Secularism = Appeasement?

Yeah, the same controversial topic once again. To make things clear, no, I'm not playing the devil's advocate here. A note of caution--this post is going to be very blunt and unrelenting, so shoo!! if you can only shout and are incapable of listening and comprehending. And..I AM gonna use the terms which many shudder to think of. Anyway, before going any further...here's a teeny tiny news ticker from the plethora of information that I COULD have posted here.

4-5th Oct Weekend, 2008

NDFB kills 32 people and injures more than 100 Hindus and Muslims in Udalgiri. They termed it ethnic cleansing.--NDFB is a Christian outfit with leader Ranjan Daimary operating out of Bangladesh.
Oct 5: 4 NDFB members arrested for burning a child and woman alive.



Let's flash back to 2001..oh that fateful September 11...and the world would never be the same again. Since then the Americans have been leading the charge of a world coalition against terrorism. Umm..do they, or even many of us know that the Baptist Church in southern parts of Amercia actually sponsors the arsenal needed for Christian terrorism in North East India? No, I suppose. Heck, T.N Seshan has been saying this since 1993!!...but who cares? No, it's not that who cares....we are actually scared. After all , we are a secular country, with secular people..right? How can we speak of a terrorism perpetrated by minorities? So what if money from the ISI, The Gulf States, The Baptist Church of southern US and The Presbyterian Church of UK provides automatic rifles and landmines to the terrorists? We are secular and we won't say anything.



The NLFT(National Liberation Front of Tripura) is a predominantly Baptist(Protestant) organisation and its employment of terror tactics for mass conversion is proven and well documented. Most of their rebel camps operate in Bangladesh. In 1999, four members of the RSS were kidnapped by the NLFT and taken to Bangladesh demanding a ransom of 2 crores was demanded from the RSS. The RSS refused, and the four were massacred. What was their crime? They were working among the tribals and teaching the values and preservation of Hindu faith. Did it create any media sensation? Do any of you even know about it? I doubt, after all, we are so secular aren't we.



The attacks on Hindu preachers and spiritual leaders isn't anything new. It actually dates back to as early as 1980s in the Khasi hills where the Presbyterian(Protestant) Church is dominant. Do any of us remember a name Reverend John Thwaites? A Protestant preist who had been living in Bengal for over 30 years. There was clear evidence of his involvement with the Kamtapuri separatist terrorism. Our 'secular' Government quietly asked him to leave the country. When he didn't leave, he was arrested and prosecuted--all the christian junta and his sympathisers held demostrations. What happened? Well...a 3 month imprisonment and then he was deported back to the UK. How sweet, see!, this is what I'm talking about. We're secular people, we wouldn't want to humiliate and punish a spiritual leader of a minority community now would we.



Oh it doesn't stop here, the Baptist terrorists also killed a Catholic priest Father Victor Crasta in 2000. But that's not sectarian right? We know these things only happen in Hinduism, and we also know that we are very secular. Christian terrorists all over the north east, esp in Assam and Tripura have banned everything they see as Hindu festivals. Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Diwali, any damn thing you can think of has been banned. When the tribals perform any Hindu festival or ritual, they are attacked and killed without mercy. The NLFT loudly proclaims that they want to expand Tripura as the Kingdom of God and Christ. Hmmm...interestting.

Let alone acting as the mediators or financiers, priests of the Baptist Church have actually been arrested for possession of explosives and supplying arms to the terrorists. Nagmanlal Halam of the Noapara Baptists Church was arrested for possession of explosives. 3 other members of the same church were also arrested for terrorist links and one of them Jatna Koloi actually confessed that he received guerilla warfare!! training from thr NLFT. Whenever the RSS workers tried to help the Hindus under attack, they were kidnapped for ransom or killed. Shanti kali Maharaj, Lavkumar jamatiya and several other Hindu sages and spiritiual activists have been murdered. Hindu and Buddhist temples have been burned. It goes on and the media stays shut up...we stay shut up. Even so much as a rumor of an attack on a Christian makes headlines...Italy shouts, EU shouts, US shouts, Vatican shouts, we shout with them...'minorities under attack!!' we say, but not a word on the extremest of extremism happening elsewhere in India. Ever heard anybody shouting in or outside India when Hindus are massacred in Malaysia & Indonesia? No, and understandably so, we are very secular after all.

NSCN in Nagaland wants it's very own Christian nation. There is evidence of involvement with ISI too. Meghalaya is no better, in fact the Church very boldly issues threats to anybody having any links to Hindu organisations. Oh, and it doesn't stop here..they also indulge in smuggling and making fake currency. Bedang Tamjin, a Christian missionary was arrested for making fake currency notes in 1998.

Assam-- well, we all know what happens in Assam don't we, or do we? Death count of Hindus aside (I don't believe in coming up with imaginary figures, but trust me it's HUGE), you should know that they will kill anyone who merely speaks Hindi....interesting no? They have already declared they are not Indians. Indian-ness is actually so foreign to them that they even banned sarees!! But I'm not complaining...this is not fanaticism or anti national at all..hell no. Anti national can only be used for activities carried out by the majority religion. Yes, I know it, I'm very secular...I know it.

I am very secular so I have a one eyed vew of what the misionaries are doing in India. Yes, burning of houses of worship, muders and rapes are not justified..needless to say that all people involved in such crimes deserve capital punishment, but do I look at the broader perspective before going all gung-ho about the "intolerance" of Hindus? No, I don't, I'm a secular person you see. Many Christian spiritual leaders, Muslims leaders have been shouting and hurling abuses at other faiths for quite sometime--the number of instances are so many that I can't even list .01% of them here so I'll just leave you with this recent example. Every once in a while someone comes along and talks about a worldwide Islamic Caliphate or the Evangelism of entire Asia, etc. But hey, what do you know, fanaticism is exclusive to Indian Hindus. You may want to read this article by C. Alex Alexander, published in 2003. There are numerous evidences, very well documented throughout the History of Christianity in India--here's another one of what missionaries do. After the tsunami, the US National Council of Churches issued a statement warning against the practice by "New Missionaries" of mixing evangelism and aid. "Often lacking sophistication about the lure of gifts and money, and wanting to be generous with their resources, they easily fall prey to the charge of using unethical means to evangelize. This creates a backlash," the February statement read. Bob Alter, a former Presbyterian pastor from Mussoorie says "You get this guy out of Texas who has no idea of the local culture, he is out to win souls, and he comes with a lot of money. You have Baptists using the Diwali festival , but they come to 'spread the light to those in darkness.' That is mighty offensive stuff, when you're out to tear down another religion." I could go on and on about what happens in Bihar, Karnataka, Chattisgarh or how Hindu deities are demeaned and even abusively compared with Jesus Christ in Satyadarshini, printed and published by Karunmaya press of the Carmel Church in Hyderabad...but!..I won't. It's all ok you see, and we are all so secular.

