And I hated them.

Well okay, hate is a strong word. I loathed the idea of them.

You see I had heard about them as much of the world had. Their (major label) debut album Ascendancy grabbed the metal world by the balls (with or without consent) and they were bestowed with the ever accursed title “The next Metallica.” I’ll never forget the sight of walking into my local Best Buy, and front and center on my left, right as you got into the music section, is the gigantic visage of the front cover of Ascendancy with like four, huge holders for rows of the CD. Right next to it, was a cutout of the band.

To almost 15 year old me, the idea of a band that looked like this being the next Metallica, my favorite band, was as maddening as it was confusing. How could this band, who looked right at home to next to the Screamo, Emo, and Metalcore bands I was seeing take over, be given such high praise? But something that never left my mind was the cover itself, it grabbed my attention. I never wanted to admit to myself at the time, but I loved it.

A year later roles around, and I find out that Kerrang is releasing a cover album of Master of Puppets, featuring newer and now-established bands. To my shock and surprise, Trivium did Master of Puppets. If I had been a betting man I would have put it on Sanitarium. I quickly acquired the release, and started the CD and went right to Trivium to see if they could do this, if they were good enough to do it.

And the rest is history.

A history that I’m retelling because I was there during Trivium’s next album, and the album that has become the holy grail to Trivium fans, Shogun.

Shogun is three things simultaneously to me:

It’s one of the greatest metal albums of all time.

It’s one of the greatest metal songs of all time.

And it is the best Trivium album of all time.

Does that give away the ending to the review? No, because all of this has a point.

THE SETLIST:

Top 3:

1. The Phalanx
2. In the Court of the Dragon
3. Like a Sword Over Damocles / A Crisis of Revelation

Pros: You know an album is an amazing album when you feel like leaving a song off the top 3 is doing it a disservice. As a Trivium fan this was like having Christmas and your birthday on the same day, there’s so much to love and gush about this album. A Crisis of Revelation would easily be at home among the best on Ascendancy. Songs like Shadow of The Abbattoir showcase the dynamic range that singer Matt Heafy has refined over years of experimentation, while epics like The Phalanx are literal lost cuts from their Shogun days. Also, can we just take a moment to talk about the monster choruses for songs like Like A Sword Over Damocles and No Way Back But Through?

One thing that has become a reoccurring sentiment in the metal community is that for the last few years since The Sin and The Sentence is that Trivium has been “returning to form”. Due largely to incredibly divisive releases after In Waves stemming from both the lack of a stable, reliable drummer who can play their music, and the loss of lead singer Matt Heafy’s voice in the early 2010s.

Well I can safely say that their reforming is complete, and what’s come out on the other side of it is an album that can stand toe-to-toe with some of its greatest hits.

And that’s what’s so great about this album, it took what The Sin and The Sentence started and realized that full potential, which was taking all of the elements that the band had acquired over the years and honed them. It took it one step further though, by finding the aggression that had largely been missing since halcyon days I had started the review off with. There were moments where I felt like a teenager again, a very hard thing to recapture.

This is Shogun 2 in all the right ways.

You go on this journey with each track and by the end of it, perfectly by the way with The Phalanx, you wonder, even entertain the idea if it really can dethrone Shogun as the best of all time.

Cons: Ordinarily, I would put a bottom 3 here, but there’s no reason to. Each song is unique enough, and dynamic enough, and hooky enough to where every single song at the very least surprised me with a riff or sequence.

If I had to even attempt to find a flaw in this masterful album, it’s that I felt I knew exactly where each chorus was going to hit and how, but can that even be considered a con when it was well done?

VERDICT: 9.8 / 10

I was very, very conflicted on whether I could give this a perfect score or not. I think one of the things I really struggled to also do was let it be its own thing. So much of Trivium’s efforts stand in the shadow of an album they released 13 years ago. Whether that’s the fans or even the band themselves, they’re oftentimes found standing in the shadow of nostalgia, something that will only get stronger with time.

Does In The Court of The Dragon dethrone Shogun as the best? No, it doesn’t.

