metalmaniac777

...whatever I can do to make this easier for any of you I will do...totally worth it IMHO.

Can you drive to upstate New York, convince my wife to let me go, drive me back to your place, pay for all my food/lodging, then drive me back home when the event is over? That'd be swell. Oh yeah, and bring me some free Rockarma & Farcry CDs. Thanks. You're da best.

Maybe it's not the popular or politically-correct stance, but I'm another one who got so tired of the Spanish comments dominating the Comments section that I simply stopped going there and pretty much stopped posting there as well. Sorry, but I refuse to wade through 25 Spanish posts to find one written in English. Maybe that makes me a lazy bastard, but that's the reality; because of the influx of Spanish posts in that section, that section has lost a reader (and a poster). I don't sweat it much, because the Message Board is still pretty much English-only, but sometimes when I stop to think about it, a burr gets under my saddle, as it seems to have with Delbert and a few others as well. And the translator...yeah, that thing's pretty much only good for comic relief.

I mean no disrespect to the Spanish-speaking/writing fans of our beloved musical genre, but try logging onto a French- or Norwegian- or German-based melodic rock site and see if they'll accomodate you posting in Spanish...or even English for that matter. It's just not going to happen. You'll be informed that you have to learn whatever language the site is based on or you'll need to find a different site to frequent. Guess that makes Heavy Harmonies a bedrock of tolerance and accomodation...

Anyway, that's my two cents' tossed into the pot. Now, to read this message in Spanish, please press "2."

Latest acquisition...

Testament: "First Strike Still Deadly"

HATCHET (Unrated)

The horror sites raved about this one. "The best slasher in the last ten years!" they proclaimed. Well, God help the slasher genre if that's true, because this was a disappointment for me. Maybe the whole campy/tongue-in-cheek thing just doesn't work for me anymore, because I found the characters in this movie irritating. Sure, some of the dialogue was amusing ("That sounds like about as much fun as a bag of dicks"), but not amusing enough to hold my interest the whole way, and that's saying something, because "the whole way" is only 84 min. Took over half the film for the kills to kick in...

...and the kills are the only place this flick shines. Bodies ripped in half, guts flying everywhere, geysers of blood, dismemberment, decapitations, power tool mayhem (not sure how there was power in the swamp, but go with it...), hatchets in the face, and more! Yep, when the movie finally got around to slashin', it did it up good an' messy. You also get at least 5 or 6 shots of topless girls, so all the horror cliches were present & accounted for.

And the ending...ugh, don't even get me started. So weak. Bottom line, nothing I'll ever watch again, and unless you're willing to watch a whole movie for just a couple minutes of gore, nothing I recommend anyone else watch even once. But if you do, rent it, don't buy it. Wish I'd done that...

Loud and Clear

 

Oh man, I went into a wild panic to see how I'd possibly missed them on the list because they'd have my vote too...

 

But they weren't there. Good one, Mark.

Too bad, they're mine. Get stuffed.

Mark has never been one of the smrt ones around here has he...

Says the guy who apparently doesn't know that the word "smart" has an "a" in it...

Took me awhile, but I finally got around to it! Back by (un)popular demand are "the letter polls," and today's letter is "L." As always, write-ins welcome, because it's pretty much impossible to narrow down all the great "L" bands to just 20.

My vote goes to Lillian Axe. "Love & War" is simply a stunner of a hard rock album that still gets tons of spin-time in my stereo.

But enough about me...what about you?

Latest acquisitions...

 

Testament: "Souls of Black"

Good one...

Actually, I wasn't impressed, but that's OK, it was a Christmas gift, so it didn't cost me anything. I've got Testament: "First Strike Still Deadly" on the way, so we'll see if I like that any better.

I don't like "Souls of Black" either. "First Strike..." is the re-recordings of all their early stuff. It sounds killer & definitely should be more your sort of thing...

 

"Practice What You Preach" is the album you should probably get IMO...

If he didn't like 'Souls' then I don't know if he'd like 'Practice'.

I'd say that 'Low' and 'The Gathering' would be more his speed and maybe 'The Legacy' and 'New Order'.

Dunno what it was about "Souls...." Just seemed like they didn't put their best effort into that one. I've heard some of the re-recorded tracks on "First Strike..." and they sounded pretty good. Hope to see it in my mailbox within the next day or two.

And actually, yes, I do own (and like) "Practice What You Preach." That one and "Low" are the only two I currently own. "The Gathering" had some great tunes on it, but too many fillers to make it a keeper for me. As you can see, Testament is a hit-and-miss band for me; pretty much when I want a Testament fix, I just reach for "Low." Not sure they'll ever top that one.

Latest acquisitions...

 

Testament: "Souls of Black"

Good one...

Actually, I wasn't impressed, but that's OK, it was a Christmas gift, so it didn't cost me anything. I've got Testament: "First Strike Still Deadly" on the way, so we'll see if I like that any better.

I'm still not getting alerts re: new messages...why oh why oh why?

I was going to say something smartass, like what makes you think people are actually PM'ing you? But then I realized that of course people are PM'ing you, you being such a cool guy and all, and realized I would look foolish to even insinuate that you are not popular, so I decided to keep my mouth shut. Well, except for this totally unnecessary and completely irrelevant post, that is...

Skid Row. Their first 2 CDs are still perfect examples of how to combine power/balls/aggression with melody.

