Metal Overview: Metallica

Welcome, fellow Otaku & Metal Heads, to my 4th Metal Overview!

We’ve covered some popular names so far. Rammstein & Type-O Negative some of the more popular names I’ve looked at so far, and Turmion Katilot is more of a underground sensation here in the states, but is well known over in Europe. Today’s band, however, is known the world over. A band that is not only popular for all the right reasons, but popular for all the wrong reasons as well. A legacy that was built on some of the most iconic records in Thrash Metal history, but was also built on controversy that’s still known about to this day. If you haven’t guessed, the 4th Metal Overview of the Heavy Metal Otaku blog is looking at Metallica!

I’ll be going down a “Devil’s Advocate” path in this overview. I admit that my first two articles in this series were perhaps a little bit on the gushing side of things, and my look at Turmion Katilot was a little more even, but in the case of Metallica, I definitely have to look at things a little more unbiasedly. Make no mistake, I absolutely love this band! Their first five albums are still talked about to this very day, and for good reason. However, this band’s discography is not as perfect as it’s hardcore fans say it is (More on this later). Without further delay, here’s an overview of the iconic & infamous Metallica!

Kill ‘Em All (1983)

And so kicks off Metallica’s golden years. From 1983 to 1991, the band produced some of the finest Thrash Metal album that helped shaped the genre, and Kill ‘Em All was their first album. Release on July 25, 1983, Kill ‘Em All has an interesting story behind it: Originally lined up with guitar & vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, bassist Ron McGovney, and finally lead guitarist Dave Mustaine of Megadeth fame, but due to some tension with Mustaine, McGovney left the band. His replacement was the incredible but sadly short-lived Cliff Burton (More on this in a bit), whose base playing became synonymous with the band’s early career. In April of 83, the band kicked out Dave Mustaine due to his alcohol & drug issues, and brought in guitarist Kirk Hammett to replace him. Hammett already had some credit within the Metal community, as he was a one-time student of the iconic Joe Satriani, and played in Exodus before coming to the Metallica. After Hammett arrived, Metallica version 1.0 solidified!

The album name & cover has some history as well: the original title of the album was to be called Metal Up Your Ass. The cover was to feature a toilet bowl with a hand clutching a dagger emerging from it, but the band’s label at the time (Megaforce) asked them to change it. Metallica agreed, and Kill Em All was used instead. Burton was originally credited with the album title, which was a reference to timid record distributors at the time, basically saying "Why don't we just kill 'em all?". The irony of all of this was that the band released a "Metal Up Your Ass" T-shirt with the proposed artwork during their touring. A bit of a goof-up on both sides, don’t you think? Regardless, Kill ‘Em All became one of Metallica’s highest selling albums, going platinum 3 times by 1999 in the U.S.

Best Track? This was something of a difficult choice for me: as you might recall from my review of this album I said that “The Four Horsemen” & “Seek & Destroy” were the best songs of that album, and I still stand by that. However, I’ve listened to this album a few more times since then, and I’ve come to the realization that every track on Kill ‘Em All is pretty much the best, with absolutely no bad tunes in sight! Including the previously mentioned tracks, songs like “Hit The Lights” and “Jump In The Fire” have a healthy dose of speed added to the mix, and will mow you down if you’re not careful.

Hit The Lights

Jump In The Fire

Kill ‘Em All is a fantastic piece of early 80s Thrash Metal. Certainly one of the best, and definitely a release from Metallica’s golden years. Next album!

Ride The Lightning (1984)

After the commercial success of their first album, many credited Kill ‘Em All as the birth of Thrash Metal. Once the promotional touring was over with, Metallica started coming up with new material, and once concerts during the fall arrived, they were playing what they came up with. Sadly, the band ran into trouble. Namely, they had no money. Because of this, they ate only once a day, and would sleep at the homes of fans. Hetfield was feeling uneasy about doing the vocals at this time, and tried to offer the position to Armored Saint singer John Bush. Bush turned it down because his band was doing good at the time, and thus Hetfield was stuck with the job. Metallica began recording on February 20, 1984 at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was produced by the founder of Sweet Silence, Flemming Rasmussen (He would go onto producing their next two albums as well). There were plenty of other issues that they had, but that didn’t stop them from releasing their second album, Ride The Lightning. A more refined album than their previous release, Ride The Lightning was put into music stores on July 27, 1984 to universal praise, and was considered by some to have a little more going on than Kill ‘Em All.

Best Track? Gonna have to say that Fade To Black is the best track off of this album, not to mention my favorite! For anyone who whines & complains that Heavy Metal never has any emotion, and is just a brutish style of music, direct them towards this song. Containing some of the band’s best guitar work & drumming, the entire band really gives it their all. Coupled with James Hetfield’s moving vocal work, Fade To Black is only 1 of 3 Metallica songs that can get me to cry.

