Korô no chi, internationally known as The Blood of Wolves, is a brutal gangster movie reminding of the Japanese V-Cinema era in the mid-nineties. This type of movie could have been made by prolific directors such as Mochizuki Rokuro, Miike Takashi or Kitano Takeshi.

The story revolves around brutal, non-conformist, lone wolf police officer Ogami Shogo and his conformist, intellectual and naive partner Hioka Shuichi. They investigate the disapperance of an accountant in the late eighties. It soon turns out that the accountant was involved in a yakuza clan and tried to steal money. Ogami Shogo uses violence, menaces and connections to investigate while his partner Hioka Shuichi is shocked by such procedures and rather tries to make sure his partner will get suspended. However, the unusual team soon needs to cooperate in order to prevent a war between two yakuza clans and find out what really happened to the mob accountant.

The greatest thing about the movie are the two conflicting lead characters and their fascinating relationship that evolves throughout the entertaining movie. The film convinces with grisly fights, dirty locations and cool one-liners. The plot comes around with a few surprises towards the end which explain how the different characters have become who they are.

If you like brutal yakuza flicks of the eighties and nineties, you will certainly appreciate this nostalgic but entertaining movie. The Blood of Wolves takes its inspiration from movies such as Another Lonely Hitman, Shinjuku Triad Society and Hana-Bi. Genre fans will certainly find this movie thoroughly entertaining.

I wasn't even sure whether I should give Volbeat's new record Rewind, Replay, Rebound a spin. The previous record had consisted of watered-down radio rock music and when I attended a concert of the band the Danish-American quartet went as far as to cover Johnny Cash which really isn't my cup of tea. But then I remembered the band's vivid last live record Let's Boogie! Live from Telia Parken which has also included the excellent dark thrash metal song "The Everlasting" which is included on this new album. So I gave this record a spin and it turned out much better than expected. This record might be Volbeat's best since Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood eleven years ago.

Things start promisingly with the energetic up-beat ''Last Day Under the Sun'' that immediately puts a smile upon your face. "Pelvis on Fire" is surprisingly fast and heavy and flirts with punk rock and rockabilly influences while the vocals still remind of Elvis Presley. The band also comes around with melancholic half ballads with acoustic guitars like the nostalgic ''When We Were Kids''. In contrast to this, the band offers the extremely short punk rock tune ''Parasite'' where the band breaks new ground. The aforementioned ''The Everlasting'' should please fans of heavier sounds and is both the record's darkest and most complex tune.

The record features two noteworthy guests. The dynamic, fast and passionate ''Die to Live'' with playful piano sounds features raw additional vocals by Neil Fallon of American hard rock band Fallon who contrasts Michael Poulsen's melodic skills appropriately. The rhythmic ''Cheapside Sloggers'' features additional guitar play by Exodus' Gary Holt in the track's plodding and sinister middle section but his talents is somewhat underused in an overall exchangeable hard rock track.

In the end, Volbeat's Rewind, Replay, Rebound doesn't offer anything new but is executed with passion and precision. It includes much better songwriting than the three previous studio albums. The record entertains from start to finish and might be a candidate for best hard rock record of the year. Metal fans might not find much to like about this release apart of the sinister ''The Everlasting'' and perhaps the collaboration with Gary Holt on ''Cheapside Sloggers'' but this album might appeal to younger fans of alternative, hard and punk rock music.

Final rating: 80%

 Ladies and gentlemen!

On the second day of my epic summer vacation, I visited the wonderful capital of Manitoba. Winnipeg is a multi-cultural city that honours its First Nations and French origins respectfully. Especially Louis Riel, considered by many to be the Father of Manitoba, is honoured in every part of this big city. I visited downtown but also numerous parks, monuments and historic buildings. The pathways along Seine River, Red River and Assiniboine River are particularly beautiful. 

