Rocking Holidays

I would like to wish everyone a nice, warm, and adventurous holiday season full of creativity and above all health; both physical and mental.

A suggestion to my dear Londoners... It is the season to go and check out the musical Rock of Ages at Shafterbury Theatre. It's amazing and it will rock your socks off!

'TIill next year my friends. Stay Me(n)tal!

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Review of Marilyn Manson & Rob Zombie (Twins of Evil Tour 2012)

Review of Marilyn Manson & Rob Zombie (Twins of Evil Tour 2012 - O2 Arena, London, UK)

I wish I could really mark each of the two (Manson, Zombie) separately for this post, but since the tour is called Twins of Evil, it's only appropriate to have a single, complete, and always brilliant review! It will become obvious why...

Venue: O2 arena is great. Good acoustics and seating/standing arrangements for all tastes. 8/10

Quality & Versatility: First time I ever saw both of them. Based on previous lives I've seen circulating on the net, Manson was, well, simply put... bland. I have to say though I did not go to this gig to get impressed nor because I think Manson is a great musician; I went because I respect him more as an all-round artist and a human being. Rob Zombie on the other hand was a surprise for me. I admit, I am not a fan purely because there is too much music out there for me to like. I only knew him for a couple of songs and admittedly I was left more interested in him. Due to Manson's ok (I guess) performance and Zombie's showmanship I'll give a 7/10.

Passion: Manson's presence and passion was not in line with his whole show. I would expect more enthusiasm from him considering his history. Zombie  was energetic, engaging and simply awesome. 6/10

Running Time: Around 2 1/2 hours. Would expect slightly longer sets. 8/10

Set List: Not much knowledgeable on their discography as a hardcore fan would be but some gems were not missing. "Coma White", "Beautiful People" on one side and "Dragula" and a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" on the other. 10/10

Crowd: One thing was surely going to be ace. The crowd was awesome, full of excitement and energy. All sorts of people were present; from the typical goth fan to the less hardcore softies! 10/10

Show: I haven't seen so much confetti in a gig before! Highlights were Manson dressed up as a priest and mostly Zombie's demons, robots, LED lights etc etc etc. 9/10

Overall Experience: Well, one thing I gained from this gig was not the goosebumps but my increasing interest in Rob Zombie. The "God of Fuck" was disappointing enough to make me not wanting to go to another of his shows in the future. Well, maybe a gallery show. Zombie on the other hand, will be a more regular visitor in my playlists from now on. Oh, and did I mention...I only just realised that he wrote and directed one of my favourite horror movies (i.e. The Devil's Rejects). Oh the ignorance! 8/10

Videos can be seen here: (coming soon!)

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Rhetorical Thoughts: The Song Continuation

Letter to record companies/music producers/bands:
Re: Live album/dvd recordings
Why, oh why I ask you...Why does the introduction to the next song is cut into the ending of the previous song?
It does not make any sense so stop.
Sincerely yours.

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Review of Alice Cooper (Raise the Dead Tour 2012, Halloween Night of Fear)

Review of Alice Cooper (Raise the Dead Tour 2012 - Halloween Night of Fear, Wembley Arena, London, UK):

Venue: Wembley Arena is a nice venue yet the acoustics, as I said many times before, are not great. 6/10

Opening Acts: Duff McKagan's Loaded & Ugly Kid Joe. Well, I was not familiar with either of their work but I was impressed. Well I knew Duff I just didn't follow him after GNR. Both acts were energetic and gave us a good warm-up. 8/10

Quality & Versatility:  Is there even a doubt that Alice Cooper is the definition of versatility? He's been doing this for the last 40 years and he's only become better at it. And that gal Orianthi, she's stunning in every sense! I wish I had her talent. 10/10

Passion: Frankly, being 65 years old and pulling off such a production is admirable to say the least. Alice is surely devoted to his work and his fans. The tribute to some of his late friends (i.e. John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix & Keith Moon) was a pretty awesome touch! 9/10

Running Time: Four hours in total! 1 hour & 45 for Alice Cooper. 10/10

Set List: Brilliant! From the classics like Poison, Welcome to My Nightmare, and School's Out to 70's covers, the list is endless. 9/10

