The Top 5 Songs To Kill People To

Hi guys! Have you ever had one of those days. You know, the kind of day where you wished there were a few less people on the planet? For that matter, have you ever had a day when someone has angered you severely, and you'd like to see them six feet under in a nice, pine box? Well, if you're a rage-filled individual, or you're just having a bad day, then this list is for you. So, without further delays, here are the top 5 songs to kill people to.


(Note: Nowhere at any time during this post do I actively encourage violence towards people. This post is just a dark joke, and is meant to make people who haven't been having a good day feel a little less stressed & happy.)

5) Rotersand - We Will Kill Them All: We start off this list with a band that most of us in the US have never heard of, and that's a real shame. Formed back in September of 2002, Rotersand is a 3-man electronic music act, with the band referring to themselves as Industrial Pop, while their music is generally described as Futurepop (a form of electronic dance music that formed in the late 90s, with influences from synthpop & uplifting trance). Over the course of 2003 to 2009, the band released 4 albums to a relative amount of success, and eventually managed to top some of the European music charts.

One particular factor that has made them popular, especially among younger listeners, is their political & social views of the world. To quote their website:

"The system has declared War On Error"

"War against the unpredictable, the imponderable, the incomputable in all of us.

In order to fight back, we ought to be less transparent and less calculable - 

We ought to really become the error in this ever-refining consumerist machinery"

"Random is Resistance"

Which is where this number 5 choice comes in. Unlike the others on this list, We Will Kill Them All isn't the kind of song you listen to when you on a mindless killing spree. Instead, this is the kind of song to listen you when you're part of a revolution: when you and many others are fighting to make the world (or at least the country you come from) a better place. Sure, many people on both sides will die, but that's expected when you're fighting for a cause.

4) Bodycount - Cop Killer: If Rotersand is a peaceful, politically & socially active band, then Bodycount is a violent, anarchistic band. For those who grew up in the 90s, you no doubt recognize this song, as well as the incident that spawned the lyrics. For of you who don't know, let me elaborate for you.

Bodycount was a rap metal band that formed in the early 90s, and is considered to be the progenitors of the rapcore genre. Fronted by the now famous rapper Ice T, the band became well known for the song Cop Killer, which was based off of the L.A. Riots. The Album the song was on rose to the number 26 spot on the Billboard 200, and eventually got into The Village Voice's 40 Best Albums of 1992. However at the same time, this song received a heavy amount of criticism from various political figures of the period, but many people defended the band due to their use of Freedom of Speech.

Although directed towards the LAPD, this is a good song to listen to if you're pissed off at cops in general, and are even the slightest bit tempted to show them some hate.

3) Judas Priest - Some Heads Are Gonna Roll: From Rotersand to Bodycount, we arrive at Judas Priest. Not to long ago, I did a review for their album Turbo, and considering my love for the band, I had to find some spot for them on this list. Ironically, Some Heads Are Gonna Roll shares something in common with Cop Killer, and that's it's perchance for violence. Unlike Cop Killer, the song is nowhere near as graphic (despite it's name), nor is it as crude. That doesn't mean it isn't an appropriate song when committing acts of violence. However, this is a song that's more appropriate when venting out frustration & hanging out with fellow metal heads. But, if you do kill somebody while listening to this, then I won't tell.

2) Suicide Commando - Hellraiser: Of all the songs on this list, Hellraiser is perhaps the most sinister sounding. Johan van Roy, aka Suicide Commando, is well known for his liberal use of violent themes & imagery within his music, and this song is no exception. Unlike the the 5th, 4th, and 3rd spots on this list, Hellraiser isn't the kind of song to listen to when you decide to go apeshit and kill a whole crowd of people (unless there's a lot of people). No, this is the song to listen to when you're torturing someone you truly hate, and you what to stretch out their pain & suffering for a long time. Hellraiser is also good if you're in a BDSM relationship, and you want to make the mood more creepy than it already is.

1) The Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer: I was incredibly close to putting Hellraiser in this spot. It was only a few short inches away from being number 1. It's such a dark, moody, and incredibly morbid song, how could I not? However, as I stated in the paragraph before this list started, I was going to diversify this list as far as music genres were concerned. So, for my number 1 choice, I decided to place a band here that I normally don't like, and one that would probably catch most of you off guard. So, I decided upon this classic song from an equally classic band...The Beatles.

What makes this such an unexpected song is the song. It's slow-paced, doesn't have a sinister beat or vibe to it, and actually sounds quite comical. At the same time, it's a very bloody tune, yet it doesn't rely on gory imagery to convey the story. Instead, the Beatles decided to take the lighthearted, whimsical approach to violence, and that's how it has become one of the few songs I enjoy from the band. Also, it's definitely good for the occasional killing spree.

See you all next week, when we'll be getting down with a just cause. Until then, stay Otaku!

Serious Sam: The First & Second Encounter Review

One quick apology before I go on with the review. Given the nature of the game in question, this review will go by a little faster than most of the other game reviews I've done. Also, I'll be including the mission pack, simply because it's like the main game, and I'll also give a brief mention of how improved the two games are in HD. With that out of the way, here's my review for Serious Sam: The First (& Second) Encounter.

