Tristan Zelden

7 Bands That Changed My Life

Music has a power to it unlike anything else on the planet. The way it can connect with people on an emotional level is surreal. It has shaped me who I am and who I want to become down the road while helping me get through the hardest points in my life. While the list of my favorite groups who have influenced me could go on for way too long, these are just seven of those bands.

#7: Disturbed

Disturbed might always be my favorite band. They got me into music in the first place, and I will forever cherish it. I have never heard anyone who can produce as powerful and moving music as this Chicago quartet.

Sure, their music is pretty straight forward a lot of the times, but they have a variety in their subject manner from politics to relationships. David Draiman’s insight, along with his impressive vocal style and range makes for some adrenaline-inducing music.

The rest of the band lay the groundwork for some great melodic hard rock. They know what they want to do and execute their vision flawlessly.

#6: A Day to Remember

A lot of the middle and high school metalcore bands that get put into the same circle as A Day to Remember I don’t care for anymore, but this Florida based group is special. The reason that made me stick around after all of these years is their diverse sound by mixing metalcore and pop punk along with other influences. ADTR has a song for almost anyone from the somber acoustic tracks to their heaviest songs.

#5: Cannibal Corpse

While I don’t have interest in Cannibal Corpse anymore, they were my introduction into extreme music. I don’t remember how young I was when I first heard death metal, or what was my first, but Cannibal was the first I could recognize. They opened the door to something far heavier than I could imagine at that point in my life.

#4: Whitechapel

At a time, I fell off of extremely heavy music because I can’t relate to songs like Hammer Smash Face. To this day, I usually need something I can connect with, which is why Whitechapel changed the game for me. I never knew a band could be this extreme while having such emotion to their music.

Their recent releases diverge far away from their early work, which is another reason why I never left. These guys have evolved into a straight up metal group rather than sticking to the deathcore genre. Growth for any artist is essential, and Whitechapel’s latest album The Valley proves their skill.

#3: Breaking Benjamin

I went heavily into metal and fell out of rock for a long time. The only rock band I listened to was Disturbed, but Breaking Benjamin balanced things out perfectly. Benjamin Burnley’s soft voice with a mix of his powerful screams gave me my fix of melody and hard-driving rhythm.

When it comes to having songs to connect with, Burnley knows how to write gripping lyrics. His influence of Nirvana makes for open interpretations of his music to extend the reach he has with his fans.

#2: The Black Dahlia Murder

Like I said, I want music I can connect with the meaning, but some are given a pass. I usually want immense talent to impress me despite lacking in any emotion. The Black Dahlia Murder flawlessly executes every aspect of crafting a record above most artists in the metal scene. Everything from their instrumentation, unique screams, brilliant lyrics, and some of the most beautiful album artwork I have seen.

#1: Slipknot

Initially, I did not like Slipknot. Psychosocial did not sell me, so I avoided the masked Iowa natives for years. After a lot of new circling about the band’s album .5 The Gray Chapter got my attention. I decided to look them up on YouTube and found People = Shit then my life had changed forever.

After reading all of Corey Taylor’s books, listening to all of their music, and seeing their incredible live performances on YouTube turned me from a naysayer into a maggot. I now know why they are the most influential band in the past twenty years.

What artists made the biggest impact on your life? Comment below your favorites, I would love to read what you have to say.

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Image via Reprise Records

Song Impression: The Dev – Broken Lies

The typical rock formula has been around for decades, and if done correctly, then you can get a pass on following that path. The Dev certainly follow the basic rock recipe on making a song, but do it well mostly with their sense of driving rhythms and the singing from frontwoman Elizabeth Nikollaj.

A rhythmic and powerful introduction immediately caught my attention. The guitar work from Ryan Danley has its own sound, unlike most rock groups who blend together.

The first verse really shows the band’s true colors. The drumming and bass work is nothing extraordinary. While the guitar and vocals have plenty to offer. Lleshi has raw emotion to her voice and can show off some of her range in both soft and more aggressive tones.

The highly melodic chorus can undoubtedly get stuck in my brain if I listen to it enough times. The instrumentation took a step back as she took the lead. Nothing from the rest of the band stood out as much.

The bridge takes a twist on the same riff that was done throughout while Lleshi has a great moment to project a lot of emotion about this broken relationship.

Leading into a furious solo. The most hard-driving moment in the track with the drums and bass picking up the pace as we get a classic shredding solo that gave me 80s metal vibes.

Broken Lies may not be the most special song in the world, but it is great radio rock material. Throw it on a drive or a workout, and it will surely be suitable. The Dev prove they have substance to offer the rock and metal world, just need to experiment more to find their own voice in a sea of voices.

