By the way you can read my reviews of every studio album on my other blog) Besides, I've only got one more exam, day left, and then I've got two weeks off for Christmas break.

I'll keep you tuned.

-Ben

Welcome...

2008-12-18T17:48:00.000-08:00

Several months ago my dad's friend gave us a 148 gb harddrive- approximately 47,000 songs. He got it it from a friend himself.

So far I have listened to the full discographies of Ac/Dc, Black Sabbath, Black Label Society, and the Beatles. I have also listened to the following albums: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by Dead Kennedys, One by One by Foo Fighters, Prolonging the Magic by Cake, Pure Cult: The Singles by The Cult, Sixteen Stone by Bush, and Awake by Godsmack.

Honestly, right now I'm giving it a quick run-through: listening to those artists who jump out at me and beg, "play me!" To listen to every artist on the harddrive...well, that's take years.

And that's my mission.

Stick with me while I overload my brain with audio (and possibly my mp3 player, when I get one).

I can't promise you you'll hear about everything I feast my ears on. Like I said, this'll take years, and I'm not the type to keep a project running for a long time. But I'll try my best, and that's all anyone can ask for.

Rock on.

-Ben