Story
Sometime in the future, humanity has discovered alien technology below the ruins of Ancient Egypt that allows them to travel through space with ease...deep space to be more specific. This advances human civilization, but at the same time attracts the attention of Mental, an alien entity of god-like power. He sends his forces to Earth in an effort to wipe everything off the map, and practically succeeds. However, there is one human that manages to avoid his apocalyptic attack. A human, who's battle prowess is the stuff of legend. A man known only by one name...Serious Sam!

Using a time machine (Time-Lock, to be specific), Sam travels back to Ancient Egypt to find clues as to how he can save Earth's future, and mows down hordes of aliens & other horrid entities in the process.

In the Second Encounter, Sam has discovered a way to defeat Mental, and leaves Earth to travel to Mental's homeworld to deliver an "Important Package" to his opponent. However, an unexpected accident cause him to crash back into Earth, into the area that became known as Mesoamerica. He wanders through the various ruins of the Mayans, the stately palaces & towers of Babylon, and the dark & snowy landscape of Eastern Europe to kill more of Mental minions, and to discover more clues about how to kill Mental & the aliens that left the space tech behind.

One thing I should note is that while the story is interesting & provides a fair background, it isn't really touched upon much in the gameplay (see below in the Gameplay section). What's worse is that there are practically no characters to tell you what has happened (more on that in the Characters section), save for some info the player finds along the way.

Setting
This is one of Serious Sam's strengths. Within the first game, Sam travels through some impressive Egyptian deserts, tombs, temples, and even a sewer level (as Sam states in the second game: "I Knew it! There ain't no games without sewer levels!"). When first released, the levels looked incredible. However, time has not been kind to the game, and the original graphics look horrible by today's standard. With the HD upgrade released in 2009, new life was put back in, and the levels look incredibly realistic (even the alien portions seem somewhat believable).

This also applies to The Second Encounter, as the levels looked great when they came out in 2002, but were infused with a new graphics engine in it's 2010 re-release.

Characters
Much like Duke Nukem 3d, there is only one main character in the game, and that's Sam. Much like Duke Nukem, Sam is a wisecracking badass that kills anything in front of him. Unlike Duke, Sam is much more clean, and seems to have a little more personality to him. The one thing that the two heros have in common is that both hero take crack at pop culture (There's even a joke or two in The Second Encounter about how Duke Nukem Forever hasn't come out yet).

Given the scope & nature of the game's story, it would have been nice to have at least one, maybe two extra characters to provide the background as the player advanced through the ever-increasing pies of bodies. This is someone done by the computer A.I. that follows you around (insert Halo joke), but the A.I. doesn't speak, and barely has any character at all.

Gameplay
This is an area where Serious Sam both succeeds & fails at the same time. To sum things up:

1) Arrive in a level
2) Find weapons & ammo to kill stuff with
3) Kill stuff
4) Replenish ammo & health
5) Walk around & complete a small puzzle and/or uncover some aspect of the story
Bonus) Stumble across secrets

What separates this game from others that follow a similar pattern is the amount of enemies that are thrown at you. Sometime it's just a small group, but the rest of the time seemingly limitless hordes are thrown at you, ramping up the tension. You also have a somewhat standard selection of weapons: pistols, shotguns, as well as a minigun, rocket & grenade launcher. I said somewhat, because the weapons I didn't mention were a Tommygun (my personal favorite), a four-barrel lasergun, a giant cannon that fires uranium-filled cannonballs, and a portable nuke that kills everything on screen.

While I'm at it, the variety of enemies is equally impressive. From suicidal zombies that run towards you screaming (don't ask), to living piles of lava that throw explosive fireballs, you're given a good selection of foes to splatter, crush, & explode.

Graphics & Sound
As I stated above, the original graphics engine used in 2001 & 2002 were pretty impressive, but they've aged horribly over the decade. Creatures & items seems jagged, and the environments don't quite have as much detail now as they did back then. With the HD upgrades released back in 2009 & 2010, things look much better than their predecessors, as the games look on par with most games released in that time, and afterwards as well.

The sound in both games is perhaps the only real strange part of both games. When the HD versions were released, they used the exact same sound files that were used in the original releases, only cleared & filtered. The sound effects...sound crisper than they were originally used. The original versions, at least now, sound like they're projected through a radio that occasionally crackles with static. 

Overall & Rating
Serious Sam: The First & Second Encounter does one thing, and one thing only...present itself as a balls to the wall action game. There are only a few calm moments in both games where you're wandering around, then all hell breaks loose when a swarm of monsters comes running your way. At the same time, the few things it does well also get stale quickly, and (at least in The First Encounter) wandering through the same environment gets monotonous almost as quickly. It's a big shame, since the action is fast, furious, and fun!

Serious Sam: The First & Second Encounter gets a 7.5 out of 10.

See you all later this week, when we'll tap into our violent side. Until then, stay Otaku!

