More than meets the eye

In the seventies, women were into sharp-dressed revolutioners. In the eighties, athletic types became more and more popular. Throughout the nineties, ideals became more material and people with beautiful and fast cars would attract people. Nowadays, geeks are all the rage. Twenty years ago, those people were outsiders because of their chubby features, big glasses and strange beards and because they spend most of their free time in front of their consoles in their parents' basement, wearing Mario Bros. shirts and drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos. Today, these outsiders have become trendy because of their chubby features, big glasses and strange beards and because they spend most of their free time in front of their consoles in their parents' basement, wearing Mario Bros. shirts and drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos. Sometimes, this world is a strange place. In order to understand more about this stereotype and pimp my trendy knowledge, I decided to give Ready Player One a shot.

I didn't expect much but got a very rewarding surprise. Ready Player One avoids stereotypes as opposed to my somewhat exaggerated yet quite accurate introduction. This movie could have focused on great-looking main characters who are destined for each other. But this isn't Divergent. The movie could have been overacted with overtly dramatic emotional ups and downs portraying immature teenagers. But this isn't The Hunger Games. The movie could have overwhelmed us with eye candy in form of massive flashy special effects without any depth. But this isn't Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. The film could have had a quite emotionless plot without any interest set in a stereotypical dystopian world. But this isn't Ghost in the Shell. The movie could have felt quite stretched with its ambitious running time of one hundred forty minutes and included vapid lows throughout the middle section. But this isn't Blade Runner 2049.

Ready Player One is better than all the movies mentioned before. The two main characters are grounded and sympathetic which makes their love story surprisingly credible and emotional. The acting performances are balanced as the characters are sometimes overwhelmed by emotions but often have to use their intellect to solve problems. The only moment when the movie overwhelms us with flashy colours is in the first five minutes to briefly introduce the virtual reality of OASIS but the rest of the movie doses special effects very well as the movie balances calm and intellectual moments with dramatic and vivid passages. The plot centered around a massive treasure chase might not be revolutionary but includes numerous clever references to pop culture of which I particularly liked the setting of The Shining, the nod to Mechagodizilla and the allusions to progressive rock veterans Rush. Moreover, the movie has several interesting messages such as the fact that nothing is as magic as our own reality. I also liked the side characters, especially the unique inventor of OASIS who reminds me of a mixture of Olaf Schubert and Tommy Wiseau. Finally, the movie didn't waste one single minute and was entertaining from start to finish thanks to an already interesting novel this movie was based upon, outstanding scriptwriting efforts and very solid directional work.

In the end, I can only recommend watching this movie at your local theater. You don't need a distracting, expensive and headache-inducing 3D version at Cineplex though, just go along with the old school 2D version in your small local cinema. It would suit the message and intention behind the novel and film much better. Now I can realate much more to geeks with their chubby features, big glasses and strange beards who spend most of their free time in front of their consoles in their parents' basement, wearing Mario Bros. shirts and drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos.

In the seventies, women were into sharp-dressed revolutioners. In the eighties, athletic types became more and more popular. Throughout the nineties, ideals became more material and people with beautiful and fast cars would attract people. Nowadays, geeks are all the rage. Twenty years ago, those people were outsiders because of their chubby features, big glasses and strange beards and because they spend most of their free time in front of their consoles in their parents' basement, wearing Mario Bros. shirts and drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos. Today, these outsiders have become trendy because of their chubby features, big glasses and strange beards and because they spend most of their free time in front of their consoles in their parents' basement, wearing Mario Bros. shirts and drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos. Sometimes, this world is a strange place. In order to understand more about this stereotype and pimp my trendy knowledge, I decided to give Ready Player One a shot.

I didn't expect much but got a very rewarding surprise. Ready Player One avoids stereotypes as opposed to my somewhat exaggerated yet quite accurate introduction. This movie could have focused on great-looking main characters who are destined for each other. But this isn't Divergent. The movie could have been overacted with overtly dramatic emotional ups and downs portraying immature teenagers. But this isn't The Hunger Games. The movie could have overwhelmed us with eye candy in form of massive flashy special effects without any depth. But this isn't Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. The film could have had a quite emotionless plot without any interest set in a stereotypical dystopian world. But this isn't Ghost in the Shell. The movie could have felt quite stretched with its ambitious running time of one hundred forty minutes and included vapid lows throughout the middle section. But this isn't Blade Runner 2049.

