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Panda_bear

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  1. Panda_bear

    In flames - sounds of a fading playground
  2. Panda_bear

    Funnily enough, this happened to be once on the forum until i saw the é That one line you mentioned always seems to be quoted, and for better or for worse it’s gotten them a bit of notoriety. Although the song is called drug dealer friend, and within the context of the song, the line makes sense. I believe it’s about a drug addict who sinks so low, he convinces his partner to perform sexual favors on his drug dealer as a form of payment for more drugs. It definitely comes down to a matter of taste, although I’ve never really had a problem with that song or any other ones they had. Lyrically, I think most of the time what’s written is appropriate for their style of music. And usually they always have at least 1 meaningful song on each album. Their lyrics and their delivery do seem to have gotten better with each album, with Eternal Enemies being the best lyrically and musically I’ve heard of them so far. I will agree there is some shock value lyrically to them sometimes, but it’s usually to serve the aim of the song. Whether you dig those lines or not is of course personal preference. I would recommend checking out Eternal Enemies and Take At Look Yourself. Haven’t heard the latter yet, but it sounds like it brings the slams.
  3. Panda_bear

    That's funny I've had quite the opposite experience. I've owned the same pair of BOSE speakers for years, and they're great. Good bass, mids and treble. Great overall quality and really good clarity for what they are. Don't know about their headphones though. I would recommend something with an ear-cup shape for headphones rather than earphone shaped, especially for that price. Unless you are specifically looking for that shape. You can't go wrong with any studio headphones nowadays. Would definitely stay away from gaming, or consumer grade devices like apple or beats. They're overpriced and don't come close to a fraction of what studio grade headphones can do. Consumer headphones do have more features, like bluetooth, leds, or whatever else, but it comes at the expensive of sound quality. Would recommend looking into the following brands Sennheiser Beyerdynamic AKG AudioTechnia I also find noise cancelling to be gimmicky most of the time. Unless you're listening to music in a super noisy environment, or demand hyper immersion, regular headphones at a normal volume level will keep all but the loudest sounds out.
  4. Panda_bear

    Slowdive - Dagger
  5. Panda_bear

    Emmure (Ughh, can't get the videos to center) A Gift A Curse Demons With Ryu MDMA Any fans here? I actually really like this band. I accidentally found out about them a few years back because of all the hate I would see some of the metal community throw their way. Most of which was greatly exaggerated. Unfortunately I think they became one of those bands that was trendy to hate on like BMTH or AA back in the day. Their style of metalcore isn't really anything groundbreaking or technical, but I like the emotion, raw lyrics and creativity behind their music. You get a good mix of downtuned guitars, sick double bass and breakdowns, with the occasional altmetal/numetal influenced or deftonish sounding songs. My fav albums by them are Speaker of the Dead, Nemesis, and probably Take A Look At Yourself. I'm still waiting for my copy to come in the mail. But from the previews I've heard, it sounds like it's their sickest release yet.
  6. Panda_bear

    Not what I was expecting from the band, but they actually made the hip-hop/rap djent thing work. Light years ahead of what linkin park is currently doing.
  7. The last 2 metal album that totally rocked my face off. First is Shokran's Exodus. It is without a doubt a technical prog masterpiece. Amazing production, sick technical guitar work, great vocals, and a cool Egyptian theme to tie it all together. Highly recommend this album. The next album is Carcer City's infinite//unknown. It's probably one of the best metalcore releases of 2016 with a ton of prog metal influence. Again recommended, even if metalcore is not your thing.
  8. Panda_bear