Judas Priest: Turbo Review

Hi guys. As you can tell, I’ve reviewed nothing but metal, and that’s cause metal is...metal! One of the biggest metal bands to have existed, and possibly shaped the genre, is Judas Priest. Cranking out incredible tunes for decades, this band help create the metal image that is practically common among the other bands in this category. So, as a homage to Judas Priest, here’s a review for their 1986 album, Turbo.

Background

Although not as controversial as the Japanese review of Reise, Reise, the story of Turbo is one worth telling. After the success of Defenders of the Faith, Judas Priest decided to (initially, at least) record a double album, named “Twin Turbos”. However, this double album was never released, and the materials was split into two albums. The more commercial songs appeared on Turbo, and the less commercial & less synth sounding music would be on their next CD, Ram It Down. However, the more commercial feel of Turbo was a bit of a deathknell: while it sold well in the beginning, as it went Gold on June 10, 1986 & Platinum on July 24, 1987, and it also reached number 33 in the UK and number 17 on the Billboard 200, the reaction from fans was relatively negative. Due to this negative attitude, sales had tapered off, and the live album from the Turbo tour had tanked horribly. In a 2008 article in the heavy metal magazine, Kerrang!, Rob Halford would make some comments on Turbo, but that’s for later.

Turbo was another first for Judas Priest. It was the first time that the band had brought in guitar synthesizers. Also in 2008, Halford would say that the synthesizers were brought in because the band was experimenting with sounds at the time, but this is also for later.

Songs
Turbo Lover: Of all the songs on this album, this one is perhaps the most well know. Turbo Lover also shows off the general vibe of the album: good guitar work & drum beats, and great vocals from Rob Halford. However, the guitar synthesizers are very evident in this, as it sounds a little too crisp & clean. To me, perfect guitar music always has a sliver of imperfection in it. Same for the drums as well. Despite this, Turbo Lover is a good song to listen to when you’re on the open road & have the windows down, or if you’re alone with your significant other, and you want to spice things up (See “The Top 5 Heavy Metal Songs to Make Out To”).

Locked In: If the guitar synthesizers could be easily heard on Turbo Lover, then it’ll take some work to find in the album’s second song (although other synth noises can be heard easily). This sounds much more like a traditional Judas Priest song: intense guitar playing, heavy drums, and some equally intense lyrics & vocals from Rob Halford. Nothing else to say really.

Private Property: After listening to this album a couple times, I’ve managed to like 5 out of the 9 songs, and Private Property is at the top of the list (passing even Turbo Lover, but just barely). Like Locked In, the guitar is intense, the drums are heavy & very metal, plus Mr Halford’s excellent voice. At the same time however, the guitar synthesizers can be heard in this song (not as easy as Turbo Lover, but not as hard as Locked In), and the other synth effects are a bit obvious, like in Locked In. Still a great song!

Parental Guidance: If anyone has played this around your parents, and you’re somehow still alive, then holy shit! This song just oozes metal & anarchy, much like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” & “I Wanna Rock”. I should also note that while the guitar synthesizers can be easily heard, they strangely fit in this song. Given this tune’s nature, the ability to warp & shape the guitar sounds makes the whole “F!@# You” vibes that much more evident. Also interesting to not that while the guitar synths are very evident, there’s practically no sign of other synthesizer usage evident at all (if there was any, I couldn’t hear it).

Rock You All Around the World: Now this is Judas Priest! No obvious synth usage (apart from the guitar synths, and even then it’s very difficult to hear them), fast & furious drumming, and Rob Halford singing his lungs out. Out of all the songs on this album, this definitely sounds like the purest form of Judas Priest. Nuf said.

Out in the Cold: Although this is one of the 5 songs that I like on this album, I should note that the synth usage (not necessarily the guitar synthesizers, as they’re used in specific moments more than being constantly used) is incredibly obvious. All throughout the song, synthesizers are used along side with the singing, guitar work, & drumming. The whole mix almost sounds like a techno-pop song falling into a vat of pure heavy metal, and the end results were poured out. If Turbo Lover didn’t show off the whole synth-commercial attitude of this album, then Out in the Cold most certainly did.

Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days: Much like Rock You All Around the World, Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days sounds like (to me, at least) pure Judas Priest. Strangely, I also get a bit of a Motley Crue vibe when I listen to this. Maybe it’s how the guitar & drums are used, or maybe it’s how Rob Halford is singing in this song. Regardless, Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days is a perfect example of a song that’s appropriate for the summer time. Hell, one line that Mr Halford uses is “Everyboy’s rockin in the summer heat!”. Can’t get more of a summer feeling than that.

Hot for Love: Much like Out in the Cold, Hot for Love is another song in which the synthesizers can be easily heard. The only difference between the two is the pacing & vibes: Out in the Cold is a slow, almost gothic sounding ballad. Hot for Love, on the other hand, is a fast & steamy song about chasing love, as well as the unbridled passion we finding love.

