Author Archive for JR
Geez, the Metal genre really is a young man’s game these days. Seeing Judas Priest a couple of months back - I was amazed at the lackluster energy on offer as mainman Rob Halford strolled around the stage like a tired old man. He looked like I do when I get out of bed each morning and stumble to the fridge in a ‘Tony Soprano’ like shuffle to get some breakfast. Tonight was the absolute opposite of that as the nine members of Slipknot took charge of the Rod Laver Arena stage like men possessed - or with a ton of gnashing red ants in their collective pants! Barely pausing for breath, their was just so much hyperactivity on deck that it was hard just focussing on the one band member.
Of course, the crowd lapped it all up. Australia has always been a major market for Slipknot and testament to the band’s popularity in Australia, Corey Taylor briefly paused the gig to show off a couple of Gold & Platinum awards for ‘All Hope Is Gone’ - (which debuted at Number 1 on the Australian charts) as well as for the previous ‘Vol 3′ opus. In this era of illegal downloads and such, and for such an extreme band that would get absolutely zero airplay on the quagmire that is Australian Radio - this is quite an achievement.
Unfortunately, with the trappings of the masks and all the theatrics, Slipknot appear to be a very underrated band. I always looked at them with fondness and marveled at their originality and catchy-as-hell musical brutality. I mean, what other Metal act features 9 members - two of them percussionists (and boy does that add to the sound in the live arena or what?) and a DJ?
Four amazing albums into their career, the band has an absolute treasure trove of material to choose from and that is exactly what they did at tonight’s show. Quite honestly, there was never a dull moment be it musical or visual and seeing 9 maniacal band members totally and utterly dominate the stage with ferocity, theatricality and outright presence was a joy to watch. Levitating drums, pyro, bombs, insane clowns beating on metal kegs, violence, ferocity a DJ strutting the stage with a friggn walking stick as he’s still recovering from breaking his ankles at the band’s first show of the tour(!!!) This was truly a classic gig and I’m glad to say I have finally gotten to see Slipknot live!
And kudos to openers Machine Head who delivered one of the loudest sets I’ve ever heard since the glory days of Lemmy and Motorhead. Rob Flynn would have to be one of the most charismatic and dynamic frontmen in Metal today. The sheer energy and outright gusto he delivered was something to behold. Machine Head were simply magnificent with pure adrenalin and energy dripping from the Arena ceiling.
Continue reading ‘Slipknot - Melbourne, Australia: Rod Laver Arena’
pic: l - r: yours truly gets all Matrix’d out and two shots of my girlfriend given the Poladroid treatment!
I’ve always been a fan of the ‘Polaroid’ look and over the years, I’ve used a lot of Polaroid-like snaps in various web design projects or personal digital art. I’ve always loved the color a Polaroid camera produces - especially over time when the photo begins to fade and you get some gorgeous washed-out tones and textures.
Well now you can achieve that Polaroid effect without Photoshop and without a Polaroid camera!
A friend of mine recently turned me on to the Poladroid website and application where you can make your very own Polaroid shots. The app is so damn cool (and cute!) and can be downloaded from here.
Also, check out their Flickr group were punters the world over are submitting their Poladroid shots!
(Mac OSX only at this stage…)
KnuckleBonz has unveiled a limited-edition sculpture of Jimmy Page depicted just as he appeared on stage in Chicago in 1977. The Jimmy Page II ‘Stormtrooper’ Rock Iconz figure is a fully licensed, limited edition collectible. The figure is hand-painted and numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity. This sculpture is licensed and personally approved by Jimmy Page.
The ‘Stormtrooper’ is the second sculpture of Jimmy Page created in a limited edition by KnuckleBonz. The first figure was released in 2007 and featured Page in his white “poppy” dragon suit and violin bow held high overhead.
Pricing and availability: The Jimmy Page II ‘Stormtrooper’ Rock Iconz is expected to ship in November 2008. The figure stands nine inches tall on top a wooden display base. This is a limited edition created by KnuckleBonz; there are only 3,000 available worldwide.
For more information, go here.
New MacBook, MacBook Pro Reviewed — Verdict: Super Speed, Foxy Facades.
I had a play with one the other day and the thing that jumped out at me immediately was the sheer speed of the thing.
Apple, Beatles Come Together on iPods, But Not iTunes.
The Beatles and Apple are living so happily together on new custom-designed iPods released Monday — but they have yet to embrace one another in the iTunes Store.
I am without words.
(via)
From left to right: Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Chris Pine and a nice shiner on his punim as James T. Kirk, Simon Pegg as Lt. Montgomery Scott, Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy, John Cho as Sulu and Zoe Saldana as Uhura.
If you are part of Paramount’s Star Trek webmaster program (as this blog is) you woulda received an email yesterday informing you of new photos from the forthcoming geekfest movie. There’s a few photos doing the rounds but the one above is we were given permission to use.
I’ve been to many a gig over the course of the past twenty years or so. I’ve seen them all. But when it comes to outright brutal heaviness, I have never seen, heard of experienced anything like Meshuggah before in my life. To call them Heavy is really selling them short. These guys are way beyond that.
Hailing from Sweden, and proliferating their tunes with polyrhythmic structures that require intense concentration for one just to find a solitary groove - Meshuggah are not for the layman Rock fan.
Last night featured a literal barrage of sound delivered to a sold-out raucous maniacal crowd that was lapping it all up with gratitude and fists held high.
The set was only a little over an hour but in all honesty, that is about as much as I could take. I felt as if I had been battered from pillar to post. An aural assault of intricate time shifts, and a bottom end that had the fillings in my teeth shake, rattle and roll! Pure intensity topped only by the magnificent specimen of a barmaid, but we’ll leave well enough alone hey?
I couldn’t even begin to tell you the set-list as I am really not that familiar with the band’s repertoire, but I left the venue last night knowing I had experienced a truly unique sounding powerful band. Just intense! That’s the word that keeps repeating on me and that’s what we’ll stick with…
Continue reading ‘Meshuggah - Melbourne, Australia: The Palace’
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