Better late than never, right?  Protip: Never work a retail job during the holidays if you want even a second of free time.  I will sooner or later get to the LittleBigPlanet blog I promised way back when, but I thought this was a bit more important to get out there.  So without further ado...


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10. TRIVIUM – “Shogun”

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Folks are calling them the hungriest young band out there,and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree.  For a band that’s so young (not too long ago they weren’t even old enough to drink)and has been together for such a short time (keep in mind their demo was from friggin’ 2003), they sure have accomplished a lot.  This album is more or less what they said it would be: the marriage of their original melodic death style and their more mature, clean vocal thrash style.  Matt Heafy may not be the best lyricist out there, but his vocals and guitar shredding –especially that fucking guitar shredding – ensures that this is a band that’s gonna be synonymous with quality metal for many years to come.  Just try to keep the blood from pumping while blasting “Kirisute Gomen”!  In the piece I wrote about them a few years back, I quoted Heafy saying he wanted TRIVIUM to be even bigger than METALLICA and Michael Jackson.  They keep making albums like this, it could very well come to fruition.

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9. CYNIC – “Traced in Air”

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For an album such as this one that was 15 years in the making, one thing was in the mind of all prog-rockers the world over: This album better be damn good.  Luckily for all of us, it was.  Considering the type of work the band’s members have been doing since their break-up, nobody expected a full-on return to the deepest of their thrash/death roots.  As a whole, “Traced in Air” is an honest album…it doesn’t pretend like the past decade and a half never happened, and it’s not a cashing-in on the band’s previous success. It’s a bit more melodic and mellow than “Focus,” but there are plenty of moments like “Evolutionary Sleeper” that keep the spirit of that album alive and well.  There are even some “rough”vocals from new guitarist Tymon.  This for me was the comeback album for 2008 (yes, even beating out AC/DC andMETALLICA), so hopefully we haven’t heard the last from these guys.

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8. TESTAMENT – “The Formation of Damnation”

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…And speaking of comeback albums, we finally got our grubby hands on this one last year, after nearly a decade of waiting.  Yeah, yeah, I know… I called this one “safe”when I wrote my Peacedogman review of it (click here to read it). And sure, it may have been considering all the stuff they’ve done in the past, but there are still two reasons why it’s still on the ol’ Top 10.  Reason #1: It’s heavy as fuck.  I must have listened to “More Than Meets the Eye” like 10 times in a row when it was first posted on the band’s MySpace because I had trouble believing it was for real.  Reason #2: Alex Motherfucking Skolnick.  There’s a reason why he’s one of my Top 5guitarists of all time – his melodic shredding style will never, EVER be equaled.  I also like how, much like CYNIC, these guys didn’t disregard their past and had plenty of death metal growlies throughout, particularly on the title track.  Mark my words: The next one’s gonna be even better.

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7. JUDAS PRIEST – “Nostradamus”

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I was guilty of the same thing everyone else was when this first came out: writing it off as overwhelming because it was such a massive concept album and nothing like what we were used to.  Well, after a few months of repeated listens,it became clear just how brilliant of an effort this album was, and how much longevity it has.  I’m glad that I got the opportunity to write my review considerably “later” than a lot of folks did.  Speaking of which, far more detail about this modern masterpiece can be found by clicking rightchere.

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6. DARKTHRONE – “Dark Thrones and Black Flags”

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This is an album that’s gotten a fuck ton of play from me during the last of the year.  I’ve gone on record countless times praising the current metal/punk hybrid style of Fenriz and Mr. Culto over their past few albums, and it seems that with this one it sounds better than ever!  As with several of the bands already listed above, here’s yet another example of a band doing whatever the fuck they want and having that audacity pay off in spades.  DARKTHRONE is a band that truly understands extreme music – a wide range of it too – and puts it all together in their songs.  And speaking of songs, “The Winds They Called the Dungeon Shaker,” “Hiking Metal Punks” and “Grizzly Trade” are among the finest they’ve ever written, employing all sorts of rock influences while keeping their grim sound intact.  It’s clear at this point that DARKTHRONE is gonna keep doing whatever the fuck they want to whether folks like it or not, and it’s precisely that kind of “Fuck you”attitude that the scene desperately needs right now.