Mind you, this is not to say that most of them do this, there are many missonaries who are involved in genuine social work, bulding up good schools and hospitals etc etc. But these things exist too--you can't just brush aside all these facts and lump everything on Hindu extremism. Yes, you can't..but I don't believe that..coz I'm a secular Indian. It should serve as a wake up call to all of those who believe in all the crap thrust upon them by the media, the politicians and some pseudo-secular intellectuals. Go ahead, research a bit more, read and then read some more, maybe you'll understand something...sadly, I couldn't as I'm a very secular person. I also know that all previous stories of nuns being raped by Hindu fundamentalists in the past (on 3 occasions) have been found false or completely made up. The recent Kandhamal case might very well be true, and if it is, it is shameful and disgusting and I feel sad and enraged, just as every human being would feel at such acts of hatred. As of now, it's not been proved. The nun is still playing a hide and seek game, not willing to ID anyone, not willing to cooperate with the police. It was gang rape, then it became rape by one while two others held and molested her, and very recently she has said that one man raped her and then a Hindu man actually saved her from the gang rape. These are the facts as of now, but I have already decided that Hinduism is intolerant and supports rape and murders of innocents. I know you can't do zilch about mob mentality in these conditions, be it Hindus, Christians or Muslims...but even then I've made up my mind that Hindus are gonna set India afire. Yes, I know it...I'm a secular person.

We are so secular as a country that we still feel jittery about using the term Islamic terrorism. The world accepts it, but we cannot, of course not...we are secular unlike the rest of the world. "Terrorists have no religion" they (you know who you are) say, except anti social Hindu extremists who have ever only reacted. I know they are Hindu terrorists, and Hindu terrorism will eat India alive....Islamic Terrorism...what's that? I don't know, I'm a secular Indian you see.

Gujarat riots always come up in such a debate, and without blnking an eye we skip the Sabarmati express incident evertyime. That this was the trigger for the riots which followed is uncool to admit. That 58 Hindu men, women and children were burnt alive in a pre-planned operation(proven by all commissions) by a mob of 500 strong armed Muslim extremists doesn't deserve any attention. Yes, it doesn't...and rightly so...we are a secular nation after all. 790 Muslims dead and 254 hindus dead; Hindus outnumber Muslims by more than 6:1 in this country and 8:1 in Gujarat--do you see the attempted genocide here? I do, why not, I'm a secular Indian. 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits, comprising 99% of the total Hindu population of the valley were pushed out by even as early as 1989!, more than 2000 tortured and killed by Muslim terrorists. Burned alive, branded with hot irons, their vital organs gouged out, bodies dismembered. Attacks, molestations, gang rapes, kidnappings, extortion, you name it..they've dealt with it...and that's not even counting the last 20 years. With more than 5000 years of of peaceful and a culturally rich history behind them, this community is still fighting its battle with extinction. But that's no genocide right? Of course, it's not, I know it, I'm very secular. I don't care about the sheer magnitude of this which dwarfs any other thing I can think of, it's still not important. Yes, I know it's not as important, anything which doesn't happen to minorities does not deserve as much attention, not from the Government, not from us. Yes, that's true, I know it, I'm a secular person. I could go on and on and on about how secular our country is(yes, haven't even touched the surface yet), how secular we are...but I'm gonna stop for now, my little secular brain cannot handle any more thoughts.

For those of you who missed the fineprint or chose not to, here's a summary of what I meant to say--
Fascism in the name of Bajrang Dal and VHP is termed as Hindu terrorism, rightly or wrongly..I do not know..but I am sure that whatever these buggers do is shameful and cowardly and they deserve punishment. Anyway, the point...why are we so quick and unrestrained when speaking about one but treading carefully for the other?? Why can't we differentiate 'anti social' from 'anti national'? As much as many of us would love to lump these two terms together, NO, it's not the same thing. It's criminal, yes, it deserves punishment, yes, but it's not the same thing. The fact is that we are STILL not secular as people. Maybe it's our own fears or maybe it's the ghaaslate fed into our brains by our leaders...i don't know. What I do know is that once the Government actually starts viewing people of all religions and faiths as EQUALS, all the bickering will end..atleast the internal ones. It doesn't matter who commits the crimes, be it Christian, Muslim or Hindu...spiritual leaders included. They should be punished!! Playing vote bank politics of appeasement will only hurt in the long run. This is is not aimed at the Government only, it's also something we Indians need to realize. There is nothing wrong is pointing out what is wrong. There is nothing wrong in calling a spade a spade. But if we keep calling Hindu spades spades and Christian and Muslim ones clubs, then you'll have a severe unbalance. We are all witness to how the extremists react. Let's see when the Government actually plans to sponsor Tirth Yatra as they sponsor Haj, hey!.. a Chaar Dhaam terminal right alongside Haj terminals at airports might be a good idea too na?

Also, I want to say sorry to all who get offended by reading this. Trust me, I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings or demean anybody. It's just that, of late, the media and many many ignorant people in the blogosphere are speaking without any knowledge and awareness of what actually happens in India and what the real problems are and I chose to make a post about it. The siutation is India as of now is this--if you're a Hindu and dfend your faith with mere words, you're branded a fundamentalist and lunatic, but if you loudly attack Hinduism and Hindus for the the crimes they may or may not have commited, you're a great secularist. Why? No more!..I say no to this. Yes, I know that being 80% of the population, the onus for religious and cultural harmony lies with the Hindus. But the rest of our fellow Indians should take a a few steps atleast. I can't tell you how happy I was this time when our dear Muslim friends and brothers took out peace protests and wore black bands. Yes, I'm proud of them that they have acknowledged the reality of Islamic Terrorism and doing what they can. Indian Chrisitans must also speak about the terrorism in the North East, about the societal structure destroying policies of conversion in many parts of India. Muslims, Hindus, Christians should fight against whatever hapens in Noth East, Kashmir, Orissa, Karnataka etc alike. Sadly, these days we see everybody targeting the majority, and sometimes enjoying! it (the reason still beats me). Don't just stand up for yourself, learn to stand for others too. Of course, what I'm saying is not the only problem..many other problems exist too. Neither is my view the only solution, definitely not..it's a viewpoint...just as so many others have in this big bad world.

Lastly, I know that Hindu is not equal to India. Yes, not anymore, I agree..with all my heart. But you must still give a thought about the complexity of Hindu, Hindustan, Bharat or India. You really must, it is imperative that all citizens of his country really understand what these words mean and how it stands truly apart from any nation or civilization in the history of the world. Although it is very VERY! complex and would probably require a disertation in itself, I'll leave you with these thoughts. In all lands of the world, where Muslim conquests or Church crusades were successful, the native indigenous traditions were largely destroyed and supplanted. Why did this not happen in India? It's very complex; is it the resilience of the Hindu way of life? Maybe..I don't know. What I do know is that it allows gracious acceptance of other religions and cultures, it is secure in its motherland that is India (used to be the whole of Indian subcontinent) as well as its culture and religious beliefs. Now don't take this in a wrong way (this is meant for the anti national elements and terrorists only), but once the non-Hindu inhabitants of our country truly understand this and stop trying to consciously overthrow the idea that is India, the ethos that is India, it will be a better place for all of us. Now before any of you smart a**** come out saying who am I to define India, or that Christianity came to India 2000 years ago blah blah. Please, I say sorry, again,...I'm not asking for going back to the ancient ages, I'm just asking you to have a little more perspective on why after so many millennia of tolerance against torture, tyranny, taxation, conversion..we are finally hearing the words Hindu terrorism ( I still don't believe in this term though). Oh and if you're hung up on history of other religions in India, then it's my duty to let you know that Hindus and India go back to as much as 7000 B.C., predating even the birth of Isam and Christianity.

P.S: You can have a look at this and this; two very sensible posts from Umm Oviya and read the comments to gauge the very narrow view and ignorance of people on what happens, and has been happening in India. There are many! more around the blogosphere but I just don't have the inclination to list them here, and most of them, sadly are biased or even bigoted. It's a clever display of juggling between the "humane" aspect and the "fundamentalist" aspect at their convenience. I say more power to them.

The 10 Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2008

Yes...it's almost time for the yearly list. Before I begin, yes, Watershed bored me(as all Opeth albums do except Blackwater Park and Ghost Reveries to an extent)...so don't go ballistic over it. Apologies for the delay in completing the 100 greatest metal albums list too, i'll get to it pretty soon. Anyway, here they are, the 10 best metal albums of 2008...IMO of course:)

10. Shogun--Trivium (Thrash/Metalcore)
A very matured offering from Heafy and the guys. Lots of great thrash riffs with equal amounts of clean melodies. The screaming vocals are back, and it's all good, for me atleast.

Killer Tracks: Kirisute Gomen, Insurrection & Like Callisto to a Star in Heaven.

9. Antithesis--Origin (Technical Death Metal)

This was my introduction to Origin, and damn!! was I blown away. The perfect mix of brutality and technique(sweep arpeggios as riff elements anynone??? whoa!!); hyperspeed shredding with even faster blast beats all the way through. Definitely one of the better extreme metal albums this year.

Killer Tracks: The Aftermath, Finite & Wrath of Vishnu

8. Agony of Death--Holy Moses (Thrash Metal)

These German thrashers' claim to fame(if they ever had any) is Finished with The Dogs(1987), a rare gem of extreme thrash metal from the late eighties. Anyway, with Agony of Death these Germans have achieved quite a remarkable blend of old school madness and modern aggression here. Clocking in above the 1 hour mark, it tends to get a bit repetive at times.

Killer Tracks: Imagination, Alienation & Angels at War

7. Oblivion Beckons--Byzantine (Neo-Thrash)

Imagine a Nevermore on adrenaline and that's precisely what this album sounds like. Pulverizing riffs and grooves reminiscent of Pantera and Machine head with plenty of melodic interludes; this is definitely one of the most complex and punchy albums out this year. A must own!

Killer Tracks: Absolute Horizon, Oblivion Beckons & Pattern Recognition

6. Ultra Beatdown--DragonForce (Speed Power Metal)

Oh yes, the fastest band on the planet is back. Not as refreshing and awe inspiring as their last 2 albums, it still has everything for a great Dragonforce album. Synths are just a tad more prominent this time around, and the prolonged seering solos and video-gamesque licks still form the main backbone.

Killer Tracks: The Fire Still Burns, The Last Journey Home & The Warrior Inside

5. War Waithout End--Warbringer(Speed/Thrash Metal)

Aaaah!! I have no words, read my detailed review for more information.

Killer Tracks: Uh..all of 'em!

4. Killing Season--Death Angel (Thrash Metal)

A monster thrasher from they bay area moshers. The full review can be found here

Killer Tracks: Lord of Hate, Dethroned & Resurrection Machine

3. Formation of Damnation--Testament (Thrash Metal)

I've always questioned the term "Big 4 of Thrash". One, because it only involves US bands and two, because even then it is Testament that deserves the fourth place, not Anthrax. Anyway, these guys have proved again that the old school still knows how to thrash in the modern world. A brilliant album from Skolnick Inc. once again.

Killer Tracks: More Than Meets the Eye, Title Track & The Persecuted Won't Forget

2. Southern Storm--Krisiun (Brutal Death Metal)

This could very well be the most DEVASTATING album I've heard in a loooooong time, yes, even more pulverizing than Nile's 2005 mammoth-Annihilation of The Wicked. Clean, clear, gut wrenching riffs, with blazing solos and vocals that are actually understandable(quite a feat in my book). Max's drumming creates an atmosphere which manages to overtake the Niles and Absus. A modern Death Metal classic in the making for sure.

Killer Tracks: All of 'em...but do check out the splendid rendition of Sepultura's Refuse Resist if nothing else.

....and the best metal album of 2008 is....

1. Death Magnetic--Metallica (Thrash Metal)

As if you didn't know :), well, I don't know...maybe my judgement was a little fogged because of the sheer happiness to hear Metallica in such a form. Nevertheless, it is still my most 'listened to' album of 2008 and it IS really good, and possibly contains THE best metal tune of 2008 in All Nightmare Long.

Killer Tracks: All Nightmare Long, Suicide and Redemption & My Apocalypse

Another Terrorist Attack...and still NO Lesson Learned

Mind you, I am NOT talking about our politicians here. No, I am talking about ourselves, the citizens of India and some very confused and uneducated "intellectuals" and "top notch" media people. It was absolutely disgusting to see Barkha Dutt actually putting words into people's mouths, not to mention the painfully stupid "how are you feeling" questions she asked to the countless people who had lost their loved ones. The whole reaction to these incidents was as if our leaders and politicians had actually killed the innocent people themselves. Now I am not one of those who think that we have been blessed with our fair share of great leaders and statesmen, but, let's have some perspective here. We have become so useless as citizens that we blame anything and everything on the politicians. Yes, they are at fault, but not anymore than the police, the various intelligence services, the coast guard etc. It's a systemic failure, and being a part of that system...we are responsible too!

The other thing that is very disturbing is the sheer dearth of genuine intellectuals in our country. Well, not that these celebrity jokers on national TV can actually be put in that category, but what the hell!!. Simi Garewal asks to carpet bomb Pakistan and stop paying our taxes!! Yeah, right...not that we expected any intelligible thoughts from your pea sized brain Ms. Garewal..but this was bordering on insanity. Shobha De could very well be the Queen Bee of all idioticy and it would be a huge task to recall all the stupid statements she made on TV. Someone even demanded that the whole! government should resign. Wow!!..just wow.

More than the attacks themselves, the public interest is now much more in who resigns, what the Kerela CM does, or what the family members of Karkare, Unnikrishnan and the likes are doing. I've been receiving quite a lot of SMSes playing jokes on the Kerela CM or politicians in general. It's disturbing how the media can make people's minds go in an entirely different tangent. Regarding the whole Kerela CM issue, yes, what he said was very wrong..considering those words were aimed at a grieving family. A family who had sacrificed their son for the country. But, did anybody catch the bit on TV when Unnikrishnan's father was wildly shouting and chasing at the Kerela CM..he's the Chief Minister of a state for heaven's sake. It was Unnikrishnan's father who called him a smelly dog first. Now Mr. Acchitanandan may very well be a smelly dog for all I know, but this type of behaviour is totally uncalled for. The CM was insulted and he retorted with an insult. Now just leave it at that...why are we deviating from the topic and getting worked up about such silly things.

That Karkare, Unnikrishnan, Saalaskar and others gave their lives for their country is honorable and should be remembered but how is that any different from our many soldiers and poilicemen who die in Kashmir, Assam and various other troubled areas of the country? What is so special this time? I'll tell you what...the little stories that you keep watching on national TV. A Rajdeep or Barkha start this blame politicians nonsense and the whole country joins the party. They air the funerals and stories of bravery and suddenly these people become the greatest martyrs our country has had. Have people ever tried to look through a list of our Param Vir Chakra, Asoka Chakra, Vir Chakra holders, ever cared for their stories or what they did on the battlefield? Bhedchaal mein chale chalo sab...IBN7 keeps airing it's imaginary reports and we're glued. Some stupid anchor and stupider panelists keep bashing the politicians and we're even more thrilled.

Sack everyone, yes, everyone!!..a jungle raaj...that's what we want right? And before beginning their rants these people do not even stop once to think that THEY are the ones who voted for these leaders. RR patil says "itne bade shehar mein ek aadh haadsa ho jaata hai" and the media conveniently turned it into "bade bade sheharo mein chhoti chhoti baatein ho jaati hain"--DDLJ hangover I guess. Make a mess out of RGV going into the the Taj..huh!...what's everybody's problem?? I'm pretty sure most of us would have been very curious to go inside if we could. Why are we constantly nitpicking? Why do we make mountains out of molehills every single time? Again, needless to say...the matter at hand, that is the epidemic of terrosism has taken a back seat. We are busy(and perhaps enjoying) bashing and badmouthing each other at every chance we're getting.

And while we're doing so, look what the supposedly educated community of Pakistan is planning. Not to mention how their scholars are hinting at conspiracy theories suggesting these attacks were the works of the Indian Government itself. I have always tried to believe that the Government of Pakistan and its citizens are the same as we are. They also want peace and friendship just as we do. But the more I read and hear, the more I lose confidence. It's pretty much turning out to be a rogue state and rogue nation. Anyway, I'm gonna end it here now and pray and hope that this bickering over trivial matters ends. Jai Hind and stay safe.

100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time--Part 1

Ok, I know I'm not Martin Popoff but I'm going to make this list anyway. As always, some of the albums MAY find a spot here for their sheer influence or innovation, but most of them will be here because I enjoy them. A few might also not fit with the "Metal" tag, but hey....it's my list. Without any further ado, here are #s 100 to 81 for you.

100. Game Over--Nuclear Assault(1986/87)
Following in the footsteps of Suicidal Tendencies and D.R.I., Nuclear Assault had transformed into a full blown thrash metal band with this release, and it is their crowning achievement. Insane riffs, screeching vocals and politically charged lyrics make this an absolutely must own for any fan of thrash,hardcore or crossover. Killer tracks--Sin, Betrayal and My America.

99. Pleasures of the Flesh--Exodus(1987)
Exodus' sophomore release without Paul Baloff!!!...but this one still doesn't disappoint a bit. Not as ferocious and unrelenting as their masterful debut, this one packs quite a punch and some grooves too. Killer tracks--Parasite, Choose your weapon and Chemi-kill.

98.Chaosphere--Meshuggah(1998)
While Destroy Erase Improve is almost universally accepted as the best Mehuggah album, I prefer this one. This album is literally a sonic panic and sometimes uncomfortably heavy...but I love it. Killer tracks--they are all good but Corridor of Chameleons might give you a scare or two:)

97.Eternal Devastation--Destruction(1986)
One of the pioneers of the German thrash metal scene, Destruction were at their best on this one...and why not? This is 1986!! and everything is gold. Killer tracks--Curse the Gods,Eternal Ban and Upcoming Devastation(instr).

96.Focus--Cynic(1993)
If you think Death Metal cannot gel with Jazz,Fusion,Electronica...thing again! As fate would have it, this is the only Cynic recording ever(edited to add--they came out with Traced in Air recently, I have yet to lay my hands on it)and what a mark it made on the metal scene. I really can't pick killer tracks here except for How Could I, but the sheer musical skill displayed throughout the album will keep you mesmerized.

95. Persecution Mania--Sodom(1987)
Ahh Sodom, another piece of the great German thrash scene of the eighties. If anybody plays thrash by the book, it's Sodom. Killer tracks--Nuclear Winter, Bombenhagel, Outbreak of Evil and very neat rendition of Motorhead's Iron Fist.

94. Lights..Camera..Revolution!--Suicidal Tendencies(1990)
I was actually torn between this and How Will I Laugh Tomorrow....but this came on top. Combining punk, rock and some elements of thrash ST created a gem of an album here. Killer tracks--You Can't Bring Me Down, Lost Again and Alone.

93. Annihilation of the Wicked--Nile(2005)
Wow, an album from the new millennium cracks the list..yes it's that good. What can I say about this album...well...prepare to be annihilated! This is Nile at their brutal and technical best. Astounding drumming, haunting egyptian melodies, bone crunching riffs.....aah!. Killer tracks--User Maat Re, Lashed to The Slavestick and Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten.

92. A Predator's Portrait--Soilwork(2001)
What do we have here..another one from the new millennium? These Swedes borrow quite a lot from other genre greats, but what they have created here is quite possibly one of the most accessible yet punchy melodic death metal albums ever. Killer riffing combined with atmospheric keyboards and double bass mayhem make this any metaller's wet dream. Killer tracks--Needlefeast, The Analyst and Shadowchild.

91. The Dark Saga--Iced Earth(1996)
Let it be known that Matt Barlow is undoubtedly one of the most powerful voices in all of metal. With that said, this is not Iced Earth's best album, but it sure packs a lot more feel and punch than your DragonForces and Stratovariuses. Killer tracks--I Died for You, The Hunter and Depths of Hell.

90. Human--Death(1991)
The founders of Death Metal have finally cracked the list. As with any Death album, it is very hard to tell you what exactly is brilliant about it. Killer riffs, awesome bass work, great drumming, blazing solos, it's all there. Same for the songs..they're all great; every Death album is brilliant from start to finish...so is this one. It's just that I find a few of their own albums better than this.....(to come later)

89. Ignorance/Surf Nicaragua EP--Sacred Reich(1987)
This is Sacred Reich's best album(plus an EP with some live recordings--box set)...period. In fact this might just be the only Sacred Reich album worth listening to. Their most acclaimed album, The American Way is just too sloppy for my tastes...I steer clear of it..so should you. This one is pure thrash madness as it should be...Killer tracks--Death Squad, Victim of Demise and check out the absolutely killer cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs(much better than the Faith No More one).

88. Cause of Death--Obituary(1990)
This is Obituary's most balanced recording to date. With death metal classics like Body Bag, Chopped in Half and the monster Find the Arise you just cannot go wrong with this one. They also introduced solos here, and it's a welcome change from Slowly We Rot.

