I will be voting for the first time since 1980. I believe I cast my vote for Anderson (independent). I'm not really thrilled about either presidential candidate. I was hoping that Ron Paul would beat the odds and become the Republican nominee. I don't honestly believe either presidential candidate can change things a whole lot when he gets elected. It is change that is already happening as we adapt to a different world. To me it seems we are a little too willing to give up our privacy and some freedoms in exchange for protection that can't really be guaranteed anyway. Our technological advances are starting to race faster than we can adapt to (and/or adopt). We could see cyborgs in the not too distant future. Even what we see as human beings could be quite different within 100 years or less. We still haven't learned to be friends with our neighboors. Our focus, as the human race should show more emphasis on working together and realizing we are pretty much the same. None of this stuff will get discussed by the candidates.

Slipknot vs. Metallica : album reviews

This is a comparison review of two new metal albums. Metallica's Death Magnetic and Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone. The Slipknot album is out, the Metallica album isn't due out for another couple of weeks. Both reviews are based on 320 kbps mp3 audio files.

The Metallica album starts with That Was Your Life. It is a more uptempo number reminiscent of their style from Master Of Puppets. I'm trying to remember what St. Anger sounded like for comparison but can't at the moment. There is a short solo in the song. I guess St. Anger had no solos on that album. Solos can be good or bad depending on how they fit in and so on. To me this song sounded like older Metallica but it didn't really grab me much. I guess it is "okay." The sound is overly compressed and a bit overloaded. There is no way to know the source of these files since the album isn't actually out yet. If this is how it sounds, they did a poor job of mixing. The End Of The Line is up next. It starts out quickly with chunky rhythm guitars at a quick pace then slows to a riff and changes again to a more uptempo pace and then repeats the whole process again. Once again this sounds more like older Metallica in spots with a bit newer stuff mixed in. It has some nice Thin Lizzy-like doubled guitar leads at one point. This is followed by a short wah lead. A lot of changes in this song. At around the 6 minute point it shifts to undistorted guitar and quieter playing before building back up to the original riff again. Once again, this song is "okay." Broken, Beat, and Scarred starts out with a little different style and you can hear the bass guitar finally. A few changes and a little slower pace. It has a more distinctive riff going than the previous songs. This is the first one that I feel like I would listen to again. Better songwriting? It's hard to say for sure. The speed picks up a bit just before the 4 minute mark and we get a solo. None of the solos have been memorable but they at least seem to fit in the context of the song. The Day That Never Comes starts out with undistorted electric guitar and evolves into a style comparable to Enter Sandman , though not sounding specifically like it. The song "takes off" some with a bunch of different styles including once again Thin Lizzy-like leads. Maybe too much stuff crammed together that doesn't really gel that well. At almost 8 minutes it just doesn't keep me interested the way their longer songs from albums back did. All Nightmare Long starts with galloping drums and undistorted guitars before quickly shifting gears to fast paced riffing. Lots of stop/starts like in the old days. Another nearly 8 minute song that I lose interest in before it finishes. Cyanide starts and then stops and changes gear into a catchy guitar riff that is a little slower than the previous songs but more fun to listen to. It does that change again like at the beginning of the song and I don't think it works very well. This song goes off in some inconsistent directions before coming back to the main theme again. This is an avarage song that could have been much better. The Unforgiven III starts with piano and strings. It builds into a midtempo rocker at around a minute and a half into the song. This is an okay song also that goes on way too long. The Judas Kiss starts out with some interesting parts and tempo changes. It sounds like a modern Metallica referencing their older stuff better than anything else on the album so far. Geez, another nearly 8 minute song. This one goes on too long also, but it stays in context musically and I like this song the best so far. It's a good song. Suicide and Redemption starts out with some nice bass and very thick guitar sounds. It is kind of slow tempo and for some reason reminds me of The Rollins Band for the first three minutes or so. Then it turns into a different song, much quieter for a little bit, before getting loud again and pretty much pointless. At nearly 10 minutes this went from the best song to a "not good song." Fade out after around three minutes and it is great. This was an instrumental. My Apocalypse starts out pretty nice with a good riff and then switching to speedeier playing, once again refencing older stuff. This song captures the feel of their older stuff the best even if it doesn't capture the spirit of it completely. This is probably the best song on the album. I'm definitely not really a Metallica fan anymore for a lot of reasons but I always check out their new stuff to see what it's like. I remember liking St. Anger at least a little bit. I found this album to a disappointment. It seems like they are not focussed and I blame that on the producer Rick Rubin. He might have been the wrong choice for them at this point. They bring back the sounds of older Metallica but the songs themselves aren't very good. If the actual disc sounds like this then they get poor grades for the mix. The instruments themselves sound good, but the total mix is overloaded and compressed to the poiint of being distracting to me. In general: not recommended. Music : C Recording: B Mix : D

I have only heard previous Slipknot albums in passing so I don't know how this one stacks up against those. I suspect this one is a bit more musical (vague I know). I have never been a fan of growly/cookie monster vocals. If they were ever threatening sounding they sure aren't anymore. In the times those type of vocals are used here it seems to work pretty well. I like it best when they are in between that and the quiet vocals that are used in a couple of songs. The first track starts with some noisy sounds, distorted talking and guitars starting to build up. This leads to Gematria, which wastes no time in establishing a nice riff that made me think of (!) early Metallica. This is definitely a headbanger song that references speed metal and even punk a bit. Sound quality is excellent. This is a pretty good song.Like the Metallica stuff, this song goes on too long. They pull it off better by not straying to far from the original theme. Sulfer is another good track. Nice choice of chord changes and is quite catchy to listen to. The leads alternate between fast and punctuated and they both fit fine. The song is long but I never lost interest. Psychosocial is another song that is like a heavier version of Metallica (old school) mixed with modern metal when the vocals get "normal". Also might be similar to Marilyn Manson just a bit. Another catchy well written song that is still pretty heavy. Describing these songs isn't much different from describing the songs on Metallicas Death Magnetic. The difference is that Slipknot seem to know what they are doing and Metallica seems to have lost it's voice. This song is also long but it didn't seem like it. No pointless stops and starts and tempo changes, just getting an infectious riff going and enough variation to keep you along for the ride. Dead Memories is the quietest so far. It sounds like it could be played on the radio.I like the song but it gets a little close to sounding like some other rock bands with the quieter approach and "softer" vocals. Still a good song. Vendetta is up next. I haven't made any comments about the drumming so far. They are detailed, loud , and all over the place(in a good way). The drummer must be in good shape to play the stuff he's playing. This is my favorite song so far. The vocals are in between the quiet stuff and the cookie monster stuff. This another long song that I didn't get tired of because of the good song writing and energy behind it. I couldn't play the next song, Butcher's Block. Gehenna is the biggest disappointment so far. I didn't care for the singing and the song wasn't too exciting. I didn't find it to be scary as some comments have suggested.This Cold Black is back on course with heavy and fast material. I like it.Wherein Lies Continue is a slower track but still heavy track. Not a s good as the previous one but still good. Snuff is a much quieter song. It's done pretty well but just not my type of song within this group of songs anyway. All Hope Is Gone is not bad but not my favorite of the album. Overall it seems these guys might be trying to expand their music vocaubulary somewhat. Most of the time they succeed, and of course opinions will vary. I liked the heavier stuff the best. It is still a more consistent and enjoyable release than the new Metallica, which I just didn't enjoy much at all. Music: B+ Recording: A Mix: A