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5. SOULFLY – “Conquer”

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2008 was a year that didn’t hold too many surprises for me when it came to music, but for some reason I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the thrash metal comeback of Max Cavalera and SOULFLY.  Most people who know me know how hard I wank to the SEPULTURA magnum opus “Arise,” and since then I’ve never expected anything Max or SEPULTURA to do since to come within a thousand miles of that album.  And sure, while “Arise” continues to be No.1 in my book, there are plenty of thrashing moments like “Paranoia,” “Blood Fire War Hate” and “Doom” that make me feel like I’m 14 again, listening to classic SEP for the first time.  It almost brings a tear to my eye knowing that Max still has it in him after all this time.  Oh, and Marc Rizzo is a hundred times the guitarist that Andreas Kisser ever was.  And while I’m at it, the CAVALERA CONSPIRACY album, which we old-school SEP fans never thought would happen, was quite solidas well.

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4. BLOODBATH – “The Fathomless Mastery”

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Hands-down the most successful metal side project of all time, BLOODBATH has shed the image of being a “tribute” band to the death metal greats of the past and have shown once again how great a band they are in their own right.  This time around they’ve chosen to trade in their tales of gore and murder and replace ‘em with all sorts of sacri-licous evil, a dark bargain that’s working out quite well for them thus far.  Anders Nystrom and Jonas Renkse can still pound out death metal riffs like no other, and “At the Behest of Their Death” and “Mock the Cross” are some of the most brutal death metal tracks ever laid down by any band of any generation.  Plus, they’ve got Mikael Akerfeldt back… what more could a death metal fan ask for?  Speaking of which, it’s pretty awesome how haggard Mike’s voice is sounding these days,probably due to all the touring OPETH has been doing in recent years.  Eventually, he’ll rival Chris Barnes in the tracheal wear-and-tear department!  Keep in mind,too, that this is actually the second of two solid releases BLOODBATH released this year: “Unblessing the Purity” is every bit the killer that its full-length counterpart is.

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3. MADKING LUDWIG – “Seven Stairways”

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I wrote the Peacedogman review for this one too, in addition to blasting it countless times since, and I’m still not sure of the best way to describe this ....Montreal.... band’s sound.  Stoner folk?  Hardcore psychedelic?  Regardless, this is a band that is both truly original and a pleasure with each and every listen.  Between the generous helping of woodwinds and the one-of-a-kind vocal duo of Leila Jolin-Dahel and Stéphane Bellemare, there is no chance of any other band on the planet sounding remotely like them.  Again, there’s more detail to be found by clicking right... about... here…

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2. NACHTMYSTIUM – “Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1”

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Confession time: The first time I heard these American black metallers, I wasn’t that impressed.  It was their self-titled EP, and it didn’t really do much to differentiate itself from the stuff that came out of Norway some 15 years prior.  Fast forward to last year, and this album hits us jaded metal snobs harder than being sandwiched by two semis colliding head-on. The current style of NACHTMYSTIUM has been described as either “psychedelic”or “experimental” black metal.  Whatever term is used to describe them, the bottom line is that “Assassins” is a first-class metallic experience that most metal fans would be willing to kill for.  Imagine the melodic rock spin of modern SATYRICON lightly sprinkled of the electronic sampling of DODHEIMSGARD and played with a stoner rock ethic, and you at least have some kind of starting point.  Add in a limitless supply of no-nonsense riffs and a superb production, and what we have is an experience that plants itself firmly in the “has to be heard to be believed” category.  If the founders of the black metal genre aren’t proud of what NACHTMYSTIUM have accomplished, they damn well should be.

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1. HOLLENTHON – “Opus Magnum”

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This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.  I’ve been saying for years how much of a genius Martin Schirenc is, and his first two HOLLENTHON albums have gotten an obscene number of plays from me throughout this decade. So of course I knew that once Schirenc’s main band, PUNGENT STENCH, was done for good that I’d begetting a new HOLLENTHON album which I’d adore from the get-go.  What I didn’t know was how much effort Mr. Schirenc would put into making HOLLENTHON a consolidated metal band as opposed to the side project it had been.  Instead of mimicking a movie soundtrack (and heavily using samples from other movie soundtracks), what we have here is a solid collection of metal songs, each perfectly capable of standing in their own right.  And with (gasp!) a solid band backing him up,including second guitarist Martin Arzberger, the musicianship has never been better.  At the same time, there are still plenty of classical/operatic snippets, along with Elena Schirenc’s phenomenal lyrics, which keep that epic sound from their first two releases perfectly intact.  On top of all of that, is that a bitchin' album cover or what?  Bottom line: Anyone who wrote Martin Schirenc off in the past is hating themselves now, and I’m standing there pointing and laughing at all of them.