Crowd: Well, the crowd was enthusiastic but they were lacking in numbers. Still, many showed up dressed up for Halloween, which was great. 7/10

Show: Show is synonymous to Alice Cooper; everything you would expect from the lord of shock rock. Theatricality is paramount so the inclusion of fog machines, confetti, balloons, horror movie props, a straight jacket, whips, and the infamous boa constrictor were not absent. The only thing I really wanted to see is the guillotine but I guess there is only a certain number of things you can fit into a show! 9/10

Overall Experience: Since Download 2011, when I missed Alice Cooper closing the second stage for another act (damn peer-pressure!), I waited and waited for the time I get to see them live. I have no regrets for waiting really. Alice Cooper himself is a legend and I'm more than glad I had the opportunity to experience his horror show. 'Till next time! 8.5/10

Videos can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyzuwe_kJsZ44TOyt-TL5fh-N7OTBuQXw&feature=mh_lolz
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Stone-Rolling the Money Dough

Yes I am pissed off. Who wouldn't be? But not with the band. Not really.

I am talking of course about the "outrageous" ticket prices for The Rolling Stones gigs. First, let's get things straight. They are The Rolling Stones and, yes, a logical person would have expected the ticket prices to be as high as they are. I mean, come on, did you really think you can watch the Stones for free? Have you heard about a thing called money? You know, the most important thing in the world, the moving force? No? Then take some socio-economical lessons, or simply look around you.

I don't understand how would anyone think the Stones are above money; why would they be? Sure, you paid for their food in the last 50 years [and their Bentley, their villas, their drugs etc] but didn't you get something in return? Records, cassettes, CDs, gig experiences. This is a two-way process, they offer a "service" for your money. It is an exchange; you pay, you get. You did not "make them a favour" as I heard many say. The only favour you make, is to yourself; passing through life with a good taste in music.

Now that I cleared things in that front, I'll move to the angry part. Of course, I am angry. But as I said not with the band or the ticket prices. And here I mean the prices as set by the Stones management and not the re-sell ones. As a logical person would do [and I do not praise myself here], I set a limit on how much I was willing to pay to see them live. I said, given my current circumstances, I'd pay a maximum of £250, the approximate price for a festival ticket. 'Cause lets face it, the Stones are worth 100 bands together. Yet I wouldn't pay significantly more than I paid for the legend that it is Bob Dylan, or Black Sabbath, or even Dio.

BUT! As it happened with the Zeppelin tickets, the posh "disagreeable persons" (that is the kindest version of the word assholes) and the ticket touts got them all. As a fan, I made sure I got access to the pre-sale by hunting down my O2 friends for their "priority" benefits. Priority my ass! It shouldn't surprise me that my "connection is down", or that their "server is down", or that I "have been placed in a queue", or even that my "request is being processed" while all the touts with their tricks, fiber-optic broadband, and hundreds of staff, where already purchasing all the lower priced tickets and re-selling them for 4 times their face value.

Unsurprisingly, same thing happened on the general sale day. And I ask! Why do we, the fans, allow this to happen? These people put a £106 ticket for £19,000!!! Seriously, instead of boycotting the gig, why not boycott these websites? You are part of the problem, so stop complaining about the prices when you would happily pay these websites your money on other occasions. If the price is right [and I mean face value] go for it. But stop being hypocritical... It's all about the money after all, be it selling or buying.

The best solution for me is The Rolling Stones playing a three-day festival-like gig somewhere in a big empty space where 400,000 people could attend each day; not the O2 "arena". Do the maths: nearly a million proper fans [cause the posh disagreeable persons would not go into the muddy fields even for a Stones gig] each paying £100, and the Stones having a cash in of more millions they can ever spend in their remaining years! And that's just in UK. But hey, what do I know, right?

In the meantime, I take control of my rage, wish The Rolling Stones good luck with their gig and with having Paris Hilton and all the other "disagreeables" in the front row (!), and head off to buy my Alice Cooper Halloween tickets for no more than £44 per head!

