Saturday, May 9, 2009
*quick note* This is copied and pasted from my usual blog and since Gamespot thinks potty words are the devil, I re-worded them for the audience Gamespot thinks it has.
Last weekend a fiend and I drove to Cleveland, Ohio to see Intronaut, Kylesa and, of course, the mighty MASTODON!
I had met the guy I went up there with on the Mastodon message board and we hit it off because he lives in Indianapolis (I live in Columbus, a town about 40 miles south of Indy). He offered to drive up there so I agreed. I knew he was an alright guy from talking to him on the board, but he ended up being much cooler than I expected. That's definitely a good thing considering Cleveland is about 5 hours away.
We arrived at the venue about an hour an a half before the doors opened and met up with a couple of other guys from the board who lived in Ohio. We stood around and talked for a while when Bill Keliher (guitar player for Mastodon) walks up to and starts talking to us. I was trying so hard not to nerd the fudge out (Mastodon have been my favorite band for I don't know how long). I had told him we drove 5 hours from Indiana to come see them to which he responded "You guys are fudging nuts, thank you so much". He took off after about 15 minutes so we went inside to hang out at the bar and get a few drinks before the show.
At the bar, there was this 40-something year old dude who was there because he took his son to see Mastodon. He was smashed off his ass but was cool none-the-less. We talked sports (he was a Browns fan and I a Colts fan) and just random poop It's surprising the cool people you meet at shows.
We heard Intronaut start so we made our way to the crowd. The venue itself was pretty damn tiny. I'd say the average movie theater screening room is larger by a pretty big margin. Intronaut sounded incredible. The heavy parts in their songs sounded like a freaking stampede of bull elephants racing towards you, you could feel the double-kick drum in your chest, it was fudging awesome.
After Intronaut, Kylesa came on. To be honest, they bored the living poop out of me. I don't know weather they just weren't that good live or I was just too damned excited to see Mastodon and was getting impatient. To be fair, the rest of the crowd seemed to like them.
After what seemed like forever of the crew setting up the stage for the 'Don, the lights went out and they came out on stage. They played their new album in it's entirety from front to back. It was one of the most incredible live expireinces I've had in my concert-going career. After they finished Crack the Skye, they took a break for a few minutes and came back out and played another set of their older stuff. Most of the songs they played were off Blood Mountain but they threw in some Leviathan and one song from Remission. To put it simply, they kicked major ass. I don't regret the 5 hour trip in the least.
After the show we waited around in the crowd and the drummer, Brann Dailor, jumped out and started talking to people and signing stuff and taking picutres. I got my picture taken and shook his hand and we took off outside. We met the guys from Ohio out by the tour bus to wait on the rest of the band and soon enough we had met and talked with Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders (lead guitar and bass, respectively). By this time there were just us 4 guys out there, after they went inside Brann came out and talked to us for like 40 minutes. We told him we were from the Mastodon board and our screen names and stuff. I got another picture with me, Brann and the guy I went with. When Brann left, we decided to start the trek back home.
The drive home was fudging brutal. We didn't talk as much because both of us were tired as hell. We stopped somewhere in Nowhere, Ohio and ate at a Denny's. It was about 3 in the morning but the place was fudging packed. I guess all that the people in that town have to do on a saturday night is to hang out at Denny's, haha.
I made it home about 9 on sunday morning. I had such an amazing time. Meeting the band I've adored for years, hanging out with some cool people, listening to great music. It was the trip of a lifetime, for sure.
Last weekend a fiend and I drove to Cleveland, Ohio to see Intronaut, Kylesa and, of course, the mighty MASTODON!
I had met the guy I went up there with on the Mastodon message board and we hit it off because he lives in Indianapolis (I live in Columbus, a town about 40 miles south of Indy). He offered to drive up there so I agreed. I knew he was an alright guy from talking to him on the board, but he ended up being much cooler than I expected. That's definitely a good thing considering Cleveland is about 5 hours away.
