maxdiamond

my dream is my reality, live my twisted dream...


the band formerly used to be Metallica

Remember when I posted the Metallica image in one of the previous posts, I had no idea I'd be writing about Metallica some time soon.

No, no, dont close the window, I'm not writing about St.Anger era Metallica.
Something happened after their symphoney experiments, Metallica sounded like sort of faced with the lack of new ideas. Jay-Z fiasco and St.Anger. Oh boy!

I have no idea if these guys had gone nuts or something but since James Hetfield's earlier interviews were to be believed, they (James and Lars) always wanted to make garage record, raw and edgy (more like Motorhead, that is).

And so they made St. Anger that alienated the fans and myself included, i 'tried' to like that album for the love of Metallica. I was one of the sorry asses who bought the limited edition St. Anger disc that reached the wrong side of Pacific after a few days it was released everywhere.
I didnt instantly dislike it but it reminded me of James' earlier admission and at last they had made a punk record and I was in for a surprise. It aint fun, honey!

Had that album was recorded by any other unknown band, it would have got better reviews but Metallica has bigger expectations from all the fans.

It wasnt the Metallica I had known. I had almost lost faith and started believing lately that Metallica had 'sold out' and started making sissy movies about band group therapies and stuff like that. But Jay Z made money with Double Black Album, that is.

That's reality folks!

Wait, I got something here, I came across this new Metallica song that is making rounds on the net and boy it Rocks!
?
Yeah, you heard it right, it Rocks and moreover it has got some tasty solo as well.
It was played live in Germany on their Escape from Studio tour and the sound aint that great. James sounds really tired and his vocals are very uninspiring, sounds too sissy. Hell, they got sissy when they cut their hair!

Lars does some old school double bass assault in the last section of the song along with Kirk churning out some meaty solo since... whatever. Well, the song sounds better, not the old Metallica but a new direction, it is heavy and doomy but all of a sudden it takes a thrashy direction in the end.

Is it a sign of things to come?
I dont know guys, this band has recently been getting kicks out of alienating the old fans and many fans have started getting kicks in return by hating Metallica.
Metallica never ceases to surprise but at least this time at least I hope it is not a shock treatment that St. Anger was.

If anyone remembers, Metallica had announced before St.Anger that the next album is going to sound like Meshuggah! It had created a major buzz in the metal underground because Meshuggah is one of the respected bands and they have a loyal fan base, I'm one of them.
But cant say what Metallica might come up with next.

Check that out here and find out for yourself! Its a bootleg video, so dont expect great audio-video quality.

And forgot to mention, the song is tentatively title as "Death is not the End".
Damn right.

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gapingvoid

Hey did anyone notice the Gapingvoid widget I added to my blog today, it can be found below the links?
Very funny and insightful cartoons. Check them out every time you visit here, if possible or bookmark that link and visit often or whatever.

Before you start thinking why all of a sudden my post deviated from usual music and metal stuff, I'll clarify you. I have been visiting Gapingvoid for some time and have really liked the way Hugh MacLeod's cartoons have conveyed messages in a satirical way, at times downright in-your-balls stuff.
And by the way, these cartoons are available in big prints on that site that you can use for coffee mugs, t-shrts and other dorky stuff like that, thought you may be interested.

Or I might have run out of Googlejuice to come up with a new post!

Not really, that was a Gapingvoid joke.

Well if you havent been living in a cave for some time now, you wouldnt have any idea what Gapingvoid is or who Hugh McLeod is.
Hugh MacLeod (based in Cumbira, England, four miles from Scottish border) draws cartoons on the back of business cards, not just his own cards but others' cards also. He works at Stormhoek as a marketing and blogging consultant, what he prefers to call as The Global Microbrand.
He used to live in New York and London but since his career became 100% web-enabled, it made sense to live somewhere that isnt cheap and easy.

Anyways, here are some of the interesting ones I have collected over time and the rest ones can be found at Gapingvoid site or you can find the latest ones at the widget on this blog below the links.