See you on the next Pirates of the Caribbean Keef!
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Image credits:
http://www.billboard.com
http://noisey.vice.com

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Rhetorical Thoughts: The Umbrella Distribution

You are out with your better half or a good friend on a seemingly lovely day. And then it rains... And you realise that once again- like an idiot who should know better by now since you live in London for a good few years- you forgot the one useful thing you should always carry with you: the umbrella.

Then your companion pulls out that typical black umbrella, probably bought from one of those strategically positioned men around Oxford street on another rainy day when they were as forgetful and stupid as you. And then it happens! The attempt to share the umbrella.

You first try to figure out who's best to hold it (probably the tallest one). Then you try to get as close to each other as possible without depriving each other precious oxygen. Then you try to position yourself in a way that you won't have the accidental bum-to-bum slap when you walk. But it doesn't work; mathematically it DOES NOT work. And it will NEVER work [unless you carry a tent].

Umbrella sharing is a useless negotiation process and, quite frankly, annoying. You always end up with two half-wet people. It's better to have one perfectly dry, comfortable, and probably evolutionary fittest person. I rest my case.
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Image credit:
Painting by Gordon Bruce at http://gordonbruce.deviantart.com/ 

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Aging Bodies, Aging Minds, Aging Bands

The inspiration for this piece of writing comes from a brief twitter chat I had with a dear “under-web ally” of mine (i.e. an online yet still underground co-defender of the Rock) @RockCyprus. Chatting about the recent Download 2013 line-up announcements, our conversation went something like this:

@Tzellofouska Rammstein & Maiden in one go? Surely, you don't wanna miss that! 

@RockCyprus It's been Maiden and Metallica from the 1st row in the last 2 years. Hard to beat that I'll have to have a break ;) [plus the prized possession of Kirk Hammett's guitar pick! ;)]

@Tzellofouska Metallica...Second most disappointing live band after Megadeth. And am a keen thrasher; just 20 yrs too late [ 90s vs 00s.... The price to pay for my age!]

@RockCyprus It's a big discussion, but surely Hetfield or Araya can never be 20 and alcoholics ever again ;) :D

And it went on for a few more tweets. Now, just to clarify, my aim is not to get into a discussion about disappointing live shows from [previously great yet still legendary] bands. I will only pose a few of my contemplations in the hope of initiating a healthy exchange of opinions.  

It all started with me seeing Metallica live for the first time. Then it happened again when I saw what Axl calls Guns N’ Roses nowadays. And it all happened for the third time when I saw Megadeth at this year’s Download. What a disappointment it was, I cannot emphasize enough! Performance-, passion-, stage presence-wise, you name it. 

At the time, I used to say to myself and others equally disappointed as me, that you wouldn’t expect these bands to perform to the same level as 20 years ago for example. It is of course a valid point. Or perhaps a good rationalisation of why I spent £60 on a gig that hasn’t changed me in the least. Because, you see, I only appreciate gigs that change my life, even a tiny bit at a time. I shall elaborate... 

Every band or artist has what I call a pre-defined persona. Meaning, they are known for specific elements of their live shows. Take Rammstein, for example, known for their extreme pyro shows complemented by heavy German rumblings [which I love by the way!]; or Iron Maiden with Eddie and an over-enthusiastic Mr. Dickinson; or Motörhead with their deafening decibels and a Lemmy; or even Kiss with their outdated yet oh-so-entertaining outfits; or Black Sabbath with a playful Ozzy and a quiet Iommi that communicates through the riffs. ALL bands have their pre-defined persona; from the time of their conception to today.

Now, when I go to a live show, I expect to see, feel, and experience that persona. I am easily satisfied though. Just having the opportunity to see legendary bands is an excitement on its own, considering most are at the end of the “road”. I surely don’t expect to see the SAME level of energy and passion as I see in videos of their earlier shows. Or should I?

Having been to so many gigs in the past decade alone means that I saw many of these “dinosaur” bands as people call them but not in their prime years. From this experience alone I realised that while there might be an expiration date on creativity for making good albums, passion is meant to stay put. Aging is not an excuse for a bad live for me anymore. 

