Game Review: MegaMan's Battle Network 3

I finally came back to the Net fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

It’s been just under or just over a year since I looked at the Battle Network series, and I confess I was dragging my ass with the franchise. Not because I hate it or anything, but just because I’ve been so slow with playing through the various releases! Well, for over the past month or two, I came back to number 3 in the series. Do I like it as much as the first two? Does it hold up when compared to what came before it? Well, sit back, relax, and enjoy my review for Battle Network 3. Let’s begin! 

Story
Taken from the Megaman Wiki: 

“Months after the Netmafia Gospel tried to take over the world in Mega Man Battle Network 2, Lan Hikari and friends return to their ordinary lives, until the crime organization WWW started surfacing again. At the same time, a NetBattle tournament called the N1 Grand Prix was being held, in an attempt to find the strongest NetBattler in the Electopia, attracting people from neighboring countries into entering. Lan and MegaMan manage to pass the preliminary rounds, only after numerous attacks by the WWW in an effort to get the TetraCodes. Once Lan and MegaMan get into the N1 Grand Prix, it was discovered that the tournament was a set-up created by WWW to announce their return to world.”

Battle Network 3 is something of a payoff story in my view. The world of the series was introduced in 1, and it was further expanded in 2 while adding some seeds of things to come. With the 3rd game, the past comes back in force, and those previously mentioned seeds bloom into some tasty nuggets of lore. Even if there weren’t any sneak peeks in the last release, Battle Network 3 always has a lot of surprises up it’s sleeve. Some twists, a few turns, and even a couple shocking revelations that show that there was a lot more going on than players suspected. Easily the biggest positive about the game!

Setting
Maybe it’s just me, but there aren’t as many areas in Battle Network 3. There’s still AC/DC Town & it’s school along with Sci-Lab, but you have the Zoo & Hot Springs hotel of Yoka (My personal favorite places), along with the Beachside and the city to explore. The internet comes back of course, as does the Undernet, which is the trippiest it’s ever been up to this point. There are some other areas that complement the others, but no spoilers. Regardless of that, every place is highly explorable, filled with a lot of details, and highly interactive as well (Depending on what quest you’re on). Certainly a highlight of Battle Network 3! 

Characters
As usual, the characters of the Battle Network series are always a colorful cast. All of the returning cast continue to be their normal charming selves, save for the serious & edgy ones, and even then they still have my attention. In addition to that charm, everybody also grows up & improves their character and personality. Chaud, one of the previously mentioned edgy characters, actually is a little more likable this time around, and is kinda warming up to everybody in the group as opposed to his standoff nature from the prior 2 games. Definitely a plus in my book!

It’s not just the older characters that are great, but plenty of the side characters are fun too! Among both the good guys & the bad guys (Human or Navi), everybody you bump into is colorful in their own way. From the souvenir seller outside of the hot springs resort, to the zoo warden that ultimately turns out to be one of the bad guys, everybody has their own personality. Sure, some of them stand out more that others, but all of them leave an impression that sticks around for at least a little bit of time. 

Perhaps one of the biggest upgrades in this game would be the return of WWW. In the first game they were a mix of serious & silly, and because of that you couldn’t take them completely seriously. This time around, they’re far more threatening & willing to do more evil things to accomplish their goals, but there’s still a hint of silly within the group to stay slightly true to their origins. This is evident in the return of Mr. Match & FlameMan.exe: more ruthless & manipulative, but there’s still that goofy streak that shows where he once came from. Even the island where you locate them is a bit more intimidating, and doesn’t have quite as many bright colors as before. Much like the story, the characters are another big positive to BN3!

Gameplay
For the most part Battle Network 3's gameplay isn’t that much different from BN2's. Wander around, do quests & sidequests, fights viruses & NAVIs, search for various chips & upgrades, etc. However, there have been some changes that definitely changes the way things work. 

For starters, there’s not just one version of Battle Network 3. We have two versions to go through (Kinda like certain editions of the old-school Pokemon titles). White & Blue to be more specific. The fundamental core of both versions is the same, but it’s the little things that are different from one another. Quest rewards, placement of lootable items, certain placements of enemies in some encounters, and even some of the background imagery are all different from one another. On the one hand, this does allow for semi-different playthroughs for each game, as it makes things feel ever-so-slightly different. On the other hand, both games do take some time to go through, which in turn might make things mostly repetitive. Also, if you played through one, you might get confused if things weren’t the way you were used to before when it comes to placement. Thankfully, the story is the same on both versions, but there is 1 example of a point towards the end of the game where two completely different characters have the same spot that can impact achievement hunting. 

Secondly, and perhaps the biggest thing added to this game, was the Navi Customizer. This was the thing that made my blood boil & a few hairs fall out! The customizer is essentially how you upgrade Megaman over the course of the game, as opposed to buying & finding the upgrades like you did in the last 2. You still buy & find them for sure, but now the upgrade system plays more like Tetris to a certain extent. All of the upgrades are shaped like Tetris pieces, and they also come in different colors, and some are also marked. There are also things you can pick up along the way like shrinking various “Pieces” & being able to adjust how they’re positioned, but this whole customizer is so fickle! You can’t place the same colored pieces next to each other, and the marked “Pieces” cannot be placed at a certain position in the customizer. If this happens, your basic attacks get borked at best, or you can have a full-blown error at worst. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if the space for all of this was larger, but it’s not! You’re really forced to pick and choose the upgrades you want, and all of this is annoying when you compare it to how simplistic BN 1 & 2's upgrade systems were. 

