Bear

Once Upon a Time In China - While not my all-time favourite martial arts flick, or even favourite Jet Li flick, it's easy to see why this epic Tsui Hark/Jet Li collaboration is considered one of the best martial arts flicks of all time. It's got amazing coreography for its fights, stunning cinematography, a great, epic story and good acting. Everything is great to be honest. But what makes this film so damn good to me, and make it a must-see and a very good intoduction to 90's kung fu ffilms, beside Jet Li and great martial arts, is the way Tsui Hark blends classic elements of regular kung fu-films with classic elements of wuxia, and adds a proper good story to top it off. I also got a weak spot for the chinese nationalism throughout the film.

I don't know. The last time I tried to join in it said that I had to have a facebook, which I obviously do not have.

I wonder so too. They're obviously not the biggest band around, but they have a very high status in the underground and especially the avant-garde album 666 International is much talked about, and is probably one of the biggest love/hate albums in the metallic universe. Their debut, Kronet to Konge and their second album, Monumental Possession, are very overlooked though and a lot of people see the albums as second grade Darkthrone and Aura Noir worship. I highly disagree, though. Kronet to Konge is unique as fuck, and different than every other black metal album released back then. Watain, who are nwo very well known, covered one of the songs from Kronet to Konge on their debut album, which sounds like 30% Mayhem - De Mysteriis..., 30% Dissection - The Somberlain and 30% Dødheimsgard - Kronet to Konge, with 10% of their own band. Not original, but a masterpiece nonetheless and both much better and much different from what they released later. Ayway, Dødheimsgard rules both on album and live. Fantastic band! And a couple of recommendations: Massacra - Final Holocaust Massacra - Enjoy the Violence Massacra was a french band that released three albums in the late 80's, and then debuted with FInal Holocaust in 1990 and followed it with 1991's Enjoy the Silence. Behind the amazing coverarts you'll find raw, uncompromising deathrash in the vein of old Merciless and Protector, with lots of old Kreator and Slayer thrown in here and there. Two brilliant riff-orgy's by a band that should be a lot bigger.

Just heard Elan myself and I thought it was decent. It's not amazing, and it is a very standard single-song, but it's a catchy pop-rock track with memorable melodies that will get plenty of radio-plays and get new people interested. And they've really upgraded on both Tarja and Anette with Floor. Vocal-wise this is the most enjoyable I've heard from Nightwish since Angels Fall First, and Angels Fall First wasn't enjoyable because Tarja was talented, but because she was pretty shabby vocal-wise back then and I've always enjoyed that a lot. And on top of being the band's best vocalist till now, Floor is also the most beautiful of the three. Gorgeous girl.

Look at that, boys and girls. Ken turned 50 yesterday. God!

My Bloody Valentine - Well, it was valentine's day yesterday so I made a cake, some food and choose for me and my girl to watch this film as the theme suited the day very well. Obviously, I watched the original and I am obviously a fan. Released in 1981, the world had already seen several holiday slashers, but this changed it all by choosing a day that's supossed to be o-so sweet and all that crap. It's moody, got great death-scenes, a bloody amazing killer, solid acting and a fairly standard plot. Well, the film itself is fairly standard and if you are familiar with slashers there's not a single surprise here, but it's very atmospheric and some of the cinematography is great. Especially the mineshaft-scene were the killers is smashing the lights along the way. Totally stunning stuff, in a fantastic film.

What the fuck, guys? Am I the only one who enjoy Dødheimsgard here? No way, that's can't be. Such an unique and great band, and when they seem to return to form after a decent, though very disappointing album, no-one even comments of the brilliant song? Disappoiting. Kronet til Konge (10/10) Monumental Possession (8/10) Satanic Art (10/10) 666 International (9/10)

The cheesecake turned out brilliant. I've watched a couple of episodes of Danger 5, listened to some great music and now I am gonna watch an episode of Twin Peaks, eat some food and then go for cheesecake and coffee. Mmmmmh! Brilliant start on the day.

I've baked a cheesecake today and it looks amazing. It's a shame that I have to wait for my girl to get home and then make dinner for the two us before I can taste it. Mmmmh, it's gonna be good. PS: I've not bought any flowers or a single gift, though. Fuck that stupid shit. Edit: forgot to mention that I've fixed a romanti valentine's day-film for us to watch as well. I've picked the original My Bloody Valentine. I'm such a sweetheart. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaw!

A film I am really looking forward, though with a great amount of skepticism. And after seeing the trailer I got even more skeptic. I kinda get the feeling that they've done their best to turn the story into a movie for everyone, instead of doing their best to impress fans of hip hop and all that. Njaaaa...

New Dødheimsgard track: http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2015-02-13/avant-black-metal-pioneers-dodheimsgard-preview-a-new-track Oh! My! Fucking! God! Holy shit that is good. That is amazing. Those vocals, man. Immense!

None. They all suck 100%.

The stupidity of some fucking parents, man. It's been wet and muddy this week, and kids being kids they've been rolling around in the mud and gotten wet and dirty. Nice as we are, we actually bag their dirty clothes so their parents ca take it home and clean it. What do some of them do? Pull the dirty clothes out of the bag, hang 'em up and just leave them there. Jesus fucking christ. Annoying.

Ocean's Eleven - I've always been weak for heist films, so when my girl asked if I wanted to watch the Ocean's trilogy with her I was very pleased despite seeing them many times before. The first thing you'll notice is the crazy good cast. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Scott Cann, Casey Affleck, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Eddie Jemison and Qin Shaobo (OK, not a proper actor, but fuck that) as the Ocean's Eleven, as well as Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts and more. I mean, c'mon, the cast should be more than enough to make you want to watch this film. The film isn't a masterpiece, but it's a damn fun ride from start to finish. The heist is exciting and the comedy is witty and fun. What more do you need? Great film, and the bestof the three! 8/10 Ocean's Twelve - The weakest of the three, but still a fun film. The cast is more or less the same, but Catherine Zeta-Jones gets a huge role an Bruce Willis has a hilarious cameo. A bit too complex for its own good I suppose, but the film is cool as ice and very witty. All you need to know. 6/10 Ocean's Thirteen - Once again the main cast is almost the same, but neither Julia Roberts or Catherine Zeta-Jones appears. But you get Eddie Izzard and Al Pacino, though. Great film. Witty and exciting, and not as complex as Twelve, which makes it mroe of a fun ride. 7/10 Yeah, good trilogy with lots of fun to offer. I do consider the original Ocean's 11 to be the second best of all the Ocean's fils, though. Underrated and good as fuck. 8/10 for that one as well. A bit weaker than Ocean's Eleven though.

Shinobi no Mono: A New Beginning - The 8th and last film in the series, and as the title suggest it's a new begining. Raizô Ichikawa still plays the lead, but this time he plays another character called Kojiro Kasumi, a man who saw his father get killed at very young age and wants to become a ninja to revenge him. There's still more than enough jidaigeki here to please any lover of jidageki, but more than that this film takes even more stes toward the modern ninja film going more over the top with the ninjas and shit. Not the best in the series, and it does feel a bit stupid to end the film with a whole new tale, but I thought it was a great film and I am most satisfied with the whole thing. So, satisfied as fuck with the films and this is recommended to both people who wants good judaigeki and people who just want some ninja action. Superb stuff! Kairyu daikessen aka The Magic Serpent - This is hands down one of the best films ever made. This is one of the most unique films out there IMO, and it's one that will satisfy a wide range of people. There's some very bizarre scenes throughout the film, especially the head-scene, but it just adds to the fun and madness of the film, and I love the sillyness of that scene. The film is a loose retelling of The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, so you've got Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade and shit, which are obviously awesome characters. The cast is great, the story is great, the special effects are old school-amazing, and the direction and cinematography is great. Love the colours of the film. Looks beautiful. Everything is so fucking great in the film, but the geatest thing is that it is a mixture of ninja- and kaijufilm. Yes, lots of ninjas as well as giant monsters. Most excellent, sir. The highlight of the film however, except for amazing ninja- and kaijufights, and great special effects, are Ryutaro Otomo's performance as Orochimaru. His presence is amazing and he comes off as really evil. He's absolutely brilliant! And an amazing promo picture (this picture is not from the film itself): And sine I've mentioned both Shinobi no Mono and The Magic Serpent in the same ppost I'll throw out a fun fact: Hiroki Matsukata, who plays the lead in this film, went on to replace Ichikawa Raizo (who played the lead in the Shinobi no Mono films) at Daiei film when Raizo died in 69.

It's obviously just because of the alphabet, and neither of these bands will be headlining. Anyway, it's quite obvious that no sane person would headline Babymetal ahead of huge bands like Testament, Hatebreed, Kreator, Exodus, Dir en grey and Gojira. Babymetal simply isn't big enough, and it's a question of which band will make you the most money. Hint: it's not Babymetal.

The Ukrainian black metal pioneers from Drudkh have revealed the title of their next full-length, which will march under the flag of "A Furrow Cut Short." The album has been scheduled for release on the 20th of April 2015. Pre-sale will commence late February, which will also mark the revealing of the album's cover art and tracklist. Season Of Mist comments: "Drudkh maintains a strict policy of no interviews, no pictures, no live performance, and no statements. Yet everybody following the career and art of the band's mastermind Roman Sayenko will be aware that 'A Furrow Cut Short' cannot have been conceived without the dire situation of his Ukrainian homeland under military attack of a nuclear power playing a role in its inspiration." This is awesome news. While I wasn't too impressed by Estrangement, Microcosmos and Handful of Stars to start with, I've grown to become quite the friend with these albums, especially Microcosmos. But their last full lenght, Eternal Turn of the Wheel, was a massive step up in quality and they delivered an album which was harsher and bleaker, and more similar to their first four albums, than Estrangement, Microcosmos and Handful of Stars. So I really look forward to this album. Stil have a long way to go before they're matching any their first four albums both in quality and atmosphere, though.

Full Inferno line-up for this year. A disappointment seen with last years eyes, but I am more than satisfied anyway: BEHEMOTH, ENSLAVED, BLOODBATH, ARCTURUS, MY DYING BRIDE, 1349, TAAKE, KAMPFAR, ENSIFERUM, NAGLFAR, SEPTICFLESH, SKELETONWITCH, DØDHEIMSGARD, GOATWHORE, SVARTIDAUÐI, VIRUS, ANTICHRIST, DEATHCULT, DØDSENGEL, EXECRATION, BLODHEMN, SLAGMAUR, SARGEIST, VULTURE INDUSTRIES, MORTUARY DRAPE, SECRETS OF THE MOON, MOMENTUM, PATRIA, MISÞYRMING, SOLBRUD, ADE, GALAR, SHEOL, CRESCENT, SECTU, SINMARA, KRAKOW, INNER SANCTUM, DOOMRAISER, THE OSIRIS CLUB, HAEMOPHAGUS Bands I want to see (the bold are the bands I feel I just can't miss): Behemoth Bloodbath Arcturus My Dying Bride Dødheimsgard Svartidaudi Deathcult Dødsengel Execration Slagmaur Sargeist Vulture Industries Mortuary Drape Secrets of the Moon Mispyrming Sinmara Bands I'll take a look at if I have enough energy: Kampfar Naglfar Goatwhore Antichrist Haemophagus So, a disappointment seen with last years eyes, but it's still a strong line-up with more than enough interesting bands. I will enjoy this. My girl is keen on seeing Ensiferum, so I might have a look at them if she comes for one day as well.

Also, if anyone's interested in some new black metal you should check out Volahn, one of the many bands formed by a small group of people that belongs to the Black Twilight Circle. The debut was good, but their newest, 2014's Aq'Ab'Al, is amazing. The production is raw, yet both rich and organic, the music is pretty melodic black metal and is filled with unbelievable leads (the leads are out of another world!). The rest is fairly standard, but the atmosphere is unique and the only bands I can think of that manage to create atmoshere similar to this is a few of the other BTC groups like Kuxan Suum and Odz Manouk. Both worth checking out too. Fantastic bands. Yeah, the cover looks weird but it does fit the music on the album. No kidding.