    This is my view from the decade of being involved in the J-rock /vk scene. I think the current slowdown of VK over the last few years has a number of factors behind it. The first is the over saturation of bands in the scene. Not only did there seem to be more bands than ever in the VK scene but they more or less all sounded the same. It kinda makes sense that following the rise in the number of VK bands, there would be a huge number of disbandment's with the competition being so stiff, and very few bands actually innovating or at the very least making decent music. A vast increase of bands with the same cookie cutter sound and low quality output is a brickwall for any genre. This also has the effect of making labels and even fans, tired of VK bands, thus further ensuring a downward trend. Another reason is that VK is usually horribly promoted either by the labels or the bands themselves. They make such dumb decisions that end up costing them a ton of money, either by squandering it on ventures with very little to no returns, or over looking untapped but very potentially rich opportunities. This has always been a problem with the scene, but it becomes magnified on an even greater scale when you have a whole bunch of vk bands rise up and almost simultaneously implode back to back, month after month, year after year. A big part of what I believe plays a major role for those outside of Japan is the accessibility to VK, and music in general. To an extent this has always been a problem with VK, but with a ton of file sharing sites, music blogs, and forums getting axed in the last couple of years, it is harder to find access to VK or Japanese music in general. There used to be a time where you could literally google some obscure Japanese band and get your hands on their releases without much effort. Today that’s rarely the case. Not only is the quantity of releases down, but it’s a lot harder to actually access them. And while there has been good strides for Japanese music to be obtained legally for foreigners, it still leaves a lot to be desired. As others have pointed out, the erosion of the VK community is another contributing factor for the decline of VK. I’m specifically talking about the online community outside of japan. I believe the online VK community is what kept the scene invigorated with interest and a steady supply of new bands. As to why the community has been drastically reduced I’ll point to the first reason I made and the one written above. This along with the fact that many listeners probably either outgrew the scene, and those that remained retreated to refugees like MH. So you’ve gone from a widespread but scattered ardent community, to a centralized but much smaller passionate community. VK was always a niche market, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. I do think it has reached it’s critical mass and what we’re seeing now is the implosion of the scene. It’s not it’s death, but a remission after being over saturated, and with no new bands pushing forward, it’s established bands retiring and it’s community mostly gone and unable to keep it relevant and interesting as it once was. I don’t believe EDM, or K-pop or whatever killed VK, or even affected it. I believe this was the inevitable direction VK was always heading in, and those genres just happened to coincide with it’s downfall. I do think there are less people getting into rock and metal but that has to do with an age difference. I believe the majority of us here grew up and were exposed to some sort of rock, metal or genre that used actual instruments. While most of the newer generation today is primarily exposed to electronica or mainstream pop and thus they end up heading down that route and have less of a chance of discovering rock, or something like VK. This wouldn’t be so bad if the electronica or pop they listened to weren’t soulless vapid unoriginal turds. It’s not impossible, but a lot harder for younger generations to get exposed to rock music in general. I don’t think VK is dead or that it ever will be. Yes genres and styles fade into obscurity, some much more than others, but I think VK will definitely always stick around. Part of the reason is because bands like Luna Sea , and X Japan, among a few others, have made enough of a significant impact on the Japanese music scene to remain relevant and inspire younger generations, either directly, or indirectly. The other part is that VK is super diverse in terms of aesthetic appearance and in terms of genres, so it allows a ton of creative freedom, and makes it more likely and appealing for musicians to take part in it. Another benefit from that genre diversity is that it keeps the door open for VK to enter different realms. While a strictly metal band would only have certain paths or opportunities in which to grow, just like pop would only have certain paths, VK has the advantage of covering a wide base of opportunities. Of course you still need a band that can actually makes good music and can play. On a side note I do think EDM and electronica get’s a bad rep. Like everything else there’s a lot of good and bad in every genre and electronica is no exception. There’ s a ton of mainstream crap, but a lot of amazing stuff that has come in recent years too. And although it may be a different skillset , it still takes lots of skill and talent. You’ve got to synthesize lead synths, and sound design elements, select or create your drum tones, know about music theory since everything is still based on chords, notes, and rhythms, be good with programming and on top of that do your own mixing and mastering. Kinda dislike this idea that electronica is just pushing one button, or that it requires no music theory or talent at all. Then again there's always those exceptions.
  9. Panda_bear

    Catherine Wheel and Chrome are so under rated.
  10. Panda_bear

    Organize my CPU Drives Organize my life in general Learn to touch type Transition from being employed to being self employed Cosplay at Comic Con with friends Discover some new cool J-rock/J-pop Hang out on MH more.
  11. Panda_bear