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Interview: Jack Taylor of Bangover

1. Competition is rough in the music industry, what is your band doing to grow and continue to reach for success?

Bangover has always been about a group of friends doing something that they love. The band is our hobby and whilst we take it seriously we all have careers and lives separate to our music. I have always said that the minute you start competing against your fellow musicians is the moment that music loses its magic. Sure, we’ve done battle of the bands before, but in terms of striving for success and beating out the competition, we are pretty chilled. We play our shows, make the music we love, and we have a good time doing it. If something comes from it, then brilliant. If not, then brilliant anyway.

2. If someone goes to one of your concerts, what do you think they should know going in?

Our idea of a dark half-empty room of people gently bobbing their heads in the corner waiting to get the last train home is our idea of hell. High energy and crowd interaction may sound a little cliché in this day and age, but we want people to smile and to laugh during our set, even if it is metal and people like to hail Satan, etc. Having said that, musically we aren’t a joke band and technically there is also something to admire, we hope!

3. What is your dream tour or festival?

Our dream was to play Bloodstock festival, and we achieved this with the Metal to the Masses competition in 2017. We would love to go back as it’s our spiritual home. Any of the other major festivals (Download, Wacken, Metaldays) would be amazing, and we are desperate to tour somewhere in the world. Being big in Japan would be very cool.

4. If you could collaborate with any musician, who would you choose?

It’s a tough one, I’m sure we all have different answers, but collectively as a band, it would be Slayer. Another cliché (thrash band loves Slayer, how original), but they’re the ones who started it all for us.

5. Out of every concert you have been to, who are the best live bands?

If you’re looking for a mosh, then Hatebreed are my personal favorite. I’m not even really into hardcore or whatever genre they are but live they are unbelievable. Anthrax always put on a great live show also. Departing from metal, I saw Aerosmith at Download a year or two ago – that was unforgettable.

6. Who are some of your biggest influences?

Slayer, Exodus, Anthrax, Testament, Iron Maiden, Priest, Evile, Gama Bomb, All the German thrash bands, Suicidal Angels…anything thrash/death/power really.

7. When did you first start playing music, and how did that come together to lead you to where you are today?

I started playing guitar when I was 14. As an awkward, chubby nerd at school, I had to find my own entertainment at times, and the guitar provided this. As my ability increased, I moved on from blues and classic rock to metal, and it was at that point, I started searching for a band. In 2011 we all met on the now deceased http://www.ukthrash.co.uk. We spoke for some time and quickly realized we had a shared vision musically. At the time it was a little awkward as I didn’t ask the other guys ages. I was 21, and they were 14 and 15, which was a surprise when we met in person. It all turned out fine though and although we’ve gone through a number of lineup changes since then we are still going strong.

8. What are your plans for the rest of the year for the band?

Promote the album, get new gigs and write new material! If anyone reading this has anything to offer then, please do get in touch at jack_taylor1@hotmail.com. You can also find all of our music and links at www.bangoverthrash.com. It’s really easy to share with others.

Thank you to Rogue PR and Jack Taylor for the interview.

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Image provided by Bangover/’Rogue PR

Video Game Review: My Friend Pedro

Devolver Digital has a distinctive personality to their games, unlike most companies in the industry. Their latest side-scrolling shooter, My Friend Pedro, highlights the brains behind the studio. This action-packed title is a little treat that went above and beyond my expectations, which will rival everything else coming out for the rest of the year.

The unnamed protagonist wakes up in a basement of a building owned by Mitch the Butcher, a high ranking man in a dangerous crime organization. A magical banana named Pedro guides the masked killing machine to help him through his journey to eliminate this organization from the city. A psychedelic, delightful narrative that flies by without staying around longer than it needs.

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This 2D side scroller seems straightforward enough until I got deeper into the depths of its campaign. Initially starting with parkour and shooting, more mechanics get introduced after a chunk of progression. Once it began to feel repetitive with its massive waves of enemies, a new trick was thrown in for more complex gameplay with vehicles, traps, and plenty of new enemies.

To enhance the gameplay. Focus puts the game into slow motion for any situation. Along with dodging, a lot of tactics get piled on for a challenging experience. I only played on average, the easiest difficulty, and I had my fair share of moments where I had to rethink how I played to get past an obstacle.

The movement is fluid and feels right with every jump, roll, and swing. Wall jumping and some other moves took time to feel settled, but I enjoyed the journey of learning how to maneuver within the world.

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Boss battles are far and few between the many levels, yet when they arrive, it is a blast to tackle. Each principal opponent to fight has something new to the table that feels different from the rest.

Finishing any level grants you a score based on time completion, enemies killed, and other bonuses. Depending on the number of points earned, a rank appears. Nothing really happens, but for players who are hungry to improve upon their score, then this is for you, but I was not a fan of this arcade-esque system.

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Level design is tight to flow with each step without any confusion. I am dumb, so I got lost on what to do for brief moments, but that rarely happened. The linear direction enhanced the intense gunfights while feeling lacking in any optional activities. Collectibles or other optional activities would give a lot more substance to the experience.

