Children of Bodom: Tie My Rope--New Single from Blooddrunk

Take a look(listen actually) at what these Finnish masters are upto. Man!! I just cannot wait for this. Do fiddle around with the MENU button for somemore Children of Bodom tracks.

Bullet for My Valentine--Scream, Aim, Fire: Review

Tracklist
1. Scream, Aim, Fire
2. Eye of the Storm
3. Hearts Burst Into Fire
4. Waking the Demon
5. Disappear
6. Deliver Us From Evil
7. Take it Out on Me
8. Say Goodbye
9. End of Days
10. Last to Know
11. Forever and Always





The UK(native) metallers are back with their second full length album in Scream, Aim, Fire. At the risk of spoiling this review in the beginning itself, I'll say that they scream, they aim, but they don't exactly fire(this doesn't mean it's not good though). One thing that deserves credit is that the overall tempo of this album is faster than their previous effort in The Poison(2005), which was way too screamo and syrupy at times. Now I know that The Poison was a relatively successful album and also had a couple of Top 20 singles in the US Rock charts, but I still wasn't impressed. Anyway, let's get on with reviewing the product at hand..

The album opener and title track is as good as Metalcore gets these days. Thrashy and fast paced riffing with double bass fills..this one has got it all; the perfect choice for opening the album. The rest of the album follows the tried and tested Metalcore formula for most of it's length; savage riffing for some parts, crunchy breakdowns and melodic choruses. The album also contains a ballad in Say Goodbye, which is almost hair/glam metal sounding. The song is good, that I have to admit; I'm not so sure about its repeat/recall value though. These are perhaps the only two outstanding tracks on the album, and the rest, as I've said, follow the same Metalcore formula which countless bands have been following since circa 2000-2001. Some bands like Killswitch Engage, As I lay Dying, Trivium and All That Remains(I might have missed a few, please don't scoff) manage to stand out while the others get lost in the crowd. In my opinion, Bullet For My Valentine, clearly belong in the latter group. I say this not because I think they are not talented, no, I say this because neither do they have a distinct sound nor do they have extraordinary music to their credit. This is where the likes of Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God have scored over the others, even Trivium to a lesser extent.

To sum up, if you're a sucker for above average Metalcore, then you'll most probably like this. It has everything you can ask for in a satisfying Metalcore album. Thrashy riffs, melodic breakdowns, plenty of hooks, double bass frenzy and soulful/melodic singing in some parts. It all boils down to your specific tastes actually; lovers of the Avenged Sevenfold, All That Remains kind of sound will lap this up immediately, and there's no reason not to. For people who like their Metal the old school way, there's always the new Warbringer CD.

Rating: 7.5/10

Almost Perfect!

Is there a discography in the world of Heavy Metal which can be called perfect or almost perfect? Well..let's discuss that, shall we? Before I begin my rant, let's set up some ground rules here. Bands with less than 5 full length studio recordings will not be included(no demos, no rare recordings,garage recordings, live recordings etc). Beside these ground rules, know that this is only a reflection of what I consider to be good; in no way does it reflect the popular opinion or the greatness of the bands and their respective discographies. So, please don't put me under the guillotine if I don't think too highly of Black Sabbath's discography. Ahh!.. there, I spoilt the fun already eh? Also remember that my evaluation of a band's discography is not indicative of my liking towards the band; I might rate Blind Guardian's discography as the best in all of Power Metal, but Helloween is still my favourite Power Metal band. I hope you get the picture now.

So, after much deliberation(lol), I shortlisted a few bands who have a discography with the least blemishes(again..IMO). Metallica is obviously out of the race as Load was blah, Re-Load was mediocre and St. Anger was utter crap. Anyway, there are so many of my favourite bands who just went haywire after a spree of great albums, so I'm not gonna go there.

Let's start with the oldest band to make this shortlist..Van Halen. Everything from 1978 to 1991 is pure gold...errmm...platinum actually(according to RIAA) . Nine albums during this period; and atleast four of these are all time classics--Van Halen, Van Halen II, Fair Warning and 1984 and the rest were excellent too. The last two studio albums in Balance and Van Halen III stop this band just short of having the perfect discography. It's almost there though, it's almost perfect!

The next band to make this shortlist is the almighty Slayer! 1983-1990 is their pinnacle, with a strong debut in Show No Mercy and following it up with all time classics in Hell Awaits, Reign In Blood, South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss is no small feat. There is one post Seasons album though which is utterly boring, yeah, I'm talking about Diabolous In Musica. C'mon..electronica and Slayer don't go together...naah! Divine Intervention was very good, God Hates Us All was ok and Christ Illusion was excellent! in my opinion. So there you have it...Slayer....another almost perfect discography.