Finally, we have the Friendly Viruses, and this in theory is cool....but it does stumble a little. Essentially, this is where more of the Pokemon vibes come in: basically, there are viruses you find, briefly fight, then catch them & use them later as chips in combat. On top of that, if you visit the Virus Breeder in the SciLabs, you can go jack into it, and essentially upgrade them so they’re better in combat (You use Bugfrags you find from enemies). I used a couple of them, and they’re certainly useful, but it feels like taking different Pokemon with you, and you have to upgrade them in the Breeder. It feels tedious at times, but it’s nowhere near as annoying as the Customizer.

Graphics & Sound
Graphically, the 3rd Battle Network doesn’t really differentiate itself from how the first two look in terms of feel (Outside of the new areas). Sound quality is still the same as well, again outside of the new sounds & music. It’s not bad, and the visuals & audio are still very charming in that early 2000s kind of way, but like the gameplay, it is on the repetitive side.

Overall Impression & Rating
Battle Network No. 3 isn’t as good as the 1st 2 games in my opinion. Make no mistake: there are nice things about it, and in plenty of places it’s still entertaining as BN1 & BN2. However, the changes that have been implemented are annoying at best, and hair-pullingly frustrating at worse. The 2 versions of the game and the Navi customizer are really the biggest culprits in this regard, and while you can work with them (The customizer especially), there are times where they can go against you. Playing both of these games is tedious, but playing either one of them is as nice as what you experienced in the previously mentioned titles. Certainly not as important gameplay wise, but for those who are story hounds, it’s definitely up there.  

Battle Network No. 3 gets a 7.5 to 8 out of 10.

And that was my look at the 3rd Battle Network game. Not as likable to me as 1 or 2, but there’s still enjoyment in places if you know what to look for. I’ll get to Battle Network 4 in time, but for now I need a break. I’ll post up a seasonal list sooner than expected (Top 5 Games is gonna conclude this year), so see you all in a few days for that!

The Top 5 Movies Of 2025

Time for some cinema fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Got an interesting selection of movies this year. I got a mish-mash of stuff from all over the spectrum, with the no. 1 film not being a surprise by just about all of you. Heck, I even grandfathered in something from last year, just because it was that damn good. So, I won’t waste anymore of your time, so here are my top 5 movies of 2025. Let’s begin!  

5) Space King 2 (Video)

So this was a surprise!

Technically, this actually came out on the 14th of December last year, but it came out so late that I’m grand-fathering it onto this list. If you remember my 2024 list, you will recall that I gave the first Space King a high amount of praise, and the second one is no different. The animation quality is gorgeous, the story & characters are over the top and goofy, and the humor is even more potent than last time. If I had one complaint, I’d say that at times the humor is trying hard to possibly be a little too shocking & edgy, but even with that said, I still recommend Flashgitz’s take on a legally distinct 40K. It wears it’s inspiration on it’s sleeve, but still manages to be wholly unique at the same time!

4) A Minecraft Movie (Video)

As a buddy of mine said when this movie was done:

“This was a vibe”

And that’s exactly what A Minecraft Movie was: a vibe. You had to go into the theater back in April with the right mindset, and when you sit down in front of your TV or Computer to watch this, you gotta have the right frame of mind. If you go into it frustrated and cranky, you will HATE this movie. On the other hand, if you go into this whirlwind of insanity with your brain turned off & you’re in a good mood, you’re gonna have a hell of a time. All of the connections to the game are surprising, the tribute to Technoblade was quick but sincere, and the over-the-top acting from Jack Black (Especially him), Jason Mamoa, and Jennifer Coolidge are just mind oozingly good. The lifelike nature of some of the animation is off-putting for sure, and the acting from everybody else (Including 2 of the main cast) is okay at best, but there’s something that’s just.....charming about this film that you gotta watch it at least once. Even if you’ve never played Minecraft (Like me, because it didn’t come to Steam), you gotta witness this whirlwind of madness one time in your life!

3) Sinners (Trailer)

This came out in back in April, but it wasn’t until this past Halloween that I finally watched not only one of the best vampire movies ever made, but also one of the more powerful & insightful looks at race in the early 1930s south. Even though African Americans had been out of slavery for decades by the start of the Great Depression, life was still not great, and in some cases it was worse. However, it wasn’t just African Americans the film looked at, as we even had an examination of the plight of the Irish. Sure, it was nowhere near as deep as the look into black people, but to see & hear even a little bit of one of my heritages was surprising. Coupled with some incredible music & phenomenal cinematography, and you have one of 2025's best damn movies. Hell, it might even be one of the best movies of this century.....or ever.

2) The Entire Vic Mignogna Story - The Face of Anime's Dumbest Culture War (Video)

There has been plenty of times throughout 2025 that I wanted to put this near half-day long documentary at the no. 1 spot. There were plenty of moments where sheer pettiness & schadenfreude were tempting me to make this expose the best thing of this year. It was through pure willpower that it got put at no. 2 instead, but to be honest I can swap it out with what’s at number 1 depending on the day for me. Even with that said, this whole thing provided an incredibly illuminating experience on one of the most disgraced voice actors in Anime history. I knew of some of the things that happened to be sure, but there was so much more that I didn’t know, and it was those parts that made my jaw hit the floor. Marzgurl, having been on the front lines since the beginning, and the target of Right-Wing chuds on the internet during and even after it was all over with, The Entire Vic Mignogna Story is proof that sometimes people we think are heroes.....are some of the worst monsters imaginable.