Latest acquisitions...

Testament: "Souls of Black"

Jonah 33: "The Heart of War"

I lot of buyers would not recognize a boot if it kicked them in the ass...

I always recognize a boot when it kicks me in the ass. I pay special attention to the leather, the stitching, the laces, and--most importantly--the owner of the foot inside the boot. You know, so I can return the favor tenfold.

What's that? Not the kind of boot you were referring to? Ah, well, never mind then. As you were.

Hey I am waiting for the faves L bands...

So am I!! I check every once in awhile to see if it has been created. I gotta get a life!!!!

 

My choice will be Lilli......I'll wait....but they better crack the L list since they are my all time fav band.

I pretty much only put together these polls at work when things aren't busy, and unfortunately (I work at a prison) things have been pretty busy lately, but rest assured, the polls are not forgotten and I hope to get the next one up this week, possibly even tomorrow (no promises, though).

Regarding whether or not you need to get lives...uh, no comment.

As for a band that starts with "Lilli" making the list...guess you'll just have to wait an' see, but the fact that a little album called "Love and War" is one of my all-time favorites hard rock CDs might give you a clue.

Sebastian Bach: "Angel Down"

I'm cheating, 'cause I've spun this more than once (about 4 times, actually), but while I posted my thoughts in the Sebastian Back thread, I never put them here. As I said there, while this doesn't reach "Slave to the Grind" levels, it definitely kicks some major ass, though it leans more toward heavy metal territory than hard rock turf. The choruses, while still fairly catchy/memorable, aren't as big/anthemic as Skid Row, relying more on slamming riffs than commercial hooks.

The more I read about this release (not just here, but elsewhere on the 'Net), it seems the headbangers are embracing it while the hard rockers are irritated that it's so ballsy/heavy/angry/screaming/etc.

Me, I like it. And that's all that matters. To me, anyway.

After spinning this one 2 more time...I don't know...don't think this one is gonna grow on me.

Oh my God, man, it's official--you've gone deaf! Please seek professional help immediately!

Just finally got around to checking this out and the verdict is...I like it. Pretty good, crunchy, modern melodic hard rock/metal happening here. I added it to my ever-expanding list of CDs I want to buy. I don't hear a whole lot of Creed influence; they actually remind me more of Decyfer Down (though, frankly, not quite as good) which is no surprise, considering Tony Palacios produced both of them.

Holy krap, we've kum to the K's! We've all done these polls a time or two, so no explanation necessary. As always, write-ins welcome.

My vote goes to Kutless, one of my favorite modern Christian hard rock bands. But if they get another vote, I'll be surprised. Well, maybe from Matt (Phaffas), who's also a big fan.

But hey, enough about my choice...what about yours?

"Reborn" was good, but God knows (pun intended) Stryper can do better. I was (am) quite happy with "Reborn," but would love to see them really knock it out of the park with the next one.

J's not a strong letter is it.

 

The addition of Journey in there might make it easier though.

I, uh, could lie and tell you I left them off on purpose because I think they suck and too many people around here worship at their feet and I didn't want to see them run away with the poll, but the truth is, I just forgot about 'em (because they're so friggin' forgettable, but I digress...).

Any moderator who wants to remove one of the lesser-known bands (like Jackflash or Jackrabbit or something like that) and replace it with Journey, feel free to do so.

Jump for joy, we've come to the J's!! As always, write-ins more than welcome, because I believe the punishment for forgetting someone's favorite band in a poll is no less than 40 lashes, 15 days in jail, execution, or some combination thereof. You know, the same punishment you get in Sudan for giving a teddy bear the wrong name...

Anyway, my vote goes to Jaded Heart. I'm sure it won't be the only one...

So, who ya like?

Latest acquisition...

Sebastian Bach: "Angel Down"

I just bought Decyfer Down's album from last year. Pretty damn good modern rock similar to Kutless, Pillar, Nickleback, etc.

 

It's actually produced by Tony Palacios, as well as Jim Cooper (Petra). So possibly a new Guardian could be quite a lot heavier and modern? May not be a bad thing...

That Decyfer Down CD is absolutely killer, easily my favorite Christian hard rock/metal release of last year. Heavy and modern yet still totally melodic. Loved it! If Guardian went in the same direction, I wouldn't complain. Just having Guardian back together creating new music would be great...as long as that new music didn't sound like "Bottle Rocket."

Here we go, the "I's" have it. Who's your favorite "I" band? As always, write-ins welcome, because even though I know everything, I can't always think of everything at the exact moment I need to. It's a curse I've learned to live with, but one of the side affects is that your favorite band might not be listed.

I cast my vote for Impellitteri. His Rob Rock-fronted albums are superb examples of blistering melodic metal that still manages to be catchy at the same time. My runners-up would be Idle Cure and Icon.

Now that "I" have had my say, what say you?

I voted for Warrant, not because I like their cover album, but it's the best of a bad bunch. Still, I looked at the list of choices,and felt like I was trying to decide what I would rather eat, dogshit or cowshit.

 

You should always go with cowshit, it has more fiber.

Good to know, but, uh, how do YOU know...??

It's "H" time! Favorite band that begins with the letter "H"!! Write ins welcome!!! Yipee!!!! I have an exclamation point fetish today!!!!!

My vote went to Hardline!!!!!!