Archive for the Reviews Category

Concert Review: Metallica – Landover, MD – 28 May, 2025

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on July 15, 2025 by slateman

Tonight’s Metallica concert is impossible to review without context. For brevity’s sake, it goes as follows: I got into rock music around 10: Judas Priest, Ozzy, In A Gadda Da Vida, but Metallica was my real introduction. I started at the pinnacle: Justice and Puppets and my adventure with metal went on from there. I saw them twice in 1991, already disappointed by their latest offering and the next time was in 1997. They were terrible.

We all lived through the next decade before Robert Trujillo and Death Magnetic reinvigorated the band. They’ve been excellent ever since. 2025 would be the first time I’d seen them in 28 years and I was excited. Erin got skybox seats. It was going to be great.

I left school early, drove to Erin and we muscled through rain and traffic and hit the pop-up store first. Since I lost my Justice poster years ago, I grabbed a flag of the album and we went to a restaurant. There was no rush because we got there early and hit the venue with plenty of time to spare. Despite pre-paid parking, our spot was pretty far away. We walked in and met some of Erin’s coworkers, impressed by our vantage point of the upcoming trio of bands.

Drinks were good and flowed continually throughout the night. Suicidal Tendencies opened and the rain continued on. They were one of the first bands I got into in the late ‘80s, but I only truly love a few releases. I recognized most and they closed with Pledge Your Allegiance, one of my favorites. That Trujillo’s son played with them, much as his father did decades ago, was not lost on me. It was the beginning of a long night of looking back while enjoying the day.

Setlist:

  1. You Can’t Bring Me Down
  2. Institutionalized
  3. Subliminal
  4. Send Me Your Money
  5. Adrenaline Addict
  6. Pledge Your Allegiance

Pantera followed – whom I hadn’t seen in 20 years. Having witnessed them twice (once in 1997 and again in 2001), I know full well the power these guys can produce. Despite replacing the brothers – a dismissive perspective of the situation – they sounded fantastic. Charlie may be the best drummer out there and Zakk was phenomenal. This was my first time seeing him. The setlist didn’t surprise but certainly pleased. I should have more to say about them, but it was just all an appetizer for the headliner.

Setlist

  1. A New Level
  2. Mouth for War
  3. Strength Beyond Strength
  4. Becoming
  5. I’m Broken
  6. Cemetery Gates
  7. 5 Minutes Alone
  8. This Love
  9. Fucking Hostile
  10. Walk
  11. Domination / Hollow
  12. Cowboys From Hell

The rain stopped, the skies darkened and it was time to see how well 28 years have aged my first favorite band. As Ecstacy Of Gold began, Erin asked me what song it was, while handing me another drink. It was going to be a good night.

Creeping Death and Bells began and the familiar songs sounded remarkable. One of the biggest selling points of this tour setup is how good things sound from any perspective. What are they gonna play next? I’m a fan of almost their entire catalogue and their setlists are always filled with one or two surprises. Dun dun dun…Dun dun dun DUN! My eyes widen. In the weeks leading up, I had my wishlist of songs – nothing impossibly exotic – but ever since my band covered Leper Messiah in the summer of 1992, it’s been one of my favorites. And they were playing it! “Time for lust, time for lie, time to kiss your ass goodbye!” The harmony part in the middle. This song is pure metal and I gobbled it up. And I was sold. Tonight was gonna be a great night!

On paper, these setlists just read as a lineup of words, without conveying the potency, anticipation and excitement revealed by each new line. And while only one other song shocked me, I was fully satisfied and pleased by it all. Memory Remains followed with an extended outro and impressive crowd participation. Transitional pieces help build the suspense and the first single from the new album followed – and was just wonderful. While the second song from 72 Seasons was next, it was also probably the weakest portion of the evening.

Kirk and Rob did their usual doodle, with some unfamiliar bits and a throwback to a song they only played at the 30th anniversary show. Then, the sole, lengthy track from Death Magnetic, this track has it all: clean and heavy. Melodic and upbeat. And the band killed it before another interlude led into Fuel. I don’t love this song or the album, but again, the song was better than the setlist entry. However, what followed was my second OMFG moment and one that will stick with me forever. As the synth introduced Orion, I held my hands to my head. This song, way back in 1989, defined what music could be to me. Moody harmonies. Methodical rhythmic chugging. That entire middle section. I couldn’t believe my ears.