 Historic building of the Bank of Montreal in downtown Winnipeg 

 Esplanade Riel spanning the Red River

 A railway bridge spanning the Red River

 Fort Gibraltar

 Where the Seine River and Red River meet

 A doe in a garden along the Seine River

 View of downtown Winnipeg as seen from Saint Boniface suburb

 Saint-Boniface Cathedral with Louis Riel's tomb

 A view of Esplanade Riel and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

 Assiniboine Park

 English Garden

 Leo Mol Sculpture Garden

 The Pavilion at Assiniboine Park

 Statue of Louis Riel in front of Manitoba Legislative building

 Famous Five monument

 Government House of Manitoba

 Georges-Etienne Cartier statue

Ladies and gentlemen!

Over the next few days and weeks, I'm going to introduce you to some pictures taken during my epic summer road trip that lasted twenty-five days. I traveled from Manitoba to northern Saskatchewan, then headed into Alberta and a small part of British Columbia before heading back to Winnipeg in the south. On the first day of my summer vacation, I took the plane from Ottawa to Winnipeg, took the bus to my hotel in downtown Winnipeg and started exploring the beautiful city in the evening and at night for about four hours. The architecture, monuments and nature in the city are gorgeous. Winnipeg was definitely a first highlight on my trip.

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport: the most beautiful airport I have ever been to!

Bell MTS Place, home of the Winnipeg Jets, in downtown Winnipeg

Fort Garry Hotel

Union Station

The Forks

Assiniboine River

Esplanade Riel spanning the Red River

Canadian Museum for Human Rights which opened five years ago

Millennium Library Park

Another view of Millennium Library Park

Downtown Winnipeg late at night

Now that our favourite masked hard rock band KISS is finally calling it quits for good, we should wipe away our tears and give Finnish quintet Lordi a chance again. The group offers more than its internationally known timeless genre anthem ''Hard Rock Hallelujah'' and this excellent live record can be seen as a greatest hits release for faithful fans and newcomers alike. The band varies from cool and tight up-tempo rock 'n roll tunes such as ''Rock Police'' over melodic hard rock anthems like the catchy ''Would You Love a Monsterman?'' to more atmospheric, slow and smooth tunes like the sinister ballad ''Evilyn''. The band's new material like the vivid anthem ''Naked in My Cellar'' sounds as great as old hits like the vibrant encore ''Devil Is a Loser''. The band even offers some obscure tracks like the vivid ''Mr. Killjoy'' that was only a b-side on a single but the song is as great as the other tracks played in concert. Consistency is the key element that distinguishes Lordi from many other hard rock bands and KISS copycats and the Finnish quintet certainly deserves more attention than it gets.

Lordi is a particularly great live band. They sound tight with raw lead vocals, powerful gang shouts, vibrant guitar riffs, ecstatic guitar solos, pumping bass guitar, tight drums and occasional samples that add some atmosphere reminding of old horror movies. The creepy outfits also need to be pointed out as they have become trademarks of the band. The communication between the charismatic lead singer and the crowd is also great. The atmosphere is outstanding as if everybody had come to a party rather than a simple concert. The production is raw and energetic which suits the genre. The generous set list features twenty songs and features everything fans could crave for from recent material over old classics to a few obscure cuts.

In addition to the concert, this release also includes all the atmospheric, colourful and creative music videos the band has created since its obscure beginnings in the early nineties. A very unusual cut is the song ''Inferno'' for which a music video was made as early as in 1995. Lead singer Mr. Lordi didn't even wear a mask back then but if you were hoping to see him without his make-up and costume, you will be disappointed because his face has been edited out of the video clip with the sticker of a monstrous face. That unnecessary editing job is the only slightly disappointing element of this excellent release. In order to end things on a high note, this release also includes a short and sympathetic documentary.

In the end, you should purchase Lordi's Recordead Live – Sextourcism in Z7 if you like timeless hard rock music with a vibrant stage show in the key of KISS. Lordi might not be the most innovative band but it's one of the most consistent hard rock bands to be around these days. This release offers multiple hours of excellent entertainment to be enjoyed over and over again.

Final rating: 95%