Ready Player One is better than all the movies mentioned before. The two main characters are grounded and sympathetic which makes their love story surprisingly credible and emotional. The acting performances are balanced as the characters are sometimes overwhelmed by emotions but often have to use their intellect to solve problems. The only moment when the movie overwhelms us with flashy colours is in the first five minutes to briefly introduce the virtual reality of OASIS but the rest of the movie doses special effects very well as the movie balances calm and intellectual moments with dramatic and vivid passages. The plot centered around a massive treasure chase might not be revolutionary but includes numerous clever references to pop culture of which I particularly liked the setting of The Shining, the nod to Mechagodizilla and the allusions to progressive rock veterans Rush. Moreover, the movie has several interesting messages such as the fact that nothing is as magic as our own reality. I also liked the side characters, especially the unique inventor of OASIS who reminds me of a mixture of Olaf Schubert and Tommy Wiseau. Finally, the movie didn't waste one single minute and was entertaining from start to finish thanks to an already interesting novel this movie was based upon, outstanding scriptwriting efforts and very solid directional work.

In the end, I can only recommend watching this movie at your local theater. You don't need a distracting, expensive and headache-inducing 3D version at Cineplex though, just go along with the old school 2D version in your small local cinema. It would suit the message and intention behind the novel and film much better. Now I can realate much more to geeks with their chubby features, big glasses and strange beards who spend most of their free time in front of their consoles in their parents' basement, wearing Mario Bros. shirts and drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos.

Dashengun's Bless Your Mother was released on April Fools' Day and it sounds like a joke indeed which is both positive and negative. A look at the eclectic covert artwork is quite revealing as well. This debut release is just as colorful and diversified. The project categorizes itself as funny metal which is quite accurate, in both meanings of the word. It's equally amusing and strange. The base of this odd one-man project could be described as melodic extreme metal, maybe somewhere between melodic death and thrash metal. The different songs feature numerous influences however which are sometimes inspired by vivid folk soundscapes, atmospheric electronic music but also calmer piano sounds in a few select moments. The vocals are also completely exaggerated as the singer whispers, sings and shouts mostly humorous lyrics in high and low pitches.

Listening to Bless Your Mother is certainly a unique experience because one has to expect the unexpected. The record is quite entertaining and constantly comes around with new ideas and influences. The madness surrounding this project is exactly what keeps it together even if that might sound like a contradiction. To be fair, this album is quite solid for a one-man project. The guitar riffs are sharp enough and include a few intense thrashing moments and melodic solos, the sound experiments and samples are cleverly interwoven and the diversified vocals might not be technically perfect but are clearly performed with passion. 

The rhythm section is a little bit less spectacular though, the production could be more balanced, organic and powerful and the songwriting is over the top. The only band I could compare this to would be Strapping Young Lad. Maybe Liu Tong, the mastermind behind Dashengun, is Devin Townsend's lost Asian brother. As interesting as Bless Your Mother is, it works as entertaining joke once or twice but becomes quickly annoying. Ten years ago I would have liked this release better because it's quite innovative but today I must admit originality isn't as important as coherency. Bless Your Mother is so amorphous that it's at times ridiculously painful to sit through.

If you want to share this oddity with the rest of the world, send your friends a link to the record on the next April Fools' Day and they will either have a good laugh or think you've gone nuts or possibly both. Dashengun's Bless Your Mother is crazy enough to listen to it once but too crazy to enjoy it for a longer period of time. Personally, I'd rather listen to Wang Rong Rollin's Chick Chick if I'm in the mood for some weird Chinese music.

Final rating: 50%

I have given German power metal legends Blind Guardian numerous chances in the past but I have always had trouble enjoying the group's overloaded soundscapes apart of a few select exceptions. Live Beyond the Spheres is the perfect solution for people like me. Instead of getting hundreds of layers of orchestral sounds, overlapping vocals and clinical drum sound, this release sounds focused, organic and raw in a very positive way. This is the first time I can listen to more than three songs of the band without getting headaches. It's even possible to listen to nearly three hours of live material in a row without any problems as this release keeps only getting better and better.

