No Prayer for the Dying (1990)

When I first heard this album, my exact words upon removing my headphones were "that honestly wasn't too bad; if this is bad then half of The Number of the Beast is condemnable." And after listening to the album a few more times I still stand by those words. From start to finish, there were no real low moments for me, only being a small notch below the aforementioned album since it had a couple tracks that were closer to being classics than anything here. No Prayer for the Dying isn't nearly as much of a return to form for the band as much as it is a merely straightforward release that's fitting for a casual listening. As for Bruce Dickinson's change in vocal style, this barely came into my mind and I didn't mind it since I've never considered him as amazing as the band's fanboys do (but he's definitely a great, if not excellent frontman).

Fear of the Dark (1992)

This was actually the first Maiden album I had ever listened to. And wouldn't you know it? The album of theirs I'm currently the most familiar with is the one I'd probably hold as my least favorite all told. Now, those who know me should already understand that this means the band's worst album in my books is still good. In fact, if this album didn't have its weaker moments then it would likely be considerably higher. Unfortunately, even with songs such as the title track, "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" and "Childhood's End," the album ultimately falls short of hitting as high as their other efforts, though not significantly. The only other note I'll make is that Fear of the Dark is far and away the most inconsistent you'll ever hear Maiden in regards to studio recordings (haven't heard anything live by them save for an occasional song). The band's entire discography has been remarkably consistent in quality and each album has been a fair representation of this…except for Fear of the Dark.

The X Factor (1995)

If there were any of Maiden's albums I had close to no idea of what to expect going in, it would likely be The X Factor. While similar could be said about their first two releases, having a different vocalist once again is something I made huge note of. After being amazed how different Judas Priest sounded with Tim Owens at the helm combined with this album's surprisingly dark album artwork and long runtime, I was very curious. To my surprise, this album had the opposite effect on me compared to what I thought of Jugulator upon an initial listening. The X Factor is definitely the band's darkest album, exploring themes that really don't feel like something out of a Maiden album. But this is something I'm especially fond of. The moody atmosphere and fittingly ambient moments really made this album a pleasure to hear in spots. Unfortunately, the one part that really hurt this album for me was Blaze Baylay: he's such a limited vocalist. While he sounds fine during the low key moments, whenever he tries to raise his volume, the music suffers. It also wasn't until after hearing him that I truly appreciated Dickinson's clearly superior vocals. But even with that said he doesn't ruin the album and ultimately, I'm glad the band chose to release this album, though it's not one I'd listen to several times.

Virtual XI (1998 )

It's tough to talk much about Virtual XI since it's the least memorable of all Maiden's albums as far as I'm concerned, yet it did a fair enough job improving upon its predecessor. Yes, the change of subject matter already turned me off but the music itself was noticeably better. A big part of this can be attributed to how Blaze Baylay managed to significantly improve his vocals this time around. He was finally able to carry his louder singing voice without being an embarrassment. Once again, the runtime did begin to take its toll but this was still a mostly enjoyable album.

Brave New World (2000)

This is an album I always looked forward to hearing. In fact, had it not been for the absurd price of new CDs at FYE, I'd have likely bought it a long time ago. But not long before deciding to embark on a discography listening of the band I found it used for $7 at the same store and took the opportunity. I've listened to most of the album a few times on my trips up to my college's main campus (it's about 21 or so miles away) and though there are enough minor flaws to hold it back from being among the band's best, it's still a great collection of well-made tracks. Something to point out is that there are three guitarists on this album, which is easy to tell when taken into account during most, if not all of the songs. "Ghost of the Navigator" has become a surprising personal favorite for me while other obvious contenders like "The Wicker Man" and "The Nomad" being standouts.

Dance of Death (2003)

It's interesting that Brave New World was an album I had always looked forward to hearing but its immediate successor, Dance of Death, is one I actually felt like skipping at first. I attribute this completely to the poor album art which, after listening to it, really doesn't do the album justice. I'd say this is about on-par with its predecessor, occasionally stepping above and then below. There's also a noticeable bit of variety here with songs such as "Rainmaker" showing a more simplistic version of the band while "Paschendale" gives an idea of what they sound like for most of their recent material. Speaking of which, the latter of the aforementioned song has become a huge favorite track of mine, simply for the guitar solo and post-guitar solo stretch; pure eargasm material.

