this review is gonna be short and sweet. it's Kiss. Kiss is awesome. this new album of theirs, it's awesome too. so much better than Sonic Boom was. if you like Kiss you'll like Monster.
***RATING***- 4/5
10.05.2012
Monster - Kiss review
this review is gonna be short and sweet. it's Kiss. Kiss is awesome. this new album of theirs, it's awesome too. so much better than Sonic Boom was. if you like Kiss you'll like Monster.
***RATING***- 4/5
9.19.2012
E.B.A.H. - Tech N9ne EP review
i don't always listen to rap music, but when i do it's Tech N9ne. or Eminem. but in this case, it's Tech. after just finishing the biggest tour he's ever done, Tech N9ne was right back in the studio to record his E.B.A.H. (Evil Brain, Angel Heart) EP.
and, it's pretty good.
coming from someone who only listens to 2 rap artists out of however many there are, i really liked this EP. Tech's flow and lyrics are as good as they've ever been, maybe even better. "Don't Tweet This" and "Rock Yo Head" stand out as my favorites from the EP. if you haven't already, get it. it's worth it.
***RATING***- 3.5/5
9.17.2012
¡Uno! - Green Day review
probably the least brutal but still one of my most anticipated album releases of 2012, ¡Uno! kicks off Green Day's upcoming album trilogy ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!,¡Tré!.
after hearing 2 of the 3 released singles (Oh Love and Kill the DJ, Let Yourself Go being the third) i was pretty unsure of what Green Day were trying to do with this first album; Kill the DJ driving those thoughts home. however, after hearing the entire album i'm happy with what happened here. i'm honestly happy that they weren't trying to do another 21st Century Breakdown. (am i right, guys?)
to me, ¡Uno! sounds like American Idiot and Dookie got thrown into a blender. the punk sounds of Dookie and the overall catchiness of American Idiot make for a great sounding album. if the other two albums follow this pattern, they'll definitely be 3 more hits for Green Day.
¡Dos! releases November 13 and ¡Tré! can be expected January 15.
***RATING***- 3.5/5
9.11.2012
SoundLogic wireless Bluetooth earbuds review
this is my second review of a pair of earbuds (the first being the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Billets from Munitio), and i must say i'm more pleased with this pair than the more expensive MW3 ones.
why, you ask? one simple reason: Bluetooth wireless connectivity. i can connect these to my iPod, keep my iPod in my pocket, and not have to worry about anything happening to my headphone wires while i'm using them. i can connect them to my Macbook, start playing a movie or something, and not have to worry about being tied down by wires. they also feature remote controls, my first pair to feature this that has built-in volume controls. they also have a microphone next to the control buttons, so they can also be used as a Bluetooth headset for phone calls and such. if none of the included rubber tips fit your ears, you can take the ones off your last pair of earbuds and put them on.
however, they aren't without their downsides. first and most noticeable is a dramatic sound difference between the two individual earbuds. the right channel (also the one that has the control buttons and microphone) is quite a bit louder than the left one. this could be just a flaw in the pair i have, but it's there. second, and quite a minor complaint, is that the included USB charger cable is pretty short. an extension cable of some sort is a necessity if you don't have a conveniently located USB port to charge with.
the package includes the pair of earbuds, 2 pairs of replacement rubber tips in different sizes, the USB charger cable, and instruction manual. when charging the earbuds, plug them in and find something to do to kill 3 1/2 hours while they charge. i picked mine up for about $20 from a store called Tuesday Morning; i'd imagine they go for roughly the same price anywhere online. these are a good buy for those who want wireless headphones without the wireless headphone price tag.
***RATING***- 3.5/5
8.18.2012
The War Across The Stars - Alex Pennington book review
IT USED "SCI-FI ACTION!"
IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!
that's right, it's my first book review. The War Across The Stars was written by my good friend Alex Pennington over a course of five years. although Alex is a friend of mine, that doesn't mean that my review of his book will be biased in any way.
that being said, his first book is an excellent one. the characters are relatable, i had no trouble understanding the plot as i usually do with sci-fi novels, and most of all, a plot that draws the reader in until the very end. the ending is a satisfying one, but i can't help but wonder if there will ever be a sequel of any kind.
the book is only available through Amazon (at the time of this writing), in Kindle or paperback format. the Kindle edition costs $3.99 and paperbacks run $12.99 + shipping. BUY HERE
***RATING***- 4/5
7.30.2012
Dark Roots of Earth - Testament review
so you can imagine my excitement when i first heard Testament was planning to release a new album toward this Christmas. then, my excitement when the release date was brought up to July 31 in the US. not as exciting was the European release date of July 27, so i could hear it ever so much earlier. two singles were released from Dark Roots Of Earth - "Native Blood" and "True American Hate". both songs have since gotten high play counts since their download.
so, what about the rest of the album? simply put, it's an amazing piece of thrash metal. my personal favorite part is their cover of "Powerslave" by Iron Maiden, available on the Limited Edition along with the rest of the covers ("Dragon Attack" by Queen and "Animal Magnetism" by Scorpions.) as far as Testament's songs go, it's hard to pick favorites but "Cold Embrace" is definitely among them.
to end the review, i'm borrowing the words of my friend Clayton: "Goddamn Testament, y u so gewd?"
***RATING***- 5/5
7.27.2012
OS X Mountain Lion review
in what is quite possibly the earliest time i've adopted anything new technology-wise, last night i took a chance and upgraded my MacBook to the newest version of Mac OS X - Mountain Lion. Apple certainly does like naming things after cats....somewhat like Atari did back in the day.
OS X Mountain Lion is full of new features, such as Airplay Mirroring which allows those with a compatible Mac and Apple TV to stream content from their computer to their Apple TV. another useful new feature is Twitter integration to allow sharing of content from supported apps. Facebook integration will be arriving at a later date as a beta. speaking of Twitter, Mountain Lion borrows the Notification Center from iOS 5 and it seems to be working pretty well. notifications for new emails, Twitter activity (including the ability to Tweet right from the notification center), future Facebook activity, Messages (another thing borrowed from iOS), and so forth show up there (the gray panel on the right side of my desktop).
Apple had said when they first announced Mountain Lion they were wanting to use it to tie iOS devices and your Mac computer even closer than before, and they certainly have. the new Reminders and Notes apps sync with your iOS device through iCloud, just like Messages does. Messages replaced iChat in OS X but you can still use all the other accounts that you could in the past. in fact, those who have used an iOS device should have seen the download progress bars that show up when a file is being downloaded. OS X Mountain Lion uses these as well, as pictured here:
this is the download bar that shows up under my Downloads folder on my dock. also, if you transfer a file to your desktop, for example, you get a download bar there as well as an "X" icon in the top left corner just like iOS has. clicking the X will cancel the transfer if you change your mind.
don't get me wrong, the Twitter integration and all the tie-ins to iOS are really nice to have, but my favorite part of Mountain Lion is the fact that Safari has gotten a major overhaul. you can search from the address bar just like you would if you were using Google Chrome. additionally, Safari 6.0 seems to have lost its hunger for your system's resources because i've noticed a far faster browsing experience in this version than in past versions. if Safari keeps this up, i might have to switch back from Chrome. the search engine can be customized, if for whatever reason you don't like using Google.
Apple has started taking a bigger interest in system security with Mountain Lion, adding a new feature called Gatekeeper. Gatekeeper can be customized to allow app installations from only the Mac App Store, the App Store and "established developers", or from anywhere at all. if you have common sense with the apps you download and install you shouldn't have to worry so much about turning Gatekeeper off.
and, for what it's worth, i've noticed that my MacBook runs A LOT faster and smoother than it did when i had Lion on it. that's just my system though, it may not be quite so fast for everyone's.
there are supposedly over 200 new features in OS X Mountain Lion, and there's no way i've seen them all so that's why this review might be considered lacking a bit. if you're a heavy user of an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch that can use the iCloud syncing features, or someone who wants to stream a movie or something from their Mac to their Apple TV, Mountain Lion is really aimed toward you. however, as someone who doesn't use those features, it's not a bad upgrade for a pretty reasonable price -- $19.99 on the Mac App Store. the installer is roughly 4GB in size so you'll need a good internet connection to download it. downloading it is your only way to get it - Apple won't be selling it on a USB drive like they did Lion.
my honest opinion on OS X 10.8? i say go for it. the few features i've messed with so far have been pretty useful, and i really enjoy the new and improved Safari. even my iTunes is faster now.
***RATING***- 5/5
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