If you can’t support that pre-defined persona of the band with the same level of passion anymore, just don’t bother touring; because then it shows that you are doing it purely for the cash. I’m sure Alice Cooper will retire once he’s not able to hold that boa on stage anymore. There were a few gigs that made an impact and changed me the way I wanted; Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, Anthrax, Motörhead, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Kiss, Rammstein, and even the remaining of The Who! One can see that age is not the point here; some of these guys get a social security check at the end of each month! 

I would love, and I’m sure I’ll have more opportunities, to see Metallica or Megadeth again so that I prove myself wrong. But in the meantime, yawning at a gig, where one of your favourites is performing, is not a very good sign. Either love what you do or quit while you can. Performing is just another job you have to enjoy doing in order to survive in this business. I will repeat: there is no such thing as aging bodies; just aging minds.

You may follow @RockCyprus  on twitter for updates on upcoming shows in Cyprus. Otherwise, just follow him anyway because he's got some great tweets!

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Image Credit:

http://www.last.fm/

http://www.collapseboard.com/

http://tzellofouska.blogspot.co.uk/

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Review of Sabaton (Live at Kingston Rock City)

Review of Sabaton Live at Kingston Rock City 2012 (Limassol, Cyprus)

Venue & Organisation: Small and intimate rock bar, quite a famous hangout amongst Cypriot rock fans. It kind of reminded me of O2 Academy Islington in London. The sound was a bit off at times but it was a perfect choice for such an event. Ticket price was very reasonable. Same problem with too many oversized t-shirts and not enough in human sizes but that was the band's "fault" I was informed. 8/10   

Quality: I haven't got anything bad to say about Sabaton. No, really! This was the first time I saw them live, so it was quite an experience. I'm sure Wacken will give me a more well-rounded opinion. 8/10

Passion: You crazy Scandinavians! Although clearly underestimating Cypriot climate and the 30C temperature by appearing with knight armours etc, they pulled through the whole show without getting naked on stage. Passion is what defines this band. I think it's pretty safe to say that by the end of the gig everybody was ready to follow Brodén to battle much like Leonidas with his 300. Oh, and did I mention that we were at arm's length when he came to the bar to get a beer while still singing? My friend nearly followed him to the stage! 10/10

Gig Running Time: About 1 1/2 hours. I remember leaving with that feeling of an unfulfilled promise. But I think that whatever the running time was, I would still be depressed while parting ways even if they played a personal 3-hour gig especially for me! 7/10

Opening Acts: Oblivion and Stormcast. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on them because at that time we were buying ice cream and beer from a nearby shop! Judging from the couple of songs I heard from outside, I am sure I missed a lot.

Set List: It seems that what everybody expected to hear was "Coat of Arms" and "Primo Victoria". And they did. They played/sung "The Carolean's Prayer (Karolinens Bön)" in Swedish, live for the first time ever! My Swedish friend was particularly excited. 9/10

Crowd: Need I comment on our crowd? Again, from small children to older adults all banging their heads. Cypriot metal fans may only add up to a few thousand in total but as Sabaton themselves put it (and I am only slightly paraphrasing here), the warmth and energy of a few hundred Cypriots is stronger than that of thousands in large arenas. They also commented on how quick and easy it is to excite our crowd (i.e. halfway through the first song everybody was already half-naked and sweaty). I guess we are not into foreplay that much! 10/10

Overall Experience: If Sabaton was not in my "bands to see live before I go to hell" list, they surely are now. Even if this time ticks the box, I still want to see them.... well, a few more times. And to summarise my whole experience I will just quote what my "irrelevant" (= not listening to or not familiar with even the "basic" metal) friend said to me after the gig.

"You know what? I've decided to move to Sweden. [me baffled] I loved them! Especially the singer. I'm going to tell my man that I'm just going there to buy some furniture from IKEA for our house.... And then never come back!" 8.5/10

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Review of Iced Earth (Live in Ancient Kourion 2012 DVD Recording)

Review of Iced Earth Live in Ancient Kourion 2012 (Live DVD Recording, Limassol, Cyprus)

Venue & Organisation: Where do I even begin? Acoustically it was the perfect choice. Practically not so much. Cypriots are known to be heavy smokers (all sorts), heavy drinkers, and frankly quite lazy. The 15 mins climb to the top was rather unpleasant to say the least. Having mastered your urge to climb the rocks like Spiderman ignoring the possibility of instant death, you reach the top thirsty and parched. You can't wait to grab a seat and gulp down the first few pints for which you happily paid £3 for. While you manage to juggle four pints in two hands, you reach the entrance where... surprise! NO DRINKS ALLOWED! The patient men inform you about the rules while understanding that a few extra words could lead to a raid. NO FOOD ALLOWED either and I am sure FARTING is prohibited too. You, having arrived late as a proper Cypriot would do, try to drink as much of your precious beer as you can so that you go inside just in time to get a couple of good seats. You throw away the rest and walk down the amphitheatre swearing at the organisers, the promoters, the doormen, the band, the venue, the few remaining ancient monuments, Cyprus, and the government. Dear organisers, this is a metal concert. Therefore, my dearest organisers please keep in mind that if the rules remain the same, the next one will be less busy. Also, a few more t-shirts in human sizes would be much appreciated! 3/10

Iced Earth Quality & Versatility: Having seen them live twice with Barlow and twice with Block, I have to admit I prefer my IE the old way. Yet, things change and bands progress. In my opinion, Stu is a worthy successor in all aspects. The Iced Earth we grew up with and love have still got some aces up their sleeves, I reckon. 8/10

Passion: Well, we all know these guys don't make enough money for what they put out there for us, yet their performances are always great. 9/10

Gig Running Time: Good three hours. 10/10

Set List: Everything one should expect but I have a thing with Dark Saga which was not played this time. Still, Dante's Inferno was in there and that made me very very happy. 9/10

Crowd: There is a reason why they chose Cyprus for their live DVD recording. Cypriots love them. A passionate crowd of less than 2,000 people was enough to show them just how much. Ages ranged from children to middle-aged couples (very unassuming ones who even brought their bum pillows for added comfort!). I reckon some more advertising from the promoters would have brought more people but as the experience showed, they weren't much needed. 8/10 

Band Chemistry & Performance: The chemistry between the band members makes you feel that Stu has always been part of the band. I guess they clicked! As I said before, I like Stu, I think he's a great vocalist. Yet, as much as I hate to admit, the song Dracula, is better left untouched. He did perform very well on that one but I guess it is one of those songs written for Barlow. The new bassist from Fury UK replacing Vidales also seems to be enjoying his new job post as his performance showed! I'd like not to comment on Mr. Schaffer as I think words are not enough. 9/10

Overall Experience: Events like this one rarely happen in our small island of less than a 1,000,000 inhabitants and less than a few thousand metal fans so shame on those who did not come! Iced Earth thank you for opening the door to the Heavy Metal reign over Cyprus! 9/10

Videos can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyzuwe_kJsZ5SDdXBklhJPyy-ci7qQoeb

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Just a Step from Nowhere

Here it is! My attempt to self-therapy! This is another poem-like creation of mine. I would call it one of my earlier experimentations with writing song lyrics. The title pretty much says it all. Dio would have probably burst out laughing if he ever read this but hey, if I had Ronnie's talent, I wouldn't be posting questionable "lyrics" here. But then again, If I had Ronnie's talent, I wouldn't be writing this kind of "masterpieces" in the first place!

For those wondering, no I wasn't suffering from depression back then, I was merely trying to be deep. I failed miserably...

Lying here feeling nothing at all
Looking around, seeing it all wrong.
Faces are coming, then leave and forget
Most of them don’t know but still they regret.

Hey, listen! That’s just what I want.
You offer a life but I’m not very fond of.

Still lying here without a thought
Poor little face with nothing to hope.
Can someone tell me what I’m looking for?
Am going crazy, can’t stand this no more.

Hey, listen! That’s just what I want.
You offer a life but I’m not very fond of.

Weird thoughts filling my head
Loosing my mind, I might have been dead.
For a moment I think help‘s coming near
But all I can feel is me dying here!

Hey, listen! That’s me and I’m crying.
Just hope you could save me from my painful dying!

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Not Another Music Review!

I hate music reviews. There I said it! I hate the fact that they all read the same. I hate that the reviewer thinks their opinion matters. I hate that they actually think they can do it properly. I even hate that they think they are in a position to do it in the first place!

As I said before, any person, with a functional set of ears (or one), and a good taste in music (anything except pop; I have an issue with that) can actually "review" an album, a band, a song, or a gig. But basing your whole preferences and taste on certain people's judgements and opinions (which can be situational by the way) is, plainly put, ridiculous. Fair enough, there are impressive reviews out there by important people in the music business, who use a combination of fancy and intellectual words to describe the lyricist's subconscious struggle with their inner fears or the guitarist's solo virtuosity or even the bass player's skilful versatility in balancing harmony with rhythm, which can be somewhat "use"-full(?). [We all know that a music review that uses the word "bass" -let alone the bass player's skills- does not really exist!]

So you can imagine the position I was in when I was asked by a friend to review an alternative band. At first I hesitated, because as I mentioned above "Who the hell am I to tell you what is good and bad", right? Plus, I am not into alternative rock that much and I have no reviewing skills as you may have noticed from previous attempts! But then it occurred to me that I have actually been doing it (reviewing that is)...a lot, but in an alternative way! So I thought, why not do an "alternative" review for these guys? Also, the band is actually good. 

Here it is then. It's small, different (or alternative if you prefer), with links so you can see for yourself. I don't currently have a personal relationship of any sort with the band members and I made sure I listened to their album before I even talked to them. So basically, I am not that biased! Also, just to make it perfectly clear, I have no musical education of any kind. Therefore, I base my opinion solemnly on what my two perfect ears feed back to my brain neurons!

The Band
The band is called Waterblack. It originates from Cyprus and the city of Limassol but with strong UK connections as most of the band members were born and/or currently reside in the UK.

From left: Eco, Marcos, Xenios, Chris, & Byron

They formed in 1996 by Andreas Economides a.k.a. Eco and Chris Charalambides who are the only two original founding members in the band today. Eco, much like Dave Grohl (but a bit more "blessed" in the vocal department in my opinion), developed skills in an array of musical instruments starting as the band's drummer and ending up as the lead vocalist and guitar player. Also, he's the main player in regards to writing the lyrics and the songs' structure along with Chris.

Chris is the tech-guy being the band's keyboardist, producer, and sound engineer all together. Kind of like a mixed grill! He is also responsible for the song arrangements and I hear that his live performances are... well, noticeable!

Xenios is the newest addition to the family. Having traveled around the world and acquired a buttload of skills, he soon realised his place as the band's lead guitarist. He does mixing, sound engineering, recording, producing.... to perfection. I am pretty sure he does some other "little" things too! He even built his own Fender Stratocaster (!) and is one of those people who claim to listen to all kinds of music!

Byron is the bass player as well as the "marketing director" of the band. He is well-educated in music composition, so much that he is planning a career out of it by starting a PhD. Although he started off with classic guitar he ended up taking up the bass and refusing to let go!

Last but not least, Marcos, is unlike your typical drummer. He is characterised as a mature, well-behaved, professional, and composed drummer! A breed we need to help sustain! He is also an aspiring genius (considering he's currently doing a PhD in Neurophysics).

The Music
The album which was produced at Soundscape studios is called Orem and consists of 11 songs. The songs are infused with grunge sounds reminding me of the '90s era I grew up to, with the sounds of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden blasting out from the radios. The drumming is sometimes funky, especially in the first song, and gave away the drummer's "jazzy" influences. This compliments the bass guitar which is skilfully prominent at times and pretty impressive. You've got to love their song arrangements! The keyboards remain somewhat ingeniously in the background, yet powerful, filling in the right places and creating a nice ambience while the guitars are simple and clear almost speaking to me explaining the songs in a way the lyrics cannot. The lyrics are very creative and poetic yet remain a mystery to me, but I think they represent their personal experiences and I got a hint of social angst as well! The voice is quite powerful, and "oozes" grunge but without the annoying post-grunge growling/yarling "singing" style (i.e. Nickelback).

