Just A Reminder….
Saturday, October 6, 2012 Leave a comment
Become a Believer in Autotheism
Thursday, August 23, 2012 1 Comment
For fans of Between the Buried and Me, Opeth and Necrophagist
If you’re a fan of The Faceless, you’re probably wondering why I’ve listed Opeth and Between the Buried and Me as similar artists. ”The Faceless is technical death metal, not progressive,” you’re probably saying, while starting arguments in the comments section of a Youtube video. True, their previous releases were tech metal through and through. However, Autotheism, which was released on August 14th, is about as progressive as it gets. Yes, it’s a strange transition. But it still freaking rocks. Read more of this post
Batman Concludes with The Dark Knight Rises
Friday, July 20, 2012 Leave a comment
Seven years ago, there was a spike in the pop-cultural “cool” factor of enjoying the Batman. With the release of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, those put off by the silliness and absurdity often associated with comic-book narratives were enraptured by the film’s far more grounded take on the Caped Crusader. When the much anticipated follow-up, The Dark Knight, was released in 2008, that “cool” factor increased tenfold, as did the amount of Joker cosplayers. Four years and far too many “Why so serious”es later, has Nolan delivered a fitting conclusion to his beloved series, or does the trilogy crash and burn in the home stretch?
Incurso Will Devour Your Soul
Thursday, July 5, 2012 Leave a comment
For fans of Necrophagist, Obscura, The Faceless and Origin
I’m going to start off by saying HOLY SHIT, LOOK AT THE ALBUM ARTWORK!!! It’s like H.P. Lovecraft combined his worst nightmares with the darkest and most horrifying secrets of the universe, which subsequently birthed a creature so vile that its very existence is a fundamental contradiction of logic. Seriously, don’t stare at it too long, you’ll lose your mind. Read more of this post
Periphery II: Back With a Vengeance
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 Leave a comment
Here we are with Periphery II, the second album from melodic djent-metalers (I know they probably hate that term by now) Periphery. I’ve been following Periphery for a while now, through all the different singer changes, and I have to admit that somehow this release had fallen off my radar a bit.
Maybe the lack of enthusiasm stemmed from the last album basically being a bunch of Bulb (guitarist Misha Mansoor’s alter ego) songs being redone. To be honest, I can’t even to begin to count how many times I’ve been let down by new releases by some of my favorite bands. Call it the sophomore slump, or whatever else, but it almost seems pointless to build anticipation for an upcoming album these days.
“Prometheus” Aims for the Stars but Doesn’t Complete the Mission
Thursday, June 14, 2012 Leave a comment
Say what you want about Ridley Scott, but you have to admit one thing: the man is great at making movies. The genre-bending films he creates have captured our imaginations, scared the piss out of us, and made us hate Julius Caesar. His latest sci-fi/horror epic “Prometheus” does all but one of these things (guess which one it is), while telling a great story and displaying some dazzling special effects–but it didn’t live up to its hype. Read more of this post
4 Reasons Working in Retail Will Drive You to Suicide
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 2 Comments
To be successful, you need to persevere to achieve your goals. Just kidding, it’s all about who you know – and you can’t deny that fact. So what happens when losers like me don’t have the right connections? Well, the world is full of throw-away jobs, and they will be your primary source of income until you gain friends in high places. But for now, you’re stuck faking a smile to people who spend a fortune and drive away in a brand new Porsche. Read more of this post
Marvel’s “The Avengers” Team Up to Take Your Money
Friday, May 4, 2012 Leave a comment
In 2008, Marvel Studios released the first of many film adaptations of their own comic book properties. With “Iron Man,” the legendary publisher took great care in making sure the summer blockbuster did the source material justice, and succeeded with flying colors (red and gold, primarily). Those who stayed after the credits were treated to a short scene showcasing Samuel L. Jackson as a mysterious man with an eye patch saying something about an “Avengers Initiative.” With that moment, comic fans everywhere collectively shit a massive brick made of tremendous excitement and towering expectations. Four years later, Marvel Studios has delivered on their promise of an Avengers film. Was it even remotely possible for them to meet the staggering expectations of their fans? Find out after the break!
