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This Place Where the Dead Speak With the Living - Annimal Machine

Genre: Stoner Doom, Stoner Rock, Psychedelic, Hard Rock
Released: 2014

Amateur stoner metal band from Mexico that are anything but "amateur." One hour and nine minutes of doom-y fury spread across six tracks. The album alternates between drone-y, Sleep-and-Black-Sabbath-inspired stoner doom, and a more upbeat stoner rock sound.

/5
Did I mention you can listen to it for free on their Bandcamp?

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Gluey Porch Treatments - Melvins

Genre: Sludge Metal
Released: 1987
Position In Discography: Debut album

This is some oppressive sludge. I do not care for any of it, but props for the heaviness.

/5

Spoiler for The only songs I like.:

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HEAVY METAL MANIAC by Exciter

Genre: Speed metal, heavy metal, thrash metal.
Released: 1983.
Position in Discography: Debut album.

Imagine a speed metal version of Mötley Crüe and this is what you get. It is pretty good honestly. The stage is set with "Holocaust," an intro track, and it begins with the sound of wind before some psychedelic guitars clatter in, then some grinding guitar work fueled by outstanding basslines play before we move into the first song. Remember when I said this is like the speed metal version of Mötley Crüe? Well, as soon as singer Dan Beehler comes in you will assuredly be thinking Vince Neil. The vocals even have that echoey sound that sounds very similar to Crüe. The guitars are grinding, the song is fast paced with a powerful beat, and the instrumentation never falters. Exactly what I want in a metal album.

Now the first track that really grabs me would be "Iron Dogs" (and with a name like that, how can it not be good right?). With a mighty, grinding riff that is the driving force of the song, this song chuggs along aided by some solos here and there. Around the three-minute mark, the song ramps up to speed metal...speed, and it's even better than the first part.

The chugging and squealing solos continue on for many tracks until we hit "Black Witch" which turns in the speed for a mid-paced, chugging, anthemic power ballad, complete with a searing solo. Wow! After that, is a good closing track in "Cry of the Banshee."

Overall, there is not a bad song on this album. Many of the songs sound similar, but the track order is very good, and just when you might be bored, songs like "Iron Dogs", and "Black Witch" will perk you up again. I mentioned the powerful basslines earlier, but let me just say it again... the bass on this album is powerful, thick, and heavy, as are the drums. It is something you must hear.

/5

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Dead Space is one of my favorite video games of all-time. Probably the most sickly satisfying, survival horror game known to man, Dead Space is a landmark horror game. So, this is a short collection of my thoughts on a few things that make Dead Space one of my favorite games. If you want a full review you can go find one on any number of sites, but I just want to discuss a few things I liked about it here. I am not going to discuss the plot or anything, so this will be a spoiler-free review for the most part.

Isaac
Where do I begin with Dead Space? Well, the engagement for me begins with the player character, Isaac Clarke. Similar to Half-Life, Isaac is a mute main character. As the game begins, a very large starship, the Ishimura, sends out a distress signal, and a small service vessel is dispatched to investigate. Isaac, the player character, sits in a seat inside the small space craft as it heads to the Ishimura. As the lead technical expert, Isaac's role in the mission is to aid in the repair of the vessel if needed.
None of this is important.
The reason I bring this up is because as the ship flys through space, several of the other crew members discuss the status of the Ishimura, and a few directly talk to Isaac, but he does not talk to them. He is completely silent. In fact, you never see Isaac's face, only the back of his head. Once you gain control of Isaac, he puts on a helmet and you never see his head again. This is what I like about how Isaac is presented: he is supposed to be you. He is silent, you never see his face, and he never speaks. It is one of the coolest applications of the 'silent protagonist' I have ever seen. It is very strange to see this in a third person game, and that makes it even better.

Another reason Isaac being silent works so well as an avatar of the player, is because Isaac is relatable to players. He is not a soldier, he is a technical expert with no knowledge of combat, and he is not even armed as the game begins. He uses weapons salvaged from dead crew members and a few security personnel as make shift weapons. Sure, his suit is neat looking, but he can be killed very quickly.

Presentation
The other thing I wanted to talk about is the graphics and HUD. While tight, dank, wet corridors are the hallmark of the horror genre, and make no mistake, the game has those in abundance, Dead Space contains a fair amount of large, brightly lit, and exterior (more on that later) areas as well. There are a few very large rooms and open areas in the game that allow the rendering distances in this game to really shine. On the note of the rendering technology, is the in-game HUD. Part of the game's immersion stems from the fact the player is not given a HUD of any sort. Instead, Isaac's suit (called a RIG) monitors his health, his movement via a minimap, and his ammo in his current weapon. While playing the game, there is nothing on the screen except Isaac's view. No ammunition counter, no health bar, no compass, no nothing. If the player accesses their inventory, Isaac's RIG generates a large projection of his inventory, in real-time.

Furthermore, the projection originates from a unit on the front of Isaac's chest, and if you rotate the camera, the projection does not move because Isaac does not move.

What's that? You do not find that interesting? Well **** off. This is genius game design people. If consumers only knew how hard it is to code something like that into a game...then they would know how hard it is to make something like that.

Nerd Stuff
Alright, moving on. Earlier I mentioned "exterior areas" and at a few points during the game, Isaac takes a journey into space. The scientific accuracy of these segments bears mentioning. In a zero gravity environmemt, Isaac's boots are magnetized to allow him to walk, and there is no sound apart from the vibrations that travel up Isaacs's boots from the ground. That is precisely how sound behaves in space, and it greatly increases the player's feeling of isolation. It is a very original approach to navigating a zero-g environment. The surreal silence also may allow you to notice the sound of Isaac's heartbeat, which is always audible, but is most of the time drowned out by ambient sounds. As a sci-fi nerd, I find all of this to be awesome.

Enemies & Horror
Last, but not least, I want to talk about the actual horror aspect. While Dead Space has its share of the overused horror-cliche the jump-scare, it is used sparingly, often times when you are already alerted to the presence of enemies. Where Dead Space separates itself from other survival horror games is the atmosphere, environment, and what it does more effectively than any horror game that I know of, the fear of dying, and not the dying in your sleep kind.
A huge, weathered space vessel littered with corpses sounds like a wonderful place for a vacation, but there is no time for relaxing here. When Isaac is not trying to keep the five horrible fiends that just appeared from the shadows from trying to see what his intestines look like outside his body, he is navigating the quiet, unsettling halls of the ship. Isaac is isolated, with only sporadic voice memos of former crew members serving as his main form of human interaction. He never knows if the next corridor half-illuminated by flickering lights contains more fiends, is empty, or is home to an enormous creature that will drag Isaac to his doom.

Speaking of DOOM, and unlike DOOM 3, the designers of the fiends in this game did a good job not making the enemies look like they were ripped from some B-rated horror flick. They yell or growl, move at the pace of zombies at times and will sprint and leap towards you at others. Some are agile and aim to cut Isaac to pieces, others are massive and want to pulverize him into the ground. Still more are not interested in confronting Isaac directly, but seek to create more enemies for Isaac to fight. There is a fine line to be walked between designing awesome looking creatures as enemies, and designing ugly, scary ones, and this game is firmly in the latter's domain.

GORE! GLORIOUS GORE!
Finally, there are the death scenes. Gone are the days when dying in a video game meant you saw this:

Not with this game.

There is not even a game over screen. What you are treated to instead is seeing Isaac die, and rarely is his death a quick one. Surely, if there is a game that has followed in Resident Evil's footsteps, it is Dead Space. At worst, Isaac will meet his doom in a disturbing, shocking, and of course bloody display. The first time I played this game, I made several mistakes that rewarded me with seeing Isaac die in ways I would not wish upon even the Batlord. Dismembered, decapitated, and impaled are just a few of the ways Isaac can see his life cut bloodily, tragically short. This is not 1993, and it is not DOOM either, so you get to see Isaac's body be dismembered with surgical precision thanks to modern day graphics. Sometimes, one death scene contains one or more of the above. One death scene in particular is so personal and long that I shudder to think of it. It made me want to insert myself into the game to personally apologize to Isaac for allowing him to be killed in such a nauseating, torturous fashion. Avoiding dying in Dead Space is a form of motivation to do well all by itself.

Of course... the sequel is FAR more bloody *shivers*, but that is a topic for another day. So, there you have it, those are my thoughts on Dead Space. Any way you want it, Dead Space is a fantastic game.

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3 reasons why Darkness Descends is Dark Angel's best album.

• It has a much better cover
• It has a singer that actually belongs on a metal album.
• Listening to the title track is like getting run over by a goddamn train.

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Reasons why Time Does Not Heal is better...

