I liked the grunge episode, but I have to agree that it didn't really explain a lot, and the last segment seemed to be more of a glorified promo for Nickelback than anything else (which is where my interest started waning, because I absolutely cannot STAND that band). I think it was meant more to explore the question of "Okay, what was it about this genre that completely killed metal in the 90s?" and it kind of bombed in that respect.

I expect the nu-metal episode tomorrow to be filled with many, many cringe-worthy moments and bands I hate. Apart from Rage Against the Machine, that was a scene I never got into. Rage, at least, had substance. Not to mention one ridiculously creative guitarist.

Death metal was never really my thing. I've always been more of a thrash, classic, and prog kinda metalhead, myself. I could count on one hand the amount of death metal bands I actually can claim to like, although one of them I'd put more in the prog genre (Opeth), and I'm not quite sure where some of the more melodically focused bands like Dark Tranquillity and Arch Enemy fall on the death metal ladder. But the interviews with Corpsegrinder and Alex Webster in Headbanger's Journey were pretty cool, so I'll definitely be checking that episode out when it airs. The one I'm looking the most forward to is the prog episode, as I said earlier, because when I started getting into that, after spending the majority of my youth flying the flag of Priest, Maiden, and Metallica, hearing Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Fates Warning, and Opeth was kind of my "What the fuck have I been missing?!" moment, and working back from there into Rush, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and the like.

It's been snowing like a bastard for the last two days.

Which makes me REALLY fucking happy, because I'll be making at least $300 bucks over the course of the next couple of days, which puts me just a little bit closer to paying off last year's massive dental bill.

I frequently do the same thing with Beyond the Realms of Death. \m/

There is only one thing I liked about this game: the soundtrack.

Yeah, I know. People love Chrono Cross. And believe me, I wanted to be one of those people who loved Chrono Cross. But I don't. I don't think I ever will. And it's not because it's a bad game. It's not. It's a wonderful game, and to be honest, if I hadn't had such wonderful memories of Chrono Trigger, I think I could have probably liked it. But to me, it just did not measure up to its predecessor.

Ah, well. I know I'm an anomaly and I've long since accepted that. :)

Fair enough, sir.

AC/DC - Spoilin' for a Fight

God, I hate cleaning. I know it's a necessity, but goddamn, could you please find me a more BORING fucking task?

Pantera - Cemetery Gates

Having had not NEARLY as much time....or money....as I would have liked for gaming this year, I was able to get some time in, so here's what I got:

1. To the Moon
2. The Witcher 2
3. Skyward Sword
4. Tactics Ogre
5. Cthulhu Saves the World

Runners up: Ocarina of Time 3D, Back to the Future, Deus Ex

Favorite non-RPGs: Gears of War 3, Arkham City

Biggest Let Down: 3rd Birthday, Capcom's incredible douchebaggery

Yeah....after Headbanger's Ball died, the only thing MTV was good for was Beavis and Butt-Head. The "new" version that MTV2 launched just wasn't the same. I agree with the idea that Frankie Banali needs a radio gig, but let's take it further and team him up with Riki Rachtman. That would be awesome.

Actually, screw radio. Give the guys a podcast. :)

I agree about the whole glam scene and its complete fucking absurdity (in fact, Dave Mustaine's description of "glam" being an acronym for "gay LA metal" is one I subscribe to wholeheartedly), but I also agree with you that Sam Dunn gave it a fair shot, and it came out as an episode I ended up enjoying in spite of myself. I especially liked the part where George Lynch said that while he considered the whole power ballad craze to be sort of a necessary evil, he wasn't exactly thrilled to have to write some of those tracks. I've heard Sebastian Bach make a similar statement about the massive success of I Remember You and that even he got tired of seeing that song 50 times a day on MTV and hearing it everywhere.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's episode about the grunge scene and how that all played out. If he handles it half as well as he did the glam episode, it should be really interesting (and as much of a thrash dude I am at heart, I still really dig a lot of those grunge bands....Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Faith No More are some of my favorite bands of all time, so I'm a bit conflicted on this one).

And yes, Global Metal is the documentary you're thinking of, and it was VERY badass. Only thing I would have liked to see expanded on was the South American scene....basically, all he did there was talk about Sepultura and that was it, but when you look at how well it's received down there, it's truly incredible. All of the various live albums and DVDs that I've seen that were recorded in South America, the vibe that the audiences give off is nothing short of amazing, and I think that the bands who tour there regularly can't help but step up their game (even if Maiden's Rock in Rio DVD is pretty much unwatchable!).

Okay, sir, your entire first paragraph just sold me on this book. I am totally checking this out.

On a somewhat related note, you should totally check out Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage, if you haven't already. Same concept (music being made illegal), but injected with obscene humor and one of the most beautiful instrumentals ever recorded. Watermelon in Easter Hay ALONE makes this album worth having.

The evil bastard child of the entire FF universe....naturally, I speak of II. However, my least favorite is VII. I will praise it endlessly for what it did for the series, as well as the genre as a whole, but it's kind of like Metallica's black album for me....I loved the hell out of it when it first came out, and for a few years after that, but it just hasn't aged nearly as well for me, and much of the initial romance has been lost for me.

That's Kingdom Hearts, dude. :P

I don't have much to say about Persona, never played any of them, but I do know that they're pretty easy to find. I did thoroughly enjoy the Shadow Hearts games, and I'd highly recommend them. As the poster above me said, they're easy enough to find on Amazon.

FUCK yeah! \m/

They do sound really good, don't they?

Anyway, song of the moment: Devo - Working in a Coal Mine