Kyng "Trampled Sun" (2011)

For a long time I've been following Eddie Veliz and Tony Castaneda musical journey.  And I have to say it looked like a bumpy ride.  In Steel Remains, they're vocalist left.  They continued as a four-piece, but changed their name to Ounce of Self so they won't get confused with another band called Still Remains.  And then I haven't heard from them again.

Years later, I saw in my Myspace bulletin, that Eddie and Tony started a new band called Kyng.  They were playing at the Blue Cafe in Huntington Beach, so I went to go check it out.  I was a little disappointed because I wanted it to be heavy just like Steel Remains/Ounce of Self.  But I couldn't deny that the songs were really rocking.  So I had to accept that Eddie and Tony  have moved on to a new direction.  After a few more shows, I really opened up to what they were doing with Kyng.  And I'm really glad they've hit it off.  It was a long journey.  I remember going to their shows and seeing how their wasn't much of a crowd.  It was disappointing to see, but Kyng kept riding.  Then their music was being played on Liquid Metal, thanks to Jose Mangin.  Since then, Kyng has been going on tour and supporting some very well known-establish acts.  And around mid-late 2011, they put out their debut album, Trampled Sun.

Trampled Sun is indeed one rock'n album. "Falling Down" really kicks things off. And this album continues to kick arse all the way through the epic "The Beauty of the End of Shoreline, Pts. 1 & 2".  "Porcelain" is a favorite of mines.  It just has a Alice In Chains vibe.  And that is why I'm a huge fan of Kyng.  They really bridge the gap between classic rock and 90's rock/metal.  The Pantera influence is still heard with some Soundgarden and 70's rock.  To me these elements is what makes Kyng really stand out from more mainstream rock and metal.  And with Pepe Clarke, they add some heavy power which compliments Eddie and Tony's playing.  Really looking forward to the new album.  And hope they continue to reign.

https://www.facebook.com/KyngRocks?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/kyngband

Purchase "Trampled Sun" Here

Pontypool (2008)

One of the problems in today's horror genre, is that it's really hard to come with something original and horrifying (and I'm not talking about non-stop gore).  The problem with pg-13 horror is that the script is pretty terrible.  And the problem with American remakes of well-praised foreign films is that it looses it's feel.
Pontypool was really refreshing.  I about this flick on Rue Morgue Magazine and caught my interest.  This was based on a novel by Tony Burgess (who also did the script).  And was directed by Bruce McDonald, who did an amazing job with bringing that atmosphere.
The movie is about Grant Mazzy (played by Stephen McHattie), who is a radio DJ with some conservative views.  When there was reports of people attacking a hospital, Grant, his producer, Sydney and engineer, Laurel-Ann are stuck in station when a message interrupted their signal, telling the people in Pontypool to stay inside.  All of a sudden, the situation in Pontypool is making news around the World.  A reporter from BBC news calls the radio station to find out what's the situation.  Sadly, Grant and the crew don't know what's going on.  Ken, who does the traffic report, tells in details of what is happening outside.  In the end, the crew find out what they are dealing with, when the radio station is under attack.
Now this isn't a zombie movie.  It's more like, as Umberto Lenzi would say, "infected people".  Well, it's not a virus that's going around, it's more of a word that makes people go crazy.  It's really unique, which is why I found this flick interesting.  The build up is great.  In the first half, they are trying to figure out what's going on.  In the second half, that is when all hell brakes loose.  The thought of being stuck somewhere, not knowing what the hell is going on, can be frightening.  Especially when you're not out there with your love ones.
The acting is well done.  The suspense was great.  There isn't really any gore.  The closest is when one of the crew gets infected.  Pontypool is perfect movie if you want something smart and well executed.

Purchase "Pontypool" Here

Red State (2011)

A while back, I was reading online that Kevin Smith was working on a horror film.  This made me geek out. One of my favorite directors, who is known to do comedy, I was really looking forward to see how Kevin Smith will handle the horror genre.

Red State got a lot of buzz at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.  You had the Westboro Baptist Church protesting this film.  And then you had Kevin Smith making the announcement that he was going to auction off Red State.  Only to find out that he was going to bid on the film and put it out on his new company, Smodco Pictures.

Anyhoo, the movie is about three teenagers looking to get laid.  They go to this website where they found someone in their neck of the woods also looking for sex.  When they get there, they are greeted by Melissa Leo's character.  She invites them inside her trailer and gives them beer.  Minutes later, they pass out and are taken away.  One of the boys wakes up and notice he's inside a cage.  You hear a sermon going on and they find out that they're in the Five Points Church.  It turns out that the members of the Five Point Church go onto sex websites looking for victims that they consider sinners.  Lead by Pastor Abin Cooper (played by Michael Parks), they kill their victims in the name of God.  The ATF is alerted about the Cooper family when they get a lead from the town's Sheriff.  From there on, it becomes a storm of gun fire.  Very violent and chaotic.  John Goodman does an amazing job as Agent Joseph Keenan.  The ending was pretty decent.  Nothing to complain about.  But if you're a fan of Kevin Smith, I would totally recommend it.

 

Purchase "Red State" Here

E.N.V.Y- "E.N.V.Y ep" (2012)

In this day of age where a bunch of bands are trying to grab every listener's ears, it does seem to become much harder to promote your band.  With bands spamming every social network, it just gets annoying and that's why it makes it harder for new bands to get an audience.
E.N.V.Y caught my attention when a pal of mines from SignMeTo, gave them a review.  He mentioned how they didn't have a commercial sound, so I thought I'll give them a listen.  When I heard "I Want You", the first thing that came to mind was Cypress Hill and New York Hardcore.  Was really surprise to see these lads were from West Virginia (a State that is not known for spawning bands).  And it's nice to see E.N.V.Y getting the chance to open up for well-establish acts.
So if you're into bands that has a awesome groove.  Got really great energy.  And just has a really rock'n vibe, then totally check out E.N.V.Y (don't confuse them with another awesome band, also called Envy).  Not sure if they still got the physical E.P., but you can download the E.P. at CD Baby and Reverbnation.
This gets "Five Hitlers Punched in the Face".

Also I want to wish E.N.V.Y guitarist, Casey Burke, the best luck in his solo effort.  You got my support.

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/envywv

CD Baby:
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ENVY4

Top 5 films of 2012

For film, 2012 was a year for anticipating sequels.  The Dark Knight Rises, The Expandables, etc.  I was also looking forward to films that got a good buzz at Sundance.  These five flicks have been films that I've been playing on my dvd player more than twice.

#5. Chained

This was a really good flick that I was kind of afraid to check out.  As I've mentioned on the "Chained" review, I'm not a fan of films with rape.  Jennifer Lynch made a really great film with a lot of atmosphere, psychology, and suspense.

#4. The Cabin in the Woods

Most Hollywood horror flicks suck balls.  It was nice to see a Hollywood horror film like The Cabin in the Wood.  A lot of my friends told me what a really good flick this was.  It was a pretty smart flick with some good laughs and some good blood flow.  Of course this was from the director of The Avengers.  Maybe that's why I enjoyed this flick.

#3. Excision 

One of many films that got great buzz at this years Sundance Film Festival.  A very dark film with a lot of great cameos.  Not since Fred Vogel's character in August Underground, have I hated the main character.  Anna Lynn McCord did an amazing job playing the delusional/sad fuck, Pauline.

#2 Rec 3: Genesis

When Rue Morgue did the story on Rec 2, I was excited to read when they were doing two more.  But when I read the reviews about Rec 3, about how in the 2nd half, I wasn't sure.  But being a fan of the first two, I still wanted to check it out.  Rec 3 was shot very well.  And even though they added some humor, it was still one of my favorite horror flicks in 2012.

#1. The Raid: Redemption

This got a huge buzz at this year's Sundance Film Festival.  I'll admit, this flick isn't horror, but there are a bunch of violence.  The action is amazing.  There's a reason why people have been raving about this.  It told a really good story.  But wow!  The main character was bad arse.  If their was a film I would recommend this year, it will be The Raid: Redemption.

Top 5 Albums of 2012

Well, I hope everyone is going to have a awesome NYE.  2012 was a great year for music.  Found some new bands that I now love.  And enjoyed some new music from my favorite bands.  Hope 2013 brings us some more great music.

#5. Pig Destroyer- Book Burner

I have been waiting for Pig Destroyer to make a new album forever.  After listening to this album so many times, it gets more intense.  The deluxe version made my day with the bonus disc of punk covers.  And J.R. Hayes short story, The Atheist, was a good read.

#4. Evoken- Altra Mors

Oh how I heart death/doom.  And Evoken continue to make that sub-genre awesome.  Very dark and brutal.  These guys never disappoint.  If you're a fan of doom and it's many micro-genres, you have to pick this up.  A great listen when reading The Walking Dead.

#3. Author & Punisher- Ursus Americanus 

This album was also very intense.  Harsh and brutal.  Tristan Shone is one of the few pioneers of this generation.  His shows are even much intense.  A lot of my co-workers who are into dub-step became really huge fans of Ursus Americanus.  More bands/artist should be very creative like Mr. Shone.

#2. Royal Thunder- CVI

My favorite new band of 2012.  CVI, Royal Thunder's first album is one rocking album.  "Whispering World" is my favorite song of 2012.  It was nice seeing these kids get some great reaction.  It was really refreshing to see a more hard rock band (compared to the more extreme).

#1. Unsane- Wreck

I've been a huge fan of these guys since I saw the video for "Scrape".  And since then I've been a fan of noise rock.  Chris Spencer and Co. have made another great album for me to rock out.  Got see them withe Melvins, which was awesome.  Their cover of Flipper's "Ha Ha Ha" was the greatest cover I've heard in a while.  This is the album I recommend people to pick up.

August Underground

Probably one of the most talked about horror in the past decade.  Fred Vogel's August Underground has started a buzz in the horror community as "The Sickest Film Ever Made".  Some horror fans love this film because it's sick and demented.  Others hate it because it's sick and demented.  And then there are the folks who think this film is all hype.  It's shot terrible.  And that it doesn't have a plot.  I have to say first off, it's a found footage/psuedo-snuff film.  When going into this film, you have to pretend that you found this video on the floor when you were taking a walk.  Out of curiosity, you pick up the video and take it back home and put it in your VCR.  You then find out that this isn't any ordinary home video.  This is a video diary of two deranged fellas.   

The film opens up with the camera man pouring some beer on the ground when he is approach by his friend, who invites him down to the basement.  In the basement, he finds a naked girl, strapped to a chair, covered in blood, sweat, and shit.  The camera man gets a total kick out of it and then his friend shows him the victim's boyfriend, dead in the tub, with his cock cut off.  We then see footage of the two psychopath doing normal things that everyday people do.  Like fooling around in a farm, visiting places, going to a concert, and getting a tattoo.  Then back to the chaos in which they killed a hitch hiker, a old lady, staring a fight at a gig, terrorizing a convenience store, killing two brothers, and a pair of hookers.

One of the reasons why Fred Vogel made August Underground was to show the true and ugly side of violence.  As great as the special effects are, there is nothing glamorous about the violence portrayed in August Underground.  This film was meant for you to feel sick.  In a generation where horror fans root for the psychos and monsters, you just feel disgusted by the actions of the two men.

Most mainstream horror fans aren't gonna enjoy this.  They've complained about the quality.  That there's no plot.  And worse of all, they complain that the women in the film "aren't hot".  Uh, yeah.  Unlike in the real world where there are a lot of hot big booby women, who enjoy getting naked.  Goddamn, I hate those fans.  But anyhoo, this was a great first effort by Fred Vogel, who has now started his own company (Toe Tag Inc.) and has made six other films.  And despite the mix reactions, August Underground, to me, is a cult classic with a really dedicated following.

If interested, you can purchase the dvd at www.toetag.biz.  There, you can find other dvds and ToeTag gear.  Spread the sickness.  -Mikey O)))