Convention Review: Connecticon 2025

Connecticon 2025 was a blast fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

What can I honestly say at this point about this convention that I have said about it in the past. It’s been close to my heart for an incredibly long time at this point, and it’s always managed to surprise me in all of the right & wrong ways with each year I go. 2025 is no different, and this year’s definitely did make me do a double take a few times. So, with that said, Let’s sit down & take a look at my review for Connecticon 2025. Let’s begin!

Good Points
The Hartford Marriot has continued to be a high point for me. It’s far grander than anything that could have been found around where Genericon once was, far more opulent (Though certainly not on the level of the Gaylord where Katsucon takes place), and has a lot more resources than one would think upon visiting it for the first time. In addition to that, the escalator that was down the count last year was working perfectly fine this year, so not having to use the elevator to get from the lobby to the 3rd floor & vice-versa constantly was incredibly welcome. I used the bar for the first time when I hung out with John St Jon & his friends, and the Vodka Tonic I had was quite lovely. 

Dealer’s Room & Artist’s Alley are still two of the biggest draws for people to come to Connecticon. Though there was a hiccup last year, and a bigger hiccup this year (More on that later), the sheer variety of goods to purchase always catches me off guard. The dealers that came back for the once a day thing in the upper part of the convention center came back, and although I didn’t get anything from them, there was a lot of variety there as well. Also, just like last year, I managed to have enough money for the next MTG release I’m going to in a few days (Edge Of Eternities anybody?).

Connecticon continues to rock it with the events. From the panels, to the AMV Contest, to the Idol show, to the Cosplay Chess, and finally to the Cosplay Deathmatch (Which is easily the best that has taken place in it’s entire history), you’ve got the living embodiment of “Something For Everybody!”. I may not have gone to a lot of panels, but the ones I did go were fun. The Eating of the Costco Chicken, John St Jon’s Sexy Late Night Panel (Never gets old, btw), and Cosplay Championship Wrestling were just some of the events I went to, and they were all great. Speaking of CCW.....

Cosplay Championship Wrestling keeps on being fire at Connecticon, especially since they’ve be coming to the con for almost 5 years now. Every single wrestler, both the men & the women, embodies the characters they play, and the heels and the faces have everybody in the crowd by the balls (Or ovaries). For 2025, they did something extra, and have the wrestlers play as their own characters from their parent company, and that was just as good if not better. You know things are better when you have a wrestler basically play as Prince.....yes, that Prince!

The food trucks are still a huge plus for me! A far cheaper alternative to how much most of the things to eat in the hotel cost, it’s like a culinary rainbow. From the poutine, to the cheesesteak, and to all of the other foods savory & sweet, and normal or vegan, you’ve got a lot to choose from that won’t hurt the bank account. Hell, even the most expensive items won’t been too much of a problem (The highest cost I saw was 19-something), and some of those you can share with people! 

One final good point I’ll mention is a bit of a smaller one, and that’s the water posts. In the lobby of the hotel, there was a table with two glass containers with flavored water (Flavored with natural things, and it was different each day), and there were two above the lobby by the games rooms & panel room. Over in the center itself, there were plenty of water booths in some of the panel rooms, and this definitely was a smart move. My only complaint was that there should have been some in every room in the center given what the weather was like for most of the weekend, but if they weren’t able to cause of how many there were, then I can’t really complain.

Okay Points
Honestly, I don’t think there was anything that was just okay with Connecticon this year. Everything about it in 2025 was either Good, or bad. Nothing in between was seen or hear by me. Speaking of bad however.....

Bad Points
Unfortunately for the con this year, it’s biggest fault is something I had an issues with in 2024, and that’s the lack of manga & anime sellers. If anything, it might have been worse this time around! There was absolutely no manga sellers except for one (Maybe two), and no anime sellers save for Otaku Joe’s (If there were more, I never saw them). Camp Anime didn’t even have any of there figures this year, and if they did I never saw them. Magic The Gathering was in surprisingly short supply oddly enough (Save for a few vendors), but Pokemon & Yu-Gi-Oh was shockingly plentiful! If there is some kind of shift in what’s getting pushed in the Dealer’s Room, I don’t know, but if there is then somebody let me know.

(Like last year, I was still able to purchase a bunch of things btw)

Final Thoughts & Rating
Connecticon 2025 stumbles ever so slightly on account of some of the issues I had with the Dealers Room, but otherwise everything else was great! The convention staff have really nailed what Connecticon is supposed to be, and I don’t think that’ll ever waver in any way. Going to this Mecca of awesomeness for close to 2 decades has become a staple for me during the summer.....and I hope it’s a staple for all of you.

Connecticon 2025 gets an 8.5 to 9 out of 10.

And that was my review for Connecticon 2025. An absolutely wonderful time, despite the shift in products sold. In just a few short years, I will have been going for 20 years (2029), and I definitely look forward to that! With this out of the way, got my second no. 1 album of 2020, so look to the sky & join me at the end of the month. See you then!


