Rush Limbaugh is no stranger to headlines lately, but it’s been focused on the possibility of becoming part owner of the St. Louis Rams, which is no longer an option for Limbaugh.  There had been a lot of speculation about what having him as an owner might mean for the team and the entire NFL, given his often controversial comments, among them the remark about quarterback Donovan McNabb (or rather, how the media covered him) that lead to his resignation from ESPN.

That’s not the only Rush Limbaugh news, but there’s something you may have missed while the debate over his possible NFL ownership went on (which hasn’t completely died off, now the blame game has started up), not to mention all the coverage “balloon boy” has received.

Rush is going to be a judge at the next Miss America pageant.

*sigh*

Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I don’t think this isn’t going to end well.

Recently, Gene Simmons passed a kidney stone and decided to put it up on eBay for charity, raising $15,000.

Ummmm…. yeah.

Sure, it’s not tissue, fluids or anything, but I have to wonder if this is actually “allowed” under eBay policy.

Strangely enough, this isn’t the first kidney stone to raise cash; William Shatner sold a kidney stone in early 2006, raising $25,000 for Habitat For Humanity.

A reality show that turns following celebrities on Twitter into a competition? Sounds like a GREAT idea.

Wait, isn’t that called stalking?

Leprous - Tall Poppy Syndrome

Norway’s Leprous already have an impressive résumé; they are two time finalists in the Norwegian Rock Championships, singer/keyboardist Einar Solberg was in Emperor during their 2006-2007 tour and Leprous was selected by Ihsahn to be his backing band in support of Opeth (which was unfortunately cut short).  Signed to Sensory Records, Tall Poppy Syndrome was released on May 5th. 

I don’t really know how to best describe Leprous’ sound.  It’s progressive, it’s avant-garde, it’s experimental.  But above all, it’s awesome.  The varied list of influences come through (including Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Devin Townsend, Mike Patton, Ihsahn, Seal,  Björk and some classical composers) but Leprous doesn’t really sound like any of them, the closest comparison I can think of would be something like Arcturus.  But better.

Starting off with one of the best album openers I’ve ever heard, “Passing”, Leprous keeps going strong all the way until the end.   Though half of the songs are over eight minutes long and only one comes in at under 6 minutes, the songs don’t seem to drag on for a long time, staying interesting from start to finish.  Okay, the ending of album closer ”White” is a bit longer than I would’ve liked but it still works, and wouldn’t be as effective anywhere else on the album.  Most of the vocals are cleanly sung, with bursts of screaming, falsetto and death vocals.  Einar has done a fantastic job here and he is probably the highlight of the album, but that’s not to say that he overpowers the rest of the band.

The rest of the band mesh well together, crafting very solid songs that avoid repetition, all the while remaining consistent.  The songs are well written and performed to near perfection, without the excessive shredding or other technical wankerysometimes present in progressive music.  There are a few pleasant surprises though, with the hypnotic, chiming chords in the middle of ”Dare You” being one of my favorite moments on the album.  Of course, keyboards are a part of Leprous’ sound, but they are used in moderation and to great effect.  With Hammond and Mellotron sounds also at his disposal (if not using a real Hammond or Mellotron, I don’t know for sure), Einar does a great job at adding flavor to the songs where needed without adding too much. 

I did find “Fate” and “Tall Poppy Syndrome” a bit hard to get into at first, but that didn’t last very long.  “Fate” is a song that may seem most familiar amongst the almost alien sounding songs - and not in a weird way, just different from what most bands (prog or non-prog alike) are doing.  “Tall Poppy Syndrome” features Joachim Heise reciting ‘Jante Law’ (Janteloven in Denmark and Norway, Jantelagen in Sweden), a concept by Aksel Sandemose in 1933 that deals with social order.  For the curious, Tall Poppy Syndrome is a term used in Australia and New Zealand, which also deals with maintaining order in a society, rooted in writings by Aristotle and Livy.  They’re not the exact same thing, but they’re very similar, so using them together makes sense.

