I had my third real concert last night, and it was absolutely incredible. The headlining band was Heaven and Hell, the name for the modern Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio on vocals instead of Ozzy Osbourne. Coheed and Cambria was the opening act, though they were rather... bad.

All of Coheed's members played with some pretty good skill, but their stage presence was really weird. Their frontman acted like a five year old on a gallon of sugar. He would just randomly start running around, wriggling his legs as fast as he could while he jumped in the air. It was really bizarre. For some reason, the lead guitarist thought it was appropriate to randomly throw in high pitched screams. It completely didn't fit and it made me pretty embarrassed to be in the audience. Speaking of which, it was very obvious which of the people in the audience were only there for Coheed. They would bob their bodies around and put their hands in the air as if they were at a worship concert. All of them looked like they were completely stoned, which wouldn't have surprised me at all if they were since there was a lot of marjuana use. In general, they just completely embarrassed themselves to my (and my friends') great amusement. However, the fun was cut short when the band took one of Iron Maiden's best songs and completely ruined it.

Heaven and Hell, on the other hand, was a phenomenal performance. Tony Iommi (guitar) played like a god, showcasing incredible talent. Vinny Appice (drums) was pretty great, too. Though he never really played at insane speeds like more modern drummers, his technical prowess was quite a display. He even got his own drum solo spot for a few minutes, which was pretty impressive. Dio (vocals), of course, performed flawlessly. I was incredibly impressed at his ability to perform so powerfully at his age. It was a real spectacle. Geezer Butler (bass) was probably the most under-appreciated member. Though he never got a solo spotlight, I kept my eyes on him a lot. His playing was really amazing, especially his speed and precision. The best part about his performance, though, was the fact that he played the guitar rhythms during Tony's solos. It was really awesome that he could make such a great rhythm section.

The concert was absolutely mind-blowing. For guys in their 60's (save for Vinny, 49), they really kicked ass. It was one hell (no pun intended) of a night.

I just saw the movie. Honestly, I really didn't have high expectations at all, my friends and I were only going to see Snake-Eyes and Stormshadow. I did, however, expect changes in story lines and relationships. For instance, I was hoping that the writer(s) would be smart enough to know that Snake-Eyes and Scarlet are married, and have always been in a relationship since the story was created. If anything, I thought for sure that if this was changed, she would end up with Duke.

****SPOILERS****





You can imagine my surprise when the jackass(es) who wrote this God-awful excuse for a plot thought it would be a good idea to pair up Scarlet with fucking Ripcord. I mean for Christ's sake, that doesn't even make sense. Were these people so incredibly desperate to act like they're "culturally sensitive" or whatever bull shit that they would defy all logic and put them together?

And if that wasn't bad enough, Duke was originally engaged to Baronness? God, she didn't even have an accent. I mean really, you've got to be fucking kidding me. The romantic plots were so absolutely wretched that it made the movie completely impossible to enjoy. I came so close to walking out when Scarlet kissed Ripcord that it's just plain pathetic.






****END OF SPOILERS****

So basically, this movie was so full of idiotic plot twist cliches that it makes me want to savagely beat everyone involved in its production. I literally have not been so disappointed and pissed off at a movie in my entire life. After seeing it, I can thoroughly summarize that the entire cast of characters, along with all other plots ever created for the franchise have been bent over and molested with a spiked pole.

So for any who think this movie can possibly be salvaged, do yourself a favor and see ANYTHING else. I don't give a shit what it is, it's better.

The few people who actually pay attention to my page will probably have noticed I've been drawing way more often than I used to, and that all of my latest submissions are of women instead of men. I can't say for sure why I've been so fascinated with creating female characters lately. My best assumption is that I've become very proficient at drawing the male figure and the female figure is a new challenge. Whatever the reason, I'm just happy to have the artistic spirit again.

As far as my personal life goes, for once I'm actually pretty contented with where I'm at. There aren't any big dramatic problems ruining my days. Right now I'm taking two courses over the summer to make up for the semester I missed this spring, which are surprisingly easy.

I suppose other than that, there really isn't much to discuss. Just keep paying attention to my submissions because there will be more soon.

Yep, I'm drawing again, and not a moment too soon. It definitely feels good to get off the hiatus, which has been lasting for about five months. It took a couple days of staring at a paper to work up the creative spirit again, but I'm glad it's back. I'll be continuing to post new art for a while, as the character creation for the Wraith is pretty in-depth.

I've also been finding a lot of really great music lately, which is awesome. It's always good to expand the library, especially when it's with musicians this incredible. For those who want to see what I mean, here's a list.

First off, Insomnium, a Finnish melodic death metal band with some incredible talent. Here's their video for "Mortal Share," off their latest album. [link] I also highly recommend "Last Statement" off the same album, as it is truly a beautiful song that I am in love with [link] and "The Elder." [link]

Next I present Amorphis, an absolutely incredible Finnish metal band that combines aspects of melodic death metal, progressive, and gothic. Here is the title track of their latest album, Silent Waters. [link]

Lastly, Before the Dawn. This band was actually started by one man named Tuomas Saukkonen, who not only provided all vocals, but the guitar, bass, and drums. After releasing various demos, he accepted a deal with Locomotive Music. He was then joined with other members to complete the lineup. This song, "Disappear," shows off Tuomas' impressive musical and compositional talent as well as being an incredible song in its own right. [link] This next song is from BtD with the current lineup (minus the drummer) and is another great melodeath song, featuring some very impressive special effects. [link]

I never really have much to say in journals anymore because my life has gotten pretty boring. School has been getting easier and I've been keeping up with work a lot better, but I still feel stressed out. I guess it's mostly because I'm fighting with my friend a lot. The fights are always completely senseless, but I feel a psychological need to correct people when I know for a fact they're wrong. But I don't know, winter usually makes me more mellow than angry. I suppose there are too many relationships that are being screwed with right now.

Anyway, just tonight I've decided to play my guitar more often because I've been neglecting it way too much. It's been weeks since I last played it and even then it wasn't for more than a few minutes. I'm trying to learn "My Apocalypse" by Arch Enemy, but right now I'm mostly trying to rewrite the tab so I don't have to mess up my tuning. I'm going to make sure I stick this one through until I know the whole thing by heart because after four years of playing I should be better than I am.

I haven't drawn anything in a really long time and I don't really plan on continuing, though I am working on a Photoshop coloring of a Spider-Man (I know I've been heavy on that character lately) sketch by ~THEHITMANHORTON. I just don't really get any entertainment in making art anymore. All the passion for it just kind of up and vanished. So, aside from losing that, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. Not exactly an easy choice when you're in my position.

My two friends are coming down for Thanksgiving break, so maybe I can finally get this burden off my back. Hopefully it will be enough for me to start feeling better. Thanks again to those who respond to these journals with positive feedback, especially *ErikVonLehmann. You've been a great inspiration and supporter.