1) KPOP Demon Hunters (Trailer) & Sisu 2: Road To Revenge (Trailer)

I.....should not have liked this movie as much as I did. I should not have enjoyed this movie as much as I did. As much as I’m not the biggest fan of JPOP, for whatever reason I seem to not like KPOP ever more. Yet, for whatever reason, the charm of this film sinked it’s hooks into me harder than Hellraiser! For starters, the animation was phenomenal, and that shouldn’t be surprising considering it was done by the people who made Into The Spider-Verse. The story & characters, despite a hiccup or two, are well-done and incredibly likable. The music? Coming from someone who is a diehard Metalhead, I can genuinely say I liked! Sure, there’s a couple songs I like more than the others, but all of the tunes in general are great! I easily understand why there are some people that don’t like this film, but for fans of KPOP & fantastic animation, this is for you!

But we also had a sequel to Sisu from 2023 as well! If anything, I almost forgot that the first movie got a sequel until this past November when a buddy of mine asked if I was interested in going. Of course I said yes, and I didn’t not regret that choice at all. A film that’s possibly even more simplistic that the original, Road To Revenge also is more violent, visceral, and dynamic than the one before it. If anything, at times it’s actually kinda hard to watch, especially with how banged up the main character gets. Luckily, just like in the first movie, he goes right through hell & takes out everyone in his way in spectacular fashion. Definitely give this a watch if you saw the first one!
                                    
And those were me top 5 movies of 2025. Like I said at the start, I had a variety of genres on this list for this year, and I think the choices speak for themselves. If you haven’t given any of these a watch yet, then I suggest you do, as they’re all fantastic in their own way. I’ll get to the 5 best games of 2025 in just a little bit, but before I do, I believe a trip to the Battle Network series.....is long overdue. See you soon!


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If you’re curious as to what I thought of last year’s movies, click on the link below: 

Top 5 Movies Of 2024

Food For Thought/Though For Food No. 39: My Mom & Diverticulitis

The needle in the arm makes me think of her I.V.

 

Fuck.....this one is personal.

Today mark a very serious anniversary for me. More specifically, it’s a very serious anniversary for my mother that almost could have been fatal if it happened much later. Why? Because on the 2nd of December, 2015, my Mom went into the hospital.....for Diverticulitis. For anyone not familiar, it’s an intestinal disease that go for the folds/nodes in your intestines, and depending on when it’s caught, it either just needs to be purged from your body at best or operated on at worst. I’m getting ahead of myself.

Prior to this, she had be having abdominal for a few weeks. It seemed to me that while it hurt, it wasn’t the most crippling. Thanksgiving that year she didn’t enjoy it as much, as the pain got worst. Finally, she had enough of what was going on, and was taken to the hospital to be checked up on. The doctor said there was nothing apparently wrong, so she left the hospital (along with my Dad, who took her), but just after she left one of the medical technicians came running up to her, and said that she had to be admitted immediately. I wasn’t with them, as I was left home to keep an eye on the place. A few hours later, my Dad comes home without her, and there was some part of me that immediately thought she was dead. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, and he sat me down to tell me everything. That she had the disease, what stage it was at, and how long she would be in the hospital for (Essentially 1 week), and in a sense I was relieved. 

Yet I wasn’t. My Dad went to work & after work visited her, and for all of that time I stayed home to keep an eye on it & take care of it. However, I was cleaning the house practically that entire week in an almost obsessive manner. Seemingly random things I was cleaning up, but anything to take my mind off of what was going on. I wasn’t feeling good during that week, and at one point I had a desire to drink for the sake of getting exceptionally drunk. Again, I wanted anything to take the pain away of the fact that I could have lost her. 

Fast forward a few days, and it’s the day before she came home. I hadn’t visited her yet, but it was this time that I did. A family friend of roughly 3 years by that point picked me up from the house, and took me to the hospital, as my Pops was there before me. I was taken up to the room where she was.....and that kinda fucked with me more. The room itself was nice, but then I saw her. She was in that stereotypical green hospital gown you see, and had the I.V. in her arm with the fluid she needed. The funny thing was that she wasn’t hooked up to the standard heartbeat monitor like you see in a lot of medical shows, but instead a smaller one that was on the pole with the I.V. bad. Yet, that same beeping sound I heard.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

We were all in her room.....and I heard that sound. 

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Mom was in quite a bit of pain for practically that whole time, which is why I never heard from her until that visit.....and I heard that sound when I saw her.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Luckily, we all went out of her room, and into the small visiting area not far away, and that was a bit better. All of us were talking about stuff that I can’t recall, with Dad & the family friend on one side, and me & Mom sitting together on the other side. At one point, I was just drowning out everything, and practically clung to her like a lost toddler at a grocery store. I held her arm that didn’t have the I.V. in it, and didn’t let go until she was sick of it. Luckily, she wasn’t annoyed, as she kinda understood what I was feeling. After we were at the hospital for a few hours, Dad & me left for home. 

