Time marches on

For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel written by Ernest Hemmingway. It is also a famous song by heavy metal band Metallica. This song is included on the album Ride the Lightning. As the book progressed throughout the 40's and World War 2, many people were suprised as to how good this book is. It describes a rebel named Robert Jordan, fighting with local guerillas against the dictator of the time, Fransisco Franco. The song istelf is loosely based on the book, but also does describe Robert. Death is a primary theme of the novel and song. The book and song describe the destruction of cities and people through civil war.

September 29

Incase you haven't heard, Metallica will drop by the American Airlines Center in Dallas to promote their tour. Recently, Guitar Hero released a game in their honor, so looks like Metallica's future is bright for now on. I've managed to find ticket prices and well, they are very pricy. The prices range from $50 to $70,(not counting the good seats). Well I hope I didn't destroy your chances of going.(well no not really), but really.

A humble vaudevillian veteran

Brian Patrick Carroll, better known as Buckethead, is an American musician and songwriter. As a musician, Buckethead has released 25 solo albums and performed on 50other albums. When on stage, Buckethead was better known as the artist who would wear a mask with a KFC bucket on, hence the name Buckethead. More recently, he has switched to a plain white bucket. He plays many types of genres spanning from numetal to blue grass and everything between. He's been voted number 8 on a list in a GuitarOne magazine of the "Top 20 Greates Guitar Shredders of All Time" as well as being included in Guitar World's " 50 fastest guitarists of all time".

Like father, like son

Children's music is dominating Ziggy Marley's making these days both for himself and his father, Bob Marley. His upcoming album "Family Time" will be released on May 5th which includes what he refers as "family music" along with a couple of covers from Woody Guthrie's "This train" and a Jamaican children classic "Hold em Joe" It will also include guests stars, Jamie Lee Curtis, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, Toots Hibbert along with mother Rita Marley and sister Cedella Marley. "It's a very different vibe," says Ziggy, "but still real Bob. It's not like fake Bob. It's still the real Bob...It's Bob singing and I'm playing, like an acoustic session almost. Anything I did on this record is soulful and musical. There's no gimmicks. I'm keeping true to the spirit of my father, to the spirit of his music."

Maybe you can be a hero

Seems like Metallica's future is finally set after they were inducted to the Rock Hall of Fame, but it didn't stop there. Activision representatives were in negotiations with the band to release a Guitar Hero game in their name. A year later, Guitar Hero: Metallica was released, and contains many of their songs along with other songs from other bands. The total songs on this game is 49, and the total bands are 22. I think that this game is rather entertaining if you are an American Idol freak, or if you simply like the band.

Down with the System

"As the century nears its formidable end, our global experience of universal proportions predicted by many greats will arrive at our solar system. To our System of a Down. Authoritarian oppression, family abuse, depression caused by conformity, and economic devestation will be neutralized by technological terrorism in times of complete chaos. Control will never again be gained for toleration will become extinct. A husband quarreling with his wife will not think twice or regret his spent bullet. Hungry children will not spare the grocer. Remorse in all forms will be removed from human thoughts and actions. Freedom will only be available through revolution or death. This System of a Down is unavoidable as life on this planet becomes unnecessary. The hand has five fingers capable and powerful. With the ability to destroy as well as create. We have the power to stop and reverse the tides of time by making our awareness of abuse known to the powers of industry and their uncouth political arms. Only by raising this awareness and promoting personal peace with today's Self - Defeatist society, can we allow the planet a chance to avoid self destruction. Open your eyes. Open your mouths. Close your hands and make a fist."


System of a Down have told news that they aren't politically involved, they're socially aware. Their many songs have many sad tones and very distingushed songs. Some of their songs have to do with the Armenian Genocide, and others have to do with the many series of unfortunate events we all go through.

Cruefest '09

The hard rock, heavy metal band, Motley Crue, held a press conference not too long ago announced who will join them on their second annual Cruefest. They chose 4 bands to accompany them, which are:
- Drowning Pool
- Godsmack
- Theory of a Deadman
- Charm City Devils
The tour dates were announced two weeks ago, but the band had a tough time choosing which bands to include. Cruefest is a live nation tour in which many charities are held in hopes of bettering the planet.

Cool Gardens

Well known singer, Serj Tankian, wrote a book not too long ago called "Cool Gardens". I have read it myself and I have to say that it is very good. Why? Well because it has a variety of topics that normally no book writer would even think to write. It displays many enigmas about ourselves and our continuity. It also describes our infinite space and time. He finds ways to join two seperate ideas and makes psychadelic images out of his words.






"Devotion is focusing on the sound of every action.
Life is rhythmn, and its fluidity is dependant on the tempo.
In harmonies we find diversity.
In harmonies we find prenatal familiarities.
Our true voice is our true color, character.
The consensus is a misguided body of census information.
Though the tides seem to be slowly turning
In organizing true resistance to globalistic economic
Totalitariansim,
It might be too late to save man's night.
Remember the child of the innocence resides in the cool
Gardens,
Though the heat can be used to create the stimulus.
Our physical senses only report a portion
Of the actual motion of our universe.
The rest requires extrasensory skills attained
Through the veils of the sacred silence."


Prenatal Familiarites

Its a Mad World out there.

Gary Jules was invited to cover a song by Tears for Fears, called Mad World, for the movie Donnie Darko. Ultimately, this is the only song that everybody recognizes when heard from Gary. His version of the song is more melodic and has a deeper tone than that of the dance tune from Tears for Fears. This song describes a person possibly walking down the streets, describing all the things he sees. The music video starts with a camera ontop of a building looking down at people.

...And Justice for All

In 1939, Dalton Trumbo published a novel named Johnny Got His Gun. This story depicts a soldier whose whole life comes to a halt when he enters World War 1. He later gets hit by a German artillery shell which leaves him almost dead. He cannot speak, smell, move or hear but his mind functions normally. In the explosion, he also looses his arms legs leaving him incarcerated within himself.
Lead vocalist for heavy metal band,Metallica, James Hetfield wrote the song "One" having the thought that being cut off from the outside world is exacatly like the main character from Dalton Trumbo's book/movie "Johhny Got His Gun". It segregates you form everything you're used to. It puts you in a position where you wish you could wake up because you feel that the darkness in your eyes constrics you of your breath, choking you and drives you insane, just like an unborn baby in the womb. The song itself starts on a very soft rock type solo. It then progresses to heavy as the tone of James' voice sounds more aggresive.

The one thing that Saves us and Kills us

After losing World War One,the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) beleived that the Armenians sided with Russia. And because of their utter defeat, the Turks wanted to eliminate the whole population with hopes that Armenia would never side with Russia, and never again be defeated. Solo artist, Serj Tankian, devised an amazing song that both describes our everyday problems here at home and also pulls the melodramatic veigns that keeps our hearts beating.
His song describes many things, but there is only one theme in this song. What is really Saving Us?
The music video focuses on a homeless man. You can see that he is holding a banner saying homeless. In my point of view, this banner describes this person's problem with life. the video later focuses on other people, them too holding banners with their problems written on. Nevertheless, it describes all the problems we have to face once in a while.

A Soldiercide

Throughout these 8 long years, President Bush has yet to pull out our troops from hostile territory. The longer he takes to pull them out, the more dead heroes we have.

A genocide is occurring under our noses. An abomination of catastrophic proportions is affecting our very existence.

Alternative band, System of a Down, has created an amazing song called Soldier side. This song tells us the many things that all parents go through when they see their children go off to war. To my understanding, it also means that these soldiers go fight and die in pointless wars, "He's gone so far to find no truth he's never going home..."