review of Megadeth's "Super Collider" album

After having received my copy of Megadeth’s Super Collider album today, and having given it one good listen, the following is my review of said album.

First of all, this is a Megadeth fan album. This album is for true fans of the band, those who have stuck with them, and loved and appreciated them, from beginning ‘til now (and beyond). Those who are only interested in “speed metal”, and that is all they want from Megadeth, will be disappointed. BUT, for those of you who are music lovers, and who appreciate finely-written songs with great hooks, this is the album of the year (the decade!) for you!

The album has eleven tracks, from opener Kingmaker to closer Cold Sweat. The artwork takes from the real-life science fiction of the super collider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_Super_Collider   , while the back cover incorporates an image that many metal fans will more closely associate with a songs like "Cyclotron" or Priest’s Painkiller album. The inside of the accompanying booklet has all of the lyrics, plus some hilarious dossiers of the band being discharged from a scientific project team due to their unruly behaviour; what a great idea!

Track by track breakdown:

Track 1: Kingmaker –

I have to say, this is a great and well-written song! It is heavy without being over-the-top, and sounds like it could have been written in the “The System Has Failed” days.

Track 2: Super Collider –

As I listen to this great song, I have to imagine that most modern rock bands only WISH that they could write a song this good!

I do, however, have a slight problem with it being the 2^nd track on the album, as I would have put something mildly heavier in its place.

Would have loved to have been given a bonus track on this album, this song played at full-on Megadeth breakneck speed!

Track 3: Burn! –

The song starts off with a tasty solo; after that, the pounding drums bring in a “Cryptic Writings” album style of song, as the guitars and Dave’s vocals announce this as  Megadeth song.

A very tasty song. Good chugging guitars.

This song may not be fast enough for some fans; it is definitely a Hard Rock song, only with awesome Megadeth guitar solos!

Track 4: Built For War –

Lyrically, this is a constantly-rehashed Megadeth staple, a la”Gears Of War”, “Recipe For Hate”, “Addicted To Chaos”, “How The Story Ends”, etcetera.

This is a good song; not overly strong, yet there really isn’t anything weak about it either.

I think, personally, it could have used some “Mustaine snarl”; those biting/sarcastic vocals are missed here by this reviewer.

Track 5: Off The Edge –

A super-well-written song! Crank up your headphones and revel in the intricacies of this tune! It’s heavy, without being so in a cocky way – Mr. Mustaine knows how good this song is, and lets it stand for itself.

The solos here are really good. It is AMAZING how good the rhythm guitars back up the solos – very cool!

Track 6: Dance In The Rain –

As the vocals go, this reminds me instantly of songs like “Foreclosure Of A Dream”, “A Secret Place”, “The Doctor Is Calling”, “Something I’m Not”, “Blessed Are The Dead”, etcetera.

A mid-paced song, yet the guitars manage to feel heavier than the last few songs.

The song tempo picks up at various points.

Dave’s vocals sound great here!

More great solos abound.

An extremely smart and well-written tune, with a new and exciting vibe that still recalls past great tunes.

Definitely the best song on the album, so far!

Track 7: The Beginning Of Sorrow  -

A great opening bass-line leads into an infectious guitar groove, followed by brooding gang vocals.

A slower-feeling song, yet still with chunk guitars.

A real emotional pull-down is evident here, as you sink into the story that the song is telling.

Track 8: The Blackest Crow –

Starts off with a surprising “country” feel – think Jon Bon Jovi’s  “Blaze Of Glory” album, rather than Faith Hill or Willie Nelson.

As the song picks up, Dave’s vocals draw you from one style to another effortlessly and seamlessly as the story goes on.

This song strives to tell a story, and sets the mood of such story very well.

A good reach by the band, to try something new for them, and they pull it off well (as seasoned pros should!).

This is the one song that reminds me of the “Risk” album (think “Breadline” or “I’ll Be There”), but with more of a “Cryptic Writings” style to it.

Track 9: Forget To Remember –

Chunky guitars really deliver a big, bad sound here!

Dave’s vocals have more emotional snarl than any of the past eight songs did.

Again, a tastily-written song; fools you into thinking it isn’t that heavy, while making you wanna head-bang with the goat-horns up!