Just as the album starts off strong, it ends just as strong with “White”, the longest song here.  It features some of the best stuff to be found on the album, bothmusically (including a section with both a Hammond and a Mellotron) and in the vocals.  It also features some lyrics that are a bit… um, different (‘Tie these chains and link what’s, take what’s / Mine, what’s yours, you’re mine, not yours / above discoloured vomit pours’), but the delivery is so freaking awesome on this song, it doesn’t matter if there’s a WTF? moment going on.

So, what to think?  It may a bit early, but I’d have to say that this is definitely a candidate for Album Of The Year.

Visit www.myspace.com/leprousband to hear a few songs from the album.  If you like progressive metal, especially the type that doesn’t do the same things that a lot of other bands are doing, I think it’s safe to say that you’ll enjoy this one.  Hopefully these guys stick around for many years and can continue to make music like this.

Samael - Above

Samael has covered a lot of ground over the past twenty years or so, gradually moving away from their black metal origins.   As they have progressed through the years, Samael included more elements to their albums, honing their skills and crafting a sound that has remained recognizably Samael throughout, with subtle touches that come through upon repeated listens.

Originally devised as a ‘virtual band’ playing a tribute to Samael’s origins, the band decided to release Above as Samael instead of as a side project.  This album has been described as being a kind of missing link between Ceremony Of Opposites and Passage.

Sorry, I don’t think so.

Nothing I’ve heard the band put out sounds like this album, not their first three albums, and certainly not the past few albums (namely Era One).  Above is faster, more aggressive and louder, which is not always a good thing.  “Dark Side” is the only real connection to the early albums that I can hear, musically and lyrically similar (but with a different point of view) to “The Black Face” from Worship Him, here noticeably faster.  For shiggles, I decided to check the BPM of the two songs with MixMeister BPM Analyzer, getting an average of 160 for “Dark Side” and 130 for “The Black Face”.  Just something that crossed my mind to do.

Xy’s drumming overpowers much of the album, offering little breathing room for the guitars and bass, which remains buried throughout most of the album.  At times, it’s hard to tell that the drums are programmed instead of real, usually when the guitars are at their most powerful in the forefront.  Keyboards are still present, but they aren’t as much of the sound as on previous releases.  Or maybe there’s a bunch in there, but I just can’t hear it.

The distorted vocals of Vorph don’t help any, often being rendered unintelligible.  Reading along with the lyrics in the booklet helps, but it’s still hard to follow along.  “God’s Snake” seems to have fared a bit better than the rest of the songs in the mix, but it too suffers from the same issues.  Still, Vorph’s voice remains recognizable through it all, his snarl (or however you may choose to put it) remaining in place.

Like all previous Samael albums, Above has bits and pieces that start to shine over time, which does help to make it a listenable album.  But it’s so damned hard to get into and is an album that I have to be in the mood to listen to.  I can’t see myself putting this in my playlist or CD player to listen to at any time I wish.

Longtime fans may appreciate the departure from the industrial, electronica and experimental sounds of latter Samael albums, and those who came along sometime after Ceremony Of Opposites or Passage might have a difficult time with this one.  That said, this album should not be taken as an indication of what Samael accomplished during their early years.  I think it’s more like an inspired and enthusiastic tribute to their early days that cranks it up to eleven and then overshoots the mark.  This is a decent album, but it could have been so much more.  “Black Hole”, “Above It All” and “God’s Snake” try to break away from the rest of the songs, but there’s too much weight to carry.  Lose the tsunami of sound built by the drums and guitars in favor of something less overwhelming and ditch the distortion applied to Vorph, then you’d probably have a great album.

It’s still Samael, but this is not the Samael I’ve enjoyed over the years.

Thanks to Cormorant for posting about this in a blog.  Long before Chuck Schuldiner’s Death, there was another, based in Detroit.  A trio of black musicians, they changed their sound in the early 70’s.  Initially funded by Columbia, their untitled album unfortunately faded into obscurity until recently (and has since been given a name).

Check it out.