However, it does something almost as important, it can stand toe to toe with it. It proves that looking forward to new Trivium is as exciting as going back and listening to the old.

The post [Review] Trivium – In The Court Of The Dragon first appeared on The Perge.

It’s that time of the year again!

Well, this one is a little bit different than the rest, it’s the end of the year AND the end of the decade!

So instead of just going back to January, we’re gonna go all the way back to 2009, feels weird when I think about it now, I was still in high school.

In the last 10 years, I started the website that would lead me to my closest friends in the world.

I started college.

And 9 years later, I finished! Haha.

I lost my mom, and I had to grow up really, really quickly. The world was a little more dark for awhile.

But out of that, I decided that nothing would stand in my way, no matter what I decided to do, no matter who was in front of me. That’s how my mom would have done it, that’s how she would have told me to do it.

I created a Youtube channel that led to me working in the anime industry. I’m now on an anime blu-ray release.

I got closer with my family. When you lose someone so important to you, you realize how important family is, and how much life is really worth living.

I moved into my own place for the first time with someone. Even though the relationship didn’t last, I learned that you should always be honest with yourself, even when it hurts.

Thanks to my channel I got to meet this pretty cool voice actor and friend, who, after going to a con and eating dinner, asked me to be in his movie.

Said movie is pretty sweet, and told me, “Now is the time to grasp the future.”

I told myself I would do two things this year: I was either gonna go to Japan, or I was gonna move to California.

Here I am in sunny Los Angeles.

Which, due to an amazing friend of mine having an amazing wedding this year, had me traveling a collective 10 thousand miles this year across the US. Nuts to think about.

I started a job at a company that has made my two favorite video games of all time, surreal.

I loved, I lost, and lost and found.

It’s been a pretty busy decade, now that I look back.

But most importantly of all, I don’t hate Pepsi anymore, it’s pretty decent.

Resolutions? I have a few, but none I wanna share here, haha. That’s all folks!

Here’s to 2020, a new decade, and some hope for the future.

Happy New Year everybody!

The post 2010 – 2019: Looking Back. first appeared on The Perge.

Last night, my cat passed away at the age of 14. I was able to play with her a little last night before she died. This is some video I took a few years ago playing with her, she was a cool cat.

[New note: I miss Rainbow every day. When I see old pictures of her, I’m always reminded of how cute she was. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn’t because I left and moved to Columbus for two years that she stopped eating and got very sick. We took her to the doctor in the time between but the vet never found anything. Still to this day my brother and I playfully argue about who actually named her. I remember doing it, he remembers doing it when we found her.

We went to this animal farm, I’m not even sure what the right word for it was, but it was a mutual friend of my mom’s who lived out in the country. I remember it being wet and rainy and just really an abysmal atmosphere, and all of these animals were running around in this dirty pen that you’d expect to see livestock in. Back in the corner, huddled up and shivering was Rainbow. I knew she was the right one. I remember staying with her for days when we got her back because she would just cry and cry if someone didn’t stay by her, so I tried to stay by her as much as I could.]

The post Rainbow first appeared on The Perge.

For all the pro wrestling fans who follow me, I’ve seen virtually every “best of match” that there is but New Japan Pro-Wrestling just put on a match that is so good it defies rating.

Okada / Omega 2 is the greatest match of all time. 6 star? No, this match proved that those guys (Omega especially) are on such a different level that they can TOP the greatest match which they themselves were a part of.

I just can’t even, Kenny Omega’s in-ring psychology is just so otherworldly….I literally can’t even. I would hate to see him end up in WWE, but if he did, he deserves a contract bigger than John Cena.

[New note: As history knows, Kenny did eventually when the belt in there fourth bout. NJPW, but more specifically these two wrestlers reignited my love and passion for pro wrestling. “Puroresu” as the Japanese fans would call it. So I want to at least make note of it here, that I saw them all as they happened, and you really had to be there.]

The post NJPW Dominion 2017 – Kenny Omega Vs. Kazuchika Okada first appeared on The Perge.

First movie of the year? Princess Mononoke on the big screen! Absolutely beautiful film.

[New note: Like other releases of Miyazaki’s, this was a limited engagement, where the sub and dub were in theaters for only one day. I saw the English dub, which I almost always prefer. There were cool intro pieces done by now infamous John Lasseter.]

The post Princess Mononoke in theaters. first appeared on The Perge.

Just got back from seeing Miyazaki’s directorial debut! It was great to see it on the big screen and see the extras at the beginning and end. I will say though, I much prefer the Manga Dub to the original Streamline dub that they showed tonight, but still awesome either way.

[New note: For those who may be interested, a Japanese with English subtitles release was released a few days prior. These were one day limited engagements. Aside from the voice differences, Lupin was named “Wolf” in the Streamline dub, because of the Maurice LeBlanc estate who owns the rights to the Lupin name. This has been a point of contention in the history of the Lupin III anime for a long time. Also the pronunciation of Cagliostro as “Cag-liostro”, which was a flub line the first line he says it! Dubs have come a long way since then.]

The post Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro in theaters. first appeared on The Perge.

So I haven’t done one of these in a little while. With all the moving I had to do last week, I almost forgot that the new Tool album released last week.

Favorite songs:

• 1. Fear Inoculum
• 2. 7empest
• 3. Pneuma

Pros: Tool’s first album in 13 years. Does it live up to the hype? Honestly, it’s tough to say, but one thing can be said for certain, it’s a good album.Without a doubt the title track is the best on the album and one of my personal favorites of all of Tool. Even though it clocks in at just over 10 minutes long, it’s one of the least self-indulgent tracks on the record. Which, by the way, all of the actual songs are over 10 minutes, with “7empest” clocking over 15.

And yet somehow Tool makes it work. Each song feels like the guys in tool took 3 or 4 songs from each album, put them back to back, and then “remade” them, with just a sprinkle of new sounds and vocals here and there. It can be said though, that this is easily Tool’s most progressive work, no other album goes as over the top as this one in that regard, so progressive rock / metal fans will love it.

Least Favorite songs: N/A

Cons: Fear Inoculum (the album as a whole) is a really weird beast, in that I don’t dislike any of the songs, but I feel like some of them could be a lot more especially if they had been separated into simpler more digestible songs. I’m also disappointed in the lack of angry Maynard, and hell really Maynard at all, I feel like his vocals take even more of a backseat than they usually do. That’s why I said self-indulgent above, because you don’t ever feel like you’re missing a drum beat or guitar fill. Some could say that’s being satisfied, but to me, it kinda feels like Adam and Danny said “Nope, I’m gonna put in 3 minutes of just this riff, and that’s that.” I’m not satisfied with the album, but I’m content.

Rating: 7.9 / 10

Overall: The Tool of “Fear Inoculum” in a lot of ways has completely abandoned (or one could even say “evolved beyond”) the Tool of old. Even though Tool has always been progressive, they were always able to put it into digestible bite-size chunks until “10,000 Days”. And even though you had “Rosetta Stoned” and the “Wings” songs, you still could balance that with “Jambi”, “The Pot”, and “Vicarious”. But “Fear Inoculum” is literally 7 Rosetta Stoned’s. If you’re into that like me for the most part, you’ll enjoy it, but if you don’t? You’re probably not going to like this album.

[New note: Only change would be I listen to “Pneuma” significantly more than “7empest”. Score stays the same as well. If there is another EP now that Tool is free from their label or even another album, hopefully they go back to their roots a bit. Because if a 20 minute song comes out of Tool after this, they are just jacking off at that point.]

The post [Review] Tool – Fear Inoculum. first appeared on The Perge.

So while everyone was busy with the inauguration, I was busy listening to Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes sophomore effort “Modern Ruin”.

So, review time.

Top 3 favorite songs:

• 1. Lullaby
• 2. Neon Rust
• 3. Modern Ruin

Pros: Frank Carter has had a very well rounded career up to this point, and I’ve followed him for a very long time. Where “Blossom” focused on the heavier aspects of his career, “Modern Ruin” veers more into the Grunge / Post-Grunge, very radio friendly territory of projects like Pure Love. The intro theme “Bluebelle” into “Lullaby” is incredibly strong, unique, and well written, dare I say an even better opening to an album then “Juggernaut” off of their previous album.

The other stand out tracks are the 2 closing pieces “Modern Ruin” and “Neon Rust”. Ruin is the only real aggressive song on the album, and while it doesn’t really stand against songs like “Paradise” or “Juggernaut”, the ending tempo speedup makes it stand out.

Bottom 3 least favorite songs:

• 1. Vampires
• 2. Jackals
• 3. God is my friend

Cons: Some folks on twitter were calling this album a “masterpiece” and while I will be quick to sing some of its praises, it is not anywhere near a masterpiece.

The dilemma of a Frank Carter fan, is just like I mentioned before, having gone through so many iterations, bands and sounds, you get a feel for when Frank is at his best, whether that be soulful soothing melodies or untamed British fury. But to me, Modern Ruin is less like a story, and more like a brief moment in the ascension of the band.

The opener is really strong, the ending is really good, but what you get in between are many songs that start the same way, at least 3 songs reusing lyrical content, and the same mid-tempo guitar riffing that makes me wonder if the boys didn’t sit down, write, AND record the album in like a week, it feels rushed.

Hell, Jackals isn’t even a minute long, and I don’t know if it was to appease the fans of old, but if you’re going to do the short, punk thing with a song, it should be vicious and in your face, not just repeating the last 3 songs in front of it.

Overall: 7.5 / 10

It’s a good album, an album I would own, but there’s just no comparison to Blossom, hopefully Frank and the Snakes get all the success in the world, and return with a third album that can really shatter expectations.

[New note: Overall I definitely don’t believe that “Lullaby” is a better opener than “Juggernaut”, not sure where my head was at there, haha. BUT, “Neon Rust” has become my favorite on the album and grown on me tremendously, as has “Modern Ruin”. I will say though, even with their album after disappointing much more than this one did, the review score stays the same.]

The post [Review] Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Modern Ruin. first appeared on The Perge.

So, it’s been a solid 7 years since Gorillaz last effort (I don’t really consider “The Fall” an “album”) and I decided to see (or rather, hear) what all the hype around “Humanz” was about.

Top 3 tracks:

1. Saturnz Barz (Spirit House) (feat. Popcaan)

2. Hallelujah Money (feat. Benjamin Clementine)

3. Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.)

Pros: Firstly, this album was not made on an iPad, in fact the strongest thing I can say about this album is that it is masterfully produced. All the songs “sound” good and are well mixed.

Secondly, there are a lot of tracks on this album, if you liked this album, you are going to get a lot of it, and much like Plastic Beach, features a myriad of artists from a number of genres in Hip Hop, Rap, and R&B.

Bottom 3:

• 1. She’s My Collar (feat. Kali Uchis)
• 2. Charger (feat. Grace Jones)
• 3. Sex Murder Party (feat. Jamie Principle & Zebra Katz)

Cons: This album is an absolute pile.

Sorry, let me explain that, this album is 6 years of wasted potential because Damon doesn’t give a fuck anymore.

This album, and Damon’s subsequent promotion for it are a train-wreck from top to bottom and commits some of what I consider are the biggest cardinal sins when featuring artists.

Damon said in early promo interviews “The album never goes under 120bpm”The first single “Hallelujah Money” is under 120bpm, as if going under 120bpm is the reason The Fall was bad, or completely forgetting the fact some of the best Gorillaz songs of all time are under or right at 120bpm.

Speaking of Hallelujah Money, Damon said when it was released that it wasn’t a single on the album and was “Not on the original album”, Except it was, and is.

Cardinal Sins you say? The featuring artist should NEVER start the song, never. Why? Because they are the FEATURED artist, not the main person. In Kanye’s song “Amazing” does Young Jeezy start the song? NO, is he the person singing the chorus? NO, but he does have a sweet verse because he’s…..FEATURED, it’s NOT HIS SONG.