The production is as great as it gets and so is the band's performance. One has to point out vocalist Hans Kürsch whose efforts sound a little bit rawer than usual in songs like ''Imaginations from the Other Side'' as well as in ''And the Story Ends'' which add some efficient punch to certain tracks. The set list is basically a selection of the band's greatest hits, covering early fan favorites like the Lord of the Rings anthem ''Majesty'', catchy sing-along songs from the band's successful middle years like the energizing closer ''Mirror Mirror'' and more recent material like the atmospheric opener ''The Ninth Wave'' that sounds much more accessible in concert than in studio. Even the epic performance of ''And Then There Was Silence'' which nearly reaches the sixteen-minute mark goes by so quickly as if it were only a third as long. The band keeps things dynamic, entertaining and structured throughout the release, giving us very fast material like ''Banish from Sanctuary'', mid-paced epics such as ''Sacred Worlds'' and acoustic campfire ballads like the enchanting ''A Past and Future Secret''. The audience is perfectly audible and celebrates each song with passion. The third disc is probably the most enthusiastic of the bunch and makes you want to be there right in front of the stage. The singer's interactions with the crowd in English, German and even Italian are filled with energy as well. The fact that this release was recorded at different places during the group's European tour is only obvious when the singer speaks to the fans and this doesn't interrupt this record's stunning flow at any point.

There really isn't much to criticize here. Maybe a full length show from one single location would have had an even better flow. A DVD or BluRay release with some bonus material might also be something fans were craving for. Some people might miss a few personal favorites in the set list which is the omission of ''The Script for My Requiem'' in my case. But these elements are only minor or even unimportant details.

Live Beyond the Spheres isn't only Blind Guardian's most essential release ever in my book but also one of the very best live records ever released. This record makes me want to attend one of the band's future concerts which is quite an accomplishment since I was never too fond of the German quartet. If you like epic heavy and power metal, this release should be in your collection without any doubt.

Final rating: 97%

Magdalene Ju-nen is a quite unique Japanese doom metal trio, consisting of female guitarist and singer Kotama Mako who has been around since the band’s inception fifteen years ago, drummer Alabaster who also plays in gothic doom metal band Albiorix Requiem who joined five years ago and female bassist Rei who played in sludge metal band dot(.) who joined only three years prior to this release. This strangely titled record People Outside of Japan is the band’s first full length effort in ten years. 

The band has a quite unique sound, based upon slow but thunderous drum passages supported by droning bass sounds and distorted slow-motion guitar riffs. This base is supported by vintage sound samples of Japanese folk music and occasional short radio play sections. The vocals are heavily distorted, quite loud and often unharmonious. These effects add a direct, dystopian and nerve-firing touch to the gloomy release. The songs are often extensively long like the almost unbearably distorted and dragging ‘’Rashou-Bushi’’ which can be described as the record’s centerpiece and which reaches an abominable running time of sixteen and a half minutes. 

Even though the music sounds at times repulsive with its distorted vocals, slow riffs and endlessly meandering structures, it has a captivatingly hypnotizing atmosphere of the occult that is strangely addicting. Creating a horrifying atmosphere seemed to be the band’s intention and one has to admit it succeeded perfectly at that task. Any song from this gloomy piece of occult dystopia would do a creepy Japanese horror movie justice. The simplistic but bleak cover artwork also represents the music very well. 

Obviously, this type of music is best enjoyed in small doses but this record’s second half is slightly more accessible, experimental and interesting than the heavily atmospheric first part. Once you think you have figured this weird band out, it comes around with something unexpected. ‘’Deformed Men Die in Love’’ has a slightly faster rhythm than the previous tracks and doesn’t lose itself within eight gripping minutes which makes this the record’s most accessible tune. After a quite mellow start, the thunderous ‘’Grief’’ suddenly speeds things up and almost sounds like a lo-fi punk rock song at times without abandoning the band’s more plodding instrumental trademarks in between. Garage punk rock meets sludge metal. This is certainly the album’s most extreme, surprising and vivid track. 

To keep it short, Magdalene Ju-nen’s People Outside of Japan is a dystopian lo-fi doom metal record with occasional folk influences and radio play elements that keeps thing interesting with a few changes in pace and a dirty garage rock attitude. It certainly isn’t a very accessible record but those who like underproduced stoner rock or metal should give this hidden gem a few fair spins. It’s a fascinating record but you need to be in the mood for disturbing, experimental and underproduced soundscapes to fully enjoy this effort. This isn’t anything to listen to on a sunny afternoon in your living room with tour family. It’s something to listen to during a stormy autumn night in your basement on your own. This album is weird which has many positive but also quite a few negative factors. One can say this record certainly isn’t for everyone but the select few who like this type of music might discover something great here.

Final rating: 70%