Protest The Hero- Volition Album Review

I've only been a Protest the Hero fan for a short while, probably a year or so, but I fell in love with the band. Their lyrics have a lot of value and they are fantastic musicians in their own right. When I heard that they had a new album coming out, I simply HAD to get it and write a review about it. This is the first album that I have listened to that made me want to listen to the full album. It gripped me like an action thriller and it took every fiber in me to hit stop and go to sleep. It should also be noted that Protest the Hero parted ways with their drummer Moe Carlson who was the original drummer of the band. The band have found a new drummer Mike Ieradi, but Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler is the session drummer for this album. Without further ado, onto the fantastic album that is Volition.

1.      Clarity- This track practically pulls you into the musical insanity that is Protest the Hero, and shows you what they really are made of. The intro riff really appeals to me and the progression of the drums is flawless. They beat flows so smoothly and the bass and guitar lock right in. What always appealed to me about Protest the Hero was that they had a second guitar that plays a funky rhythm over a progression. This track does not have a lot of screaming in it, but in this case it makes the song sound even better. The song overall is a consistent barrage of sound and it sounds beautiful and well arranged. 8/10

2.      Drumhead Trial- One of my favorite things about Protest The Hero are their 'broken' up intros. They play a quick little riff, then rest, then play the next part of the riff. It just sounds so badass and awesome to me. The song flows extremely well, especially with the tempo change at 1:34. It took me by surprise, but I was happily surprised to hear the song flow just as well as it did before. The song takes a turn for the softer side about three quarters through the song featuring guest vocalist Kayla Howran, a country vocalist who I have never heard of. Let me say this, she KILLED it. Her vocal range was spectacular and her voice fit the song perfectly. 8/10

3.      Tilting Against Windmills- This song is an immensely "heavy" song. The drums really push this song forward and vocalist Rody Walker really gets time to shine on this track, as well as bassist Arif Mirabdolbaghi. The breakdown at the end of the song is one of the heaviest breakdowns I have heard in a long time. The song really makes me want to get up and break shit. It's that heavy of a track. The guitar solo in the album changes moods quite well, using the broke intro concept I mentioned in "Drumhead trial" With that being said, it is kind of similar to the opening track Clarity in some aspects. 6.75/10

4.      Without Prejudice- The song starts off with a trumpet sound that sounds like it came from an old 80's movie when the protagonist has caught the villain mid crime. With that being said, this is one of my favorite tracks off of the album. It has a lot of energy going for it, and the second half of the song is quite inspiring. What makes this song so amazing to me is the bass line in the midst of the third verse. It is signature Arif with his crazy bass lines, but the accents he used on the notes he hit were what really blew me away. The guitars eventually start following the bass line, as opposed to the bass line following the guitar parts. The bass leads the song for a full minute before the guitar takes over "control" of the song. Rody is flaunting his vocal range in this song, hitting high notes with ease and accentuating the song all the more. The composition and the execution of this song are simply mind blowing, and dare I say, flawless. 9.5/10  

5.      Yellow Teeth- Something about this song throws me off. I think it may have been the quiet part of the song, or maybe it was the overall progression of the song. The song does have a badass riff in with really cool licks and mini solos in it. The guitars really help the song transition from section to section within the song. With all of that being said, the song does not stand out at all in this album. It has flair, but it kind of blends into the album. There is nothing special about this song, but the song itself does sound good. Great even. I feel it could have been a little bit more dynamic though. 6/10

6.      Plato's Tripartite- Half way through the album! I feel that at this point the album, the songs really change and stand out more. Plato's Tripartite is a perfect example of this. The chorus and the verse are very distinct, and don't fade in and out of each other like the previous songs. This is not to say that it is a bad thing, but it very nice to see the variety in the song. The breakdown in the song is very dynamic and to top it all off, the band even adds an acoustic guitar outro for fifty five seconds in which Rody and Kayla overlay their vocals to create beautiful harmonies with a simple acoustic guitar in the background. I'd overall rate this song an 8/10.

7.      A Life Embossed- This song really means a lot to me. A friend of mine is very passionate about the BSL law that is discussed in this song and is doing everything she can to get it overturned. The song essentially talks about the law that is practically committing a genocide on Pitbulls. With that taken care of, this song musically is feels like something that could have been on Fortress. It has quite a bit of screaming and the drums and guitar work are simply stunning like always. The bass works really well in this song and compliments the drums and guitars quite well. 7.5/10

8.      Mist- This song is very upbeat. I can't tell if it is due to Rody's voice or the guitar section and the bright notes used, but it sounds very uplifting. In comparison to other songs, this one sounds very simple in terms of the composition of the song, but it works very well. They do add a very nice violin ending to it followed by an acoustic outro that bears no resemblance to the outro of Plato's Tripartite. This outro is fully decked out with piano, backup acoustic guitar and a lead acoustic guitar that plays a very interesting melody. The piano was a very nice touch to this song and adds to the beauty of this song. 7/10

9.      Underbite- This song pokes fun at the generic bands and artists that tour and become sellouts and record generic material to please the crowd. The song has a bunch of tempo changes and time signature making it very complex piece in all. My personal favorite was the second change that introduced the backup vocals around the three minute mark because the bass really shines and shows how layered it can really get. 7.5/10

10.  Animal Bones- This is, in my opinion, the heaviest song on the record. The double bass pounds away as Rody screams some of the heaviest screams I have heard from him. There aren't as many changes in this song in comparison to Underbite or Without Prejudice, but that doesn't change the fact that the song is still pretty good. The one thing I didn't like about this song was that they faded out. I felt they could have ended the song on the ending riff they used without having to fade out. Kind of ruined the feel of the song for me, but not by much. 6.5/10

11.  Skies- This song really has a lot going for it. It has a few soft parts where the bass takes the lead and Rody is able to show he does have a tender side to his voice, and then it has other sections where the guitar is ruling the song with some heavy riffs and insane shredding. Lyrics were strong and as passionate as the rest of the album and everyone was able to stand out musically without getting muddled and overplayed. The song overall was a great way to end the album. 8/10

Album Overall: This album is my favorite album of the year. It has a lot going for it and each song is very distinct and unique. The female vocalist Kayla Howran does a fantastic job in "Drumhead Trial". There's are large amount of guest musicians on this record as well, such as Jadea Kelly, a female folk vocalist who is practically a staple for back vocals for Protest the Hero, as well as various other vocalists and guitarists. The riffs are all memorable and very solid. Both lead guitarist Luke Hoskin and rhythm guitarist Tim Millar are stunning guitarists and have great chemistry as musicians. They are both very skilled and complement each other's strong suits very nicely. Bassist Arif remains as technical as always with his tapping bass sections and stunning slap technique. He is able to accent the guitar parts quite nicely, and he works with the intense drum parts that Chris Adler lays down on the album. Adler is a monster drummer and does a great job on this record as a studio drummer. His fills are amazing and he fits with the band quite well, despite the fact he only played drums on the album, and not live. The album overall is fantastic and I can't wait to hear more from them.