EVERY SONG BUT PROBABLY 2 ON THIS ALBUM DO THAT, EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. SO IN ACTUALITY, IT SHOULD BE “VARIOUS ARTISTS – FEAT. THE GORILLAZ” and really it’s not even that, because only 1 song on the album even *remotely* reminds you that this is a Gorillaz album, and that’s Saturnz Barz.

Way back when, Damon said that “Plastic Beach” wasn’t originally a Gorillaz album but an album that he *gasp* wanted to use as a way to collaborate with people and showcase them, but then ended up turning it into Gorillaz album because reasons. Plastic Beach also committed the same cardinal sins BUT kept true to 2 things. There were songs that did NOT feature anyone, and the overall feel to the album was the same.

Worst of all, Damon sounds bored as fuck, he sounds like he phoned it in about as hard as you could, he’s turned down in the mix in most of the sections he’s in AND IT’S HIS BAND.

Andromeda is what did it for me, because even though it is the one song that Damon starts in, I never felt once during that song that “2D” was singing, it’s just Damon singing to about the same beat as every other song on the album, with no personality or none of it.

Humanz is Damon Albarn filling up his resume so he can go “Yea? That guy? Yea I worked with him, check out this thing we did”

4 / 10

I only give it a 4 because ultimately, there are some really solid efforts on here, and a couple of people who I will actually now seek out to listen to more of, but you know who I’m not going to actively listen to more of anymore? Whatever the hell Damon calls “The Gorillaz” now.

[New note: Nope, still garbage. “Saturnz Barz” I will occasionally put on, but every subsequent release has been infinitely better than this one. Song Machine 1 is the best Gorillaz record in a decade.]

The post [Review] Gorillaz – Humanz. first appeared on The Perge.

So, time for another album review!

After a couple stinkers this year, I was starting to wonder if the bands I follow are just getting tired or out of creative juice, thankfully Trivium proved that they still have A LOT more to prove. This review is about their new album released today, “The Sin and the Sentence”.

Sweet baby Jesus!

Top 3:

• 1. Beyond Oblivion
• 2. The Revanchist
• 3. The Wretchedness Inside

Pros: Trivium has returned! There are so many good things about this album that I don’t know if I can get them all. The guys in Trivium have truly returned to form, and for the first time since Shogun, have a clear and concise goal and sound, and it’s just amazing to listen to. “Beyond Oblivion” and “The Revanchist” are two of the best songs they’ve ever made. Period. Across any album they’ve ever done.

Even though I do a Top 3, 95% of the album is outstanding, all killer no filler. I also particularly liked “The Wretchedness Inside” is also a nice change of pace, harkening back to their earlier Ember to Inferno days.

Bottom 3:

• 1. Betrayer
• 2. Other Worlds
• 3. N/A

Cons: Ironically, the heavier of the singles “Betrayer” ended up being one of my least liked songs. It’s not even really a bad song but it’s just considerably “weaker” than the rest of the album. In fact I really only had negative things to say about that and “Other Worlds”, which also was decent but again, compared with the album just doesn’t do as good. I don’t think the singles did this album any justice whatsoever. BUT, I’m glad the singles were what they were, because it made the rest of the album a treat.

OVERALL: 9.3 / 10

This album has something for every Trivium fan out there. Newer fans who came in through Silence in the Snow will appreciate stuff like “The Heart from Your Hate” and “Endless Night”, and older Trivium fans will appreciate literally everything else.

[New note: I have to knock the album up to like 9.6 or 9.8, Other Worlds has become just as loved. Really I could call this a perfect album because I can sit down and listen to it top to bottom without skipping anything, but Betrayer is still ok. I didn’t want to include it in the original review, but what puts this over as tied for being my favorite Trivium album ever, is the Japanese bonus track, “Pillars of Serpents ’17” which is a rerecording of an Ember to Inferno track of the same name. Sounds even better than the original.]

The post [Review] Trivium – The Sin and the Sentence. first appeared on The Perge.