Next band on the shortlist is Iron Maiden. Although they have about 3-4 albums which either suck or are just about mediocre, I still had to include them for the sheer number of great albums these guys have given us. Their self titled debut, Virtual XI and X-Factor were mediocre and Dance of Death was utter crap. But!, everything from Killers(1981) and Fear of The Dark(1992) was absolutely splendid, not to mention the three eternal classics in The Number of The Beast, Powerslave and Piece of Mind. Brave New World was good and the latest A Matter of Life and Death was also very good. So that was Iron Maiden for you, another almost perfect discography.

The next band to make this shortlist is In Flames. In Flames are not the originators of Melodic Death Metal; that title belongs to At The Gates(some might even say Carcass on their Heartwork album), but they surely are the band that defined, redefined and revolutionised this form of music. Everything from Lunar Strain(1994) to Clayman(2000) is pure bliss! and the sophomore release in The Jester Race is arguably the greatest Melodic Death release ever. Reroute to Remain was good and Soundtrack to Your Escape was plainly bland. Their 2006 release, Come Clarity, however, was an excellent release again. So that was In Flames...an almost perfect discography.

The next band to make this list is the super talented Dream Theater. Nothing much to say here..everything from When Dream and Day Unite(1989) to Train of Thought(2003) is pure progressive madness, it's just perfect! The last two albums in Octavarium, which was crap! and Systematic Chaos, which was good but not upto Dream Theater standards, are keeping this discography away from the perfect tag. If they had chosen to retire after Train Of Thought, this would be IT...the perfect discography.

The next band is Megadeth, one of my favourite bands. Everything from Killing is My Business to Countdown to Extinction was great. Yes, I thought So Far So Good was great too, sorry; and Peace Sells and Rust in Peace are metal classics. Countdown to Extinction was a little radio friendly but still an excellent album and Youthanasia was very good. Cryptic writings was excellent again, but the follow up in Risk was utter disappointment. Not only is Risk the worst from Megadeth but perhaps one of the worst pretend-metal albums ever! Word Needs a Hero was just about OK and The System Has Failed and United Abominations have been very good. Megadeth!...another almost almost perfect discography(no typos there, it was meant that way).

The next band to make this shortlist is Dark Tranquillity. Contemporaries of In Flames, and some might say, even better than them. They gave three excellent albums during 1993-1997, including the classic The Gallery. Too bad they followed it up with two very experimental albums in Projector and Haven, and that's what put them in this almost perfect slot, because after that they have given three back to back masterpieces in Damage Done, Character and Fiction again.

Next on the list are the German gods Kreator. Kreator are the European equivalent of Slayer, and boy! do they THRASH!! Ok, I'll be honest here, they have made this list purely on my bias. I love this band so much that I decided to totally ignore the four utterly forgettable albums between 1992-1999. Want names....uhh!...Renewal, Cause for Conflict, Outcast and Endorama; all these albums are disappointments. But the five preceding ones and the two succeeding ones are all masterpieces, yes, all of them!In fact, between Pleasure to Kill, Extreme Aggression, Coma of Souls and Enemy of God, I just cannot decide which is my favourite.

Next on the list are Children of Bodom. Other than Are You Dead Yet, which was good, Something Wild,Follow The Reaper,Hatebreeder and Hate Crew Deathroll are all excellent!! Nothing more to say, I hope Blooddrunk is as good as Children of Bodom have been all these years.

Next up is another German mammoth named Blind Guardian. Honestly speaking, the Blind Guardian discography does not have any blemishes as such, except for A Night At The Opera where they went a little overboard with their symphonic/operatic indulgence, that's it. Everything from their debut in Battalions of Fear to A Tiwst in The Myth ranges from very good to excellent to classic. The two classics being Imaginations from The Other Side and Nightfall in Middle Earth.

Next up are US Power Metal giants, Iced Earth. Well, I gotta admit, this is actually very close to being perfect. Ten studio albums, and not a single one which can be labeled average or mediocre, except for Tribute to The Gods perhaps, which was underwhelming for Iced Earth's standards. Night of The Sotrmrider, The Dark Saga, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Horror Show, The Glorious Burden..oh! how many masterpieces have these guys put out. Despite of constant lineup changes all these years, they still belt out excuisite and thrashy Power Metal. And, if I didn't mention it yet...Matt Barlow is a GODLY singer.

Hmm..we've talked about eleven bands till now, and not one of them has a perfect discography. Is there a band which does not have any mediocre album, which does not have any album that was disappointing? Fortunately, there is!!!....and that band is......

The brainchild of Chuck Schuldiner(RIP), also known as the father of Death Metal. Their debut Scream Bloody Gore is the first ever Death Metal album(yes, Seven Churches started the cookie-monster vocals, but this was real Death Metal). After shaking up the world and giving birth to a new genre with their debut, Death gave another thrashstastic headbanger in Leprosy. Followed Leprosy with the technically brilliant Spiritual Healing. In 1991, they released Human; an album which was to mark a progressive change in Death's sound and also a revolution in extreme music. They followed Human with Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic; two albums which EVERYBODY should listen to. It doesn't matter if you don't like Death Metal, heck!, it doesn't matter if you don't even like any kind of heavy music...you still got to listen to the musical wizardry contained in these two masterpieces. The Sound of Perseverance was Death's last studio album; this is also a work of art(although most people don't think too highly of it), absolutely brilliant! So that was Death...the discography of Death is not just perfect, it's GODLY! Take my word for it, you won't be disappointed.