Here's my list of top 10 grindcore albums: 1. Blood Freak - Sleaze Merchants Blood Freak is one of my all-time favourite bands, and this is one of the best albums ever released. The band is mainly inspired by 70's and 80's horror and exploitation films, an that is something that I always felt Maniac Neil always managed to get through the disgusting music. 36.55 minutes divided on 22 tracks of sleazy grindcore, and like their biggest musical inspiration, Impetigo, they use a lot of movie samples as intros to the songs. The band plays dirty and sleazy grindcore with lots of nods towards both death and thrash metal. I'd say that the album is pretty varied for being a grindcore album. Awakening the Beast One of the most catchy grindcore songs ever. Slow, heavy and dirty as fuck. 2. Impetigo - Ultimo Mondo Cannibale Old school grindcore and one of the albums that help define the genre. Lyric-wise it's all about 70's and 80's horror films and gore, just the way I like it. This isn't the most brutal album out there, but it's one of the best and a must-have for any fans of death metal or grindcore. Bloody Pit of Horror 3. Repulsion - Horrified Another one of the early classics that helped define the genre. It's brutal, it's catchy and it's immense. The production is so fucking good and the songs are even better. Everything you can say about this album have already been said. Great album! Black Breath 4. Frightmare - Midnight Murder Mania This was Maniac Neil's band before Blood Freak, and you can hear the similarities. But this has even more death and thrash metal influence. Imagine a slasher film in musical form, that's basically what this is and with titles such as Cropsy, Thorn In Their Side (The Slumber Party Massacre), Friday the 13th, Slasher Holocaust, The Prowler, Be My Bloody Valentine, Black Christmas and Frank Zito, The Maniac it should be quite easy for any horror fan to tell that this band is all about slasher films. Friday the 13th 5. Bolt Thrower - In Battle There Is No Law! When we think of Bolt Thower we think of heavy, crushing and Iron Maiden-esque death metal, but at the very begining they played old school grindcore of the best kind. Crusty, sloppy, filthy and dirty. In Battle There Is No Law 6. S.O.B. - Don't Be Swindle One of the very first grindcore albums, and one that was released the same year as Napalm Death' Scum, and a band that Napalm Death "stole" riffs from for their second album, From Enslavement to Obliteration. That is how good this band is. Lots of hardcore and lots of thrash, but ultimately this is grindcore, and it's great. Raging in Hell 7. Napalm Death - From Enslavement to Obliteration Widely regarded one of the finest grindcore albums ever, and it truly is. Cold, disgusting and hateful grindcore that shouldn't need an introduction. A perfect blend of catchy punkiness and brutal grinding madness. From Enslavement to Obliteration 8. Terrorizer - World Downfall Another one of those early grindcore albums that helped define the genre and make it what it is today. And one of the things that made this standout from the rest of the grindcore bands of the time, is how well-played and well-produced the album is. Grindcore used to be pretty sloppy, but this is tight as fuck, and the production is thick and razor sharp. Massive album! Fear of Napalm 9. Machetazo - Trono de Huesos WHat is this you say? This is legendary spanish grindcore with no lyrics. Yeah, you read right. From 94 to 2007 the band released three albums, some EPs, splits and demos, but none which featured lyrics, just noises. A great record by a great band. Brutal, yet catchy, and the production is fantastic. Banquete Funerario 10. Extreme Noise Terror - A Holocaust in Your Head Call it brutal crust or call it grindcore, it doesn't really matter as both termsfit perfectly. Extremely intense, brutal and over the top album which should please fans of both crust and grindcore, as long as you don't mind it sloppy. The dual-vocal is one interesting aspect as well: two vocalist with highly different style handles the vocal duties, and it sounds awesome. Murder Follow ups: 11. General Surgery - Necrology A Carcass clone that does Carcass better than Carcass themself. It's that good. It is especially the production that makes this a better listen than Carcass IMO. Most would disagree on this though. Severe Catatonia in Pathology 12. Carcass - Symphonies of Sickness Not as good as General Surgery, but still a fantasticl album. Very unique for its time, especially because of the leads. Embryonic Necropsy and Devourment 13. Asesino - Corridos de Muerte Grindcore in the vein of Machetazo I'd say, but not as good. Fantastic vocals! Corrido del Asesino 14. Altar of Giallo - A Bloodfeast for the Dead Mid-paced Impetigo, Autopsy and Repulsion-inspired grindcore which is more about putrid atmosphere of horror and gore, than brutality and riff-awesomenes. Last Man on Earth 15. Gruesome Stuff Relish - Teenage Giallo Grind Impetigo and Repulsion meet Carnage and Nihilist. Everything about this band is very classic, and I adore the lyrics. Simple and straight to the point, but the horror fan in me can't get enough of that kind of lyrics. Very cool. Good band! How can I not love lyrics like these: Jungle Rites

Never really tried Body Count before. I mean, I've heard an album here, an album there, a song here and a song there, but never actually gave the band a proper chance. I know their debut is considered a classic so I will check it out. Also, had a grindcore kick the past weeks. Thought I'd make a top 10 grindcore albums list and post here before the weekend ends. You guys go on post yours as well. Interested in seeing what other grindcore albums people like. I've decided to keep it at one album per band too, if not 7-8 of the albums would've been divided on three bands. But I can promise a damn cool list for anyone interested.

Shinobi no Mono: Mist Saizo Strikes Back - The 7th film in the series, and one of the best of the series. This is on par with the first film, if not even better. It's the most straight forward film since the first film, and it's the most action-packed film till now. The story is simple but great, the cast is top notch, it's very, very well-directed and the action is great. I don't have anything to complain about. Fantastic film!

Btw, anyone seen this: Shit's awesome. It's a cool, modernized version of the classic Suicidal Tendencies track. I really like both the song and hilarious video. Good stuff.

If you haven't checked out their older albums you should. Their first four albums are by far their best, and after giving World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud a couple of more listens I am sure this will end up being my 4th or 5th favourite from them, which is good considering how amazing this band is. I like all albums, but their four first albums and their demo are magical. The Linear Scaffold are by far my favourite album from them though. Miles ahead of their second best.