Wrestlemania 20 Review (Review Road To Wrestlemania Part 1)

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

January marks the beginning of the Road to Wrestlemania. This month has the Royal Rumble, and there’s subsequent events in February & March that add to the anticipation. A few weeks before Wrestlemania last year, I dedicated a few posts to something wrestling related. This time around, I’m going to have my own Road to Wrestlemania. I'm doing a wrestling post once a month from January till March, each covering something different, until we reach April for my annual look at Wrestlemania & the subsequent RAW & Smackdown. To start things off, I thought I’d look at an old-school Wrestlemania. One that came out at (What I consider to be) the height of the Ruthless Aggression era, and one that conveniently came out when I finally got back into wrestling itself. It’s ironic that I say that, as I never actually watched today’s subject matter until last month when I got a copy. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at Wrestlemania 20, and see if it’s as good as the fans say it is.

(Two things before I start: First, I’m relying heavily on my memory of the time, and it’s incredibly sketchy. I’m only capable of remembering slivers of what I saw back then, and even that’s not a guarantee! Second, I’ve spoiled myself on the results of some of these matches. Thanks to a link I put at the end of this review, it showed me some of the endings of some matches. Even with that said, I heard things come down the pipeline in regards to some of the bouts. Regardless, I’ve put up predictions as a matter of courtesy. Horribly, but I’ll put them up.)

Matches
John Cena vs Big Show (United States Championship)
Prediction: John Cena
Winner: John Cena

If there one common theme with some of the matches on Wrestlemania 20, it would be predictability. Case in point is the opening bout between the Big Show (Who was U.S. Champion at the time) and John Cena, who seemed like he was a full-blown babyface at this point. The reason why I call this match so predictable is that they seemed to begin pushing Cena hard, on account of going into face-hood. He was still spitting out some beastly rhymes, but now they were geared more towards taking the heels down a notch. The match is definitely appropriate as the opening to Wrestlemania: nothing over-the-top, but filled with some nice action, and an ending that acts as a good way to get the fans to transition into the rest of the show. 

Booker T and Rob Van Dam vs The Dudley Boyz vs Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak vs La Résistance (4-Way World Tag Team Championship)
Prediction: ?
Winner: Booker T & Rob Van Dam

Next up is the 4-Way match for the World Tag Team Championship, and this one was a doozy. You had Booker T & Rob Van Damn as the defending champions, against the ECW classic team that is The Dudley Boyz (Bubby Ray & Devon), the more ground-based pairing of Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak, and the French flavored team that was La Résistance. It was a good match for the most part! While it did seem a little confusing with everybody that was in the ring, it was considerably more clear than a match I’ll talk about later in this review. Aside that, each team brought something to the ring, and put on a hell of a show, with Booker T & Rob Van Damn winning in the end.

Christian vs Jericho (Singles Match)
Prediction: Jericho
Winner: Christian (w outside help from Trish Stratus)

Much like a match later on in this show, the buildup for this bout was over the course of months. In this one, two of the biggest stars at the time were in a storyline friendship, and Trish Stratus seemed to like both guys. All throughout the story, it seemed like both sides were not only having tension between themselves, but with Trish as well. Ironically, the tension between all 3 really didn’t seem to surface until Trish showed up ringside. I’m not saying that beforehand the match was bad, because it wasn’t. Christian & Jericho were some of the biggest high flyers in the early 2000s, and Jericho can still go today! My issues was that the match between the two seemed to be only used once the object of their affection came into the picture. Regardless, the end of the match finally comes, and in a twist, Christian manages to win the match due to help & interference from Trish. To rub more salt in the wound, Jericho is still in the ring, and see his now former best friend & girl embrace & make out.