Fade To Black

However, honors must simply be given to the title track: gruesomely depicting an execution by electric chair, Ride The Lighting is a even mix between speedy & slow, with the guitar work being one of my favorite things about this track. A damn fine song, if I say so myself.

Ride The Lightning

Worst Track? Once again, nothing! Ride The Lightning is a natural evolution of their first release, highlighting what made that album good, while smoothing out any kinks. A definite must-buy. Next album!

Master Of Puppets (1986)

If Kill ‘Em All laid the foundation for American Thrash, and Ride The Lighting extended the limitations of Thrash Metal with it combination of sophisticated songwriting and improved production, then Master Of Puppets was an example of Thrash with atmospherics. Released on March 3, 1986, Master Of Puppets marked another turning point in their career: catching the attention of Elektra Records, Metallica was signed to an 8-year record deal back in 84' during the promotional tour for Ride The Lightning, along with a re-release on November 14th. Master Of Puppets is a more down-turned record, speaking of things like war in the depressive“Disposable Heroes” or H.P. Lovecraft with the spine-tingling “The Thing That Should Not Be”. Indeed, one could play this during a Halloween party, and it would fit right in without a problem.

Best Track? Welcome Home (Sanitarium) has always been one of their more sinister songs they’ve ever produced, and it shows. Dark beats, gothic-like atmosphere, and a slower pace create a powerful tune. James Hetfield provides vocal work that’s between blistering speed (Ala Hit The Lights) & ponderous stability (Ala Fade To Black), establishing a unique middle ground. This is definitely a song that you shouldn’t listen to in the dark, or if you’re in the looney bin!

Welcome Home (Sanitarium)

Worst Track? I wouldn’t say that there’s no “Bad” track on Master Of Puppets. The only bad thing I can say is that the overall pacing of this album is slower when compared to their previous two releases. There’s still some of that speed the band is known for, but this would slowly change over Metallica’s next couple releases. Regardless, Master of Puppets is one of their best, and I most certainly recommend it.

Sadly, the good times were not meant to last for one Cliff Burton. On September 27, 1986, during their tour for the album in Sweden, the tour bus got into a horrific accident. As the bus skidded off the road, Cliff was ejected from the vehicle through the window, and then it came right down on top of him, crushing him & killing him instantly. After a grieving period, the band began a search for a new bassist, and one particular individual stepped forward. Next album!

...And Justice For All (1988)

What is perhaps the most ironic thing about Metallica before their sell-out period, was that they were popular. Very popular, as a matter of fact! Their first three albums helped establish Thrash Metal in the United States....but they were never mainstream. That was all about to change with their 4th release, And Justice For All. Released on August 28, 1988, And Justice For All was the first album to feature their new bassist (And the formation of Metallica 2.0), Jason Newsted. Jason actually had some prior experience with Metallica, playing on their cover album The $5.98 E.P. Garage Days Re-Revisited before working with them on their 1988 classic. And Justice For All would go on to help the band win a grammy in 1990 due to their track, One, and would go platinum 8 times by 2003 (Making it their 2nd-best selling album). And Justice For All was also very poignant with it’s messages of political and legal injustice seen through the prisms of censorship, war, and nuclear brinkmanship.

Best Track? I nominated the monolith that is One as the best track of And Justice For All. The 2nd of the three Metallica songs that can get me to cry, One is a vivid depiction of the horrors of war, and the scars that one receives from going into battle. The instrumentation is steady throughout the whole song, but when things take a chaotic turn, the band becomes a furious engine of destruction that never lets up. Of all the songs on this album, this was what helped propel And Justice For All into the mainstream, aided by the video that went along with this tune.    

One

One (Studio Version)

Worst Track? While there are no bad songs on And Justice For All, I’m most baffled by the exclusion of a bonus track that was included on the Japanese release of the album (It was also released on the Harvester Of Sorrow single). A cover of Diamond Head’s The Prince, Metallica’s take on it makes it feel like it was recorded during the Kill ‘Em All days: a furious assault of speed, The Prince will blow out your eardrums if you aren’t careful, and will shatter your bones if you’re not wearing protection!

The Prince

The only other bad aspect of And Justice For All is the bass work. Supposedly, Newsted was put though a hazing period by James & Lars, and due to the way that the guitar work was done you couldn’t hear the bass. It’s most definitely there, but it’s incredibly difficult to locate.

And Justice For All, the album that propelled Metallica to the mainstream, but still retained much of the band’s free spirit. Recommended indeed. Next album!

Metallica/The Black Album (1991)

If there was ever a controversial metal album that overtook the 90s, it would be this one. Released on August 12, 1991, the band’s self-titled album would go on to be their best selling album, going platinum a massive 16 times in the United States by December 13, 2012, and by November 2014 it has spent 328 weeks on the Billboard album chart, making it one of the ten longest running albums of all time. However, the recording of this album, and indeed the album itself, was not without controversy.

After being impressed with the production work of Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood, Metallica ditched Flemming Rasmussen in favor for Dr. Feelgood’s producer, Bob Rock. Bob Rock is a iconic & infamous producer, helping out more commercial groups like Mötley Crüe & Aerosmith, the kinds of bands that Thrash Metal were against. Regardless, Metallica thought that he would be able to help them out with their 5th release, and while they weren’t fond of Rock at first, eventually they changed their minds. There were frequent arguments between the band & Rock, with Rock wanting them to record songs collaboratively rather than individually in separate locations, and also suggested recording tracks live and using harmonic vocals for Hetfield. The production was so troubled (And costing 1 million to produce), that Ulrich, Hammett and Newsted divorced from their wives. Despite all the troubles & difficulties, the band eventually put out one of their most iconic albums to date. So iconic, in fact, that it debuted at number 1 in 10 countries, and had time on the Billboard 200's top spot for 4 weeks, making it Metallica's first album to top album charts.

Best Track? Enter Sandman is what I consider to be the best track off of this album. I’ll fully admit that I already had thought of putting this song here long before I considered doing a Metal Overview of this band. Enter Sandman was the first metal song I’ve heard not just from Metallica, but the first Heavy Metal song period! I was so young when I first watched the video, and it left such a strong impression on me, I had nightmares for the entire week afterwards. However, this impression was so strong that it never left me, and I’m thankful for that!

Enter Sandman

Worst Track? While there are no bad tracks on The Black Album, one can’t deny the commercialized nature of this album, not to mention more radio-friendly music. Although And Justice For All propelled Metallica into the mainstream, that album still had much of their older identity. With this release, the band were perched on the razor edge. Given the path that they took, it’s plainly obvious as to what would eventually happen, but we’ll get to that.

The Black Album. A record that divided fans when it first came out, and still divides people today. I personally enjoy it, but I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to grab it or not. Next Album!

Load (1996) & Reload (1997)

By the mid-90s, Metallica was truly in the mainstream. Thanks to Bob Rock, the band had music on the radio, and everybody was talking about them. Even non metalheads whispered their name once in a while. With their newfound popularity, the band would begin work on their most experimental release to date. A double album, as a matter of fact! Well, that’s not exactly true: in early 1995, they had 30 demos that needed work, and due to the heavy amount of material they decided to split things up into 2 release. One would be put out in 96, and the other a year later. Thus, we have Load & Reload, two albums that act as part of Metallica’s middle years.

Load & Reload.....are interesting releases. Eschewing their Thrash Metal past almost completely, Metallica embraced a more traditional Heavy Metal route, with elements of Blues Rock tones & styles. Not only that, but Lars Ulrich changed his drumming style from a speedier style, to a more simplistic form of drum playing. This change resulted in a shift in the eyes of fans: they weren’t necessarily sure what to make of it, but the music critics certainly favored this albums more favorably (Load more so than Reload). Regardless, both albums sold well, with Load going platinum 5 times in the U.S., and Reload went platinum 4 times. Both albums debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with Load staying there for 4 weeks, and Reload for maybe just as long.

Best Track? On Load, I really appreciate the grim Until It Sleeps. Detailing James Hetfield’s Mom & her battle with cancer, the lyrics can be seen as the emotional pain he was feeling, or the physical pain that his Mom felt. While you’d expect this song to get me to cry, it doesn’t, but it’s still a very powerful song to listen to.

Until It Sleeps

On the Reload side, Fuel can really get me pumped. Evoking some of the band’s Speed Metal stylings, the Blues Rock elements creates a conflicting environment. Given the song’s name, I’m not going to complain much.

Fuel

Worst Track? This was easy for me on both albums. For Load, I’m going with Hero Of The Day. The track just comes across as a “Murica! Support The Troops!” kind of deal. Granted, these sentiments would truly occur until September 11 & onward, but it’s just as obnoxious in the 90s. Hell, if you were to take Hero Of The Day out of Load, and plank it into the early 2000s, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Hero Of The Day

Reload’s worst track is something that I think is even worse that Load’s, and that’s The Unforgiven II. This was a song sequel that didn’t need to get made at all! It’s far more hokey than the original, and is trying far to hard to be The Unforgiven. Really, a song to absolutely ignore while listening to Reload.

The Unforgiven II

Load & Reload. Two albums are neither bad, but neither are they good either. Simply put, these two albums truly sit on the razor’s edge, never bending in either direction, and are rather bland in a sense. Highly recommended for hardcore Metallica fans, but mildly recommended for everyone else. Next album!

St. Anger (2003)

The rest of the 90s was an interesting period for Metallica. After Load & Reload, the band would go on to put out 2 more albums: cover/compilation album Garage Inc. In 1998, and the live album S&M (Which the band was accompanied by the San Francisco Symphony) in 1999. Both records debuted quite well, starting at the number 2 spot on the Billboard 200. However, despite the success of these two releases, a more pressing & controversial matter would arise not long after.

In 2000, Metallica filed a lawsuit against the then-popular Napster, a website where you could download music for free. The catalyst for the band suing the site was simple: the band discovered that a demo of its song "I Disappear", which was supposed to be released in combination with the Mission: Impossible II soundtrack, was receiving radio airplay. They traced the leak back to Napster, and in the ensuing lawsuit, the band’s true colors came out. Gone was the free-spirited Thrash Metal band of the 80s, and in it’s place was the very definition of corporate sell-out. This lawsuit permanently stained the band’s reputation, and even in 2015, the stain hasn’t completely been washed off.

After this lawsuit, recording for their 8th studio album, St. Anger, had begun. Early on Jason Newsted left, and his permanent replacement came in the form of Robert Trujillo, who previously worked in Suicidal Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne's band. James Hetfield had entered rehab in July of 2001, and was only able to come to the recording studio for 4 hours a day as part of the rehab terms. For a majority of the recording, Bob Rock himself came in to do most of Hetfield’s work, and even was with the band during some of their live shows. Then, on June 5, 2003 (Originally supposed to be June 10, but they were paranoid about downloading), St. Anger was released.....to mixed reactions.

Despite being at the number 1 spot on the Billboard 200, St. Anger received a lot of criticism, with the most common complains being Ulrich's "steely" sounding snare drum and the absence of guitar solos. Perhaps the best criticism came from Kevin Forest Moreau of Shakingthrough.net. He says:

“The guitars stumble in a monotone of mid-level, processed rattle; the drums don't propel as much as struggle to disguise an all-too-turgid pace; and the rage is both unfocused and leavened with too much narcissistic navel-gazing”

This description is absolutely perfect for describing St. Anger! I have never heard such a hallow excuse of a metal album in a long time. Gone is the band’s 80s brutality, and in it’s place is a group that’s almost completely unrecognizable. The sell-out seeds that were planted during The Black Album’s period fully bloomed, and the flowers that came forth truly stink.

Best Track? For the longest time, me & an old friend of mine joked that “The only good thing about St. Anger is St. Anger!”. Truth be told, I don’t necessarily think we were joking. Make no mistake, this song still has all of the problems that the other tracks have, but compared to everything else there’s a little more effort put into this one song. There’s hints of the old Metallica here and there as the song plays, and it’s really those hints that I find myself attached too.

St. Anger

Worst Track? Do I really need to explain what the worst song on this album is!? St. Anger. The absolute definition of sell-out. Smart Metallica fans hated it, metalheads in general hated it, and even non-metal fans were disgusted by it! Ignore this release with your life!

Death Magnetic (2008)

Talk about a turn around!

Marking the 5th consecutive Metallica album that debuted at number 1, Death Magnetic was a radically different album when compared to St. Anger. Gone was the simple instrumentation. Gone was the stripped-down production, and gone was the absence of guitar solos. In place of the previous album’s faults were more complex musical compositions, as well as long, technical guitar solos from both Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield. These two things brought back Metallica’s Thrash Metal roots, and thus this is what reviewers praised the most about the album. Death Magnetic was also different for 3 things: Bob Rock was no longer the band’s producer (Rick Ruben was his replacement), it was their first release through a new record company (Warner Bros. Records), and it was the first album that Robert Trujillo worked on. Sadly, Death Magnetic may have come out too late, as it’s 2008 release marks 5 years since St. Anger, and that album’s reputation was still a bitter memory

Best Track? This is a bit of a tricky proposition, as the return to their Thrash Metal routes creates a surprising amount of whiplash. That said, I seem drawn to the album’s concluding track, My Apocalypse. Highly reminiscent of their work on Kill ‘Em All, there’s plenty of that speed & thrash that the band was once known for. A damn good way to conclude a return to form, if you ask me!

My Apocalypse

Worst Track? The Unforgiven III. Do I really need to say anything!? As much as I didn’t like it’s predecessor, I’ll admit that it’s at least somewhat trying to be like the original. Here!? Metallica’s really drawing straws at this point. Simply disgusting, if you ask me!

The Unforgiven III

Death Magnetic. Released a few years too late for any kind of redemption to be effective, yet an attempt that I can respect. Recommended far more than St. Anger, but cautiously recommended at the same time.

So that was my overview of the iconic & infamous Metallica. A band that deserves all of the hate it receives, but at the same time is still deserving of some of the praise that comes it’s way. Truly, a band that deserves it’s reputation, and has effectively split Thrash Metal fans.

Well this is it for my 1-year anniversary. I hope you guys had a lot of fun with the material I posted, and tune in next month for some Halloween-themed reviews. See you then!






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For a look at my (Now flawed) review of Kill ‘Em All, click the link below:

http://heavymetalotaku.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-metallicas-kill-em-all.html

Also, if you’re curious about what the 3rd Metallica song is that can get me to cry, check it out below:

3rd Song

My Top 10 Games

Welcome, fellow Otaku & Metal Heads, to my 4th top 10 list!

So far, I’ve covered my favorite singers & bands, old-school anime, and my favorite movies & tv shows. So what’s next, you may ask? Well, as you can tell by the title, my top 10 favorites games of course! This will be a really weird list to look at: with only a tiny few exceptions, everything on here will be PC (Or PC-Console crossover). My father was a Computer Engineer (Still is), and he basically said that it’s pointless to have a console, when you have a computer that does the same thing. I still subscribe to this philosophy, but there’s always a surprise or two. So with that said, here are my top 10 favorite video games of all time. Enjoy!

10) Skyrim (Clip)

I’ll fully admit this fact to you: I don’t have a good history with the Elder Scrolls franchise. Mom & I got Daggerfall back in the day, but that was a buggy mess. Flash forward to 2002, and we get Morrowind. We got along better with that game, but thanks to a crash, we lost the save files & never went back again. Oblivion came & went (I never even touched it), and for the longest time I never really payed attention to the franchise as a whole. Come 2014, and the game gods above decided to send me something.

Around early/mid June of 2014, and Steam is having it’s annual Summer Sale. Games from across the spectrum were on sale, and I was looking through to see what was cheap. I spot Skyrim shortly into my searching, and found the “Legendary Collection” that contained the main game & all of the DLC for the low price of around 13 or 14 dollars. That was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, and so curiosity finally took hold & I bought the collection. It was money well spent!

Easily one of the most breathtaking worlds I’ve ever come across, Skyrim feels alive & realistic. The various towns, caves, and dungeons are all teaming with life. The character system is simplistic but has depth, and the dragons! Dear God, they weren’t kidding when they said that the dragon attacks would be random, and I can’t tell you how many times they’ve come out of the blue to whoop me a new one. It can be huge for new players, and you can get enough quests to where it feels like you’re overburdened. I got over this relatively quick, and Skyrim has since become a RPG classic for me. Speaking of classic...

9) Diablo Franchise (Clip 1 - Clip 2 - Clip 3)

The Diablo franchise is one of the oldest gaming franchises I’ve been devoted to, as the first game came out in 1996. True be told, I wasn’t able to play the first game until at least 6 months to a year (It’s hazy for me remembering back this far) after it came out, because my Mom was mostly against me playing violent games back then. When I was a little older, she finally let me play the original game, and it was worth the wait! It was dark, gritty, gothic, and very action packed despite not having much of a story to it. Even today, I still play the original Diablo & Hellfire mission pack for nostalgic purposes, as well as the fact that it holds up quite well today.

Even though Diablo holds up today, Diablo 2 blows the original game away. Stronger & more expanded classes (Necromancer for life!), bigger world, better graphics, and a fleshed out story brought more players into the fold, and any players that may have been disenfranchised by the original Diablo. When the mission pack came out, the game was given new classes (Druid & Assassin), new items & monsters, a new part of the world to explore, and more expansion to the story. Yes, Diablo 2 has perhaps surpassed the original game, and is still played today by fans.

Which brings us to Diablo 3. I think we can say that, while fun when it first came out, the launch wasn’t the best in the world. There’s was rampant hacking (I was a victim of a hack, but I got that situation fixed), difficulty could be problematic, and the Auction House was a main source of the game’s controversy (Didn’t mind the Gold Auction House. Thought the Real Money Auction House was pathetic.). Fast forward to 2014 & this year, there was a tidal wave of changes crashing over the wall, and with the Reaper of Souls expansion, things were returned to a better place. There are still some problems, mostly the required internet connection, but now Diablo 3 feels far more like the games of old. It’s gotten back to the days of Diablo 1 & 2: it feels more gothic, the gameplay is great, and the loot feels like it has far more bite that their original incarnations. It appears that Diablo 3 has been redeemed!

8) Dante’s Inferno (Clip)

And here we come to one of the few console games I’ve ever played through & through.

Though I haven’t turned on Dad & mine’s PS3 in a while, I enjoyed Dante’s Inferno when I played it. Though it’s a bit of a God of War clone, there was enough of a difference in terms of combat that it felt separate from that game series. Also, the depiction of the nine circles of hell was impressive & beautiful in a dark sort of way. Not to mention the fact that the denizens of hell (Both normal enemies & bosses) were equally imaginative & dark. Hell, I even enjoyed the story of Dante’s Inferno, as it twists & turns the original into something that feels different, but doesn’t completely stray from it’s source material. It also helps to have a kick ass website that rewards interactivity (If it’s still up, I don’t know). It is because of Dante’s Inferno that I align myself with Sony, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Playstation 3 system.

7) Call of Duty Franchise (Clip)

Call of Duty.

When one mentions those 3 words, chances are you either praise from it’s fans, or you’ll hear corrosive vitriol from it’s critics. Truth be told, I understand both sides: I can certainly see the flaws in the franchise. Modern Warfare 2 definitely started the trend of hate with it’s flaws, and Ghosts is a horrendous pile of crap, especially when you consider what Black Ops 2 did. For me, however, I think that the franchise as a whole has been fun. Call of Duty has always been a series that I’ve always loved, especially since I’ve been with it since the original way back in 2003. Even today, Call of Duty is fun to play, especially with attention-grabbing titles like Black Ops 2 & Advanced Warfare. Sure, Call of Duty is a highly dividing game franchise & it has some issues, but for it’s fans, it home.

6) Lego Island (Clip)

Now, I was originally going to put this game somewhere from 4 to 1 spots on this list. Lego Island was a game that I remembered very much when I was little. The game from which all other Lego games came from, you can’t help but respect Lego Island. Sadly, there’s two things that prevent me from doing so. Dated graphics & repetitive gameplay. These two dents in the armor keep me from putting the game that high on the list.

Having said that, this game is a blast to play! As I said, the world is a bright, colorful place where you just want to hang out in and have fun. The activities, while few & repetitive, are absolutely a blast to do (Build & drive race cars, drive an ambulance to rescue fellow Lego people, etc), and you can customize just about anything on the island. Even the characters you come across (Primary & secondary) can provide you with some nice chuckles & laughs, as you don’t always know what they’ll do. As you can tell, fun is the word in this game. Even if you’re not a kid, if you’re a fan of Lego video games you should play though this at least once.

5) Quake (Clip 1 - Clip 2)

I think many old-school FPS fans often shake & froth at the mouth when observing the modern shooter scene. What made the genre popular back in the 90s & early 2000s is often not in modern shooters. Perhaps obviously so. As much as I enjoy the Call of Duty franchise, I can’t deny that it’s damaged the reputation of the FPS genre, and at times I can agree with critics. Yeah, First-Person-Shooters might get a little more flak than they used to, but the classics of the genre’s heyday still stand tall to this day, and Quake is most definitely a classic!

Having a quick little turf war with my number 4, Quake was revolutionary for it’s time. The first full 3d FPS game, Quake was known for 2 things: fast action & atmosphere. FPS games before this certainly had an environment, but due to the new graphics engine that Id Software developed, there was a depth that wasn’t seen before. The enemies were some of the most eerie foes created in a 90s game, and many of us can’t forget the first time we saw a Fiend or Shambler charge at us. Luckily, things were fast & furious, as you could move around to swiftly blow them away. With the multiplayer, you’re given an equally fast & furious experience against other players, and when skins first came into play, the creativity of gamers was put into the spotlight.

Quake, an absolute classic shooter of the 90s. You’re doing yourself a big disservice if you don’t even watch someone play it! Speaking of 90s shooters....

4) Duke Nukem 3d (Clip)

Ah, good old Duke Nukem 3d!

What’s funny about this game in terms of the character, it’s that there really wasn’t much of a character to begin with. The original game pretty much had nothing to Duke as far as personality was concerned, and while Duke Nukem II certainly established more of a background, it was Duke Nukem 3d that really fleshed out Duke. An ass-kicker, womanizer, and hardcore drinker, Duke doesn’t put up with any alien bullshit. Woe to any extraterrestrial that tries to take away the ladies, cause chances are they’ll probably have some lead pumped into their heads! The game still has fans today, and with a community that continues to pump out content to this day, it’s unlikely that Duke Nukem 3d will fade from gaming history.

3) Epic Pinball (Clip)

Now here’s a game that ancient!

Coming in at 20+ years old (It was released in November of 1993), Epic Pinball was one of the best PC pinball ever made. It’s really tragic that Epic Games hasn’t been re-released as a free download on their website, or as a cheap buy over on steam, because Epic Pinball is a easy game to pickup & play. While there’s no overall story (Makes sense, considering the game subject), each of the 13 tables have their own theme to them (Android has you building an...android, Crash & Burn puts you in a Formula 1 race, and Pangea puts you in the time of the dinosaurs), as well as their own difficulty.

I really recommend this game. If you can somehow find the complete collection online as a download, or find the Wizardworks collection somewhere, go for it!

2) Jazz Jackrabbit (Clip)

Yet another game that’s ancient!

Originally released on July 30, 1994, Jazz Jackrabbit is a hybrid of Sonic the Hedgehog style speed, coupled with frantic side-scrolling shooting action. Perhaps the funniest thing about this game is that it’s story is a fantasy version of Aesop’s classic fable: 3000 years after that incident, Devon Shell (The evil leader of the turtles) has captured Eva Earlong (The long-eared princess) of Carrotus in an effort to conquer the galaxy. The king of Carrotus sends it’s greatest hero, Jazz, on a journey through the worlds that Devon has conquered to get back the princess, and save the planet. It’s incredibly cheesy, but it’s a lot of fun at the same time.

Just like Epic Pinball, if you can find the entire file online, or somehow locate the CD that has all the episodes, go for it!!

Before we get to my number 1 Game, I wanted to give you some of my Honorable Mentions in this category. Video Games that, while very enjoyable, just didn’t make the cut. Maybe it’s because of the games’s background, design, or whatever other reason comes to mind. With that said, here they are:

HM1) Borderlands 2 & Borderlands the Pre-Sequel (Clip 1 - Clip 2)
- For a while, I had these two games on the main list. The number 5 spot, if you can believe it! Sadly, some issues have come up in recent times that reluctantly got me to put these games in the honorable mentions sections. Namely, it’s rather lackluster story (I consider it lackluster, but some of you might not), and it’s wishey-washey drop rate. That said, I truly can’t hate either of these games. Borderlands 2 & Borderlands the Pre-Sequel has some of the best action in modern FPS games, and the character of the two I can only describe as “Mad Max rewritten & redirected by Monty Python”. Certainly, two games that can be absolutely fun.

HM2) Dungeon Keeper 2 (Clip)
- This game is something of a paradox. On the one hand, it’s better than the original. It’s got a newer (At the time) graphics engine, revised mechanics, humor both dark & goofy, and a personality that hasn’t been able to have been replicated in modern gaming times. On the other hand, the graphics are very dated by today’s standard, some people didn’t like some of the revisions, and it doesn’t quite hold up to modern strategy games. For me, this game has a big nostalgia factor. The intro is easily one of my favorites, and while archaic, the overall experience is still fun.

HM3) Heroes of the Storm (Clip)
- If my friend Amanda is reading this, them she might kill me if she sees this.

Now, I don’t hate this game. In fact, I can’t. Heroes of the Storm is an absolute blast! A collection of characters from across all of Blizzard’s franchises (Even 1 pre-Blizzard) in a battle royale is a recipe for greatness! Coupled with some equally ridiculous levels, and the entertainment doesn’t stop. What’s stopping me from putting Heroes of the Storm on the main list? In-game purchases, that’s what! Normally I don’t mind this. Hell, I’ve gotten some of Call of Duty’s DLC, and the pricing wasn’t terrible. Here, it’s quite maddening. Skins can cost up to about 10 dollars, and characters can fluctuate from about 4 to 9 dollars! Yeah, it’s a little stupid for me not to put HotS on the main list because of prices, but that one little thing stops me from doing so.

1) One Must Fall 2097 (Clip)

Let's rewind the clock a bit: it's the early 90s. 1993, to be more specific. We're living in a small apartment house in Clinton, New York. At the time, we were a lower middle-class family: we weren't poor, but we didn't have a lot of money. We didn't have a lot of full PC games, but we had plenty of demos. One of them was for a fighting game called One Must Fall: 2097, published by Epic Megagames (long before they became the popular Epic Games). OMF: 2097 was a fast paced games where two giant robots went toe-to-toe against each other, with the only goal of tearing each other apart. It was a fun demo, but the only problem was that it was...a demo. There wasn't any multiplayer (against another computer, that is.), there were only 5 out of the 10 pilots available, and there were only 3 of the 10 robots available. Despite that, me and my Father (sometimes my Mother) spent a lot of time playing against each other, and basically having a good time.

Forward to 1994, and we're still living at the same place, or so I believe (It was so long ago, I can't remember well). I believe I came home from school, and after doing my homework, my Father calls me into the computer rooms and asks if I wanted to play a game of OMF with him. Without batting an eyelash, I said "Sure!" I got over to the seat, and my Dad starts up the game. Both the demo and the full game start up the same, so I didn't know what was in store. My Dad selected the two-player option, and the first thing he said was "Well...let's see. I think I'm going to be...Raven." It was then that I knew that something was different, and when he selected a robot that was previously unavailable, I was bouncing off the walls in joyous celebration. I couldn't believe that he did this for me, especially at a time when we had to be careful with our money. Although I was never certain, I could have sworn that my Mom was in on this as well, so props to you Mom if you were.

So these were my top 10 video games. A bit PC centric to be sure, but we all have our preferences. Hope you all enjoyed this list, and I’ll see you next week for my 4th metal overview, covering one of the most infamous metal bands of all time.

My Top 5 Highest Viewed Posts (At This Time)

Hi everyone!

To kick off this 1-year anniversary, I wanted to show of my top 5 highly viewed posts. Well, highly viewed at this time, anyways. Figured I’d talk about them a little, tell you my feelings about them, and maybe say what I’d change about them. Without further delay, here are my top 5 highest viewed posts......at this time, at least.

5) Princess Knight Review (Currently at 17 views)

I’m surprised at this post, yet not surprised. I’m surprised that people knew about this show, but I’m not surprised that it didn’t get the views I was expecting. Compared to the titans like Astro Boy & Kimba The White Lion, Princess Knight is something of the 3rd point of the classic anime triangle. That said, I loved talking about this show. This is one of the most iconic kids anime from the 60s & 70s, and despite it’s more obscure nature, still has a lot of fans. It was absolutely perfect for the “Kids Month” I did a few months back, and judging by the 17 views it has, means some people know about it. If I was going to change anything, maybe I would have gone into it’s themes a little more. That said, I still say Princess Knight is a slam dunk of a Kids anime, and if you’re a parent, show this show to your kids right away!

4) Genericon 2015 Review (Currently at 19 views)

I’ve always been doing these convention reviews since the days of my old blog. I’ve been going to Genericon, and the subject matter of my number 2 spot, since 2009. Genericon is especially important to me, since it was the first convention I ever went to, and is a convention I suggest to anyone who is even remotely curious about it! I really wouldn’t change a thing about this post, apart from maybe going into the events I went to, as well as participated in. If you live in the Albany/Troy/Schenectady/Saratoga area, and you want to go to a convention on the cheap, you’ll find a great deal with Genericon.

3) In Memoram - Pete Steele (Currently at 20 views)

Nothing. I would change absolutely nothing about this one. This was a simple tribute to one of my favorite frontman of all time, and I really didn’t have to say much. Some simple words about how I discovered the band, how I was feeling, and a couple pictures of Pete Steele that I liked. Definitely the most simplistic post I’ve done this year.

2) Connecticon 2015 Review (Currently at 28 Views)

I really don’t have much to say about this, since I would basically be repeating just about everything from my description about my Genericon review. The only real difference between the two is distance, and expense. Apart from those two points, not is really going to be any different. Great convention regardless!

1) Kimba The White Lion Review (Currently at 31 Views)

Now, I wasn’t surprised by the views of this post! Of the big 3 of classic Kids anime, this is perhaps the most famous of all of them. It has stood the test of time, is remembered by the old-school generation, and new anime fans immediately fall in love with the cute visuals. The story has stood the test of time as well, mixing silly segments with matures themes. If I was to change something, maybe it would be to describe the characters a little more, but that’s about it. Kimba the White Lion: a Kids anime that should never be forgotten. Old & new school.....keep this show alive!

So these are my top 5 highest viewed posts. I hoped you liked this little ditty, and maybe it’ll convince you to take a look at these. See you next week for my top 10 games!

1-Year Anniversary Kickoff

Hey everybody, welcome to the 1-year anniversary of the Heavy Metal Otaku blog!

I'm certainly impressed by the progress I've made here. This blog isn't quite as popular as my old one (Simple Anime Reviews & Facts), but even a fraction of that blog's popularity is better than nothing! I hope in the coming years that the Heavy Metal Otaku blog will become more popular, and maybe go mainstream if I get good enough!

In the meantime, let's celebrate this occasion! I've got some posts I'm working on for this month: a top-5 highly viewed posts, another top ten list on my favorite games of all time, and my 4th Metal Overview on one of the most infamous metal bands of all time. It's sure to be a lot of fun, so stay tuned!