We arrived at the venue about an hour an a half before the doors opened and met up with a couple of other guys from the board who lived in Ohio. We stood around and talked for a while when Bill Keliher (guitar player for Mastodon) walks up to and starts talking to us. I was trying so hard not to nerd the fudge out (Mastodon have been my favorite band for I don't know how long). I had told him we drove 5 hours from Indiana to come see them to which he responded "You guys are fudging nuts, thank you so much". He took off after about 15 minutes so we went inside to hang out at the bar and get a few drinks before the show.
At the bar, there was this 40-something year old dude who was there because he took his son to see Mastodon. He was smashed off his ass but was cool none-the-less. We talked sports (he was a Browns fan and I a Colts fan) and just random poop It's surprising the cool people you meet at shows.
We heard Intronaut start so we made our way to the crowd. The venue itself was pretty damn tiny. I'd say the average movie theater screening room is larger by a pretty big margin. Intronaut sounded incredible. The heavy parts in their songs sounded like a freaking stampede of bull elephants racing towards you, you could feel the double-kick drum in your chest, it was fudging awesome.
After Intronaut, Kylesa came on. To be honest, they bored the living poop out of me. I don't know weather they just weren't that good live or I was just too damned excited to see Mastodon and was getting impatient. To be fair, the rest of the crowd seemed to like them.
After what seemed like forever of the crew setting up the stage for the 'Don, the lights went out and they came out on stage. They played their new album in it's entirety from front to back. It was one of the most incredible live expireinces I've had in my concert-going career. After they finished Crack the Skye, they took a break for a few minutes and came back out and played another set of their older stuff. Most of the songs they played were off Blood Mountain but they threw in some Leviathan and one song from Remission. To put it simply, they kicked major ass. I don't regret the 5 hour trip in the least.
After the show we waited around in the crowd and the drummer, Brann Dailor, jumped out and started talking to people and signing stuff and taking picutres. I got my picture taken and shook his hand and we took off outside. We met the guys from Ohio out by the tour bus to wait on the rest of the band and soon enough we had met and talked with Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders (lead guitar and bass, respectively). By this time there were just us 4 guys out there, after they went inside Brann came out and talked to us for like 40 minutes. We told him we were from the Mastodon board and our screen names and stuff. I got another picture with me, Brann and the guy I went with. When Brann left, we decided to start the trek back home.
The drive home was fudging brutal. We didn't talk as much because both of us were tired as hell. We stopped somewhere in Nowhere, Ohio and ate at a Denny's. It was about 3 in the morning but the place was fudging packed. I guess all that the people in that town have to do on a saturday night is to hang out at Denny's, haha.
I made it home about 9 on sunday morning. I had such an amazing time. Meeting the band I've adored for years, hanging out with some cool people, listening to great music. It was the trip of a lifetime, for sure.
Thursday, Feb 5, 2009
Last night was supposed to be a good night. My long-time friend was over and we were knocking a few cold ones back (as well as some car bombs, god those are delicious). Unfortunately at around midnight, my son woke up with a fever. It was really strange because he hasn't been sick, no signs of a cold or flu, and he was just fine when he went to bed at 8.
After about a half an hour of reading him books and singing songs to get him to go back to bed, he decided he wanted to go in the living room with the grown-ups (sometimes he does this just to feel like part of the group). My lady was holding him at her computer and he was acting fine. Then he let out this god-awful scream/wail and starting convulsing violently.
He was having a seizure.
Instinctively, I told my girlfriend to stick her fingers in his mouth so he doesn't bite off or choke on his tongue and grabbed the phone to call 911. She was so frightened and screaming at the top of her lungs. When the seizure was over, I guess he passed out or something and his lips turned blue. That made us all freak out even more. He started breathing immediately, however, and the ambulance and police officers arrived in a very impressive short time span.
She left with him in the ambulance and I called her mom to tell her to go to the hospital. I had to stay here and keep watch over my daughters (who were thankfully asleep and didn't witness anything). He was so out of it, it was like he was asleep but with his eyes half open. His was murmuring and groaning (this was after he started breathing again and before the ambulance arrived).
They finally got out of the hospital this morning at 7. It turns out he had a double inner-ear infection. It was so strange because he hasn't been complaining about his ears hurting or anything. They ran a ct scan and pumped him full of fluids and antibiotics and he seems to be doing fine now (he's playing trucks with his sisters right now).