The best aspect of the levels is the length. Pacing here hits perfectly to never have a lull in the gameplay. I could easily hop in and out for short bursts of fun or can go on a binge with large chunks of my day flying by as I shot criminals for my magical banana friend.

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A particular style makes this a standout title from anything else in years. The aesthetic and colors pop to make every moment enjoyable. A lot of the characters and environments repeat too much, but the graphics and shortly lived story makes these issues less annoying.

The music never stops in the best way possible. The beats are straight out of a nightclub that goes strangely well with the brutal violence. The flow is already flawless, but the neverending tunes make it all that much more fun as I went around gunning down every baddie in sight.

This $20 adventure is full of surprises to keep itself from getting stale. While it lacks in content in the game and no endgame at all, the price and amount of joy, I had made up its flaws. A well-written story with plenty of twists, yet I felt voice acting would have made the humor land harder, but the tongue-in-cheek writing still put a smile on my face.

Score: 9/10

Support the blog by buying the game or donating money below:

Buy: My Friend Pedro – Nintendo Switch

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10 Absurd Metal Band Names

To no surprise to both fans and outsiders of heavy metal, this genre of music gets weird fast. From gratuitous lyrics, offensive merch, and ridiculous band names that will undoubtedly get a variety of satisfying reactions. While there are a countless amount of bands out in the world with the most absurd band names, these ones have to be some of the most out there with their shock value or brutality.

#10: Cattle Decapitation

Starting off with a band that I actually listen to. This deathgrind uses their vegetarian lifestyle to empower their violent lyrics. The name says it all for what you should expect from these guys.

If you are curious, their album The Anthropocene Extinction is a masterpiece.

Buy and support the blog: The Anthropocene Extinction

#9: Cannibal Corpse

Out of the insanely violent names out there, nobody beats these death metal veterans. Cannibal Corpse lives up to their name with their album covers, merch, and horrifying lyrics. They made such an iconic scary name that people who don’t listen to any metal still know who they are because they left a mark on the world.

Buy and support the band: Butchered At Birth

#8: Cannabis Corpse

A stoner death metal band who played off of Cannibal’s name. While some of these names that are just jokes tend to lean on the dull side, Cannibal Corpse takes the cake for their fun twist on one of death metal’s biggest bands.

#7: Heaven Shall Burn

Metal and religion don’t always go together, and this is a factor in that relationship. Heaven Shall Burn have a shocking name, but they are much more intelligent and philosophical than most groups with titles that go for offending people or making some anti-religious statement. The real meaning is about people not seeing reality, and instead of seeing something false to make themselves feel better, so they want that to burn for the truth to hit those people hard. The message may not have the same weight as the name, it is still effective on both ends of the spectrum.

Buy and support the blog: Wanderer

#6: Dying Fetus

Another group of death metal legends. It sounds funny to write about Dying Fetus while the discussion about abortion rises in the United States, which makes the band’s shock factor pack a harder punch.

Buy and support the blog: Wrong One to Fuck With

#5: Infant Annihilator

Let’s continue to butcher babies with Infant Annihilator. This deathcore band got quite the following on social media due to their first release, The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution. A lot of death metal goes down the offensive and disturbing road, but these guys take the cake since that is their entire goal while putting a more comedic spin on the songs.

Buy and support the blog: The Palpable Leprosy of Pollution

#4: Anal Cunt

The comedic grindcore group Anal Cunt does not need a paragraph about their absurd name, they chose Anal Cunt, and we just have to go with it.

Buy and support the blog: Defenders of the Hate

#3: Cunt Cuntly

Named after an inside joke between friends, Cunt Cuntly was born into the deathcore scene. Initially they started off as an instrumental band, but later on, hired a vocalist. Having some vocals and lyrics add to their over the top attitude and musical content.

Buy and support the blog: Planetary Termination

#2: We Butter the Bread with Butter

To take a break from the disgusting and gruesome names, these German metalheads cannot be beaten when it comes to a stupid name like this.

Buy and support the blog: Wieder geil!

#1: Acidic Vaginal Liquid Explosion Generated By Mass Amounts Of Filthy Fecal Fisting And Sadistic Septic Syphilic Sodomy Inside The Infected Maggot Infested Womb Of A Molested Nun Dying Under The Roof Of A Burning Church While A Priest Watches And Ejaculates In Immense Perverse Pleasure Over His First Fresh Fetus

Abbreviated as Xavlegbmaofffassssitimiwoamndutroabcwapwaeiippohfffx, this band goes towards a similar thought process as Anal Cunt, Cunt Cuntly, and Infant Annihilator by going for the most insanely dumb, yet comedic music while bringing the heaviest material possible. The meme inspired group has songs like Dicks Out for Harambe, so you know what you are in for when you listen to them.