    These guys easily had one of the best releases for the year.
  12. Panda_bear

    Did not see Danny coming back to be honest, or Dennis leaving for that matter. This was pretty crazy. I don't know the reasons why Dennis left, but if the rumors turn out to be true, and he is just a gold digger, well he's kinda of a dick. Don't know why you would leave the position of vocalist for one of the most popular metalcore bands around for no good reason. Speaking of which The Black was a disappointment.It had barely any of the AA magic. It's probably the band's weakest and most forgettable album. It's got some good song, but it just drags out and sounds uninteresting after the first few tracks. It doesn't have the energy or heaviness of their first 2 albums, or the charm and interesting blend of metalcore and 80's rock that FTD had. What 80's influence it does have, sounds half assed and forced. And Dennis actually sounded better in Down and Dirty than In The Black. Wtf? I bought the album and listened to it multiple times, but I could never get into it as an album. I mostly just play the tracks that appeal to me the most now. Also anybody listen to their cover of slipknot's duality? Dennis clearly did not give a fuck on that cover, since his performance is totally weak. It would be interesting to know the timeline in which that song was recorded since it might align with the time when he began to fall out of the band. Would of have loved to see Danny on this. As far as having Danny back, I admit it's cool, but my concern would be his performance. His vocals aren't why they used to be, so it it will be interesting to see how things out turn during the long run in his live performance. Judging from what I've seen so far, that year off really did some good for his vocals. What I'm most excited about is seeing if the band will record with Danny and how that process will work. I would love to see Danny be passionate about heavy music again and put effort into making another great album with the band. His vocals may not be what they were, but he can clearly still make great use of them like in FTD. I hope to get songs more in the vain of Dead or their first 2 albums.
  13. I am actually looking forward to this, but much like everyone else, I am hoping it isn’t a disaster. That fact that guy who directed snow-white is attached to this has me very worried. More than anything I hope they have really good writers. The whole ethos of the series is deep and thought provoking material, which I hope is retained and not dumbed down. I actually like scarlett Jo, I don’t think she’s as bad as some people claim she is. The thing that has bugged me is this whole whitewashing drama. I think I might be in the minority here and I don't think my opinion will be very popular but this is my 2 cents on the whole issue. For the record, any criticism I may have is aimed at the general populace and not to any individual here. Claims of white washing for this movie is nothing but political correctness rearing its uglyhead again with crybabies and misinformed individuals hopping onto the white guilt bandwagon. The real facepalm is that anybody who is familiar with this series knows that The Major physical appearance was never identified as Japanese. She’s a female cyborg that resides in a artificial body with no real hints of her being physically Japanese. What this means is that it’s plausible she could have the physical features of any race and thus renders the entire argument of her having to be physically Japanese wrong. You could also argue that her name would identify her as a Japanese., but there are 2 problems with this. The first is that, even if she was originally Japanese, her outward appearance after she gained her cyborg body changed her physical appearance to be racially ambiguous. The second is that the origin of the Major herself is a mystery. We don’t know if the major was even Japanese to begin with, we don’t know even if Motoko Kusanagi was her real name, which when you start to think about it, would be highly unlikely considering she entered into a special Ops cyborg program. And even before she entered the program, she had already changed bodies multiple times. When you take all this into consideration, you can see why claiming casting Scarlett Johansson as the major is whitewashing is pretty ridiculous when the major’s physical appearance, and her very origins are a mystery. To a certain degree you could make the same argument for some of the other characters in the ghost in the shell universe who are full cyborg and whose physical appearance are never established as being Japanese. (And yes I know some actually are.) Furthermore, the