Reckless: We conclude our ride through this album with Reckless. I admit I was a little nervous that the band would save their most synth laden song for last, but I’m glad I was proven wrong. Like Rock You All Around the World & Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days, this song feels much more like a traditional Judas Priest song. No synthesizers. Just guitars, drums, and Rob Halford.

Overall Impression & Rating
Normally I would give my impression on an album, but on this occasion, I think Rob Halford says it best:


“The only agenda we've ever had in Priest was to really give every album its own life and I think we've achieved that on everything from Rocka Rolla up to the new one, Nostradamus. That said, if ever there was a controversial record in terms of what people might have expected from us, it's Turbo. It was the fact that we moved into a different atmosphere, but that's where we were at at that particular time. Some of the technological advances like the pedal boards that Glenn and KK used were giving us options for different sounds and experimentation. Personally I think there are still some great tracks on that album ... It's one of the recordings that divide opinion.”


Turbo gets a 6.5 to 7 out of 10.

See you all next week, when I’ll be getting serious with a man named Sam. Until then, stay Otaku!

Arnold Schwarzenegger Japanese Commercials

A while ago, you'll recall the small collection of Japanese commercials staring the Govenator, aka Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, those were just a few of the commercials he's done. In actuality, he's done quite a few commercials for many Japanese companies. Some are normal (if you can believe it), some are kinda normal, and the rest are just outright strange. I don't want to keep these from you, so click on the link & enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcfI0gf9oDc

See you all later this week, when I'll be ramping up the turbo. Until then, stay Otaku!

Desert Punk Review

Hi guys. Well, now that I’m rested and not roasting to death, it’s time to put up this review. Without any further delays, here’s my review for Desert Punk.

Based off of the manga by Usune Masatoshi (the manga was first printed back in 1997, and is still being produced), the anime was animated by Gonzo (directed by Takayuki Inagaki), and aired from October 4, 2004 to March 30, 2005. Taking place a 1000 years after a worldwide nuclear disaster, the show takes place in the Great Kanto Desert, and follows the life of Desert Punk (real name is Kanta Mizuno). Desert Punk is an odd character within the series’s cast: he’s a jerk (I prefer to call him a douche), greedy, selfish, and obsessed with sex & large breasts, yet at the same time is dependable, lucky, and daring. There is no job that he won’t do, as long as the pay is good, and there’s plenty of babes for him to stare at & fondle. As he wanders the desert looking for work, he makes few friends, and many enemies, as well as getting involved in the troubles of the common man during his quest for breasts & cash.

The first positive to this show is one that I’ve partially talked about before in some past reviews, and that’s the studio that made the show. As I stated above, Desert Punk was created by Gonzo, a studio that’s had a history of generally producing some great shows, such as Vandread & Full Metal Panic. The quality of their work is clearly evident in this show, as the animation is top notch (more on this in a little bit), but not in the “makes you cry cause it’s so gorgeous” style of animation. It’s more of like a “makes you smile cause it’s nice” style of animation.

Desert Punk’s second positive is the cast of characters. Unlike most of the other shows I reviewed, this show doesn’t really rely on secondary characters, apart from a few moments in certain episodes. Instead, this show relies exclusively on it’s primary characters, chief among them is Kanta. He’s a character that I both love & hate simultaneously, which is ironic, since the shows I have in my collection have a main character that I either love or hate. Anyways, Kanta is indeed one of the good guys, but he’s more of a selfish, anti-hero kind of good guy. You definitely want to root for him, but at the same time you want to punch him in the face for being such a massive douche.

However, he isn’t the only main character in the show. Soon after the first fight, Kanta comes across the sexy Junko, known commonly as the “Siren of the Sands”. She’s exactly the kind of girl that Kanta wants: she’s hot, has large breasts (it should be known that her chest is known for moving around a lot, and at moments, there’s a bouncing sound in the background whenever she walks), and in general is the kind of girl that Kanta is attracted to. Sadly, Kanta is also a bit of an idiot around women, as Junko uses her sex appeal to manipulate her male counterpart into bad jobs. A few episodes in, and we meet the sprightly Kosuna. After abandoning her previous master (after Kanta whopped his ass), she becomes Kanta’s master/confidant. In time, she becomes a good assistant, and even manages to become a good mercenary later in the show.

We round out the main characters with this next group, and they play important roles in their own right. We have the Machine Gun Brothers (a family trio equipped with heavy firepower), Rain Spider (a male mercenary that’s one of the few people that is equal to Kanta in terms of skill), and Natsuko Kawaguchi (the lone sister to the Machine Gun Brothers, and a capable hand-to-hand fighter). Though these characters don’t appear all the time, they still have some weight to throw around as the show progresses. Though Takayuki Inagaki gave all of these characters life on paper, it’s the usual work of Gonzo that brings them to life.