A Matter of Life and Death (2006)

And to conclude my long journey of listening to Maiden's discography is A Matter of Life and Death, which is to be succeeded by The Final Frontier sometime this coming summer. What I have to say is that if Maiden wanted to get fans amped up for anything they'd release subsequent to this album, then A Matter of Life and Death sure did the trick for me. After first hearing it, I actually thought I had found my new favorite album by the band. So much so that I thought it would be a tie stronger than The Shawshank Redemption and Planet of the Apes for my favorite film. But after giving it several listens recently I will say it has fallen a bit short of that prestigious mark, yet it retains my superb praise regardless. Length is the only gripe I can probably hold against this album without comparing it to anything else the band have released. What's interesting is that the band decided to not master this album, which I'm quite grateful for because this gives the songs a far more natural sound and flow with the concepts and themes present. Something else I have to make note of is that though the band's best albums came out in the 80s (with this being the clear exception), I prefer the sound of their recent releases (technically The X Factor onward, but this doesn't completely apply until Brave New World).

So that about sums up my thoughts on the band's discography. This definitely won't be the last time I go through their catalogue and I very much look forward to the release of The Final Frontier. And now I'll leave you with how I'd rank their currently released albums, my favorite at the top.

1. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

2. A Matter of Life and Death

3. Powerslave

4. Somewhere In Time

5. Brave New World

6. Dance of Death

7. Killers

8. Iron Maiden

9. Piece of Mind

10. The Number of the Beast

11. Virtual XI

12. The X Factor

13. No Prayer for the Dying

14. Fear of the Dark

I also might decide to actually do a video giving a versus of Iron Maiden versus Judas Priest. Even though I hate seeing the two debated (since they usually exhibit noticeably different genres, I'd like to get my thoughts out on-video and I think it might make an interesting video if I can do a decent enough job).

Now TheAmazingAtheist/Distressed Watcher has posted the second part to his Top 10 Worst Moments in Transformers 2 countdown and I'm here to provide my rebuttals to each. Since no one bothered to comment on my previous part (or even any of my recently previous blogs), I take it no one read them and won't read this. But again, I'm just venting my frustration by means of an unnecessary rant versus a less necessary rant countdown showing ignorance in a way of spontaneous and (generally) unwarranted criticism against a movie that's miles better than so many others that truly deserve beatings.

5. Complaining about the script to a fictional film such as this is no more meaningful than attacking the physics and acting (which he did and continues to do plenty of). While the part about Megatron's leadership is a good (though small) point to make and the college professor scene is peculiar, the rest of his problems are, as I've said countless times already: unwarranted. And of course, he just had to attack and bring up "Robot Heaven" (how utterly surprising). Yes, it makes so little sense for a film, that's FICTIONAL where GIANT ****ING ROBOTS EXIST has a scene involving a supposed "Robot Heaven." Tell me, not just this individual, but everyone who has complained about this scene, have YOU been in a fictional universe involving Transformers, been killed and know for sure what would/could happen when you die? I didn't think so. As for the part involving the Fallen acquiring the Matrix, the Primes rebuild it after Sam proves himself before their eyes, but the Fallen snatches it before he can; this is technically acceptable. The Primes rebuild the Matrix signifying Sam has "earned" it, but this and reviving Sam are the only powers (revealed thus far anyways) that the deceased Primes have as impact the world of the movie. The Matrix is brought back by them as a reward for Sam's dedication (he "earned" the Matrix being created); they never specifically say that you have to be "pure of heart in order to use it."

4. This complaint should be minor at-worst if you're going to stress it as something wrong with the film. The Fallen clearly states that Prime is the only one who can bring him down. This indicates that Prime on his own is a formidable force against the Fallen. But Jetfire offers himself to help Optimus which makes him that much more of a challenge for the Fallen to even fight against. Yes, the fight is too short and only further makes the film more anti-climatic but you're complaining about a brief battle in a stinking movie. This little inconvenience is "unforgivable"? Once again, I urge you to CTFO.

3. Alright, you said it has "incoherent editing" yet you only mention a mishandling of Optimus Prime. And as far as simply dropping Optimus Prime after he's killed, he's embraced by the Autobots, but the humans are barely introduced to him. You think that we humans, who have almost only revealed ourselves as greedy, selfish and overall inconsiderate, who have barely been introduced all that well to Optimus, are going to bother slowly lowering him? Again, if this is grounds for a complaint, it's NOT A BIG DEAL!

