'Saw'

Once I started college, I felt less motivated to celebrate the holidays. I'm not entirely sure of the reason why, but when I do feel that the festivities bit me and gave me a three-day fever, I try not to fight it. So while I have no plans to embrace the spooky on the 31st this year, I can admit that I did embrace some of the feelings Halloween inspires.

For example, I finally watched Saw.

Yep. I watched it. Willingly.

I - Fangirl, Mel, Astrid, or whoever people know me as online - who has denounced the torture porn genre without hesitation, watched Saw.

Even my real life friends and parents didn't believe me when I said it.

I watched the grandfather of the torture porn genre's popularity in the first decade of the 2000s.

And I liked it.

Yes, I am dead serious. I like Saw 1.

And yes, since I am an opinionated bitch who has never failed to completely stop voicing her thoughts on something she feels strongly about, I will explain myself. Spoilers ahead, if you dare.

May/June Update: Holy Crap Exams Are Almost DONE!!

Thank goodness I graduate in a few days, because I'm at the end of my rope. While I was finishing up last-minute projects, I spent hours on TV Tropes, hoping I could get a jumpstart into a story I wanted to write for years, and sat on my ass playing video games and reading manga. Most of my time has been... unproductive... to a degree.

As some of my dear readers may know, I suffer from ADHD when it comes to blogging about my meager existence. One month I squee like a fangirl over a new album I just discovered, then I'll jump onto movie reviews, and then without warning video games pop up out of the blue. Inconsistent, but hopefully refreshing.

Anywho...

Other than school, my brain has been exposed to such a crap-load of information that it's on the verge of frying. My dad asked what I wanted for a graduation gift, even if it was a video game console. This was not long after I heard about Sonic Generations, and I finally had the incentive to reeducate myself on the video game world. (I stayed comfortably under a rock with my Playstation 2 and Gamecube.) After months of browsing console libraries, interviewing my peers, visiting various stores, and watching Youtube videos, I finally settled with the PS3. I know that new consoles are coming up in the next year or two, but at least for me, I can get a bunch of games under $60. Sure, I'll need a job to keep my expensive hobby going, but I can survive.

Yes, Link talks.
No, his dialogue doesn't suck.

While still in the similar realm of video games, I recently discovered a series of manga adaptations of various games from The Legend of Zelda. I plowed through them within hours and squealed for days. With no updates on the series I read (looking at you, Dengeki Daisy!), I needed something to nom on. Maybe when I do get that miracle job that will help make my wallet grow, I might buy a box set.

"Du bist hier im meinem Land"

And my other loves have not been ignored! I recently got Rammstein's Made in Germany greatest hits album and love every second of it. Dark Adrenaline still plays often on my iPod, and Apoptygma Berserk's You and Me Against the World is fantastic as well. A few other albums have been on my mind and I wish to check them out as soon as possible.

Movies, however, have been very hit-or-miss. Cabin in the Woods was pretty campy but badass for a horror film, touched by the awesomeness of Joss Whedon. Dark Shadows was a billion times better than the terrible Alice and Wonderland, but it's still in the lameness that Tim Burton has been trapped in. The Avengers... ... maybe I should review that one later. Ever since my violent vomit episode, I need something else to talk about.

So much potential wasted...

The past several months have been me trying to enjoy everything I can while I'm still a spoiled little kid. I'll be in college, I'm gonna have to find work, I'm going to take care of myself soon. It's a series of spiked and flaming hoops that I have to jump through. I am all for going through it not just because I have to, but because I hope that something fun and rewarding is on the other side.

In the meantime, this blog still exists and I will continue to update it... on a not-so-regular basis. 

I'm baaaaaack! XD

Finally... 'Dark Adrenaline'

*choir of angels singing as Fangirl gets medicated* I swear it's not toxic!

A new album by a band I love that doesn't suck? About time! Congrats, Lacuna Coil.

Thankfully earlier fears after hearing "Trip the Darkness" and "Kill the Light" were eased very quickly. This album cuts the happy, uplifting alternative rock from Shallow Life and combines the intensity of Karmacode and the atmosphere of Comalies.

But if this was released in 2006 and not Karmacode, this would have been a less radical evolution of the band. Dark Adrenaline feels like a step backwards in this sense - no, more like a patch to fix a game that initially released with glitches. This is not a really bad thing (video games are far more pricey than music after all) but it feels like this album was released as a late apology note for pissing off the fans with Karmacode.

Yet on the other hand, this can also be seen as the band getting back on track. They may have stubbled with their last two albums, but now this is their comeback. However any Lacuna Coil fan sees this, I think both ideas may be true, but I agree with this point more.