The third positive of Desert Punk is the animation. As I said earlier, this is a good looking show. Gonzo managed to translate the black & white manga into the colorful anime I watched. The bleak sandscape of the Great Kanto Desert seems relatively believable, as the land is dotted with rural villages, and the skyscraper ruins of civilization from a 1000 years before the story began. The people within this land look equally bleak, as their faces seem to have little hope on them, thus making the whole situation appear to be almost unchangeable, and infused with despair. Things changes later in the show, as the pristine, clean looks of the desert government forces add a tyrannical vibe, thus making the sandscape & the people that live in it even more bleak.

Desert Punk’s fourth positive is the voice acting. Most of the shows done by Gonzo, and released in this country, always seemed to have good English voice acting, and this show is no exception. Eric Vale is perfect for the jerky, yet strong Kanta, while Junko is voiced by Stephanie Young, a woman well known for voicing a wide variety of female characters. Jamie Marchi brings out the strength & coolness of Natsuko, and Luci Christian imbues Kosuna with the youth & innocence she requires. My only beef with the voice acting are with the Machine Gun Brothers. Is not that they don’t do a good job, since they do, but for some reason they all seem to sound the same. Makes perfect sense since they’re all related, but at the same time some difference between the voices would separate the three, and give them more individuality.

The fifth positive of this show is the show length. Coming in at the standard 24 episodes on 6 DVDs, Desert Punk is a nice sized show. I managed to watch this over the course of a week, and that’s what most otaku might do, although it possible to fit it into 3 or 4 days. It also helps in having each of the episodes play for 22 to 24 minutes.

The show’s final positives are it’s availability & pricing. I bought the 2010 complete collection, which can still be found in Best Buy & FYI, as well as Amazon. Although there’s only 14 new copies on the sight at this time, the starting price of $22.35, which makes up for the lack of copies. Ironically, there’s only 2 used copies, and for some god-awful reason, the first copy’s price $54.56. The show is worth money, but not over 50 dollars.

Desert Punk is one of the few shows that I have in my collection that’s next to perfect. It was animated by Gonzo, has a great cast of characters, voice acting is great, it’s relatively lengthy, and it’s still easy to find. However, there’s only one thing that really irked me about this show, and that’s the ending. I can’t reveal the circumstances of the ending, since I don’t want to spoil it for you. I will say only the following: I hated how they got to the ending, and hated the ending itself. It was (in my opinion) downright horrible, and didn’t suit the show at all.

Desert Punk gets a 9 out of 10. It was done by Gonzo, had a great cast of characters, the animation quality is also great, the voice acting is top notch, there a nice 24 episodes to follow along, and it’s easy to find & buy. I just wish it didn’t have that god-awful ending!

See you all this Thursday for Friday. Until then, stay Otaku!

Slight Delay & AMV

Once again, I'm way too tired to put up a review tonight. On top of that, I've got dishes to do, and that will ruin any chance to actually put one up. Luckily, I got an amv to tide you over until tommorow. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbpZ1GwKdrc

Too crazy to not share...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvmIByrcwAQ

Truly, a great man.

The Anime Encyclopedia: Revised & Expanded Edition Review

Hi guys. As I said in my little post last night, I was way too tired, and I'm hot enough to the point where I do something, I keep sweating, and I don't want to constantly wipe sweat off my face every few seconds as I’m reviewing something. Luckily, I’m not that tired, and I’m not really hot, and I’m in the mood to review something. Like I said in my last review, this one’s is another first for me. So without delaying any further, here’s my review for The Anime Encyclopedia: Revised & Expanded Edition.

Published on November 1, 2006, this encyclopedia is (as the title says) a revised & expanded of the original 2001 edition. Unlike a normal encyclopedia, this is filled with every known anime to have ever come out of Japan (up until 2006), as well as titles that stayed in the country (up until 2006). Popular or obscure, this book also contains backgrounds on the typical anime genres, as well as famous animators, studios, and obscure pieces of information most anime fans might not know about. Even hentai is covered is this encyclopedia, often in very graphic detail. Whether you’re interested in some anime history, or you’re a hardcore otaku, you’ll appreciate the knowledge within this book.

The first positive of this book is it’s length. Measuring in at 867 pages, this is one big encyclopedia. Due to the length, it can take quite a while to read, but because there’s a lot of info in here, taking a while to read it isn’t such a bad thing.

This encyclopedia’s second positive is the information. Just like a typical encyclopedia, this book is crammed with a massive amount of knowledge. There’s all sorts of tidbits that most of us know, and there’s also obscure pieces of info that most anime fans don’t know about. Some of the descriptions are short & quick to remember, while many others (especially the highly popular shows) have descriptions that sometimes measure in at a 1 ½ pages. Even some of the more infamous hentai series have some in-depth coverage. Despite the occasional error in the information present, there’s a lot to learn when you read this.

The encyclopedia’s final positive is the cover. Composed of a black background with the names of various anime & hentai on top of the background. On the back there’s a description of what’s inside, some positive quotes from the first edition. On the side & front cover is the title in red, green, and white letter, and the front cover has a colored picture of Astro Boy looking like he’s going to fly off the cover. Nothing like a picture of an iconic anime character to attract & tempt otaku to buy the book.