2. This is a complaint that came up a lot for the first film and I will admit that the humans generally aren't interesting characters in neither the first film nor this one. But yet again…WHY ARE YOU MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF SOMETHING SO TRIVIAL! The film is called and centers (to an extent) around "TRANSFORMERS!" You're honestly disgusted by the robots showing more to their characters than the humans when this is part of what the film technically should be doing? And as for Megan Fox's acting in the scene Shia dies (by the way; great, job calling him "Shia La-B***h" every time, very original, amusing and necessary), she wasn't horrible. Now, I'm not a fan of hers in any way, shape or form but I had no qualms about her acting in that scene, which is more than what I can say for individuals such as Dakota Fanning and Steven Seagal.

1. Once again, this is a MINOR COMPLAINT AT WORST! If you weren't even remotely entertained then that's your own damn problem. I mean, you're going to say the film's biggest problem is that it's boring and that you not being entertained during the action scenes warrants calling the film horrible? Then I guess I'm warranted to say that The Godfather is a horrible movie that should be a Razzie Worst Picture winner because it honestly didn't maintain my interest (mob movies never do and though I liked various aspects to it I had to get up six times just to stay awake). But I'm not going to pass off MY PERSONAL OPINION as fact like a jerk unlike you. I didn't like The Godfather because the length took its toll on me (this is coming from someone who was gripped almost start to end by Das Boot) and the story simply didn't intrigue me, but I'm not going to say people should be punished because they like it. If they like the film then more power to them and if they can accept disagreement respectfully then I'm even gladder for them.

You, on the other hand, have only proven ignorance and irony through your list. A few minor, warranted complaints aside, you're just beating up a film that quite frankly doesn't deserve as much hate as it gets. Not only that, but everything you complained about in the second part of your video is so trivial compared to complaints you had in the first part if they were actually justified, yet they're higher on your list. Bravo. If this is representative of why everyone hates the film then I will agree on one thing: people are idiots. They're idiots because they point their fingers at the wrong targets. You want a real horrible film? Try Open Water and Dragon Wars. Even better, you want a horrible film that grossed a lot of money? The Matrix Reloaded, Twilight & New Moon, Armageddon, Quantum of Solace, The Mummy 3 and 10,000 B.C. If you see those and honestly think they're actually better than Transformers 2, then you've only further proven your stupidity to me. And to think that I thought you were a good, fair-minded critic.

*Please note: This is a rant versus a rant, anything I say here is no more dismissible than what those I'm retaliating against say. And I highly doubt anyone will bother to read or even GTS's over this if they do, but I, to quote the person I'm presently responding to, "have to get this off my chest." And I'm not doing this on video because I'd probably have to post two YouTube videos worth, which isn't a good translation with my slow internet and I'm not exactly an interesting person on-camera.

I try to avoid being one who lets the opinions of others get to me, but there are some occasions where I only feel the need to strike back. An apparent example of this is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in regards to how much hate it has received ever since release. People hold this movie in such low regard that it took home the Razzie for Worst Picture from last year (how that works with New Moon, All About Steve, Old Dogs and others released is beyond me) and some honestly contest this as a clear contender for the worst film they've ever seen (which reveals to me how little they've actually watched). I remember seeing it in theaters after a day at work; all I wanted was a mindless, fun film with good action and that's exactly what I got. Now, I'll be the first to admit that it has SEVERAL flaws like just about ANY OTHER I've seen, which makes it even more ridiculous that I feel the need to rush to the defense of a senseless action film that wouldn't get any higher than a 7.75/10 from me. But of course, people decided to relent unwarranted condemnation against it and ever since I've been struggling to understand why and to this day, no one has honestly and professionally made me say "okay, I understand why you think it's as horrible as, say, Shark Attack 3-yes, I've seen that entire film."

In fact, the closest someone came to maturely explaining to me why it's so abominable was the following statement:

"Imagine a new TMNT movie where the turtles literally can't stand pizza, Shredder is revealed to be Splinter's twin brother, and they all live in the head of the Statue of Liberty."

So, the synopsis of Transformers 2 would go something like this based on that statement: The Autobots hate humans just like the Decepticons but want to keep them alive (for some reason), Megatron turns out to be an Autobot (or Optimus is, conversely, now a Decepticon) and the Decepticons are trying to make their efforts against the Autobots more of a cold war if anything.

And now a certain online individual known as TheAmazingAtheist/Distressed Watcher (who I've generally had much respect for) decided to join in on the hate bandwagon by posting a Top 10 Worst Moments in Transformers 2 which, between that and all the other attacks against this particular film, has pushed me to writing an L.A.R. (don't think too hard on that abbreviation). First I'll give my response to each part and then decide to take my rant from there (after all, what else are they good for?).