universe of the ghost in the shell is hinted as a mixture of different races and cultures despite most of the setting taken place in Japan. Keep in mind this is also a universe where you can switch into another physical body. From old to young, to female to male, from white to black, to even human to tank. Now you could throw everything I just mentioned away, but it would still make sense to cast actors who are well known, despite not being the same race as the source material because at the end of the day it’s all about business. This doesn’t mean that Hollywood, or the movie industry thinks white actors are better, or that (insert any other minority here) are inferior. It simply means that a decision to cast an actor for a film that cost millions of dollars was based on the actors fame, selling power, track record, and actual performing skill, not their race. This is sort of like when there was that ridiculous whining over the 2016 Oscars being racists against black people because there were no black actors nominated for Oscars. I mean it couldn’t be that during that particular year, there were no black actors whose performance merited a nomination? No, it had to be because of racism, and whatever victim game people like to play. I bring up the Oscars because it’s the same thing with this whole white washing thing. It isn’t because the system is rigged against Asians, or any other race, it’s simply because when it comes to this ghost in the shell film, there is a lack of Japanese/Japanese American actors who have the merits that can carry a triple million digit dollar movie by themselves. The same applies to any foreign Asian actor in the western market. Capitalism doesn’t discriminate. It would also be a complete fallacy to say Asians are oppressed or discriminated against in the U.S, when there are many Asian/Asian American actors of varying degrees of success. Asian Americans in the U.S in general earn much higher income than whites, go on to higher education, hold more degrees compared to whites, and are less likely to have crimes committed against them compared to whites. They also report a higher level of financial satisfaction and a higher satisfaction for their standard of living compared to the general population. This should make it quite clear there is not a inherit systemic racial discrimination against Asians/Asian Americans in the U.S or in Hollywood. There is a path open to them, it is simply that not many have taken that path when it comes to Hollywood. Certainly not to the level of any A list actor. Simply put, the accusation of under representation for Asians in the media and Hollywood is nothing but race baiting. A lack of diversity of a certain group in a certain field does not automatically equate to discrimination. You have to look at the context and as well as other factors before considering something like discrimination. When you take into account that there are more Asian Americans in fields like technology and the medical field compared to any other race, couldn’t it be that more Asians Americans simply decide to go in fields such as those, while much less pursue careers like those in the film industry and the media? Then when you take into account that Asian Americans make up 4.8 % of the population compared to whites who stand at 72.4 %, doesn’t it make sense that the ratio of whites to Asians in Hollywood, simply reflects back the real life proportion of whites and Asians in the actual U.S population? There is a similar correlation between whites and other minorities. In Hollywood, much like in any field, you have to work hard to get somewhere. And nobody is going to pick an obscure, inexperienced, and unproven actor to lead a big budget multi-million blockbuster movie over someone who has worked their way up the ladder. And indeed there are many cases of obscure non white and white actors who all started off at the very bottom and worked their way up to success and fame. This has nothing to do with race, but everyone likes to make it a race issue. This leads to a couple of problems. The first is that it starts to push a false narrative of a non existent discrimination against, in this case, Asians/Asian Americans. This than brews resentment and animosity and in turn segregates people against one another. It also convinces and conditions people to believe in the false narrative and so the falsely oppressed take on a victim mentality, blaming society and others around them rather than you know, actually working hard for what they what, taking responsibility for their actions, and being the change they want to be. So while they think their actions may be progressing things forward, in reality