Now we go onto the negative aspects of this encyclopedia. Keep in mind, these negatives (with the exception of one) are highly obvious, and they really damage this encyclopedia’s reputation. The biggest negative is when it was published. This was published back in 2006, and I got this back in the Christmas of 2008, and it wasn’t that outdated at the time. It was relatively current at the time, and I knew about many of the series within it. Now it’s 2012, and the book is very outdated. For example, Satoshi Kon in this encyclopedia is still considered to be alive, but now has been dead for 2 years (he died in 2010 due to pancreatic cancer).

The second negative is the occasional bit of misinformation. Given the amount of anime & hentai within, it’s understandable, but it’s not an excuse. For example, in the first edition of this book, it was stated that "Otaku no Video" was created in 1985, two years before the creator of this anime (Gainax) was founded. On top of that, in the first edition, series are given the wrong year of release, the wrong number of episodes was put in, and frequent plot descriptions that are so distorted, one wonders how well the authors paid attention to the series in question. Given that the 2006 version is a revised edition, many of these errors are gone, but there’s still a few small ones that they missed in the revision, and that’s a shame.

The final negative of this encyclopedia is that it can be a little difficult to find. Given the fact it was published in 2006, it’s understandable. Over on amazon, there’s only 11 new copies still for sale, and the pricing starts at 60 dollars, which is a big dent in one’s wallet. Luckily, there’s almost 3 dozen used copies (34 copies, to be specific) for sale, and the pricing starts at 6 dollars. It’s a much cheaper price that won’t make your wallet bleed, and it’s quite worth it in the end.

The Anime Encyclopedia: Revised & Expanded Edition gets a 7 to 7.5 out of 10. It’s big, crammed with information, and has a nice cover, but it’s very outdated, the info is occasionally wrong, and it’s a little tricky to locate.

See you all next week, when I’ll be traveling with a punk in the desert. Until then, stay Otaku!

Delayed until Tommorow (and Tidbit)

Hi guys. I'm terribly sorry for doing thing, but I'm delaying my normal post until tomorrow. I'm way too tired, and I'm hot enough to the point where I do something, I keep sweating, and I don't want to constantly wipe sweat off my face every few seconds. So, to tide you over, here's a a really good song I just recently found. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-DKs0qfdEk

Rammstein: Reise Reise (Japanese Edition) (Revised) Review

Hi guys. Back during my 1-year anniversary of my blog, I did a couple of revisions on some previous reviews of mine, and I liked doing them. Not to long ago, I was looking through my music collection for something to review, when I came across a CD that I reviewed back in February. When I thought about it for a second or two, I came to the conclusion that perhaps it’s time to get the revised treatment. So, for you viewers, here's my revised review for the Japanese edition of Rammstein’s Reise, Reise.

Background

The history of Reise, Reise is an interesting one. After Mutter’s release back in 2001, those among the fan community began to notice that the band looked like they were going to spilt. The band themselves also noticed this, as the tension between the various members was high at the time. In an unexpected move, Rammstein decided instead to take a break for a couple years to ease the tension between, and hopefully rejuvenate them. This break lasted until late 2003/early 2004 (I’m not sure which), when they announced that they were back in the recording studio created music for their next album. After a couple months, they had completed Reise, Reise, which was released on September 27, 2004, and released all over Europe shortly after, and was also released in the U.S. on November 16, 2004.

The second interesting aspect of this album was it’s cover. Designed to look like a black box from an airplane, grey-black lettering was displayed promptly on the front in the form of the phrase “Flugrekorder Nicht Offnen”, which translates into “Flightbox: Do Not Open”. In addition to looking like a black box, there is also the final 30 seconds of Japan Airlines Flight 123 on the CD as well (More on this in a moment. The European releases have it at the end of the disk, while the U.S. release has it at the beginning). 

The Japanese release of Reise, Reise is also interesting. Release on April 21, 2005 (much later that the European & U.S. release dates), this version was a bit different than it’s earlier counterparts. The cover art was different (it used earlier, modified artwork that would be modified again, and used on Rosenrot later in the year), the 30 seconds of audio was cut, and two remixes were added to compensate for the missing audio. Those of you who read my original review will know why this happened, and don’t necessarily need to read the next paragraph unless they want a refresher. For those who don’t know, read on.

On the evening of August 12, 1985, the rear pressure bulkhead of Japan Airlines Flight 123 suffered from explosive decompression 12 minutes into the flight, and caused the aircraft to crash into Mt. Fuji, 32 minutes later. 520 out of the 524 people on the flight had died, making it the deadliest single-craft accident, and the second-deadliest accidental plane crash in history (behind the infamous Tenerife Airport Disaster). The final 30 seconds I mentioned before was 30 seconds of the pilot (and maybe the co-pilot) yelling, panicking, and trying to keep the plane aloft.

