Ito

DOUUUUUUUUUUUBLE POST! I finally bit the bullet and added a SSD and a new CPU cooler to my computer The cooler in its box Had to take the mobo out, so I figured I would take everything out and rewire and try and make it cleaner (and dust!), which I think I accomplished. The cpu now runs at about 24C average versus the 40-ish of the stock cooler.

Ok, let's do this: of course it's Linux Mint. btw. take a look @ elementaryOS, it's going to be one of the best distros out there soon Mine: I don't care for macs, but that desktop is sick as fuck.

Dis is my serious face.

In no particular order: Russian Circle – Empros Genre: Post Metal Sample song: Mlàdek This was easily the release I was most excited for all year, and I am honestly not disappointed in the slightest. Though I really could care less about the last track, everything else on this album is amazing. Every track seems to be driven with purpose, never meandering like what seems to happen on many post rock/metal albums. Some parts of song are just absolutely crushing, like the last few seconds of Mlàdek. And there is the drumming…god damn, the drumming. Dave Turncratz is perhaps the best drummer I have ever heard. Lynch. – I BELIEVE IN ME Genre: Metal Sample Song: UNTIL I DIE After SHADOWS was such a big disappointment for me, I wasn’t expecting much from this album. Boy was I in for a surprise. This album became my “driving” album for the summer, the songs were fun, powerful, and driven…the kind of stuff that makes you want to push the pedal against the floor. Perhaps there are too many songs that are in a similar style, but they are all done so well that I don’t care (reminds me of -OZ-‘s VERSUS in that way). The album does have one slower track, “BEFORE YOU KNOW IT”, that I feel like has always been a trademark of lynch’s since “latin maria” on Greedy Dead Souls, and it is one of those tracks that I just love zoning out to. Sgt. – BIRTHDAY Genre: Post Rock Sample Song: Lyman Alpha no Mori I think one of the things that separates great bands from good bands is their ability to make long songs seem short. And Sgt. is one of those bands with BIRTHDAY. I, for the life of me, can never seem to realize that Cosgoda is a 9 minute song…I just can’t. While there are some kinda short filler tracks on the album, the long tracks are wear this album truly shines. The violin and piano mixed in with bass and drum make for such a refreshing sound… Did I mention the drummer isn’t shabby either? The Human Abstract – Digital Veil Genre: Progressive Metal Sample Song: Complex Terms 2008’s Midheaven was kind of a meh album, but with Digital Veil, THA marked the return of their original guitarist/composer and a new vocalist. Damn, it is amazing how much that changed this bad for the better. This album is best described by saying “imagine classical composition woven into metal music.” I will admit, this album did take a few listens for my ears to figure out everything that was going on in some parts of the album, but I haven’t gotten even remotely sick of it yet. Really, the only weak side is that it is too fucking short. Crossfaith - The Dream, The Space Genre: Metalcore Sample Song: Stars Faded in Slow Motion Talk about a guilty pleasure album. This band just does a perfect blend of guitar and electronics for me…not to be annoying, but just enough to compliment the guitars and give the songs more character. This album isn’t going to win anything for being the most deserve album in the world, but it is just a solid metalcore album. And let’s face it, their cover of “Omen” was just awesome. Turisas – Stand Up and Fight Genre: Symphonic Metal Sample Song: The March Of The Varangian Guard Turisas really matured with this album. They toned down their metal side quite a bit; there is far less screaming, and most of the tracks aren’t that heavy. BUT the inclusion of a full orchestra when needed, beautiful production, and a great mix of tracks more than make up for it. Some of the tracks almost feel cinematic in nature. You can just tell how much effort was put into some of these tracks. I perhaps still like “The Varangian Way” a bit more, but this is still an incredible album none-the-less. And I still giggle at the “Look at all these fish” link in “End of an Empire.” Animals As Leaders – Weightless Genre: instrumental progressive metal Sample Song: An Infinite Regression 8 string guitar. That is all you need to know. Tosin plays the guitar like an absolute beast, with really technical tapping that still manages to remain interesting instead of just showing of. The mix of electronic elements also really adds something to this album. Just listen to the guitar though and let your mind be blown away. Runners Up:

Glad to have you back, even if it is just for a little bit! Hope you are doing alright. Unfortunately, I really don't know shit about those bands.

I truly do love my parent, but fuck do I even need to get the fuck out of my house...I need a job, dammit.

I will leave this thread here, because I understand what you were going for, but you should post it in the mix tapes topic as well

Presents upon presents upon presents...only have to get something for my dad yet and something small for Faku.

Russian Circles in Milwaukee...Awesome tiny little venue! It was really cool, I got to talk to the drummer and bassist before the show, they are the nicest guys and were fun to talk to. Seeing them live for the second time also reaffirms my thought that Dave Turncratz is one of the best drummers alive.

The title track off of the new single is great! the high pitch noise in the middle of the song is a bit irritating, but over all I enjoyed the hell out of it. Other two songs aren't bad either.

Holy shit, I was in Schaumburg yesterday XD

http://wii.ign.com/articles/121/1214255p1.html Rofl, turns out it was just one huge misunderstand....

IGN Article I can hardly believe this. Nintendo without Shiggy is like a body without a Soul. I really hopes he goes on to make some cool smaller projects.

Should I take that as a compliment? XD

Kindle DX Russian Circles' Empros (got it signed ) Russian Circles Tee Oakley Bottlerocket 4.0 glasses And Christmas presents for friends

God, I love f/1.4

I don't by that reason, I really don't. Any day of the week I would rather listen to 128kbps music out of nice headphones than FLAC out of crummy headphones. Your bit rate doesn't matter, and until you start getting really anal, the source doesn't matter. A good pair of headphones are going to give you a smoother frequency response, and that doesn't matter what the file type is or the source. The part that I should have added on to that was "I mostly listen to music on my iPod so I go through tons of headphones a year because they all end up getting busted in my bag". I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on quality headphones just to break them. If you do your research and buy a nice pair, they won't break unless you like chuck them against a wall or something. I used to go through like a pair every 3-6 months, cause, well, cheap headphones break. about 3.5 years ago I bought a pair of Technics RP-DH1200 for about $120. I have beat the crap out of them and they are still going strong. I understand the excuse for not buying a good pair, but seriously, if you do some research you can find a pair that will be able to take a beating and give you some awesome sound quality. Side note: I still use a crap pair for exercising, but I could care less about sound quality then.

I admire Skullcandy's design and marketing, and I LOVE that they support sports that I am in to, but I would never buy their products. They are geared more towards looking good than sounding good. I don't by that reason, I really don't. Any day of the week I would rather listen to 128kbps music out of nice headphones than FLAC out of crummy headphones. Your bit rate doesn't matter, and until you start getting really anal, the source doesn't matter. A good pair of headphones are going to give you a smoother frequency response, and that doesn't matter what the file type is or the source. Quoted for fucking truth! It's always good to read something and come away from it knowing that the person who wrote it know what they are talking about I ALWAYS advise people to save their money, if they are buying Japanese releases, just pick one or two albums you are iffy on and don't buy them and use them to buy a pair of phones, it will be an infinity better purchase and you will be able to enjoy your music waaaay more!

The only person that come to mind off of the top of my mind is the vocalist from GHOST. Every time I hear him sing I question why I have their music on my ipod.

What system for BF3? XD

MGS4!!!!!! Dead Island couldn't even touch that game...plus, you can get MGS on the cheap now

I'll allow it. "There might be some argument on what bands are or aren't VK. I am going to go ahead and say if they play Japanese Rock and at least have some association with other VK acts, they count." While ABS isn't exactly really VK, Takanori has some hardcore ties to VK...look at Luis-Mary. Yeah, FAKE? is a bit of a stretch, but I figured it was find just leave them in the runners-ups, mainly cause of Inoran lol

I'll allow it. "There might be some argument on what bands are or aren't VK. I am going to go ahead and say if they play Japanese Rock and at least have some association with other VK acts, they count." While ABS isn't exactly really VK, Takanori has some hardcore ties to VK...look at Luis-Mary.

What, are they trying to erase Jimi? Also, see Frae's comment.

