Visutox

Primer – I had heard some nice things about this one, so I checked it out AND that was one of the best choices that I've ever taken in my entire life. Clearly deserves every good word it gets and makes any other film in the genre seem like total horseshit. The acting is on point, the plot was on point and its complexity is totally mind-blowing. Shane Carruth is a fucking genius for making such a great film with a budget of only 7,000 USD.

 

And so I went on checking it out another movie by him...

 

Upstream Color –  At least with Primer I can say that I was sort of sure that I was following the plot pretty well, but this one raped my brain without mercy. I started grasping some elements, of course, as the film progressed.... But overall, it is a quite coded movie with well hidden messages. Also the concept of the "life cycles" was pretty interesting. I had some difficulties to link the intro of the movie with the rest of it, because it made no sense at all. But then again, not everything has to have a meaning, or it doesn't necessarily have to be complicated. Other than that, excellent acting and amazing cinematography! 

For the short time I've been interested in kpop and busy exploring it, SHINee was probably among the very few that I used to enjoy. I'm really shocked and saddeed by his death... RIP.

I've seen quite a few end-year lists thus far, and I was gonna ask you guys to share yours or at least give some of your favorite releases... But then I realised I'm rather interested to know what are some of your most disappointing releases from this year? There have been a few for me, for example:

 

Enslaved — E 

That album was bland as fuck and didn't make me feel anything throughout the whole thing. What I found most frustrating is probably the fact that when I felt like it was going somewhere, it just kept tragically going nowhere.

 

Falloch — Prospice

I didn't know these guys were releasing this so it's not like I was expecting anything, but let's say that I was excited to hear this new one. It did nothing for me and actually just managed to frustrate the hell out of me since I love their two previous albums. Tragic.

 

Al-Namrood — Enkar 

I enjoy these guys music and I admire them for their history and bravery, but this new album just felt boring to me and I was looking forward its end throughout the whole thing. Too bad.

 

Feared — Svart

I'm not gonna lie, I expected something. The previous one wasn't that good, but I was hoping to hear something similar to Synder... The first single they dropped for this album was a warning, and I didn't pay attention. 9 tracks, 25 minutes and only 2 good songs.

 

Uneven Structure — La Partition 

I tried to like this album, I honestly wanted to like it but I couldn't. I don't know what type of result they were going for with that production, but it was a total miss. And even when I managed to go past that prod, the music itself was meh. A few good songs towards the end, but that's it.

 

Moonspell — 1755

Was excited because I actually liked the samples they dropped and the context of the album's theme/lyrics, and when the album came out I did quite enjoy it. But as I gave it more listens, I ended up realizing it was quite mediocre for Moonspell standards. Such a shame.

 

That's some of mine, didn't want to make it too long. 

 

Btw I'm also interested by your favorite albums as well so if possible, drop yours! 

I went on to watch some Andrew Garfield films and was not disappointed.

 

The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2 – Enjoyed both, they're fairly good. The second one is better than the first but both come with their tremendous lot of incoherence. If you're able to see past its numerous flaws, you might actually enjoy the hell out of it. Andrew Garfield was a good Peter Parker, too bad that his screen-time as Spidey is always very brief. Electro is a terrible villain btw, and I think he got too much screenplay for such a character... I'd have preferred to see more of Green Goblin, but one doesn't always get what he wishes for.

 

Hacksaw Ridge – The fact that this film was about WW2 helped me not thinking twice, and I really loved it. It was deep and I really don't have much to say about it, it really amaze me. The battles were on point too, and you could really feel how horrible it can be to be fighting in one. I also like how I started being annoyed by the character of Desmond Doss but started appreciating him more and more as the film progressed. Highly recommended.

 

Silence (2016) – After reading the book, I was afraid that the movie was going to be a huge flop... Hell, was I wrong. I actually think that the film was so representative of what the book has to offer and doesn't miss out on anything that is important. The acting was brilliant, the cinematography was terrific and Yosuke Kubozuka being in this film was a little plus that made me like it. Huge props to Martin Scorsese for this masterpiece. 

In case anyone cares: the new Hooded Menace album just leaked, and it's solid as fuck. I'm gonna give it more spins, but I really dug it. 

I'm on my third spin of WDWC and it's getting better and better with every listening. Holy shit. It's quite similar to OMD but somehow feels less dense and more... effective? I love this album. 

Just finished listening the new album and yes, it's solid as fuck. Need more spins but as always, it's so damn epic and atmospheric and everything. I can't wait to have the lyrics  in front of me and be able to read along as I listen to this great album.

^ Oh my fucking god, the cringe is strong with this one. I think I need to lay down for a moment.