Dismember--Dismember, 2008: Review

Dismember are back with their new self titled album. To be honest with you, I haven't been impressed by any Dismember offering since Indecent and Obscene, and sadly, the new album hasn't been able to change that. The music is still typical Dismember; brutal Death Metal with a hint of melody and some Gothenburg influences, specially in the solos. Anyway, the music contained within this album is mediocre at best, for most of the songs. The good thing, if you really HAVE to see a silver lining, is the tempo of the album. Most songs here are faster than what you heard on Massive Killing Capacity or The God That Never Was, and the groovy element has been done away with for the better part of the album.

A track by track review is not necessary here; the music is painfully generic. You can't really differentiate between the songs, except for Tide of Blood, which is the best track on this album IMO. To conclude, there is absolutely nothing outstanding on this album, generic riffs, utterly forgettable solos, and the worst part is that Dismember have done something weird with their guitar tone. It's fuzzy and almost dirty sounding, some sort of a muddy phaser effect it seems. This, clearly, does not go well with the Death Metal sound. A very very average album, which you could definitely stay away from, unless you're a Dismember fanatic of course.

Listenable tracks: Death Conquers All, Tide of Blood

Rating: 5/10

Meshuggah--obZen: Review

The Swedish Mathcore metallers are back, well, not yet. This album is sceduled to release on the 28th of Feb, 2008. I, fortunately got my hands on a promo copy, and here I am, reviewing it.

So what does obZen have in store for you?

To make things clear at the offset,let me say this is nothing in the vein of Destroy Erase Improve or Chaosphere. Meshuggah have opted for a more streamlined sound here; in fact some of the songs could be simply categorised as modern Thrash. The unusual time signatures, the chaotic rhythm and sounds have all been done away with, well, for most of the songs that is. Does it mean that the music has suffered?Well..yes and no.

If you liked Meshuggah for their unique blend of agression and technicality, if you liked Meshuggah for their unique sound...then you'll be a tad disappointed...yes. The music on this album, however, is nothing you could call mediocre. The vocals are as harsh as ever, and the chaos is still there, albeit with a lot of restraint....as I said earlier...more streamlined. The weird/chaotic solos are still there. Album opener Combustion clearly demonstrates the skills of all band members. This one is a worthy headbanging opener and would have gelled quite well with the tracks in Chaosphere. The second track Electric Red, after the 20 sec mark, starts sounding like the first track, which is a big turn off! The third track, and possibly the best on the album, Bleed, is the Meshuggah we all know and love....it's madness! Lethargica follows the Destroy Erase Improve pattern with a weird sounding rhythm and crunching atonal riffs..just about average stuff though. The title rack obZen starts off in a very Metalcor-ish manner...uhh!, but comes back to form for some more mid tempo thrashiness. The next couple of songs are not worth mentioning, they just follow a simple done to death modern thrash formula. The last song is Meshuggah's attempt at the Epic! Clocking more than 9 minutes, this is also another song where you get to hear the virtuosity of every Meshugaah member.This song grows on you after a couple of listens.

So, overall, not really great... but a commmendable effort from Meshuggah.

Rating: 6.5/10

Rambo IV-John Rambo : Movie Review

Nothing thrills you more than the event of your childhood heroes/characters coming alive on screen again. I was part of one such nostalgic carnage only yesterday. Mr. Sylvester Stallone is back in the fourth, and what might clearly be the last installment of the Rambo franchise. Along with playing our beloved noble war-machine, Stallone dons the mantle of the screenwriter and director too.

The film is set in Burma, where a group of American missionaries has been held hostage by the Burmese army. As you might have guessed, John Rambo leads a group of mercenaries in a mission to rescue the hostages. What follows is typical Rambo fare; gun fights, arrows being shot, commando knives slitting the guts out of baddies..it’s all there!

But!, if you think you’ve seen it all,you’re in for a big big surprise! The action is this film is not for the faint of heart; it’snot bloody..it’s GORY!!, it’s simply gut wreching material. The depiction of dead bodies, the gun fights, almost everything in this film is beyond realism. Most bloody war/fight scenes in this film would make Saving Private Ryan look like Romeo and Juliet. But it’s all so awesome; when a 62 year old hero pulls out a baddy’s larynx with his right hand..you can’t help but go yay!!

So that was John Rambo for you; yeah what else do you expect? Honestly there’s nothing more for me to write here. Do yourself a favor, go and watch this film and enjoy the 90 minute ride of hand fights, gun fights and bursting heads. Enjoy the adrenaline rushing to your head every couple of minutes, and clap all you can. The film is rated R for strong graphic violence, language and sexual assaults etc; so be careful who you take along.