Evolution vs The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection (3 v 2 Handicap Match)
Prediction: The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection
Winner: Evolution

I had such high hopes for this match. Not because of the quality, cause it was good! Despite it being a handicap match, both sides were able to work with one another, and fed off of each other’s talent. It also helped by the fact that Mick Foley & The Rock are a natural fit, and it was great seeing them together again. However, the infamous Reign of Terror was still going on around this time. Granted, Triple H wasn’t in this match, but Evolution was his group of boys, and unfortunately the good guys wouldn’t be winning here. Regardless, the two teams gave each other hell, with Randy Orton getting the pin on Foley with an RKO.

Torrie Wilson & Sable vs Miss Jackie & Stacy Keibler (Playboy Evening Gown Match)
Prediction: ?
Winner: Torrie Wilson & Sable

On the one hand, I love me some fan service. Love it! If you saw my anime collection, you’d see that at least half is fan service themed. On the other hand, this match was......meh. That’s all it was. It was just meh. I think they were too eager to get to the goods if you know what I mean. Even the gimmick I thought was dumb. Not as dumb as a Bra & Panties match (Yes newer wrestling fans, that was a thing), but lord was this stupid! This was so “Meh” to me, I really didn’t guess who was going to win. The only thing that was surprising was the fact that Sable was in the match. Given how her exit from WWE was rather...bitter, it was something of a surprise to see her.

Chavo Guerrero (with Chavo Classic) vs Akio vs Billy Kidman vs Funaki vs Jamie Noble vs Nunzio vs Rey Mysterio vs Shannon Moore vs Tajiri vs Último Dragón (Cruiserweight Open for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Prediction: ?
Winner: Chavo Guerrero (with Chavo Classic)

The best way to describe this match is with one word......cluster.

While the 4-way Tag Team Championship Match had a lot of people in it, there was at least some semi-balance of organization. Some form of structure. Here? It comes across as too random, and too chaotic for it’s own good. I only knew a select few of the wrestlers in this match, and recalling my memories of them, I only remembered a bit or two. Hell, I didn’t even know that there was a Cruiserweight division back in the early 2000s until years later. I will give this match credit in for the fact that this was when the Cruiserweight Division had weight & credibility. This match showed that the Cruiserweights could actually go, and weren’t some lepers that needed to be separated from the main roster. To wrap things up: I didn’t know who was going to win, and Chavo Guerrero won with help from Chavo Classic to keep the Cruiserweight title.

Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar w Stone Cold Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee (Singles Match)
Prediction: Brock Lesnar
Winner: Goldberg

Of all the matches in Wrestlemania 20, or Wrestlemania in general, none are more infamous than this one. It’s very obvious that neither men wanted to do it, with Goldberg leaving because of how he was treated in the company, and Lesnar going away because of health & mental issues. I should point out the fact that this was when Lesnar actually enjoyed wrestling, and wasn’t the pumped up soulless UFC hack he is now. Even Stone Cold, who was the special referee for the match, looked like he didn’t want to be there. All of this ended up in a match that was god awful......when they weren’t wrestling. When they were actually fighting, it was at least okay. They were putting in at least some effort when it came to the wrestling side of things, but more often than not they were just simply locking up, or were staring at each other. The only reason I predicted that Lesnar would win is because of how built up he was. However, I only guessed this because of his modern run. How silly I was!

Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty vs The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq) vs The Basham Brothers (Danny Basham and Doug Basham) vs The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) (4-Way WWE Tag Team Championship)
Prediction: ?
Winner: Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty

In many ways, this shares a lot in common with the World Tag Team Championship match from earlier in the show. In fact, this pretty much is the same match. The only difference are the tag teams, and the title in question. The thing that isn’t different is the quality, and just like the previous tag-team match, everybody brought something to the table.

Victoria vs Molly Holly (Hair vs. Title Match For The WWE Women's Championship)
Prediction: (See Below)
Winner: Victoria

Much like the women’s match from earlier in the show, I don’t really have any personal feelings for this match. That being said, I definitely preferred this bout. Despite the rather stupid gimmick of one’s hair for the title of a division, it felt like there was at least....something on the line in this bout. It also helps that both Victoria & Molly Holly were far more capable of putting on a match than the women in the fight I talked about earlier, and thus it seemed like more was going on here. I also had the end result spoiled to me early last year (See link below for details), so a little was taken out for me. Regardless, I still wasn’t fond of this match......but given that there was a little more effort put into this.....I would rather watch this.

Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle (Singles Match For The WWE Championship)
Prediction: (Spoiled)
Winner: Eddie Guerrero

Though Wrestlemania 20 will always be known as a fantastic show, there are two matches on the card that still tug the heartstrings of fans all over. Case in point: the match between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship. It was a pretty dramatic buildup, as Kurt Angle messed with Eddie constantly. Citing the fact that Eddie used to be a criminal, and didn’t have the moral high ground that Kurt had. I should note that Kurt Angle actually went into this match with numbness in his fingers, but he managed to go through with it (More on that after the review).

Anyways, I’m off track. With all of this emotion going into the match, you’d expect that Eddie & Kurt to go all out on each other....and you’d be right! With Eddie being particularly furious at Kurt’s actions, and Kurt being exceedingly high strung & full of himself, the mixed feeling ended up creating a classic match. It was only right that Eddie won, as he faced his demons head on, and defeated the one who caused him so much torment. This added to how touching & heartbreaking the ending to WM20 would be, but more on that in a bit.

The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) vs Kane (Singles Match)
Prediction: (See Below)
Winner: Undertaker

Of all the matches on the card, this was the one I enjoyed the most. I knew who was going to win, but I didn’t know how the match was going to go. Even before it started, we got a clear view of how the match came about. Here’s the short version: Kane buried the Undertaker (In his American Badass phase) because he was no longer the monster he once was, and for the months leading up to WM20, Undertaker’s spirit followed the Big Red Machine. For months Kane was tormented by the spirit of his brother, and he was powerless to do anything. Then, on that fateful night on March the 14th in 2004, the Deadman came back to have his revenge.

Undertaker Entrance (Wrestlemania 20)

As for the match itself.....I enjoyed it! This fight was a simple bout between two monsters, and it relished in that fact. For newer wrestling fans, this was Undertaker at his prime. He was far less beatup than he is now, and thus was capable of demonstrating many more moves than he does now. On top of that, the return to his old character (With some minor costume chains) was heavily welcomes by the crowd. Even Kane, who despite not having the mask anymore, still came across as a monster, and put up a hell of a fight. The two monsters went at it for a few minutes, with plenty of spots for the two to have a little fun with their characters. Paul Bearer also had a little fun as well being a creeper, despite not interfering. In the end, Undertaker gave his brother the tombstone, and got the revenge he rightfully deserved.

Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels vs Triple H (Triple Threat Match For The World Heavyweight Championship)
Prediction: (See Below)
Winner: Chris Benoit

And here we come to the main event of Wrestlemania 20. What makes this match so good are two factors: one was the wrestlers in question. Chris Benoit had a stake in the match, Shawn Michaels has a stake in the match, and even Triple H had a stake in the match being the champion & all (Fact: the infamous Reign of Terror was at it’s tail end around this time). The second factor was the buildup. Triple H, being the ego driven champion, did everything to make sure that the title stayed close. Shawn Michaels returned back in 2002 as the old school wrestler wanting another shot, and was Triple H’s friend & rival. Then, there’s Chris Benoit. Coming in as the underdog, it was obvious that he was going to win. Constantly getting beaten down, you don’t design a story like that only for the good guy to lose (Although given the way Wrestlemania 32 was booked.......yeah)!

Anyways, to the match itself. Much like almost every other fight on the card, each combatant brought something to the ring. Triple H was the heavy, Shawn Michaels was the showstopper, and Chris Benoit channeled his idol Dynamite Kid. The whole time there were plenty of false finishes, spots for moves, and the action never let up! Then at the end, Chris Benoit defeated Triple H with a Crippler Crossface, and became the new World Heavyweight Championship (Also stopped the Reign of Terror in it’s tracks). Then Eddie Guerrero comes out, and the two celebrate their victories with a horde of confetti, and a crowd that heaped tons of praise upon the two. The moment where both men raised their titles created an iconic moment, but tragedy would strike when both men would die in the subsequent years. Hence why it’s so heartbreaking as well as amazing.

Overall Impression & Rating
Wrestlemania 20 deserves every bit of praise it gets. Even now, if you ask older WWE fans about this show, chances are they’ll say something good about it. For me, I consider this event a near classic masterpiece. If the Lesnar vs Goldberg match, along with the two women’s matches, weren’t there, I probably would have loved it much more than I did. Even with them still there, they don’t ruin the experience for me, and it took me back to the time when I was getting back into wrestling after so long. If you have the WWE Network, watch it! If you have the DVD, give it a go! Even if you have neither, find someone who does. It’s worth it!

Wrestlemania 20 gets a 8.5 to 9 out of 10.

So that was a review for Wrestlemania 20. Man, I can believe it took me so long to watch this. Again, I got back into wrestling in the summer of 2003, but it took me a longtime to get into the groove of things, and missing out on this event was just part of getting back into this. Luckily, I finally watched, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything. So see you next month for another multipart metal overview, where I’ll look at one of the greats of Germany, along with another wrestling post. Until then, watch out for the steel chair!



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If you like to know some interesting facts about this Wrestlemania, check out the link below:

Ten Fascinating Facts About Wrestlemania 20

In Memoram: "Fast" Eddie Clark

Fellow Otaku & Metalheads, I regret to inform you that on January 10, 2018, the remaining original member of Motörhead, "Fast" Eddie Clark, died at the hospital at the age of 67 as he was being treated for Pneumonia. It wasn't too terribly long ago that we lost Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor in early/mid November of 2015, and the almighty Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister in late December of that same year. Though the death of Lemmy signaled the end of the iconic band, but with the passing of the last original member, Motörhead has now truly died. I find myself at a loss for words....apart from what I've typed up here. I've only truly gotten into the band earlier on in this decade, though I had known about them for much longer. Much like my experiences with Type-O Negative, I seemed to have gotten into Motörhead much later than I should have. Regardless, Eddie you're finally with your old band mates, and I hope you three are rocking out hardcore in Heaven!

If you would like some more details on the passing of Eddie Clark, check out the link below.

Eddie Clark (Loudwire)

My Top 10 Favorite Album Covers

Hello there fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I admit that content this month is a little on the weird side. Give how freezing it’s been where I live, it’s made wanting to do thing go by slowly, Never fear, for while the cold wind blows, I will not stop making posts! They might be simpler for me, but the content will keep coming! To provide some simple content in this chilly times, I thought it would be fun to talk about some of my favorite albums covers of all time. Covering a wide variety of metal bands, they all left an impression on me in some way. So, here are my top 10 favorite album covers of all time. Enjoy!

10) Darkthrone - A Blaze In The Northern Sky

I know I’ve stated it before, but I’ll say it again: I’m not a Black Metal fan. I think the vocals are grated, the low-fi instrumentation & production are somewhat lazy, and the black & white albums covers that were highly popular in the 90s were done because it was easy. However, in recent years I’ve made a few exceptions, and high on that list is Darkthrone’s first foray into the world of Black Metal. Ironically, I talked about this album briefly back in October of last year about albums that are perfect for the month, and I put it on that list for how good it’s music was.

What I’m surprised about is that I didn’t talk about the cover to A Blaze In The Northern Sky. Though it’s not the first Black Metal cover I’ve seen, it is the first Black Metal cover that left an impression. Seeing one of the band members, decked out in black leather & having his face painted up to the nines, was actually kind of creepy. His face stared at me menacingly, and it was that staring that stayed with me as I listened to the music. If any of you felt like this when you’re looking at the cover, then it’s doing it’s job.