Conclusion
I could characterise their sound as "alternatively grunge" served in a bed of funk, in a sauce consisting of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, with a hint of Nirvana, a sprinkle of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, some U2 flavourings, and complimented with a good old Greek Rock!

Songs I really enjoyed listening to multiple times are "M", "Burdened Youth", and the darker "Living in the Ruins". But all the above don't really matter. What matters is your own opinion which will only be formed by listening. Here are some links to get you started:

Website where you may find more information about the band and their music, including the list of awards they received.
Facebook page where you may listen to their album for free and try to decode their lyrics.
YouTube channel where you may see some of their previous live performances and some unreleased songs.

I must point out and say I don't listen to grunge that much and I don't know much about it either. Hence, the lack in usage of fancy words and technical critique. All I know is that I liked their music and can't wait to see them live so that I form a well-rounded opinion. I'm just glad to know that original music from talented people is still being produced back home!

Hmmm.... I think I'm getting good at this alternative reviewing thing! So, what are your thoughts on the featured band then?
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Image credits:
http://www.innovatrs.com/

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Ode to the Souls

This is a piece of writing I created when I was in a considerably worse psychological and surely less mature state. It's funny how post-teenagehood angst along with a combination of words can transform into a weird "poem". Enjoy but don't take it too seriously, it's not meant to be a piece of art! Quite the opposite.

Endless tyranny that refuses to seize.

Fear (...), in the strange figures that pose in front of Life.

(...) of the End?

The desire for Life...

Is deadly.

Souls chased by Sadness.

Shady, empty.

Curious souls dressed up with vague masks.

Delusions between...

they are scared

they withstand

they kill

and they get killed.

Sedulous straggle for existence.

Is it worth it?

they ignore but they endure.

Without purpose, without reason.

Naked hopes, reckless acts.

Blind path towards infinity.

They survive.

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Image Credits:

Painting by Alex Gardega at http://gardega.com

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London Film & Comic Con Experience

I have never thought I would be writing such a post. I never considered myself to be geeky, nerdy, or whatever you want to call it. But as it turns out I might have been all my life as I realised at this year's London Comic Con. I'll start with a hilarious definition I found in the online thesaurus:

"a geek is any smart person with an obsessive interest, a nerd is the same but also lacks social grace, and a dweeb is a mega-nerd"

I don't think I particularly fall under any of the above definitions but I guess I could be considered geekish!

Back to the London Comic Con. It was an unbelievable experience for many reasons. The cosplayers for example. Here are a few of my favourites.

Mr. Vader [He had the breathing thing sorted as well!] 

Alien(s) [Is it too expensive to buy one of these?]

Zombie from The Walking Dead [Notice the foot detail!]

The Fantastic 4

Wolverine [with glasses? :)]

These people put a lot of effort [and probably money] on these wonderful costumes but it paid off. They were stopped for photos all the time [mostly by me!]. Another thing awesome about Comic Con were the celebrities. I managed to snap a couple of photos only as they all wanted £15 for an autograph and a picture!

 Darth Vader himself

Todd from Scrubs [Celebrity high-5!]

Hercules

And lets not forget the 1989 Batmobile!

Not so cool that they wanted money for autographs but I guess that's the way it goes. Finally, look at all the cool stuff the dealers were selling.

Star Wars Lightsabers [approved by Silent Bob apparently!]

Signed memorabilia [I'd buy the Hulk Fist!]

Hand-crafted heroes & villains

Comics

Film favourites

Cool t-shirts

Custom-made All Stars

And so many more awesome things! I could honestly buy every single thing in there but I went home with a Batman t-shirt and this Hulk figurine for my brother.

As I said before, I never thought I'd say this but I'm officially a "comics world" convert! I highly recommend a visit to one such event even if you are not into comics and things like that. The next one in London is in October 2012 and it's the MCM Expo [Website]. I can't wait for that one and I can only hope that I'll some day visit the San Diego Comic Con in California!

Live long and prosper my friends!

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