Facebook+

Can you follow Facebook on Google+?

I just blew my own mind.

Deadly Sins

Does any one person actually know what all the seven deadly sins are? Any how to eatrape more of them? 

Hell Is for Reagan

Listening to the HELL IS FOR CHILDREN cover makes me really want to impress Lzzy Hale. I bet if I shot Ronald Reagan the message would be totally convoluted.

Never Get High on Your Own Supply

Every time I think I would make an awesome drug dealer, I think back to what happened when my Little League team tried to get me to sell candy bars.

Sorry again, mom and dad. I'll pay you back one day.

Album Review (Five Words or Less) - HAIL TO THE KING

Verdict: BETTER THAN I'D EXPECTED.

This should have been such a no-brainer that I shouldn’t have to post anything at all and instead focus on one of the other recent offerings out there (the decent Paradigm Shift by Korn, or the laughably bad Hesitation Marks by NIN). But – after hearing much discussion out there about this album – I figured I’d weigh in even at risk of being labeled a fanboy.

First off – yeah, I’m a fan. Not a militant one by any stretch of the imagination: I’ve been upfront about some of their stuff sucking (“Sieze the Day,” for one...in fact, unlike Bullet/Valentine and FFDP, this band appears incapable of issuing a really knock-the-cover-off-the-ball slow song…I’d say "Gunslinger" is good, "Dear God" is passable, the rest is throwaway material), and have I ever mentioned that I still haven’t finished listening to The Nightmare? Because that’s true – the first few songs are OK for a listen and the rest of it just doesn’t have a lot of redeeming or otherwise interesting qualities to it.

After Nightmare I was full-on ready for this album to bite the big one. Even more so when the first single “Hail to the King” dropped. Utter snoozefest! Then the early album reviews came in full of words & phrases like “simpler,” stripped-down,” etc. Yikes, man. Could this be the point in time where one of my favorite bands jumps the shark? Could this be Avenged’s black album??

My first listen caught me off-guard a bit; it was different. In hindsight, it was mostly the production that caught me off-guard. The production is excellent.

Bottom line:

Do I enjoy it? Yes. Is the album still part of my daily rotation? Yes. (Unlike Nightmare, which never even made it into my daily rotation.)

Let’s address the elephant in the room, which I'm sure you're familiar with if you've heard the album or visit music forums: are the tracks reminiscent of other bands? ABSOLUTELY they are. "Shepherd of Fire" reminds me of "Enter Sandman" (particularly the drum sound). " Doing Time" reminds of Illusion-era GnR. "This Means War" will remind everyone on earth of "Sad But True". "Heretic" has notes of "Countdown to Extinction" to it. The ultimate tribute, in my opinion, and also my personal favorite cut on the album is the Maiden-esque "Coming Home." Good lord, it even sounds as though Shadows hired Dickinson as a vocal coach for the track. THE HANGMAN’S SEARCHING!

…but does any of that mean it’s not good? No. No, not at all. It’s very good.

Take the opening track, "Shepherd of Fire." One of my favorites on the album. Does it reference "Enter Sandman" to an extent? Yes. But here’s the thing – "Enter Sandman" sucks. I can’t stomach my way to sitting thru that song once. "Shepherd of Fire?" It ROCKS. More accessible subject matter, better sound, and the groove they establish in the verses is sublime. Makes me punch my dashboard every time.

Is the album infallible? Nope. "This Means War" – while superior to "Sad But True" – just isn’t for me. The two obligatory slow songs – "Crimson Day" and "Acid Rain" – serve to prove beyond a shadow of doubt that Avenged is more than capable of continuing with the trend of slow song fails. But as a whole, the album is right more than it’s wrong, and I’m glad it hit the top spot upon release.

PS I meant what I said about NIN up there.  LOL it's worth checking out just to see how the mighty have fallen.

Oh Jehovah

In this age of diminishing liberties, I'm guessing it's probably not legal to have your shotgun answer your front door for you even if it's a Jehovah's Witness knocking prior to noon...right?

Liver Gym

A bar is a gym for your liver. Now you're all clear to tell your coworkers you're going to the gym after work. You're welcome. Again.

Me

Other people watching Breaking Bad:

"I am so tense!"

Me watching Breaking Bad: "I suddenly worry that maybe I didn't give meth a fair try."

Sexual Harrassment

Chicks in sexual harassment videos always seem wayyyy hotter than they would be in any other setting. Also probably a lot more willing to try things than they would be if they were in, say, a Sunny Delight commercial.