There they are.  And as always, there are a ton of albums I liked that didn't quite make it (DEATH ANGEL, DAYLIGHT DIES among others) along with an embarrassing number of albums I haven't heard yet.  Ah well... such is the case with all year-end lists, right?  Again, share with me your opinions/suggestions.

ROCK ROCK ON!!!

"My dreams are all dead 'n buried
Sometimes I wish tha sun'd just explode
When God comes 'n calls me to 'is kingdom
I'll take all ya sons-a-bitches when I go!"


"Do not touch tha trim!"

There was a point to this blog... what was it?... oh yeah...

Due to many accumulating factors, I've started writing and recording music again.  I've got a decent set-up right now, mostly thanks to James and what he's taught me.  It sounds rough, but that's fine.  I'm also lacking keyboard and drums (obviously), but for starters guitar and bass are enough.  I'll create a page and post stuff when there's suitable material to share.

The truck-boat-truck will have to wait... there are tunes to be laid down...

Time for some random thoughts:

1. Why didn't anyone warn me about how bad Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 is?  Yeah, sure, it's the only true next gen wrestling game and it's got all the fancy-pants fighting styles and whatever, but in no way is this a game that can suit any of my needs.  Everybody knows I'm a sucker for Create-A-Wrestler (Caw-caw, caw-caw!), but explain this to me: What's the point of having such a well-polished 3D wrestler when a) the moveset is so damn limited and you have to unlock all the cool moves, and b) your custom wrestler has such low friggin' stats off the bat that's it impossible to win against anybody?  But wait!  In order to beef up your wrestlers' stats and movelists, you have to play the agonizingly tedious Career Mode where everything from autograph signings to wiping your ass causes massive amounts of fatigue.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, wrestling games have finally gotten TOO realistic.  I'll go back to Fire Pro now, thank you very much.

2. More wrestling: Looks like the NWA heavyweight belt is, for all intent and purposes, the official championship of Ring of Honor.  I do have my reservations about this, of course, because the NWA is now gonna stick their noses in everything and bitch and moan if ROH isn't being "traditional" enough.  If any company can make the NWA legacy viable again, though, it's ROH.  Time will tell...

3. Even more wrestling: After a disastrous WWE draft on Monday and even more disastrous PPV last night (which I'm not even going to bother talking about because I'll just get angry), there is one shining moment of promise worth mentioning: the debut of Ted DiBiase Jr.  I haven't gotten a chance to check him out in action yet, but from what I understand, he's at least partially become the heir to his pappy's "Million Dollar Man" gimmick.  I for one am curious to see how he lives up to the legacy.  As you can see, though, he looks quite a bit different from the original, especially in the physique dept.:


He just looks like he was born to be a heel, doesn't he?

4. The folks that designed the levels for N+ on Xbox Arcade are evil, evil, evil, evil, EVIL.

5. The new NACHTMYSTIUM fucking owns.  Just when we all thought we'd seen it all in the black metal genre, this beast comes along.  I've heard it described as "stoner black metal"?  Not sure about that, but they're definitely onto something.  Highly recommended.

July 19 is the date, folks... my house will be a much noisier place.  I can't wait.

Also, watch this and show some reverence, damn it:

Some random thoughts:

1. BANDWAGON!  My economy stimulus check magically turned into an Xbox 360.  Now I'm officially back in the loop, though I've noticed some things.  First, as I figured was going to happen, I find the Xbox Live Arcade far more intriguing than the actual games, although the number of actual games I've played is pretty low.  Second, as a result of being out of the loop for so long, I now absolutely suck at video games.  It doesn't help that my connection is slower than Mrs. Butterworth.  Knock, knock… hey Ryan…?

2. At least five weeks free of WWE programming and I feel fine.  Do I need to out and say that Vince's Million Dollar Giveaway is a desperate act of the highest degree?  No?  Didn't think so.  TNA, on the other hand, is getting much better.  Especially the Knockout division.  The signing of Mickie Knuckles and the guest appearances of such SHIMMER talent as Daizee Haze and Daffney earn them major points from me.  It's sad but true… because of the mindset of the average wrestling fan, SHIMMER probably won't ever be able to stand as a successful promotion on its own.  At least with the aid of TNA or ROH (preferably the latter, where the SHIMMER title is officially recognized), it'll flourish.

3. Further BANDWAGON!  In addition to tidying up my profile (F-you, Thomas' MySpace Editor!), I also put one of those damn Truth Boxes on there.  Bring on the insults, ya pansies!