Remember, Heroes Do Not Die…..They Just Reload!



Rating: ****



 

Top 10 Metal Songs of 2007

After doing the Yearly Album List, I thought...why not make a Top Songs list eh? There might be many casual metal listeners out there who would want to know about the "necessary" songs which they might rip from a friend's CD or download them from the iTunes store etc etc. Well....here's your chance.....

1) Clenching The Fists of Dissent--Machine Head (The Blackening)[Groove/Thrash]

2) The Lost Enemy--Arch Enemy (Rise of The Tyrant)[Melodic Death/Thrash Metal]

3) Focus Shift--Dark Tranquillity (Fiction)[Melodic Death Metal]

4) Sleepwalker--Megadeth (United Abominations)[Thrash]

5) The Walls of Babylon--Symphony X (Paradise Lost)[Progressive/Power]

6) Aesthetics of Hate--Machine Head (The Blacknening)[Groove/Thrash]

7) Born to Party--Municipal Waste (The Art of Partying)[Punk/Thrash/Crossover]

8) As He Creates,So He Destroys--Nile(Ihtyphallic)[Brutal Death Metal]

9) Riot Act--Exodus (The Atrocity Exhibition:Exhibit A)[Thrash]

10) Forsaken--As I Lay Dying (An Ocean Between Us)[Metalcore]

Honorable mentions (In no particular order)

Halo-Machine Head
Revelation-Symphony X
Blood on Your Hands--Arch Enemy
Nothing to No One-Dark Tranquillity
What it Takes-Overkill
Constant Motion-Dream Theater

Undiscovered Gems of Thrash Metal

Most of these are pretty extreme and heaveeee! Don't take a chance with these if you think Slipknot is heavy!! or that Fatboy Slim rocks...lol. These are some absolute Thrash masterpieces from the mid/late eighties and early nineties which didn't get as much recognition as they should have. Some of these, in fact give the big ones a run for their money..that's IMO of course. So here they are

1) Spectrum of Death--Morbid Saint (1988)

Quite arguably the finest piece of extreme Thrash metal you've NeVer heard of. It's a pity Morbid Saint did not put out anymore albums, except for a hard to find EP titled Destruction System in 1992. The production is a bit raw, but the riffs are simply devastating. It is an absolute! must for any fan of Thrash/Death.

DOWNLOAD VIA RAPIDSHARE

2) Slaughter in The Vatican--Exhorder (1988)

This is the band that Pantera ripped off! Listen to this to know where those buzzsaw guitar tones and the guttural Anselmo screams came from. It's a moshers delight from start to finish. Exhorder had the same fate as Morbid Saint; only two albums!!..aaah!

DOWNLOAD VIA RAPIDSHARE

3) Serpent Temptation--Incubus (1988)

Ok, first things first; this ain't the Megalomaniac singing crappy Incubus. This album is one of the finest examples of ultra heavy Death/Thrash crossover madness.

DOWNLOAD VIA BADONGO

4) Terror and Submission--Holy Terror (1987)

Mind numbing onslaught of speed/thrash. This is just godly!

DOWNLOAD VIA BADONGO

That's all I have for you right now, shall keep this 'Undiscovered' thing going on as and when I get the time. Adios till then...

Taare Zameen Par and Chak De India battle it out at the Nokia Star Screen Awards, 2008

TZP walked away with the maximum awards (5) while Chak De! (4) walked away with the plum Best Film, Best Director(shared) and Best Actor awards. Here's the full list

Best Film: Chak De India

Best Director:Shimit Amin for Chak de India and Aamir Khan for Taare Zameen Par.

Best Actor: Shah Rukh Khan, Chak De India

Best Actress: Kareena Kapoor, Jab We Met

Best Music: AR Rahman for Guru

Best Story and Screenplay: Amole Gupte for Taare Zameen Par

Best Supporting Actor: Aamir Khan for Taare Zameen Par.

Best Supporting Actress: Chak de India girls

Best Child Actor: Darsheel, Taare Zameen Par

Best Pair of the Year: Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone

Lifetime Achievement Award: Manoj Kumar

Best Choreographer: Farah Khan for Om Shanti Om.

Best Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi, Taare Zameen Par

Critics Award for Best Actress: Tabu for Cheeni Kum.

Best Newcomer Male: Ranbir Kapoor

Best Dialogue: Taare Zameen Par

Best Newcomer Female: Deepika Padukone

Best Negative Actor: Pankaj Kapoor

Best Female Singer: Shreya Ghosal

Best Screenplay: Anurag Basu for Metro.

Best Comedian: Irfaan Khan for Metro.

The 20 Rules of Being A Serious Writer

1) You are the master of writing boring things;boredom is also an art.

2) You have a knack of picking up things from our daily lives and make your work look realistic.

3) All it takes is a horny protagonist who masturbates and smokes marijuana for the better part of the novel to inspire a movie!!