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Perrix MX-2000 Gaming Mouse Review

When I got into PC gaming, I realized I needed a better mouse for gaming. I usually play Counter Strike: Global Offensive, but I also play RPG games extensively and I wanted a  mouse that would be accurate, and hold up to my abuse. I had been using a cheap IBM mouse up until that point with a scroll wheel that was grounded down so much from usage that it was smoother than the floor! The mouse had a decent back to it and a moderate downward slope to it so I wanted to maintain that shape in the next mouse. I am a person who likes having options, regardless if I decide to take them so I wanted to have a mouse that would have lots of buttons and functions. I  viewed various mice that ranged from the Logitech to Cooler Master and Blue Cobra, but I finally decided on the Perixx MX-2000 gaming mouse with 11 buttons and DPI switch.

 

My old IBM Mouse on the left, the Perrix on the right. 

The mouse itself is really comfortable and economic. I play a claw grip style, which means that I arch my index, middle and ring finger on the left, middle, and right button respectively. The mouse works very well for claw grip players, but I feel it would be perfectly fine for palm grip players, a grip that essentially requires the user to place their palm on the mouse and let their hand naturally grip the mouse. My thumb comfortably rests on the accompanying thumb rest that has a button at the base of the rest. It is placed in such a way that it is easy to click, but only if one wants to. It is tough to 'accidentally' click it.

There are two buttons that are above the thumb rest on the side of the mouse that are traditionally for the "forward" and "backward" commands when in a browser or Windows Explorer to go to a previous page. The right side of the mouse has a button that is placed parallel to the forward button that is easy to reach with my ring finger as a claw grip player. Palm grip players would find it easy to click with their pinky finger when needed, but I have that button programmed to "F5" which is the refresh command when within a browser. The scroll wheel believe or not has 3 button functions. You can click on the scroll wheel for one function, tilt it to the left for another function, and tilt it to the right for the third and final function. At first, I thought the tilt on the scroll wheel would get in the way of me using it,, but it turns out it stays out of the way until only when needed. Last, but not least, the mouse also has DPI adjustment buttons. DPI, which stands for dots per inch, is how many dots the mouse 'understands' per inch the mouse itself moves. A high DPI means the mouse moves fast, whereas a lower DPI means the mouse speed is lower. These buttons are placed in a slightly inconvenient manner behind the scroll wheel. If they were about a millimeter or so closer to the scroll wheel it would be easier to reach. The buttons as is are easy to press, but it would be convenient for the user. Otherwise, all the buttons feel very natural and responsive, all in all making it a great mouse to use physically. Now for the fun stuff, the program.

What makes this mouse so useful to me is the software that comes with it. Each of the 11 buttons on the mouse can be reprogrammed to the users liking. The program lets the user switch out the default functions of the mouse to what the user wants. You can change a button to a basic function such as forwards, backwards, double click, and menu, or you can change it to media hotkey such as play or stop. In addition to that, basic edit functions such as copy and paste, as well as more advanced functions including run, close window, Lock PC and LED Color Switch. Probably most important for gamers is the Single Key and Macro buttons which allow users to create shortcuts that can be bound to their keys. These come in handy for me a lot when I play games such as Magicka, a game that requires you to make spells via key combinations that range across 8 keys on the keyboard. MMO players and MOBA players also benefit from this when they play their respective games because it makes them more efficient as players. The program also lets you change little things as well such as the color of the LED in the mouse, the sensitivity of the scroll wheel and the double click speed.

You will not have to worry about changing the button commands every two seconds since the mouse can handle up to five profiles. This means that you can have a profile just for browsing the internet and casual use, as well as profiles for your favorite games. On last point to touch on is the wire itself. The wire is braided, which means that it cannot get tangled up and wrapped up within itself like most other cables do. This for me is a fantastic feature since it makes it easier to take the mouse places without having to waste time untangling the cable once I reach my destination.

This mouse overall is a great value purchase and it has not failed me so far in the six months I have owned it. It is built to last in my opinion, and although the company is not well known or well advertised, I will be sure to buy more products from this company if the occasion arises. The mouse is quite comfortable and the accompanying program is quite useful and manageable. I would easily recommend this mouse for anyone who is into gaming or wants a comfortable mouse to use for their desktop or laptop.  

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Band of the Week #13 - Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters was a band that was formed directly after the end of Nirvana, the band lead singer/guitar player David Grohl played drums for. David went into the studio for a week after hearing the news of Nirvana's lead singer Kurt Cobain's suicide. He recorded songs about how he felt, and released it as a demo tape dubbed "Foo Fighters".  Grohl wanted to stay anonymous for a while since Nirvana was one of the most famous bands at the time, and he didn't want to be under the microscope of the public for a short while. The demo tape garnered a lot of attention, and almost two decades later, the Foo Fighters are still going strong, writing hit songs like "Rope", "Monkey Wrench", and "The Pretender"

I initially got into this band when my old friend Jason showed me "The Pretender" music video back when it came out in 2007. The lyrics were almost mystical to me at the time, but what really made my jaw drop were the instrumentals. I never really heard anything quite like the Foo Fighters at that point. After hearing "The Pretender", I didn't really listen to them a lot until four to five years later. It wasn't because I didn't like them, it was just that I never listened to full albums a lot at that point. I only listened to a track here and there, but one day I just decided to listen to The Colour and the Shape and Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace from cover to cover and it was quite possibly one of the greatest decisions I ever made as a musician. There were songs on the albums that were soft acoustic tracks, and then there were tracks that were loud, kickass rock tracks. Each album had a perfect blend of soft tracks and loud tracks, thus providing the fans a very dynamic, strong catalog.

Foo Fighters have a lot to offer musically. They were never a four chord band, and they always wanted to push the envelope as musicians. Drummer Taylor Hawkins is a monster drummer and knows how to embellish tracks without overplaying and making pieces sound awkward. Bassist Nate Mendel keeps a great groove, and if you listen closely, adds nice tags to his bass lines to make sure that they don't just follow the simple root notes of the guitar. Chris Shiflett, the lead guitar player, plays very percussive lead parts that add a lot of flavor to the songs. Pat Smear, David Grohl's guitar player whilst in Nirvana, lays down a great rhythm guitar along with lead singer David Grohl. Grohl's vocals are an even blend of old school punk screaming, and melodic phrases make the band truly unique. Lyrically, their songs are varied and stretch across various topics. They don't strictly stick to romance and love as a point of topics, thus making them a well rounded band lyrically. The Foo Fighters have been one of those bands that has stood the test of time and I am sure they will be relevant in the music industry for years to come due to the bands' unique songs and their sheer creativity when it comes to writing songs. 