Wretched Returns with Son of Perdition
Thursday, April 26, 2012 Leave a comment
For fans of Between the Buried and Me, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Opeth
I never expected Wretched’s 2010 sophmore release, Beyond the Gate, to be as good as it was. It was leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, The Exodus of Autonomy, and featured some of the most impressively original songwriting I had heard from an American death-metal band in a very long time. Well, the Northern Carolina metalheads have returned with their follow-up, Son of Perdition, last month, and though it may not be as huge a leap forward as Beyond the Gate was, it’s another strong offering from one of the most underrated emerging bands in death metal.
The Conceal Pull No Stunts
Monday, April 23, 2012 1 Comment
I’m not going to lie, I’m fighting off a massive hangover today. The only music existing in my media library that can supplement how shitty I feel is the debut release from San Jose natives The Conceal, entitled Endless River | Stunted Prayer, which just hit the internet like a cheap whiskey-infused dirty bomb last Monday. Since then, my ears have been giving it a lot of attention and I am enthusiastically impressed by this new act coming from the South Bay (aka that place where a bunch of bands try to sound like Dredg, Circa Survive, and anything Post-Rock).
The Conceal is a reboot of Flood Peak, headed by Mike McClatchey (ex-Clearing Autumn Skies, Apiary, Early Graves) that features a few down-tuned, slower rehashes of songs from Flood Peak’s EP Filling Flasks along with mostly new material. This being said, anyone expecting The Conceal to be anything like its former incarnation will be in for a big surprise. Endless River | Stunted Prayer is a 45 minute masterpiece of doom, sludge, feedback, and industrial influenced shit-rock that brings a refreshing sense of creativity to heavy music. There is no mimicry or trend-following here, only trendsetting.
It’s Not About the Destination, It’s About the Journey
Monday, April 23, 2012 Leave a comment
Few games come by and leave such a lasting and powerful impression on me and even less often can I say a game moved me. I most certainly wouldn’t expect a game completely devoid of narrative, dialogue, and any co-op communication like ThatGameCompany’s newest downloadable epic, Journey, would be the one do it.
Maybe I’m a sucker for weird, artsy, abstract games (see my review for Limbo) but Journey really floored the little expectations I had for it. Like many others, I had heard the buzz that the game generated when it first came out exclusively for Playstation Plus subscribers more than a month ago. I was ready to buy the game then and there, but because of the game’s exclusivity, I wasn’t able to and almost completely forgot about it. I mean, is there still anyone that actually pays for that service? Anyway, the game was publicly released a few weeks after that, and I finally got the chance to check it out.
The Koloss is in the Building
Friday, April 20, 2012 Leave a comment
Anybody else see this and think of a really fucked up Magic Eye? No? Alright.
It’s hard to put into words how I feel about the new Meshuggah album, Koloss, but if I had to choose just one word to describe it, without a doubt, it’d be the word massive. From start to finish, Koloss is simply crushing, and there’s just something about the tones and grooves used on this record that will simply floor you. Koloss begs the question that many of Meshuggah’s albums have: how the HELL is Meshuggah going to top this?
God Of War Ascension Announced
Thursday, April 19, 2012 Leave a comment
So maybe it was just wishful thinking that led us to believe Playstation was about to announce God Of War 4. I was looking forward to seeing the next chapter in Kratos’ life, after the chaotic ending of the third game. But it turns out we’ll never know what happens. The teaser that Playstation put up on their Facebook page was in fact advertising a new God Of War game, but SURPRISE, it’s another prequel. Read more of this post
God Of War 4????