Phew! That was a long post, wasnt it? I have saved the best for the last...

That's all for now folks. Keep Rocking and have safe fun. I'll keep the as-promised-earlier posts coming in.

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of Space Monkeys and Durdenisms

"I was just a newborn,
stranger in this town,
where are all the good times?
who's gonna show me around?"

-Pink Folyd

I had no freaking idea that it would hit me like this on one dry day. My world was a dark one before I came across Tyler Durden and after that it became a sunless moor.

"All the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not."

Who thought one could make explosives using all household items if one were so inclined? Tyler Durden was.

"Fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may."

Tyler Durden anyone?
"You know why they put oxygen masks on planes? Oxygen gets you high. In a catastrophic emergency, you're taking giant panicked breaths. Suddenly you become euphoric, docile. You accept your fate. It's all right here. Emergency water landing - 600 miles an hour. Blank faces, calm as Hindu cows."

Tyler Durden is a subcoscious person in all of us, someone we consciously withhold from surfacing so that we can maintain social responsibilities or something like that. For many, Tyler is a punk, a scum who needs to be destroyed or ignored depending on how one wants to treat him.

Does that mean Tyler Durden is an alter-ego or anti-hero character?
Not necessarily. Depends on which end you look at him from.

"...an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars.
Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need.
We're the middle children of history, man.
No purpose or place.
We have no Great War.
No Great Depression.
Our Great War's a spiritual war.
Our Great Depression is our lives.
We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't.
And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."

You live, you die, all through the way you come across many people and learn few things.

And then you meet Tyler Durden.
Tyler is a nihilistic person inside of us who separates reality from mere perceptions.
Think of this, entire generation is fed on crap by television and politicians robbing us blind. It is very easy to find Tyler in all of us in a scenario like this.
We are going through a greatest moment in history and we dont know it yet. We'll never know for that matter if the generation follows the blind assholes like the media, pop icons and politicians.

"Fuck what you know. You need to forget about what you know, that's your problem. Forget about what you think you know about life, about friendship, and especially about you and me."

History will never forgive us for all the ignorance we have created around us by preferring to stay blind and deaf.
What are we?
Gandhi's 3 monkeys? Just a little modified version of them where they dont see evil, hear no evil and speak no evil but we see, hear and speak but immediately pretend we have not seen, heard or spoken evil.

Evil spelled backwards is live.

"Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat. It's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go! LET GO!"

"You wanna make an omelet, you gotta break some eggs."
That's what Tyler does, he makes an army of space monkeys. A monkey shot into space for greater good of mankind. A sacrificial space monkey.

I was going through a major breakdown in my life when I met Tyler Durden, then followed a breakthrough. I was an angry individual with no proper sense of direction or channel for my anger. Then Tyler happened.

My whole life went for a spin.
I stopped watching TV, reading the news or anything like that. Earlier I was Mr. Current Affairs, but now I am totally detatched from such happenings around me. It is the same thing happening over and over again like Bollywood potboiler. Same story but with different actors and little different set up.

"Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken."

What difference does it make to my life reading about what the kids are carrying to school in their handbag like a celphone and stuff like that?

Media has stopped reporting the actual events like a Uranium mining project in Uttaranchal has left an entire generation born crippled, blind and whotnot, but covering mundane stuff like who kissed who.

"Reject the basic assumptions of civilization, especially the importance of material possessions."

Holy shit.

This is high time we as thinking individuals put a stop to all this crap being fed to us. Be it those never-ending soap operas, nonsense movies, newspapers who are only carrying the Page 3 stuff all over the newspaper.

In my opinion, most of the newspapers should rename their pages as Page 3 and carry out only that stuff.

"You're not your job.
You're not how much money you have in the bank.
You're not the car you drive.
You're not the contents of your wallet.
You're not your fucking khakis.
You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world."

We are going back to the old days when survival was the only driving factor of everyday life.

"It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything."

Thank you for reading this nonsense for some time now.
How cant you hate it?