It was the day she came home, and I was left home again. I didn’t do that much cleaning that day, but I did setup our small metallic Christmas Tree in the living room, and put 2 water bottles underneath it, since the doctors said that she needed to drink a lot of fluids. I remember the smile she had when she entered the front door, and saw the tree that was lit up. She was home, she was alive, and I still had my Mother. Yet, I never forgot the sight of her in the hospital. The gown, the I.V., and the beeping from the miniature heartbeat that, on days where I feel particularly sad.....I sometimes hear it.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

However, this isn’t just how I felt at the time. This was also about the thing that might have saved me from doing something stupid to myself during then. That’s right, it was Sodom & their 1992 borderline Death Metal album, Tapping The Vein, that stopped me in my own tracks, so considering this something of a mini review. Where as when my Uncle Randy died, I needed a mixing of upbeat & soul-crushing music to get me through his death, but Mom? No: I needed something dark, I needed something bleak, I needed something nasty. Tapping The Vein is gory, grungy, dirty, dingy, dark, violent, and incredibly unrelenting in just how much it can crush you. The instrumentation was some of the heaviest they’ve ever done at the time, and Tom Angelripper’s vocal work is some of the harshest it’s ever sounded. There are times where it’s hard to tell when it goes from Thrash Metal to Death Metal, and vice versa, & if you aren’t the biggest Death Metal fan the album may not be for you. However, if you are at the bottom of your personal barrel, and you need some kind of sound that reflects that feeling, then this music is for you.

And back to our regularly scheduled program in a few days, which is thankfully a lot more pleasant!




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If any of you would like to listen to Tapping The Vein, there’s a link right below:

Tapping The Vein

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Also, if you would like to learn about this disease in more detail, click on the link below: 

Diverticulitis (Wikipedia)

The Top 5 Albums Of 2025

So, things are gonna be different this year, fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

2025's best albums of the year is going dark. Darker than anything I’ve ever done for any of these lists. This year.....was not really good here in the United States, or in much of the world to be honest. There were a few slivers of light, but for much of the rest of 2025 we were given darkness that rivaled anything that 2020 shoved in our faces. Because of that, I decided to step out of my comfort zone somewhat, and select albums that aren’t always the kind I like. There’s a familiar face or two to be sure, but for the most part these are bands that definitely wear black a lot of the time. The subject matter is certainly darker, but the musical talent still shines bright as the sun. I won’t waste anymore of your time, so here are my top 5 albums of 2025. Let’s begin.

5) Patriarkh - Prophet Ilja (Song) & Waldgeflüster - Knochengesang I (Song) & II (Song)

I begin this year’s list with a bit of an interesting choice. A spin-off from the infamous Batushka, this Black Metal band from the depths of Poland brings something unique to the table that most bands in the style don’t do. Mainly, a different take on the criticism of Christianity. More specifically than that, it decides to criticize the Eastern Orthodox side of the faith, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Black Metal band do (As far as from the bands I’ve listened to anyway). Patriarkh (And by extension, Batushka) & their music is more on the exotic end of the style, what with an emphasis on atmosphere and more unique sounds. The end result is Black Metal that’s highly unique, but at the same time is stranger for some. In you’re in the mood for some Black Metal that goes against the grain a little, then Prophet Ilja will certainly fit the bill.

And then there’s Waldgeflüster. These Black Metal masters from Germany have also had an interesting history with me: I first found them in 2019, and despite being placed at no. 5 on that year’s top 5 list, they were a nice take on a metal subgenre that’s one of my least favorite. Fast forward to 2023, and their mini-album Unter Bronzenen Kronen was an emotional colossus that hit me pretty hard. Then, just last month on the 7th, they come roaring back with Knochengesang, and it was gorgeous. These guys never delve into the stereotypes that Black Metal is known for, opting for themes of Nature & Heathendom, with occasional delving into some serious emotions. The instrumentation continues to be well-performed & atmospheric, and the vocal work goes between clear & precise, to screeching yet powerful at the drop of a hat. If some of the albums at my no. 1 spot weren’t released this year (hint hint), then I might have actually put this there. Even though I didn’t, there is no denying that Knochengesang is one of the band’s best.

4) Lordi - Limited Deadition (Song) & Ghost - Skeletá (Song)

Okay, I had to have a little of what I call “Fun” darkness on this list. Music that, while dark on the outside, is actually a delight on the inside.....and these two records fit the bill perfectly!

First off, Lordi continues to nothing but a ton of fun! For over 2 decades, these Finnish beasts have conquered their native country, Europe, and by extent the rest of the world with their own miss of KISS tribute & devotion to all things spooky. Limited Deadition continues the gimmicked records since 2018's Sexorcism, as they opted to go for the theme of 80s action figure commercials & 80s horror (With some smattering of modern-day spooks), and it shows through the carrying over of heavy keyboard & synths from Screem Writers Guild from 2023. The guitars & bass are drowned out a little because of this, but the overall experience is rock solid. If you liked their outing from 2 years ago, then you’re certain to love this!