Another top-notch tune by Megadeth!

Sounds like it could have had its birth during the “Cryptic Writings” days.

Track 10: Don’t Turn Your Back… -

This song opens with an acoustic guitar, and then swiftly begins to recall a classic-rock, Eric Clapton- like vibe…

…And then they kick it into HIGH gear! Wow! Nice double-kicks, Shawn Drover!

Again, sounds like something from “The System Has failed”.

Lots of tasty guitar solos, but it is the rhythm guitars that get the big workout here, forming an amazing bond with the rhythm section (drums, bass) that makes my head bob to the beat of its own accord.

Track 11: Cold Sweat –

Heavy guitars, panning side to side, give this track its opening.

Again, there is a lot more snarl from Mustaine’s vocals here.

This song could have appeared on any album from “Cryptic Writings” to “Edngame”, and been hailed as one of the best songs on whichever album. If it isn’t the best song on this album, then it is definitely in a tie for that title!

My Ratings:

Rating each song out of 5…

1. Kingmaker – 5/5

2. Super Collider – 4/5

3. Burn! – 5/5

4. Built For War – 4/5

5. Off The Edge – 5/5

6. Dance In The Rain – 5/5

7. The Beginning Of Sorrow – 5/5

8. The Blackest Crow – 4/5

9. Forget To Remember – 5/5

10. Don’t Turn Your Back… - 5/5

11. Cold Sweat – 5/5

Final Thoughts:

This album was a pure enjoyment to listen to. If I had to categorize it, I would say it has more of a “The World Needs A Hero” style to it, but with the excellent song-writing of “The System Has Failed”.

The songs sound new, yet wholly connected to Megadeth’s deep past as well; rather than joining the mindless throng who proclaim that this album is a detour off of the Megadeth path, I’ll simply remind those reading this that the same thing has been said about numerous other Megadeth albums, including but not limited to “Countdown To Extinction” , “Risk”, “Youthanasia”, and “The World Needs A Hero”…yet the great Megadeth train rolls on.

You won’t find any re-labelled and recycled “Holy Wars” or “Hangar 18” songs on this album, but you will find after a good listen that this is STILL the same Megadeth, the Megadeth that constantly crushes all competition and all media negativity and continue to put out some of the best music on this planet.

Really, my only suggestion to Megadeth on this album, would be to re-record the song “Super Collider” at a more fan-friendly breakneck speed, and include it as a bonus track on the end of the album.

Ignore this album at your own risk! And, if you decide that this music isn’t for you, may I suggest an album by Justin Bieber or Nickelback?

Related Pics:

Ever Feel Ripped-Off By A Product?

Swanson Chicken Strips dinner.

According to the package, it comes with chicken cutlettes (note the "s" on the end; i've always had three in my packages), bbq sauce, mashed potatoes, and corn.

Here was the one I recently purchased. Note the one lone strip of chicken, the lack of corn, and the extra helping of bbq sauce!

Lakers, Game One

Here is my breakdown of the LA Lakers' rotation for Game One of the 2012/13 season. And, no, i won't be doing this for every game!

1st Quarter:

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Metta World Peace
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Dwight Howard

followed by

PG - Steve Blake
SG - Jodie Meeks
SF - Antawn Jamison
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Jordan Hill

2nd Quarter:

PG - Steve Blake
SG - Jodie Meeks
SF - Antawn Jamison
PF - Jordan Hill
C - Dwight Howard

followed by

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Metta World Peace
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Dwight Howard

followed by

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Metta World Peace
PF - Antawn Jamison
C - Pau Gasol

3rd Quarter:

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Metta World Peace
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Dwight Howard

followed by

PG - Steve Blake
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Metta World Peace
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Jordan Hill

followed by

PG - Steve Blake
SG - Jodie Meeks
SF - Antawn Jamison
PF - Pau Gasol
C - Jordan Hill

4th Quarter:

PG - Steve Blake
SG - Jodie Meeks
SF - Antawn Jamison
PF - Jordan Hill
C - Dwight Howard

followed by

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Metta World Peace
PF - Paul Gasol
C - Dwight Howard

followed by

PG - Steve Nash
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Metta World Peace
PF - Antawn Jamison
C - Pau Gasol

New Wallpaper for PC

This is my newest creation, a computer wallpaper (size is 1440 x 900, JPEG format) of my original poem, I Want A Love. Feel free to use it! Background artwork is not by me, source unknown; if you know whom the art belonged to (I digitally altered it, however), please let me know!

The Wider Road Of Anguish

The Wider Road Of Anguish  ( a poem )

The path we trod might seem fair

To our darkened eyes,

Yet ‘tis full of the corpses

Of loved ones, as well as those we despise;

Wounded to death by an action or a word

That fell from our spiteful lips,

A tell-tale heart that beats with anger,

This is what caring only for self gets.

A daughter’s place is on her father’s knee when young

And in his heart ‘til death,

Ye not all paths we choose to choose

Lead us to this happy end. 

wow

Sicamous and area hit HARD by flooding.

4 vidz

Hello!

Some videos taken last night, of my place.

(That's not a mess; that's art!)

Enjoy!

23453636

cool notes

So, yesterday I ordered myself a CD called P.K. Mitchell – All Hail The Power. It wasn’t easy to find it! And it’ll probably be a few weeks before it arrives, but it’ll surely be worth it.

There is a song entitled Nothing But The Blood that is floating around YouTube a lot; most of the time, people say that it is done by Stryper, but I knew that wasn’t right. I finally figured out that it was by P.K. Mitchell, did a little Googling, and found that it came from this album. As they say, the rest is history.

Put out in 1994 on Rugged Records, this CD is a re-recording of some of the classic church hymns, done in current and hard musical styles.

P.K. Mitchell is the former guitarist for band Neon Cross. Others who help him on this album include drummer Glen Manacruso (from Vengeance Rising and Die Happy), bassist Jim LaVerde (from Barren Cross), and vocalist Robin Kyle Bassari (from Joshua and Die Happy).

You can check out “Nothing But The Blood” below...


Here is the track listing:

1-AMAZING GRACE
2-NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
3-TRUST AND OBEY
4-OH HOW I LOVE JESUS
5-LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS
6-TAKE MY LIFE
7-ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS
8-ALL HAIL THE POWER
9-JESUS PAID IT ALL
10-GOD BE WITH YOU

Hurray for me!

One big smiley face for me!

:)

Yay, me!

Feeling pretty (I feel pretty, oh so pretty)...er, feeling pretty proud of myself, I should say!

In the last few days, I learned how to accurately (and well) download my cassette tapes onto my computer with a new program (new to me, at least). I also learned how to post audio (songs) onto YouTube in video form, as well as learning how to use Windows Movie Maker to make said audio into video.

Pretty exciting, if I do say so myself! (And I did!)

Caio!

An eventful day...

Well, here I sit, typing away at my keyboard, ready to update all of my readers on my day.

Around 5 AM on June 15th, I texted goodbye to my daughter, Josie, and her mom, Shiray, as they prepared to head off on an elementary school trip to Victoria. They'll be coming back Friday evening, and as long as they are not too late getting back, I should be able to pick them up at the school and drive them home before I head off to work.

After 5 hours of sleep, I got up and watched the Game 7 of the 2011 Stanely Cup Finals (that's the National Hockey League, if you didn't know). It was only the 2nd playoff game this year that I have watched live (I DVR most of them and watch them when I get up from my sleep). What a great game! As a fan of the Boston Bruins, it was doubly-nice to see those Vancouver Canucks get beaten! Way to go, Boston! Loved seeing Mark Recchi, a former Pittsburgh Penguin (my favourite team), skating around with the Stanley Cup over his head, knowing it was the last game of his storied career.

And a very loud "BOO!" to the Vancouver fans, who showed their immaturity by, once again (they did it in 1994, as well), rioting in the streets of Vancouver. Such a shameful display of arrogance and stupidity...

After that, I watched my DVR'ed football game between BC and Calgary. In the very first of this seaosn's pre-season games between the Calgary Stampeders and the British Columbia Lions, in the Canadian Football League (best football league in the world!), BC stomped on their hated rivals, by a final score of 24 to 0. Considering BC lost both Yonus Davis [up on major drug trafficking charge in the USA] (punt returner and back-up running back) and Jerome Messam [suspended by the team and sent home for disciplanry issues of some sort] (short yardage running back), they are doing alright so far! Go Lions go!

In the middle of watching the gamne, I lay down and had an hour and a half nap, then continued watching.

And after all of this excitement, at 2:50 AM I went for a walk. I walked up the highway all the way to Leckie, and back - at a fast clip (which is how I walk), it took me an hour and a quarter to get home. Gotta lose some weight somehow; seemed like a good way to start!

And finally, all I gots to say now is...

Like a poet needs the pain

You want commitment
Take a look into these eyes
They burn as fire, yeah
Until the end of time

And I would do anything
I'd beg, I'd steal, I'd die
To have you in these arms tonight

Baby, I want you
Like the roses want the rain
You know I need you
Like the poet needs the pain

And I would give anything
My blood, my love, my life
If you were in these arms tonight

I'd hold you, I'd need you
I'd get down on my knees for you
And make everything alright
If you were in these arms

I'd love you, I'd please you
I'd tell you that I'll never leave you
And love you 'til the end of time
If you were in these arms tonight, oh yeah


I'd hold you, I'd need you
I'd get down on my knees for you
And make everything alright
If you were in these arms

I'd love you, I'd please you
I'd tell you that I'd never leave you
And love you 'til the end of time
If you were in these arms tonight

I'd hold you, I'd need you
I'd get down on my knees for you
And make everything alright
If you were in these arms

I'd love you, I'd please you
I'd tell you that I'd never leave you
And love you 'til the end of time
If you were in these arms tonight

If you were in these arms tonight
If you were in these arms tonight
If you were in these arms, baby

Like the roses need the rain
Like the seasons need to change
Like the poet needs the pain
I need you in these arms tonight
If you were in these arms tonight





- Keeping the faith

Like a poet needs the pain, I need you...

Daggerdale?!

Click on it to see it bigger!

Just How Precious Are You?

Here is the question I am posing to my readers today:

Just how precious are you to God, anyways?

And, do you even know the answer?

Luckily, i am going to help you answer it.

Are you aware that the Temple Mount in Jerusalaem is the most hotly-argued piece of real estate in the world?
The Muslims claim it belongs to them, and it is a holy site to their religion, where millions of Muslims make pilgramages to it every year, to worship at their mosque there.
The Jews claim it belongs to them.

Throughout history, this much-contested small strip of land is where the most arguments and hottest religious fervor are found.

This is the very parcel of land that God commanded King Solomon to build His Temple on. This is where the Jews worshipped God, and made their sacrifices to him.

Many have tried to claim this land throughout history.

Do you know that in the Bible, not once but TWICE, it is recorded that this land was bought. Get that. This holy site, was bought not just once by the Jews, but TWICE. Any person or persons who say that this area belongs to any but the Jews, is fooling and deluding themselves. God made sure that not only was it bought once, but He then had the Jews buy, again, something that was already theirs.

What, you ask, does this have to do with your preciousness in God's eyes?

You, my dearest one, belong to God. After all, He MADE you. God created you, out of materials that He owned (He made them, too), and gave you life. Surely this, in and of itself, would be enough to show us that we belong to God, right?

Wrong. Nope, once was not good enough for God.

Just as God had the Jews twice purchased the Temple site, the holy place where God commanded His people to worship Him, so too does God show us His high esteem for us, His great love and compassion and passion for us, that God took us and purchased us again as well.

After having created us, and thus showing us that we belong to Him and Him alone, God watched as we gave ourselves over to sin and let it rule us, effectively making Satan our master. So then, God sent Jesus to die for us, to purchase the price for our sins, once again drawing us to Himself and showing us that we belong to Him and to Him alone.

And that, my friends, is just how much God loves you.

New Poem

Wrote a poem today. Here is the link, below; seems I have had a weirdly emotional last couple of days. Weird dreams of past peoples. So, the emotions come up, and the pen goes down (to the paper)!



http://leplaunpoetree.blogspot.com/2011/05/when-i-hung-you-out-to-dry.html

Ugh

My sleeping patterns have been a real mess lately. Haven't been sleeping well at all, and wondering when my body was gonna crash and shut down.

I guess my answer was; today. I slept 7 and a half hours, then took a 2 and a half hour nap, and I still feel completely exhausted, like my brain is not wanting to work at all.

Ugh.

And I still have work to go to in a few hours. Blech.

Difference Of (My) Opinion

Doctrinal differences; why do Christians get so uptight when another believer thinks of feels something different than we do?

A (I am sure) well-meaning Christian whom i respect, recently passed on to me that lead singer Dale Thompson of long-time Christianband Bride, is a "Christian Universalist" with some very wrong doctrine. Another person told me that Dale Thompson "hates God" and writes hateful lyrics.

I checked out the links that I was sent, and read them faithfully.

Surprise, surprise! Not one thing that these two had told me was contained in these links, not one of these supposed things were there.

Yes, it appears that Dale Thompson, from what I can gather, has some non-traditionalist views. And I say, good for him! Who am I to judge?

But, "hates God"? Wow. That is a pretty heavy accusation to throw out there, especially without proof.

Now, to be fair, the first person said they knew he was a Christian Universalist (I do not even know what this means, nor do I care to) based on what Dale had told him in a face-to-face conversation. Well, that may entirely be so...but, since I was not there at that time, and was not part of the conversation, I choose to not have any opinion on that. Again, who made me the judge of my brother? I'm not calling anybody a liar, even though the proof they claimed cannot be seen or found; but I AM saying that it is very immature and dangerous to accuse people of something like that. You run the risk that God will accuse YOU of something in return!

When it comes to having differences of opinion in Biblical doctrines and such, the question to ask yourself is this; when I stand before God, how many of the things that I believed to be true in life am I going to find out I was wrong about?

In other words, let's just let God take care of the details. If God gives you an opportunity to discuss, with another believer, things that you believe ot be true; great. If the opportunity is there, and God is involved, then go ahead and do so! But, let's not try to force anybody to believe exactly like we do. My goodness, how many times in my life have I been thankful that i never convinced anybody to beleive like me, as I found out I had beleived incorrectly? See what I am getting at? Like him or not, Dale Thompson is a Christian, he loves God, and that is all there needs to be said.

This question was asked, and this is (part of) Dale's answer in an interview that is only four or five years old...and this is where I will end this, because this answer of his is good enough for me!


Q: Once and for all, is Jesus Christ your personal Savior?

A: Yes He is. I have no other Savior and Lord I believe Jesus Christ is the resurrection, He is the way, the truth, and the life and there is no other. What else do I have to believe to have eternal life? The Bible never indicates that I need to believe anything other than to believe in Jesus Christ and all He represents.

yawn!

Well, I get to update here, finally.

Blogger.com was "unavailable" for several days. Right when i finally wanted to blog, too; figures!

Anyways, work is going 'fine'. Enjoy one of the two people i work with, at least. New expansion set to open in...5 days?! Wow. That'll be neato. As far as I know, the new positions in surveillance won't be officially filled until about July 1st. I doubt I will get offered one, but if two people (or maybe three?) get moved into those positions, i may get to move up regardless. However, my boss Scott does not do any postings by seniority (which seems to make him VERY unpopular with the majority of his staff), so your guess is really as good as mine.

Played through Dragon Age 2 on my pc, three times; awesome game. Now have just gone back to Baldur's Gate (the original) again, from the start, playing as the dwarven fighter/cleric Foothills MacThumpie. Good times!

Not much else happening. Enjoying some classic Earthworm Jim cartoons. Can't wait to sink my teeth into Muppets Tonight episodes soon, too.

Needing to do laundry when I get off work at 8am tomorrow.

That's it for now! Cheers!

Pages Become Chapters...

Just got home.

Home from my last night of work at Lake City Casinos in Vernon.

That place has been my place of employment for the last 7 and a half years; long time.

Lots of emotions going on right now.

I kept announcing my "lasts" while working. "This is my last 6:30 break at this place." "This is my last 11:00 washroom break at this place." "This is the last time coming back in this room from my lunch break." Gwen and Christine got a kick out of it. But, I wasn't doing it for the laughs...I was appreciating this place that has been my workplace, in my own way. Bidding it a fond farewell, one moment at a time.