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If you’d like to see what I thought of last year’s con, click on the link below:

Convention Review: Connecticon 2024

Album Review: U.D.O.'s We Are One (Revised)

Number 1's are here fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

We’ve made it to July everybody. Sure, we’re a flaming garbage pile that’s back to being an absolute joke, but we’re still here! We’ve now made it to my number 1 albums of 2020, and given what that year was like, it was only right to place what I thought were the most powerful & upbeat records of that year. To start things off, I’m taking a second look at a release that almost was going to be the sole record at number 1 last year. A record that is equal parts heavy, over the top, symphonic, and contains within it a powerful social message that doesn’t feel insulting in any way. So, get on your combat fatigues, find the right cause to champion, and get ready for my review of U.D.O.’s We Are One. Let’s begin.

Background
Taken from the CD booklet: 

“Dear Udo Friends,

I’m writing these lines at the end of April 2020. Corona is ruiling the headlines and all of our day to day activities. I am currently in the Cologne area after I was able to “Rescue” myself by driving to Germany from Ibiza two weeks ago after several weeks of total isolation.

I am currently in the studio with Sven almost every day and we are working together on the upcoming U.D.O. album, which should be released in the coming year (2021). The guys behind the band are all at home and only connected to our studio via Skype. Actually, we all wanted to come together in the studio because this type of work has proven itself on our last album “Steelfactory”. No chance, since this virus has a firm grip on the world...

THE WORLD! OUR WORLD! OUR ONLY WORLD!

Our world is dying! A little more every day! And we are all responsible for it. We are heading towards enormous problems and those “Doing Nothing” are responsible for the consequences. To make matters worse, there are ever increasing tendencies toward nationalist and right wing structures that lead to more isolation and selfishness. This is happening right now at a time when the whole world should be acting in a unified and collaborative manner. Unfortunately, lost for power, lobbying, selfishness and a giant dose of stupidity are preventing a better world for everyone.

- The rainforest in Brazil is burning. Billions of animals are dying in the flames and the world is watching as a “President” allows this to happen.
- The oceans are full of plastic and the world is watching millions of animals cruelly die from the plastic. Nevertheless, we continue to produce tons of plastic waste every day.
- Dictator, tyrants and the right-wing people are gaining more and more power and the world is watching.
- A corporation is obviously poisoning entire insect cultures worldwide, not to mention the bees and humans themselves with its pesticide. The world is watching.
- Car companies are massively damaging our environment with fake emissions data and the world is watching.
- In Australia (And Worldwide), we had true flame infernos in forest fires last year and again, billions of animals painfully burned to death, proven effects of climate change and the world is watching. Many a president denies climate change and yet, they still have chances of being re-elected. Our forests. The lungs of the world are burning while most people are not really worried and continue to live their lives the same way!
- Refugee camps in Europe are full of suffering people and the world is watching. There are thousands of traveling children who are alone in refugee camps in Europe, living in the worst of circumstance and being exposed to many dangers every day, and we can’t even bring these children to us and give them a new future? For months now, our politicians have been discussing whether we can get the children out of these! It is shameful!

There are currently many trillions in corona funding under discussion worldwide. Part of these funding is for prehistoric companies that will continue to pollute our environment in the extreme. Wouldn’t it be better to invest the money in new technologies such as fuel cells to help save our only and unique world instead of spending the money on polluting companies just because they have more power through their expensive lobbyists? Should we not take advantage of the unique opportunity for a better world just so a few people can keep stuffing their pockets at our own expense? Should we save jobs that, by design, exterminate our insects and bees worldwide? I think no! The free world must stand together and ensure that this ball does not continue to roll while many thousands of people are kept as slaves for years just to build new (football) stadiums! Unfortunately our politicians all too frequently play in the many-sided concert of injustices!

One could get the impression that this world is doomed and that humans are the biggest scum in global history. There is considerable evidence of this! I am not a scientist, but I have the hope that we will still be able to change this current course. Of course, there are a lot of stupid, selfish and bad people (Even several leaders of the largest countries cannot deny the accusation), but there are also a great deal of wonderful, good people and I am encouraged by this.

Check out the fantastic people within the Fridays For Future movement, or those from Greenpeace, Medicines Sans Frontiers and learn their names. This is my hope.

At FFF, young people are getting straight to the point of what we should be doing: “Save the world. It’s the only one we have and there is no planet b” and I feel really terrible when I hear the accusations against FFF from the ranks of some politicians. How can you make Greta Thunberg to appear negative and even hostile? This young lady is remarkable and deserves all the respect in the world. She has my deepest personal respect!

Rebel Town handled the demonstrations in Lepzig as well as in many other cities in East Germany that finally brought down the wall in Germany in 1989. We “The Little People can also achieve something like this. We only have to stick together and stand up for our goals. Be brave out there and be uncomfortable for the offenders! Fight!”

Nothing will change if we accept everything as is and do not tackle these abuses. And we ourselves also need to change. Starting with little things like dealing with plastic waste and avoiding waste and also in our mutual human interaction. Luckily, metal fans are mainly very open and tolerant people. One could almost conclude that we need more metal in everyday life. A cool idea! In any case, I’m thankful to be part of this scene!