And at that moment, the night transformed from a rock concert, a familiar revisit, to an emotional journey. I was brought back to the 80s as a teen. My mind strayed to the 90s when I was in my 20s. Throughout my marriage and parenting in my 30s and 40s. The song that changed my life was echoing throughout the stadium and the decades of my life. The band was enjoying themselves and sounded as good as ever. And tonight was one of the greatest shows of my life.

The next six songs are standard setlist fare, but James’ words plucked at my heart strings. About being family. Sticking together. One was just about as good as it could be and while I prepared to leave at this point, skipping out on Sandman, we were treated to Seek and Puppets in full. Our exit took too long, as did the drive, and the next day was a rough one. But in the end, it was a fucking spectacular concert. Memories of the drive, the bands, the people I met, the experience of a sky box – all in all, simply unforgettable.

Setlist

  1. Creeping Death
  2. For Whom the Bell Tolls
  3. Leper Messiah
  4. The Memory Remains
  5. Lux Æterna
  6. If Darkness Had a Son
  7. Kirk and Rob Doodle
  8. The Day That Never Comes
  9. Fuel
  10. Orion
  11. Nothing Else Matters
  12. Sad but True
  13. One
  14. Seek & Destroy
  15. Master of Puppets
  16. Enter Sandman

Concert Review: Ghost – Baltimore, MD – 9 July, 2025

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on July 11, 2025 by slateman

Today’s initial prospect of heading to Baltimore early and venturing through the city was altered due to the near-100° temperature. We set off around 3 and it took a full three hours to arrive: quite frustrating as the city is a mere 82 miles away.

The streets were crawling with Ghost fans: some donning face-paint, several with nun costumes and more same-band-as-the-show t-shirts than I’ve ever witnessed. We parked on the fifth floor, knowing full well that the exit would be a lengthy departure. As doors opened at 6:30, we hung out in the AC before joining a couple who was pre-gaming. We all walked in together just as the skies opened, reminding us why we appreciated purchasing attached-to-the-building parking in advance. The long line to enter was due to the usual ticket and security checks, but also so phones could be stored in specialized pouches. This regulation meant we got no pictures whatsoever but also resulted in fans being more engaged, chatty and connected. Fast forwarding a bit, a guy beside us filmed a few clips of the band before being escorted out for doing so. Good! While I love to snap a few pics, living and breathing the moment hearkened back to concerts of my youth where, sometimes lamentably, no footage exists outside of my ever-fading memory. I digress.

Kairi and I waited in the merch line, got beverages and I chatted with some folks while waiting before proceeding to our seats, promptly for the 8pm start time. The stage was surrounded by tall curtains and our seats, in section 123, offered about as good a view as possible for our budget. Religious choral music echoed and we eyeballed the staff preparing to drop said curtain but as the lights dimmed, Ghost started with Peacefield via live video. When it did drop, the vantage of the large stage impressed and Papa skipped around with his usual jovial energy. The five-piece band is now joined by a trio of singers, two playing keyboards, but the stage backdrop felt subdued: a pair of monitors flanking the octet and not much else.

Banging out back-to-back new songs was unsurprising, with Lachryma following, each offering catchy choruses and pristine production. Spirit succeeded and Per Aspera Ad Inferi was an older one that Kai and I were less familiar with. What followed this, however, was a run of pure magic, mixing old, new, poppy, dark and altogether riotous fun. Faith and Majesty sounded utterly phenomenal: catchy breakdowns, spot-on drumming and Papa’s voice leading through the darkness. He spoke briefly afterwards about the state of the world and shocked my progeny with The Future Is A Foreign Land, one of her favorite songs. After a quick instrumental interlude, Cirice began, the single that truly started my fascination with the band. We were both in awe of the song choices and that sentiment did not diminish as the night continued.