Today is officially “Record Store Day”.  Is there an album you’ve wanted to get your hands on?  Go get it, but instead of trekking to War-Mart/Target/Best Buy/Sam Goody/Hot Topic or whatever, go visit our local record/music shop.  Well, if you still have one in the area.

And don’t let the name fool you, today shouldn’t be only about the vinyl, although some stores have events and appearances planned that do involve records.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame wasn’t the only Hall Of Fame ceremony happening on Saturday  night.  As they have since Wrestlemania XX, the WWE held their Hall Of Fame inductions the night before Wrestlemania. 

Gathering old and new wrestlers alike, along with fans and celebrities (such as Mickey Rourke this year) the WWE pays tribute to the men and women that paved the way for the wrestlers of today, although not every inductee has been a wrestler.  While there are some questionable entries, for the most part, the WWE has gotten it right.

Ricky “The Steamboat” Dragon, Terry and Dory Funk Jr., Bill Watts, Koko B. Ware (with Frankie), ring announcer Howard Finkle and the Von Erich family were inducted into the Hall Of Fame, joining a long list of greats that is impossible to pick only a handful from without feeling like someone’s left out. 

But there was still one to go.

Just like the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was Metallica’s night, the WWE Hall Of Fame belonged to Steve Austin.

Chants of “Thank You, Austin” and “One More Match” threatened to upstage  and rattle Stone Cold, but he managed to gain control of the crowd.  Austin seemed much more subdued than normal, but this wasn’t an occasion where he needed to “stay in character”.  At times, he seemed on the verge of choking up, but managed to keep in under control, delivering one of the better speeches I’ve seen from the HOF ceremonies.

But what would a night with Stone Cold be without downing some beer.  And as the confetti dropped, Austin asked for two more, passing one down to John Cena, perhaps a passing of the beer can torch.  Love him or hate him, John Cena could be the one to bring the WWE to another level.  The two men are very different, but there’s a lot that’s the same as well.  Both have a passion for the business unlike many others and the fan reaction to both is something only a few others have had.

While we might not get another match, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Steve Austin in the WWE.

Without FUSE TV, I had to rely on the internet to see what I missed and didn’t want to wait until next weekend to possibly see a repeat on FUSE’s site.  I didn’t see it all, but I saw most of what I wanted to see.  Thanks be to YouTube!

Over the years, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has spread out into different areas of music, which is what they’ve needed to do.  However, this also seems counter to the name, being more of a Music Hall Of Fame than the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  Naturally, people will question including the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Madonna and Run-DMC, but the same might be said of including metal bands like Black Sabbath or Metallica, though the connection to rock and roll is more obvious with metal.  That’s not to say that rap doesn’t have a connection – but to many, hard rock and metal is closer to rock and roll.

I think the HOF needs an overhaul and a hard look at what it is they’re doing now versus what they’ve done in the past.  I do think that the inductees, past and present, are worthy of recognition, among many others that get passed by.  At least this year’s ceremony was held in Cleveland, where the actual Hall Of Fame is located, and will return there on a more regular basis.

Inducted by fellow Yardbirds member Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck became one of the handful of two time nominees (which includes Jimmy Page), this time as a solo performer, having previously been inducted as a member of the Yardbirds.  Bobby Womack, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Bill Black, DJ Fontana and Spooner Oldham also got in this year, either for their work as a performer or a sideman.  Wanda Jackson also received recognition for her early influence on music, a category that is handled differently than the others. 

But, there were two others.

Run-DMC, inducted by Eminem, is probably the one inductee this year that people are going to cite as being the wrong one.  I disagree.  Sure, they come from the rap/hip-hop side of music, pioneers of what we have today.  But what they did then changed things from that point on.  While I’m not a fan of most of today’s rap, I do find some of it tolerable, which I haven’t always been able to say.  But when Run-DMC was at their prime, rap was a far cry from what we have today, although what the earlier rappers did is still around.  Worthy of recognition?  Absolutely.

Very nice speech, by the way, starting off by thanking the late Jam-Master Jay’s mother for not turning down the music when the were working on their routines in the living room.  After Run and D had their turns, Jay’s mother talked about what it was like in the beginning and how it was after Jay’s death, then turned the mic over to Jay’s widow, who was on the stage with their three kids and Jay’s brother.

