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Reviews Written By: A2TP4A79ZRVTHV

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	Cryptopsy - None So Vile
	"Nothing Short of Devastating"	2009-11-09
This is an album hailed by many as a death metal classic, and upon many listens, it's easy to see why. When Cryptopsy debuted "Blasphemy Made Flesh" in 1994, it was a brilliant take on death metal. However, flaws in the production tended to hold it back. It was in 1996 that Cryptopsy would expand on those ideas in the past and belt out "None So Vile", a monstrous death metal assault that doesn't let up throughout its eight track span. Opening up with a quote from "The Exorcist III: Legion" on "Crown of Horns", a drum fill is followed by Flo Mounier and the fun begins. The band managed to write some of the most intense and memorable riffs, courtesy of Jon Levasseur, and Eric Langois' debut as bassist just makes it shine more, giving us a taste of some amazing bass work that is well heard throughout. Then, we have Lord Worm, the man that helped to enhance this album even more with his indecipherable yet perfect vocals. By "perfect", I mean that it fits the music perfectly by belting out some of the most sinister vocals that the genre has ever heard. After the album is finished, we're treated with a sound clip from "Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness" that perfectly sums up the reaction that the untrained will witness. It doesn't matter what you think of Cryptopsy these days, this is their defining moment and must be listened to if you have any respect for death metal. Score: 10/10 (seriously)
	Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
	"Gritty, Psychedelic and Hits Hard"	2009-09-08
Forget the fact that this was labeled as grunge, because once you've really exfoliated this album, it's way beyond than what the media calls it. "Badmotorfinger", the 3rd album by the infamous Seattle group Soundgarden, is a phenomenal work that transcends the glory days of Black Sabbath and the hard rock vibe of Led Zeppelin, yet it is laced as one of the biggest standouts to come out in the early 90's. A stoner rock vibe is carried out at times, especially on "Outshined", a doom approach is heard in "Slaves and Bulldozers", and even traces of punk rock are evident in tracks like "Face Pollution" and "Rusty Cage". While vocalist Chris Cornell is one of a kind that is barely ever imitated for his impressive range, I feel that the rest of the members don't get as much credit as he does. Guitarist Kim Thayil is amazing at what he does, with his dark rhythms overshadowing the album, and Matt Cameron's drumming helps to bend tempos throughout the songs. This album is an excellent embodiment of the band's influences put to great use, and overall I feel that it is an album that would be best off for fans of stoner rock like Kyuss and traditional heavy metal in the vein of Black Sabbath. A classic that is more than what meets the eye.
	Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
	"Memories..."	2009-07-31
I remember when I was 13 years old, I bought this album a year after it originally came out. It was one of the very few CDs that I owned at the time, but this album found its way on repeat throughout my 7th grade year. Linkin Park were one of my favorite bands, and naturally, I bought Meteora around the time it came out as well. Then, after about 2 years, there was a phase I had when I completely regretted owning this album, going all the way to making fun of them for the wrong reasons and even destroying my copy of the album. I feel much worse for that reason now. Now, let's go to this day. In no way am I big on this album as I was back in 2001/02, due to the fact that I discovered a lot of better music out there, but I also realized that there is far worse than this. Still, it's a rather average output for an overhyped band. First off, the lyrical content has much more you can relate to when you were younger than when you mature. To my surprise, you don't hear any profanities, which is uncommon for a lot of nu-metal acts. However, what you hear is nothing but angst and internal struggles for the most part, and while there are plenty of bands I listen to that focus on that, they pull it off much better than what LP does. A good example is "Shut up when I'm talking to you" from "One Step Closer". For the rest of this album, I should hate it, but I don't. The songwriting is extremely basic, mostly verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, and there's barely any semblance of musicianship other than the basic chord progression. Mike Shinoda is an average MC, and vocalist Chester Bennington is pretty bad at what he does. BUT, I believe that the use of electronica and scratching used in this album helps out a bit, seeing that not many nu-metal bands that incorporate rapping can use electronic soundscapes to good use. For example, "Cure For the Itch" is a nice instrumental that's a far cry and a nice break from the rest of the album. The songs give me a feeling of deja vu, especially the non-singles, because it should be obvious that you can't let go of your past. This album isn't highly recommended by me. There are so many faults with it, but then again, this is much better than the re-hash of this album the band would do with Meteora, the awful remix album Reanimation, the pointless Jay-Z collaboration, or even worse yet, Minutes to Midnight. If you have to go with one LP album, go with this.
	Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back - PlayStation (PS one)
	"A Lot of Changes, But Still Another Worthy Crash Game"	2009-06-15
In fact, I always tended to enjoy this one more than the previous, due to the fact that they made it less frustrating at times. In this game, Crash "helps" Cortex to "save the world" by collecting crystals, despite the fact that Crash's sister, Coco, knows Cortex's true intentions. However, Crash doesn't know until near the end, due to a terrible signal quality. The gameplay and design has changed a lot with this title. Crash can now use the circle button to duck, slide when moving and crouch jump. There are less levels, but they are divided into five Warp Rooms with five levels each (with a bonus warp room included). Plus you can actually save whenever you please! Along with these, there are also more level settings, whether it would be the woods, the cold, the sewers, even the ruins. Remember when you rode the hog in the first game? Well, this time, you ride a polar bear cub instead. You still collect gems in this game, but the mandatory ones are the crystals mentioned before in each level, which are easy to obtain. You still will receive a box gem for destroying every box (even the new Nitro boxes which should not be touched until you reach the green ! switch), except you can use up as many extra lives as you want and still get the gem as long as each box is destroyed. The color gems still serve the same purpose, even though there are only 5. The gems are more challenging to get and will still give you a reason to keep playing. While this game may seem a bit short, it is still a fun platformer released in the PS1 days.