Though I wasn’t familiar with the lone song from the debut LP, the next seven songs were absolute perfection, weaving the middle records with banger after banger. Highlighted moments include thrusting arms in the air, chanting, “Hail Satan” while pyrotechnics melted our faces off. The chanting chorus of Rats. The soothing beauty of He Is. Then there’s the progression of the stage show: while fire is necessary, the evolution of the large screen behind was remarkable. Changing from religious iconography to animated videos, exploding graphics – the entire presentation felt like it was worth the extra bucks the tickets cost. Massive bursts of shredded money (confetti) filling the air, Papa levitating in full uniform for an entire song – all were bombastic and thrilling.

Concluding with Monstrance Clock, one of my favorites, the crowd felt a bit weaker than I’d have hoped, but since encores are no more reliant upon crowd participation (and to be fair, Baltimore was indeed excited) a trio of songs would wrap up the night. Kairi’s face lit up upon Dance Macabre and the performance’s finale, Square Hammer turned all stage screens into video of the crowd. By this point, Ghost had accomplished it all and it was just bonus joy, icing on the delectable cake. The driving chorus evoked unbridled zeal: “Are you on the square? Are you on the level? Are you ready to swear right here, right now, before the devil?” The screen displayed devil horns jabbed skyward everywhere. The huge screens projected make-up laden faces, Papa plush dolls that were sold out front, joy gushing in all forms. A large Ghost logo descended behind the band and sparks spewed out around it. Smoke bellowed across the stage. And among the thousands, Kairi and I were jumping up and down to the beat – with our neighbor joining in. As it all concluded, sparks were raining down, Papa, arms outstretched, looking up, donning his purple jacket – absorbing the energy, represending the ultimate showman. An altogether brilliant show on all levels.

Superlative adjectives and a killer setlist aside, the best moment of the night was easy to pinpoint. Darkness At The Heart Of My Love. A song I almost dismissively enjoy, and one whose lyrics I don’t particularly retain, a certain phrase stuck with me while plucking at those chords of my heart: I’m with you…always. Looking left, I could see an enormous smile on Kairi’s face. Far less concerned with the overarching scheme of life and this concert’s place in it – she was having a great time. As the evening progressed, I secretly spied similar innocent emotions: wonder, anticipation, shock and surprise! The quieter moments produced poignant appreciation, exuberant enthusiasm during more explosive ones. This show was superb, one whose excellence was compounded by her excitement. Despite decades of age separation, the result is the same – an experience neither of us will ever forget.

Full Setlist:

  1. Peacefield
  2. Lachryma
  3. Spirit
  4. Per Aspera ad Inferi
  5. Faith
  6. Majesty
  7. The Future Is a Foreign Land
  8. Devil Church
  9. Cirice
  10. Darkness at the Heart of My Love
  11. Satanized
  12. Satan Prayer
  13. Umbra
  14. Year Zero
  15. He Is
  16. Rats
  17. Kiss the Go-Goat
  18. Mummy Dust
  19. Monstrance Clock
  20. E: Mary on a Cross
  21. E: Dance Macabre
  22. E: Square Hammer

Concert Review: Emperor – Silver Spring, MD – 11 May, 2025

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on June 16, 2025 by slateman

Concert Reviews Main Page

I remember hearing In The Nightside Eclipse in my freshman year of college. It truly was beyond my comprehension at the time and while it grew on me, it was Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk that was the moment of my tr00 conversion to black-metal fanaticism. Still, the band’s debut album always held some sense of mysticism: the raw production, legendary album art and airy allure kept it almost at an unreachable level of appreciation. Until tonight, that is.

I was fortunate enough to see the band in 2006 (sans Samoth) in New York and then again in 2017 in Norway where they played all of my top-10-favorite album Anthems in its entirety. When the mini-tour in the spring of 2025 was announced, imagine my surprise that this small Maryland town would be privy to host the mighty Emperor’s presence. Tickets were secured without a moment of hesitation. The fact that Nightside would be celebrated on this night was merely icing on the proverbial cake.

Google took me straight through DC for my trip this evening and the stop lights aplenty were enough to diminish spirits. Arriving in time to catch a glimpse of Wolves In The Throne Room was fortunate, and I enjoyed their droning sounds as I waited in the lengthy merch line. A quick trip to the bar and the head, not in that order, led me to meeting up with Tim, Erin’s former colleague, whom I’ve seen almost annually, after last years Mother’s Day Wayfarer concert and At The Gates’ revisit of Slaughter Of The Soul in 2022. The conversation was heavy on AI and the inevitable demise of the future, but I respect his vantage point and his words I revisited in the coming days.