87. Wages of Sin--Arch Enemy(2002)
With Angela Gossow's recruitment, two things happened to Arch Enemy. One, the sound did not remain your typical death metal type...two, the music got better! Yes, this is THE definitive Arch Enemy album. Some may argue Burning Bridges, but this stands heads and shoulders above that album in my book. Michael Amott is a guitar god and the level of musical precision on this album is almost clinical. Killer tracks--Enemy Within, Ravenous and Dead Bury Their Dead.

86. Ashes of the Wake--Lamb of God(2004)
That's right, scoff if you will, but this is no screamo emo metalcore crap. This is a pure headbanger from start to finish and is everything that metal should be in the new age. Killer tracks--Laid to Rest, The Faded Line and Remorse is for the Dead.

85. Enemy of God--Kreator(2005)
The mighty Kreator have finally cracked the list and what they have here is inarguably the greatest thrash album of the new millennium. Nuff said...Killer tracks--Enemy of God, Impossible Brutality and Murder Fantasies.

84. Blackwater Park--Opeth(2001)
This is the only Opeth album I can stand from start to finish...why? Because it is that good. Nowhere do the abnormally long songs feel forced and that's what is great about it. It has a melancholic feel to it and the mood keeps oscillating from the grey to the serene to the angry. You have to let it grow on you. Killer tracks--Bleak, The Drapery Falls and Blackwater Park.

83. Eternal Nightmare--Violence(1988)
A truly underrated thrash masterpiece of the eighties. Riffs, riffs and more riffs..that is all this album is about. I'm not complaining and neither should you. Killer tracks--Serial Killer, Phobophobia and Kill on Command.

82. Dreaming Neon Black--Nevermore(1999)
This is Nevermore's masterpiece....a masterpiece in all of metal actually. They combine power and thrash to produce one of the most outstanding concept metal albums ever. Killer tracks--Beyond Within, Poison Godmachine and Forever.

81. Alice in Hell--Annihilator(1989)
Annihilator's thrash debut and inarguably their best album to date. Jeff Waters weaves pure genius with this album that's heavy yet surprisingly accessible. Killer tracks--Alison Hell, W.T.Y.D. and Wicked Mystic.

Francois Gautier on Hindu Terrorism

This Outlook Article written by a non-Hindu writer (and an acclaimed one at that) seems to know what I was trying to say in my earlier post. Bad Hindus are bad, bad Muslims are bad, bad Christians are bad. But if you know your history(ancient,medieval or modern), you just cannot lump these things with all other forms of terrorism and start questioning Hindu(Indian) tolerance. I'm still waiting for some lost soul to interpret this or my last post as a justification for the killings and cry foul....hmm..let's wait and watch.

Tolerance and Religion

Before my rant begins, let me speak a bit about the the words 'Hindu' and 'Hindutva'. Due to the recent acts of violence and hatred carried out by the VHP and Bajrang Dal activists, everybody in the media (including people in the the blogosphere) has taken to condemning various aspects of "Hinduism". Yes, these acts of violence are cowardly and totally inhuman and I hope each and everyone invloved in such crimes of hate should be hanged by the neck till death. But, let me put some perspective in to this whole "Hindu" bashing fad. Which, for better or worse has also developed into the 'who's more Indian' debate.

Hindu is not a Sanskrit or Hindi word, in fact it's not even a word at all!. The early Persians who came to India just couldn't handle pronouncing the word Sindhu(Indus of Indus Valley Civilization as we know it) and so after much changes it simply became Hindu(which later became Hindustan) and the natives were addressed as Hindus. So everybody in the Indian subcontinent was known as a Hindu. Hinduism, in it's essence, has nothing to do with religion..it's all purely geographical. Before foreigners/invaders started coming to India, it was always known as Bharat(named after King Bharat) and it simply means lover of eternal knowledge and the religion(if you'd like to call it that) practiced was Sanatan Dharma which simply means eternal religion. So, the words Hindu or Indian or Bhartiya are one and the same thing. Of course, all invaders throughout India's history made sure they distorted the meaning. So the next time someone assumes you're a Hindu if you live in India...umm...it's technically right you know ;).

"Hinduism" is nothing but a set of beliefs, cultures and rituals(yes) that the inhabitants of this land inculcated in their lives through the thousands and thousands of years of our history. You have the same Christian wedding whether you're in France or Timbaktu, you have the same Nikah in every part of the world, but you'll see at least 36 different types of Hindu marriages in India. No baptism, no khatna There is no ONE GOD, there is no ONE holy book. Even the Bhagwad Gita which serves as the epitome of all "Hindu" philosophy talks about the WAY to lead one's life and nothing else. None of the Hindu scriptures or holy books talk about non-believers being "vile animals" or "destined to hell". There is NOTHING about other religions or non-believers...why? Maybe because this is much before the concept of religion even existed. Heck, with 18 Crore devi/devatas I think it would have been cruel to the human race..lol.

Some people also have trouble distinguishing Diwali or Holi from say X-Mas or Id. Let it be known that Diwali is an INDIAN festival, not a "Hindu" one as many of you know it. It has absolutely no connection to any religion whatsover. Let me explain; North Indians(yes, not Hindus) celebrate it as the victory of good over evil(I'm guessing you know the Rama,Sita,Ravana deal), and even then, instead of Ram,Sita,Laxman..we actually worship Ganesh and Lakshmi on Diwali night. Doesn't make sense right? And it doesn't need to. South Indians celebrate it for a totally different reason..something to do with narkasur. Jains celebrate Diwali for the same reasons and with same fervor as all "Hindus". Sikhs also celebrate Diwali but for a different reason and they call it Bandhi Chhor Diwas. There's a reason why the President of the USA addresses the Indian nation and wishes us happy Diwali. It is because Diwali is an Indian festival, not bound by caste, creed or religion. So the next time someone tells you that Diwali is more of an Indian festival than X-Mas or anything else....don't be mad....it's absolutely correct you know.

Am I making any sense up till now? Baah...I'll continue anyway. So you see, there are absolutely no rigid rules to be followed, not in the rituals, not in the festivals, not even in death. There is no ONE god/lord, no one way of life...nothing in absolutes. Generally the cow is considered sacred, but you have Kali temples where cows are offered as bali and meat is served to the pujaris as prasad. That is why it was, is and will always be the most tolerant faith on Earth. Note: I'm not talking about the VHP/Bajrang Dal concept of Hindutva here, I'm talking about the true essence of Hindu faith. As we discussed in the first paragraph, Hindutva, when translated, simply means Indian-ness, and that is how it should have been. Had all the emperors/invaders throughout India's history been like Akbar we would have no need to change its name from Hindustan.

A little bit on the “Indian-ness” and “tolerance” part of this great debate. Now, whatever I’m going to say is from my own experience and I don’t intend to generalize anything. From what I’ve seen throughout the 30 odd years of my life, many people, including Hindus, Christians, Muslim, Sikhs etc believe that by virtue of having a “best friend” of another religion or the fact that they mingle a lot with people of other religions they are “tolerant”. This can be so far!! from the truth. You befriend the “person”, you marry the “person” and let’s be honest; in a country like India you would have to be a moron of the first order to even think that you could get away without such inter-religious/cultural interaction.

Everybody who lives in modern age India and pretends to be(or really is) religiously tolerant will do some or all of these things: A self proclaimed modern Hindu will celebrate X-Mas, Id and even visit their Muslim and Christian friends places but he/she may tell their son/daughter to never marry a non Hindu or think of all Muslims as traitors. An educated Muslim will have lots of Hindu friends/colleagues and a high flying job but he may be secretly typing e-mails in lieu of SIMI or ISI coz TTT was a thing of ancient India. A well educated, well brought up Christian will mingle will people from all religions and cultures but he/she may be secretly thinking how to convert the bugger, coz very clearly, the days of TTT are over for them too. TTT stands for torture, taxation & tyranny.

How do we sort out the pretenders? More importantly, how do we sort out those who value their religion over India? I’ll tell you how. These are the people who lie low, masquerading as the “ideal” Indian citizen but come out of their shell as soon as something provocative enough happens. And then, sadly, there are those who don’t even need anything provocative. These are the people who view conversion as an act against their God and start taking innocent lives. These are the people who demolish mosques to avenge something that’s not even relevant today. These are the people who walk the streets as just another Indian but have posters of only Pakistani cricketers in their homes. These are the people who burst firecrackers every time India loses a match to Pakistan. These are the people who could care less about India or Indian-ness and their sole purpose is to go around proclaiming their God as the only saviour. These are the people who blow their trumpets of being an “ideal” Indian community not having the faintest idea of their miserable population Vs. enrollment ratio in the Indian army, the police, the administrative services or any public/social service cause (that does not involve religion).

If the rowdy Hindu MNS workers beat up a fellow Indian from the North to death it’s not so bad. But if a Hindu extremist takes Christian lives, it’s suddenly Christ Vs….well…who...Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Vishnu, Durga…who? It’s suddenly all about the shortcomings and intolerance of Hinduism. If you really are so tolerant, why would you not see this as just another inhuman act by some pathetic scoundrels destined to hell anyway? These are the people who’ll go to unknown lengths and nitpick on every damn thing about another religion when someone in their religion/community is attacked. These people, when provoked, will look for every conceivable way to justify their religion or God as being better or the ultimate one. Sad….but true. How do I know? Well…I have met my fair share of pretenders in my life, and fortunately, quite a few genuine ones too. The pretenders are usually very confused; they think they don’t take religion very seriously when in fact they do.

During my early childhood in Allahabad, my friends used to call me Zahir. My father wanted to name me that after Zahir Abbas(the famous Pakistani cricketer) but it never came through. Anyway, my friends still called me that…and I was also told that I had very Muslim features (dunno what that means). But it was ok, in fact the names kept changing from Zahir to Salim and some also started calling me Muslim Miya. After a while, some locals kids from a nearby area (all Muslim population) also started playing cricket with me and would also take me to their homes to meet their parents. Those kids were actually from a lower economic section of the society and it probably made them feel good to bring home a friend who looked taken care of(I hope J). But, I have known (still know) quite a few Christians/Muslims who will get thoroughly offended if anybody assumes they’re Hindu because of their first name or the way they dress or the way they talk, even if the other person was just wishing them for a festival. NO SIR!!,..no way…how the hell did you get my religion wrong.

I sometimes don’t understand why people take all these things so seriously. Mind you, these are the ones who go all trumpetty tibbity bippity on tolerance at the drop of a hat. If you truly believe that all Indians are your brothers and sisters then simply view it as a brother killing a brother. On the one hand you blow your tolerance and Indian-ness horns and on the other you say a Hindu killed my fellow Christian..I need justice!!, or a Muslim killed my fellow Hindu..so on and so forth. Please stop pretending! National Integration is a thing of the heart and mind, not the mask we wear in our daily lives. Some people don’t understand that religion is not something that can be mocked or made fun of. No matter how hard one may try, it’s just not possible. Some pseudo-intellectual Hindus (I’ve known quite a few) talk crap about some of the gods. Heck, I remember one Hindu batchmate in London who actually called Lord Rama an ass-hole. None of us said a word and could only feel pity for her. Pity not because she had abused our Hindu God, pity because she had demeaned and Indian holy figure in front of all the foreigners and became another victim of the so called “cool” era.

So that was...errr..whatever that was. I am an Indian and a Hindu. Does that make me more of an Indian than a Christian, Muslim, or Sikh? Certainly not, but the simple fact that I belong to the majority (which by the way was not my choice) should not make an easier scapegoat out of me. I am a Hindu because my forefathers did not convert or bow down to the violence. We didn’t choose our religion. Once the other fellow Indians converted to Islam or Christianity; we were attached to Hinduism automatically. Ever wondered why the Indian Ocean is called the Hind Mahasaagar? Why there are Hindukush Mountains? Don’t hate on the word Hindu, it’s an identity, an Indian identity. Of course, now it has been severely maligned by politicians and extremist groups, but if you can’t see through it…then please don’t call yourself tolerant. The only differentiator is our forefathers’ decision to hold on to our native faith while the others adopted foreign ones. For better or worse is entirely subjective. Know before you talk, criticize the individuals, the politicians, the extremists, not Hindus. And if you should, then do your research first...and a thorough one at that, including the history of major religions (including their history in India, trust me...it's not as rosy as you may think) and the writings of all holy books. Then, we'll talk about tolerance. Violence or killing in the name of God is evil, and anybody who commits such a sin will go to hell. Trust me, no matter what you books say...killers will go to hell, rapists will go to hell, bombers will go to hell, people who let you die of starvation unless you accept their God will go to hell. Don't criticize the faith for that, don't criticize God for that. Faith or religion is what people make of it, and sometimes it's not what God intended.

Indian?? Really??

It was a " you guys ok?" sms from a friend that led us to believe something was wrong, and we instinctively turned on one of the TV news channels. Yes, something was wrong; a series of bomb blasts..again! To think that we had actually planned on going to Connaught Place and Palika Bazaar on that fateful Saturday sends shivers down my spine. We didn't, fortunately...and I haven't stopped thanking God since that day. You see what the world has come to? I am actually thankful! for not being able to enjoy a well earned weekend because some pricks out there think they are doing God's work by killing innocent people. The multimedia e-mail they sent to the news channels was very disturbing to say the least. "your dirty blood will be spilled"!! who the hell can actually turn the minds of educated people in such a way? What is infuriating and quite funny at the same time, is that they still have the balls to call themselves 'INDIAN' Mujahiddeen. Really?? Be a human first and then we'll see if you have the right to call yourselves Indian or not.

