December Update

Christmas, New Years, and all the other holidays are on the way. Man, the wait sure did take forever! 2010 felt so long...

I was on Valo Daily just recently and a good number of the members were complaining or joking about the amount of snow they were getting in their countries. Tempted to cry, I felt jealous because the only snow we got in good ol' Pennsylvania was washed away by rain. That was the only time I hate rain. :'( So I keep my finger crossed for at least one snow day (preferably Valentine's Day because that holiday is troublesome. :P)

This month is obviously hectic because everyone celebrates the holidays and shops for goodies to give and all that jazz. School procrastinates by overloading the tests at in the middle of the second quarter (it's that time already?!) So for this month, I'll deal with reviews, like usual, and I might writeabout what I'm thankful for during this wonderful time of the year.

While I'm at it, I should probably put my Christmas music back on my iPod. Aw... looks like I got to cut back aggressive, shocking music. Just when I was starting to love Marilyn Manson too... T-T

Wow...

I found this video on Youtube a few hours ago, and it moves me a bit. One step closer to being a fan of his, I guess. :)

Embed Code not available, so clicky the link.

Marilyn Manson Talks About Religion

'Out of the Dark'

(CREDIT to owner, for it is not mine.)
My Rank : 4.5 out of 5 <- cheesy sometimes, but still amazing

For a band I found out of the blue a while back, I think I got lucky. Back when I wanted to buy a Negative album on Amazon (and got depressed by the insanely high price), the suggestions section listed this album. So what the heck, I clicked the link to read more about them and try out a few song previews. Next, I looked them up on Youtube and enjoyed "Undying Dreams" so much that I HAD to buy this album. Again, I was lucky that I found a good band.

This is probably one of the best albums I got as a Christmas gift. This album is immature since it being the first album; but like Evanescence's Origin, Breaking Benjamin's Saturate, and Three Days Grace's self-titled, Out of the Dark is cheesy and awkward in some places, but the flow remains and keeps you interested. In fact, I find this album better than the three mentioned.

The songs flow from one to another fairly well, the lyrics are well written, the mood fits my dark soul nicely, and it's an almost-solid rock album. The guitars are impressive (and by my standards, that means they are superior that Epica's repetitive mess pre-Design Your Universe,) the keyboards are really cool (especially in "Rainheart," which gave me a "wtf?!" moment that few bands can do,) and I enjoy Juha Kylmänen's voice very much. Maybe I like Out of the Dark so much because it reminds me of HIM in many ways, but that doesn't matter too much since I don't get any hints of Reflexion stealing anything. If the music sounds good, listen to it. ^_^

The mood is gothic and dark, but not so much that it's Dommin or Diminished 7 dark. This is the dark that HIM and some of the 69 Eyes do quite well. Scandinavian melancholy, perhaps? Essentially goth wouldn't be the best label for Out of the Dark, but such fans would enjoy it if you won't mind more rock. If this appeals to you, check them out at least. Even if you're just a rock fan, this is still a high recommendation to you. A fan of HIM (Greatest Lovesongs or Love Metal era), perhaps? This is a definite "give it a go" as well.

My next goal: buy Dead to the Past, Blind for Tomorrow and Edge...

Winter Is Near! :D

Warm beds with thick covers and fuzzy blankets, fireplaces, hot chocolate and hot tea, sweatshirts, sleeves, pants, boots, scarves; ah, I love the cold. Being trapped indoors all the time can get kinda depressing, but the view of the outside world is beautiful, especially when it snows! I feel even better knowing that Thanksgiving and Christmas start this wonderful time off. :)

Today, I'm in a rather good mood. I woke up to light snow, and just when it started to stick, the precipitation meted into rain. At least the clouds are still look light and fluffy. :) Also, the house currently smells of fresh baked apple pie. Forget Thanksgiving dinner, I want to eat the desert up right now! :D

The last happy thing has to be this wonderful video below. This beauty is the cherry on top for me. :)

HIM "Dying Song" Online Video from Eugene Riecansky on Vimeo.

Remember to be thankful for everything you have today, no matter where you live.

Have a happy day. ^_^

*Fangirl Squeal*

WARNING: FANGIRL HAS RUN LOOSE!

(and pics aren't mine. CREDIT to owners. ^_^)

Two amazing great things happened today and I'm surprised I haven't screamed at the top of my lungs yet. (Its scare my cats anyway...)

First...

Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys IS OUT!!!!! I am tempted to run out and buy it, but the price would be kinda high. No wait... that's iTunes. $14.00?!?! Does the economy suck THAT bad? What happened to the days of coughing up $10.00 on average?!

But second, and truly above that (no offense MCR)...:

Hyvää syntymäpäivää, Ville Valo!(What did you expect from a HIM fangirl?!) Because birthdays are always superior to album releases. Sorry, My Chemical Romance!

Since it's already... the next day in Helsinki, I send my virtual birthday hug to the amazing singer in my favorite band. Can't wait for more random surprises from HIM. ^_^

And my all-time favorite...

Got a headache yet? XD

Fangirl and the Death of Her Childhood...

...just kidding...

(CREDITS: to the owner. not mine, obviously.)

My Rank: 4.75 out of 5 <- THE FILM SERIES HAS BEEN REDEEMED!!!!!!!

If any Harry Potter fans have read my last entry and want to shoot me, please do not because I have not added my two cents about the first part of this film! It will be a long eight or so months before we finally weep until we die of dehydration. I want to be a part of that group thank you! Anyway, this is it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One.

Part One of the End of My Childhood is more like it...

After seeing it twice already - *dodges thrown objects* - with my friends at midnight and my dad earlier today, I think I can easily make a more sturdy opinion since now the excitement has worn down. For the most part, this film left me wonderfully satisfied. The Harry Potter I grew up with remained intact with no disappointment. The casting is, and has always been, superb; actors were phenomenally top-notch; and the world was perfectly real... except the train.

The film has some flaws due to some altered scenes (though fairly minor) and just by the obvious fact that no one can fully recreate the world from the books to a film adaptation. Even Lord of the Rings couldn't do it. Nothing bothered me except the Hogwarts Express. I understand that the Death Eater stood in from of it to slow it down, but the train appeared to be moving at five miles per hour. It's not a huge concern and maybe it's just me, but whatever.

From my perspective, even from the first viewing, the movie went at a faster pace than the previous films. This lasted two-and-a-half hours and nothing slowed down to the point of boredom for me. Though that might be because I'm such a huge fan anyway. But for some odd reason, despite that the camping time took at least 60% of the movie, everything was put together well enough for the pacing to be just right.

What I find ironic is that David Yates, who directed this amazing adaptation, is the same guy who screwed up the last two Harry Potter movies. From my friends and others, people had more problems with The Order of the Phoenix because so much plot was removed and re-editted from the 750-800+ paged book. But honestly, The Half-Blood Prince was far worse due to the complete emphasis of the romances between the characters and the lack of attention to the plot. Thankfully, I won't kill David Yates - yet - after making DHP1 so accurate to the parts taken from the novel.

Obviously the film is very dark, serious, and dreary, but comic relief is not a stranger. Everyone at the midnight showing roared with laughter; the audience today laughed as well. Even my dad, who never read the books but seen every film to date, laughed quite a bit. Best of all, he never fell asleep (the years in the military did that to him.)

Best parts? The Seven Harrys; George "snooping in;" the Ministry of Magic; and Dobby (that all by itself is making me laugh right now). I won't spoil everything else. XD

At this point, you're either a Harry Potter fan or not. Or at least, you like the story from the films or books or not. So honestly, WATCH IT. Any person who happens to read this and never gave the series a try and want to... read the books, or catch up on the other films. Just as a warning, you have to wait until July 2011 for the final part. I'm very annoyed by this, but on the other hand, I have eight months to enjoy my childhood while it still lasts.

It seems it was only yesterday when I went to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in November of 2001. Nine years later, I just watched half of the seventh and final film. Excuse me as I run to my battered and old Harry Potter books and cry...

Update: The End of My Childhood

2010 has been a really bad year for me when it comes to entertainment in general. Lady GaGa is still big for no reason, Justina Beaver has his own stupid book and documentary, great heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio died, and the summer movies. Yes, that last part is self-descriptive. Other than Inception and Toy Story 3, both of which I did see, the season brought horrifically bland films. Since there less than a month and a half left, it makes me wonder what will the future bring? Only one thing for me is absolute: July 15, 2011, also known as the final blow made on my childhood.

As a fan for almost ten years, I am depressed that the end is so near. Just the thought of the film adaptation of my favorite series ending makes the hair on my head begin to grey.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I saw the midnight showing of Part One with three friends, and it was fantastic. Though there is time to do so now, I have decided to wait until tomorrow to make my review of this film. My dad really wanted to see it, and I'd love to laugh and cry through it again. It was that good.