9) Nocturnus - The Key ***

When one thinks of Death Metal, gorgeous art is almost always not the first thing one thinks of. Drawn by Dan Seagrave, he’s known for doing mostly artwork for various Death Metal albums (Along with his own), and they’re all spectacular. My absolute favorite of his work was for Nocturnus’s starting album, The Key. It’s incredible by how me mixed Science Fiction & cybernetics, with the evil of Hell & it’s imagery. Seeing that devilish cyborg in the seat, using a pentagram to start up it’s unholy spacecraft, really paints the picture of a dark sci-fi story. Given the music that was contained on the album, I can say that the two complement each other nicely.

8) Turmion Kätilöt - Technodiktator

Out of everything that’s on this list, Turmion Kätilöt’s 2013 tribute to 90s Dance & Industrial artists is perhaps the funniest. The band has always been known for a lot of shock value in their material, but the album cover for Technodiktator comes across as quite jovial. There’s a disco dance floor in the background, wisps of colored smoke floating, two old-school boomboxes at full volume, and the technodiktator himself standing front & center. His head is that of a disco ball (With the head of a gramophone spitting out steam), and his body that of a 3rd-world dictator. Who exactly, I don’t know (I suspect Gadhafi). Regardless, the absurdity of the album cover gets me to snicker every time I look at it, but the music gets me to headbang. Weird, isn’t it?

7) Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith

Judas Priest has always had a bevy of great album covers. With exceedingly few exceptions, the covers of this iconic band are easily recognized by even the most casual of fans. At least for me, their most recognizable covers come from the 80s, and the most recognizable out of all of them is Defenders of the Faith. The first album I ever bought from Judas Priest’s library of records, I had always appreciated some of the music on it beforehand, but the album cover helped me appreciate it more. The monstrous Metallium (A creature thought up by the band) looks like it’s going to burst right off the paper of the booklet, it’s claws out, and it’s machineguns ready to fire. I love this cover a lot, simply due to how much Defenders of the Faith embraces it’s 80s excess nature. If you can’t smile when you look at this album, then something’s wrong.

6) Type-O Negative - October Rust

Sometimes you need an over the top album cover to get people’s attention, and other times you need something more simplistic. In the case of Type-O Negative’s 1996 classic, they’re definitely going for the latter. October Rust’s cover is really simplistic: there’s just a black background, the band name & album name in the upper right and lower left respectively, and 4 thorny rose stems are front & center. Just thinking of grabbing this album makes me feel like I’m getting pricked on my fingers! Regardless of imagined pain, the cover of October Rust takes the simple approach to get you to notice it, and I appreciate it.

5) Korn - Issues

Despite Nu Metal being buried in a long forgotten graveyard, it’s incredible that Korn is still making music & touring. Even though they put out an album as recently as 2016, it’s their time in the 90s that calls to me when I think of the band. Out of all their 90s materials, it’s Issues from 1999 that I think of the most. Not just the music, but the album cover as well. Before Issues had actually come out, there was a contest through MTV where people could come up with what the album cover was going to officially be. In the end, the winner was Alfredo Carlos with what I can only describe as the perfect representation of ruined childhood innocence. I can’t say anything more......other than good job Carlos!

4) Sabaton - The Last Stand

War is hell. We all know this. From our news, to the history books, and even some of our pop culture, warfare has shaped all of us in some way. For the Swedish titans Sabaton, they grab the history of war by the throat, and shake it for something good to sing about. I’ve already praised the music of their 2016 release twice, so now it’s time to talk about The Last Stand’s cover. Like pretty much every other cover the band has put out, there’s a great “Triumphant” aura surrounding it. In this case, it’s a group of warriors from various time frames with their back to one another, fighting off what seems like impossible odds. Give the subject matter of The Last Stand, this isn’t surprising. Regardless, the album cover is just as awesome as the band itself. Win win!