Unfortunately, such distracted banter and my less-than-two-week-old surgery meant that we didn’t get very close for tonight’s festivities. I was quite disappointed in that, but while my desires to be close are never far from my thoughts, being anywhere near was impractical. Far away I resided for the night, as evident by some of my photos.




The album’s intro began with members emerging one by one into view. Ihsahn arrived last, just as the opening blast beats began and Into The Infinity Of Thoughts issued forth, its memorable-yet-simple riff accompanying Trym’s consistent rhythm. Shoulder injury may have relegated me to the detached realms of the venue, but my enthusiasm was not affected by said distance. I was immediately immersed into one of the less-known but most-influential recordings in history. They sounded fucking fantastic. Almost unrealistically so. The draw of the original LP is its sound and production, but it’s not the most approachable. Tonight, I could hear it all: Secthdamon’s booming bass, appropriately-mixed keyboards, Trym’s clocklike perfection and the one-two punch of Samoth and Ihsahn – it was fucking perfect.

That this was all written as teenagers isn’t lost on me. The Burning Shadows Of Silence, Cosmic Keys To My Creations & Times – it’s all such nonsense. But it sounded simply incredible. With each subsequent song, my appreciation grew. Emperor has always been my favorite black-metal band and despite having seen them twice before, tonight cemented this forever, with Nightside magically moving up my favorite-albums-ever list despite being three decades old.




And thus, as the night continued on, I realized that black metal – now three decades old – is all grey. Neither Ihsahn nor I have yet to hit 50, but Samoth certainly has. Tim mentioned how he resembled Father Time. The band’s balance between the extreme and the melodic – few have done it as well as they did on this record and this evening’s performance sounded as good as I could’ve hoped.

The final two songs from Nightside are legendary in their own right and they were both, almost dismissively, just as expected: phenomenal. This alone would’ve constituted a perfect evening but of course, there was more. While other shows (Europe, mainly) had some early-era material, they instead moved along with newer songs: one of my least-favorite IX Equilibrium songs, the requisite Prometheus entry and four from Anthems. You can guess which from each appeared, but predictability does not diminish quality and as Ye Entrancemperium concluded, my enthusiasm was exhausted. I often revisit my introduction to this song way back in 1997. The moody vastness of Alsvartr leading into the mind-boggling speed of this track was indubitably my introduction to their claim: “Emperor plays Sophisticated Black Metal Art exclusively”. Holy shit, it exceeded even my lofty expectations.

The night’s outro, The Wanderer, felt apt. An epic finale to a journey decades in the making. Having seen them several times over numerous years and in different states and countries – the voyage from teenage angst to mature adult – it all felt both perpetual and fleeting. I’d certainly see the band again, but I couldn’t ask for anything more after such a tremendous night. Simply amazing.



Setlist

  1. Into the Infinity of Thoughts
  2. The Burning Shadows of Silence
  3. Cosmic Keys to My Creations & Times
  4. Towards the Pantheon
  5. The Majesty of the Nightsky
  6. I Am the Black Wizards
  7. Inno a Satana
  8. Tape: Opus a Satana
  9. Curse You All Men!
  10. Thus Spake the Nightspirit
  11. The Loss and Curse of Reverence
  12. With Strength I Burn
  13. In the Wordless Chamber
  14. Ye Entrancemperium

Resident Evil VIII: Village Complete!

Posted in Blog, Games, Resident Evil, Reviews on May 27, 2021 by slateman

After a 10-hour journey, my first playthrough of Resident Evil VIII is complete. I mention ‘first’ because I have already mapped out subsequent runs: collectibles, a speedrun, infinite ammo preparations, trophy cleanup and so forth. It’s important because while I did not like RE: Village quite as much as several of its predecessors, the franchise’s post-game roadmap is often just as fun and rewarding as its first experience the game run.

It’s hands-down one of my favorite things in gaming: enjoy the game spoiler-free and fresh before returning to dissect it entirely and finally powering through it with an absurd arsenal and beating it in a fraction of its original duration. Village took me only 10 hours – and that included scouring every corner and exploring every nook and cranny. I’m not sure where it sits among my traditional first-run times, but it felt about right.

Unfortunately, it felt far less cohesive than other Resident Evil installments. I realize people are less fond of VII’s second half, but I quite enjoyed that game throughout. The broken-up nature of each individual area left the latter half of this game as a substantially-different experience than the first half. The crumbling village at the steps of the elegant castle were my favorite areas of the entire game. The house of dolls has ruffled feathers of many but I found only slight unease at the environment. Heisenberg’s stronghold was my least-favorite but longest section of the whole European adventure.

From a narrative standpoint, it’s hard to find fault – this is Resident Evil after all! However, the main nemesis, Mother Miranda, was absent in all but name until the end and the most-used foe Heisenberg, was generally pretty weak. Gigantoid Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters were my favorite creations, sadly relegated to the opening hours. The other boss had a great section, the Bloodborne-inspired windmills and crumbling houses and his hideous design was quite disgusting indeed.

As a total package it felt short of prior installments, but removing said comparisons, it presented a fantastic experience with ample post-game offerings. Contrasting to a title like the original The Last Of Us which had a far superior tale but which I never wanted to revisit – one wonders what the better game really is? Like everything else, that truly depends on what you’re looking for in this medium.

This post comes several weeks after its original publication date and in the time since, I went back to do a collectibles run followed by a speedrun. The hard-mode run (Village Of Shadows) was marred by an annoying-as-heck boss battle with Heisenberg. Coupled with Ratchet & Clank’s release and my impending move, that playthrough was shelved and I likely won’t revisit it. On the plus side, the subsequent playthroughs were rather enjoyable, particularly with infinite weapons and my opinion of the game grew – enough to place it as #6 on my list of favorite mainline Resident Evil games. For now, here is my usual gallery of spoiler-filled snapshots.







Einherjer: North Star – Disappointing

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on March 6, 2021 by slateman

My first spins of Einherjer’s latest record were underwhelming, but we all know that happens from time to time. It takes a few plays to really sink in and become the classic album it endeavors to be. However, while this isn’t uncommon, subsequent plays only reaffirmed my dismay.

The band’s breakup following 2003’s AotY contender, Blot was succeeded by a reformed union and 2011’s Norrøn, a solid, if flawed, record. With diminished expectations, I proclaimed the follow-up, Av Oss, For Oss, 2014’s Album of the Year. The pristine blend of viking, retro rock and melodicism, it was well deserving of that year’s crown.

Unfortunately, its follow-up, 2018’s Norrøne Spor left me with a tinge of disappointment. It’s hardly unfair – the successor to an AotY record is always held to a higher standard than any ol’ record. Thus, 20201’s arrival of North Star theoretically should be held to a somewhat-reduced level of scrutiny! Even with that, this new record only issues forth several memorable songs to mingle with its entirely-forgettable ones. To contrast with Av Oss, For Oss, this new record’s closer is simply unlistenable to mine ears. A few songs are worthwhile, but the true test is by re-listening to the back catalogue.

I’m not even talking classic Einherjer here. I listened to the last one – the so-so Norrøne Spor had some real bangers and ones I’ll return to. Both Spre Vingene and Døden Tar Ingen Fangar are catchy, riffy and metal-as-fuck. Moving backwards more, my aforementioned AotY still stands up, with memorable sections, headbangy choruses and viking-up-the-ass atittude.

Unfortunately, this new one only has a few I might ever wish to return to: The Blood And The Iron, Higher Fire and maybe one or two others. It’s heart-breaking and makes me wonder if the truly great album from Einherjer is the exception, not the norm. *shrug*. AotY this is not. :(

Mini-Review: Tool – Fear Inoculum

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Music, Reviews on August 29, 2019 by slateman

Surmising several listens briefly: I like Fear Inoculum more than the last two albums combined. Tool holds a special part of my musical life – from getting into them back during Undertow to the game-changing Ænima. I saw the band four times and bought Salival at its midnight release back when Tower Records still existed. But their last two efforts left me desiring more, though Lateralus left more of an impact than its successor. The last time I saw them, I emerged bored by the second half, after a tremendously-exciting first half. And there we ended it – more than a decade ago – and with no real hopes or expectations for this long-gestating follow-up.

The first single released earlier in the month was promising and I don’t particularly like tracks 5 or 6. However, the remaining four songs are remarkable. They are familiar, yet new. The tracks sound wonderful and have a spectacular, heavy feel. But just like the prior album, something was missing. And it was easy to identify: Maynard. Part of what drove me to the band two-and-a-half decades ago was his fiery nature. He would unleash and it was amazing. But now, he’s rarely not monotone. He’s skilled – no doubt – but it gets boring. One song has this amazing buildup. Each bar comes with the promise of this culminating bomb! You feel the excitement…you wait for the inevitable…and you leave disappointed at the cliff from which you fall.

While I am highly critical of Maynard, he is quite adept at his craft, minus the aforementioned lack of fire. Just two or three perfectly-placed “AHHHHhhh!”s would make this album all but perfect. But it speaks to how good the rest is that it’s a solid record even without kick-ass Maynard. The songs are reminiscent of the past, which feels so familiar. That mix of new and nostalgia make me thrilled to put it on yet again – barring those two skippable tracks. I’ll have to look into the added digital ones. For now though, even on release day, I can proclaim this a superior record to the prior two.

Just Cause 4 – Mini-Review – Disappointment

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Reviews with tags on December 27, 2018 by slateman

Just Cause 4 is out and considering how much fun I had with the second and third iterations, I just had to dive back in to see Rico’s newest adventures. Despite the poor reviews installment #3 got, I quite enjoyed the romp through the fictional environments, blowing up virtually everything and scouring the world to collect all those obscure hidden treasures and spots.

However, while JC4 fixes some of the basic issues inherent in JC3, the end result is a lackluster title, missing much of the heart and soul of what the series so fantastic. Bottom line? I’d play 3 over 4 any day – warts and all.

Let’s get the good out of the way first. This game looks good, runs smoother and more fluidly than the last and its load times have been drastically shortened. Explosions and chaos in general is still rather impressive.

With that short list covered, what remains is more of the same…except it’s sometimes less of the same. The series has never striven for realism or depth. Quite the contrary, really, and locating bases to simply reduce them to rubble was genuinely the reason I signed up. Now, there’s no specific purpose to do that. Instead, causing chaos fills a meter which leads to more squad reserves which leads to advancing your frontlines in order to unlock new supply drops. Ummm…OK. So, I can still blow shit up, right?

Sure! Except you can’t keep track of the places you blew up. And while you do so, let’s say in a helicopter, you can raze an entire base to the ground without anyone even complaining. “Enemy chopper noticed,” or some similar message is mentioned, but that’s OK. Just keep destroying the bad guy’s satellites and fuel reserves. They won’t mind. If going on foot, on the other hand, expect some serious resistance. But who cares? Rico can absorb 8,000 shots before the screen gives you warning and then you can just grapple hook elsewhere and return 4 seconds later to continue the mindless fun. There’s no reason to actually kill the baddies because they appear to just keep respawning. Oh, and those remote mines I used 90% of the time in JC3? Yeah – Inexplicably gone. Quite literally the best parts of JC3 are gone. At least they added nitro boosts and jumping abilities to boats. Maybe that evens it all out???

Missions fare no better, mind you. It’s always about flipping switches and then hacking consoles. Well, sometimes it’s about hacking consoles and then flipping switches. Oh no, sometimes it’s about driving some dude to hack some consoles and then protecting him. At least you’re not flipping switches. It’s fucking stupid – and I say that having played the barely-more-than-skin-deep JC2 and JC3. I’m sorry, sometimes it’s about blowing up generators and THEN hacking consoles. My bad for missing out on that mission diversity.

Now – of course, there’s new stuff! New grapple hook loadouts allow you to make them liftoff like MGS5 or shoot boosters. I suppose they’re nice, but their implementation, some 6 hours into this venture, are also skin-deep at best. I use them when I need to, but, perhaps b/c I’m not 14 and have all the time in the world, I find the entire system clunky and unwieldy. In this effort, I’m assuredly missing out on the game’s best features.