Plus if I remain in the Harry Potter fangirl mode for a while, I might do another loooooooong rant. Bet y'all love those, eh? :P

In the meantime have a great weekend. And if you go to the movies, stay alive! It's not Black Friday yet! :)

'A Thousand Suns'

(CREDIT: to owner, who is not me.)

My Rank = 0.5/5
Shamefully, Horribly, Irritatingly Terrible

Beware of my wrath. This review is much more immature than I ever have been here. How can I begin to review the quality of an album that I have SEVERELY miscalculated? How could it be far worse than I predicted?

I am sorry to everyone who likes Linkin Park and this album. I am sorry to my one good friend who is probably tired of me complaining about this. But to be blunt, for Linkin Park... THIS ALBUM SUCKS. Don't get me wrong, the messages in the lyrics aren't bad, so I refuse to bash their meanings. Even some of the recordings in the tracks are decent. HOWEVER. The sound is still horribly slow and boring.

Because I am too lazy to write an entire paragraph on this, here are the cons:

- Every song has the same piano riff used over and over again...

- Every song is so damn repetitive, this makes Lady GaGa sound versatile.

- You have no clue where the verse ends and the chorus begins ("Robot Boy" and "Burning in the Skies" are perfect examples.)

- What kind of album has TWO INSTRUMENTAL TRACKS to start off?!

- "The Catalyst" still bores the hell out of me. The second single, "Waiting for the End," is much stronger, but still mediocre; however, it should have been the first single.

- This album makes me take back insults I had for Minutes to Midnight

- There is just a total lack of motivation. They clearly have a message to give us, but they fail to execute it enough to make one care enough to listen.

To add something else, in "Blackout" Chester screams and raps... my feelings of happiness and disgust have canceled each other out. And again, the whole thing sounds very sloppy. Because I know nothing about music, I'm not sure if the producer or mixer should have been fired for performing such a sloppy job. Or maybe it's the band to blame.

However, there are a few pros. "Wretches and Kings" sounds like the Linkin Park I used to know and love: fairly intense instrumentals, Mike's rapping, Chester's screaming, and Joe Hahn's turntables. Also, if I could use the MP3 Trimmer application on my computer, I would reedit one decent song on this album: "When They Come for Me." FINALLY MIKE SHINODA IS RAPPING AGAIN!!!! But the song is far too long with the too lengthy outro after the final chorus.

The first time I heard this album, I had to stop in the middle of "Robot Boy" and walk away from my computer. I refused to give the album another try until now to review it. That was a two month time gap. But wow. I can't say I wasn't expecting the album to bring my view of Linkin Park to fall, but I wasn't expecting it to go down so fast in less than fifty minutes. This does not sound like a rock act anymore; it sounds like a psudo-electronic pop-rap-rock album. What a scattered mess.

As of now, I still love Meteora and Hybrid Theory, but this album shatters my hopes for this band. I have grabbed a lifeboat and left the ship that is continuing to sink. I wish Linkin Park and their fans the best, but I can't join them on the journey anymore. This is embarrassing...

'Believe (II)'

(CREDIT: goes to owner, which is not me.)

My Rank: 3.75 out of 5 <-- ah, nostalgia...

Once you're exposed to something, it's almost impossible to fully get rid of it. Because of that, I'm slowly standing down from my position of bashing every pop act in existence. Though I still find Kesha (I refuse to add that stupid dollar sign) and Justin Beiber to be utterly embarrassing to all music everywhere, pop rock remains to be fairly tolerable. Or in this case, very enjoyable. Rock-driven pop always appealed to me, and chicks with guitars are no exception. Even Orianthi.

I won't go preaching pure blasphemy against bands I listen to a lot, but Orianthi's guitar playing makes a few others sound look like children playing Guitar Hero on easy. Not to say she's the best guitarist ever, but it makes me wonder if SOME BAND I KNOW would fire their guys and hire her. *cEoPuIgChAs* Sometimes it gets annoying that I have to hear a solo on every track, but they're not half bad. I think of it as a break from Deathstars or Breaking Benjamin's lack of guitar solos.

Granted, her songwriting doesn't impress me too much, but the lyrics are fairly decent. Can't expect too much from pop rock, folks.

In terms of singing, she's better than a good chunk of the pop-rock singers I used to love, and I indulge in sometimes. Smoother and less shriek-y than Avril, and more mellow and way more "restrained" in language than P!nk. Though not guilty of it, I'm fully aware that metal heads would laugh at me and dismiss me as one of them.

I really don't know what to say about this, but after a few decent listens, this album gets a safe 3.75. A few tracks I love are "Courage," "Suffocated," her cover of "Missing You," and the totally epic "Highly Strung." I strongly recommend "Highly Strung" (though maybe the title is far too corny...)

Maybe once I think of reviewing Unbeautiful, I might have a longer post...

A Hug to My Personal Freddy Krueger

Over the past year or so, Pandora has played so much music for me that I am unable to healthily expand my taste. Thousands of pieces of wrapped chocolate with no names rain from the sky and I miss out on those that don't fall into my pint-sized bucket. There is so much music to check out, but there is not enough time. However, there are times like this when someone spends time discussing a band or musician he/she enjoys. As Halloween drew near, the Distressed Watcher on thatguywiththeglasses.com did just that while summoning a very familiar boogyman. In fact, thanks to my Pandora friends (Tenebris in Lux especially) and DW's video that boogyman doesn't frighten me so much anymore.

Who or what could I possibly be talking about? The musician that upset adults of the left and right, parents of children, fellow kids of mine as well as the generation before me. The one whose music was accussed of "corrupting" the minds of the boys behind the Colombine High School shooting. The one whose band was banned from performing in some states.

Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don't let the Antichrist Superstar get you.

Actually, this looks more hilarious than scary.

I'm not sure if anyone my age ever has seen Marilyn Manson's happy, cheery face that brought lovely, sweet dreams (what a bad pun -_-) to children and teenagers. I do not have any notable early memories of being scared of him (only time I know for sure was back in 2007), but I know I heard the name more than seen the image. All I was told that he was creepy. Bad news. Controversial. Even satanic. And like the good child I was, I feared Marilyn Manson because people were scared of him and expected me to feel the same. No reason, just irrational ignorance and fear.

As I grew older, I started to question and find my own answers to things that didn't make sense to me. Religious views and perspectives, political nonsense, and the nature of fans of etertainment as a whole. Inevitably, Marilyn Manson must have been destined to be my next target.

Why did people fear him? Why do some STILL fear him? How did I see him as an object of fear that adults painted for me? Why should I still be scared of him?

It's been taking over a year, but compared to me as a kid, I practically love this guy and his music. I finally burst out of my comfort zone and gave Marilyn Manson a chance. Lo and behold! I have such a greater appreciation of him as an artist. Don't get me wrong, I'm not into him like how I am with HIM (damn these puns!), but I'll be shocked if another year goes by and I still don't call myself a fan.

Minus the temporarily missing eyebrows, he doesn't look too creepy to me.

Does he still creep me out? Oh yeah, quite a bit. But I wholeheartedly no longer see a reason to FEAR him. Keep him from children? Because of his literature and cultural references, definitely (that's more research time for me.) Say that he poisons minds into killing others? That's pretty stupid. Saying he's the devil? That's worse. His image is as insane as his music, but Mans - oops, should I say - Brian Warner is a human being with an art you may like, hate, or not give a crap about. Feel free to disagree.

We all have childhood ghosts as well as Freddy Kruegers. The question is, when and are you ready to let them go? I am in this phase right now. But for the last question: HOW will you let go? Hug it? Kill it? Do something because ignoring ghosts is like leaving a bomb to detonate right on your lap.

Again, thanks to Tenebris and Schweinwerfer-sempai, my music buddies, and the Distressed Watcher's enjoyable video. Without them, I wouldn't have wasted over two hours of my life watching his music videos in one school night. Mom wasn't happy... XD

November Update

HELLO!!!!!!!

Hopefully you all had a great Halloween, weither you dressed up, ate candy, watched scary movies, or played fun music. (Hope your short Halloween shift was fun, Tenebris. :P)

I didn't trick or treat this year, but I did dress up completely in black, minus my Halloween spider scarf. Black spider shirt, black pants, combat boots, HIM gloves, black mask, and a witch hat. Everyone at my church liked my effort. Even my best friend laughed hysterically at me. XD
So all I did was watch Final Destination (the first one) with my best friend, who hates thriller/horror films, and her boyfriend. That was a fun experience. XD

As far as updating my blog, I think I'm doing pretty good by staying on top of it.
New reviews, a Fangirl moment(so beware,) and other random stuff will arrive this time. :)

Look forward to it, or suffer the consequences. :P

Anyway, have a great month! (Remember, Christmas is in two months!!!!!)