those actions are nothing more than retrogressive, doing more harm than good. And in many cases they create their own self fulfilling prophecy. This whole thing about ”white washing” is nothing but a fabricated falsehood once you realize that white washing secretly means the large favoring of white actors over minorities based on race or skin color and nothing else, which is absolutely ridiculous and untrue. Go back a couple of years before white washing entered the mainstream lexicon and where was the widespread outrage over the American adaptions of Quarantine(2008)?, Pulse (2006)? The Grudge(2004)?, The Ring (2002)?, Why did no one bitch about those movies replacing it’s cast with white actors or for not having Hispanics in something like Quarantine? What about something like the 1998 American adaptation of Godzilla, whose 1954 version is set in Japan and whose actors were all Japanese yet it’s remake was mostly white actors and not set in Japan? The answer is simple. It’s because no one gave a shit. It’s because people actually used their brains before political correctness began to poison peoples mind. The examples I gave are just some in a very long list of movies that have been adapted by the U.S and whose cast was either largely replaced or entirely replaced with white actors or actors of a different race from the original films. You’ll also see other countries adapting various media into film and casting actors who are of a different race than the ones in the source material, and guess what? No one gives a shit either because they’re not overly sensitive weaklings. Assuming one has to use actors of the same race from the original source material because using actors of a different race otherwise would negatively affect the outcome is actually racist. The whole political correctness has invaded the Asian American community much like every other community. It’s gotten to the point where you can ruin peoples professional and personal lives for making innocuous jokes or statements because somebody was “offended’. I have a diverse group of friends who can take all types of jokes (racial included) and dish one out some too and not get “offended”, yet I see a ton of younger Asian Americans and other minorities who love to play the victim and find something offense, and censor others by claiming bigotry and racism. I’m not just talking about jokes here, but everything from ideas to actual facts. I mean it’s so bad and so stupid there’s a backlash against casting a white woman for a fictional female character, in a fictional world, for not being the original fictional race, despite her fictional race never even being confirmed. I find this whole white washing thing to be retarded, but using this upcoming ghost in the shell movie as another excuse to play the race card was beyond stupid because the main character was never identified as having a set race to begin with To end, I will say of course I would love to see more Asian actors in big western movies, or minorities in general, but just like everyone else, they should earn that role. And yes I believe forms of racism, bias and discrimination still exist in the U.S, but whatever kind may still exist in the media or in Hollywood has been greatly exaggerated. I also think Hollywood in general makes some really stupid writing and casting decisions, but that doesn't make them racist. TLDR points - I like Scarlett Johansson and don’t think she’s terrible - It’s stupid to say The Major’s character was white washed when her race and origins are a mystery. - Hollywood doesn’t really care about care about race, only if they can bring in the big bucks - The reason there are not a lot of Asian/Asian American represented in western Hollywood is because there aren’t many Asian actors who have reached that high level based on a consistent track record, acting ability, audience drawing power, and fame. - Asian/Asian American are not systemically discriminated against in the U.S or in Hollywood. - Asians are not under represented in western film or media. There are just less of them in film and media compared to whites. It’s math. - There are many examples of movies that span decades earlier, being adopted and whose cast was entirely or largely replaced with a different race than that of the original, but nobody got butthurt about them because the general populace was more mentally mature back than. - White Washing is not a real thing. It is a false narrative derived from political correctness whose proliferation causes segregation, racism, hinders true progression and promotes a lack of personal accountability. - Facts and logic > Emotions and misinformation End rant
  14. Panda_bear