What?
As late Kurt Cobain said, whatever, nevermind.

By the way, I am planning to add some Durdenisms along the way. Dont know Durdenisms?
Use the almighty Google and type Durdenisms, you'll be amazed at a larger mass of people into Tyler Durden.

And that glam looking dudes in the previous post I had asked ya peepal to identify was Metallica, baby!

One more post coming through to make you a believer of Atheist! Visit again. Leave a comment and stuff like that. :P

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Adventures of Alice in Shockland

Alright folks, in my previous post there were so many clues related to the image of the following dude that I had asked you to recognise.
First of all the heading was 'Alice in Shockland', second one was Wayne's World, and also Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (he appeared in both the movies).
But still, it wasnt easy.
I didnt recognise this dude when I first saw this image. Heheh...
Ladies and germs, the dude in this pic is...

Alice fucking Cooper, man! Check out the transformation!

This transformation was followed after he happily swallowed a python and look what happened to him...

Now, that's what I call split personality!

This is Alice Cooper after his 'meal'.


Nose-picker or Thrasher?
One more image for you to recognise and bring your grey cells back from a walk. Not really.
Because identifying these following dudes wont be much of a trouble. Its easy.
Really?
Let me know...
Looks like someone is not pointing a finger but actually picking his nose in this pic. This is one of the biggest metal bands of all time (or may be, used to be) in their early days and there are only two original members left in the band from this pic.
By the way the lady in the image is their highschool friend who's still with the band taking care of dressing, hair dressing and stuff like that. She's pretty much responsible for the band image. Well, pretty much.

Leave your answers in the comments.
Muchas Gracias amigos.

\m/

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Metal 101 according to Sam Dunn

Hello creeps, this is your blog-keeper, hold on to your vomit buckets and stuff like that, this is gonna be a ride, rough and Rocking one. Heheh...

Sam who?
Sam Dunn, the anthropologist and an unreformed metalhead who made a kick ass documentary, 'Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'.
Havent heard of or seen that movie (documentary, actually)? Try to grab a copy wherever you see it, you'll realise what you are missing.
I have never seen Friends or Sex and the City so far and I'm sure I'm not missing anything opting not to watch that kind of mind-numbing airhead TV stuff.

If you thought 'Decline of Western Civilisation' directed by Penelope Spheeris was a definitive watch, then have a look-see at this one, you might wanna accompany some non-metallers as well. Who knows you might successfully make a difference to those 'ogling-at-aguilera' sorry asses' lives...

A bit of info though, Penelope Spheeris has earlier directed few Megadeth videos and was also responsible for co-creating Wayne's World characters for the movie she directed. If you had grown up in the 90s, you'll remember how much impact that movie had on the conscious of that generation. Well, Beavis and Butthead also need to be mentioned in the same breath (bungholio!) since Beavis and Butthead were inspired by Wayne and Garth.

Ok, back on track now, here it goes. Not a definitive list by any standards, just a list of personal picks by Sam Dunn. Wow, that gives me an idea to make a list in the same lines and write a short write up about all of them! I'm sure it is going to be a mile long post!


Metal 101 - You've been schooled
The albums Sam Dunn would recommend to newbies looking to get damaged.
Choose your syllabus accordingly, then play loud.


Metal 101
Black Sabbath Paranoid (1970)
Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast (1982)
Judas Priest Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Metallica Master of Puppets (1986)
Slayer Reign in Blood (1986)


Masters Seminar
Celtic Frost Morbid Tales (1984)
Morbid Angel Altars of Madness (1989)
Sepultura Beneath the Remains (1989)
At The Gates Slaughter of the Soul (1995)
Emperor Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1997)


PhD Seminar
Carcass Symphonies of Sickness (1989)
Meshuggah Chaosphere (1998)
Enslaved Mardraum (2000)
Mastodon Leviathan (2004)
Melechesh Sphynx (2004)

I am in the middle of preparing a post on this documentary, it is taking obscene amount of time since I started writing about the documentary 2 weeks ago and somewhere in between it went towards the Norwegian Black Metal movement. I've been totally lost for some time now in the 'Norwegian Woods', that's why I haven't been able to post much lately...