Rope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbpqZT_56Ns

The Pretender: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBjQ9tuuTJQ

Monkey Wrench: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rCNiiNPxA

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Band of the Week #12- A Day To Remember

History:

Coming straight from Ocala is pop punk/ post hardcore band A Day to Remember. Like most bands, all the members were all in different bands until they all met up and formed ADTR. They were originally signed to Indianola records where they released their first EP as well as their debut album And Their Name Was Treason. This album was able to get the band a lot of attention throughout the DIY tour of which they were a part of. Through various connections, the band was able to talk to a representative of Victory Records and was eventually able to get signed to their label after the representative saw them play a show in Chicago. On this record label they would release all of their albums, except for their most recent album Common Courtesy. Right after they got signed to Victory Records, they changed drummers to Alex Shelnutt. They released their sophomore album For Those Who Have a Heart in January of 2007, and it gained them the spot of Number 17 on the Billboards Heatseekers Chart. They toured this album for two years, and even played shows as far as the UK and Bamboozle.

In 2008, they went back to the studio to record their third album Homesick. Their guitar player Tom Denny would leave the band during 2008, and was replaced by Kevin Skaff. Denny still had a say in how the album was written. They released the album in February of 2009 and then went on tours to support it. They even had their own North American Tour, dubbed Toursick. This album is widely considered to be their best album to date, as well as their breakthrough album. They toured this album extensively, and then they their fourth album What Separates Me From You. They originally released their first single off the record, "All I Want", in October of 2010, followed by the release of the full album in November of the same year. The album was well received, although fans consistently compared it to Homesick. The album had a great mix of heavy tracks and pop punk tracks. It was overall well received, but then they would soon have fallouts with their record label, Victory Records. With all of that aside, the band was able to self release their most recent album, Common Courtesy last Tuesday. The band is currently on the House Party Tour with Pierce the Veil and All Time Low.

My Thoughts:  

ADTR is probably the band that helped me get into "scremo" music. I got into their most recent album at the time, What Separates Me From You, and then progressively started listening to heavier and heavier material. They were a great band to help me transition into listening to heavier acts such as Protest The Hero and Between the Buried and Me. The band overall is fantastic and  although they may be a little bit generic when it comes to lyrics, their instrumentals are really good and dynamic. The guitarists work well together and the rhythm section know hoe to keep a tight groove. Jeremy McKinnon, the lead vocalist has a lot of energy and passion when it comes to singing and writing his lyrics. The band overall is amazing and their new album is stellar. I will be releasing an album review of it in the upcoming week. 

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Mayday Parade- Monsters in the Closet Album Review

I only found out about this album three months when I saw the band post information about it on their Facebook page. If they hadn't done that, I wouldn't have even heard about it. I checked out the lyric video for their first single and thought it was a really good song. Right then and there, I decided that this would have to be an album that I check out. Mayday Parade's past three albums have all been unique in their own special way, so without further ado, let's get on with the review.

In Depth Review:

1.      Ghosts- This was the first of two singles they released from this album. It has a really soft intro, but it picks up within after the first 30 seconds. The first thing I heard was the guitar in the background. It was doing a lot more movement than I expected, but I'll admit I like it. It isn't like Hail to the King by Avenged Sevenfold where the intricate part stood out and tarnished the song to a certain extent, but a subtle guitar part that gets its time to shine for the quick solo in the song. The song in itself is very dynamic and has a lot of tempo changes as well as a good mix of highs and lows. Another plus is that I can hear the bass really well in this track which is always good since the bassist gets a little time to shine as well. This is overall a really good opener, I'd give it a 8/10

2.      Girls- This is the second single off the album that was released a couple of weeks ago. This song sounds very pop-punk, but in a good way. The drums are really punchy and push the song forward a lot. The song has a nice guitar riff going for it and the vocals are stunning. Towards the end of the song, it slows down a lot, but they were able to keep tempo and maintain the integrity of the song. Overall, I'd give this song a 7/10. I felt there was something missing in the song, something that could have made it ten times better, but it is still a great track.

3.      Last Night for a Table of Two- The introduction to this is song is amazing! The guitar has a very Middle Eastern feel to it. This song is really technical in comparison to Mayday Parade's previous material. There are a lot of held notes, and there is an insane guitar solo filled with shreddy goodness. The vocalists Derek Sanders and Jake Bundrick have really nice vocal tradeoffs and they fit really well together on the vocal department.  The bass and drums are really tight on this track and the track overall is a really rock oriented track. I did not expect this type of track to be on the album; it surprised me in a good way. 9/10

4.      12 Through 15- This track is the type of track I was expecting to be on the record, and it doesn't disappoint. The track opens up with an audio clip from a movie. The track overall is very soft and laid back The bass is playing a very slow, but moving progression while the guitars play a nice percussive chord progression. The band really focuses on the vocals and set their goals to accentuate the vocals in this song. The song really picks up towards the second half, and it really shows off Derek's vocals. 8/10

5.      The Torment of Existence Weighed Against the Horror of Nonbeing- The intro is a big band "la-la-la" intro, but I wasn't too fond of it. I can see it being used in a live set extensively, but I wasn't a fan of the record version. With that aside, the song is really cool to listen to. The bass does some really cool stuff in the verse, and the vocals are stunning in the chorus. Jason and Derek get to show off their vocal abilities. The second guitar and piano in the second verse add nice accents in the song without overshadowing the song as a whole. The bridge and the buildup to the final chorus are amazing and I absolutely love this song. My only other issue with this song is that the end of the song has a violin section that feels out of place. With that aside, the album seems to get better the longer you listen to it. I'd give this track a 7/10

6.      Even Robots Need Blankets- This is yet another soft rock track. It starts off with a piano, and throughout the course of the song, goes back to focus on it since it is the main component of the song. The song gets slightly heavier, but it doesn't really change much. There are no interesting dynamic changes, nor a fun moving bassline. What really threw me off was the end of the song that seemed to have ended on a bad note. The song also initially end in an abrupt manner before going to the piano to end it. I'd give this song a 5/10. It feels very unpolished and incomplete.

7.      Repent and Repeat-  From the fade in to the very end, this track had me hooked. The drums are stellar and it is very pop-punk like. It has a great feel to it and I really like the song lyrically. The song flows really well and always stay up beat. It is personally one of my favorite songs off of the record so far. It is just so consistent and powerful. Plus the song is really catchy and the chorus is already stuck in my head after one listen. 9.5/10.

8.      Demons- This is another one of Mayday Parade's powerhouse tracks; a pop-punk track. This song would stand out if it was placed on one of their older records, but in an album filled with lots of fast upbeat tracks, it doesn't shine like it should Demons is a great track and one of my first thoughts about this song was that the intro is very Boys Like Girls like. It is reminiscent of their style, but in a good way.The track doesn't stand out terribly well in the album, but it is all in all a good track. 6.5/10

9.      Sorry, Not Sorry- I had two simultaneous impressions of this song when I first heard it. The first expression is that this song sounds like something off of their debut full length album, A Lesson in Romantics. The second was that the phrasing of the song is really awkward in various parts such as the intro. It didn't quite ruin the song for me, but it did bother me a little bit.  The song overall was good and I'd give it a 7.5/10

10.  Nothing You Can Live Without, Nothing You Can Do About- Something about this song strikes a chord with me. I don't know why, but I feel that I really relate to this song. With the personal feelings aside, this song is amazing. It feels like something that would have made it onto their second album, Anywhere But Here. It fits the theme of that album quite well, but it fits this one just as well. It is a really nice track and I would give it a solid 8/10