    wow not sure what to think about that blair witch trailer, looks like it could be good or bad at this point. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. Last 2 horror films I saw where hellraiser 1 and 2. The first was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. Good gore/creature effects and an interesting story. The 2nd picked up from where the 1st left off and it had more action/thriller elements involved in it The horror and gore was still there and I liked how the cenobite world and the cenobites themselves were expanded upon. Will probably end up watching the rest of the films in the series. On a side note who's excited for the IT remake? I really hope they don't fuck it up.
  15. Panda_bear

    I never really understood all the hate for Yohio either. I thought it was just trendy to hate on him and exaggerate the deficiencies of his material like people do with other bands too *cough* gazette*cough* Then again, I wasn't very interested in him or seremedy to begin with. With what has been discussed about him on this thread, I can understand why some people would highly dislike him as a musician. Personally I find his music to range anywhere from bland, to ok to showing some promising potential. I remember the reviews from his debut on here were savage as fuck. I honestly didn't think, and still don't think, it was as bad as people made it out to be. I've heard so much worse from other vk bands. That being said there was lot of stuff that could have been improved on musically and lyrically. Basically, I don't think he makes bad music, but he doesn't really make great tunes either. Which is why I don't really follow him or keep up with him. The music is the only thing that matters and that should matter. I don't care what he chooses to dress, what country he's from, or what language(s) he speaks or sings in. But from what's been said about him personally and his behavior in the music industry, it's easy to dislike him, dislike his music from that simple association, or simply not give his music a fair chance. So there's a lot more reasons to dislike him than there are to like him. I don't really care what he does in his personal life, but if he's an ass to fans and a hypocrite to boot, it's hard to like a guy like that as person and as a musician. Regardless of your stance on his music, it just makes you lose respect for him you know? This behavior gets harder to ignore when it crosses over to the music industry and you basically start acting like a diva and being highly unprofessional. Word will quickly spread about you in the industry and people will start leaving your circles or not want work with you. The fans will eventually turn on you and outright leave too. Then it's just game over. In summary, here are my main points on why people don't like Yohio in order of relevance - A very large number of people don't think his music is good - His personal and professional behavior is very shitty - There are a lot more legitimate reasons to not like him than there are to like him - Superficial factors ie: him trying to do VK, singing in Japanese despite not being Japanese himself, him being Swedish, etc. For the record I don't hate Yohio's musical output (I think it's meh), but I do dislike him as a person from what has been mentioned. I can't get behind someone who's an asshole to other people. That being said, we're all human, so maybe he'll learn from his mistakes and turn a new leaf.
  16. I don't think the language barrier is the issue here, it's the level of maturity, willingness to be open minded and how passionate one is about music. I don't think the average casual listener who only listens to mainstream music will give Japanese music or any foreign music an unbiased honest chance. Even if they don't listen to mainstream music, they still have to have certain qualities in order to appreciate and take a liking to foreign music. I have actually been quite lucky that I know a lot of people who are really into music and have gotten them into Japanese music because I exposed them to it. Part of it is because they were already hardcore music fans to begin, musician themselves or had a diverse music taste. Usually a mix of those 3 things. Music transcends barriers, including language, but you already have to have some level of maturity. The "I can't enjoy the music because I understand what they are saying" is a sign of those who weren't ready for it. When I first got into Japanese music, I admit it was really strange and weird listening to a foreign language, but I kept doing so because the music was amazing to me, and eventually not only did I get used to the Japanese language but I found things I really loved about it. Now I can usually tell if a person I know will get into jmusic or not way before I even introduce it to them. I usually know their music taste, what they listen to, how passionate they are about it, and if they already listen to some foreign music. I also think there's a certain way you have to go about when trying to expose your friends or family to jmusic. It's got to be in a smart and calculated way. For example, I definitely wouldn't throw on some nocturnal bloodlust for a friend of mine who I know listens to a lot of pop, maybe some perfume instead. Likewise I wouldn't show pictures of a totes "brutalz", but super girly vk looking band to a friend of mine who i know listens to a lot of western bands, instead I'd just play them their music. Always let the music win them over first. You might even end up helping them mature a little by the end of the process. All of that being said, I'm sure there are people out there who dismiss Japanese music because of xenophobia or some weird racial thing, but I'd say that's a very very small minority and a large portion of people who express similar sentiments do so because they adhere to really immature notions to begin with and can't understand it, rather than coming from a place of true hate which I feel is more in line with real racists. Same thing with the dismissal of Vk because of it being "gay" or something. Talk about ignorance and sexual insecurity.
  17. Panda_bear

    I'm actually quite into vocaloid. I tend to stick to the electronic and metal side of vocaloid as I feel the vocaloid lends itself quite well to those genres. For metal and rock my top producers would undoubtedly be youyuppe and caz. Proucers like Noa+ and utsu-P, APG550, MuryokuP, idoyklik and LIQ are also great. There are other great ones out there,, but they have very few releases or are very infrequent. Honestly, the master of vocaloid and japanese metalcore. Caz's vocaloid stuff is heavier than most of VK and Japanese metalcore in general. Noa+ On the electronic side, producers like Avtechno, fatmanp, Lyu-Ya and Pko do it for me. AVtechno fatmanp Lyu-LA - Some really amazing progressive trance featuring miku I'm not really fan of anything too high pitched, which seems to be the case with anything using hastune miku, or bad production in general, but there's a lot of great vocaloid stuff out there that goes below the radar while some of the more popular stuff is just bad or meh for some reason. *cough* supercell *cough*. I am partial to anything with megurine luka, as it should be fairly obvious by now.
  18. Panda_bear

    When video games and djent come together That 9 string guitar sounds gnarly as fudge.
  19. Panda_bear