My cat has been missing all day... I miss her so much already. Need to find her asap.

Okay, why not. That sounds fairly good, will be keeping an eye on this one. 

Yeah, doesn't sound like they're going for a revolution in their music style but hey, the clip looks to be pretty cool. I just hope that it'll be better than their latest album, which was so disappointing. 

The Punisher is coming out this Friday and I can't fucking wait anymore. 

Really looking forward Orphaned Land, Evilfeast and Obscure Burial albums! And all of these album covers are amazing, holy shit. 

Never played Lord of the Rings Online and told myself "let's give it a try". It's as if I'm playing WoW with a different story but hey, I'm enjoying it so far. Especially because there aren't lots of games I can play on my computer these days because of my set up, so yeah.

Thor: Ragnarok

 

I still have to watch GotG Vol. 2, but I'm positive that this is the best Marvel movie of the year. It's just fun as hell and really cool, like hell, if someone asked me what are the main characteristics of a Marvel movie I'd tell them to just watch Thor: Ragnarok. Couldn't stop laughing throughout the whole movie and enjoyed it like a kid. Cate Blanchett as Hela was freaking awesome and so damn hot, Tessa Thompson was awesome too, and Taika Waititi as Korg was probably my favorite character of the movie (watch it to find out why). Also loved Mark Ruffalo and Jeff Goldblum, top tier actors. 

 

 

 

Just checked out this new beast from Scour, and hell, what an EP! I think it's even better than the self-titled EP and Phil Anselmo is such a versatile vocalist... Like holy hell, the vocal range goes from some vicious death metal growls to some totally evil and harsh black metal vocal techniques that are simply just amazing. Plus the evil atmosphere that the guitars create is fucking terrific and the solos are so damn fun. It's short, straight forward, right to the point and as good as it gets. Might be one of my favorite EPs of 2017, hands down! 

 

https://scourofficial.bandcamp.com/album/red-ep

It's a fantastic track but... I don't get the point of the utterly annoying high-pitched sound? I don't know if it's a sort of tambourine that is responsible of that but it fucks the track up for me. Listening to this, I can't believe I used to complain about Old Mornings Dawn's mastering...

Wish I could attend to such an amazing gig! 

 

Yes, the album cover of Eroded Corridors is really spot on. Really representative of the music! Love album covers that are a true reflection of the music itself. 

Adam Burke killed it this year, once again... Horrified, Artificial Brain, Loss, Pagan Altar, FFAA and so on. He's only capable of great things.

 

This beast adds up to the "amazing death metal albums of 2017" list, as if said list wasn't already long enough. Unreal album, absolutely vicious and brutal. This is the kind of death metal I live for. 

 

https://darkdescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/eroded-corridors-of-unbeing

 

 

I had high expectations for this album and it sure as hell fulfilled them. Another great melodic/death metal album, beautifully crafted and those bass-lines are such a beautiful thing to listen to. I'm gonna be playing this a lot in the next days/weeks/months.

 

https://horrified.bandcamp.com/album/allure-of-the-fallen

 

 

Another personal favorite from this year, I fucking love this one. Some dark/post-metal that holds such a dark and amazing atmosphere throughout the whole thing. Has an amazing replay value and already listened it a few times, and it gets better after every spin. Fiar is such an amazing vocalist! Plus all the lyrics are in Catalan this time, and that is a + for me since I love the language and I'm trying to learn it. Other than that, I love the album cover.

 

https://foscor.bandcamp.com/

 

Can't wait, I'm so stoked for this new one!

It comes as no surprise that there's tons of similarities with Nile, but that track sure as hell sounds terrific. 

 

Anyone's listened to the new Blut aus Nord album? It leaked already. I was a bit tired when I checked it out but it sounded as I expected it would and I liked it, need to give it more spins though. 

To be fair death metal covers should ALWAYS look like that (and btw couldn't get into that Cryptic Brood album, need to spin it more and see how it goes next time).

 

 

Arkhon Infaustus are finally back after 10 years of silence with a sensational EP and I totally love it, the Frenchmen are only getting better with time. Can't wait to get a full album of this.

 

Yeah, although I haven't yet listened to the new song I gotta say that it's not that album cover that is responsible for my excitement concerning the new album. I can't wait to check out the whole thing!

Watched What Happened To Monday? with a friend yesterday, and I really didn't expect it to be so good and so poignant at the same time. A film that realistically puts in prospective the issue of overpopulation and the lie behind some utopias that politicians talk about in order to achieve their ideals. Noomi Rapace was really great in the role of seven different characters, and managed to make all of them feel so unique. Not disappointed.