Archive for June, 2017

Vintersorg: Till Fjälls Del II – A Worthy Sequel?

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews with tags on June 30, 2017 by slateman

The way I figure it, Vintersorg has gone through three phases. First, you had the original, folk-inspired, awesome, initial era. This was
followed by the progressive, non-Swedish and in retrospect, rather brief, second phase. I lost a lot of interest at this point. However, 2007’s Solens Rötter was a return to form that was all but perfected in the next releases. Jordpuls was brilliant and Orkan was 2012’s Album of the Year. Naturbål was no slouch, but perhaps more of the same wasn’t quite enough.

And while each release was solid and spectacular, I can see why something needed to change. So when it was announced that album #10 would be titled Till Fjälls: Del II, it piqued my interest greatly. But it also made me wonder. C’mon, how many bands can truly put out a sequel to something as awesome Till Fjälls? Can anything really live up to the first two LPs?

With a few spins under my belt, the answer simply is, “no.” Part II is on par with Naturbål and Jordpuls, but it’s no Orkan and it certainly isn’t in the same league as Vintersorg’s first few releases. Mathematically, it is sound. It is exactly what I would hope for. But it is not as rooted in the folky tradition. It is not nearly as catchy. There’s nothing as hum-worthy as För Kung Och Fosterland or the title track. Actually, Tillbaka Till Källorna is perpetually stuck in my mind these last few days. Additionally, the mix is questionable. Drums are awfully low, particularly bass drums, which is really quite strange.

In fact, the biggest downside of this album is its name. Just giving us the fourth and final entry into the earthly elements series would have been just fine. But that damn Till Fjälls name just gave me a sense of expectation that was almost impossible to live up to. (Edit: But with each subsequent listen, it grows on me.)

A side bonus is that I understand some of the lyrics and song titles now, with a little Swedish vocabulary.

New FAQs: Nex Machina & MVCI

Posted in Blog, Games, Guides, Street Fighter on June 28, 2017 by slateman

With summer vacation upon us I tossed together a pair of new FAQs. The Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite story demo is out and I figured I’d organize the skeleton of what may be a future FAQ. For now it’s just a complete move listing, but we’ll see if the game is good enough to expand it.

Second is a Nex Machina Secrets Guide. This details locations for every hidden exit, secret human, beacon and visitor and was a fun one to write. Just quick updates for today, but it’s been a long time since I worked on two FAQs in such a short span of time.

Tons Of Rock: Slayer, Emperor, Awesomeness.

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music with tags , on June 25, 2017 by slateman

My trip north on Friday was amazing and it’s one I will not soon forget. Seeing Emperor play all of Anthems and seeing Slayer for the tenth time…In Norway!? Just amazing. I’ve written up my review replete with some good photos, but I’ve also uploaded a video with some short snippets from the show. Figured I’d share here as this is the most updated section of my site. Enjoy

Nargaroth: Era Of Threnody – Spectacular!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music on June 9, 2017 by slateman

I’ve never listened to this German band, but I’m quite impressed with this album. Barring a pair of so-so rock-inspired cuts, the rest is a gritty, harsh and eclectic mix of black metal, Italian-sounding arrangements, melodic interludes and straight-up awesomeness. Hardly a review, this is just a friendly suggestion to check the album out. It’s got it all and will certainly be among the top albums of the year six months hence.