10. In the video we get told by our "fellow ranter" about a couple examples in the film that break the law(s) of physics and says that in order for a film to get away with stuff like this (even a MINDLESS ACTION film like this) that they have to be explained. Right…so that means we'd need an explanation for the following:

-The dog jumping into the doorway with the family and none of them being hurt in Independence Day after/during the first alien attack.

-Imhotep should still be struggling to stay out of the pit while looking at Rick and Evelyn in The Mummy Returns, yet he shows no indication of this (let alone trying to maintain his own body weight) and he just tosses himself backwards as if he's weightless)

-When Eowyn in The Return of the King is about to kill the Witch King, who says "no man can kill me" (which Gandalf says to Pippin while in Isengard), Eowyn says "I am no man" and kills the Witch King with little more a bodily sting like Merry. So…a gender alone means the difference in whether someone can kill the Witch King? Do we get an explanation for this in the film? Nope. And I haven't seen this complained about by anyone, yet it's something that's bugged me ever since my first viewing.

Those are just three immediate examples for me but did they impair my overall viewing of the films themselves? No.

9. This part I can understand holding against the film (covering up the Transformer battles from the first film and the first action scene in the second), it is a very convenient occurrence to see, so I won't outrage over this.

8. This is a problem with the film that I've seen attacked so many times that it just might be the most infuriating attack against it. Essentially, there are several individuals who think that the twins in Revenge of the Fallen were racist because of the way they talk, fight and because they apparently can't read. Well, if this is so, then why didn't anyone attack Jazz from the first film? He's black, spouting lines like "what's crackin', b***hes?" and "this looks like a cool place to kick it," not to mention of all the Autobots in the first film, he-the black-voiced Autobot-was the ONLY ONE TO DIE. How is this any less racist than Transformers 2 (which it isn't)? This also brings up a question one of my friends made to this claim after I told him how people feel Transformers 2 was racist. He asked "so what these people are saying is that there's something wrong with two Transformers talking/acting differently than the others?"

7. Alright, this is a part that he makes a couple somewhat good points, but then makes a couple more bad ones. One of the good ones is why the Autobots are teaming up with us humans when we're trivial compared to what damage they can do. At least, on-foot. We do have some weapons/capabilities that have proven useful against the Decepticons (the airstrike in the desert battle of the first film), so we aren't completely useless altogether, just when firing guns on-foot. The other is when the Decepticons are trying to get Sam but need him alive for a piece of his brain yet doesn't show much regard for his safety during the mid-battle. That one is a bit more warranted. Another point he holds against the film is us defending part of the Allspark but says the Autobots would be better off defending themselves. Okay, then WHERE and HOW are they going to defend it? Cybertron is gone/deserted and, from the looks of things, the Autobots haven't made their own base with guards (partly due to still low numbers), so what are they going to do, hold the shard themselves, wait to get attacked by a long range attack or explosion so they drop it and let a nearby Decepticon snatch it up? He then points to the Decepticons being stupid for letting one of their small agents try and steal another piece but then gradually switches sides (which, if I remember correctly, he essentially became a FUGITIVE to Sam and the others) and says the Decepticons were idiots for letting him try and steal it if he was going to betray them. Yeah, right, like they'd even have someone on their side who was going to betray them anyway. You honestly think they KNEW that he'd betray them when backed against a wall enough? And the part at the end where Optimus drops the new power-ups he got is a double-edged sword in its logic. On one hand it is stupid that he just gets rid of it, but I think it can also be argued that Optimus doesn't like being so powerful and using something of a former enemy and generally speaking, it's upgrades like these that tend to not last so long or effectively. So this one's a little tougher for me to decide on, but I'll let it slide as a minor complaint at-worst.

6. I will admit that this film's jokes really fell flat, but once again, the remarks of perceived racism are absurd and if the little John Turturro scene where he "let's the sticks come off" as I'll put it is really all that bad, then perhaps you should throw a fit over a whole bunch of crude films like Clerks 2 and, most recently, Hot Tub Time Machine over similar scenes. Just like the above, a good half-point, but not entirely. Also, if people laughed at the midget in his particular theater yet the scene obviously wasn't intended for comedic purposes, then that just means the people in his theater are close-minded morons. When I saw it in theaters no one laughed at the midget, so hold that against the people in your theater, not the film itself.

Now, while we're still on part one of his list (which he says he'll post the second part by April 3), I want to point out what he says at the end. He says that the "problems" he's listed so far are "bad but forgivable." So, if they're "forgivable," then why are you making such a huge fuss about it? And, according to you, if you honestly think the film is racist, then you think that's pardonable? *Slaps face* Also, if these reasons are, again, excusable, then why are these even on a list that's supposed to show how apparently despicable this film is. If the next five reasons you list are what's truly unforgivable, then why didn't you just cut it down to a Top 5 list (yes, I know he typically does just Top 10 lists now but that's beside the point here).

I just can't wait to see what his second part will yield (if he lists Sam going to "Robot Heaven," I will have plenty of fun with my rebuttal.

Those who know me well enough will be able to tell others that when it comes to getting into bands, particularly those who've been around for at least two decades, I like to listen through their entire discography. After I got out of the habit of only listening to individual songs for my first two years of high school, I almost immediately went through Judas Priest's entire studio catalogue. And even with some weak albums, it was a fun, interesting trip through time (or the closest I can get to it being only 20 years old). Since then I've heard a couple other discographies but other than Priest, I haven't heard a band's collection of studio recordings who've released over ten albums. Until now that is.

I've always had an interesting history with Iron Maiden. Like most people, they were one of the first metal bands I heard of and listened to. Except unlike their absurd, zombiefied fanboys (or just general fans), I did bother listening to any of their albums other than Fear of the Dark until about a year ago. The second album I heard by them is easily their most acclaimed, The Number of the Beast, which I posted my initial thoughts on here and let's just say I didn't get an entirely enthusiastic response. Putting that aside, however, I listened to a couple more albums by them yet until recently had refrained from more than four of their albums. Now that I've finished their studio releases I figure it's only fitting to provide my brief thoughts on each.

Iron Maiden (1980)

Maiden's debut and sophomore efforts were two albums that I really wasn't sure of what to expect. This is namely because Bruce Dickinson wouldn't join the band until '82 and, for some bands, having a different singer can drastically impact the sound. And though it's not quite to the extent of, say, Ronnie James Dio in Black Sabbath, Maiden's first two albums are noticeably different from their successors. This is mostly because the sound feels a bit more to the point with the songs exhibiting a more frantic nature. The band's self-titled debut is just full of energy and if there's any album I'd compare it to by another group, I'd have to pick Testament's debut The Legacy since it's also a generally fast-paced album with the occasional melodic moments. Even with an interesting sound for the band, this debut was an enjoyable listen that, though without a truly clas sic track, is still just straight-up fun.

Killers (1981)

Much of the aforementioned paragraph applies to this album as well, so it leaves me less room to talk about it. Again, the album has some strong tracks amidst some merely good ones (which is as bad as the album gets; it never hits a mark below good or well above-average). The main difference here, however, is that Killers has a real clas sic: the title track. Some have debated that this is considerably inferior to its predecessor, but I disagree, both are about on-par, with the title track here giving it enough of a boost to be superior in my eyes. This is to say that I think the song "Killers" is easily one of the bands best tracks, which says a lot for a band who get a clas sic after just two albums.

The Number of the Beast (1982)

Benevolentbob and KingOfOldSkool already had a bit of a conversation with me a while back about this album so my thoughts on it should really come as no surprise. But of all the Iron Maiden albums, I have to say from the get-go that this is the only one that truly disappointed me. When I first heard it my thoughts were even less enthusiastic than that of Rolling Stone Magazine's, with the low points being really low (Invaders). Now, the album has since grown on me but I ultimately can't bring myself to call it anything higher than "good." As far as I'm concerned, the closest track this album has to a clas sic is "Run to the Hills." Even though "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is one of the band's most celebrated songs it honestly hasn't impressed me at for all the times I've heard the album (which is probably close to ten simply because I've always hoped to enjoy it more each time, but unlike The Jester Race, I don't think it'll happen here). Now, granted the title track and "22 Acacia Avenue" are great tracks as well, but the album just doesn't do anything even close to spectacular. Not to mention it really lacks a lot of the substance and interesting parts that essentially every other Maiden album has. Not a bad album by any means, but it's far from as good as the reputation that precedes it.

Piece of Mind (1983)

I think it's safe to say that the two songs which draw people to this album are "The Trooper" and, to a lesser extent, "Flight of the Icarus." Regardless, after The Number of the Beast I really wasn't sure of how much I'd like Maiden's other work if that was supposed to be their best album. And although I hold Piece of Mind in a higher regard than its predecessor, it still isn't up there with there with my favorite albums they've done. From "Where Eagles Dare" up until "The Trooper," Piece of Mind is a very noticeable improvement. But after the popular, celebrated track, the album really loses touch and it isn't until the closing track, "To Tame a Land," that the band begins to get back on-track (speaking of which, what is it with Maiden saving most of their best tracks for last?). Now, three unremarkable songs might not sound like much, but since they make up 1/3 of the track listing and most of the other songs aren't exceedingly great, it all adds (and subtracts) to make this a borderline great album, nothing more. Yes, it's quite superior to The Number of the Beast thanks to better execution of its themes and having a way smoother flow, but in the album's own context it's nothing particularly great.

Powerslave (1984)

This is where things start to actually head uphill for the band. I can remember first listening to Powerslave and being absolutely blown away by how much better it was than its predecessors. Even more remarkable is that the epic "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," a story that I've always had personal qualms with, has proved to be one of my favorite Maiden songs. Even though a couple of the songs on this album did quickly lose their charm on me the aforementioned closing track combined with songs like "Aces High," "2 Minutes to Midnight" and the excellent title track all stand high and manage to be just enough to make it a superb album by my standards. This is actually an album I almost wouldn't give as high of a score that I would since my standards are easy up until the four out of five mark. Usually I give scores between three and four with much generosity but in order to get four and a half stars the album really has to impress me. In a way Powerslave is an album I decided to give the benefit over one stronger track but ultimately I think it's earned. Half the album is essentially clas sic material and nothing is less than decent here, so I won't hold much against it.

Somewhere In Time (1986)

1986 was one of the best years for metal. It saw the release of Reign In Blood, Master of Puppets, Peace Sells…But Who's Buying? and, in the case of Maiden, Somewhere In Time. Speculation surrounded the band prior to this album's release, mostly since they were pressured towards incorporating synthesizers. Naturally, the results are quite different from anything the band put out before this album. Yet unlike Judas Priest, who slipped up on Turbo, Somewhere In Time managed to retain enough of the band's original sound and integrity. In fact, I'd say that up to the point of this album's release, it would have been my favorite-sounding Iron Maiden release. As always, the songs are varied in a number of ways except the use of synthesizers give it a smoother sound, even when compared with Piece of Mind. Another note to make is that this is probably one of the band's most consistent albums in overall quality, which is saying a lot. The only low point here isn't even an entire song, just the chorus to it: "Heaven Can Wait" (Dickinson just sounds silly during that point). Fortunately, the rest of the song is fine and doesn't deter from the album. Conversely, the album does lack some full-blown clas sics for me, with "Sea of Madness," "Alexander the Great" and possibly "Caught Somewhere In Time" being my personal favorites. Yet even those fall a notch short of tracks like "Killers" and "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Even so, this is an excellent album that, though not quite up with Powerslave, is still a great effort from start to finish.

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988 )

Where Somewhere In Time was more of an experimental album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son saw the group settling on a more concrete sound for its time. Even those who were less enthusiastic about the band's '86 effort knew they could at least provide something worthwhile with a change in sty le. And we managed to get a very much improved release here on what I'm ready to contest as the band's best effort. It's a tough call though (as I'll emphasize down the line). From the moment "Moonchild" kicks into gear you know that the band have bestowed something truly great to bless your ears. And other than "Can I Play with Madness?" the album lacks any weak points. In particular, there's the title track, which is one of the band's many masterpiece tracks that I'm disheartened to say seems to not get much recognition. Regardless, this stands up as an amazing album, one that I feel will hold up high and strong among my top albums list.

To be continued...

I think the first thing I'll get off my chest is that I got accepted to UCF (University of Central Florida)! I'm really ecstatic right now and thought that they actually weren't going to get back to me on it but they did and now I have even more reason to want the next month and a half to end (save for maybe Spring break in April). Now, if I can get into The Towers dormitory, get my financial aid fully transferred along with my application and get a job on-campus then I'll be living the dream there.

Second topic is, as some of you might know, Rock Band 3 was announced to be released this holiday season. Right now I'm very glad because, other than Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver (which I likely won't get to play for some time), Red Dead Redemption and the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta, there's not much I'm looking forward to on the game front this year (sold my PS3 since I seldom played it, I already regret not getting to play God of War 3 and Uncharted 2, but I'll live). Final Fantasy has never really appealed to me and I know I'd be lost if I started on XIII like how I struggled to even understand Brutal Legend, being that it was my first RTS. And BioShock 2 I likely won't even think of trying until in a bargain bin since I felt the first BioShock was better left untouched by a sequel and the concept of playing as a Big Daddy honestly turned me off from the get-go (I'd prefer having more powers for intervals so it's easier to enjoy/appreciate them). But I digress.

