- Judas Priest – Nostradamus
I will give every album of a band I like a million listens until I decide that I don’t like it. In the case of an album like, say, Sacrament (Lamb of God) , this is obviously a hindrance. However, I do this because I discovered something great about that band (in L.o.G’s case both Ashes of the Wake and As the Palaces Burn),Which brings me to Nostradamus. I HATED it on first listen. I thought Priest went back to their old soft-metal stylings and, being raised on ‘98 Live Meltdown and Painkiller, I wanted no part of it. But I kept listening.
And didn’t like it. I started skipping around the tracklist to see if anything was worth listening to. I almost gave up.
Then I decided to give it a go the way the band (except for Ian Hill – and maybe Rob) said it should be “experienced”: start to finish.
It’s an all-time classic. It’s not Operation Mindcrime, but it’s #2. I want more.
I want the entire album played live on dvd that Halford keeps talking about.
I want the opera/orchestral performance suite that is rumoured.
Suffice to say, I’m picking up whatever Glenn, KK, Rob, Ian or Scott is putting down now.
Favorite tracks: Prophecy, Revelations, Sands of Time, Pestilence and Plague, Lost Love, Persecution, Exiled, Alone, New Beginnings, Future of Mankind, even Nostradamus works great in the context of the album.
- Dark Tranquillity – Fiction
These guys are monsters. Projector – Fiction is, without doubt, the greatest run of records a metal band has going right now.
Favorite tracks: Icipher, Inside the Particle Storm, Empty Me, Misery’s Crown, The Lesser Faith, Terminus
- Anata – The Conductor’s Departure
Though this was really released in June of 2006, I, like many, hadn’t heard it upon its release. Therefore, I’m grandfathering this one in.Accept it, ye who enjoy metal. Tech-death is the future.
Favorite tracks: Better Grieved Than Fooled, Children’s Laughter, The Great Juggler
- Iced Earth – Framing Armageddon Part 1
Ripper Owens is the greatest metal singer of our generation. ‘Nuff said. If you have good material, he makes it great, if you have bad material, he makes it listenable.
Favorite tracks: Order of the Rose, The Clouding, Something Wicked, The Domino Decree
- Machine Head – The Blackening
Loved it upon listening to it, but doesn’t stay in the playlist consistently.
However, Halo and A Farewell to Arms are all-time classics.
- Cage – Hell Destroyer
Archive for August 11th, 2008
Sportsmanship in MMA
Monday, August 11th, 2008After Brock Lesnar’s post fight reaction, I find myself compelled to write this. Listen, I know some of the monkeys on Sherdog want him out of the sport right now because God knows we don’t need another Tito Ortiz, but let’s look at this a moment before we damn Brock to forum hell. What he did was wrong, I have no argument to this. Let’s look at the facts though. This man is getting paid a lot of money to fight. He hasn’t ducked anyone and has fought a former UFC champion and a perennial top 10-5 heavyweight in his first 3 fights in MMA. His first 3… Heath Herring and Frank Mir were getting guys plucked off of bar stool in their first 3 fights. My point is the man is under an insane amount of pressure. Not only does he have to live upto the hype and the money, but he also was fighting in front of his home crowd. Another under two minute submission loss would have been devestating… until you realize this was only his 3rd fight.
Brock Lesnar is also an entertainer. Love him or hate him, but Tito Ortiz made the UFC and himself a lot of money by being who he was an acting the way he did. Brock sees this, he spent time in the WWE, why not camp it up a little bit to promote yourself and the company. Dana White acts like an assclown all the time and he’s the friggin president of the company, can we really bag on Brock for this behavior. Also, we have no idea what was said between Heath and Brock in that cage. Heath could have been saying crap about anything and Brock may have just taken it it to a whole other level. Factor in all these things and do we really have to pretend that we are so appalled by his actions. Was it wrong yes, but damn everyone makes mistakes. So really, can we all just get off our high horses and give the man a break. Nobody remembers that in the prefight interview Brock was very modest and respectful of Heath, nope everyone just pounces on the mistakes.
I guess that’s the kind of world we live in, forget the good and remember the bad. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be talking about sportsmanship, I’m the guy who wants someone to punch the other guy when he extends his hand for a glove tap at the beginning of the fight. I don’t get it, you touch gloves before the fight with the ref, do we really need to do it again… every round? Anyways, get off of Brock’s back, he has a bright future ahead of him and should we really discredit him for one outburst. Everyone, let’s just calm down.