Due to this horrific disaster, Rammstein changed the album so that it wouldn’t offend their Japanese audience. As I stated above, the original black box cover was replaced with an earlier, modified artwork that would be modified again and used for Rosenrot, and the final 30 seconds of the black box was removed entirely, and two remixes were put in it’s place. Despite the changes, the songs on the album remain the same as it’s European & U.S. counterparts. In perhaps a strange twist of fate, the album was once again released in a limited edition in 2009, with it’s original cover, and the 30 seconds from Japan Airlines Flight 123's black box was place back on the CD.

Songs
Reise, Reise (Arise, Arise/Journey, Journey/Travel, Travel): We begin our journey through this album with this song. Before the lyrics come into hearing range, you hear waves crashing back & forth, and a group of sailor chanting while they work. If you couldn’t tell, this is a modern-day sailor’s song: it speaks about traveling on the open sea, braving it’s dangers, and encountering the unknown. When the vocals are over with, the chanting returns, accompanied by some appropriate accordion instrumentation.

Mein Teil (My Part) (Remix: ***): Next up is Mein Teil, which is perhaps one of their more disturbing songs to date. It’s based off of the Armin Meiwes cannibal case, perhaps one of the most sickening cases ever to appear in a foreign court. Basically, Armin has posted up on a blog that he wanted the following:


“Looking for a well-built 18- to 30-year-old to be slaughtered and then consumed”


Incredibly, someone (who’s name I will not mention to protect his identify) had actually responded to the post, and on March 9, 2001, this person went to Armin’s house, and without going into all the gory details, had become this man’s food for 10 months. Luckily, the authorities captured Armin, and is currently serving life imprisonment for the deed.

Dalai Lama: We return to the traveling theme of this album with Dalai Lama, which is partially based off of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem, Der Erlkönig. In that poem, a father and his son are riding on a horse towards a farm, with a spirit chasing behind them. The spirit eventually reaches the child, and kills him. The father does not know that his son is dead, until he turns around to see him. The fundamental feeling of this poem is still within the song, but instead of riding on a horse towards a farm, the setting instead is a father & son on an airplane, with the spirit in the sky following the plane. The spirit attacks the plane, and in response, the father holds his son tightly. In an shocking twist, the father holds his son so tight, he accidentally suffocates him to death.

Keine Lust (No Desire): Written as a way to display their displeasure towards their lives in the music business at the time, Keine Lust also has the distinction of being one of their funnier songs. With lyrics like “I don't feel like not hating myself/Don't feel like touching myself
I would feel like masturbating/Don't feel like trying it/I would feel like getting undressed/Don't feel like seeing myself naked”, it’s hard to not laugh. The video also adds to the humor of the song, as the whole band (with the exception of Flake the keyboard player, who was in a wheelchair the whole time) was dressed up in fat suits trying to play their instruments.

Los (Less): A very smooth, almost jazzy song, Los never gets massively heavy. Instead, there’s nothing but guitars played in a jazz-like style, and drums played loudly, but with a soft undertone. The lyrics of the song is nothing more that a big play on words: the title itself can me a variety of thing depending on the translation that doesn’t necessarily work in English. As a suffix, Los means “less in English”, as a adjective it means either “off” or “loose”, and finally means “Go” when it’s used like a command.

Amerika (America) (Remix: ***): If there was a song that irritated people in the United States, it was this one. Dealing with the United States’s cultural influence throughout the world, Amerika is more of a slamming song than anything supportive. The video itself also lends to the whole slamming vibe, as the band is dressed up in NASA suits, and singing on the moon (in a parody of the lunar landing conspiracy theorists). I was offended at first when I realized that this song was insulting the country I was living in, but after getting some flashbacks of what happened the years before (I realized this was an insult song in either 06 or 07), I was okay with it.

Moskau (Moscow): A loud & brutal song, Moskau is nothing more than Rammstein’s love for one of their most favorite cities in the world. Equal parts sensual, painful, & insulting, Moskau is the perfect song to listen to in a club. It’s got fast beats & brutal drums, coupled with the fact that it can get quite steamy at parts, makes for an interesting song to listen to.

Morgenstern (Morning Star): Dealing with the stars above, Morgenstern is a hauntingly beautiful song. Till Lindemann sing about the beauty of the night sky and the stars that populate it, but he also sings of their cowardice when they “hide” during the day, and their illumination on people so their ugliness fades away. The drums & guitar, notice to mention the occasional usage of a choir, draws out the beauty of this song, and can draw out a tear or two in the right person.

Stein Um Stein (Stone on Stone): A very haunting song, Stein Um Stein is definitely something you shouldn’t listen to in the dark. Based off of a story who’s name escapes me at the moment, the slow pacing of the music (including the keyboard), and the slower signing of Mr. Lindemann adds to the whole sinister feeling of the song. To put it basically, the story is that the singer has a plan to build a house for his “friend”, but in actuality he’s building a house so he can bury said “friend” in the foundation.

Ohne Dich (Without You): Singing about the loss of a loved one, Ohne Dich is unique in that it is one of Rammstein’s few power ballads, and it’s a very beautiful ballad. To put it bluntly, we’ve always felt horrible after the death of someone we love, and some of us don’t recover completely after it happens (myself included). The instrumentation is not fast in this song, but slow, drawn out, yet intimidating at the same time. Till Lindemann also draws out his voice in Ohne Dich, adding more beauty to the song. Also...the video rocks!  

Amour (Love): We conclude this album with Amour, a song that can truly be considered a heavy metal love song. Unlike Ohne Dich, Amour is a loud, fast paced, raunchy song that somehow manages to convey some real emotion. Although the instruments eventually end up loud, it actually begins a little softly, and gradually rises up to the brutal sounds that finish the song. Till’s vocals also work the same way, and the end result is a song that appropriately ends the journey through this album.

Overall Impression & Rating
Just like the U.S. release that I own (I bought it long before I receive this edition), the Japanese edition of Reise, Reise effectively conveys the feelings of travel & journeying, and the occasional moments of hell that one might run into. Listening to the album is both fun & strange: fun in the fact that the music was great, but strange in the fact that I’ve heard all of this before, minus the two remixes. It’s still great to listen to, but at the same time I get a feeling of deja vu.

Rammstein: Reise, Reise the Japanese Edition gets a 7 out of 10. The modifications are interesting, it’s cool to hear the original songs again as well as the remixes, but (without the obvious) it’s all the same in the end.

See you all later this week, when I’ll be doing another first for you. Until then, stay Otaku!

* Update (9:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time, 6/10/2013): I found these yesterday. The first video is the last two minutes of Japan Airlines 123's flight box (The audio that was used in the American/European editions starts in at around the minute mark):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue1RDLWLIGc

The other video is a documentary about the incident. It's quite tragic, but it's fascinating as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87korQMhDzE

The Top 5 Metaphysical Metal Songs

Hi guys! I so much fun doing my first "top 5" last week, so I decided to try another one this week. This time, however, I'm doing a very different top 5. This top 5 will deal with the beyond, the supernatural, and the unknown. Without any other delays, here's my list of the top 5 Metaphysical metal songs.

What am I looking for in the songs on this list? Unlike my last top 5, the requirements are simply the following:

- The songs must deal with metaphysics in some way
- After I've listened to the song, I feel something that I can't quite explain, or I can't explain it in the right way

With that out of the way, let's look at the list. Hope you like it!

5) Dokken - Dream Warriors

We start off this list with...hair metal!?

As surprising as this choice is, it strangely fits. Despite producing some good albums, Dokken was a band that never really got the credit they deserved. What really put them on the map was this song, as it was included on the 3rd Nightmare On Elm Street soundtrack. Unlike the other songs, it's a little bit easier to explain what I felt, since the basic jest of the song is about fighting your nightmares, and not giving up the fight. 

4) Katatonia - Palace of Frost & Dancing December

What's interesting about this spot on the list is that, despite it being a tie, the two songs go together (makes sense since they both came off of the same album). The two songs also complement each other: Palace of Frost is a heavy, melodic song, while Dancing December is a short, beautiful instrumental melody. The first song sounds like something you'd hear during the apocalypse, while the second sounds like the first noise you hear when you enter a wintery heaven. I would have put these two higher on this list, but what's stopping me is that I can kinda sort explain the first song, but the second one is much more difficult to grasp (despite what I said about it above).

3) Vintersorg - Till Fjälls (To The Mountains) (Translated Lyrics: ***)

Of all the bands on this list that have delved into the realm of metaphysics, none have done so, and with so much frequency, like Vintersorg. Formed in 1994, this Swedish metal band have song about more that metaphysics. They've also sung about fantasy, mythology, nature, and the cosmos as well. All of these subjects matters are prime sources for creating some very mystical sounding music, and Till Fjalls is no exception. Similar to my number 5 choice, Till Fjalls can be explained, but at the same time, there's something you're missing as you're explaining it.

2) Septic Flesh - Last Stop To Nowhere

Leave it to the Greeks to produce some of the blackest metal in the world, and leave it up to Septic Flesh to be the pinnacle of Greek metal. Although they aren't into metaphysics, the things they sing about (Greek history & mythology, paganism, satanism, the cosmos) often delve into the territory. Last Stop To Nowhere is interesting in that it can be explained, but at the same time makes you think. To sum it up, an unknown passenger is at a train station, waiting for the train (duh!) to come and take him to his destination. Here's the thing...where's he going!? Is he traveling into the abyss? Is he heading towards the heavens. You simply do not know, and that's what makes this song great!

1) Devin Townsend - Deadhead

Note, I am not talking about his time in Strapping Young Lad, but rather his solo career, which is incredible to say the least. Since the age of five, Devin has traversed all over the metal scene, and also managed to mark his territory into more softer music (look for the album Ghost to hear why). His career is all the more remarkable after he came to terms with his bipolar disorder, and continued to write music, which sometimes delved into his fractured psyche. Deadhead is simply an amazing song in a library of incredible songs. It encompasses so many sounds, and bombards you with so many feelings, you simply can't focus on one thing, and you have to just take it all in.

See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!

* The field of metaphysics is quite deep, and would take up too much space here. Click on the link below to get a good look at the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics