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Concert Review: Iron Maiden/Megadeth – Bristow, VA – 12 September, 2026

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on September 13, 2026 by slateman

Kairi got out of work later than anticipated and we departed late to the venue. Absurd traffic made us even later. Ultimately, we ended up parking at the middle school and we traipsed through the woods, only emerging from the gates as Megadeth was playing Ride The Lightning. It was ecxeedingly disappointing, particularly after the setlist revealed they played The Mechanix just prior.

The disappointment lingered, but Tornado Of Souls helped elevate my spirits. That it is Kairi’s favorite song by the band is a nice perk. Symphony sucks, as much now as it did then, but Peace Sells and Holy Wars were as good as I could have hoped.

Unfortunately, the brief exposure to Megadeth was not enough, and I certainly hope a full headlining farewell tour will follow.

~~Tipping Point~~
~~Hangar 18~~
~~Sweating Bullets~~
~~The Mechanix~~
Ride The Lightning
Tornado Of Souls
Symphony Of Descruction
Peace Sells
E: Holy Wars… The Punishment Due

After the usual turnaround, Iron Maiden arrived, representing my 9th time seeing them (plus Bruce twice!) and first in 14 years.

Ides Of March was tape, but Murders In The Rue Morgue was not. It was a fantastic snapshot at the early days of the band, particularly as it went into Wrathchild, Killers, and Phantom Of The Opera. The band sounded fantastic.

Much like with Metallica, seemingly boring setlists never truly represent a show’s quality. However, seeing Infinite Dreams, one of my favorite songs from possibly my favorite Maiden record, was particularly poignant. Certain setlist entries are more powerful than others. The Trooper offers less potency, but goddamn, the “Ooooh oooh ooh ooh ooooh ooh oh oh ohhhhh,” of that song has never felt lackluster. Ignoring such tracks, there’s no way to turn a blind eye to epics Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, and Seventh Son. Each has its meandering mid-section, but the outros are simply legendary and display what got me into the band in the first place.

If I’m honest: Hallowed rocked. Aces High ruled. Fear Of The Dark was phenomenal. I’m 50. Bruce is the youngest core member, and he’s 68! Yes, parts of the show are by-the-numbers, but goddamn, those numbers aren’t shrinking. And they simply killed it. The new drummer was consistent and solid. Janick was Janick. Dave shredded and Steve is timeless. Having seen Bruce just last year, you hear his limitations, but he tore through the set. I won’t say he sounds better than ever, but he sounds way better than most after 40+ years in the business.

Murders In The Rue Morgue
Wrathchild
Killers
Phantom Of The Opera
The Number Of The Beast
Infinite Dreams
Powerslave
2 Minutes To Midnight
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Run To The Hills
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
The Trooper
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden
E: Aces High
E: Fear Of The Dark
E: Wasted Years

Best Post-Heyday Material: #01—Slayer!

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Lists, Music on September 10, 2026 by slateman

This is a topic I’ve thought of over the years. Many of us can agree on what the Golden-Age records are for bands. For those who were engaged in the ’80s outputs by the major bands, there’s a clear dividing line—often the early 1990s. What if we took ALL those post-heyday records and whittled them down to one super album? What would it contain? My first entry into this list is a WIP one on the mighty Slayer. These are organized by album for ease. Anyhow, it’s just an idea. I don’t know if it’s worth double digits in its counter.

Killing Fields
Dittohead
Gemini
Scrum
Screaming From The Sky
Point
Disciple
God Send Death
Skeleton Christ
Supremist
Playing With Dolls
Repentless
Piano Wire

Not sure how official this is, but as of today, it’s postable.

Best 30 Games Ever?

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Bloodborne, Castlevania, DoDon Pachi, Games, Lists, Metal Gear Solid, Portal, Resident Evil, Retro Games, Skyrim, Street Fighter, Tony Hawk Series, Uncharted, Ys on August 22, 2026 by slateman

Not a science, but it’s an attempt at figuring this all out. Until I make a purely honest take on this, the image following will have to suffice.

Suggested Listening: August 2026

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Lists, Music on August 8, 2026 by slateman

Just things on repeat this summer:

2026 Tracks

At The Gates – The Unfathomable (The Ghost Of A Future Dead)
Einherjer – Malstrøm (Lifeblood)
Kreator – Seven Serpents (Krushers Of THe World)
Fires In The Distance – Agonal Dreaming (Circadian Promise)
Exodus – The Dirtiest Of The Dozen (Goliath)
Drudkh – A Moment In Eternity (Thaw)

Older Songs

Blut Aus Nord: The End Becomes Grace (Ethereal Horizons)
Burzum: Keliohesten (Belus)
Causa Sui: El Fuego (Vibracciones Doradas)
Mgła – Exercises In Futility (whole album)
Old Man’s Child: What Malice Embrace (The Pagan Prosperity)
Sig:ar:try – From The Land Of The North (Citadel Of Stars)
Seth: La Morsure Du Christ (La Morsure Du Christ)

Top-20 Artist List: 2005-2026

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Lists, Music on July 30, 2026 by slateman

Granted, this omits many physical/iPod plays over the course of years. Despite this, it’s a kick-ass list that no one can justifiably deny.

To add to the absurdity, Moonsorrow’s average song length resides at over 10 minutes. My top-played song ever, with 230 scrobbles, is over 26 minutes long. Yeah, I love that band.

Concert Review: Testament/Overkill – Sayreville, NJ – 28 March, 2026

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Concert Reviews, Personal, Photos on March 31, 2026 by slateman

After Testament’s hightest-ranking album since its AOTY representation in 1999, I was excited to see them return with no other than the mighty Overkill. This would be my 10th time seeing each band: a three-and-a-half decade history with metal history, having met, interviewed and seen both bands in every decade since, with the exception of Overkill in the 2010s.

Mat grabbed tickets for the three members of SMJ, but sadly, Doug had to cancel at the last minute. Instead, we picked up his friend Danielle and drove up to Sayreville several hours early. Wheelchair in tow, handicap pass ensuring close parking, we pre-gamed for a bit before approaching the fast-track lane to get inside. However, upon staff noticing the wheelchair being busted out, we were escorted to the side entrance. A somewhat inebriated me opted to race Mat around in said wheelchair, hitting a pothole and dumping him on the pavement. Understandably, I burst out in laughter, as several staff members helped return him to his mobile throne.

We got up the ramp, ready to enter, and proceeded to the area reserved for those with physical needs. It provided a generous vantage point, to the right of the stage, and elevated. While the place isn’t too big, it was utterly packed. By 7:15, when Destruction was playing, the floor was full, and there was simply no way I was going to get closer for the next bands. I grabbed Mat a shirt, purchased a few drinks and returned, making another round trip (or two) as Overkill hit the stage.

Their setlist was almost identical to the last time I saw them, with King Diamond in 2024, with one exception: Deny The Cross. This was a great addition, however, guitars cut out and a good chunk of the song was played with just bass and drums. Blitz was happy to play to the hometown crowd, with some heartfelt comments as the night went on. I should hope to see them play a headlining show again one day. For time #10, I was happy to see them with Mat. The full list is as follows:

Scorched
Rotten To The Core
Bring Me The Night
Hello From The Gutter
The Surgeon
Ironbound
Elimination
Fuck You!

Again, the place was utterly packed, so after a last round-trip bathroom run, I prepped for the arrival of the mighty Testament. This was the site of the last time I saw the band, a month shy of four years prior, and, unfortunately, the results were rather similar. The setlist was diverse and added some deep cuts, but none of them were good. In fact, the selection was a mind-boggling choice of oddities. Amidst the calamitous list of tracks, Mat proceeded to dump my entire drink on the floor, a strange, inexplicable sequence of events. The whole end of the night was just madness.

It started out great, and the back-to-back-to-back trio of new songs was fantastic. But the other tracks were just so….meh. Chuck was having a great time on stage, as was the whole band. However, I felt like the new drummer wasn’t used or challenged. The drums sounded very clicky, but it all made me wonder who chose songs like John Doe. Having lived through every era of the band, I appreciate the good and the bad, but if I had to choose two from Demonic, John Doe wouldn’t have made the cut.

Sure, I am glad I didn’t have to hear Practice or Souls, but…Sins Of Omission?? It was all just so perplexing. Then – The Ballad? What the fuck? So Many Lies?? What the fuck!?!?! Sure, I like the heavier side of Testament, but you cannot deny the setlist was just so fucking weird. They began and messed up Over The Wall before tossing in The Haunting, but then it seems that similar things happened on other dates.

Ultimately, it was fun seeing them, and while I didn’t love the choices, the band had a great time. One day, we won’t get such opportunities. Unfortunately, this is twice now where I feel that the band was outshone by its opener: first Exodus and now Overkill. Regardless, the Thrash Of The Titans tour was a kick-ass time, and I’m so glad we went.

I drove Danielle home, returned to Mat’s place and crashed the fuck out on the couch, waking up mid-night to lie down. I was shot. What a wild night.

Into the Pit
The Evil Has Landed
Henchmen Ride
For The Love Of Pain
Infanticide A.I.
Shadow People
WWIII
John Doe
Low
Native Blood
Sins Of Omission
So Many Lies
The Ballad
The Haunting
Over The Wall

Resident Evil 9: Requiem Review

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Resident Evil, Reviews on March 10, 2026 by slateman

Playthrough number one of Resident Evil 9 is complete and I thoroughly enjoyed another romp through Raccoon City. This game took some of the best elements of the series and mixed them with novel items resulting in a great game fits perfectly amongs its siblings, despite not quite reaching the franchise’s peaks.

The new protagonist Grace has a decent design, but is inherently boring, always stuttering and not truly growing much throughout. Despite this, her first-person gameplay is solid and serves as a fantastic survival horror counterpart to legacy Leon’s third-person vantage point. He is pure action, representing late-game power from prior titles. One-liners, over-the-top melee attacks and kick-ass weapons all show RE at its best. The balance between the two playstyles is fantastic, though that buildup to power is one of the best parts of games in this genre, and this strips that away. However, each represent the reliable formula that millions love about this series.

The game looks and sounds phenomenal, as expected. I played on a PS5 Pro and appreciated both the audio design and fantastic visuals. While the game’s setting was less memorable than 7 or 8, the intensity was there in spades. Many times, however, I could predict the by-the-numbers jump scares. The open-world portion has been criticized by many. Though this extended segment lost some of the game’s intensity, Leon’s gameplay was fun enough to offset any gripes of my own.

Resident Evil 9’s story was a weaker one, trying to tie in decades of lore with a new face entirely. Its forgettable nemesis, someone whose name began with a Z, was not at all intriguing and hardly fleshed out. The returning names, Sherry and Spencer were welcome, as was its RE2 setting, though that nostalgia could’ve been better harnessed. Though Grace’s history ties in with Umbrella, it feels a bit lazy, and BSAA’s involvement was never truly explained, though that may be the setup for unannounced DLC. Much of this story could exist without the ties to Raccoon City.

Fortunately, the good ending was exciting, culminating in a traditional monstrosity and absurd wrap-up. While we had back-to-back games with Ethan Winters, I don’t anticipate Grace’s visage leading the all-but-inevitable Resident Evil 10. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to return for the 100% run, the speedrun, and some infinite rocket launcher goodness. (Spoiler images ahead, for anyone reading)

Games Of 2026

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists on February 13, 2026 by slateman

List of what to look for this year!

27 Feb: Resident Evil: Requiem
27 Aug: Metal Gear Solid Collection 2
01 Oct: Muchi Muchi Pork! & PinkSweets Boosted
15 Oct: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
19 Nov: Grand Theft Auto 6

Sparklite & Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Reviews on February 1, 2026 by slateman

I rolled the dice and purchased Sparklite this past month, after humming and hawing over the roguelite the past few years. Five hours later, I got the platinum.

My buddy’s Christmas gift arrived just afterwards: The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Another game I’d been interested in playing, well, now I can! A week of snow days at work helped facilitate a playthrough!

So – the question is: Which is the better Zelda game? The answer, without question, Sparklite.

I haven’t the time now to dive into a full write-up, but some key points follow

Sparklite

Fun, light combat
Meaningful upgrades
Enjoyable roguelite elements
Diverse biomes
Simple, trackable collectibles
Fantastic visuals

Zelda

Bullshit 1993 level design
Awesome presentation
Where the fuck do I go now?
Obtuse and nonsensical

Now, I totally understand Zelda’s loyalty to its source material. But as a gamer who didn’t play the 1993 game in 1993, I most certainly want nothing to do with 1993 design in 2026. (yes, I know it came out seven years ago). It was all just so absurd. The early dungeons were fun, but dungeon 7, I’m looking at you – Holy shit, what bullshit. It was one of those games that you complete and immediately say, “I want never to play this again.”

Sparklite on the other hand, had its share of flaws, but was an enjoyable experience throughout. I hardly put it down, and while the final trophies were a bit grindy, they weren’t necessary to complete the tale. I had a great time playing this and I’m glad I dove in, despite reservations.