1. Exodus already recorded Bonded By Blood.

2. Ron Rhinehart's voice gives the band emotional depth. A thrash band. With emotional depth. Think about that for a moment.

3. The complex riffs create a crushing, claustrophobic atmosphere that, along with the vocals, makes for the most gloriously nihilistic thrash album of all time.

4. Wpnfire gives rimjobs in gas station bathrooms.

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1. They sound nothing alike!

2. True, but his voice is too grating.

3. To be continued.

4. Sorry you had to find out about us like that... Your mother told me to meet her there, and I'm passive as hell and just do what she says.

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The Art of Self Defense - High On Fire

Genre: Desert Stoner Doom.
Released: 2000.
Position in Discography: Debut album.

I am unimpressed. Tracks one and four are fantastic, but nothing else really grabs me. That riff for "Baghdad" is some high-level awesome. I would not be surprised if Matt Pike can create desert stoner riffs in his sleep--pun unintended.

/5
... for High On Fire's first release.

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Genre: Heavy Metal
Released: 1980
Position In Discography: Debut album

Well, it is not the first time...

Alright so I finished writing this post, and remembered that Justin is reviewing all of Maiden's albums. I was not thinking of participating in The Devil's Dancefloor/Justin's metal month, I just decided to spontaneously review their first three albums.

Anyway, I listened to this around the time I first listened to Kill Em All, almost a year ago, and I was unimpressed with what I heard. Like Kill Em All, my thoughts on Iron Maiden's debut have really improved with time.
Anyway, this is a really good album. It is raw, edgy, haters be damned. The only low point for me would be "Iron Maiden," but the rest of the songs slay. It is hard to pick a favorite but it would probably be "Remember Tomorrow." That song has no flaws that I can see. “Phantom Of the Opera” has some sick riffs that start around the five minute mark, and though ballads can be hit-or-miss for me, “Remember Tomorrow” and “Stranger World” are great.

Genre: Heavy Metal
Released: 1981
Position In Discography: Second album

HOLY ****! From the second/first track, this album is already close to edging out the debut. The riffs are VASTLY improved, and they rule. The solos kick ass as well. “Murders In the Rue Morgue” is far more catchy than any song from the prior album, almost, combined, and x2!

I am mad at myself right now, I should have come forward and said I never listened to Maiden earlier. I am confident Briks would have insisted I listened to them immediately. I do not think I have ever heard a band make such a drastic jump in quality like this before.

That riffing on “Innocent Exile” is Exillent. “Killers” has some good riffing as well. “Prodigal Son” is interesting and very well placed in this album. It has some great clean guitar work, a lengthy instrumental section, and is refreshing after the constant barrage of metal on the last several tracks. “Purgatory” is a concentrated metal attack, with surprising speed. Okay, well “Purgatory” started off good, but it kind of falters a tad towards the end. “Drifter” also kind of falters, though the solo helps. The ending to this album was very underwhelming overall though. “Drifters” is easily my least favorite track on this album. Overall, this was a supreme improvement over the debut.

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Genre: Heavy Metal
Released: 1983
Position In Discography: Third album

I already miss the other singer. I am not impressed by anything until the chorus for “Children Of the Damned” which has a cool riff. Nothing else grabs me about that song, or the prior track. Ah, MUCH better. A heavy riff and beat plays for an extended amount of time at the beginning of “The Prisoner.” I was almost concerned that I was not going to like this album.


I spoke too soon.

I am not a fan of Bruce's voice. He is the classic operatic metal singer, and I have mostly bad things to say about those kinds of singers. This album better not be a Time Does Not Heal, otherwise, I may be done listening to Maiden. Again, heavy riffing plays at the beginning of “22 Acacia Avenue,” but the riffing disappears and we are left with Bruce running the show again. What happened to the extended instrumental portions on songs from the prior albums? This is like all singing, which I do not have a problem with, except I do not like Bruce’s voice much.

This album is rapidly approaching the realm of torturous. The title track is playing, and there does not seem to be much hope in sight. I pretty much hate songs that have spoken word samples at any point in the song, that is probably my #1 pet peeve in music, and this album has already done it twice!

That’s it! I can’t take it anymore. I am done with Iron Maiden for now. Bruce’s voice is grating and I find the song writing on this album to be severely lacking compared to the prior album. I am not going to rate this album because I only rate albums I have fully listened to, but this is easily the worst of Maiden’s first three for me.

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