4) A weird title is half the battle won!

5) Your next book is titled The Terminator of Stupid-Ladies.

6) You know that, if the world was even half as “intellectual” as you are, you would be richer than J.K. Rowling.

7) You can come up with 36 synonyms for the male genitalia.

8) You can still hold your turban and get an erection at 85!!

9) You are an activist at heart.

10) Shave your head every now and then to show some rebellion.

11) You swear by Khalil Jibran, Kafka, Keats, Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

12) Tagore and Premchand are too ‘pedestrian’ for your tastes.

13) Always dress shabbily!, unless you are Shobha De.

14) Sex, homosexuality, infidelity, adultery motivate you the most.

15) Look down upon JK Rowling and people who read her books.

16) DO NOT!! get caught reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.

17) If you ever run out of ideas, taking cheap shots at religious entities is a good idea.

18) Marry someone very hot! and young enough to be your daughter.

19) You should not be comfortable in writing or speaking in your mother tongue.

20) Remember, GOD created you to bore us; you have a job to do!! Never give up!

The 20 Rules of Being A Star Plus Script Writer

1)You know you’re the most creative person on the planet.

2)You know that nothing sells more than saas/bahu/nand/devrani/jethani bickering, not even sex or Shahrukh Khan.

3)You have to let your imagination run wild.

4)30 out of 40 minutes of every episode should be devoted to zooming in and out on people’s faces and making whoosh!! sounds.

5)Mixing characters from different soaps is an excellent idea; who would be so stupid not to find it clever and interesting?

6)An intense scene is more effective when there are Shlokas being chanted in the background. ‘Yada Yada Hi Dharmasaya’ is a winner everytime!!

7)Make sure to align all the characters in a perfect semi-circle in a family scene.

8)All the characters should speak in turns!

9)You’re the torch bearer of women’s liberation. Make sure 8 out 10 female characters are bimbos, vamps or murderers.

10)Sane and decent women are all over 100 years old.

11)Your ultimate aim is to get BAA a nomination in the Limca Book of Records for the oldest on-screen character ever!!

12)When running out of ideas, take up an old Bollywood song, massacre it!, and make two 18 year old kids dance to it.

13)Festival time is for you to relax; 4 episodes for Holi, 3 for Diwali, and 36 others for Chhat puja, this shashti…that shashti, karva chauth. Go for a loooong!! vacation during this time.

14)Years of education has taught you that there are only two kinds of women. The Cow and the Witch.

15)Men of your imagination are the most fertile of the lot. A certain Mr. Basu has about 17 offspring from 4 women.

16)You are creative and realistic!! Make sure none of your characters can act. I mean, who in real life, can act?

17)You don’t owe an explanation to anyone as to how participants from Sa Re Ga Ma or Indian Idol sing at your parties.

18)If you run out of ideas again; accidents, sudden disappearances, murders or even plastic surgeries are the way to go!

19)Oh!, and remember again, your creativity has no boundaries.

20)Last but not the least, never ever kill BAA, a few more years and she might even make it to the Guiness Book of World Records.

The 20 Rules of Being A Husband

1) You have to suppress every masculine instinct you were born with.

2) You are a cold hearted prick devoid of any emotion.

3) Objectivity and logical reasoning are myths!! Never use them in aguments or conversations.

4) 5 mins of negligence means you’re not gonna get any attention for 5 days; so tread carefully.

5) A half an hour incident may take and hour to be told. Be patient.

6) Learn the art of wasting 4 and a half hours visiting shops and not buying anything.

7) A movie skipped a week means 7 meals skipped a month.

8) Learn the art of giving advice without giving one. (very important!!!!)

9) You can help, but you can’t take control.

10) Learn to listen to all the gushing over hunky bollywood actors.

11) Be sure your favourite actresses are Shabana Aazmi and Smita Patil.

12) Learn to give responses in milliseconds.

13) ”Do I look fat?”NO!!…..”Does this dress suit me?”YES…..”Should I cut my hair?”

…err…umm…YOU'RE DEAD!!!.

14) Eat everything!!

15) Learn the hug n’ roll technique. Note: Refer to Friends Third Season Episode 3.

16) Never ever!! say anything about her shoes.

17) There are no in-laws in this world. Only mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters.

18) You cannot, should not, be tired at any point during the day.

19) You might wanna warm up to pedicures now…oooops!!

20) Remember….she always comes first.

20 Rules of Being a MetalHead!

1) Always say Black Sabbath rules.

2) Own only Black Sabbath greatest hits collection.

3) If something is good, it always "kicks ass!"

4) Look down upon people who don’t listen to metal.

5) Give crappy nicknames to nu-metal bands. e.g. Limp DickShit, Stinkin Park.

6) Anything which sells more than 17 copies should be termed as a “Sellout”.

7) Remember, Metallica sold out with the ‘Black Album’.

8) You’ve bought the ‘Black Album’ eight times!