The group has arguably the most illegible name when you see their logo. Show it to anyone and award them if they can read it.

Buy and support the blog: Gore 2.0

Plenty of insane band names are out in the world. Comment below on some names you have heard about that did not appear on this list.

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Image via Acidic Vaginal Liquid Explosion Generated By Mass Amounts Of Filthy Fecal Fisting And Sadistic Septic Syphilic Sodomy Inside The Infected Maggot Infested Womb Of A Molested Nun Dying Under The Roof Of A Burning Church While A Priest Watches And Ejaculates In Immense Perverse Pleasure Over His First Fresh Fetus

Interview: Tony Pettry from Shattered

1. How did the band come together?

Hello, I’m Tony Pettry the founder and guitar player for Shattered. I was in a great groove metal band and decided that I wanted to play something heavier which comes natural to me. So, I started Shattered and its been quite a ride.

2. What are some of your most memorable moments with the band?

I would say when Shattered went on tour with Fractured Fairytales and got to enjoy so
many great cities and spending time with my brothers.

3. When going to one of your concerts, what should people expect?

When coming to a Shattered concert you better be ready for not only us giving it all we
got on stage but a laser show and many stage props to get the crowd involved.

4. Out of every band you have seen live, who are some of your favorites?

Wow, what a great question! King Diamond, Iron Maiden, Gwar, and Kiss for sure!

5. What are some of your biggest influences that have shaped your music?

My biggest influences are King Diamond, Kiss, Iron Maiden, and I love jamming some
Danzig.

6. Have you met any of your favorite musicians and what were those experiences like? If
you have not met anyone, then who do you want to meet the most?

My biggest influence is Andy La Rocque from King Diamond and John Christ formerly
of Danzig which I’ve never met.

7. What are some long-term goals you have for the band?

We would love to tour and possibly make a living doing what we love.

8. What is the biggest accomplishment you have had so far?

We got an encore opening for Nile and Overkill. It was amazing.

9. What plans do you have for the rest of the year?

Shattered is finishing up our album and planning a tour. Can’t wait!s really easy to share with others.

You can follow up on Shattered through their Facebook, Instagram, and website.

Thank you to Rogue PR and Tony Pettry for the interview.

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Image provided by Shattered and Rogue PR.

Movie Review: Men in Black: International

Hollywood gets a lot of criticism over its obsession to milk a series for every penny. Men in Black: International feels like that ploy with its overly generic structure. An all-star cast cannot save this doozy of a spinoff.

Molly (Tessa Thompson) spent her whole life tracking the Men in Black after witnessing their actions as a child. After 20 years, she finds the agency and easily and quickly gets hired. She tries to get in with Agent H (Chris Hemsworth) to partner up and learn the ropes, so the two team up with his brawns, despite getting put down by everyone, and her brains, even though she lies to people who easily eat up anything. A new threat emerges which breaches high levels of the organization.

The plot drunkenly stumbles with each step it takes. The beginning of the film makes no sense when two agents come to wipe the memory of Molly’s parents due to an alien in their home but never go in to investigate the pesty creature. The use of the neuralyzer is used too liberally and often loses its purpose in many aspects that break the fundamental rules of this agency’s secrecy.

I will say, it was impressive that Mandeiya Flory, who played the child in Molly’s flashback, looked quite her adult costar, Thompson. The two actresses looking similar made for a smooth transition from the past to the present.

The A-class star power does not always save a movie, especially this one. Hemsworth, Thompson, their boss Agent High T (Liam Neeson), and their alien companion Pawny (Kumail Nanjani) cannot save this train wreck. Some of the dialogue is so poorly written that some of the line delivery feels flat. Most of the time, it feels like a generic, blockbuster comedy that usually falls on its face rather than making me laugh.

The characters have plenty of inconsistencies themselves. Agent H tells Thompson once they first meet that they work alone, but immediately changes his mind for the sake of moving the plot forward. Agent M is supposed to have all of the perfect traits from a fighter to a genius, yet she tends to play off the moment in hopes things work out annoyingly. The saving grace is their chemistry works, mostly due to their past work together in the MCU.

The alien designs have some throwbacks to the original trilogy while bringing in new faces. The designs look great, yet some of the CGI does not. I feel scaley or slimier creatures are harder to make more realistic. At times I was in pain to look at some of the poorly rendered characters, while others were tolerable, yet nothing incredible.

Another overly processed sequel that lacks any personality like most other films during the summer blockbuster frenzy. What should have happened was an adventure with two unlikely partners to form an expansion on the juicy universe while making it a fun sci-fi comedy; instead, International is dull and lacks any intelligence. This is not even streaming worthy on Netflix or Hulu once it is out of the theaters, save your own time by watching anything else.

Score: 2/10

Image via Sony Pictures