11.  Hold Onto Me- This is probably their most powerful song on the album. It is a soft rock track, very similar to Lifehouse in that sense. The track is a soft track and is a nice way to reach the ending of this album. Derek is belting out all he has vocally and is clearly putting some passion and soul into his work. I liked this track quite a bit. 710

12.  Angels- The album digresses from its hard hitting intros and triplets on the bass drum to end with yet another soft track. The album built up and digressed in a nice even manner. As for the song Angels, it reminds me a lot of Miserable at Best, a song they released on their debut album A Lesson in Romantics. The song is a nice soft ending to fantastic album. 7/10

The Album Overall:

WOW. Let me start with that. This album was amazing. I will definitely be listening to this album again and again for quite some time. The album has a things going for it and it was mixed really well. The lyrical content is no different than any of their other records, so I didn't focus on it as much. What really blew me away for this record was the instrumentals and the musicality. It is unlike any other Mayday Parade record I have ever heard and it is amazing. Id' give the album as a whole a solid 8.5/10. There are some really stellar songs in this album and I can happily say in my opinion that there are no bad tracks on this album. Nothing stood out like a sore thumb in a negative manner, and nothing sounded terrible. The album was well mixed, well made, and in my opinion, it will be well received. 

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iOS 7 is on Android!

iOS 7 is without a doubt one of the biggest things to happen to Apple this year alongside the release of their iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S. The new OS touts various new features as well as a new  refreshing look with bright icons and live wallpapers. But it isn't just for iOS devices anymore.

Some of you may have read my article a while back about the Android launcher Espier Launcher, an app that made your Android device look like it was running iOS 6. It would also operate like iOS 6 with the jiggle on the icons, iPhone search page on the left and the similar folder layouts, as well as modified icons to replicate iOS6. The same company has come back with an iOS 7 version of their launcher. Now this launcher has been around since iOS 7 was released in its beta stages back in July, but I decided against posting it since we didn't know much about iOS 7 and I didn't want to misinform you lovely readers. With a couple of weeks since iOS 7's release, I figured now would be a good time to talk about Espier Launcher's latest attempts in imitating one of the most popular OS's on the mobile market for the time being 

For those of you using Espier Launcher (the iOS 6 version), you can download a theme that will simply convert your current theme into iOS 7 without having to reconfigure anything. I initially did this in order to see what iOS 7 would look like on my phone.The background changed to the stock background of iOS 7, but it didn't move like the iOS 7. No matter, there are live wallpapers for it all over on the market so I wasn't terribly worried about that. Plus, I prefer the wallapaper to be static since it takes up less RAM and makes my phone run faster. The icons for the most part changed to their iOS 7 counterparts, but nothing else really changed. This theme is good for those who just want the physical look of iOS 7 without sacrificing the functions and features of iOS 6. 

If you want the functions and features of iOS 7, I recommend you try out the iOS 7 Espier Launcher. IF you do chose to use this launcher., you will have to reorganize everything as if you just got the launcher for the first time. I personally say it is worth the sacrifice. Once you utilize the launcher, you will see all the icons change to their iOS 7 counterpart as well as the theme changes. This is where all the comparisons changed to the theme version of it. If you swipe up you see the same task bar from iOS 6, but if you swipe down, you can find the search bar in its new position. I personally like it better in its new position. When you group applications together, you can see the new folder layout. The animations are almost perfect imitations of iOS 7.  Just like the iOS 6 version of the Espier launcher, you are able to edit and change the icons which was always a nice feature. You can import icons just like always from your external storage device and this is just a supplemental thing that adds to the feel of iOS 7.

In addition to all of these features, there are other applications that can help bring iOS to your Android phone, and they are all by Espier. The Espier Lock Screen is the iOS 7 variation of the stock lock screen. This version just provides the simply slide function as the only iOS 7 function. There is a paid version of this application by Espier Studio that provides a little bit more in terms of imitating the latest iOS. It provides the a better lock screen with the same num pad as iOS 7. It also has other handy features like switching to your camera without having to unlock your phone as well changing the text for "Slide to unlock", and the operator name. It also lets the notifications appear on the lock screen, a signature Apple trademark. The applications itself is very fluid and it works very well with the iOS 7 launcher.

Espier also have their own version of the Control Center as well as their own version of the notification center. The Control Center is much more fluid than I originally expected. I have had some experience with some other control centers and they were always very buggy. The swipe up feature was always super sensitive and would pop up on the screen when I would be using my keyboard. The Espier version works much more fluidly and therefore is much more usable and practical. The Airplane Mode, Wifi, Bluetooth, Data and Screen Rotation lock are on the top half of the screen, whereas the Flashlight, Clock, Calculator, and Camera icons are on the bottom. There is a very nice 4 x 1, 5 x 1 spot in the middle for a widget of your choice. They recommend using the Espier Music Controller there to make it really feel like iOS 7, but I personally don't like their controller so I just put a battery widget there by Du Saver Battery.

In addition to the Lock Screen and the Control Center, Espier also offers their own Notification Center. I personally think that this application needs a lot of improvement in the user interface. The screen seems to lag a lot it doesn't always change screen when they are swiped. The notification center is creative in the sense that you can select which apps appear in the center and which don't. You can also choose to just select the notification aspect of the application, the notification bar on the top of your screen, or both. I think that if Espier chooses to fix the little things about this application, it'd be fantastic and fluid. It has a tad bit of latency, but I'm sure Espier will fix it in future updates.

Espier has a lot to offer to the Android market. They are perfect for people like me who like the flexibility and uniqueness of Android, with the simplicity of an iPhone. Although some of their applications need improvements, the overall presentation of the application is fantastic. I would recommend Espier's apps to anyone that wants a simple to use launcher or plugins to make their Android phone into an iPhone replica with legitimate interactive icons and features.

Edit: Here are the links for the various applications I was mentioning throughout the article

Espier iOS 7 THEME (This is if you are using the old launcher and just want a quick upgrade) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.espier.launcher.theme.ios7

Espier iOS 7 LAUNCHER (Full makeover and features) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.espier.launcher7

Espier iOS NOTIFICATIONS- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.espier.launcher.plugin.notifications7

Espier CONTROL CENTER= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.espier.launcher.plugin.controller7

Espier SCREEN LOCKER- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.espier.launcher.plugin.screenlocker7

P.S. There are also "Full Paid Versions" for the screen locker, Control Center, Notifications, and the Launcher. They have the word "Pro" after their title on the Google Play Store. These Applications offer more features for the user and can make the experience more enjoyable. I only have the pro version for the Screen Locker and find that there is a slight amount of lag when it comes to unlocking the screen once you press the lock button on your phone. Using the normal screen locker I find no latency at all. It could just be my phone, but I thought I'd point it out for the sake of pointing it out. 

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Band of the Week #11- Pierce The Veil

History:

Pierce the Veil is a post hardcore band from Sand Diego, California that was formed by lead singer Vic Fuentes and his brother Mike Fuentes in 2007. They left their prior band "Before Today" and they recorded their first album together under the moniker Pierce the Veil with their old record label Equal Vision Records. Their first album, A Flair for the Dramatic, was released on June 26, 2007 with Mike Fuentes on drums and backing vocals and Vic Fuentes on bass guitar, electric guitars and vocals.  Prior to touring this album for the next year and a half, the brothers found guitar player Tony Perry, and bass player Jaime Preciado to take up the open positions in the band. The band then went on to go back to the studio for their second album Selfish Machines. It released in 2010 around the same time as their first album from three years ago. It featured their hit single "Caraphernelia" featuring Jeremy McKinnon from pop punk/ post-hardcore band A Day To Remember, as well as songs such as "Bulletproof Love", and
"I Don't Care If You're Contagious". Like most post- hardcore bands, they toured this album with various Warped Tour dates. They also accompanied various of their label mates on the Alternative Press Tour.

The band switched labels from Equal Vision Records to Fearless Records prior to their third album Collide with the Sky which was announced in 2011. The band was recording material while on their various tours and released the album on July 17, 2012. It's first single King for a Day featured Kellin Quinn from the post hardcore band Sleeping with Sirens, and was a great hit with the fans. Their second single Bulls on the Bronx received similar reception. The band continues to tour that album up until the present day, and they are going to be releasing a DVD soon of their first world tour.

My Thoughts:

I originally heard of Pierce the Veil when I got a hold of Punk Goes Pop Vol. 4 and heard their cover of "Just The Way You Are". I really liked their interpretation of the song and it made me want to listen to more of their material. I then starting listening to " Caraphernelia" and their more recent material such as "King for a Day". What really drew me to the band were the vocals and the guitar work. It really stood out to me and made them unique in comparison to other bands in the same music scene. I really recommend them for anyone who is interested in rock with a tad bit of heaviness since Vic also tends to do unclean vocals. I really recommend their most recent effort, Collide With The Sky, because it is their most versatile album to date and it is a joy to listen to. Vic's voice is very different, it has a certain grittiness to it that makes Pierce the Veil fun to listen to vocally The drums really push their songs forward in a good way and I can't wait to watch their DVD when it releases! 

Caraphernelia- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN-dRCGh-ME

First Punch- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twp8XL0xzr0

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LIMBO Game Review

My Purchase:

I originally found this game on the Xbox 360 marketplace. It is my earliest recollection of an 'indie' game, and from the outside it looks pretty basic. I recall playing the demo and finishing it thinking ,"Wow, this game actually has something going for it.". I didn't buy it on the marketplace sadly due to financial reasons and lack of space on my 20 GB hard drive. I recently bought the Humble Indie Bundle 9, and happened to come across this game. I downloaded the small 66 MB game and began my journey in the Limbo, and what a journey it was!

Gameplay:
Limbo in itself is a very simplistic game from the outside. Limbo is a 2D platformer game that literally requires the player to only use two buttons and a joystick. At first, I thought the game would be dry and monotonous due to the lack of color and the minimalistic approach when it came to the controls, but it surprisingly helped me concentrate on the puzzles at hand and really made me think about using my surroundings to progress further in the game. The lack of color also interested me because the game plays around with changing the shade of gray and black to give it a certain depth that piqued my interest. The game starts off with very simple challenges and slowly builds up the difficulty there after. After progressing past the point of the demo, I found myself sitting there for ten or so minutes analyzing the puzzle and subsequently solving it, a practice I haven't done in quite a while when it comes to platformer games. Traditionally, platformer games show you your goal and the path you will essentially follow, given a small margin for error here or there in terms of how high or low you jump. In Limbo, you see where you have to go, but you also see various obstacles and switches that have to be activated and understood in order to get where you want to go. In this respect, it was very Portal- esque and I caught myself comparing it to Portal about 4/5ths of the way through the game.

As the levels increase in difficulty, the game developers start to throw more monkey wrenches at you such as gravity switches, trip wires that activate automated machine guns, spinning gears that move rapidly and will hack you into bits without the proper caution, and electrical barriers. All of these obstacles are meant to hinder your progress, but with the right amount of logic, you are able to surpass all and get your nameless character to the end of the Limbo, which if I am not mistaken, derives from Limbus in Latin which means edge. The level selector menu is very accurate and incremental. Every puzzle is a level, and you can easily jump back to a previous level without any issues, something I enjoyed deeply due to the fact that I may want to come back and play this game again in the future, and I would dislike if I had to start all the way from the beginning if I wanted to get to my favorite level in the game which could be half way into the plot.

Speaking of plot, the game lacks a long plot, but again, it works for a game like Limbo. There is nothing but a bleak intro that presents the following statement, "Unsure of his sister's fate, a boy enters Limbo". Not the cheeriest of intros right? Regardless, it gives you just enough basis to understand what you're supposed to be doing and why, something the platformer game Rush Bros. lacked. (See my review for Rush Bros at the bottom of this review.)

Lastly, it should be noted that despite the fact the game is in black and white, and despite the fact that it is a 2D game, there is gore and blood. You can hacked up into pieces via sharp blades. You lose your head from electrocution, and you can have your arms and legs snapped off by large magnetic blocks of doom. With all of that in mind, it's 2D, and it isn't very graphic or nauseating... it isn't Outlast.

Controls:

 Seeing as how I originally played this on the Xbox 360 using an Xbox 360 controller, I figured I should continue that and use the controller for the PC version. With that in mind, the mechanics of the game are simple. You walk/run to move left and right and you jump to avoid obstacles. You can also hang onto the edges of platforms, and turn switches on and off. Other than that, you have no other options in terms of controls, but to be fair, that is all you really need to play this game. I actually found myself pressing extra buttons because I am so used to play games with full gamepad support, and not just two buttons and a joystick. The controls on their own feel fine and they work perfectly well when it comes to the game.

Overall this game is a 8.5/10! I really enjoyed this game. I beat it in 6 hours and felt that although it could have been a little bit longer, cutting it off early while the game is still good is better than adding excess and dampening the game. I liked the minimalistic approach to the game and seriously enjoyed the puzzles in the game. I didn't think I'd actually have to think about some of these puzzles, but I was quickly proven wrong an hour and a half into the game. I recommend this game to anyone that likes platformers and wants a challenge. This game could be easily be beaten in a day, but I guarantee that it'll be a great day!

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Band of the Week #10 - Mayday Parade

History:

I honestly do not remember how I got into Mayday Parade. I believe a friend of mine must have turned me onto them two years ago, and I haven't looked back since! Mayday Parade is a band from Tallahassee, Florida and they currently have three albums out, and are releasing a fourth this coming Tuesday. They released an EP titled Tales Told by Dead Friends on  Fearless Records. It garnered them a little attention, but it set up the band to release their debut album, A Lesson In Romantics. This is the only album to feature the second singer Jason Lancaster, who would leave the band soon after the album's release for personal reasons. This album has a lot of fantastic tracks and defines Mayday Parade. The band has two singers, which adds a great dynamic to their sound. Songs like "Jamie All Over" and "Black Cat"  are crowd favorites, as well as tracks such as "I'd Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About"
and "Take This To Heart". The band toured the album at the 2007 and 2008 Warped Tour and then they went off to record their next album which would be titled Anywhere But Here. It was the first album to not feature Jason Lancaster, but the rest of the band picked up the slack as back up vocalists for this record. Songs that stood out in this alum to me were "Kids In Love", "Save Your Heart", and "I Swear This Time I Mean It". The album was a little bit on the softer side, but the lyrics packed the same amount of punch as their previous record.