Parting Shot: Adventures of Alice in Shockland
Here's something for everyone to scratch your head over, try and figure out the dude in the pic below.
Isn't he scary?
Leave your answers in the comments, heheh...

Need a clue?
Alright creeps, only one, here it is...
This guy is a Rock n Roll star and also appeared recently in Sam Dunn's 'Metal: A Headbanger's Journey'

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Deficiency

I have a confession to make, I'm suffering from 'Comments-Deficiency'.
Nobody seem to care about leaving a comment about what I have written or critique if something needs to. Or better still it would be appreciated if someone can give me pointers on how I could better my writing or something like that.

Do you like the content and stuff?

Anyways, I'm going to post some stuff on bands like Cynic, Atheist and on Sin City (the movie), and much more coming up.

Please leave comments if you find the posts worth a read or something.

\m/

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Band Commandments

Found this interesting list on some live-journal site some time ago, thought I'd share it with you guys. A list of commandments for the bands written in a humorous way (its not my own composition so I dont take credit for this, thanks to someone who wrote this, appreciated):

  1. Never start a trio with a married couple.

  2. Your manager's not helping you. Fire him/her.

  3. Before you sign a record deal, look up the word "recoupable" in the dictionary.

  4. No one cares who you've opened for...

  5. A string section does not make your songs sound any more "important".

  6. If your band has gone through more than 4 bass players, it's time to break up.

  7. When you talk on stage you are never funny.

  8. If you sound like another band, don't act like you're unfamiliar with their music ("Oh does Rage Against The Machine also do rap-rock with political lyrics?")

  9. Asking a crowd how they're doing is just amplified small talk. Don't do it.

  10. Don't say your video's being played if it's only on public access.

  11. When you sign to a major label, claim to have inked the best contract ever. Mention "artistic freedom" and "a guaranteed 3 record deal".

  12. When you get dropped insist that it was the worst contract ever and you asked to be let go.

  13. Never name a song after your band.

  14. Never name your band after a song.

  15. When a drummer brings in his own songs and asks to perform one of them, begin looking for a new drummer IMMEDIATELY!

  16. Never enter a "battle of the bands" contest. If you do you're already a loser.

  17. Learn to recognize scary word pairings: "rock opera", "white rapper", "blues jam", "swing band", "open mike", etc.

  18. Drummers can take off their shirts or they can wear gloves, but not both.

  19. It's not a "showcase". It's a gig that doesn't pay.

  20. No one cares that you have a website.

  21. Getting a tattoo is like sewing platform shoes to your feet.

  22. Don't hire a publicist.

  23. Don't join a cover band that plays Bush songs. In fact, don't join a cover band.

  24. Although they come in different styles and colors, electric guitars all sound the same. Why do you keep changing them between songs?

  25. Don't stop your set to ask that beers be brought up. That's what girlfriends/boyfriends are for.

  26. If you use a smoke machine your music sucks.

  27. We can tell the difference between a professionally produced album cover and one you made with the iMac your mom got for Christmas.

  28. Remember, if blues solos are so difficult, why can so many 16 year olds play them?

  29. If you ever take a publicity photo, destroy it. You may never know where or when it will turn up.

  30. Cut your hair, but do not shave your head.

  31. Pierce your nose, but not your eyebrow.

  32. Do not wear shorts onstage. Or a suit. Or a hat.

  33. Rock oxymoron's; "major label interest", "demo deal"," blues genius", "$500 guarantee", and "Fastball's second hit".

  34. 3 things that are never coming back: a) gongs, b) headbands, and c) playing slide guitar with a beer bottle.

  35. No one believes it when you say that this is the best audience out of any town/city/country you've played for.
So, that's all there is. You may add more if you can in the comments, be my guest.

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