 I never hated Karmacode, and I like that Dark Adrenaline takes its aggressive style and improves it (ex: "Against You" and "Upsidedown".) Even some songs remind me of those from Unleashed Memories, In a Reverie, and Comalies, such as "The End of Time" and "My Spirit", due to the dark, sad atmosphere present. The band itself is not known for giving impressive guitar solos or award-winning singing, but everyone has improved significantly. Some songs start off with far more interesting riffs and evolve into far less repetitive noise. Some melodies still feel a bit ripped from songs from Shallow Life such as "Intoxicated" and "Fire", but lyrically they sound far less cheery and cheap. Singer Andrea sounds his best in "The Army Inside", where he practically steals the show with the badass chorus.

Even "Losing my Religion" isn't that bad. I always liked the REM song when I was a child and I thank Lacuna Coil for reminding me of my love for the original. Though the lyrics are arranged differently for some strange reason, this is not a bad cover. I find the original to be quite melancholic and Lacuna Coil captured it very well.

I can probably list every song off the album and can say they all are fantastic. If you were never charmed by Lacuna Coil, give Dark Adrenaline a try. It's a fair compromise for the old and new sounds of Lacuna Coil to create a very fulfilling album. Three months later and it still sounds great.

Various editions of the release have "Soul Inmate" as a bonus track. The iTunes pre-order version had live acoustic tracks, "Soul Inmate", and the "Trip the Darkness" music video. Some editions also had mini short films in what's known as Dark Passengers. Just additional fun facts.

5 out of 5!

It WAS That Day Again... (Plus the Usual...)

Sometimes I wonder what St. Valentine thinks when he looks down at all the commercial insanity with the cries of the unhappy people who bathe in the single life and the finicky lovers who never give the right gift in just the right way. I think he'd probably be happy he died before this madness ever took place.

Happy Belated Singles Awareness Day from the ever cynical Fangirl!!! :P

Everything's fine on my end. Filling out scholarships, browsing through college program applications, and visiting schools. The world did warn me that senior year is "tough and fun", at least with the first point they were right. I haven't updated much just so I could relax simply. Thinking of what to write every few days seemed a little less fun than listening to Dark Adrenaline, playing Ocarina of Time 3D, or rewatching Elfen Lied and Inuyasha.

But I think I'll have a few things to say to fill this empty space in the small corner of the internet. Reviews are more likely to happen since I have some material to nitpick. My rants are unpredictable and I did not write many last year because I don't want to get too repetitive with the topics. The list I wanted to make will have to be pushed further back due to my disorganization and being incredibly indecisive.

After this hiatus of sorts, I'll try to get back into the swing of things. Let's see what drafts I can edit up...

Until the next post, keep yourselves entertained, my prisoners. :P

Pre-'Dark Adrenaline' Impressions

Released Jan. 24, 2012
Century Media.

I missed out on a lot of activities and releases from bands I follow. And when I did focus on music, I spent my energy on what I could call trash. So why not I talk about something I DO like instead? Well... let's try.

Lacuna Coil. One of the many bands that get compared to Evanescence. Sure, I am guilty of it. However, these guys sound far less artificial and are closer to gothic metal. And Cristina doesn't try throw her voice box out of her throat and overshadow her bandmates. I'm sticking to that. Although they did start off as what some consider gothic metal, over time they progressed to an alternative metal. (Many call this "selling out to the Linkin Park crowd.") Probably the best example of this was with their previous album Shallow Life, where the music is energized with self-confidence as opposed to their staple melancholic, atmospheric works of before.

With that in mind, "Trip the Darkness" and "Kill the Light" bring back the familiar formula... while still "selling out."

Less aggressive and in your face? Yep. Though still Karmacode-ized, the melancholic atmosphere and melodies feels like it returns with a softer punch. Shallow Life's positive lyrics were nice, but it's great to hear their old dark stuff again. The song structures sound less like what some predictable pop rock band processes daily. Best of all Andrea's vocals sound cleaner and Cristina's more polished. It took several albums, but they sound much better.

The downside? These tracks sound... bland. "Trip the Darkness" is far more exciting than "What You Want," but it is just as repetitive. What's worse is the music video, in which Cristina tries so very hard to cash in on the Lady GaGa aesthetic with huge white eyelashes and The Fame-esque white hair. Really? I can buy the cat, the black drops in water, the antique clock, and the black and white contrast. But the get-up? *sigh*

"Kill the Light" may not be a single - yet - but it holds more promise. The lyrics sound less simplistic and more like Lacuna Coil. Maybe it's because singles try to make as much noise as possible to bring in more cash. As my art teacher said, "Singles are never an artist's greatest work."

I definitely will pre-order Dark Adrenaline since I trust Lacuna Coil more than some bands I bash here frequently. It sounds like a return to what the band does well while still hanging on to the current trend of teaming up with producer Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Bullet For My Valentine... see what I mean by "selling out?") But if it's a small re-atempt at evolving or a shot to the foot, I won't know until I buy it.

At least it's not Evanescence.