    Finished Erased - I wish all anime could be this compelling. This was amazing, and it made you feel for the characters. Talk about suspense, it totally had you rooting for characters not to die. My only criticism would be the ending, which felt a bit rushed and not as impactful as the rest of the series. Still, highly recommended. Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto - A hilarious over the top series that doesn't take itself too seriously. It revolves around Sakamato, a student who is so cool, he can do and get out of the most ridiculous situations. Aside from Sakamoto there are actually some interesting supporting characters that have moments to shine themselves. Most of the episodes are stand alone, but there is overarching continuity that ends up following Sakamoto's first year of school. The last episode seemed to come out of left field, but the resolution seemed logical because of the well established universe from episodes beforehand. Recommended for a good laugh. Terraformars Season 2 - I'd say season 2 was good, but it definitely doesn't compare to the 1st season. There's a lot more action this season, but at the cost of what made season 1 better, like the suspense, deeper character backstories, and a more gritty and bleak feel. The series does take a different direction and there's a new threat , but I feel it takes some of the sense of dread away from the actual terraformars and the new threat for the most part isn't as horrifying as the terraformars themselves. There was still badass moments of action and glimmers of what made the 1st season excellent, but this season comes up a bit short. Kanaberi Of The Iron Fortress - This started of very promising. The animation looked incredible and was eye candy throughout the entire series. The story was interesting, a steampunk feudal japan overun by zombie like creatures and cities now hidden behind giant walls that use crazy heavily armored trains for transportation? Yes count me in. The first few episodes were quite strong, but than halfway through the series it just starts to come apart and by the end it falls flat on it's face. The biggest problem with this series was it's writing. At one point it turned it's strong characters into typical archetype flawed characters you've seen in a whole bunch of other animes. Even before this happens, characters are making some really dumb decisions that seem to come out nowhere and that any logical person would have totally not made. Towards the end, when the 2nd antagonist is introduced, his backstory and motivations are never quite explained or fleshed out. I hadn't seen such terrible writing for a villain since Lex Luthor in Batman Vs Superman. I really wanted to love this series, but instead it just left me lukewarm. If you've got time to kill, I'd say go ahead and watch it for the animation and action, otherwise pass. Gundum- Iron Blooded Brothers - Couldn't even finish this series and had to drop it towards the end because it just seem to drag on forever. I felt the story wasn't very compelling, the pacing was slow, and the characters weren't very interesting. Could be all the anime I've watched over the years has made me a bit jaded and I have higher expectations, but I'd take a pass on this. There's nothing exciting about this series, and if you take away the gundum name, it's just another run of the mill average anime that happens to have mecha. Grimgar - Halfway through this and I have mixed feelings about it. One episode I love it, the next I hate it. The art is no doubt, stellar, but the writing is so inconsistent. There's an awesome world to explore and that viewers want to see, but instead you spend entire episodes on characters you dumb down and made one dimensional archtypes. I actually wouldn't mind time spent on the characters, if the characters themselves were actually interesting and had something unique to offer, but they don't. Moreover I feel like it's trying to play up the drama and feels, when there was never a good foundation or characters to build that off on. I have a feeling this going to end up bad, unless it pulls off magic toward the second half. Currently Finishing Twin Star Exorcist Don't you know? There are no Girls Online.
  20. I've been really loving the new gojira album. Magma is a great release. But I've seen hate for it because it's bit more accessible than their other releases, which is kinda of a dumb reason to hate an album for when the core of the music is still there. I'm really digging the new devildriver album too. Haven't heard them on point like this since Pray For Villains. Daybreak has a lot of killer groove metal tunes. My only gripe is the production which I feel could have been tighter. And speaking of Djent, I'm curious about Periphery's new album. I liked Omega and Alpha but P1 and P2 were my fav albums by them. On some other releases - Kilswitch Engage's Incarnate was great. Best album they've put out since As Daylight Dies. Jesse's vocals really shine. - Volbeat Seal the Deal was actually not boring. Glad they redeemed themselves after their last disappointing release. - Issues's Headspace was a good and much stronger release than their debut. Gotta love their mix of RMB and metalcore, who knew it would work so well? -I See Stars Treehouse was a bit of a letdown. It's hard to even consider the release a metal album at all. It's like they tried to pull a BMTH but not as successfully. I am hyped for that new Jason Richardson solo album. Guy is one of the best modern shredders around and he's finally releasing a solo album. From the looks of things it's gonna be an amazing shredtastic djenty progressive metal release with some really cool guests.
  21. Panda_bear

    So who else is stoked for their new album?
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