I wanted to come up with a list of the absolute 10 best VK albums of all time. This list should be something that you can hand out to anyone just getting an interest in VK and say "Here, this is what you need." I am going to try and come up with my own list, but feel free to come up with you own list, come up with additions or things you think should be removed. These are not your favorite albums, but the ones you think are the best VK albums period. Also, I don't think that you should try to pick albums that are representative of VK, but I think the 10 over all should encompass the overall VK scene. Here's the thing, you need to argue your case! VK, like all music, does not happen in a vacuum. It needs to stand the test of time. Just cause it was awesome when it was released does not mean that it is awesome now. Keep that in mind! Side note: There might be some argument on what bands are or aren't VK. I am going to go ahead and say if they play Japanese Rock and at least have some association with other VK acts, they count. Side note 2: Best of's don't count. 10 - deadman - 701125+2 2005-06-08 deadman without a doubt in my mind needed to be on this list. To me, they are THE Nagoya Kei band to beat. There is a lot to love about deadman, and especially this album. Aie’s guitar tone somehow manages to stay unique until this day, and while it took a bit for Mako’s voice to grow on me, it is one the VK greats imo. I honestly had a hard time picking which one of their albums to put on this list, but I went with 701125+2 just because the amount of diversity of this record. We have some calmer tracks such as “blue berry” where Mako’s voice gets to shine, some great fast paced tracks like family, the bass line in “blut/blood” (w/e you wanna call it) is incredible, and I love the crazy end of “sons of star fucker.” God, relistening to this album right now I realize how awesome the bassist is…I feel bad for not knowing his name now. 09 - √eight – Illational 2006-09-20 I still have no idea how this album seemed to come out of almost nowhere and blow me away the way it did. This album is just packed with different stuff and none of the songs overstay their welcome. The first track has that awesome bass riff and manages to do almost everything right (and might be the highlight of the album). There is the awesome track “igan da seishun” which totally steals from Zlich’s Psyche, but I don’t care cause it just make for a great track. Perhaps the only track that I don’t care for is “sunadokei no inochi,” other than that, everything is on point. This is also probably the least well know album on this list, so if you haven’t checked it out by now, do it. 08 - Abingdon Boys School - Abingdon Boys School 2007-10-17 This is the least “VK” release on this list, but you know what? I don’t care . This album was everything I was hoping it would be when it came out, and I still spin it often. It is one of those perfect CDs for a long care ride, I never get sick of the songs, there are enough rockers, and I can sing along whenever I want (especially to Takanori pretty poor English XD). Perhaps the reason this album is so great is the balance it has, it manages to be a poppier but I don’t think it sacrifices any of its rocker side to get that. The guitar tone occasional slide into something a bit chunkier and it just feels for great (like “Howling,” one of my favorite tracks of 2007). About my only complaints I have with the album is I don’t much care for the rap version of “Lost Reason” and “Desire” really isn’t that great of a track. 07 - D - The name of the ROSE 2005-09-28 D has done some cool stuff over their career and then they have done “The name of the ROSE.” What makes this album for me is really Asagi’s voice, it is just so damn wonderful. This is also part of the reason why I don’t care for their recent stuff. He handles the presentation of his vocals so delicately, they are powerful when they need to be and subdued when they need to blend…I feel like he doesn’t understand that anymore and he needs to be upfront all the time. It’s that blending that work, it makes so much of the album feel dreamy and smooth. There is “Yamiyoriblah blah blah,” which I can’t help but laugh at every time I hear it (those falsettos…lolololol) . I can just zone out with a smile on my face when I listen to this album (well, save “Yami”). 06 - hide – Psyence 1996-09-02 If I could, I would put hide’s best of on here…I feel like hide really shined in his singles, so picking an album was a little harder…For me it was a toss up between Ja,Zoo and Psyence, but Psyence won in the end for providing a more complete package. Sure, there is the intro song and “Café Le Psyence” that I could care less about and “Atomic M.O.M.” which I still don’t understand what the fuck is going on. Hell, some of the songs aren’t even that great, like “Lassie.” But the classics on this album more than make up for it… “Genkai Haretsu,” “Hi-Ho,” “Flame,” “Beauty & Stupid,” “Pose,” and “Misery?” Count me the fuck in! 05 - Girugamesh - Girugamesh 2007-12-26 Picking between 13’s reborn and their self-titled really was a hard decision, but the overall production and the inclusion of the epic that is “Kowarete Iku Sekai” swung me towards their self-titled. I think we all question how a band that has done stuff this awesome can write the crap that they are doing now. “Patchwork” is a brilliant opener for the album, powerful as hell with such wonderful build ups…why can’t Satoshi scream like that now? I feel like every song hooks your right from the beginning, they always have something interesting right up front. But what seals the deal for me are the two final tracks on the album. I normally hate when bands stack their ballads, but it works on this album. “Domino” is a great song, but it kind of hovers almost at like a half ballad status, not really fully giving up some of the more aggressive side that is present in a lot of the other songs on the album. “Kowarete Iku Sekai” is a whole other beast, though…so few other ballads can send chill down my spine like this song can. The song exudes emotion, for Satoshi’s raw vocals right down to Ryo’s drumming. As I listen to it right now, yup, I have goose bumps again. 04 - Dir en Grey – Gauze 1999-07-28 A VK list without Dir en Grey would be like a house without a roof. Love or hate their style now, I don’t think anyone can argue the impact they had on the VK world. The only problem is picking which album of theirs should be put here. I could honestly see some of you guys having multiple Diru albums in your lists, but for me I think there is only one that really needs to be here for me. Gauze to me is pretty much late 90’s VK summed up in one awesome album. There are the classics like “Cage” (I prolly don’t even need to mention the bass solo) and “Raison d’Etre” but there is just so much more than that on this album. There are the dark songs like “304” (I love Shinya’s drumming in this song), the upbeat songs like the much hated Yokan, and the flat out insane songs like Zan…and they are all so utterly VK. If that wasn’t enough, this album houses one of the favorite ballads, Akuro no Oka. Few songs can really transport you places, and this song does it for me. 03 - 9GOATS BLACK OUT - devils in bedside 2008-01-25 I know, this is technically a mini…but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t deserve a place on this list. Out of freaking nowhere 9GBS released this mini that just blew me away (and sadly I can only dream that they will release anything close to it again). You know how I said Giru’s “Kowarete Iku Sekai” sends shivers down my spine? Yeah, well so does pretty much every song on this album. Ryo’s vocals in “sink” just go straight through me…I can’t help but think of softly falling snow when I listen to this song…I just can’t, it is so peaceful and so beautiful. 690min might be the only song I don’t love, but I think when you are surrounded with so many other amazing songs, it is hard to seem impressive. This mini somehow manages to take gloomy and make it beautiful, and that is an art. 02 - D'espairsRay - Coll:set 2005-06-29 To me it is hard to believe that I didn’t like this album the first time I listened to it…Guess my ears just weren’t ready for something this awesome yet. In one of my other threads I already explained why “in vain” is my favorite D’espairsRay song, but the rest of the album is right there to bring the energy when it needs to. “Infection” feels like a storm slowly moving in, the dark clouds are on the horizon at the beginning of song, by the middle the lightning and thunder is all around you, and by the end you are cold and soaked to the bone. I mean, need I say where I originally pulled the name “Tainted World” from? Besides [The world in cage] which is shit filler, there is not a bad song. Even with the songs that were pretty different for D’espairsRay (the two remixed bonus tracks) are wonderful and stay true to the feeling of this album. This is dark and heavy VK at its best. 01 - Rentrer en Soi - The Bottom of Chaos 2007-08-01 Rentrer en Soi’s self-titled the year previous was pretty sweet, but they figured out the perfect formula for The Bottom of Chaos and blew me away. This album is all things; it has some of the best rockers, some great heavy tunes, and some amazing ballads. I know Satsuki isn’t the best screamer or growler in the world, but he somehow manages to pull it off in “I HATE MYSELF AND WANT TO DIE” (though not so much in GROWL, perhaps the weakest track on the album). The rockers are catchy as hell, “Abyss of Despair” is one of my top most played tracks, and “Just Mad Pain” is almost as addictive. But what this album does best is the ballads. “Thorny Rain Break’s” atmosphere is so thick you could swim in it, Shinwa’s piano and vocal track manages to be peaceful without being boring, and the piano and drum intro to “To Infinity” is enough to make me long the song. If my stomach wasn’t rumbling so hard right now I would probably be able to say much more…XD So, your turn! Agree, disagree? Think I should shove my head up my ass? lol Runners up (in no specific order): FAKE? - Breathe In Gazette - Disorder Luna Sea – I would have too much trouble picking any one album lol Lynch - Greedy Dead Souls MUCC - Kuchiki no Tou OZ – VERSUS Phobia - material of utopia Schwarz Stien - Artificial Hallucination Sel'm - Brilliant force