The band kept on rolling with their momentum and recorded their third album which would be a self titled record. It released on October 4, 2011 and had a few stand out tracks. The band's sound changed quite a bit in comparison to their older material, but the core Mayday Parade sound still remained the same, which is a good thing. The single ”Oh Well, Oh Well", was an amazing dynamic single, and the track "A Shot Across The Bow" was another stellar track off of the album. They toured this album as they toured all others and are currently all prepped up for the release of their new album Monster In The Closet

My Thoughts:

Mayday Parade was always a solid band to me. They are a very lyrically infused band, discussing relationships and love a majority of the time, but then again, don't most musicians do this? What sets them apart to, in my opinion at least, is the harmonizing that is heard in the vocals as well as the drummer. He is able to add a variety of dynamics that make songs sound fuller and much more dynamic. In the first album, A Lesson in Romantics, the guitar was very high and the guitarist Alex Garcia even took a couple of solos here and there. After this record, he would take less and less solos, and let the vocals and bass stand out more. Mayday Parade are a stellar band and they have cemented their spot as band that never stops working and always pushes themselves to be better musicians and a fantastic show.

Black Cat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-wCyQXvri8

Shot Across The Bow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isT800RXnoI

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Rush Bros. Game Review

History of Purchase

My roommate picked up this game on the last day of the Steam Summer Sale. He purchased the two pack and gifted me the spare copy cause I've gifted him various games over the months. We were both super excited to play this game because we are huge fans of difficult platformer games like Super Meat Boy, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams etc. We finally got around to playing it, and I invested a good couple of hours in the game. These are my thoughts.

Gameplay
This is essentially a two player game. You can play the game single player if you chose, but you will be provided with the same levels. The levels themselves are colorful, and the obstacles can be difficult t navigate through at times. Throughout the level, there are a couple of power ups such as double jump and speed up. When playing two player, there is an extra power up that flips your opponent's screen horizontally which can disorient them for a short amount of time. I found the power ups to be quite basic, although I will admit I liked the speed up power up because of how fast your character could physically run. The controls were similar to every other platformer I have played using my Xbox 360 Controller, except for the "X" button. In Rush Bros, there are certain switches in game that require the player to press the X button rapidly to activate them. I felt the button placement was awkward, but you can re map the controller in game to your own preferences.

What initially interested me about the game was that the obstacles and items within the game moved in rhythm with the background music. Watching blades move in sync with the in game music is fun to watch, on the rare occasion the blades and obstacles sync with the game's music. It added a sense of change and variety because they were songs that I was not familiar with, therefore the movement of the obstacles were unpredictable.

Will all of that in mind, something about this game feels unpolished, almost to the point where it feels incomplete. Despite the very eccentric colors and oddly shaped weapons in the forefront, the backgrounds of the levels looked out of place, as if they were added last minute. During various playthroughs of the game, I found myself not even touching the spikes or other hazardous obstacles, yet dying and having to restart the full level. Another thing that I noticed, that personally saddened me was how there was no plot. I'm not saying EVERY game has to have a plot, but it would make the overall game so much better. Split screen was a bit disappointing for my roommate and I, but we were unsure as to what made it disappointing. I felt the game kind of threw us into the midst of things without any other information other than "Select a level." The game doesn't even mention any tips or tricks for the game. Within Rush Bros. you are able to slide and do a super jump, but unless you are clicking random buttons in game, you'd never know they existed. It'd help the overall game if the developers gave the option for a tutorial.

The game mentioned nothing about wall jumping, despite it being a feature in the game

The Music:

The music selection process was also a bit iffy. The default soundtrack is very EDM like, and although some tracks stand out, the music gets very dry and repetitive fast. At one point, I just muted the game due to how boring the soundtrack became. The game lets you play the music of your choice by letting you manually select what folder the game can access to play media. Whilst playing the various levels, the music will play. I was playing 60FPS just fine, but the second the song changed, the FPS dropped to 5 for a good five to ten seconds, thus effectively stuttering whatever action I was doing to the point of ruining my flow of movement. Also, if the song ends while you are still playing the level, it will not cycle to the next song. I played around with the settings a bit, but you have to manually change the song in game, thus causing the massive FPS drop I referenced before. Lastly, when you switch to the next level, the next song plays, as opposed to continuing from where the previous song left off. It was these little things that irked me as I played the game.

I would overall rate this game a 4.5/10. There was much to be desired with this game, and this game is not for everyone. It felt very unpolished, and there was so much more the developers could have done with the game to make it better. I felt if they waited on the release of this game, and fine tuned the mechanics of it, it would be a stellar game, but as of now, this game does not stack to any popular platformers out, nor music infused games such as Audiosurf

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Band of the Week #9- Disturbed

Band of the Week- Disturbed

For this band of the week, I'm going to try something different. I don't want to just read off facts about the band which can be found anywhere; that's boring. So I'm going to try and change it up a bit. I'll mainly focus on what makes them a unique band as well as what album was their "breakthrough album" and got them to become 'famous' and my usual thoughts on the band

History

This Chicago rock/ metal band came on to the scene in 2000 with their debut album The Sickness. It garnered a ton of success for a debut album, probably due to vocalist David Draiman's whacky noises as well as the sheer heaviness of the record. The second record, Believe was released in 2002 and it received much more popularity than their first album. It debuted at Number One for the Billboard 200. They toured with this album for an even longer period of time, playing Ozzfest and their own tour Music as a Weapon II (A tour title that is still used by them to this day for their various tours). They broke out into the mainstream with their third album, which I would consider their breakthrough album. It was the first album to feature "The Guy" on their album covers. It is also the first album to extensively include guitar solos, something they hardly included in previous records. They only toured this album for short amount of time because the band wanted to start working on their fourth, and possibly their most well known album, Indestructible. The album was released in 2008, and would be yet another Number One album by Disturbed. The track Inside The Fire would be the first single on the album and it would greatly reflect the overall tone and sound of the album. They received a Grammy for this song in 2009, and they even released two more singles after Inside the Fire; Indestructible and The Night respectively. This album went Platinum in various countries and is widely considered to be Disturbed's best album to date. The band's fifth and most recent album Asylum provided listeners with a much more darker tone and sound than any of their previous records. The lyric writing matured greatly in comparison to previous records as well. David was singing about much more current and pressing issues in this album. The band went on hiatus after they toured Asylum, and they have yet to come off of it.