Leaving is hard. I see an open-ended road of God-led opportunities in front of me, and feel very blessed and mainly peaceful about living and working in Kelowna. But it is still hard to leave behind those you have known for so long.

I was thinking on the way home, that one thing i will never get used to, never get desensitized to in my life, is getting to know and care for people and realizing that they are headed for a lifetime in Hell.

That's tough. Brutally, agonizingly tough. How do you...what do you even say about that? Makes my heart ache...

At work, the dayshifters presented me with a card, signed by most of them plus a few of the nightshifters too. That was really nice. There was well-wishes from many of my Surveillance colleagues, and a Tim Horton's gift card (oh, they know me so well!).

When I started work, handshakes all around. My boss, David, in particular made me feel appreciated and wished me the best, said he hoped to hear from me and see me around (I hope so too, Dave!).

I also got to talk to three other managers working tonight in the Casino, two in person and one via telephone, who all wished me well. One in particular made me feel especially missed (already! lol), and let me know how much she appreciated my humour and my hard work; she didn't seem to think anybody could adequately take over for me, but I think she was just being kind. I felt a little uncomfortable with all of this attention...

Another girl i work with, did not show up to work tonight. Being that she is very emotional, it is possible that she decided to skip my leaving so she wouldn't break down in tears. Fairly likely.

When my shift ended, hugs from my favourite Surveillance Operator, Gwen (she's like a big sister and a grandma all rolled up into one! lol. We got to know each other quite well, to the point where we could finish each others' sentences and laugh at our jokes before we had even finished them!), and then an unexpected hug from my boss, Christine (she also went out and bought me treats and edible goodies, fattening stuff). A handshake from one of the graveyard guys followed. The other graveyard guy...he is the spiritual thorn in my side, satan's way of getting at me at my work. I put out my hand to shake with him, he completely ignored me, wouldn't look at me at all, and just growled out "No!" and then shut up and ignored me. i guess it was his last chance to hurt me, so he took it. And it DID hurt me, of course...half the car ride home, until i just kept praying and God took the burden and weight off of me and released me from his influence, and I figuratively wiped him off of the soles of my feet and went on.

I remember standing by my car in the Casino parking lot, gazing up at the building. Realizing I was no longer employed there. Weird feeling.

And so another Chapter in my life has come to a close, just as another page is turned and a new Chapter is revealed. God continues to Author my life.

May it be pleasing to Him.

Amen.

long time, no time

Been busy lately. Crazy busy.

Was offered a job in my field in Kelowna. Accepted it. Being transferred. It is, at the start, a small step back for me, but I am beleiving that i will be promoted from within when the time is right.

Moved from Vernon to Kelowna. That was nuts, and very tiring and exhausting.

Been commuting back to Vernon to work there, my last day there is Tuesday. That is exciting, but also a little sad...

God has been blessing me. In my job(s), in my move, in my life in general.

One way God has blessed me, is not that long ago, i watched a movie and it reminded me so VERY much of Melanie. I broke down several times while watching it, feeling alternately physically sick and sadly weepy. It was a tough time.

But, I have been learning something in my life. We, as people, tend to switch things off and move past them, pushing them aside. Oftentimes, it is before we have actually truly dealt with them. Sometimes, God blesses us by unexpectedly ripping off the bandaid, and the scab with it, in order to facilitate further healing. That hurts. I have been learning in my life, when this happens, to smile through the tears and the pain, and thank God for what He is doing, and let Him do it.

Several days later, while driving, God showed me a revelation about my last marriage, to Rachelle, that helped me to put some things into proper perspective. That was also unexpected, completely out of the blue. Once again, God's divine blessing works in mysterious ways.

So, i am doing well. By faith, i know and proclaim that i am doing AWESOME! I'm a little tired out, and a little nervous, and a lot overwhelmed. But I will make it, Jesus will walk me through it, and I will rejoice in His many blessings.

My mind is going a hundred miles an hour. Guess it is time to go to bed, prepare myself for my last work shift in Vernon with a good rest.

:)