Resist is Within Temptation's best studio release in twelve years. That doesn't mean much to be honest. The Unforgiving was a conceptual record with mostly timid symphonic pop music. The Q-Music Sessions offered uninspired cover versions of already tiresome radio pop music. Hydra was directionless and hollow and only lived from its randomly inserted guest vocalists. Resist might only be between an above average and good release but by the band's low standards, it feels like a genuine relief and renaissance.

The present release is not precisely a conceptual record but certainly feels like one. As the cover artwork and numerous lyrics indicate, numerous songs deal with futuristic topics and the use of atmospheric electronic keyboard sounds is indeed domineering in many songs such as the catchy opener ''The Reckoning'' featuring surprisingly energetic guest vocals by Papa Roach singer Jacoby Shaddix.

 Nu metal vocalists are still much better than exchangeable pop singers. To go even further, the record's most diversified, dynamic and inspired track is ''Raise Your Banner'' which features additional vocals by an unchained Anders Fridén of In Flames fame and the two bands fittingly tour together as we speak. The Dutch septet managed to invite guest singers that fit with the record's concept and style this time around after randomly inviting vocalists from incompatible genres on the last output.

Within Temptation has also overall increased its symphonic soundscapes of yore such as in the hopeful ''Supernova'' wherein the lead singer deals with her father's death. These soundscapes are harmoniously integrated and never take too much space. This might take away from the emotions here and there but sounds overall cleverly calculated.

Speaking of the singer, Sharon den Adel's vocals sound more natural than ever as she is always in perfect control of her voice. She has finally managed to merge her pop influences into a melodic metal context in a pleasantly balanced way. She doesn't hit the high notes like she did fifteen years ago but has a more accessible voice with a darker timbre that can still sound enchantingly beautiful at times.

The record isn't without its flaws. The album starts convincingly but loses some steam through parts of its second half when the combination of futuristic soundscapes and symphonic pop appeal starts getting predictable and repetitive.

While the vocals and keyboards sound outstanding, the guitar play could be more playful and the rhythm section is quite by the numbers.

If you were craving for a return to the band's roots with new age influences and heavier riffs, you might find that Resist is quite the opposite, replacing traditional soundscape by futuristic ones and bring keyboards to the foreground instead of the guitars. This new direction is certainly better than uninspired repetition. Still, one misses the energy of the band's early years sometimes.

Within Temptation's Resist has quite its own style and is a record that grows with every spin thanks to versatile vocals and colourful keyboard sounds. The album is best described as futuristic symphonic pop with intriguing lyrics. Traditionalists will despise it but it sounds certainly more inspired than anything the band has released since its acoustic live album ten years earlier. That's one small step for symphonic rock music and similar genres but one giant leap for Within Temptation after years of disappointments. The band has resisted its setbacks of the past and might now move on to greener pastures.

On a closing side note: Nobody needs the numerous editions with single versions and instrumental takes. Purchasing the ten new tracks is all fans desire. Everything else is just a scam by the record label that needs to be criticized.

Final rating: 66%

Satyricon's Live at the Opera is the perfect example that the sum can be greater than its parts. 

The Norwegian duo plays numbing black metal with hoarse vocals that are rather spoken than anything else, repetitive riff patterns and a stoic rhythm section that could vary more than it actually does. 

The Norwegian National Opera Chorus consists of fifty-five highly talented singers but their regular performances often end up sounding somewhat exchangeable and can get quite nerve-firing after a while due to their theatrical approach.

However, the numbing black metal music and the overwhelming choirs complete each other perfectly and make for a balanced, coherent and fluid release with an appropriate length of thirteen tunes plus a short overture and a total running time just above one and a half hours that never gets boring and is best enjoyed uninterruptedly.

While other metal bands have failed to harmonize with choirs and orchestras because each component ended up burying the other, this unique live show that drew fans from all across the world to Norway sounds like a perfect match. This is true to the old adage that opposites attract. Both sides deserve recognition and respect for having mingled their sounds so organically.

Forget about Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Graveworm and other bands that have tried to combine operatic music with black metal. They might have created respectable records in the past but the collaboration between Satyricon and the Norwegian National Opera Chorus is on a higher level and has achieved remarkable symbiosis. The beauty meets the beast and has created a bastard that brings symphonic extreme metal to the next level without ever sounding pretentious. In a certain way, Satyricon might be the spiritual successor of early Therion and deserves as much credit as Batushka these days. Let's hope the band continues to experiment in that regard and that other extreme metal bands follow its stunning example.