My Thoughts
Disturbed always interested me as a band. Their sound is something that is quite distinct, yet unique. I could listen to almost any Disturbed song and identify it within seconds, not because I've listened to them a lot, but because the sound itself just SOUNDS like Disturbed. The drums, bass, and guitar all sound unique on their own, but together they create an iconic sound that is tough to miss. I got into Disturbed around 2009, but I was completely blown away by their older records such as Believe or  The Sickness because of the lack of guitar solos, Up until that point, I had been listening to bands that always put guitar solos into their songs, and this band didn't. It confused me at first, but then it started to grow on me and I started to appreciate the lack of solos, because it makes their songs flow better. Nothing sounds out of place and there is no single moment where the song dies down or lacks feeling. As I started to listen to Ten Thousand Fists and Indestructible I started to hear guitarist Dan Donegan show his musical prowess with solos in songs such as The Night and Deceiver. They were intricate, but they fit the song perfectly, thus making everything sound whole and continuous, something I greatly like. Mike Wengren's drumming on the records is amazing and tasteful. What I liked about him and his playing was that he never overdid something. His fills always had the right amount of flare, without going overboard and hitting every piece of the kit at once. They fit the song in such a way that it could only accentuate the song in a positive manner. His double bass work is solid and he is overall a great drummer. Bassist John Moyer is a solid bassist, and even plays in the metal super group Adrenaline Mob, with progressive rock drummer Mike Portnoy. Disturbed overall have been a great band, and I cannot wait for them to go off of hiatus. They stand out so well in the music scene and they never compromised their playing for anything or anyone. Each Disturbed record SOUNDS like a Disturbed record and fits their growing catalog!

Inside The Fire- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxujAPhxlo0

This Moment- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3n5t6A9FUk

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Rise Against- Long Forgotten Songs Album Review

Last Tuesday, September 10, Rise Against released their "B Side Compilation" album Long Forgotten Songs. The band essentially compiled a list of 26 songs that have appeared on the albums Rise Against has released. Certain songs were once region restricted, while others such as Death Blossoms, only appeared in the popular rhythm game Guitar Hero: World Tour. In a nutshell, this album perfectly describes what Rise Against is about. The songs are set it no specific order from what I can tell, and there are quite a few covers in here as well such as Bruce Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad, and Journey's Any Way You Want. The album as a whole is a great way to see how the band has progressed over the past decade since their debut in 2001.

The album opens up with Historia Calamitatum, a track that closely resembles Rise Against's core sound from their most recent albums such as Appeal To Reason and Endgame. The tracks Death Blossoms and Elective Amnesia follow and they are pretty strong tracks. Death Blossoms was featured in Guitar Hero : World Tour and was never really released on any soundtrack. Whilst watching the premiere video for Long Forgotten Songs, Tim mentioned that he really liked Grammatizator, which is the next track on the record. It is a really hard hitting track and hardly ever lets up. Blind is the fifth track on this album and it is one of my favorite tracks. It embodies everything that I really like about Rise Against. Everchaning Acoustic is the next track, and I believe it is the only full acoustic track on the album. If I recall correctly, this was in a Warped Tour compilation album, and it fits the album well.

For me, the next two tracks kind of blended into each other, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Generation Lost, and Dirt And Roses blended into to each other for some reason. The Ballad of Hollis Brown, a Bob Dylan Cover, blew me away. It was immensely powerful and well put together. One of the first tracks released in relation to this album was Sight Unseen, and it is by far one my favorite tracks off of this record. It stand for some reason to me, but then again, I guess that's the point of a single. The following track Lanterns didn't really stick with me well the first couple of times I listened to it, but it eventually grew on me. The next track, Making Christmas, sounded like a basic punk rock track at first listen, but I later found out that the band tried to follow the original score for the song for the movie soundtrack Nightmare: Revisited. The next set of tracks, Join the Ranks, Built to Last, and Voice of Dissent all sort of went over my head. Although they are all very different tracks, nothing about they really stood out to me as a listener. The next Bob Dylan cover, Little Boxes, was an interesting track to me. I wasn't a big fan of the track, but I do like what the band did with it. The following track is quite possibly Rise Against's most popular B-Side Give It All. It was originally featured in the compilation album Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. It was then re-released on their third album Siren Songs of the Counter Culture four months later.

Rise Against's next track Minor Threat is a cover by the band of the same name. It's a live version of the cover, but that does not take away from the album at all, as there is a lot of energy in the song. Obstructed View follows the Minor Threat cover and it was originally released on Siren Songs of the Counter Culture. The track really pushes the album along and it has an insane riff to it. The picking pattern and style is fantastic and it sounds very menacing and in your face. But Tonight We Dance is a track that really stands out to me lyrically. In the interview regarding the release of this album, Tim mentions that he wrote the lyrics when he was at a show and the singer discussed that there is a time for revolution and change, but there is also time to kick back and have a good time. It's a very mid tempo track. It isn't too punky, but it isn't an acoustic ballad either. It's a great balance, and a great track overall. Nervous Breakdown is the twenty first track on this compilation album and it sounds extremely punk rock. I know that may sound like a silly thing to say, how can something sound like a genre of music, but the tone and sound of the track just screams old school punk rock. It has a raw sound to it, and the drums push the track forward in an even pace. Gethsemane is up next, and it caught my attention from the beginning with the guitar riff that sort of follows the vocal melody. The track has a nice feel to it, and the drop ins are stellar. The final four tracks on the album are all covers! Boy's No Good by Lifetime, Any Way You Want It by Journey, Silver by Nirvana, and lastly The Ghost Of Tom Joad featuring Tom Morello, Wayne Kramer, and Brian Fallon. These covers are all amazing in their own right, but my absolute favorite track on the album would have to be The Ghost Of Tom Joad. It is one of my favorite Springsteen songs of all time, and when bands like Rise Against and Rage Against The Machine cover it, it just makes the track fifteen times better! Plus, Tom Morello's guitar solo on it just blows me out of the water every time!

This album had so much to offer. It really shows how flexible of a band Rise Against really is. Some of you may have seen then the band of the week a couple of weeks back when Rise Against was featured. In it, I mentioned that they were mainly a punk rock band, but as time progressed, they developed more melody in their music, and created an equal balance between the clean and unclean vocals. The fact that the band added a lot of covers interested me because it showed that they didn't just want to release songs that never made albums, but also covers of songs that they liked and grew up listening to, or songs that just outright inspired them. Their cover of Journey's Any Way You Want It was amazing in my opinion, as was their cover of Bob Dylan's The Ballad of Hollis Brown. The overall album was amazing and I'd give it a solid 9/10. The album shows how amazing of a band Rise Against really is, and how far they have come in the past 12 years as a band. I full recommend this album to anyone who wants to listen to some good rock/punk rock.

                                                                                         

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Band of the Week #8- Avenged Sevenfold

History:

The band formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach California by Matt Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, The Rev, and Matt Wendt, who would be later replaced by Justin Sane. Lead guitarist Synyster Gates would join the band at the end of 1999, making the metalcore band a five piece. They recorded their debut album Sounding the Seventh Trumpet in 2001 and toured with it up until Justin Sane attempted suicide via cough syrup. He was placed in a mental ward and was replaced by Johnny Christ. They would go on to release their next record Waking the Fallen in 2003, an album that sounded much more mature and refined than their debut record. Songs such as Chapter Four and Unholy Confessions greatly stood out in this record. The band would soon be signed to Warner Bros. Records.

