Friday, September 24, 2010

Tony Hawk's Underground

So, I've been playing Tony Hawk's Underground quite a bit the past few days. Not only is it a great game, but it has a pretty awesome soundtrack, which is why I'm bringing it up. It features some great bands and rappers, most of which aren't very well known. The only really well known band on the game would probably be Kiss.

This game introduced me to the bands, Rise Against, Dropkick Murphys, NOFX, and Alkaline Trio, which I still listen to quite frequently to this day. I really wish they had released the soundtrack. I've found a lot of the songs online, but I've had a pretty hard time finding some of the songs, and there's still some I haven't found.

It has a good storyline, great game-play, and a great soundtrack, which makes it a great game all-around. It's more targeted towards casual gamers, but I feel hardcore gamers can enjoy it too. I'd recommend it checking it out if you've never played it before.

Soundtrack Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Here's a few of my favorite songs from the game



For a full list of the songs in the game, go here: http://06f744d3.urlpulse.net

Thursday, September 23, 2010

System of a Down - Toxicity

Toxicity, the album which made System of a Down a big name in the hard rock genre. It was their first album to go platinum, in fact, it went multi-platinum. It was pretty well received by critics. Their first single from the album, "Chop Suey!", was nominated for Grammy, and is arguably their most well-known song.


I first listened to the whole album a couple years ago. I had heard them quite a bit on the radio before this though, which is what made me want to hear a whole album of their's. I was not disappointed. If you've only heard the songs that are played on the radio and you enjoy them, then I'd recommend you listen to this.
In my best opinion it's their best album. It's fast, heavy, and melodic. My favorite song on the album would probably have to be either "Prison Song" or "Toxicity". I can't say there's a song on the album I don't like.


Rating: 4 out of 5


Track Listing

1. Prison Song
2. Needles
3. Deer Dance
4. Jet Pilot
5. X
6. Chop Suey!
7. Bounce
8. Forest
9. Atwa
10. Science
11. Shimmy
12. Toxicity
13. Psycho
14. Aerials

The video for their second single off the album, "Toxicity".

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Disturbed - Asylum

A couple weeks ago (August 27th to be exact), Disturbed released a new album called "Asylum". I heard about the album from a friend of mine who's a big Disturbed fan. I'm somewhat of a Disturbed fan myself, they have a couple of decent albums and some pretty good songs.

I got the CD and started listening to it and all I can say is this is a crappy album, even for Disturbed. There are no songs on it that I can say I truly enjoyed. My friend, the big fan of Disturbed, didn't even like this album that much. Only about half the songs were even decent. Again, I am a fan of Disturbed, and I'm not one of those people who goes out of their way to express their hate for bands like Disturbed. I want to see them be successful and make more good music, but with a record like this, it isn't going to happen. I feel like they're past their prime...

If you have to listen to any of the songs on this album, I'd recommend: "The Infection", "Serpentine", or "Leave It Alone".


Rating: 2/5

Classic Album: Primus - Tales from the Punchbowl

Today on my blog I'll be taking a look back on one of Primus' best and most successful albums: Tales from the Punchbowl. It was released in 1995, and is their fourth album. It contains their most successful single, "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver". If I had to classify it, I would have to say it fits in the alternative rock genre, but also has some funk rock, southern rock and even metal elements to it. About half the songs on there are instrumental and the other half has songs with mostly nonsensical lyrics. 


I like this album quite a bit. Primus definitely has a distinct sound. This album is different from anything I've ever heard. It has four of Primus' best songs and is excellent instrumental wise, IMO. It's definitely worth a listen, though it may not be for people who prefer more "serious" music. The lyrics are very out there.

My favorite songs, which also happen to be the first four on the album, are: "Professor Nutbutter's House of Treats", "Mrs. Blaileen", "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver", and "Southbound Pachyderm".  The rest of the songs are good, but not quite as good as the first four songs. The album overall is great, and if you've never heard Primus before I would definitely recommend this album.

Rating: 4/5


Here's the music video for one the aforementioned songs, "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver".