Killswitch is Engaged

The album starts off reminiscent of their earlier material when there wasn't a whole lot of singing. It was just hard as hell all the time. I like their previous album As Daylight Dies. A lot. I like it a lot. Hearing the two sounds together is good for me. I think that this is a nice way to delve back into the roots of Killswitch, but bring in some of that new sound with it.

I love his voice. There is something about the way Howard Jones sings that makes it powerful and comforting at the same time. He has a good range and a great scream.

I am dissapoined by the lack of blistering guitar solos. Don't get me wrong, there is still some incredible guitar work, but I love solos and As Daylight Dies had them. Some of the songs have great intros and great interludes, but very few real solos. "Take Me Away" in particular has a great intro with just incredible and astounding guitar work.

I have always loved the drum work. Justin Foley knows what he is doing. He makes great fills where they need to be and can provide a rhythmic backbone.

Now, I play the bass, so I always look for the bass work in music. Mike D'Antonio is good. He, along with the drummer, create a foundation for the music. But there is just one thing. It seems like as metal progresses, the bass guitar has been getting more spotlight. Look at Necrophagist and The Faceless. Look at All Shall Perish. It's just not here in Killswitch and I really wish it was.

My favorite songs on the album are "Reckoning" and "Lost." Those two songs are just badass. I think I like "Reckoning" so much because of the chorus. It's got a great tune and good repetition without being boring.

"Lost" was great for me because it was a kick in the face. It's heavy, but at the same time it isn't. It's very melodic, but it still packs a punch that gets me all pumped up.

The second self-titled album ends just as well as it started. It ends strong and memorable. "This is Goodbye" is a great track. It starts off hard. It really picks up the back end of the album. But then the song ends on just a light note as if to say, "We'll be right back. Just sit tight."

Overall, I like the album. I think it's really great. It doesn't have "Holy Diver," but that's alright.

"You are nothing to me; this is a reckoning"

Revenge of the Sequel

Michael Bay has a reputation for making movies with overly elaborate effects and nonstop, mindless action. You have to ask yourself, is that really a bad thing?

Sam Witwicky is on another adventure with a familiar group of allies. This time he is off to college, leaving his girlfriend Mikaela Banes at home. Just before he leaves, he discovers something that will yet again change his plans and take him to somewhere he had never imagined.

The Decepticons are all around the globe, but seem to be looking for something. They are looking for something that Sam has. In his mind lies the power of the Cube. The Fallen, the first Decepticon, wants the information in order to destroy mankind and sees only one foe in his way; Optimus Prime.

Director Michael Bay, with the help of executive producer Steven Speilberg, takes viewers on a journey that travels along every road of emotion. Right from the beginning, explosions and sparks and robots fill the screen.

What really sets the Transformers movies apart from other action movies is the camera work. Like before, Revenge of the Fallen utilizes long shots so that the viewer can see everything that is happening clearly. From far away, it really looks as if the Autobots are there in China. If there were a way to show people from fifty years ago that were making movies this kind of film, they would just believe that it was real.

Robots are everywhere in this movie. Autobots and Decepticons alike, are all over the place all throughout the movie. What was really cool was that there were more scenes of just Transformers on screen. While the first movie focused much more on Sam, played by Shia LaBeouf, this movie works harder on Transformer to Transformer dialogue and story.

If you don't know anything about the cartoon or the comic books, again you will be alright. The writing and direction do a fantastic job of making this movie for everyone. All of the little details are there for the fans and all of the information is there for everyone else.

It pushes its rating. A PG-13 a close one for the sequel. With more language and more hints for an adult crowd, this is sure to upset at least a few uptight parents that neglect ratings.

All in all, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is great. It is a great way to keep the series going and keep it interesting all of the way through.

Go see it.

"We are the fallen and hated"

They Call Me the Working Man

It's been a while since I have been here. Things have just gotten away from me. I have been working at the theater again, which takes up most of my time. Money is money.

Not a whole lot has happened and I guess that is why I haven't written anything. The summer is here and I have just been concentrating on working and getting some money. I've barely played any video games, but I have been watching a whole bunch of movies. I should have been writing.

The biggest news that I have is that I got my tonsils out, but it's not that big of a deal. I got them out on Monday, things are still swollen, and I can't do shit for two weeks. It's stupid. Keep your tonsils if they are still there.

I have been thinking of the direction of the blog and I think I want to change the subject matter of the entire thing. Normally, I just talk about whatever and kind of ramble about things. I think I want to just stick to media-based topics. TV shows, movies, video games, and other stuff like that. Music, maybe.

Keep an eye on Finding Strelok because I think I am going to pick it up again. I fell out of it and just stopped. It's going to take a while to finish, but I want to keep it going and then maybe pick up another game to do the same thing. After I get a copy of Fallout 3, I want to make a journal similarly.

I want to start playing more demos on XBox Live so that I can start to give more thoughts on games. I am going to download the Fight Night Round 4 demo and I will let you know how it is.

I watched Year One and The Proposal this week and I thought about making a post on them, but I think that coming back from such a long hiatus, I need to do what everyone else will do and that is write a review on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen next week. I will get to watch it early, as I do most movies, and I will write about it here.

"I guess that's what I am."