9) You have a wide taste in music. Keep a few Jazz albums in your collection.

10) Always keep a few Dream Theater songs in your iPod(to show people that it takes talent to make this kind of music).

11) Make sure your music library consists of everything from old school rock to brutal death metal.

12) Say you don’t like anything post 1991.

13) Don’t get caught listening to Killswitch Engage or As I Lay Dying, or worse..Bryan Adams..ouchh!!

14) Delete the album artwork of all your Cannibal Corpse albums!

15) Leather, chains, Dragons, warriors, death, war, drugs are your most sought after literary tangents.

16) Praise Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Rolling Stones no matter what!!

17) Listen to 2 songs from Led Zeppelin & Deep Purple and have no idea about Rainbow & Rolling Stones.

18) Memorise the lyrics to Slayer’s Rein In Blood by heart.

19) Don’t cut your hair.

20) When your mommy/wife yells at you, cut your hair!

New Metallica Album: The Other New Song

New Metallica Album in 2008

Hmmm....how long will it take?? It was scheduled for a fall 2007 release, then it got delayed till the first quarter of 2008. Uh..it's getting tiring now. So yeah, Load was too much of an experiment for my taste, Re-Load was mediocre at best for most of its songs, Garage Days was..wel....garage stuff..St. Anger was like yukk!!!! S&M was somewhat of a relief and quite entertaining. But, even after more than a decade of disappointment, I'm waiting for the new Metallica album like crazy! Also not very helpful is the fact that these guys have been giving interviews and saying that the new album will revisit the Master of Puppets glory days...whoa!! It's Metallica for cryin out loud!!!! Anyway..here's a Youtube video of a song which is "supposed" to be on the new album. It's simply called The New Song...lol.

War Without End--Warbringer: Review

Only yesterday I was talking about how there is a fine line between being influenced and plagiarism in my Feel The Blade review. And Warbringer seem to know exactly what I was talking about....yay!

Warbringer are a Thrash Metal band from California, USA and this is their first official release...God bless Century Media:). Not very well known in the Metal circles, but that's going to change pretty soon!!! yeah..you better believe me on this. The album opener Total War grips you by the throat and proclaims loud and clear 'HEY! A NEW BAND CAN THRASH TOO!! YOU KNOW'. This is absolutely mind boggling, I'm actually at a loss of words here. While Lamb of God, The Haunted, Legion of The Damned etc. have been providing considerable doses of the "Thrashy" element in their music, it always leaves you a little short of satisfied. Even Municipal Waste, who are quite arguably the only "real" new Thrash band mix elements of Hardcore and Punk..Crossover so to say. But!! what Warbringer have achived here is pure genius!, I mean what the hell were these guys on? A track by track review is totally unnecessary as each and every song here is nothing short of a Thrasher's delight, not one filler!. Even the instrumental album closer A Dead Current has brilliant written all over it. Killer riffs played at amazing speeds, scorching solos, montrous drumming...everything!...this is what great Thrash albums are made of. And you know what, not one riff or one solo sounds lifted...the Tom Araya-esque vocals aside, this album definitely has it to become a classic of modern Thrash Metal. An outstanding debut, it has everything you could ask for in a great Thrash album. Municipla Waste have some serious competition at hand now. Bring on the WAR!!

Rating: 9/10

Snapshots from the Auto Expo, 2008, New Delhi

We had to bear with the 1 hr+ Metro Train journey, and also toil throuh the vast expanse of Pragati Maidaan with more than 12 huge halls to visit. By the time I got back home, I felt my legs would fall off, but, it was all worth the pain and the trouble. For those of you not in Delhi, or who couldn't find the time...here are some snapshots. The one above is a classic 1974 Ford Mustang.

DC (Dilip Chhabria) showcase their 4 Crore!! Ambierod.

Another DC offering.

Hyundai showcases the soon to be launched Gamma or Magma....aah! I forgot what the name was.

Kawasaki Ninja!

Bajaj showcase their 1 Lakh concept car.

THE Star!! of the show. TATA's Nano.

HUMMER...whoa!!

Yamaha R15.

Honda CBR.
The fastest production bike in the world....Suzuki Hayabusa!!!!

Feel the Blade--Legion of The Damned: Review

Their last album, Sons of The Jackal was a decent offering of Death/Thrash. Feel the Blade is not actually a new album; this is a recording from the days when Legion of The Damned were still known as Occult. They've just added three new songs to that EP. Anyway, coming on to the music; what Legion of The Damned have done here is combine 80's style Thrash with Death Metal influences. The production is also very good here. The thrashy opener Nuclear Torment gives you a clear picture of what Legion of The Damned are upto! Thundering double bass, hyperspeed riffing and tormenting vocals...it's all there. The rest of the songs are more or less in the same vein, with a bit of variance in the speed. The last three songs(new recordings) boast of better production sound and some guitar solos too! Overall, a decent offering again; though this band is capable of much more. This album might sound like a monster! to someone who's not really into 80's Thrash, but I rate this as 'decent' because each and every song on this album smells of Slayer, Destruction, Sodom, Kreator at some point or the other. All bands have their influences, and there's nothing bad in it, but when a band consciously creates similar sounding riffs, similar sounding drum beats and even inserts breakdowns! in the same vein, then it has to be criticized. To sum up...Feel the Blade is a good album to headbang to and has some killer moments to its credit. If you're someone who has grown up with the works of Slayer,Sodom,Destruction,Kreator etc., you might not think too higly of it.

Rating: 6/10

Must Have Heavy Metal Albums of The New Millennium: 2000-2007

Some say "true" Heavy Metal died it's natural death in the early nineties. Old school fanatics might also tell you to stay away from anything post 1988. Since the advent of NWOAHM(New Wave of American Heavy Metal) in the early 2000's and Nu-Metal getting big, Heavy Metal is supposedly finished. Not quite true; there are still plenty of bands(new as well as old) who are releasing pretty solid Heavy Metal releases. I'm gonna list a few albums here, which in my opinion are some of the best Heavy Metal albums from 2000-2007.

1. Kreator-- Enemy of God (2005)
The German Gods of Thrash!!..Nothing to say here. This albums really rips!! and boy does it shred! This is the yardstick by which every modern-thrash album should be judged. Nuff said....
Killer Tracks:
Enemy of God
Impossible Brutality
Murder Fantasies
Suicide Terrorist



2. Children of Bodom-- Follow the Reaper (2001)
My introduction to Children of Bodom, and I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that I was shocked!!(in a good way). These finnish metallers just knock your socks off with everything they do, and this is their masterpiece!(till now that is). You really can't classify them into a genre, but Extreme Power Metal with Melodic Death influences(phew!) should do for the uninitiated.
Killer Tracks:
Kissing the Shadows, Mask of Sanity, Hate Me! & Follow the Reaper


3. Dark Tranquillity-- Character (2005)
The best album from these Swedish metallers; and that's saying a lot since they have a long list of great albums. The album is bone crunchingly heavy, yet accessible. The use of piano and keyboards amidst the barrage of riffs provides for a grand atmosphere.
Killer Tracks:
The New Build, Lost to Apathy, Out of Nothing & Dry Run




4. Symphony X-- V:A New Mythology Suite (2000)
If the 90's belonged to Dream Theater then the 2000's belong to Symphony X in the Progressive Metal genre. I'll only say this--if you're a fan of progressive metal, power metal or guitar wizardry in general, but you still don't have this album..you deserve to be tortured!! Listen to the 12 minute 'Rediscovery' to know why.
Killer Tracks:
Evolution, Fallen, On the Breath of Poseidon & Rediscovery



5. Machine Head-- The Blackening (2007)
The only 2007 release in this list. Yes. it's that good!! Hell, some people have already started comparing it to Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood. I won't do that just now, will give it some more time. But!, this is a masterpiece of an album for sure. Aggressive, brutal modern post-Thrash.
Killer Tracks:
Aesthetics of Hate, Beautiful Mourning, Slanderous & Halo




6. Dream Theater-- Train of Thought (2003)
Another jewel in Dream Theater's godly discography. Naysayers keep complaining about the complexity and changing sound of Dream Theater with every album. Hello!! This is Progressive Metal you idiots!...progression is the crux of it.
Killer Tracks:
Endless Sacrifice, In The Name of God, Honor Thy Father & As I Am




7. Arch Enemy-- Wages of Sin (2002)
Arch Enemy's first album with Angela Gossow on the vocals, and arguably their best one too. The highlight of this album is the precision! with which every instrument is played, even at breakneck speeds. Michael Amott is a guitar God!!
Killer Tracks:
Enemy Within, Ravenous, Svage Messiah & Dead Bury Their Dead




8. Municipal Waste-- Hazardous Mutation (2005)
Finally a new band makes it to the list. Though classified as Hardcore/Thrash Crossover act, Municipal Waste will plainly sound old school classic Thrash to your ears. This album could have well been released in 1986 and gelled with the DRI, Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, Suicidal Tendencies releases quite comfortably!
Killer Tracks:
Death Ripper, Guilty of Being Tight, Mind Eraser & The Thrashin' of The Christ

9. Soilwork-- A Predator's Portrait (2001)
This is Soilwork's masterpiece! and one of the most revered albums in all of Melodic Thrash/Death metal. An album without any mentionable weakness with something for everyone. Clean singing passages, death metal growls, melodic solos, savage riffing...everything!
Killer Tracks:
Bastard Chain, Needlefeast, The Analyst & Shadowchild




10. Lamb of God-- Ashes of The Wake (2004)
This is what modern Metal should sound like. No frills, no nonsense...straight up! in your face! devastating metal!! Lamb of God are labeled Metalcore, but they are not! Pure modern Thrash with Death/Groove influences. These guys are the new age Pantera!
Killer Tracks:
Laid to Rest, The Faded Line, Ashes of The Wake, Remorse is For The Dead



Other noteworthy albums:

11. In Flames-Clayman: Their last truly great album.

12. DragonForce-Inhuman Rampage: Faster than the speed of light!!

13. Children of Bodom-Hate Crew Deathroll: Another monster headbanger from the children.

14. Destruction-All Hell Breaks Loose: A great dose of modern Thrash from these German masters.

15. Symphony X-Odyssey: Yeah!..another one. Not as grandiose as V but still great and heavier!

16. Killswitch Engage-As Daylight Dies: Ok, you may scoff at me for this, but I really like this album. Mellow, energetic, boombastic..an all in one package.

17. Blind Guardian-A Twist in the Myth: Beautiful and epic! Power Metal from these German masters.

18. Amon Amarth-With Oden On Our Side: Another bludgeoning Melodic Death metal release from this millennium.

19. Shaodows Fall-The War Within: Good dose of modern thrash/metalcore.

20. Mastodon-Blood Mountain: Excellent Sludge/Metalcore from Atlanata.

The Evil That Men Do

The dawn of 2008....and what a magnificent!? welcome the men of our country have extended.

So you must know about the gang molestation of two NRI women outside the JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai...yeah? If you're the obsessive idiot box-er type then you must also know about the eve teasing incident involving a Swedish girl on New Year's eve in Kochi. It's pathetic!, yes, it should be brought to public notice, yes, the culprits should be put beind bars, yes. What about more important things though? What about this 14 year old girl who was raped, murdered and then her body was hung from a tree!!? What about this poor pregnant woman in Andhra Pradesh who was brutally raped by TEN! men?

From news channels to morning dailies, from Shabana Azmi to Koena Mitra, from Congress to Shiv Sena, from acclaimed columnists to noname bloggers, everyone seems to be obsessing about the JW Marriott incident in Mumbai. And yes, they should! If it were in my hands, I'd make all those nasty lewd buggers stand in a queue, strip them of all their clothing, ask them to bend over and set a horny Gorilla free on them. But, and forgive me for being so forthcoming, I think this incident has been blown out of proportion. Everyone is seeking his/her share of writing space and limelight for something which happens almost every second day in some corner of this huge country. That these don't get reported or don't make it to National TV is another matter. Yes, I personally know many women who've had experiences which are as horrifying, if not more. Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad,Delhi..in the bus, on the train, on the road..you name it, you've got it. Kolkata always remains the noble exception to such travesties. Not that it means we should start taking it in our stride, hell no! These scums of the Earth need to be taught a lesson, and a severe! one at that. But there's something about this JW Marriott incident, and the media hullabaloo that followed which smells of sensationalism to me. You can't tell me that being groped by a group of men with your brother and husband around is more traumatic than being raped by 10-12 men, when you're 8 months pregnant, and your husband is beaten up and tied to a tree!! You can't tell me it's a more heinous crime than raping a minor girl, mudering her and hanging her dead body from a tree! So why isn't everybody crying hoarse over these events? Why is it that the vanity of 2 NRI women, supposedly modern women(who didn't even want to report it by the way) given precedence over the vanity of a poor rural woman? Why is it that a 17 year old boy pinching the buttocks of a Swedish girl makes for more important news than a 14 year old girl who was raped and murdered? I've been trying to find the answers..if you know them...please do share...

Anway, some points to remember...

1) If you think someone is following you don't wait till he comes near you, walk briskly towards a crowd or call someone(or pretend! to call).

2) If you're alone and someone passes a comment, ignore! Do not look, stare at him or call him names. If a policeman is around, report to him.

3) If you have to stay out late, always carry something to get you out of tricky situations. A small kitchen knife, red chili powder etc. in your purse would do.

4) If you're stuck in a situation, and you actually want! to fight, aim for the crotch..always!

5) Accept lifts from only those colleagues who are also acquainted with your family, husband, brother etc. Make sure you tell someone at home that this guy is driving you home(make the call in front of him!)

6) If it's dark, whether it's the company's cabby or one from the streets, no one is to be trusted. At stations and airports--make sure someone is there to pick you up. In the office cab, make sure you're not the last drop!

7) Do not take shortcuts while walking in the night. Narrow alleys, muddy strecthes near rail/metro stations, parkways, deserted subways etc. are a strict NO. MAIN ROAD, always!!

8) Keep the mobile car service numbers handy. If you're driving in the night and the car breaks down on a long and deserted stretch--pull up all the windows, lock all doors, call the service guys and lie down..on the back seat!

9) If you're out to party at night, make sure there's atleast one male friend who can and will! fight for you. For only-girls parties, make sure it's someone's home.

10) Although this point might irk some of the feminists out there, but mangalsutra, a hint of sindoor or anything which says you're married might help sometimes. Yes, it can!..there are varying degrees of evil in all bad men you see.

Adios for now....