I don't really know why I'm posting this, I guess I just need to get it off my chest. It's all still extremely fresh in my mind. Even though he's seemingly fine and acting normal, it's hard for both of us to be in a normal state of mind. Heck, it probably scarred us both. As a parent, I've seen my fair share of injuries. Hell, my youngest daughter has had stitches once already, but this was the most terrifying thing I've ever gone through.
After about a half an hour of reading him books and singing songs to get him to go back to bed, he decided he wanted to go in the living room with the grown-ups (sometimes he does this just to feel like part of the group). My lady was holding him at her computer and he was acting fine. Then he let out this god-awful scream/wail and starting convulsing violently.
He was having a seizure.
Instinctively, I told my girlfriend to stick her fingers in his mouth so he doesn't bite off or choke on his tongue and grabbed the phone to call 911. She was so frightened and screaming at the top of her lungs. When the seizure was over, I guess he passed out or something and his lips turned blue. That made us all freak out even more. He started breathing immediately, however, and the ambulance and police officers arrived in a very impressive short time span.
She left with him in the ambulance and I called her mom to tell her to go to the hospital. I had to stay here and keep watch over my daughters (who were thankfully asleep and didn't witness anything). He was so out of it, it was like he was asleep but with his eyes half open. His was murmuring and groaning (this was after he started breathing again and before the ambulance arrived).
They finally got out of the hospital this morning at 7. It turns out he had a double inner-ear infection. It was so strange because he hasn't been complaining about his ears hurting or anything. They ran a ct scan and pumped him full of fluids and antibiotics and he seems to be doing fine now (he's playing trucks with his sisters right now).
I don't really know why I'm posting this, I guess I just need to get it off my chest. It's all still extremely fresh in my mind. Even though he's seemingly fine and acting normal, it's hard for both of us to be in a normal state of mind. Heck, it probably scarred us both. As a parent, I've seen my fair share of injuries. Hell, my youngest daughter has had stitches once already, but this was the most terrifying thing I've ever gone through.
Wednesday, Jan 7, 2009
10: Origin - Antithesis
Origin are a technical brutal death metal band from the U.S. that have been creating some of the most intense grindcore infused death metal since 1997. Antithesis is definitely not for the novice metal listener. It's brutal, fast and loud. An audio assault from start to finish, fans of technical brutal metal will surely find a lot to love with this album
9: Meshuggah - obZen
There aren't many categories that you can put Meshuggah into and have it accurately describe them. Insane time signatures, guitar tuned so low, they didn't even need a bassist on a few of their albums, cerebral lyrics. obZen is what Meshuggah do best. It's a departure from their last few efforts in that it's a more comprehensive album. Not too many concepts of expiriments. A kick-ass record all around
..
8: Psychroptic - Ob(servant)
Aussie tech-death metalers return and with a new vocalist. The new album is a bit more straight-forward, but it's still a really great listen from start to finish. I'm really happy to see these guys still around and finally starting to get some semi-mainstreem attention.
7: Bloodbath - The Fathomless Mastery
Swedish death metal super-group returns with Mikael Akerfeldt at the mic. More of a throw-back to the earlier years of swedish death metal, this is a fantastic album put on and just rock out to...
6: Gojira - The Way of all Flesh
The best french metal band around bar-none. Heavy, groovey and just plain awesome their follow-up to From Mars to Sirius is a great effort from these guys...
5: The Faceless - Planetary Duality
I really didn't think these guys could pull off a better album than their debut Akeldama, but damn was I wrong. Jazzy, etheral, brutal, technical this album has it all. A young band with loads of talent, The Faceless should be on any metal fans radar for years to come.
4: Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
Scar Symmetry are one of my favorite melodic death metal bands around and their newest album does not dissapoint. Catchy songs, awesome guitar solos, sing-along chorus', progressive elements. There's just so much to love about this album. Unfortunately they recently announced the departure of their vocalist and have replaced him with two other guys. Who knows what the future has in store for Scar Symmetry?..