3) Septicflesh - Titan

Much like The Key at my number 9 spot, Septicflesh’s 2014 masterpiece (Not to mention my number 1 album of all time) goes for a more artistic direction with it’s album cover. Whereas Nocturnus was being all weird with the cover for The Key, Titan goes in the thinking man’s direction with it’s cover. Not in a heavy handed, shove it in your face kind of deal. More of a “Put something in front & let the viewer decide” manner of artistic cover. Sure, there’s a crow, vulture, a lamb corpse with sharpened teeth, and what seems like a spirit (Who’s skeleton you can see) walking by. You’re given this weird spectacle, and Septicflesh let’s you discern what’s going on instead of tell you something. Bravo you beautiful Greek bastard! Damn fine job!

2) Sodom - Tapping The Vein

I stated on my Top 10 albums list that while I managed to move on from Rio Grande Blood (See below for more detail), I’ve never managed to walk away from Sodom’s 1992 classic. Not the music, and not the album cover. Seeing a muscular soldier that’s armed to the teeth, in a vulnerable position thanks to tubes & a blood vial connected to his arm, is incredibly haunting. It’s especially haunting for me, since my Mother was in the hospital for a week, and she had a IV in her arm. She’s a strong person, yet she was in a incredibly compromising position. I find the parallels between the two to be too similar in my mind, and it because of that emotion that Tapping The Vein makes it to the number 2 spot on this list. 

Before we get to my number 1, I wanted to talk about some honorable mentions. Now, these album covers aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but they don’t quite have as much a place in my mind as everything else on here. Regardless, I still enjoy these covers, and I don’t want to leave them hanging.

HM1) Led Zeppelin - In Through The Out Door

If the album wasn’t held in what is basically a brown paper bag, I might have actually put in Through The Out Door somewhere on the main list. I just find the bag to be lazy for some reason, which is ironic because what’s inside is rather nice. There’s a heavy melancholic vibe: from the bartender, to the guy that’s slowly enjoying his drink, and just the whole room in general. Overall, there’s something about In Through The Out Door’s cover that’s endearing, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

HM2) Ministry - Rio Grande Blood

I stated back in my overview on Ministry that the period of 2004 to 2007 is a political time-capsule for not just the band & it’s music, but for their album covers from this time as well. Though Houses of the Molé can possibly be reused in this day & age, Rio Grande Blood’s cover has aged horribly. Seeing George W. Bush on a cross with a crown of thorns & half submerged in a barrel of oil, jets flying in the air, and a massive oil field in the back heavily reflects the public’s view of the Bush Administration at the time. In a way we’ve moved on from that, although given who we have in power now, it might still work. I guess the reason that Rio Grande Blood’s cover makes it here is because, much like the music itself, I’ve managed to move on from emotionally, but seeing it on that fateful day in 2006, I can’t deny the power it held over me.

1) Metallica - The Black Album

4 years old. That’s how old I was when I saw Enter Sandman on MTV, and that’s how old I was when I first saw the album cover of Metallica’s first album of the 90s. Being so young, the combination of the music video (Which gave me nightmares for a week), and seeing the nearly pitch black cover really left an impression on me. The band’s name, while almost invisible (On the original 1991 version), still commands a presence, and the serpent towards the bottom looks like it would strike anyone foolish enough to touch the album. Even though I’ve grown up since then, the memories of that first encounter still echo in my brain, and because of that The Black Album’s cover makes it to my number 1 spot.

So these were my top 10 favorite album covers of all time. Let me know in the comments what your favorite album covers are, and I’ll see you towards the end of this month for something wrestling themed. Till then, enjoy some art!




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If you’re interested in more of Dan Seagrave’s artwork, check out the link below:

Dan Seagrave

Metal Overview: Motörhead (Part 4/Post Mortem)

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and Happy New Year!

It’s ironic that I started out so happy with that opening line, when my first post this year is a bit more on the serious side. Just a few days ago, it was the two-year anniversary of the death of iconic Motörhead frontman, Lemmy Kilmister. With the ripples of his passing still felt heavily within the Heavy Metal community, it feels like there’s a hole in the patchwork of metal that may never be mended. However, even with the dissolution of Motörhead, motes of brilliance can still be felt in the aether. Though part 3 of my look at Motörhead in late November of 2016 was the end of the band, 2 records have been released since they broke up, and it seems only right to give them a look at. So join me will you, as we take one last glimpse at the iconic discography of Motörhead. Let’s begin.

Clean Your Clock (2016)

With the death of Lemmy Kilmister in late December of 2015, the death of a legendary band came not long after. Ask yourself: how can Motörhead go on without it’s head? The answer is it can’t! However, even with the group put to rest, echoes of former glories still ring out for anyone to listen, and the first of these is the 13th live album Clean Your Clock! Released on the 10th of June 2016, Clean Your Clock was recorded during the band’s 40th anniversary tour in Europe, with the music compiled from their two sold-out shows at the Zenith in Munich, Germany, on the 20th and 21st of November 2015. Unknown to their label company (UDR Records), these two shows would be the last that Motörhead would ever perform live. Adding further to the sadness was that both shows were filmed, but only the November 20th concert was ever put to DVD. For the most part, I enjoyed this album! Despite one personal hiccup (More on that below), this is a hell of a live album, and acts as a final live glimpse into one of Heavy Metal’s biggest founders.

Best Track? This was a little bit tough to decide. Not only is this a great live album, but a lot of songs from different albums were covered on Clean Your Clock. However, I have to go back to my old standby from when I talked about Overkill, and say that Overkill the song is my favorite. Appropriately concluding this album, Motörhead still proves that even though they’re going on 40, songs like Overkill still stand the test of time.

Overkill

Worst Track? In some way, I was kind of reminded of Queen’s final album, Made In Heaven. Mainly, it’s the fact that I’m listening to the final words of a dead man. At the same time, I’m nowhere near as sad when I listen to this, as Lemmy has little to none of the finality that Freddy Mercury had.

Clean Your Clock. A little bit haunting, but a lotta bit badass! If you missed out on the band’s final show, then it’s only right to give this a listen to. Next album!

Under Cöver (2017)

Though Clean Your Clock from 2016 was the final live album from Motörhead, even that wouldn’t stop the group from getting out one last piece of material for the fans, and Under Cöver would be that last album. Released on the 1st of September of last year, Under Cöver is a compilation of cover songs that Motörhead has done over the decades. It’s a pretty impressive collection of songs, and despite my issues with this record (More on that below), it’s a lot of fun to listen to. These songs are classic enough from their respective bands already, but with that Motörhead twist, makes them just a little bit better than before.

Best Track? Bit of a time between the David Bowie classic that is Heroes, and Rockaway Beach, which was original done by the Ramones. For starters, both of these covers were never released on any prior Motörhead album, and as such are prized & rare tracks. In the case of the cover of Heroes, there’s still some of that triumphant feeling shine through from Bowie’s original version, but thank’s to Lemmy’s grizzled voice & guitar playing, gives the song are rougher edge. As for their cover of Rockaway Beach, it’s haunting at how similar Lemmy and the gang sound to the Ramones as far as instrumentation is concerned. Lemmy’s voice is remarkable clear in this cover, as there’s only a faint hint of his later-day gravely vocal work. Despite being a short song, Motörhead did Rockaway Beach justice!

Heroes

Rockaway Beach

Worst Track? While there isn’t anything bad on the album, I find Under Cöver to be a bit of a cash grab. With Clean Your Clock I understand why it was released, but this album? I can only assume that either the record company or the remaining band members (Probably the record company) wanted to get a little bit of extra money. The only other gripe I have would have to be with the years that Under Cöver looked at. Despite being a diverse group of songs, the compilation only has songs from the 90s all the way till 2014 on it. This doesn’t quite bug me as my other issues with this compilation, as I can assume that maybe Motörhead didn’t do covers as much in the late 70s to 80s.

Under Cöver. Maybe released for greedy reasons, but at the same time the quality of the songs shine through. Certainly recommended, but maybe not as much as the previously mentioned album.

So this was the true ending of my look at Motörhead. It was a little depressing to do, but I had to conclude the band’s story on my blog somehow. Hopefully, Lemmy’s looking down from Heaven, and is happy with the work I’ve done. I’ll see you all later on this month with more beginning of the year goodies. Until they, enjoy a glass of Jack why don’t you!



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If you haven’t seen my look at Motörhead, or haven’t read them in a while, then the links below will help out:

Metal Overview: Motörhead (Part 1)

Metal Overview: Motörhead (Part 2)

Metal Overview: Motörhead (Part 3)

Food For Thought/Though For Food No. 9: Dumb Shit Already (The Logan Paul Controversy)

Fellow Otaku & Metalheads, I didn't want to start off this year on a downer. I actually had something kind of fun planned to start off 2018......but a recent tornado of bullshit that's swept the internet has to be talked about, and has delayed my plans a little.

For anyone who happens to live under a rock (Which is probably a handful or two), Youtube star and emperor of the nimrods Logan Paul recently posted up a video about his time in Japan. Dressing up in a kimono & traditional rice hat, he proceeded to parade around Tokyo I believe like a total ass. Okay, that's dumb, but harmless. However, the video in question has nothing to do with that. This has to do with something he recorded at the iconic & infamous Suicide Forest near Mount Fuji. Again, there have been a few Youtube personalities, so this isn't necessarily anything new. What is new....is that this blonde-haired douchebag happened upon a hanging body....and recorded it.

What.....the....hell. Logan, you ignorant fuck......what the hell are you thinking!? You apparently must not know anything about tradition or respect. Number one you dumb shit, you're not supposed to record footage of said body out of respect, which is a word you apparently know nothing of. Second you little prick, if you happen to spot a body........REPORT IT! By Japanese Law, if you spot a body in the Suicide Forest, you are to report it to the authorities immediately. So what the hell did you, Logan "Head Up Ass" Logan? You made a motherfucking joke & mockery about the life of someone who took their life because life might have been too much for them.

Logan, this is why Japan will never truly open up to us. This is why Japan will never truly trust us. This is why Japan will see Americans & America as a joke, and this will continue to make the rest of the world see us as a joke! Because of the action of this ignorant piece of shit, you have possibly set back any good will & progress that has been done for possibly decades. If this somehow doesn't make the Japanese media in any way, I will be shocked. I'm upset for all the right reasons, but this affects me in another way. Mainly because.......I've seen the spirits of the dead! I have seen shadow, spirits, and other sorts of beings. Hell, I've even managed to communicate with a couple spirits briefly. I can only image what the soul of the individual in question must be feeling. What's going through their spectral mind I can only assume to be that of sadness & anger, possibly more.

To add salt to this wound, you had the gall to issue one of the biggest half-assed apologies ever. Don't believe me? Check it out below.

This "Apology" is faker than Pam Anderson's chest. This.....is more hallow than the land of Londor. I have never seen such bullshit in a long time, and considering who's president at this time, that's saying something, but let's not get into politics. The point it, this is just a weak attempt at fixing a mistake that won't heal for a long time.

If you want to see more controlled videos about this act of idiocy, check out the three links below. They're more calm & collected that I was here.

Anime Man

Gaijin Goomba

Lost Pause

Again, I'm sorry I started 2018 here on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog with something so horrendous....but dear god I had to say.....something. Luckily, I've got something towards the end of this week that's definitely more fun to look at. See you then, and Logan.......fuck off!