	Crash Bandicoot
	"Solid Platformer With Some Flaws"	2009-05-27
I remember when I first got this game with a Playstation console in early 1998. It was a great phenomenon then, because the Crash Bandicoot series was able to bring some new life to the platforming genre of gaming with its 2D and 3D interchangeable levels. Crash must go through 25 levels and 6 bosses in this game, but unlike the later games in the series, Crash must tackle the levels chronologically by progressively going through 3 islands. While the gameplay is fun and interesting, the game has its flaws as well. First off, you can only save when you either complete a bonus round (which can only be access one time in each level) or when you collect a gem for destroying every crate in the level. This gets frustrating, because in order to get each gem, you must complete the level and break the boxes without losing a life, plus the fact that colored gems are required to complete certain levels. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about the box gems just yet and just try to find the bonus in the newer level you are at if you want to call it a day. You may have to do the newer level again, which tends to be a flaw. Despite this, I highly recommend this for fans of previous platforming games like Donkey Kong Country and Sonic the Hedgehog. While the series would improve, this is not a bad start.
	Underground Kingz - Ridin' Dirty
	"Dense and Hypnotic: The True Dirty South"	2009-05-14
The words "Dirty South" tend to leave a bitter taste in my mouth. The scene these days is more fixated on snap and crunk. The sad part is that the Dirty South rap scene is way more than that. In the 90's, there were groups that were putting their own flavor of hip-hop on the map, including but not limited to Goodie Mob, OutKast, and definitely UGK. The duo of Bun B and the late Pimp C released their 3rd album, "Ridin Dirty", in 1996, and this is considered to be the group's pinnacle. After many spins, it's easy to see why. Bun B and Pimp C trade off and flow like syrup, and the production (mostly handled by Pimp C and N.O. Joe) is hypnotic and dark. The songs can either be soulful and calm (One Day, Hi-Life), upbeat (Pinky Ring, F*** My Car) or downright gritty (Murder, That's Why I Carry). This is the antithesis to what they call dirty south; this is the real thing, folks.
	Max Payne (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray]
	"Another Failed Adaptation"	2009-05-01
If there is any positive factor I can say while watching this movie, it was the special effects used, especially during the hallucination scenes that would take place before death. Unfortunately, special effects alone do not make a good movie. It seems that the production team just scrapped a summary of the video game series and the characters and used it to form the movie. The plot is jumbled up and doesn't make sense, and when the acting is completely sub-par, it just makes things worse. Mark Wahlberg comes off as one-dimensional throughout the film, seeming like he just wanted to walk through this and get it over with. I wouldn't blame him if that's true, because I just wanted this to finally end once and for all. The action is minimal; there are more flashbacks and hallucinations. When there is action, it just mindlessly spoofs The Matrix (when Wahlberg shoots backwards at his enemy). Wahlberg himself said that he had no intention to play the games; he would have been surprised to see how different the movie is to the games. A completely wrong step that I do not recommend, even for those that are unfamiliar with the series.
	Godflesh - Streetcleaner
	"We are All Ants and Streetcleaner is Our Destroyer"	2009-04-25
Streetcleaner is the album that redefined "apocalyptic" upon its release in 1989. It gave industrial music a whole new look with its distorted madness possessed by not just the guitars, but by Broadrick's vocals. The whole effect this album possesses will completely obliterate your previous visions and transform them all into an ugly and deserted wasteland. This album is by far an essential for any fan of harsh, noisy and/or extreme music. Now be prepared to be engulfed by the streetcleaner.
	Six Feet Under (Metal) - Maximum Violence
	"The Peak of Their Career"	2006-08-16
I can see how Six Feet Under tends to be a band that is usually ignored by many. Anything released after this album is pretty generic and redundant. However, I really dig the band's first three albums, especially this one, "Maximum Violence". The thing I like about this album is that it is an album that throws in catchy riffs, basically because Obituary's guitarist is in there. Chris Barnes (you all know what he does) is mediocre for a vocalist. There's worse out there, believe me. The groove on "Feasting of the Blood of the Insane" is pretty catchy if you ask me. If you want a death metal album with a groove twist to it, I recommend this.
	Cryptopsy - Blasphemy Made Flesh
	"Close Your Eyes...This May Hurt A Lot!"	2006-08-12
Cryptopsy blew me away the first time I listened to them. It's like a mix of grindcore mixed with technical death and jazz. It's unbelievable. And this is the album that started it all. "Defenstration" has some of the best bass lines you'll ever hear in music. And Flo Mounier is an unhuman blastbeat guy! Lord Worm, even though you can't understand the majority of his lyrics, fits in well with the band. Mike DeSalvo ("Whisper Supremacy" and "And Then You'll Beg" vocalist) is decent and all, but Lord Worm fits more perfectly. You need this album, whether it's brutal death, tech death, or grindcore that fits your fancy.
	Nile - Amongst the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka
	"Good Lord..."	2006-06-28
Nile is pure bliss. I mean, this is not just an out-of-the-ordinary death metal band. This is a band that blends death metal brutality and technicality with Egyptian themes. And they hail from South Carolina. Amazing, ain't it? "Ramses Bringer of War" has these trumpet blasts at first, then the brutal riffage. "Smashing The Antiu" and "Serpent Headed Mask" have some of the best blastbeats ever heard, while the closer track, "Beneath Eternal Oceans of Sand" is more of an ambience track. This is a great start for a breakthrough band. Recommended.