3: Arsis - We are the Nightmare
After a mediocore sophomore outing, a lot of metal fans wrote off this american band. Fortunately they came back and with a vengence. Great guitar playing and drumming permiate every track on the album. One of the best of the year by far...
2: Opeth - Watershed
After the dramatic lineup changes that happened after the band was finished touring for Ghost Reveries, I had fears of Opeth losing some of the sound that I've come to love on albums like Damnation, Blackwater Park and Deliverance. My fears were unfounded though as this is a really great album. Just the right amount of bluesy guitar riffs, brutal death metal growls and progressive tangents, a new Opeth is always a special listen...
1: Cynic - Traced in Air
The return of the jazz-infused metal band from Florida after a 15 year hiatus. Traced in Air is a triumph of epic preportions. Beautiful and mellencholic, it's an album you can sit and listen to intently, or zone out and let your mind wonder with this as the soundtrack. There really isn't any reason for anyone NOT to love this album. Amazing...
So there you have it, my top 10 albums of the year.
Peace
Origin are a technical brutal death metal band from the U.S. that have been creating some of the most intense grindcore infused death metal since 1997. Antithesis is definitely not for the novice metal listener. It's brutal, fast and loud. An audio assault from start to finish, fans of technical brutal metal will surely find a lot to love with this album
9: Meshuggah - obZen
There aren't many categories that you can put Meshuggah into and have it accurately describe them. Insane time signatures, guitar tuned so low, they didn't even need a bassist on a few of their albums, cerebral lyrics. obZen is what Meshuggah do best. It's a departure from their last few efforts in that it's a more comprehensive album. Not too many concepts of expiriments. A kick-ass record all around
..
8: Psychroptic - Ob(servant)
Aussie tech-death metalers return and with a new vocalist. The new album is a bit more straight-forward, but it's still a really great listen from start to finish. I'm really happy to see these guys still around and finally starting to get some semi-mainstreem attention.
7: Bloodbath - The Fathomless Mastery
Swedish death metal super-group returns with Mikael Akerfeldt at the mic. More of a throw-back to the earlier years of swedish death metal, this is a fantastic album put on and just rock out to...
6: Gojira - The Way of all Flesh
The best french metal band around bar-none. Heavy, groovey and just plain awesome their follow-up to From Mars to Sirius is a great effort from these guys...
5: The Faceless - Planetary Duality
I really didn't think these guys could pull off a better album than their debut Akeldama, but damn was I wrong. Jazzy, etheral, brutal, technical this album has it all. A young band with loads of talent, The Faceless should be on any metal fans radar for years to come.
4: Scar Symmetry - Holographic Universe
Scar Symmetry are one of my favorite melodic death metal bands around and their newest album does not dissapoint. Catchy songs, awesome guitar solos, sing-along chorus', progressive elements. There's just so much to love about this album. Unfortunately they recently announced the departure of their vocalist and have replaced him with two other guys. Who knows what the future has in store for Scar Symmetry?..
3: Arsis - We are the Nightmare
After a mediocore sophomore outing, a lot of metal fans wrote off this american band. Fortunately they came back and with a vengence. Great guitar playing and drumming permiate every track on the album. One of the best of the year by far...
2: Opeth - Watershed
After the dramatic lineup changes that happened after the band was finished touring for Ghost Reveries, I had fears of Opeth losing some of the sound that I've come to love on albums like Damnation, Blackwater Park and Deliverance. My fears were unfounded though as this is a really great album. Just the right amount of bluesy guitar riffs, brutal death metal growls and progressive tangents, a new Opeth is always a special listen...
1: Cynic - Traced in Air
The return of the jazz-infused metal band from Florida after a 15 year hiatus. Traced in Air is a triumph of epic preportions. Beautiful and mellencholic, it's an album you can sit and listen to intently, or zone out and let your mind wonder with this as the soundtrack. There really isn't any reason for anyone NOT to love this album. Amazing...
So there you have it, my top 10 albums of the year.
Peace
Recent Entries
Some people just don't have opinions. Like firebird23.
firebird23 must really love MovieTome and agree with every review we've ever written! What other reason could firebird23 possibly have for not rating a single film?
Friends
My Friends
Tracked Blogs