We’ve also got the return of Ghost to these lists! Not since 2018's Prequelle have I actually sat down & listened to one of their records, on account of a perceived slight coming from me (Long story). Skeletá is one of, if not their most, pop-sounding records that they’ve ever released. Impera from back in 2022 definitely has more pop in it when compared to Prequelle, but the band’s 2025 outing has that aspect front and center. Outside of the fact that perhaps it’s a little too much on some tracks, for the most part it all got me to smile! Tobias Forge and the rest of his Nameless Ghouls continue to provide some fun spooks, all the while slowly infiltrating your mind with each note. If they can stay like this for their next few releases, I might just be back in the Ghost faithful. If not? Then I can still say that Skeletá was a fine treat for 2025 & fun to listen to at least once.

3) Paradise Lost - Ascension (Song)

Back in 2020, the boys from Halifax gave us the dark colossus Obsidian, which coincidentally was also at my no. 3 spot that year. Then in 2023, we were treated to the side project Host and their first record IX, and that was a great look back at their electronic phase. Here in 2025, they deliver us Ascension, and by God was this wonderful! Bringing back a little more Doom Metal into the fold, the album might be darker than what they released in 2020, but only just. Everybody in the band is giving it their all (Nick Holmes’s voice is especially on point in this album), and there’s not a single moment where they’re not sucking in any capacity. The only thing that will be a hurdle to jump over for some is how soul-crushing Ascension can be, but if anyone can get past that, they’ll find quite a treat.

2) Ministry - The Squirrely Years Revisited (Song)

Sometimes, darkness isn’t from some monster or some dusty eldritch tome. Sometimes, darkness comes from our past. From a part of our lives where we might not have been proud of ourselves. Not only that, but we look back at that darkness, and come to the conclusion that maybe it wasn’t all bad. If you told me that Uncle Al would take a look at music he’s almost despised since the 80s prior to 2023, I would have laughed right in your face, but here we are! The Squirrely Years Revisited is an album that the most longtime of Ministry fans have been begging for, and for newer fans that are hyper curious: a collection of songs from both With Sympathy & Twitch, Al Jourgenson reinvented the songs as only he could (along with the rest of Ministry), and while a tiny few might not hold up as well when compared to the rest of the record, the overall experience is just a high-quality nostalgia blast that hits hard! If the entire experience was solid, I might have put it at number one. However, there were two releases that were all too appropriate for the end the list. One from the end of March, and the other from the end of June, & perhaps a surprise as well. Even so, this trip into Ministry’s distant past is a memorable one for sure!

Before we get to my number 1 album of 2025, it’s time to talk about this year’s honorable mentions, and I’m doing something different this go around. The albums I’ve selected to come here are honestly just as good as what’s on the main list, and maybe even better in some cases. So much so, that I’ve given the both of these some recommendations as to where they might go on the main list if they did. With that out of the way, here are 2025's honorable mentions.

HM1) Majestica - Power Train (Song)(No. 4 or No. 1)

Majestica has had an.....interesting history with my little corner of the internet. Despite having a wonderful first album back in 2019, for whatever reason I never talked about it on my top 5 albums list that year, then their take on A Christmas Carol in 2020 (Which I looked at back in August) became one of my no. 1 albums of that year. With Power Train, we get something somewhat different. It goes back to what Above The Sky was like with how jumbled it can be, but it manages to also have some of the focus that A Christmas Carol had. The end result is an album that’s not as stable as the 2nd one, but faaaar more focused than what Majestica first released. I do find it to be a shame that this one isn’t gimmicky like A Christmas Carol, as the title track of the album alludes a magical journey by way of a train ride. Even though it’s obviously not the case, Power Train is a fun & goofy time. If you didn’t like Above The Sky & it’s randomness, Power Train might be a good substitute!

HM2) Werewolves - The Ugliest Of All (Song)(No. 5)

Out of everything that came out this year, this is the album that surprised me. As most of you know, Death Metal is one of my least favorite subgenres, and the gore filled side of it even more so. I was never a fan of when it decides to be gross & shocking, yet for some reason.....I happen to like this one. Now, I don’t plan on listening to it over & over, but something about The Ugliest Of All just works for me. Maybe it because of the fact that, despite being covered from top to bottom in gore & viscera, there’s moments where the album’s not completely unleashing arterial spray all over you. Hell, even when you’re practically being bathed in blood & guts, the instrumentation is thunderous, and the vocals don’t fully sound like the cookie monster. Again, I’m probably not going to listen to The Ugliest Of All a horde of times, but I’ll still enjoy it once in a while.

1) Destruction - Birth Of Malice (Song) & Sodom - The Arsonist (Song) & Sabaton - Legends (Song)

I don’t think there was any other album in 2025 that more than earned the right to be number one. I don’t think there was any other record that could encapsulate was this year was like, especially in my home country. On principle alone, this release absolutely needed to make it to this spot! To suggest anything other release would be heresy of the highest degree. Much like Kreator’s 2017 behemoth of a release in Gods Of Violence, another cornerstone of the German Thrash Metal scene perfectly encapsulated what it was like in the world, and especially here in the United States. Birth Of Malice is not a pretty release: it is ugly, dingy, dirty, and sheds a light upon things that most normal people don’t want to see. However, it’s a perfect reflection of what this year was like from beginning to end, and it’ll possibly stay that way until things change.....if they ever do.