Then, there was Metallica – the band that most people in attendance were probably there to see, inducted by Flea, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Cliff Burton’s father was first to speak, which was cool to see.  He didn’t take too much time, handing things over to the band.

Jason Newsted was invited to be a part of the induction ceremony, which was the right thing to do.  He was a part of Metallica longer than Cliff Burton and Robert Trujillo combined and, even though songwriting credits may not reflect it (more on that a bit later), he left a mark on Metallica that’s too big to ignore.  Newsted and Metallica may not have parted on the best of terms, but it’s not all bad blood between the guys.  During his time at the microphone, he even managed to put in a mention of Flotsam & Jetsam while Robert Trujillo mentioned Suicidal Tendencies when it was his turn.  Either way, it was cool to see him share the stage with James, Kirk and Lars again.

Kirk Hammet threw out mentions to their producers, Bob Rock, Fleming Rasmussen and Rick Rubin, all the while looking and sounding the most nervous of the five men.  Unlike Jason and Robert, he didn’t throw out a mention of his previous band, Exodus, which he wasn’t in long before getting the offer to join Metallica.  He did, however, make mention of the guitarists in the audience who helped pave the way for him to pick up guitar.  Lars Ulrich didn’t use notes, which helped make his contribution to Metallica’s speech one of the better points – and more natural.  James Hetfield was up last, starting off with a short list of bands who should also be recognized for what they’ve done: Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, KISS, Rush, Alice Cooper, Iron maiden, Judas Priest and Motörhead.  He also thanked the band’s management, giving them credit for helping the band be in the right place at the right time.

Of everything Hetfield said, in the end, he said it best: “Dream big, and dare to fail.”

Armed with two bassists, Metallica took to the stage to show everyone why they were there, and then ended the show with a killer performance of “Train Kept A Rollin”, which also featured Flea, Ron Wood, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

Of course, there is debate over whether Dave Mustaine should have been included.  He was there at Metallica’s beginning. was on No Life ‘Til Leather and his material was used even after he was ousted from the band.  Some will point out that Dave only received writing credits for a few of their songs from Kill ‘Em All and Ride The Lightning, but I’d like to counter that he contributed more than that.  I’d say that a big part of Dave Mustaine and what he brought to the band remained after he was no longer in Metallica.  Maybe it was a conscious effort, maybe it just happened.  Either way, Mustaine’s mark on Metallica stuck around, even after Kirk was brought in.

As for the Hall Of Fame itself, if I’m not mistaken, they only take into account people part of the band as of the first release, which Dave was not on.  Now, I’m not saying Dave Mustaine doesn’t deserve recognition.  He does.  But I’m not sure if he’d be eligible, or if the Hall Of Fame (or rather, the people who vote for the inductees) are able to grant an exception.

Still, I doubt that Dave Mustaine will ever NOT be associated with Metallica, for better or worse.  Most fans of Metallica know about Dave and Megadeth, while most fans of Megadeth know about Metallica.  Some like both, some fans praise one band and put down the other.  But both bands are forever linked, like it or not.

Dave might not have been in Cleveland, but his music was represented there, even if they didn’t mention him by name.  It should be noted, however, that Dave Mustaine was mentioned in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s biography for Metallica , as was Ron McGovney.

Thanks to Daniel Haggard for bringing this to my attention.  Hopefully I can do the same for someone wandering through.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has stated that it will issue fines for those who link to pages that are on its blacklist and can otherwise compel site owners and operators to remove pages and content, even without the planned mandatory censorship legislation in place.

While I may be in America, I see this as something that can have an effect outside of Australia, with other countries and governments using this a precedent to exert control over the internet and what goes on it.  As it stands, some places in the world do not have the amount of access many of us have and what the ACMA is currently doing (or trying to do) could very well make it so that the gap closes.

Read More:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/home/technology/banned-hyperlinks-could-cost-you-11000-a-day/2009/03/17/1237054787635.html