In 2005, they released City of Evil. This album differed greatly from their other previous two records on a lot of levels. For one, the songs were much longer than before, plus there is no screaming on this record. Instead, Matt decided to obtain a grittier voice, while still maintaining the core 'sound' of the band. The album was a mainstream success and it really put the band on the map. They toured the album for two years, and then use that very same momentum to release their self titled album in 2007. It garnered great reviews and the fans enjoyed the record as well, but the enjoyment would slowly turn into sadness on December 28th, 2009 when Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died of a drug overdose. The band faltered for a bit thereafter, but released their fifth album dedicated to the Rev, entitled Nightmare. The record was a very emotional one for both the fans and the band since they were all one big family. Mike Portnoy, Ex- Dream Theater drummer played drums on this record, and even toured with them for the subsequent tour. The band did work with Activision and their Call of Duty Series for the next three years. In 2013, they released their most recent effort, Hail To The King, a old school metal album featuring their new drummer Arin Illejay from the metalcore band Confide.

My Thoughts:

I got into Avenged Sevenfold around my sophomore year of high school, which would be around four yers ago. I got hooked onto the band because of their hard hitting tracks like Bat Country, Unholy Confessions, Crossroads, MIA, Brompton Cocktail, and Chapter Four, all stunning tracks in their own right. The band has always kept a fresh sound, thus keeping them moving and advancing musically. Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates are a fantastic guitar duo, and Shadows' vocals are fantastic, very unique and distinct. Johnny Christ is a good bassist, and connected well with The Rev, an insanely talented and energetic drummer in his own right. I can't wait for the band's next album!

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Review

Background:

I have always been a big Sonic the Hedgehog fan, and when I found out there was a Sonic Racing game, I wanted it. I waited for a while for the price to drop, and finally picked it up on Amazon from their "Late Summer Deals" sales for six dollars. I've been playing the game for about 15 or so hours, so I think I have a decently good feel for the game, and I thought I'd share my thoughts about it.

Gameplay:

First off, you'll notice that this game doesn't include JUST characters from the Sonic series. Heavy from Team Fortress, Ralph from Wreck it Ralph, characters from Sega's old game Jet Set Radio, and Aiai from Super Monkey Ball all appear as characters that can be played. There are a total of 28 racers, so you'll hopefully never feel that you are racing the same nine racers over and over again. The controls feel very comfortable, but the game doesn't have an option to view the controls. Each character has their own kart that has their own stats. I prefer this in comparison to being able to pick various vehicles because then the characters have no real value; they're just for show. The karts stats are divided into a couple of categories; Speed, Acceleration, Handling, Drift, and All Star. All Star is basically a unique ability that each character has. It adds a little bit of flavor to the game, but they are pretty unpredictable in the sense that you can get them at any point in a race.

Different Mods allow for different increases in stats, and decreases as well!

Plot:

The game has a pretty basic career mode, but it gives the player the ability to see the various types of races the game has to offer such as the basic race, the traffic attack, versus, boost race, and battles. The first mode is world tour mode, and in here, you complete the various types of races in order to obtain stars; a form of progression for the game. The stars main purpose is to unlock characters, and progress through the world tour. To unlock them, you race selecting one off three difficulties. Each difficulty will be increasingly harder, but more stars will be offered if a harder difficulty is selected. The variety of races make the game last longer, and they make you really think about what type of vehicle you should use for each type of competition. You would want to use a kart with really good handling for drift races, but good handling won't serve you too much in the sprint races, where you need all out speed and boost. The overall World Tour would take a while to complete, but it does keep you busy for a while.

Features:

Minus the World Tour, there is the grand prix mode, where four levels are mixed together, and your main goal is to get first place. There are various cups within the Grand Prix, and more can be unlocked as you unlock more levels and stages within the World Tour. Like most racing games, there is a Time Trials mode where you race a Staff Ghost. A Staff Ghost is essentially the CPU, and your goal is to beat him or her using only one boost, and whatever shortcuts you can fine. I find these time trials to be entertaining, but they can get frustrating at times. The final mode within Career would be the single player race in which you can race on levels you have already unlocked, against characters you have already unlocked. It's fun for one on one racing

Like most kart games, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has boxes that racers can drive through to obtain various items that they can use to protect themselves and attack the enemy. There are about ten different items that you can choose from. The Blowfish can be used to set as a mine behind you, and it can also be launched in front of you. Ice shards can be used to freeze and halt the enemy momentarily, and the glove can be used to physically catch an enemy's attack and shoot it back at them. Firework is a type of angled projectile that can be launched at enemies, but they can also be launched at walls to ricochet and hit enemies. There is also a boost power up, but that is pretty self explanatory. Another type of pickup is the Chrome/Drone, which is an RC car that homes in on an enemy. The Swarm is a pretty cool power up in my opinion. It send a swarm of gigantic bees to the front of the pack and they clutter up the roads, causing the racers to crash into them. They can be avoided, but they are harder to avoid then one might think. Probably the most important pickup is the All-Star. This pickup lets the racer activate their special ability. This ability makes them invincible, but what they can physically do in All Star mode varies between each character. For example, Football Manager can launch large soccer ball projectiles at the enemy, while Shogun can launch a large streak of missiles in front of him. The game has very interesting pickups, and they make the game ten times more competitive and fun!

There are a total of 28 racers in this game, giving you various options to pick with their unique stats and abilities. What really sets this game apart from other kart racing games are the mods you can unlock, and the fact that you're character can travel on land, air, and water. Each character can be leveled up, and with each level they unlock a mod. The mod can be a balance mode, acceleration mod, speed mod etc., and it changes the stats of your character. It usually changes two stats at the least, possibly three, and it really adds a new level of depth to the game. The races themselves span across various levels from various video games. There are levels and characters from Jet Set Radio, NiGHTS, Total War: Shogun, and more. Even characters from Team Fortress make an appearance in this medley of All Star Racers. The races change each lap, giving you new obstacles to worry about such as a ramp being destroyed, forcing you to race part of the level within the water. The air and water action within the game is surprisingly pretty solid. I really enjoyed flying in the air and then seamlessly gliding back into kart form. Each kart transforms depending on what terrain they are on. For example, the Shogun will have a Oriental themed kart, and a dragon boat for water travel, and a bi-plane like vehicle for air travel.

It should also be noted that this game supports Co-Op. You can plug in another Xbox 360 controller into your PC if you are not already using one, and race with your friends locally on your laptop! You can connect your laptop to a TV or monitor via HDMI and then race like that as well for a better experience. This feature alone makes the game worth it because you can game with friends and family without everyone having to own the game or wait turns to play single player. It was a fantastic addition to the game and it makes playing the game all the more enjoyable. The overall mechanics and features of the game are fantastic and fit perfectly into the kart racing genre. I'd give this game a solid 9/10.

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