There also happens to be Sodom at no. 1 as well. It’s been almost a decade since I last had these Teutonic Titans on a list of mine, and while Decision Day was fantastic.....this album is a behemoth of war. You’re gunning down soldiers in a helicopter, lightning up fields with fire, bombing enemy strongholds, and it’s not pretty. Thrash Metal in general never tries to glorify war and it’s horrific aftermath, and Sodom are one of those bands that definitely knows how to make it bleaker than some. Given all of the conflict that was happening all over this world (Not just here in the United States), The Arsonist had to be put at no. 1 on principle alone like Birth Of Malice. It reflected all of the chaos well, and might continue to do so if things stay the way they are.

Yet, for as serious as this list was, it needed at least a little light at the end of the tunnel, and one band in question was more than ready for the task. Swedish legends Sabaton have been on a record so far this decade, what with The War To End All Wars from 2022, the movie tour at museums to promote the album in 2023, their live tour last year with Judas Priest was incredible, not to mention their concert movie The Tour To End All Tours from 2024 as well. Legends? This is an album that’ll give you 20cc’s of happy injected straight into your ass! While perhaps there were too many singles, and some of the songs sounded similar to previous tunes on prior records, one can’t deny that they still known how to use history with their music, and the end result is just wonderful. Much like Heroes from 2014, the band decided to sing of iconic figures from warfare past, but this time they decided to delve much further into history they’ve ever done. From the Knights Templar, to Napoleon, to even Ancient Egypt, Joakim & the gang continue to mix serious history with their patented brand of Power Metal, and the end result is just fun for your ears. Definitely the right kind of band-aid to put on any wounds you sustained this year.

And those were my top 5 albums of 2025. A considerably darker list than perhaps anything I’ve ever posted, it’s a testament to how bleak this year was when compared to how this decade started off. Hopefully, 2026 is more upbeat & positive when compared to.....whatever the hell this year was. So, I will see you all in a few days when we’ll take a look my top 5 movies of the year, but tomorrow I have to post up something personal. It’ll be.....rough.



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If you’re curious as to what I thought of last year’s albums, click on the link below: 

Top 5 Albums Of 2024

Album Review: Judas Priest's Invincible Shield

I saw my first Judas Priest concert last year.

It was May of 2024. My folks had gotten me 2 tickets to see them. One for myself, and the other for a friend (Who I hadn’t see in 5-ish years). I was at a sports arena roughly an hour away from where I lived, and in a fairly big city. It also happened to be raining that day, so it made moving around outside a little wet. There was already a big crowd inside the place, so the show hadn’t started yet. Right next to it was a little pizza place, so me & my buddy has some slices for dinner & a soda, which was nice. We walk back into the arena, where we stand in line for a little bit before we go in. From there, I bought 2 band shirts, since Sabaton was the opening act (And they were damn good in their own right that night). Then after the boys from Sweden had their rightful time on stage, Rob Halford & the gang came on, and I could only describe the moment.....as cosmic. 

Keep in mind: I had only been a fan of the band for close to a decade by that point (Earlier this year was exactly a decade), so I had certainly be entrenched in the faithful for some time, but it wasn’t until seeing one of the godfathers of Heavy Metal in person that being a fan felt permanent. From the opener to the closer, it all clicked in my head. From the beginning to the end, it all made sense. This was especially important, as a few months before that their 19th studio album Invincible Shield was released. The record was pretty significant upon release, as it technically marks 50 years since their very first album Rocka Rolla was put out (It was officially 50 years on the 6th of September). I was definitely interesting in the release, since the singles for it were really addictive, but then when the whole thing came out I was floored in all the right ways!

Not only was Invincible Shield a phenomenal album from top to bottom, but it was also a message sent across to all corners of Heavy Metal. Not just to the newer bands, but to some of the older ones as well, and that statement was “We’re Still Here!”. Everybody is on point across this whole record: Scott Travis is like Raijin & Fujin on the drums, Ian Hill is smooth on the bass, Glenn Tipton is still great on the guitar, and Richie Faulkner sounds & feels better than ever after his horrific heart issues, but then of course there is the scream master Rob Halford. Now in his early 70s, he still has an incredible stage presence to this very day, and is still able to hit the high notes like he did back during the 80s. He can still move around on stage surprisingly well also, but his age now is incredibly obvious in that regard. Invincible Shield is proof that not only is Judas Priest eternal, but Heavy Metal as a whole is eternal as well.

Picking the best track off of the album was easy, and that honor goes to the title track. The only bad thing I could say is that the song doesn’t open the record up, but that’s it. Invincible Shield has the makings of a modern day Judas Priest anthem: lightning fast guitars, grooving bass, thunderous drums, and Rob Halford’s patented vocal work that has not wavered once since he reached his 70s. On top of that, there’s a big nostalgia vibe coursing throughout the track that harkens back to their 80s work, and to be more specific something like you’d feel off of Defenders Of The Faith. It’s an absolute blast to listen too with the volume turned up, but not too loud! 

Invincible Shield

So, if I’ve heaped so much praise on Invincible Shield, does that mean there isn’t anything negative to say? Not really. Invincible Shield is damn good, and shows that Judas Priest is still able to be a force in Heavy Metal, even if many in the band are of exceptional age. If there is anything to fault the album, it would be a weird fluctuation of quality. Make no mistake: There’s not a single bad or mediocre track from opener to closer, and the over all experience is badass as it should be. That being said, Invincible Shield has an odd habit of going between great to good at seemingly random intervals. Again, not a single track ever goes to mediocre or awful, but it is weird to even remotely notice when it dips from great to good, and vice versa.

