Resisting the Urge to Self Indulge

If I had the luxury of being self indulgent at the moment, this would be high on the priority list. Sometimes I can't resist the urge to online 'shop' for things that I can't actually afford. Especially when most of the gothic-styled clothing that I like tends to come from Britain and other European countries. 

(While this is supposed to be a metal blog, it seems appropriate for a female metal head to have a post or two about clothing...)

Living Dead Souls Magenta gothic dress

A Game Of Pagan Metal

Like seemingly everyone else, I have watched a few seasons of Game of Thrones, and have managed to read most of the novels in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. Thus, I found these to be quite interesting, and wished I could have found larger copies of the images:

As far as I can figure from wading through the unfamiliar waters of Tumblr, the images originally came from here:
http://song-til-stormen.tumblr.com/post/57526516169

Top Ten Metal Trends That Sucked

Upon going through some old Metal Hammer magazines, I came across a top ten list that may cause a bit of a chuckle... 

From the February 2009 edition of Metal Hammer:

Top 10 Metal Trends That Sucked

1. Spandex

Even the most attractive and well-proportioned genitals fail to make this skin-tight nightmare add anything to the metal scene other than a new level of horror.

1. Rapping

Rage Against The Machine made it seem like a decent idea. But then every chubby berk in massive strides decided to have a go. We cheered when it stopped.

1. Make-Up And Hairspray

As much as we love Mötley Crüe and Poison, did they really have to look like mutant glamour models after a car accident? We were never confused. Honest.

1. Pretending To Be Evil

Ooh, he’s standing in the forest! Ooh, he’s scowling! Ooh, he’s waving a fiery torch in the air! Ooh, his name’s Tarquin and he’s late home for his tea. Pillock.

1. Actually Being Evil

A bit of inter-band rivalry is one thing, but stabbing up a fellow musician because he called you ‘pooface’ is really pushing it. We’re looking at you, Varg. Behave!

1. White Metal

These days, Christian metal has somehow shrugged off it’s general air of 

über-lameness. But did anyone ever take Stryper seriously? Sweet Lord in

heaven, no!

1. Loincloths

It doesn’t get much more metal than Manowar. However it doesn’t get much more homo-erotic than Manowar wearing tatty bits of cloth around their oiled-up 

nadgers. Yikes.

1. Cybergoth

 Nothing dates faster than half-arsed visions of the future. And nothing looks more

eye-rapingly dismal than grown men with ratty dreaklocks wearing rubber string vests. Cybergit, more like.

1. Comedy Beards

Blame Scott Ian. Blame that bloke from System Of A Down. Whoever started it, the beards-plus-dye look is never going to stop sucking. Fact.

1. Kung Fu Dancing

 One minute, you’re enjoying a nice pint. The next, it’s been jettisoned into orbit by some gurning tool in a vest. Kindly bring back the mosh pit before we get

cross.

Comedy Beards? Does this look like a comedy beard? 

Wintersun with Fleshgod Apocalypse, Arsis, Starkill

August 20th, 2013

Unfortunately we arrived too late to catch any of Starkill’s set. Having seen them within the last year, it didn’t feel like a huge loss. As most people could be overheard highly praising this band, it seems likely that the up-and-comers will be back on a future date anyways. 

Arsis delivered a fairly formulaic, predictable set. While they have albums that are quite good, it didn’t feel as thought it translated onto stage this evening. While there was nothing to genuinely complain about regarding Arsis’ set, it lacked the kind of excitement that one hopes for from a live act. Perhaps it was the slightly muddy sound and not being able to clearly hear vocals, or perhaps it had something to do with seeing Arsis on other occasions where the performance had that spark, but I just couldn’t get into their set. There were, however, numerous Arsis fans in the crowd who appeared to be quite satisfied.

Fleshgod Apocalypse was welcomed to a myriad of cheers from the audience. The presence of a female vocalist was a new, and great, addition to their live show. While the female vocals were lost for the first part of the set, they were clearly discernible by the end. Fleshgod was exciting, providing enough well orchestrated musical variety and energy to draw the crowd in. Raised fists and enthusiastic fans were abundant during the Italian’s time on stage. They worked as a well-oiled unit, incorporating vocals from several band members and never producing a dull moment. Dare I say it, but they stole the show on this night.

The headliners, Wintersun, were greatly anticipated by the crowd, appearing on stage to chants of their name and exuberant cheers. The Finns played for over an hour, with individual songs containing both faster tempos and slower breaks. While there wasn’t as much movement from the crowd as during the openers, this seemed appropriate considering Wintersun is a band that demands being watched rather than moshing to. Not being too familiar with Wintersun’s material, I still found them to be enjoyable, fronted by perfectionist Jari Mäenpää. With a sold out crowd, Wintersun left their many fans still wanting a few more songs at the end of the evening and anticipating the next time these Finns tour.