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are definitely two of my personal favorite games since they both had excellent soundtracks with note charts that perfectly did the songs justice (since I only just recently passed Visions and can't beat Take No Prisoners and Sleepwalker on Expert guitar, it should be understandable why I actually enjoyed playing certain songs in the first game more (besides, it's tough to top Won't Get Fooled Again and Welcome Home, instrumentally).

There are several songs that I still would love to see on Rock Band and though I doubt many, if any of them will be put on Rock Band 3, I'm still very excited to see what the setlist will be. I hope they, once again, allow you to transfer downloadable content and, if possible, songs from BOTH Rock Band and Rock Band 2 to play on Rock Band 3. Song-wise, I actually think breaking the 100 song mark might not be so much to ask now, which should allow for more songs/bands from various genres to be showcased. The final thing I'm looking forward to is the new instruments, namely the new guitar peripheral. Up to this point, all of the guitar controllers have been fundamentally flawed and what it's come down to, for me anyways, is that I'd want a controller with the fret buttons of a Rock Band controller (taking up the entire top of the neck and essentially being "click" buttons) and the strum bar of a guitar hero controller (stiff and damn near unbreakable). Any other treats I'd be fine with so long as they don't impair the playing experience.

And though it's wishful thinking, I hope they came/come across a small blog I wrote last semester on WordPress (the three people are individuals I made up to give my blog a twist for my class, so take it as my wishes): Rock Band/Guitar Hero Wishlist Blog

Towards the end of my past winter semester I went through Judas Priest's discography from start to finish for a third time and not too long ago I finally finished listening to my entire music library. Now I'm slowly heading out and listening to other bands and I decided to head towards a band I've had a less enthusiastic history with compared to their huge following: Iron Maiden. A good while ago I posted my thoughts after first listening to The Number of the Beast and, unsurprisingly, was greeted by a couple of desparaging remarks...to an extent. But even with hearing four of the band's albums shortly afterwards (including the aforementioned) I figured my best way to try and really get into this band would be to do a discography listening.

Over the past two or so weeks I've been going through the band's studio catalogue and am currently on their tenth effort, The X Factor. As any Maiden fan should be able to instantly tell, this is the first album that vocalist Blaze Baylay did with the band after Bruce Dickinson left. Why do I decide to give a little report while in the middle of listening to this album? Well, back when I first listened to Jugulator, Tim Owens' first album with Judas Priest, I thought it was laughable but over time, it grew on me. And I actually became enthusiastic over the idea of hearing Iron Maiden with a vocalist besides Dickinson during the 90's (mostly since albums during this period seemed to be darker, which is always a turn-on for me).

I'm actually right in the middle of the album ("The Aftermath") and have to say that this album isn't too shabby thus far. What I love is the slow, dark atmosphere that embodies the longer tracks which, although dragging out, still sound excellent instrumentally. Now, the technicality here definitely isn't up to par with what the band put out previously, but there's some great playing going on here. But the real deciding factor here is how Mr. Baylay holds up as a replacement, or just a vocalist. What I'll reveal immediatly is that he's great in regards to slow undertones since they help compliment the album's moodier moments. However, once he tries to provide more vigor, it becomes clear just how limited his range and overall vocal deliver is. I've never been a huge fan of Dickinson as a vocalist (he's generally a cool individual though, like most metal musicians-unless you're Phil Anselmo or Axl Rose), but hearing Baylay try to provide louder vocals makes me appreciate Bruce's vocal talents a lot more.

Still, The X Factor is holding up fairly well for a non-Dickinson era Maiden album, and though I'll let slip that I don't think the band's catalogue up to this point is as great as fans make it out to be, I'm looking forward to the next four studio albums.

Despite the decline of quality that I've personally found in the Academy Awards, the show's impending arrival has still, as always, left me curious to see any of the Best Picture nominations that I can (which is worth a blog in itself but for another time). And of the films I haven't seen this year, I think the one that has called out to me the most is The Hurt Locker, which I've frequently seen spots for on TV with quotes such as "a near-perfect film." Now, claims like these tend to turn me off, but the film's synopsis did indicate potential and I finally succumbed to renting it tonight (along with Spaceballs for my Introduction to Theatre/Drama class).

What I can say after watching The Hurt Locker is that it's a surprisingly inconsistent film, but not necessarily in a way that refers to its quality. By this, I mean that it left an almost bipolar effect on me. I must have said "oh, ****" at least five times during the film aloud, but by the time it was over I was left at a loss of words. Another (more direct) way that film was uneven for me is that even though it really gripped me (loved the sniper scene), there were just as many points that it dragged out and I wished the runtime was at least a few minutes shorter.

Now, I heard a good amount of praise going towards the film but I refrained from reading any comments other than just one or two sentence summaries, all of which were good prior to going in. Afterwards, however, I came across an interesting scenario with several comments (I'm looking at YOU IMDB users) claiming the film is unrealistic, coming from individuals who claim to be veterans. Of course, I'm just your typical 20 year-old in college who hasn't the slightest idea of whether a film like this should be taken as realistic, so I'm not going to try and claim the film is or is not a good representation of what's happening in Iraq right now (or even five to six years ago). Then again, I'm one of the few who enjoyed and defends the first Alien vs. Predator movie despite its many flaws and holds the director's cut of Alien 3 in higher regards than all eight of the films between the franchises together, so I guess that shows my intelligence and credit as a critic.

College isn't exactly ideal for having the free time to think of things like top car lists on your own, and the fact I received no comments on the first one is only more disencouraging, so I'll hold off on those until I feel like posting them just for the sake of it.

Beyond that, I got part of my car's bumper removed since it kept on cracking and fixing/replacing it would be too much for too little, so I just got rid of it until I get a small piece attached to the front to make it look like a stock bumper. I'm also tempted to get my car repainted since the hood is peeling (NEVER let your stepfather wax your car) and a couple small areas could use a facelift, but I'm not entirely sure if I'm willing to spend over $800 for it.

And of course there's music as always, which my expansion of tastes have kicked off to a slow start. The only album I've bothered to listen to outside of my present library is Black Metal by Venom, which I love (Teacher's Pet is probably my favorite song, it's so brutal and hilarious). I also began listening to In the Nightside Eclipse by Emperor last night since Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk goes back and forth with Painkiller for my second favorite album, but I was too tired and the production actually was enough to keep pushing me away. I'll give it a real shot down the line after hearing more albums (Black Metal, Tales from the Thousand Lakes, The Jester Race and Rocka Rolla haven't prepared me enough it seems).

I doubt anyone really cares if the amount of comments (or complete lack of) I receive per blog, but I'm late on posting the first part to my car blogs since I caught a sudden stomach virus (to put it simply, over half a dozen trips to the restroom, that's not including the six times I threw up), which was followed a few hours afterwards with a flu and fever (this is my near-instant reward for deciding to try and diet and potentially work out after 2-3 days). I was hoping to provide descriptions for each car here and to provide the ten ugliest cars I've seen. However, my "writing fluency" is so dry and I couldn't think of all the truly ugliest cars I've seen, so I'm giving you a list of fifteen cars that seem to be widely considred ugly, but I find perfectly decent, if not very appealing. Sorry, no descriptions; essentially take it as "I'd like or love to own any of these personally."

15. 1958 Ford Edsel

14. 2005 Chrysler 300C

13. 2008 Honda Element

12. 2005 Chevrolet HHR

11. 2003 Chevrolet SSR

10. 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche

9. 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser

8. Mercedes-Benz G-Cla ss

7. 2001 Plymouth Prowler

6. 1977 AMC Gremlin

5. 2000 Porsche Boxster

4. 2004 Volkswagen Touareg

3. 2001 BMW Z3 Coupe

2. 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

1. 1982 DeLorean DMC-12

Even though I'm no gearhead, I still have a very soft spot in my heart for cars, even if they aren't powerful (were it not for the two deformations my stepfather and I-one each-made to my Grand Prix I'd still hold it above my parents cars). And recently I've been making a note of cars that I enjoy the most while making a few changes to my ten favorite cars. So what I'm aiming to do for this month is to give a car list each Wednesday or Thursday. I might make a change or two, but here's the lists I'll likely do (ten cars each):

10 Ugliest Cars I've Seen

5 Cars That Should Be Brought Back, 5 Cars That Shouldn't Have Been Cancelled

10 Cars Under $30K I'd Love to Own

5 Favorite Car Companies, 5 Least Favorite Car Companies

Bonus List: Top 10 Favorite Cars