Invincible Shield gets a solid 10 out of 10 from me. Mild quality shifting aside, it’s a testament to the legacy of Judas Priest, and a statement to the metal community at large saying “We’re Still Here!”. With the band releasing albums for half a century as of last year, they’re still here despite some big ups & downs, and they will still be here until they can’t. And with that, my quick look back at 2024 I finished, and tomorrow is the final month of the year. See you on the 1st for my look at the top 5 albums of 2025. Until then, may the shield you carry keep you safe.


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If you would like to listen to this album, then click on the link below:

Invincible Shield

Album Review (Obscurus Metalus): Neon Nightmare's Faded Dream

Honorable Mention of 2024 fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I said then when I briefly talked about my top 5 list from last year, but today’s review is of an album that came practically out of nowhere for pretty much everybody. An album who’s band members (More on that in a moment) were highly mysterious, and despite the single or two that came out, nobody knew anything about the record in question. Cut to the 1st of November last year, and one of the biggest offerings & tributes to one of the biggest icons in Gothic Metal to have ever been made. A tribute that actually tugs at my heartstrings, and left me a little misty-eyed. So, get out any leftover Halloween candy you might have left, turn down the lights to low, and enjoy my review for Neon Nightmare’s first release, Faded Dream. Let’s begin.

Background
It’s genuinely difficult to find any background on this album, along with the mysterious frontman of the band....or so we thought. Cut to a few months after it came out (I believe it was a few months), and we got a reveal of the mastermind behind the whole thing: Nate Garrett. Not just the singer, but he was also the drummer, keyboardist, and bassist, Nate had prior musical experience in the band Spirit Adrift, which he had also started. As for what we do know about the album’s background and descriptor, the Bandcamp page as this to say: 

“Born out of the elemental primordium contained in heavy metal’s working class roots, from the war-scarred industrial landscapes of Birmingham to the beat up bars and basements of Brooklyn, Neon Nightmare arrive like a ghost in the night to carry on the tradition. Troubled music for troubled people. And though there’s nothing new under the sun, in the shadows there may yet be a chance, and it is in the shadows where ‘Faded Dream’ was shaped out of shimmering steel.

The title says it all, with ‘Faded Dream’ Neon Nightmare’s debut album is a synthesis of emotional peaks and valleys and dark brooding atmosphere, evoking a longing angst for a past once colored by adolescent excitement and wonder. Utilizing a foundation of big riffs, crushing studio production immersed in technicolor fantasy and psychedelic ornamentation, and a dramatic vocalist able to smoothly swing from a spooky gothic baritone to soaring heavy metal melodicism, ‘Faded Dream’ is the crossroads where Doom, Psych, Shoegaze and Alternative Metal all intersect in a way not heard in years.

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it but unmistakable deadpan satirical strain also runs through ‘Faded Dream’ as Neon Nightmare cleverly avoid the overtly sad-sack whimsy and self-serious mopery of the standard “metal band with goth tendencies” milieu. For all its genuine foreboding and confrontation with real depression, ‘Faded Dream’ never loses itself in the mire or gives up on its predilection for thrill-seeking amusements and sanguine fascination. The sounds conjured have lived in many momentous forms throughout the decades of heavy metal history, and Neon Nightmare are here to continue the cycle.”

The album would be release on the 1st of November in 2024, and the reception was quite positive on many review sites.

Basic Description
Pete’s Ghost Is Still Haunting Us.

Ever since Pete Steele passed away over 15 years ago (That made my bones ached), the bleeding hole where our hearts were still aches. Type-O Negative at some point in their career reflected something in our soul, and somehow brought some kind of joy into our lives. In the over decade & a half since Pete's death, there have only be a tiny pinch of musicians that have managed to even remotely take up the mantle. Corey Tourigny was one of the first, then we had A Pale Horse Named Death, the monolith that is October Noir, and even musical Youtubers like Anthony Vincent & Denis Pauna managed to get in on the action! However, with Dream Faded I think we have the first time a musical act truly captures the essence & soul of the Green Man so perfectly. Even then, this album folds in a few different things to make it something unique, and not just a carbon copy of the boys from Brooklyn. We will never have Pete crawl out of his grave, but it is nice to know that there are still musicians out there that understand the significance of Peter Thomas Ratajczyk.....and the legacy he left behind.

Best Track
This was...difficult. There’s not many albums I’ve ever listened to in the near 4 decades I’ve been on this planet that I consider perfect, but throw Faded Dream onto that pile everybody. Practically every single song on this album can be considered to be the best track. Hell, even the joke opening soundscape Higher Calling is surprisingly entertaining. However, if I wanted to pick my favorite track of the album, then the cleverly named LATW2TG is just perfect. Reminiscent of material from the Dead Again era of Type-O Negative, you have instrumentals similar to what you would hear on An Ode To Locksmiths, but the vibes are like that you would feel in September Sun. Mildly more lighthearted, but still very powerful & very emotional. Though I would have liked this song to have been the concluding track, it’s position about halfway through the album means I don’t have to wait that long to get to it.

LATW2TG

Worst Track
The fact that this sprung practically out of nowhere was this album’s biggest fault. I didn’t even know there were singles out for the release until after I discovered this record, though there were definitely some people that did. Not only that, but Nate Garrett keeping his identity a secret until he wasn’t able to seemed silly to me. He’s pretty damn talented, not just in Neon Nightmare, but in his prior band Spirit Adrift. To play devil’s advocate, I assume he did this so people focused on the music instead of him, which I can respect. 

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:

Faded Dream

Overall Impression & Rating
Faded Dream, as I said before, was a surprise that came out of nowhere, and hit anyone that listened right in the feels. Sure, I think it was a little goofy that Nate Garrett hid his identity until he couldn’t, but in an odd way that meant we paid full attention to the music, and nothing else. In that case, this tribute to Pete & the rest of Type-O Negative was nothing short of phenominal. From beginning to end, you have all of the things that made the boys from Brooklyn legends, yet there’s a few things that were thrown in to make it it’s own thing as well. Over 15 years later, and there’s people that haven’t forgotten you Green Man. Not now.....Not ever. 

Faded Dream gets an 8 out of 10, but I enjoyed it as if it was a perfect 10.

And that was my look at Faded Dream. Surprising & wonderful in equal measure, it managed to capture the spirit of the Green Man without being a carbon copy. For any fan of Type-O Negative, this album will heal your heart....if only for a bit. So, join me on the last day of this month, when I will look at an absolute beast of an album from legends that are a little over half a century in age. Until they, make sure your dreams never fade. 


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If you want to support Neon Nightmare, then click on the link below: 

Neon Nightmare (Bandcamp)

MTG Set Review: Commander Legends

The end of 2025 is near fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

2025 has not be very kind for us here in the United States, or for anywhere else if I’m being honest. The sheer amount of political corruption here in America is so immense, it makes some of the worst leaders in our country’s history look like model boy scouts. With things coming out seemingly every single day that sends a chill down your spine, it makes living in the USA looks like a living nightmare. None the less, the few shreds of light that still float around are enough to keep one going, and today’s review marks one final look back at the media landscape of 2020. One final look at a plague ridden year that in hindsight, might somehow seem less soul-crushing that what we’ve gone through here in 2025. So, if you’ve got the hankering for some EDH/Commander, then sit down & enjoy my review of the 2020 closer, Commander Legends. Let’s begin!

Story & Setting
Commander Legends doesn’t really have a story to it, save for some of the characters introduced that would make a re-appearance in later sets. Not only that, but there are fundamentally new & older plains introduced and re-introduced, but nothing is ever explored in detail. Due to the goals of the set, there isn’t really a need for a set-wide story & characters.....but I will talk about this a little later.

Art
For the most part, the artwork hasn’t changed in Commander Legends. All of the older cards they brought in have the exact same art as they did before, save for some spruced up alternate versions. The NEW art, however, is damn good! There are plenty of new cards in both the base set, and the commander pre-builts, that all have brand new artwork, and it all looks wonderful. Not much else to say in this regard.

Mechanics
Also for the most part, the mechanics of Commander Legends is made up of things we’ve seen before. The Monarch makes a comeback, as does Cascade to an extent, Pirate Tribal/Typal/Kindred oddly enough, along with a smattering of a few others. Two new ones are introduced, and they certainly make things feel fresher. The first up is Encore, and that one’s pretty simple. You simply pay the mana cost & exile the creature card from your graveyard, and then you make a copy of it for each opponent you have. They all have haste, and then you sacrifice them at the next end step. This gives anybody an advantage if they’re lacking in the creature department, and has some nice aristocrat interactions.

Perhaps the biggest aspect of the set was the Partner mechanic. Originally first appeared in 2014 with specific partners in Battleborn, then in 2016 with the Commander pre-builts that were more varied, and then in 2020 with the Ikoria pre-builts that returned to the more limited nature of 2014. Commander Legends is far more free-roaming with it’s partners, as you can mix & match with anybody with Partner. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that every combination works, but this does mean that the amount of combinations is incredibly varied. My only complaint is that there weren’t any Partner commanders in multicolor (Would have made for some interesting 3-color partner decks), but there’s still a lot of variety with what we were given.

Negative Aspects
Honestly, Commander Legends’s only big fault is the heavy return of cards from prior sets that have their original art. To play devil’s advocate, this was a set that was designed with the Commander format in mind, and thus many older cards were needed to flesh things out & to supplement the newer ones. Even so, it’s amazing that the ration of old to new seems so out of balance to me, but again, the old was meant to help out the new, so I can’t truly complain that much.

Overall Impression & Rating
If Zendikar Rising was my 1st favorite set of 2020, then Commander Legends isn’t far behind. While the fair amount of older cards doesn’t make this set feel completely new, the stuff that is new certainly makes for something somewhat unique. Even if there isn’t a story or familiar characters (For the most part), what we were given was pretty good. It still manages to entertain players whenever the odd pack is found & opened, and even if you never collect the set, buy a few odd cards & enjoy the moment.

Commander Legends gets an 8.5 to 9 out of 10.

And that was my review for Commander Legends. A worthy release that helped out many Commander players, and a set that definitely deserved to close out 2020. Still spoken of in high regard almost 5 years later, it’s a testament to the design quality that’s had it stay in the minds of so many MTG players. And with that everyone, my look back at some of the media that got me through 2020 is completely, so now we turn our attention to last year. So, join me around the middle of the month, as we’ll take a look at a musical honorable mention that’s quite mysterious. See you then!