More Reasons Why Being Deaf Sucks/Rocks – The Most Wonderful Time of Year?

By Mathan Erhardt

Holiday music is a sad fact of life. It’s like Auto-Tune, songs by American Idol contestants and Kid Rock’s music—not everyone enjoys it but everyone’s got to accept it.

Still, every year at this time I’m subjected to the same “holiday” songs at work. And it’s not that I don’t enjoy them. They do affect me in a couple ways. First off, I get nostalgic for the last time I heard them—just under a year ago. I’m always happy to get new songs in the rotation at work and I’ve actually got some memories to the holiday music.

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MGF Reviews Q-Tip - Open

By Mathan Erhardt

Q-Tip - Open
J Records (Release date N/A)
Hip-Hop

Way back in 2002, Q-Tip tried to release a sophomore album. Kamaal the Abstract featured live instruments accompanied by more singing than rapping, and was promptly shelved, but not before review copies were sent out to media outlets.

Q-Tip secured a release from his label, Arista, seeking refuge on J Records, where he began work on an alternate album, Open, which was intended to be released in 2005.

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MGF Reviews Twisted Sister - Live at the Astoria [CD/DVD]

By Tom D'Errico

Twisted Sister - Live at the Astoria [CD/DVD]
Demolition Records (11/18/08)
Hard rock / Metal (Glam)

While never the most prolific metal band out there, Twisted Sister has somehow become one of those bands from the ’80s that is regarded as somewhat legendary on the strength of a handful of popular tracks.

Live at the Astoria plays out as a greatest-hits collection, with a solid sampling from the group’s back catalogue. The recording is fairly crisp, with hardly any crowd interference (which you’ll either like or dislike depending on what you’re looking for in a live album).

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MGF Reviews Dir en grey - Uroboros

By Tom D'Errico

Dir en grey - Uroboros
The End Records (11/11/08)
Metal (Melodic) / Rock

While perhaps not quite at the level of Opeth or Dream Theater, Dir en grey is Japan’s answer to the aforementioned bands, proving it with a solid decade-long career and this, the band’s seventh studio album.

Uroboros is a mixture of metal and progressive rock—a combination of beauty, bliss, horror and destruction. Dir en grey combines elements from all corners of the metal/rock genres to put forth a cacophony of pandemonium, all the while vocalist Kyo, singing almost exclusively in Japanese, wails, growls and grunts along like a frenzied madman.

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JOE SATRIANI FILES PLAGIARISM LAWSUIT AGAINST COLDPLAY

By J. R. Fernandez

Just on the heels of receiving seven Grammy nominations (second only to Lil Wayne, with eight, who is still an overrated piece of shit), Coldplay has been slapped with a lawsuit by guitarist Joe Satriani, who accuses the band of plagiarism of one of his original compositions.

According to the copyright infringement suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles, Coldplay’s massive 2008 hit, “Viva la Vida” (from the album of the same, and is nominated for both Record and Song of the Year) contains “substantial original portions” from “If I Could Fly” (from Satriani’s 2004 album, Is There Love in Space?). In the album’s liner notes, the track is credited to the four band members, with no mention of Satriani or his song. …read full article…

MGF Reviews Vans Warped Tour 2007 [DVD]

By Tom D'Errico

Vans Warped Tour 2007 [DVD]
Image Entertainment (12/2/08)
Unrated
60 minutes

A year too late, this video compilation of live performances and artist interviews from the 2007 Warped Tour has finally hit shelves, and unfortunately does its best to underwhelm fans.

Sure, there’s some good stuff on here, most notably killer performances from punk legends Bad Religion and Pennywise, as well as solid showings from Coheed and Cambria, and Killswitch Engage.

But for all that is good, there’s plenty of filler, with weak offerings from Pepper, Sum 41 and The Starting Line juxtaposed against unmemorable cuts from the likes of Chiodos and Fishbone.

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More Reasons Why Being Deaf Sucks/Rocks – Size Matters

By Mathan Erhardt

The year is almost over and there are still around five albums that I want to get because I think they stand a good shot of making my year-end wrap up. That’s a lot for me. Usually I’m pretty much caught up by this point, but this year, between the move and the recession, I’ve found myself with leaner pockets that I’m used to.

So recently, I reluctantly picked up the latest issue of …read full article…

MGF Reviews Filter - Remixes for the Damned

By Tom D'Errico

Filter - Remixes for the Damned
Pulse Records (11/4/08)
Hard rock (Industrial rock) / Electronic

Hot on the heels of Anthems for the Damned, Richard Patrick has put together a Web-exclusive album of remixes offering what he calls a more industrial take on Filter’s first new album in five years.

Rather than sounding more industrial, however, most of the tracks have a “dance party remix” feel to them, if for no other real reason than the repetitive club beats and expanded tracks with little “edge.”

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MGF Reviews Early Man - Beware the Circling Fin [EP]

By Tom D'Errico

Early Man - Beware the Circling Fin [EP]
The End Records (10/14/08)
Metal (Thrash)

Throwing Early Man’s latest EP onto the stereo is like activating a time machine. The band somehow manages to perfectly encapsulate the raw energy of Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All and other early thrash pioneers and, in doing so, they accomplish two things. First, Early Man refuse to fall into the trap of attempting to inject any modern element to the sound. But secondly, and more importantly, they do this without coming across as an homage or novelty act.

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Excerpts from This Morning’s Alphabits: Cup Runneth Over

By Aaron Coats

Common, Eminem, 88 Keys, Q-Tip, Jazzanova. I have gotten my hands on music from the likes of the aforementioned artists recently and have blissfully reorganized my playlist, titled Random Dope. Beats, lyricism, poetic prowess, intriguing album theme, instrumentation and nostalgia all play heavily into what I am most impressed by musically as of late. I managed to view on someone’s blog a live performance of a freestyle session with Mos, Nas, De La and will.i.am. A young man I knew when I was in high school (though he may or may not remember me), named Naledge, dropped an ill freestyle, “life is but a dream and waking up is the nightmare.” Yep. Sure did. And one.

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