Now I'm not gonna bash the Government like everybody else does everytime something like this happens. In a vast and densely populated country like India, if the terrorists want to...then there's no way the police or the administration can catch them a 100% of the time. Adding to the problem is the fact that many of them are actually from the supposedly educated/civil section of the society. IT employees, doctors...you will find them in all walks of life. But!, once you do catch them..please oh please!!! get rid of them. I know, this statement may annoy some human rights activists out there, but these people have no rights in my eyes. A convicted terrorist needs to be executed..end of story. A known terrorist who's still on the run--a shoot at sight order for him. That's how it should be. We're no America, I know, ghar mein ghus ke nahi maar sakte hum (I'd be glad if we could do that though), but swift trials/executions for convicted terrorists is the least we could do. As it is these people have little fear of anything, they suicide bomb!! for heaven's sake..and the way our Government lingers on these trials for years and years won't do anything to dampen their spirits.

The case of Muhammad Afzal Guru comes to mind. Here was a man, convicted of premeditated bombings on the Indian Parliament, and there were Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azaad shouting slogans of human rights!?? No further comments...but..what the fuck!!!!??? And don't even get me started on the ever so moronic Arundhati Roy...haven't seen another pseudo intellectual and pretentious socialite(yes, I don't consider her a social worker..NO) quite like her. She was one of the torch bearers demanding clemency for Afzal. Go get a life you tool!! Ditto Medha Patkar. Sometimes I wonder, why is it that all human rights belong to the criminals and terrorists? Do we, the normal, law abiding citizens of India have no rights? Do we not have the right to freely go wherever and do whatever we like in our own country..without being scared of some prick pushing a remote button? Yes!..I think I do, in fact I know we do. My only plea to the Indian Government is to hunt them down, eradicate them. You don't feed pests...and at the risk of sounding inhuman and uncool again, I'll say that every person who indulges in any act of terrorism is a pest!
To sum up..I want an India where I can live freely, walk freely without being scared. An India where I can proudly say...borrowing lines from Naseer in A Wednesday:-
Koi bhi ma*****od ek button daba ke meri zindagi nahi le sakta

Rant over...god be with you all.

Metallica-Death Magnetic Review

After more than 15 years of personal problems, musical bankruptcy, substance abuse and some mediocre to below average studio albums to their credit...hold on...umm..err...well....Metallica are back!

Read on my fellow metalheads :)
Clocking in at a mammoth 75 minutes, this album's structure is quite reminiscent of the masterful And Justice for All. Album opener That Was Just Your Life starts with a hearbeat (literally) and pretty soon you get the message. Metallica make it loud and clear....'We are back to thrashing boys, and we mean it'. When Kirk's solo hits around the 5 minute mark, you realize how vital it is to the "Metallica" sound and only a fool would have thought of a Metallica album without solos, a fool the world knows as Bob Rock. This one's a great thrasher to start off the album with.

Next up is The End of The Line, a technical thrasher with some epic soling from Kirk. Following this one comes Broken,Beat and Scarred which is an out and out balls to the walls headbanger. The three glorious thrashers pave way for lead single The Day That Never Comes, which slows the tempo for the first time. It's a semi ballad of sorts and home to some excuisite guitar work. This is one of those songs which grow on you after repeated listens.
Next up is my favourite song off the album, All Nightmare Long. Hold on to your socks for this one fellas, this is Metallica at what they f'in do best. Hyper speed shredding, immaculate soloing...one hell of an exciting nightmare this is. A mosher of moshers from the lords of mosh themselves.
Cyanide keeps things rocking and rolling at a medium pace and could very well have been on the Load/Reload albums. we're not complaining though, coz we're still under the spell of the preceeding thrashers, and a little variety never hurts.
The Unforgiven III follows Cyanide, a slow, piano infested ballad which might very well be the lowest point of the whole album. And even if the song was any good, there's this one thing you realize...Metallica have, and will always do what they want. So you can just shove whatever true metal crap that's in your head and deal with it. It's criminal to ignore Metallica for the mere hatred of one or two songs or your own stupid ass beliefs.
The Judas Kiss sounds more like a heavy rock n' roll jam session with a decent solo. Just when you start to think the downward spiral will continue, Metallica ramp up their game again with Suicide and Redemption, a moody, atmospheric instrumental which tries to recreate the glory of The Call of Ktulu and Orion, it doesn't quite, but it's a good song nonetheless and features some great twin guitar work by James and Kirk.
A riff infested monster thrasher called My Apocalypse brings things to end on a very very high note.
So, that was Death Magnetic for you. Let me say though, except for a couple of songs, this is not really the Metallica of the eighties. As much as this album reminds you of And Justice..., Master.., or Ride The Lighting..it reminds you of Load, Reload and St. Anger as well. It's still music from a band that is trying to get back in form, to get back to its roots, to get back to whatever it was that made this band the biggest metal band ever. We also need to understand that you just cannot expect a band to keep churning out the same stuff over and over again. They are creative people, they'll go insane if they do not progress. What's good about this album is that the Metal in Metal-lica seems to back, well, for the most part...and that in itself is a great deal. All Nightmare Long in itself is evidence enough that all hope is not lost. Yes, there are some things which might annoy some people..e.g. James' emo like singing in some songs, southern rock influences in some songs a la Load etc etc, but there's still enough material here to bang your head to and shout out loud. Death Magnetic is clearly not another Master...,And Justice.. or Ride The Lightning. It may not even be as punchy as The Black album, but it is clearly heads and shoulders above anything they have done in the past decade and a half, and miles ahead of most crap masquerading as metal these days.
EDIT: After repeated listens I have changed my mind, Suicide and Redemption may!! actually reach the status of Orion or ..Ktulu...the song absolutely rocks!!! Man!...what musicianship...absolutely mindblowing.

Rating: 8.5/10

Our chhota dost is gone!

It was a windy/rainy friday night about 2 months ago and we were feasting on our customary pizza and some alcohol to go with it. We heard some noises on the balcony, so we went out and saw a pigeon violently flipping over some empty cartons. Poor thing had hurt one of its legs and was not able to fly. For a while we didn't know what to do, the little guy was flipping all around the place. Then, I mustered up some courage and caught hold of him with a towel in my hand. We soothed him for a bit and kept murmuring calming sounds (we made up our own language) and then lay it down in a secure spot. Then we put some breadcrumbs and a bowl of water in front of him. He looked calm now but was still shaking, so we went inside and let him be. Next morning I went to check the balcony as soon as I got up. The breadcrumbs were gone, the bowl of water was empty, the little guy had flown away! yay. We were so happy and relieved. Come to think of it, we've had a strange chemistry with pigeons ever since we moved into our current apartment. They were always nesting and making a mess of things in our second balcony...but we were never really annoyed.

Now comes another story: About three weeks ago we had a new entrant in our home..a little mouse. His first sighting was when he ran right over my wife's feet resulting in a witch-like scream. Women...aah!..why do they have to scream at anything and everything...even a cockroach(now that's just silly). Anyway, I was ordered on a hunting mission right away....but all attempts went in vain. After a few days we forgot about it and the little guy kept showing up while we were watching the TV or just slacking on the couch. He loved to run right accross the carpet which would make my wife jump. After getting used to him, we started calling him our chhota dost (little friend). If he were to show up when guests were at our place, that was the way he was introduced..our chhota dost.
About 4 days ago, while my wife was taking out some stuff from one of the kitchen storage cabinets, she saw rice splattered all over the place. When inspected, we saw that the rice packet as well as a lot of others were chewed and gnawed upon by our chhota not so dost anymore. That evening, we bought some rat kill and put it all over the place. The last we saw of him was 2 days ago. We've searched the house, but there's no sign of him. Even our maid didn't find him anywhere in her jhaadoo ponchha routines. Who knows, maybe he just left our house..or maybe he actually ate some of the rat kill and went and died somewhere outside (it takes atleast 2 days for rat kill to affect).
The point is, if you've not got it by now...why did we differentiate between the pigeon/s and the mouse? Was it because the mouse was destroying our food...well...we gave food to the pigeon voluntarily didn't we? Was it because the mouse was creating nuisance...well..not anymore than the crap the pigeons made out of our second balcony. Or was it just because pigeons are soothing to the eye and mice are like...well....creepy. I don't know myself, but I do know that ever since his last sighting I've been feeling a little guilty. Guilty that I might have killed him..but why? I have killed hundreds of mice and rats in my life..why was this one special? Again, I don't know...maybe because we actually let him stay and got used to him. Maybe because we started calling him our chhota dost(bad idea) and felt connected to him. Come to think of it, I think that's what it is..we never should have named it. As much I like chicken and fish, would I ever be able to kill and eat one which I've named myself, which lives in my house pond or barn? No, I don't think so...not after this incident. In fact I'll stop naming things which I want to eat. Not that there are many living things to eat around the house(except the wife), but still. Oh no, this has been such an idiotic post...maybe I'm losing it. Now that I've spoken about it, I do feel less burdened with the guilt...so it was not all that idiotic I guess. Cheerio!

Ninja Gaiden 2 Review: Xbox 360

The near perfect action flick this generation of video games has to offer.


First things first; I haven't played any games of the Ninja Gaiden franchise before this, so there would be no comparisons.


Make no mistake, Ninja Gaiden 2 (NG2) isn't for the faint of heart or the attention deficient. It's a tough game, tough to the point of being punishing, merciless! More likely than not, there will be times when you'll simply want to throw your controller at the screen or scream obsceneties. Persevere, and thy will be rewarded! Now that this, the most probable deterrent for any casual gamer or even NG veterans has been touched upon, let's get on with the review.

Story....hmmm..well...it's as cheesy and downright uninteresting as it could get, but that's not the point of NG2 anyway. FYI though, Ryu Hayabusa (our Ninja hero) has been given the inevitable job of saving the world again. He has been on a revenge mission since the black spider clan Ninjas and fiends (the main villains) destroyed his village. This time around, there's a CIA?? twist in the tale and Ryu gets the help of Sonia (a buxom agent) intermittently in the game. The Archfiend has awakened and he threatens to shatter the peace on earth with the help of his four greater fiends (bosses you got to fight on and off in the game).



What surprised me immediately about NG2 was that it didn't hold my hand and tried to spoonfeed me at all. As soon as the intro cutscene was over, there I was, smack! in the middle of 10 angry ninja foes ready to mince me for dinner. Thereafter, it kept presenting me with scrolls on how to perform a specific evading move or how to counter an attack, so on and so forth. Never did it feel like Iwas being taught, but it still felt like I was learning. If you're one of those who think they are good because they can pull of insane combos and ratings in Devil May Cry then be ready to cry your heart out in as early as the second chapter of NG2. Button mashing will lead you nowhere, the enemies in NG2 are no punching bags. I cannot stress the importance of learning enough for this game. Look for enemy attack patterns, learn what has to be dodged and what has to be blocked (of course, most enemies in NG2 have guard breaking techniques, so don't think nothing will hit you if you just stand there blocking).



The enemy design and AI, specially the bosses is truly marvellous. Master Ninjas, dragons, six legged werevolves, giant armadillos,giant worms, gargantuan mosnter skeletons, flame throwing dark lords, vampirish fiends, spider like warriors, you name it..you've got it. What's more interesting is that, except for a few, there are many ways to tackle a specific boss. I won't spoil the fun for you here, it's best you figure it out for yourself. Level design is mostly good with the exception of a few which seem kind of bland considering what we're used to seeing on current gen systems. The game also experiences a few hitches when the framerate drops during intense battles or sometimes goes to the loading screen abruptly. The in-game camera can also be annoying; it tends to follow Ryu too closely sometimes or it simply gets stuck in a wall while you're fighting. Fortunately you have the option to reset the camera in front of Ryu with the right trigger. Most boss battles also have a free camera mode option with the RB button for different players' needs. The camera aspect is certainly not a game breaking experience but I would have still liked to have it centred a little farther away from Ryu than it currently is.



What would be a Ninja without his cool weapons eh? By default, Ryu is equipped with a Dragon Sword as his melee weapon and Shurikens as secondary (projectile) weapons. As you get further in the game you'll get access to many more like the Lunar Staff, Dual Katanas, Kusuri-Gama, Nunchakus, Scythe and a couple of others. Ryu is also blessed with the ability of casting Ninja Magic spells (Ninpos) on his enemies, which include elements of fire, ice, wind etc. These Ninpo spells come in very handy when you feel you're being overwhelmed by a large group of enemies. Not only do they deliver severe damage to all around you, they also protect you from any attack during those spell casting frames...neat eh?



Which brings us to NG2's combat element. Holy cricket!! is this the mother of them all. It's tough, yes, brutally tough actually, but oh sweet lord is it rewarding. Call me up when you perform and Obliteration technique the first time and do not go 'damn!!!'. If I were to talk about all the combos fo every different weapon here, it would take ages...so I'm not gonna go there. But, as I said earlier...no matter how cool an obliteration looks or how cool a mid air 40 hit combo looks, the better part of your attention should always be focused on the block, dodge and jump moves. This is no Devil May Cry 4 (a game I thoroughly enjoyed by the way), even a measly foot soldier in NG2 is potentially dangerous. Don't get too caught up in ogling at the blood you just spilled or it's time for the Game Over screen. In addition to all the moves and combos, every weapon in NG2 also has an Ultimate Technique, which basically means you have to hold down one button long enough to charge it and deal chaos on the enemies. You won't always have the time to do so, but when you do..it certainly makes things a little easier. Add to this the fact that Ryu can jump from wall to wall, do flying bird flips and can also deliver massive damage delaing hits while doing his acrobatics. Everything in NG2, all of Ryu's abilities are there for a reason. Getting yourself acclimatized with his projectile weapons, ninpo spells, airborne combos, block/dodge is AS important as chopping enemy heads off with your favourite melee weapon.
Slicing off enemy limbs, chopping their heads off in NG2 is cool not only because it looks awesome, but because you know you've done it right and earned it. Now I don't know whether this game will sell bucket loads but I'm sure as hell that it would go down in the annals of gaming as one of the most challenging and rewarding cult hits. Less than stellar graphics aside this is a magnificent game and certainly a must own of anybody who isn't easily put off by punishing difficulty in games.

Overall Rating: 9.4/10