Final rating: 90%

Best F(r)iends: Volume 2 is quite different from the first volume and might actually surprise you a lot. The first film focuses on the difficult friendship between introverted drifter Jon Kortina and eccentric mortician Harvey Lewis who develop a scheme of selling gold fillings from the deceased's teeth to shady underground businessmen. This second movie tells us how the quiet drifter and his manipulative girlfriend leave the mortician for dead and try to run off with the money the scheme has made to start a new life in Colorado.

This second volume has a much steadier pace than the first volume. This is due to the set of unusual characters the couple encounters on its strange road trip. The diversified locations also add some diversified entertainment. The final thirty minutes of the movie are very intense, come around with a series of intriguing plot twists and feature numerous deadly confrontations in breathtaking landscapes.

Despite the differences between the two volumes, the weird tone, unexpected events and strange characters keep them together in a quiet coherent way. The ever-changing second volume itself is kept together by numerous surreal dream sequences that connect both volumes and give more background information about the two lead characters. It's certainly impossible to watch only one of the two volumes or to watch them separately over a longer period of time.

This unique second volume is so intriguingly strange that it could be watched on several occasions in order to uncover more unsettling details and understand all its facets since some questions remain unanswered which gives the viewers some food for thought. This film has the potential to become a genuine cult movie while the first volume is rather an appropriate introduction to the madness that unfolds here. I would recommend the two volumes to fans of television shows with uniquely strange characters such as Fargo and Twin Peaks and obviously to anyone who has watched The Room even though these two volumes are much more clever, coherent and serious than you might expect. Grab a beer, invite a few friends and enjoy these two volumes to the fullest.

I had the chance to watch Best F(r)iends: Volume 1, Best F(r)iends: Volume 2 and The Room at Ottawa's famous Mayfair Theatre with Greg Sestero in attendance who would answer numerous questions about his latest project. The two volumes tell a story which is partially inspired by true events when Greg Sestero and Tommy Wiseau took a road trip many years ago. The two movies tell an epic story about betrayal, friendship, greed, love and trust but the two volumes are actually quite different. The first volume focuses on the growing friendship between the two main characters in Los Angeles while the second volume is an almost surreal road movie taking one of the lead actors and his girlfriend to Arizona.

The plot focuses on lonesome and silent drifter Jon Kortina who has a shady past. He lives under a bridge and tries to get some money by walking through town with humorous signs. On his way through town, he comes across a mysterious hearse on several occasions. One day, the drifter observes how the driver of said hearse transports a coffin inside his mortuary. The mortician realizes he is being observed and spontaneously asks the drifter to help him out preparing bodies for their funerals. He later on introduces himself as Harvey Lewis, an eccentric loner who prepares masks to make the dead faces look beautiful. While the mortician is looking for a business partner and true friend, the drifter is only interested in stealing the gold fillings of the deceased's teeth to make money. One day, his conscience comes into play and he reveals his intentions to the mortician. The two start to get involved with shady underground businessmen and the more money they make the more risks they take. Things are getting even more complicated when Jon Kortina starts dating manipulative bartender Traci Walton who wants her boyfriend to take his share of the money and start a new life with her in Colorado.

If you were expecting a sympathetic train wreck of a movie like The Room, you will be quite surprised by this film. This experimental movie is a mixture between a drama with sad undertones about two loners, a crime flick with sinister vibes and a dark comedy film with numerous awkward situations. The movie is told with calm, care and precision. It starts with slow pace but gradually gets more intense until the closing cliffhanger which is followed by a surreal preview of the second volume. The locations are quite intriguing and cleverly accentuated by calm camera work, light techniques and sound effects. Greg Sestero's acting performance is enjoyably minimalist while Tommy Wiseau's eccentric style perfectly fits the character he incarnates. The two actors complement each other perfectly. Despite being at times awkward, I would watch Tommy Wiseau's theatrical performance over any one-dimensional acting job by the terrible Dwayne Johnson. Despite the criticism he has faced, one can't deny that Tommy Wiseau puts all his passion into his projects and this is also the case here. A man who follows his dream no matter what like he does deserves respect. Greg Sestero's courage to create such a complex project and collaborate with the eccentric Tommy Wiseau also deserves recognition.

In the end, I liked this movie for its unpredictable plot with numerous minor twists and turns, its unusual genre mixture that keeps the film interesting despite a slow pace and the surprisingly dynamic chemistry between an introverted Greg Sestero and an eccentric Tommy Wiseau. Fans of the aforementioned artists and those who like experimental art house cinema should give the two volumes a sincere try. I didn't have any expectations walking into this film and was positively surprised.