Metal Overview: Septicflesh

Happy Halloween fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I have to admit, the subject of today’s overview is one that I wanted to look at ever since I started doing this series. Septicflesh was a band that I immediately took to once I opened my musical tastes a little more, and the masters of Greek Death Metal are perfect for a Halloween-themed overview. Taking listeners to the ancient past, the cybernetic future, and the dark beyond, Septicflesh are up there as one of my top Death Metal bands of all time. Weaving Hellenistic, Pagan, Wiccian, and Greco-Roman myths & stories into their music, they truly are a unique group.

So what better way to celebrate the band than with an overview on All Hallows Eve, am I right? So turn down the lights, put on a few candles around you, and enjoy my look at the Greek Death Metal titans known as Septicflesh. Let the overview begin!

Mystic Places Of Dawn (1994)

Original

Re-Release

Our story begins in Athens, Greece, on March in the year of our lord 1990. 3 men formed a group. One in which would eventually become the definition of Greek Death Metal. They were Sotiris Vayenas (guitar), Spiros Antoniou (bass and vocals), and Christos Antoniou (guitars). Dimitris Valasopoulos (Credited as “Jim”) would also come along as the drummer, although his time in the band would be short-lived. After releasing the Temple of the Lost Race EP, the band continued their work, and in 1994, their first full-length album was released. Titled Mystic Places Of Dawn, Septicflesh invoked the myths of ancient Greece with their inaugural record, as the album is an ode to the legend of Atlantis. In many ways this makes Mystic Places Of Dawn a bit on the stereotypical side when compared to Death Metal from other countries, but at the same time became a template for what would later be known as Greek Death Metal. An impressive feat if you ask me!

Best Track? It’s almost a crime to pick the best track on this album! Every song is a treat to listen to. The Death Metal instrumentation & vocals, coupled with the almost Folk Metal like method of telling stories, creates something really unique that no band (As far as I know) has been able to do. That being said, I gotta show my love for the title track. Brutal & fast, but with slower/almost introspective moments so the song title can be sung, Mystic Places Of Dawn really shows of the bounty that is the band’s starting record, and is a great song in it’s own right.

Mystic Places Of Dawn

Worst Track? I can think of nothing bad with Mystic Places Of Dawn. Some of the sound effects might be a little goofy sounding now, but this beginning album is an excellent gateway into an excellent band. Coupled with the Temple of the Lost Race EP included on the re-release, the album paints a perfect picture of Septicflesh’s earliest days. Mystic Places Of Dawn: Incredibly recommended for those interested in Septicflesh or Death Metal in general. Next album!

Esoptron (1995)

Original

Re-Release

With an excellent starting album under their belt, expectations on a greater second album seemed to be high. Well, Septicflesh were happy to deliver this second album. Titled Esoptron (Translation from Greek: (inner) mirror), the album was released in May of 1995, and was a success for the Grecian titans. Fans consider this to be the band’s most experimental and progressive release, and while I don’t agree with this, I can certainly understand why. Esoptron is also the only band not to feature the talent of Christos Antoniou, as he took a leave from the group during this time. Ironically, all of the drums recorded for this record were program were programmed, although an individual named "Kostas" is credited as the drummer for the band.

Best Track? Bit of a tie between two fantastic tracks, Ice Castle & The Eyes of Set. The former is a slow-paced, cold track. It never picks up speed, and overall perfectly represents the spirit of winter. The later is the exact opposite of Ice Castle: fast-paced but steady, The Eyes of Set conjures up the deserts of ancient Egypt. You feel the heat of the ancient sun, the grit of the sand between your toes, and the old magic that created a thousand legends.

Ice Castle

The Eyes of Set

Worst Track? Once again there isn’t a single thing wrong with this album. Even the bonus tracks on the re-release edition, which to me are the weakest of the re-release material, don’t drag down how great everything else is. Esoptron, a great second CD, and also marked the beginning of a change for the band. Next album!

The Ophidian Wheel (1997)

Original

Re-Release

Released in 1997, The Ophidian Wheel marked a change for Septicflesh. While their first two albums were straight up Death Metal (With slivers of Doom & Black Metal), the band’s 3rd release still had that agressive Death Metal style they were known for, but was tempered with a Gothic Metal/Rock edge. This gothic tinge is most notable in the slightly mellowed vocal work, along with the instrumentation coming across as more goth than anything before. This transformation into a more gothic form would start off here, and as such The Ophidian Wheel comes across as more subtle with it’s changes. That being said, the subtly is what gives the record it’s strength. The mysterious individual known as “Kostas” returns as the individual credited for the drumwork on The Ophidian Wheel, but yet again the drumming was programmed.

Best Track? On The Topmost Step Of The Earth is what I would consider to be the best track, not to mention my most favorite. Though the changes to a more Gothic stance were all over this album, this track is the most blatant sign of this change. There’s still plenty of Death Metal riffage & vocal work throughout this song, but the pacing is much more along the lines of Gothic Metal. This duality creates a track that really fun to listen to, and adds personality to the record. You can’t go wrong with that!

On The Topmost Step Of The Earth

Worst Track? Death Metal purists are probably going to dislike the gothic elements that slowly make their way through The Ophidian Wheel. A lot of fans of the subgenre like it more pure. That being said, the gothic elements come across as more subtle on this album, and as such makes it the hardest to locate (Outside of the previously mentioned song). In a way, Death Metal purists will probably like this album the most when compared to the upcoming 2, but I’ll get them in a second.

The Ophidian Wheel. Further refinement upon their established form of Death Metal, this 3rd offering shows that Septicflesh is willing to change things up slightly. If you like your extreme metal with a dark & elegent edge, then The Ophidian Wheel is for you. Next album!

A Fallen Temple (1998)

Original

Re-Release

As the 90s were coming to a close, thing seemed to be closing for Septicflesh. Once a master of Death Metal, the band seemed to be changing into something more gothic. Though they weren’t completely there on March the 9th, 1998, the group’s 4th release A Fallen Temple made it very obvious that they were changing into something more than they once were. Does this make the album bad? Hell no! From the moment I first heard Type-O Negative, I knew that I would thoroughly enjoy Gothic Metal, and A Fallen Temple is no different. There’s still a Death Metal aspect lurking on this record, but a short time later it would effective be gone (More on that in the next album).

Best Track? Bit of a time between Marble Smiling Face, and the re-release bonus track The Last Time. The former is a blatant Gothic Metal track. The only thing that kept it from completely sliding into goth territory is Antoniou’s vocal work, which is still firmly routed in their Death Metal origins. The later is a curious song: taken off of a Paradise Lost tribute/compilation album, it is an incredible cover of the track from the previously mentioned band. It doesn’t completely follow the letter, but Septicflesh follow the spirit of the song to a T!

Marble Smiling Face

The Last Time

Another good plus for A Fallen Temple is the complete redo & re-recording of their classic EP, Temple of the Lost Race. Minus the track Another Reality, the EP tracks are crisper, cleaner, and more modern sounding (At that time) than they were in 1990. If I had any complaint, it would be that listening to the EP, then listening to the tracks here, creates a lot of whiplash for anyone not suspecting anything. Apart from that, great tunes!

Worst Track? This marks the first time that any song from the band isn’t good, and by extension anything bad about Septicflesh as a whole. We’re given a series of 2 songs (Technically 3 if you have the re-release), each of which are classified as Underworld Act x (See below). On the one hand, they’re incredibly atmospheric & operatic, and give A Fallen Temple some more personality. On the other hand, they’re really big time fillers. Act I is nearly 8 minutes, and Act II is almost 9 minutes. These two aren’t horrifically long, but Act III is the biggest culprit of filler. Clocking in at almost 11 minutes, it really will test your patience, despite how strangely elegant it is.

Underworld - Act I

Underworld - Act II

Underworld - Act III

A Fallen Temple. Further evolving into something incredibly gothic, it retains just enough of the band’s past that you don’t forget where they first came from. If you prefer more Gothic Metal than Death Metal, A Fallen Temple might just be for you. Next album!

Revolution DNA (1999)

Original

Re-Release

Far in a way the oddest & strangest Septicflesh album, is little old Revolution DNA. Released sometime in 1999, Revolution DNA is the only time that the band ever went full-blown Gothic & Industrial Metal. A sliver of Death Metal remained, but overall, goth & industrial. The album was also special for the change in vocals: a much larger emphasis on clean vocals & death growls being largely replaced by a less intense, spoken-rasped style. These two elements mixed together create what is perhaps Septicflesh’s cleanest sounding album to date, vocally & instrumentally. In a weird way, this change has also allowed Revolution DNA to age incredibly well also.

Best Track? Like I said in my review, I gotta give it to Last Stop To Nowhere as the best track of this album. It’s a highly repetitive track, what with it’s repeating beats, rhythm, and vocal work. However, it’s repetition happens to be the song’s biggest strength, lending plenty of personality & atmosphere. The song tells the tale of a spirit waiting in what seems like an abandoned train station, waiting for the next train to take him somewhere. Given the name of the track, it seems like he doesn’t go to where he wants.

Last Stop To Nowhere

Worst Track? Also like I said in my review for this album, Android is the only bad song on here. While it’s not necessarily an abomination, it comes across as nothing more than a glorified time stretcher. Coupled with the annoying raspy singing, it’s really a track to avoid, but at the same time won’t waste your time.

Android

This next fault comes with the flavor of the album. Revolution DNA comes across as the least Septicflesh sounding album. Though there are still moments where you can hear Death Metal come through, it’s incredibly obvious that is uses those moments as supplements, and instead goes heavily down the Gothic & Industrial Metal route. For many Septicflesh fans (Including me) this is actually lends to it’s identity, and creates a really atmospheric CD. For purists who aren’t fond of the band being experimental, and want their Septicflesh in their Death Metal suit, they’ll want to steer clear.

While not a fault anymore, for the longest time Revolution DNA wasn’t available for purchase. The band managed to re-released their first 4 albums earlier this decade, but it seemed like this album was forgotten. Due to this, prices for this album were pretty high in some cases. I managed to snag an original copy (Used) off of amazon around May of last year for about $66.66 (Excluding tax), which was on the low side as far as pricing was concerned. Not long after I bought it, it was announced that it would finally get re-released, and I immediately facepalmed hard. Sidenote: the re-release of the album is of the 2005 re-release, and that version had 3 bonus tracks. I actually found this a little depressing, though at the same time I thought it was refreshing to see an album as classic as this come back.

Revolution DNA. A simply bizarre record that somehow manages to be incredibly endearing at the same time. If you like your Death Metal more on the Gothic & Industrial side of things, then this record is for you. Next album!

Sumerian Daemons (2003)

By the early 2000s, tensions between the members of Septicflesh were at an all time high. Some members were just tired of the band, while some of the others wanted to pursue solo projects and the like. It was this kind of environment that Sumerian Daemons was crafted & released. Emerging onto the scene on February the 18th of 2003, Sumerian Daemons is something of a puzzling album to me. I enjoyed their Gothic/Industrial phase of the late 90s, and to a certain degree I hoped they would stay that way. Instead, Septicflesh partially returned to their Death Metal roots, while simultaneously holding onto much of their Ophidian Wheel-to-Revolution DNA stylings. This left me conflicted about the record, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

Best Track? Hands down it’s Faust! Long before I ever enjoyed Septicflesh, much less understand the fans of Death Metal, this track really struck a cord with me. I’ve always been a fan of the Faustus tale, and the band really did the story justice. Incredibly dramatic & emotional, the band puts on a heavy Death Metal coat of paint, while at the same time never losing sight of the source material

Faust

Worst Track? If Sumerian Daemons had any problem, it would be the incredible identity crisis it suffers from. Some songs sound like their patented brand of Death Metal, while others come across as either purely gothic or industrial, and a few more seem like holdovers from Revolution DNA. As a result, I’m not sure how to look at this album, nor do I know what to identify it as genre wise.

Sumerian Daemons. My least favorite album, and the one I’m least likely to think about, but not a bad album. If you want an experience similar to Revolution DNA, give this release a go. Now like I said earlier, tensions within the band were at the highest they’ve ever been. So, everybody went their separate ways, with some of them doing personal projects, and for a majority of the 2000s we didn’t hear a peep about the band. However, by the late 200s they would reform, and the offering they would give us not long after made for an incredible comeback. So let’s all go to church......and receive a little communion.

Communion (2008)

I know I know, that pun was bad, but I kinda wanted to use it. After their short breakup, they reformed in 2007, with a renewed energy coursing through their veins, and a new style of Death Metal as well. Acquiring the services of the Prague Filmharmonic Orchestra (Arranged by Christos Antoniou), Septicflesh would travel down the path that most modern fans would eventually come to know. The path in question known as Symphonic Death Metal, and their first offering on this path is Communion. Released on March 18, 2008, the band setout to conjure ancient myths once again. According to guitarist Sotiris Vayenas, the album title means something like "communication with non-human entities". He went on to say that:

“This kind of strange fellowship is shrouded by mystery and reported during different eras and on various parts of the world. There are even sacred rites on many different religions to symbolize this "communication"”

Best Track? Lovecraft’s Death! Much like Faust from the previous album, this is a great tribute to a literarily legend. In this case, it’s an ode to the master of cosmic horror. Upon listening to the first few seconds, it feels like you’re being dragged under the ocean waves by some eldritch horror, only to resurface in the midst of a congregation of alien entities from beyond. If Lovecraft were to listen to this, I think he would be proud.

Lovecraft’s Death

Worst Track? While a great return to the Death Metal scene, and with the addition of the symphonic element creates a more unique experience, Communion’s identity isn’t perfect. Despite being Symphonic Death Metal, the record comes across as more Death Metal, and not enough symphonics were used throughout the album. Luckily, this doesn’t ruin the quality of the album, and it doesn’t shake my faith in Septicflesh in any way.

Communion. A wonderful return to the metal scene, but a lop-sided return at the same time. If you want your Death Metal more on the artistic side of things, then give Communion a go. Next album!

The Great Mass (2011)

Communion, while a great album in it’s own right, still had to get a little extra juice behind it. We would receive this juice 3 years later on April the 18th, with the arrival of The Great Mass. Once again acquiring the services of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, The Great Mass was highly praised by both fans of Septicflesh & music critics, and got the right amount of “Oomph” behind it. Something that Communion lacked in the minds of some fans. For me, The Great Mass is a bloodthirsty affair: equal parts brutal & elegant, The Great Mass will fulfill the desire that Communion may not have. To be perfectly honest though, I enjoy both this album and it’s predecessor. Each album has pluses & minuses that complement each other, and listening from back to back, The Great Mass really lives up to it’s name.

Best Track? The Vampire From Nazareth comes to mind when I think of The Great Mass. Much like Destroying the Manger from Nocturnus, this song tickles the blasphemous side of me. As you can kind of tell by the song name, The Vampire From Nazareth tells the tale of a very different kind of Jesus. One that came from Nazareth like the bible, only this one seeks the blood of victims instead of the redemption & conversion of those around him. This sounds like the premise of an interesting horror novel, and it’s a shame that no-one’s ever tried to write it.

The Vampire From Nazareth

Worst Track? Like Communion, The Great Mass suffers the same imbalanced personality problem as the prior record, but this time in reverse. Whereas Communion relied on too much Death Metal & not enough symphonics, this CD relies on too much symphonics & not enough Death Metal. The Great Mass is still a great album regardless, although at the same time is still a lop-sided affair.

The Great Mass. Another lop-sided affair, but still makes for a great listen to. If you liked Communion, you’ll probably like this record as well. Next album!

Titan (2014)

Every band has an album that, from the moment you first listen to it, you know that said band can retire. An album that’s just perfect, and acts as a wonderful capstone to a group’s career. For Septicflesh, that album’s name is Titan. Put out on June the 20th, 2014, Titan was released to universal acclaim by fans, and was the album that finally got me to enjoy Death Metal & understand the fans of the genre for a bit. For Septicflesh themselves, this was a bit of a trial by fire. After the monolith that was The Great Mass, there was a lot of pressure put on the band to make an album that would eclipse it, and somehow they managed to do it. The highest charting position for the record happened to be in the U.S., where it reached number 7 on the US Top Heatseekers chart (An aspect of the Billboard 100). Ironically, the album fared the worst in Belgium, where it managed to get to 191 on the country’s Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) list (Although it’s French counterpart managed to fare far better, as it landed at 99). Regardless of position, Titan is the definitive album to get into Septicflesh, and it still has me wrapped around it's finger.

Best Track? Like I stated by in my review for the album in 2015, Burn is hand’s down the single best track of Titan. Though pretty much every song in wonderful to listen to, it’s the 2nd track of the album that constantly brings me back. The Death Metal is superb, and the symphonics are wonderful, but it’s that hint of Speed Metal that really brings it all together into an incredible package. As a personal joke, I officially made Burn the unofficial track for when I read Monster Musume. Don’t knock it till you try it!

Burn

Worst Track? Absolutely nothing! Titan is an absolute masterpiece, and if you remember my top 5 albums of 2014 post (Read Here), you’ll recall that I placed it at number 1, and I still stand by that. Unlike the previous 2 albums, Septicflesh solved the unbalancing issues from their previous 2 releases, and crafted an album with a solid identity & enduring power. Titan: I loved it back when it first came out, and I still enjoy it over 3 years later. Exceedingly recommended! Next Album!

Codex Omega (2017)

I’m legitimately conflicted on this album. On the one hand, Septicflesh’s most recent release isn’t bad. Far from it! It has the high quality of the previous 3 releases, and is an enjoyable entry into the Septicflesh library. The symphonies are great, and the Death Metal is delicious as all ways. Where I come into conflict with Codex Omega is it’s identity......mainly for the fact that it has none! This album is all over the place: some songs sound like they’re from Communion, other from The Great Mass, and a few from Titan. Does this impact the quality? It doesn’t, but I found this album to be confusing to me when I was trying to pin down what it wanted to be. With all that aside, I still found myself smiling by the time I was done, and you might be smiling too when you’re done.

Best Track? Dark Art comes across as the most Titan-esque track on the album, and thus I found myself enjoying the most when compared to everything else. Though it bends slightly more towards the symphonic side of things, there’s still an incredible balance to everything in the song. The rhythm is nice, and overall is just something fun to listen to.

Dark Art

Worst Track? Once again, Codex Omega’s only flaw is the identity crisis it suffers from. It’s like 3 tigers fighting each other, and none of them can seem to overtake anybody else. As one commenter on Youtube said, “It’s like they’re trying to go for the dark & edgy release”. While I don’t quite agree with that, I can see that in the intensity of some songs for a bit.   

Codex Omega. All over the place personality wise, but the quality is still top notch. What else can I say but give this album a go.

So that was my look at Septicflesh. Producing some of the finest records since the 90s, they show no signs of stopping anytime soon. I hope that even one of the band’s albums enticed you to their flock, or at the very least planted the seeds of fandom in your mind. With Halloween now in the books, the last two months of the year are now upon us, and that’s means the final posts of 2017. I’ll see you later this week for perhaps the strangest festival I’ve done so far. See you soon!



***
If you’re curious about my prior reviews from this band, take a look below.

Titan (Review)

Revolution DNA (Review)

Food For Thought/Though For Food No. 7: Monster Musume.....Profound?

Hello everybody, and welcome to another Food for Thought/Thought for Food!

Don’t worry, this isn’t like my past six of these where I’m ranting & raving like a madman. This time around, I’m mixing the serious with the fun for this one. As you can tell by the title, I’m bring back Monster Musume for this one. As silly as it sounds, there might be more going on in this series about monster girls & fan-service than it’s fans think. Anyways, I want to try out a little thought experiment with you. Tell me what you see below.

If you answered a “Girl”, you’re obviously correct. Now look at this.

If you answered “Girl” again, you’re still correct! Now let’s change it up slightly. Look at this.

A few of you may have hesitated for a sec. This happens to be a good friend of mine, and as you can see, she’s a plus-sized cosplayer. A damn good one at that! Sadly however, some nimrods on the internet might not see her as such. Changes are they would probably describe her in more.....colorful terms. Regardless, if any of you answered “Girl” yet again, you’re thinking the right way. Now, let’s change it up a bit more this time. Tell me what you see below.

I sensed hesitation in some of you. Let’s try again. Tell me what you see below.

More hesitation. Let’s try one more time. What do you see below?

I sense an immense amount of hesitation.....and I can understand why. Monster Girls have always been a source of curiosity & fear in fiction, whether it’s from the West or from the East. Monster Musume certainly has a lot of curiosity and fear within it’s pages. How do I know? Cause I was quite curious & fearful myself when I once heard about this series myself!

When I had first heard about this manga from a friend of mine, I have to admit I was a little hesitant to start reading. Beforehand on my journeys through the internet, my experience with monster girls was.......unpleasant, to say the least. Especially when it came to particular species, I really never felt attracted to them, as I always thought they were.....ugly. I admit this freely! I thought monster girls were ugly! So, one day, I decided to bite the bullet, and read what was currently available from fan translations (The site I frequent for this series, I believe they were up to chapter 22 at the time). I don’t know if time passed by so quickly, or I was having too much fun, but I had read everything. Let me repeat........everything! I hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed a manga like this in a while at that time. The story was simple but cute (With a surprising amount of intrigue as well), the art was nice, the characters were fun, and the girls.....were cute & sexy! It really took me by surprise, and once it started getting printed in the US/Canada, I began to buy them almost immediately (Connecticon 2014 was where I bought the first 3 volumes). Yes fellow Otaku & Metalheads, my prejudices were completely gone when I was done.......and I’m wondering if that was Okayado Sensei’s plan all along.

For those who might not know, Okayado started doing hentai with monster girls, but it was never horror related or dark. Instead, he treated it as if it was somehow normal that extraspecies girls existed, and they would be with guys. A later version would come out, and effectively laid the foundation for the mainstream series that was to come. Called Monster Girl Report, the artwork became immediately familiar to those that would read Monster Musume later on, and many of the girls in question would also become rather familiar as well. Like his earliest material, Okayado made monster girls somehow normal in the world he created, and didn’t treat them like freaks. Finally, Monster Musume came out, and it painted an interesting picture. A world in which monster girls were quite real, but were denied existence until the Japanese government stepped in, and created an accord that allowed said girls to live alongside families in Japan. There’s still plenty of hurdles that have to be jumped over, but it seems that it’s working at the moment. So how does this involve shattering perceptions, prejudices, and opinions?

Simple! The world of Monster Musume is a fantastical world, and seeing monster girls basically everywhere is extraordinary, but the system that lets this happen......isn’t perfect. Despite monster girls & humanity existing side by side, the transition isn’t a perfect one. There’s still plenty of prejudice, human law can’t go after liminal criminals thanks to loopholes in the accord, and liminals can’t harm humans (And vice versa). Despite the incredible fantasy that’s involved, there seems to be a hint of realism involved, and at times allegories to racism crop up. Even if they aren’t hated for what they are, people sometimes look at the girls with glances that aren’t completely sensitive. It’s entirely possible that I’m reading a little too much into things, and I’m potentially seeing things that I want to see......but I swear that there’s something else gone on, and I got the examples to prove it.

Let’s start off with an early incident. In chapter 2, Miia & Kimihito are out in town, seeing the sights & getting Miia slowly adjusted to how humans live in modern times. It goes well for the most part, till the pair bump into 2 individuals, and said individuals immediately start to harass Miia. Getting angry, she almost slaps them with her tail, and Kimihito gets in the way so she doesn’t get in trouble. This in turn causes a small crowd to form, and they begin to take pictures. Getting embarrassed, the two make their way towards a safe spot, which reluctantly is a love hotel. They manage to make it inside, and for a bit they’re safe. Then....this moment happens.

This.....is a rather awkward moment. A day of happiness, ruined by two obnoxious jerks. To further the awkwardness, Miia momentarily thinks that Kimihito is only being kind because of the law. This causes her to get naked, and essentially leave herself vulnerable for Kimihito to  do.....basically anything to her. This hard to be hard for her. To essentially bare all because of fear. To Luckily, Kimihito was able to be Miia’s bearer of vengeance, as those 2 that were picking on them earlier happen to show up at the hotel, only for Kimihito to punch them into oblivion. After going home & getting patched up, she approaches Kimihito, and....well, take a look below for something rather heartwarming.

Next up takes place a little further into the manga. By this point we’ve got a host of girls at the house: Miia the Lamia, Papi the Harpy, Cerea the Centaur, Suu the Slime, and Mero the Mermaid. After a rather unsightly encounter with a creepy film director, we see said director retreat back to his dingy warehouse, and we also catch a glimpse of who would eventually become the 6th girl to move into Kimihito’s house, Rachnera the Arachne. After catching him on his way home from groceries, she then takes him to what might be the same warehouse as previously mentioned, and has her way with him. After finally getting down, Kimihito gets her to open up about why she’s doing what she’s doing. After a little bit, we get this.

This is actually a pretty intense moment. Rachnera, after an awful time at her original homestay & the duplicity of the situation, has come to dislike humanity. After a simple kind gesture from Kimihito (Another plus for Monster Musume: it knows how to use the right kind of comedy & kindness to reduce tension), she warms up to him. Maybe not every other person, but the fact that she opens up to one kind human, means she doesn’t completely believe in her own anti-human belief.

Next point is a little bit after this. By now we’ve got the main cast relatively in tact. 6 girls, and one guy. Things seem to be okay, until Kimihito receives a threatening letter from a sender who only calls themselves D. Realizing that he could be in trouble, the girls & M.O.N. take turns keeping an eye on him for signs of D showing up. On the 3rd attempt, we’ve got Centorea & Manako watching Kimihito’s back, and it doesn’t go exactly as planned. A devil named Lilith (Who oddly enough looks like a kid) shows up, and causes all sorts of trouble. Cerea gets the brunt of things, as Lilith hypnotizes her into being a little pervy with Kimihito. Things progress, till a wild boar of all things shows up. It manages to chase off Lilith, only for it to go after Kimihito instead! As a centaur’s charge, Cerea comes in and gives the boar a good beating. Though he thanks her for rescuing him, Centorea actually breaks down, and we get this dialogue.

This is......pretty touching actually. All throughout her life, she was raised to be a knight, and to protect her charge by any means necessary. With the exchange program, Cerea is given an opportunity to try something new and expand her horizon. Even when she became Kimihito’s servant, a new world was opened up to her. Sadly, it seems like the more she tries to learn new things, the more the old ways seem to come back into her life. After protecting Kimihito, she becomes incredibly insecure and immediately begins doubting herself. Luckily, Kimihito comes to the rescue, and offers his usual kind words of wisdom.

Finally, we come to a relatively recent point in the manga. At this point, we have a solid harem, and met numerous other main characters & side characters. It seems like Kimihito might finally have some peace, but per usual it seems, other girls come & chaos ensues. The first is a Killer Bee girl, who seeks out Kimihito as part of her plan to get back at Rachnera, and then a Mushroom girl found her way to his house due to Papi wanting her to be a friend. Those 2 situations were easy to solve, but the 3rd girl (Later discovered to be a vampire) took a bit of time to work on. Thinking the entire household was in danger, Agent Smith moved them to the most unlikely of places......an Interspecies expo (Think Comic Con, but with Monster Girls & Monster People).

In a move to find the 3rd girl, they had Kimihito act as a decoy for her by participating at a selection meeting for monster girls that require blood to survive. First there was a Leech girl (Be afraid), then a Mosquito girl with Gyaru looks, and finally a Lamprey variation of a Mermaid. During this time, Papi wanders around the expo, until she bumps into a rather strange girl, who’s later revealed to be the vampire. It’s discovered that Papi knew her by the group, and so they used her to try & find the vampire. It doesn’t work, and in the confusion of trying to find the vampire, Kimihito is kidnapped by her. Papi manages to find the vampire (Real name is Curie) later on, and perhaps one of the most touching moments in the series is shown to us. Spoiler alert: extreme moments of warm & fuzzy.

Papi is perhaps one of the most charming & adorable characters in Monster Musume for 2 reasons. One, she’s cute & fun-sized. She immediately induces the urge for people to smile, laugh, and even hug one another. The other positive about Papi is just how kind & friendly she is. She doesn’t care if you’re a boy or girl. Human or Liminal. Young or Old. Papi doesn’t care about the outside of a person. She looks inside instead of outside, and always cares for somebody despite her own memory issues. The world could learn a lot from this kind & caring harpy.

So what’s the point I’m trying to make with all of this? The point I’m trying to make is that....maybe we just need to treat people like they want to be treated. Maybe, despite ethnicity, religion, or even age, we’re all the same underneath. We all have the same colored blood, muscle, and organs underneath our skin & bones. The whole world is full of anger & hate, and if even a sliver of it was removed from the world, then maybe something is done right. Think about it: imagine if monster girls were actually real. Just imagine at how horribly they would be treated by so many hateful individuals. Imagine the horror if monster girls appeared in the United States! Given who the current president is, I hate to think what would happen. Maybe, just maybe, Monster Musume is a guide on how to be a decent person. Despite all the silliness & fan service, maybe it has a lesson or two to teach.
                               
So this was my 7th Food For Thought/Thought For Food. Covering a more lighthearted subject, I hope I made some kind of point with this post, and I hope I can actually do more sunnier versions of this series in the future. In the meantime, Halloween is next week, and I got an overview that’s just perfect for the occasion. See you then!






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If you’ve got the time, check out this interview from The Anime Man a few months back with Okayado Sensei himself. Much like Monster Musume, it’s creator is more surprising than you think.

Okayado (Anime Man Interview)

The Top 5 Greatest Anime Chests (For Breast Cancer Awareness)

Happy October so far, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Though this month is known for tricks & treats, spooks, and other ghoulish delights, October is known for something a little more somber. As most if not everybody in the United States knows, this month also happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness month. A rather depressive time, we often look back at those that went through the disease & made it out okay, or sadly had their lives taken by suck a horrible sickness. It’s a disease that’s truly horrific, and something that I hope goes away in the future.

To have a sliver of fun with this, let’s take a look at some of the best chests the anime world has to offer. Not treasure chests mind you, but some of the best pairs of breasts the land of the rising sun has blessed this earth with! I know this seems like I’m making something serious into something trivial, but I figure that by doing this post, I can lend a bit of positivity to something that’s incredibly serious. In my view, the bleakest of times needs even a sliver of light, and I think that this posts suits the mood. Without further adieu, here are what I consider to be the top 5 greatest anime chests of all time. Enjoy the bouncy!

5) Faye Valentine - Cowboy Bebop

First up is a character that’s something of a paradox in my mind. The spitfire of the Bebop crew, Faye Valentine is indeed quite sexy, but at the same time can be rather prudish in a weird way. Her standard outfit reveal a lot, but she doesn’t bring people in with her looks unless it’s necessary. Given that her top conveniently fits her breasts, and shows the right amount of cleavage, it weird at how stuck up she can be. Regardless, Faye Valentine definitely has a nice chest for an old-school anime. Speaking of old school......

4) Ryoko Habuki - Tenchi Muyo OVA

I don’t think a conversation about fan service can not include this character. The OVA for Tenchi Muyo is pretty important to the harem genre on a historical level, as it laid the foundation for future shows in it’s style, and the formula of harem characters. There’s always a sexy one in the group, and Ryoko Habuki, daughter of mad scientist Washu, is perhaps one of the sexiest old-school girls around. Constantly trying to get it on with Tenchi, and constantly fighting her rival Ayeka, Ryoko is a woman that’s hot.....and she knows it. She knows how to use her mind, and she definitely knows how to use her body. Give the numerous times she wears clothes that complement her cleavage, it’s obvious that she wants Tenchi to look at her, and only her. I can respect that.

3) Carrera - Viper GTS ***

I seem to find it necessary to include at least one hentai character on this list, and believe it or not, this was actually the hardest spot on the list to pick. I was wondering for days as to who would take this spot, then from out of nowhere, Viper GTS popped into my head. It’s a weird, quirky, silly, but also has a huge fun factor at the same time. Though there are a trio of girls, the best out of the 3 is Carrera. The girl that gets the most screen time, Carrera is a girl that’s equal parts sexy & fun, she certainly knows how to handle a man. Given her ample bosom, it’s no surprise that she obtained so many human souls. Though all the other girls are nice, Carrera is definitely on top.

2) Rangiku Matsumoto - Bleach

In a manner similar to my number one situation, it was a tough choice to pick which girl from the iconic shonen show should go here. There are a bevy of gorgeous girls & women throughout Bleach, so picking one was a challenge. That being said, my preference for the assistant of captain Hitsugaya immediately came to mind. In a weird way Rangiku shares a trait with Ryoko: that being they both know they’re gorgeous. However, the big difference between the two is than Rangiku uses her looks all the time. On the guys, and even on girls sometimes. It doesn’t matter who, as long as there’s something she wants. You know she uses her looks a lot, when you consider how she wears her uniform. With her front revealing not too much, but enough that you get the impression that there’s something gorgeous & sexy underneath. She can also back up her looks with how she fights. Nothing wrong with that!

1) Tio - Monster Musume

To be perfectly honest, I could have chosen just about any of the girls. Whether the choice was one of my favorites or not, it doesn’t matter. That being said, if there was a girl who has a a body that matches her inside, it would be M.O.N.’s resident ogre, Tio. On the outside, Tio is huge. With a breast size that goes all the way to P cup, it’s easy to see why chest fans (Including yours truly), would give this 7 foot 4 cutie a look. However, that would be doing Tio a disservice. While her outside is indeed something to look at, it’s her heart that makes everything come together. Despite her strength, Tio is an incredibly loving person, always thinking about those around her. She’s also incredibly girly, and unfortunately is not always the smartest in a group. Despite that, Tio is a girl with a chest to match her heart, and I can always appreciate that.
   
So those were my top 5 greatest anime chests. Again, I know this post is a little juvenile, but I thought it was appropriate give that Breast Cancer Awareness always crops up this month. To be a little serious, if you know someone that went through Breast Cancer & lived, or is still suffering through it, give them a loving hug. This disease is no laughing matter, and the sooner it’s eradicated, the better! In the meantime, we’ve got more fiendish delights on the docket, so seen you towards the end of the month, when I’ll be putting up a Food For Though/Thought For Food that’s....not full of swearing & rage?




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All of the main girls are named after Italian sports cars.....odd name choices if you as me.

Lego Island: 20th Birthday & Retrospective

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I’d like to take a quick break from the spooks & fog, and decide to delve into our childhood. A time where we didn’t have a screwed-up world, entertainment still had some amount of intelligence, and video games weren’t tainted by social politics. The game series I’m looking at today is, in my opinion, pure childhood innocence. Taking a classic toy & putting it into virtual reality, it somehow became an immediate classic. So open your toychest, take out some of your favorite pieces, and enjoy my look at the iconic Lego Island series. Let’s begin!

Lego Island (1997)

Taken from the game’s Wikipedia page:

“In 1996, Lego invested nearly $2 million in the development of video games featuring their famous brick-based models. Toy manufacturers like Lego were increasingly threatened by the video game market, motivating Lego to get a foothold in that market.

Lego Island was developed by Mindscape, using Microsoft's DirectX software to design 3D environments.

The SW developers on the project when the product was shipped were Jim Brown, Randy Chou (3D algorithms, general programming), Alex Goldobin (path algorithm) and Eric Ellis joined the project late. Gary Clayton provided the sound design, voice recording and score. Post-production was done at Russian Hill Recording in San Francisco.

Originally, the game was to be part of a series, with five other games planned, including Beneath the Phanta Sea (this was the sea where Lego Island was located) and an archaeological game called Dig. Jenkins later worked on a pilot for a Lego TV series which included some Lego Island characters.”

Reception for Lego Island was pretty immense back in the late 90s. It was the 11th best selling game in 97, with 323,085 units sold. A year later, it climbed up all the way to the 7th best selling spot, with an additional 404,858 unit sales, and it’s revenue in 1998 alone was over $10.2 million. The game also won numerous awards, with the Interactive Achievement Awards in 1997 with the "Family Game of the Year" award, the "Best Kid Title of the Year" award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,  Family PC gave the game it’s “Top-Rated Virtual Toy” award, Family Life bestowed it’s "Critic's Choice" award upon the game, and Home PC gave Lego Island it’s kid testers' "Reviewer's Choice" stamp of approval.

As for the story.....well, there really isn’t one. Actually, that’s not completely true. If you happen to pick Pepper (More on characters below), you gain a special quest. You’re tasked with delivering a pizza to the Island’s only bad guy, the Brickster. After breaking the lock to his cell from the fumes of the pizza (Irony moment: there’s a “No Pizza” sign right by the jail), he gets out & steals the police helicopter (Irony moment 2: the helicopter is parked right by the cell), and for all intensive purposes causes havoc all over the island. I would go on, but I would be spoiling perhaps the silliest manhunt in video game history.

Best Aspect? Ease of learning is Lego Island’s biggest strength. If you put a kid in front of the screen, they will learn how things work almost instantly. They’ll learn each of the character’s nuances (There are 5 lego people you can pick & play as, and you can switch between each anytime you want) immediately, they’ll catch onto each of the minigames’s rules, and they’ll get the flow of things at the drop of a hat. It’s this easiness that probably endeared the gameplay to children that had the game back in 1997.

Next positive is the humor & atmosphere, and this is perhaps my favorite component of Lego Island. This game isn’t dark or grimy at all: everything is sunny, colorful, bright, and incredibly cheery. The lego people & buildings coming to life can only be something from a child’s innocent imagination (Or an adult that still had some innocence to them), and the humor is cute & silly, with a surprising amount of unpredictability as to when something goofy happens. This unpredictability doles out the humor really well, as you’re not assaulted with a horde of jokes, but instead they’re given out at an even pace. Lots of kids games constantly do silly things, but to see a game with even some restraint is impressive.

Last positive of Lego Island is the soundtrack. I know, the soundtrack for a kids game a positive? In fact, yes! Lego Island has surprisingly good music going on in the background. Though the audio quality hasn’t completely aged well, there’s still an incredible amount of charm to it. Instrumental tracks make up a majority of the music, but there are a small few with vocals. The tracks with vocals also lend to the humor of the game, as they’re pretty silly in their own right. In a weird way, the music is also pretty peaceful, and would probably help you relax or get some light work done. Brick by brick, tock by tick!

Lego Island Soundtrack

Worst Aspect? Age. Good lord has this game aged horribly! Though it was something impressive back in 1997, by today’s standards it’s exceedingly basic. Dating game design, equally dated graphics, and it’s all-around basic nature really get in it’s way when compared to games in 2017 (Including other Lego games). It’s a shame, as it’s really easy to learn how everything works in Lego Island. For kids, and especially for adults.

The only other fault with Lego Island is how it runs. Due to it’s odd design, the game will run faster outside of 10 frames per minute (Check out the link I put way below) if there’s any technology in the computer that pushes things beyond. I really can’t explain it, as I’m honestly not the best with computers. To make it a little easy, check out both playthroughs below to see what I mean.

Lego Island Walkthrough (Slow/Normal)

Lego Island Walkthrough (Fast/Modern)

Lego Island. Maybe on the dated side, but it’s simplicity & charm are truly endearing. Definitely something to try if you can find it. Next game!

Lego Island 2: The Brickster’s Revenge (2001)

With the success of Lego Island, it seemed only natural that a sequel would get developed. What no-one realized was that Mindscape would sadly not be at the development & publishing helm. Instead, the development would be done by Silicon Dreams Studio & Crawfish Interactive, and the game would be published exclusively by Lego Software. Released on the 30th of March in 2001 on PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Gameboy Color, and on the 2nd of October in the same year on the Gameboy Advance. The reception for Lego Island 2 is......less than stellar. Many sources back in 2001 gave it average to less-than-average scores, with 6's to 5's out of 10 on some reviews being the norm. The most damning review came from Pocket Magazine/Pockett Videogames’s review of the Game Boy Advance version, giving it just 1 star out of 5. Eeesh!

This time around....we have more of a story weirdly enough. Instead of picking from 5 lego people, we’re just in the shoes of Pepper from beginning to end. Things seem to be restored after the Brickster’s crime spree from the first game, but almost immediately things go south when Pepper, once again, delivers a pizza to his cell. The Brickster escapes once again, and steals the Constructopedia (A tome for constructing on Lego Island) to destroy it. After scattering the pages, it’s up to Pepper to get them back to restore stability. It wasn’t just the island that these pages were scattered on, but other lego worlds, and with bad guys that have managed to side with the Brickster to cause even more havoc. Needless to say, it’s pretty silly.

Best Aspect? The lego island we get in this game is far larger than before. In the original game it definitely was an island, but it may have been a bit on the small side for some kids. With this one, it’s much more expanded, and as such there’s more places to explore. In addition to the island, there’s a medieval world, an Egyptian world, and finally a space setting to conclude the game. All of these places aren’t available at first, as you have to complete various tasks & minigames in order to get to these zones. Speaking of which.....

The Brickster’s Revenge has a lot more for the player to do than in the original Lego Island. You have the activities to do on the mail island, but you’ve got jousting & repairing a bridge in the medieval world, helping an archaeological dig in the Egyptian setting, and making pizzas in space. These are just a small selection of the minigames that the player is given, and there’s plenty to do to progress through the main story. Heck, the first thing you do when you get in the game is to deliver pizzas to various inhabitants of the island, and they give you pieces to create your house. The house acts as a storehouse for the various minigames to replay at anytime, and shows off your various accomplishments. The first game shows your wins from the various minigames, but this one seems to make it feel a little more like you’ve done something this time around.

Finally, an improvement over the original Lego Island would be the graphics. While I wouldn’t call them a massive improvement, it’s obvious that things look much better in The Brickster’s Revenge. The whole lego ascetic is still apparent in this game, but there’s better texture work in this game’s engine. Really don’t have much more to say strangely enough.

Worst Aspect? Couple of things that kind of weigh down the positives, and the first is the gameplay. Despite having more things to do, at the same time the expansion almost removes the simplicity from the first game. There’s a lot of stuff to do, but it’s strangely tedious as the same time. I should be enjoying how much more the development team expanded Lego Island in this game, but I’m not for some reason.

My second complaint comes with the graphics. In the original game everything looked liked legos. Maybe not the land, but pretty much everything else looks like it was made from legos. When it comes to the lego people....for the most part they still look like such. It’s really their faces that irks me. Something about them seems off & less cartoonish, and I don’t know if it’s just me, but they might have added a hint of realism. Let me repeat.....a hint.

My last complaint deals with the subject of bugs. Though I don’t recall any with my original playthrough from way back, upon further research there were some problems. Graphic & audio clipping, stuttering, long load times, etc. More than the other two points, it’s really the bugs that get in the way of this game’s success.....although to be perfectly honest, it’s the bugs & everything else that damage this game’s potential.

Almost forgot. Here’s a playthrough of Lego Island 2 if you’re interested.

Lego Island 2: The Brickster’s Revenge

Lego Island 2. Simultaneously fun yet unnecessary, it might appeal to some people, but it didn’t quite do so with me. Recommended nowhere near as much as the original title. Next game!

Island Extreme Stunts (2002)

With average to less-than-favorable reviews, it seemed like a 3rd game would never get made. However, a year later a third game would indeed come out. With Silicon Dreams Studio at the development helm again (Crawfish Interactive closed in 2002), and the publishing being done by both Lego Interactive & Electronic Arts. The game had a wide variety of release dates in the United States: September 22nd on Playstation 2, November the 15th on Gameboy Advance, and finally on the 30th of November for PC. The reception for Island Extreme Stunts is faaaaaarrrr better than The Brickster’s Revenge. Over on Metacritic the PC version is at 71 & the PS2 version at 63. Playstation Magazine gave the game a 70, stating that "there's surprising depth and lots to do for a younger crowd. It's perfect for an under-13 gamer". IGN was a little more critical with it’s look at Island Extreme Stunts, saying there are much better titles for children, but at the same time isn’t necessarily an abomination.

Once again, we’ve got a story strangely enough. As Wikipedia states:

“Pepper Roni has been cast as the lead in an action movie being filmed on Lego Island (appropriately titled "Xtreme Stunts") and the Brickster (who had somehow made it back to Lego Island) has been released from jail after he claimed to have reformed and is now playing a part of the film. After performing a motorbike jump through a large poster as a publicity stunt, he is then taken to the first scene where he performs a high-speed freeway car chase after the Brickster, who has been ironically cast as the main villain of the film. Upon completion, Pepper is given free roam of Lego Island, allowing him to explore and complete side missions as he continues the film in other locations throughout the island. As the player makes more progress in missions, it becomes more and more apparent that the Brickster has plans of his own, and later he kidnaps the Infomaniac and reveals his tower that his Brickster-Bots have built and has made a supercomputer that will disassemble the entire world. Pepper naturally comes to the rescue while the host tries to shut down the supercomputer. He once again outwits and imprisons the Brickster while the supercomputer was instead reprogrammed to disassemble the tower, allowing the film to be completed and released on schedule (which the player is able to view upon completion of the game). In the end Pepper has access to all areas of the island, allowing him to redo scenes of the movie and different tasks.”

Best Aspect? Depending on how you look at it, one aspect that’s positive is the gameplay. Apart from a small few things (More on this in a sec), the gameplay within Extreme Stunts remains largely the same as that of Lego Island 2. You wander the island, play minigames, and progress the story to unlock more activities. What is different is the vibe & pacing of the game: as one person on Youtube put it, Extreme Stunts is GTA for kids, and I can see why he’d say that. There’s a variety of vehicle for you to use, you got a radio that plays various songs (Legocentric songs, of course), and there’s little Easter eggs & goodies all over to collect. This does change how the game feels, and I gotta admit it’s a welcome one (Far more than Lego Island 2's gameplay expansion).

The other positive that Extreme Stunts has is it’s graphics. Despite being released a year later, Extreme Stunts looks far better than the game from a year before. There are some parts where the textures seem to come across as LG2's, it’s obvious that things look much better. The animation of everything looks better as well, and even the ocean surrounding the island looks better thank’s to the ripple effect & the more realistic design.

Worst Aspect? Pretty much all of the issues I had with Lego Island 2 seem to have returned here. Strangely unnecessary expanded gameplay, odd graphics changes, and bugs all seem to come back here. Maybe not as bad as TBR, but they’re there. If I had one other complaint to add here, it would be the lack of voice for Pepper. Unlike the previous two games, in Extreme Stunts he really doesn’t say a thing, apart from a few noises he makes. It’s really weird, and comes across as lazy.

Also, here’s a playthrough for those that want to see it.

Island Extreme Stunts

Island Extreme Stunts. Redundant? Maybe, but if you liked Lego Island 2, you might enjoy Extreme Stunts. Recommended, but really only for fans of The Brickster’s Revenge.

And that concludes my look at Lego Island & it’s subsequent titles. A timeless classic in children’s video games, I only hope that the Lego Company realizes that it still has fans, and maybe gives it the modern re-release it rightfully deserves. With that ray of sunshine out of the way, it’s time to continue with the spooky fun of October. See you next week!



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If you want a great review on Lego Island (And the specifics in regards to how the tech runs), check out the link below:

Lego Island (Lazy Game Reviews)