4. The new HOLLENTHON pwns harder than the fist of an angry god.  The new PRIEST and DEICIDE, on the other hand, are kinda boring.  Hopefully I'll warm up to both of 'em after a few more listens.

5. I also finally got around to listening to TRYPTYKON, the new Tom G. project to arise from the ashes of CELTIC FROST.  Frankly, I don't know what to think about it.  The sole track posted is just a dark, ambient instrumental.  Is it an intro, or is that it?  Don't get me wrong, I like Stephen O'Malley and SUNN O))), but I don't really need yet another band that sounds like that.  I can just see it now… a relentless barrage of TRYPTYKON limited-edition splits and color swirl vinyl pressings… groan…

6. On the music front, expect some big things from Peacedogman, including a piece that, as far as I'm concerned, is grossly overdue.

Speaking of which, BACK TO WORK!

1. Red Wings.... Stanley Cup... yeah, you already know.  As Justin put it, it's gonna make for an interesting summer.

2. HOLLENTHON is finally back!  "Opus Magnum" drops domestically in just under a week, and to make a long story short, Album of the Year for 2008 may already be clenched.  Check my profile (or their MySpace) to find out why.

3. I realize that there's still time to wait, but congratulations to James and Dawn!  Now, um, you are going to let us know when it happens so we can share the moment with you, um, unlike some people, right?


A photo that could only really be understood and appreciated by me... and maybe Nate.

This is a screenshot from one of CHIKARA's latest episodes of "Podcast-a-go-go"...



Sooo... not only is Tim Donst a heel and in the Order of the Neo Solar Temple, but he's also sporting... HALF of King Diamond's facepaint?  Um... what's going on?

....and THAT, boys and girls, is why CHIKARA pwns.  That is all.

OK, so I got a little sidetracked.  At least I'm posting more consecutively than Justin, right?  XD… j/k.  Eh, life happened.  Either way, a promise is a promise, and that's why I'd like to talk about:

First off, I hate the new logo.  It looks like a kid drew it with a bottle of mustard.  Still, this is the first real SF game to make the jump into 3D (for the record, the EX series was developed by a company named Arika, not Capcom themselves).  So far, folks that have gotten their hands on the beta say that it feels just like the 2D version, and admittedly the new cel-shaded graphics do look pretty sweet.

Ken being the crap out of Ryu, as it should be!

While I don't doubt they'll be able to pull this off (even the last 3D King of Fighters game made the transition fairly well), I do have other reservations.  First, take a look at this YouTube video that shows most of the roster.  Look familiar?  It's the Street Fighter II roster in its entirety, plus new female character Crimson Viper.  There's also, as far as I know, a new generic karate dude and a masked luchador.  So that's it… all the originals plus three new characters?  Sounds pretty weak.  I remember being all excited to play Street Fighter III because Ryu and Ken were the only familiar faces and I had a whole new roster of fighters to learn.  Also, reports suggest that the gameplay has been dumbed down significantly, and the parrying system from SFIII is history.  Clearly Capcom wants to breathe new life into the fighting game genre and to bring old fans back, but just for fun let's see what other companies are doing…

I picked this up recently for the PS2 (only $29.99 from Amazon):

Yeah, it looks sickeningly cute, and I may look like an otaku playing it, but it's really fun.  The gameplay is deceptively complex, and the learning curve is extremely high.  Plus, you've got a diverse set of characters (all female, which may be a first) and customizability between the characters and the super powers known as arcana.  The only problem is that it's distributed by Atlus, the company better known for their obscure J-RPGs, so it's kind of one of those "get it while you can" sort of deals.

The point is that while Capcom is trying to cater to the widest range of people possible, there are still a few companies (SNK) and franchises (Guilty Gear) that still cater to the 2D diehards.  Hell, SNK used the same hardware throughout most of the 90s and nobody even noticed.  However, technology has caught up with them.  Behold!

Yes, this is the PC program that allows folks to upload 2D characters, both original and ripped from existing games, and essentially create their own game.  I have been playing around with this program for a little while now, and while in a lot of ways it's a work in progress, the sky appears to be the limit.  So this means that SNK and Arc Systems Works should file for bankruptcy now, right?  Not so fast.  Legality aside, there's still something to be said about presentation, and I for one would rather have the real thing on a home console.  And with SNK opening the gates to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory with all their $15 collections, there's no excuse for not owning these great games.  Besides, who am I going to find who's willing to huddle around my 15" monitor to play beat-em-up anyway?

Thus concludes my rant on the 2D fighter.  Stay tuned for more wrestling-related insight... sometime... maybe...