But one of the greatest portions about JC3’s beautiful, open world was the exploration of said world. Here, there’s literally no incentive to do so. There are no secrets or perks or hidden awesomeness. Nope…if there’s nothing on the map, then there’s literally nothing there. You could wingsuit over it for shits and giggles, but like I mentioned, there is no reason to go there. Screw it. Just load up the next shitty mission which happens to be the same as the last shitty mission. The forgettable story with forgettable setpieces and forgettable characters are there simply to move forward towards what I’m envisioning is a very non-memorable finale.

So, the final verdict is that this game takes the best parts of the prior game, relegates them to meaningless side notes, adds some weather effects that I simply don’t give a shit about and fails on about every level beside the frame-rate and load times. No remote mines, a shoddy lock-on system, no incentive to explore, weak missions and average everything else really hurts what could have been a phenomenal game. Of course, things might get oh-so-much-better in the coming hours, but given how it’s gone so far, I won’t hold my breath. Might as well just boot up JC3 instead. :(

Some screenshots forthcoming…If I care enough to upload them.

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.

Mini-Review: Kreator – Gods Of Violence

Posted in Blog, Music, Reviews on January 31, 2017 by slateman

Barring People Of The Lie and a brief interest in the band in the late ’90s (I saw them in March of ’96, the night I met Bobby Gustafson and Sid Falck!), I never got into Kreator. However, with buzz about their new album and a little spare time on my hands, I figured why not test out the thirty-year-veterans. Gods Of Violence, the title track, astonished me. It was riffy, catchy and heavy. The harmonies were great and the double bass kicked in right when it needed to! Opting to listen to the whole album, I was pleasantly surprised to find the whole thing is solid! The production isn’t quite what it could be, but beyond that, the album has everything I love about metal. Solos and fills and screams and riffs and clean sections and fast songs…as ineloquent as that comes across, it surmises how thus far (one month), it’s the clear Album of the Year!

With utter certainty that crown shall be bestowed to another, but for now I’m thoroughly enjoying a band I never thought I’d be listening to. Maybe at 20, but not at 40! This is a spectacular record and I’m so happy I decided to check ’em out. Kick-ass!

Mini-Review: Resident Evil VII – Outstanding

Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Resident Evil, Reviews on January 30, 2017 by slateman

“This is terrifying.”

I uttered those words no fewer than three times during my still-incomplete playthrough of Resident Evil VII. And that fear was due not to not only events or monsters. It was the darkness. It was the eerie sound. It was the jump scares as well as when nothing at all was happening. The tension this game builds is stifling. RE7 is an unbridled success by excelling in its audio, video, gameplay and story and for accomplishing what it set out to do.

From the compelling opening sequence to the tiptoe moments throughout, the game is crafted with care and meticulousness. Every room is beautifully detailed in its grotesqueness. The lighting, more important here than in almost every other game, is spectacular. As I huddle, scared to death of whatever is lurking in the next room, the sounds are as remarkable as the visuals. My breath, every step, creaky floors, creatures behind me…each is a requisite part of the immersive nature of RE7 and all add up to convey a tension I’ve rarely felt in gaming. The story, while absurd in its premise, is the perfect vehicle for such a tale. It moves forward at a steady pace, allowing you time to breathe and explore but always retrieves you to that state of unease.

While RE4 is still considered a major success, what is largely forgotten is how needed it was. After RE3 and Code Veronica, the series needed a change. And after RE4 brought an action-oriented focus to the namesake, 5 and 6 expanded upon that formula until yet again a change was necessary. Whether RE7 is a glorious return to the series’ roots or just a mostly-unrelated survival horror game isn’t the point. The series needed a shift and here we are. I, for one, am happy there’s no Wesker, no Redfields and no Raccoon City. While my last few hours may tie things together, I have thoroughly enjoyed this game, RE or not.

And reviews seem to agree. How rare is it that the first, the fourth and the seventh main entries into any series are so widely-heralded as a massive success? Each has a different vantage point, take on horror and yet all three are Resident Evil. Considering how many times I’ve beaten 1 and 4, I have a feeling a speedrun of RE7 is in my future. And I can’t wait.