Friday, April 13, 2012 Leave a comment
On Wednesday, April 11th, PlayStation mysteriously changed their Facebook cover photo to this enigmatic image. For those of you who can’t read (which is hopefully none of you, otherwise what are you doing on this site?), it says is big beautiful letters “Will Vengeance Bring Redemption? 04.19.12″ Rumors have been flying left and right about what it might represent, and about 90% of said rumors are pointing to God Of War 4. Read more of this post
Netflix Pick: “Submarine” comes of age
Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Leave a comment
I’m one of those people that finds it very difficult to resist the draw of a good coming-of-age story. Something about tales of young people discovering who they are and what it’s like to be a part of the “real world” really gets to me, particularly if they’re presented with style and a unique voice. Therefore, I was very excited when I heard the rumblings of a great one making the rounds at film festivals a year or so ago. That film was “Submarine,” and it’s now available on Netflix Instant Streaming, allowing me to finally check it out for myself. If you’re wondering how much I loved this movie, read all about it after the break!
Recap & Reactions: Mad Men reads your “Tea Leaves”
Sunday, April 1, 2012 Leave a comment
On a night of exciting season premieres (Game of Thrones, The Killing), I’ve decided to keep my focus trained on the continuing efforts of AMC’s period epic, Mad Men. Earlier tonight, we were treated to the fifth season’s sophomore episode, “Tea Leaves.” While it may not be clear exactly where this season is headed just yet, there are definite traces of the series’ characteristic slow burn. Check out my spoiler-filled thoughts and comment with your own after the break!
Satisfy Your Hunger
Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Leave a comment
Guys, those are weapons behind her. Lots of weapons. So start paying attention.
I’m not really sure what started Suzanne Collin’s “The Hunger Games” growing association with the “Twilight” flicks or when exactly having a female protagonist meant that a movie was a chick-flick. Besides the horrendous merchandising decisions (as evident on T-shirts sold across web stores nationwide), the two hit-books-to-hit-film adaptations don’t have all that much in common. Sure, they both star a brunette female protagonist. I guess there are two male characters that can be perceived as love interests — though they’re not, really (at least, not at first) — but that’s where the similarities end. Granted, I don’t know two shits about “Twilight,” though that’s mainly because I have no interest in them whatsoever. But let me set the record straight: “The Hunger Games” is not a a cheesy chick flick with glitter and men that make up for their lack of being able to keep on their shirts with having excessive pecs. Though Gary Ross’s screenplay falls short in a few minor areas compared to the book it’s based on, this is an incredibly well-made and true to its roots flick that you have to check out.
Netflix Pick: “Shut Up Little Man!” will invade your privacy
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Leave a comment
After a couple of weeks off due to complete, inescapable entrenchment in following the Mass Effect 3 controversy, my weekly Netflix Pick feature HAS RETURNED! I know, I know… You were all just stuck having absolutely nothing to watch because you are unable to decide for yourselves, and for that I apologize. I, myself, had a bit of trouble deciding what to watch this week, so I deferred to the “Top 10 for Darren” section of my PS3 Netflix interface. Of the recommended titles, I was most intrigued by an odd-sounding documentary entitled “Shut Up Little Man!” Was Netflix right to have the audacity to recommend this film to my discerning tastes? FINDOUTAFTERTHEBREAK!
The Collective Boners of the World Are Rizing for Rize of the Fenix
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Leave a comment
The D is back.
The Tenacious fucking D is back.
Latest Game Reviews
Journey
PSN
4.5 / 5
Mass Effect 3
Xbox360, PS3, PC
5 / 5
Mario Kart 7
3DS
3.5 / 5
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Xbox360, PS3, PC
4 / 5
Carnival Island
PS3
3.5 / 5
Latest Album Reviews
Wretched
Son of Perdition
4 / 5
The Conceal
Endless River/Stunted Prayer
5 / 5
Meshuggah
Koloss
4.5 / 5
Veil of Maya
Eclipse
2.5 / 5
Mureau
Rumors And Reputations
4 / 5
Ben Everett
Brad Whiteside
David Collins
Randall Woo
Cmax
Darren Rufer
Elaine
Fernando Landaverde
Ivan Torres
Justin Mutch
Kyle Suddarth
Kevin N. Hume
Matt Crisp
Darren Orsetti
Sean Moore
slowesthadouken
Wrecked Reviews