We need more understanding and love in our interaction with each other. And right-wing thinking must not be tolerated. It isn’t self-explanatory that most of the right or at least “Right-Leaning” politicians deny global warming and don’t give a shit about looking after the environment, people and animals?

We need to break out of our paralyzing comfort and finally act ourselves. Set an example! Write to your politicians and demand that they opt for humanity and not for money and everything behind it! Support the actions of organizations like FFF, Greenpeace, the WWF, etc. Help people and help yourself. Become active! Small steps eventually rest in a very big step.

Our current album is frighteningly more relevant today and we could have ever imagined. The Coronavirus has shut down the world. Was it created in an incredibly cruel animal market in China or did it escape from a laboratory? I don’t know, but I don’t tend toward conspiracy theories and certainly not doomsday scenarios (I guess it was the transmission from the unspeakable animal market). Regardless, we must take this virus and it’s effects extremely seriously. A new virus could go around the world tomorrow: One that is even worse and more cruel than Covid 19.

But please note that Corona is just a tiny little fucker. The big thing to come and we have to prevent whatever it takes is global warming with all negative impacts for us (Billions of death cases, famine, crop failures, floods, extreme climate changes, etc) worldwide. And there is no vaccination against global warming! We have to do everything possible and impossible in order to avoid global warming since once it is out of control, there is no going back to normal life.....

We changed the world through our actions, both positively and negatively. Where the journey goes is in our hands. I am afraid that the last decisive journey is imminent and I hope that we will be able to act sensibly and cautiously and look toward a great future for people, animals and our environment. WE ONLY HAVE ONE PLANET AND WE ARE ALL UNITED. WE ARE PEOPLE!

WE ARE ONE”

Basic Description
Symphonic Power with Social Activism.

Think about 2020 everybody. Think about what was going on at that time: COVID-19, increasing spread & influence of Right-Wing policies & politicians, forest fires in both Brazil & Australia, the planet’s environment getting worse and worse, George Floyd, and so much more. 2020, more than any other year at that time, felt like the gates of hell opened up and just unleashed a torrent of crap that fell on all of our faces. We Are One reflected what most of us were feeling: both in the positive & negative sense, what Udo & the gang were trying to convey across the entire record was an encapsulation of everything that was happening at the time, and it was something that anyone who listened to the record needed to hear. Coupled with some great Heavy Metal & Symphonic music from the marching band of the German Military, and the end result is one of the reasons why I say that 2020 will forever have the best metal of this decade. 

Best Track
I said it in my original review, and I’ll say it again here without fail, but Neon Diamond is a scorcher of a song. In addition to it being a perfect mix between the metallic & symphonic side of things, a little more variety is added in the form of some really good saxophone playing that gives everything a small jazz vibe when you can hear it. The lyrics & messaging is powerful also, referencing lovelorn souls looking for someone else to attach too, and the desire for material things (Think the name of the song is a reference to Blood Diamonds, but I’m not sure). It definitely works well as a track towards the end of We Are One, but it might have been the best as the very end.

Neon Diamond

Worst Track
Also like I stated in my original 2021 review, but if there was any fault to be had with We Are One, it would be the fact that the orchestra doesn’t match up with some of the songs. I still stand by this, as some songs the metallic elements & symphonic elements meld beautifully, while others sound good together but don’t quite meld. This doesn’t ruin the overall experience, and every song together is fantastic, but you will notice when both sides don’t work as well as they should.

One opinion of mine that has changed somewhat would be the Social Commentary. I said back in 2021 that the messaging was hokey & cheesy, and that Udo & the band are a little too optimistic about it. I still stand by that, but with how things have changed since 2020 for the worst, perhaps the message that the album is trying to convey isn’t quite as stereotypically hippy as it might be for some when they listen to this record for the very first time. There’s still some of that on here, but perhaps it isn’t as annoying in the 5 years since this release came out. There are some people out there that might not like We Are One because of the messaging (I can understand why to an extent), but there’s far more of that message that’s much stronger than some give it credit.

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

We Are One

Overall Impression & Rating
We Are One came out at the right place and the right time. It came out during a time where it’s messaging was absolutely needed, and it’s energy was required to give us a boost to make it through a plague-filled haze. The orchestral aspect may not match up in certain songs as well as others, and the messaging might be a little silly, but the music came out when the fans needed it the most. Considering the hellscape that has been 2025 so far, it’s vibes & commentary are stronger and perhaps needed more. It might not be for everybody, but We Are One is for anybody.  

We Are One is still a solid 10 out 10, and I will stand by this until the day I die.

And that was my revised look at We Are One. Perhaps more relevant now than it was in 2020, it manages to delight & entertain while delivering a power message that everyone should hear. As things continue to crumble in the U.S. and abroad, perhaps it’s a message that everyone needs to hear. So, I’ll be back in a few days when I’ll have a review up for this year’s Connecticon, and at the end of July my second no. 1 album of 2020 will get looked at. Look up to the sky, and I’ll see you soon!


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If you’d like to take a look at my original review, click on the link below:

Album Review - U.D.O.’s We Are One (2021 Version)

Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 35: Biscuit (My Precious Furbaby)

With how crap the world is right now, I think we all need a heartwarming story.....and I’ve got the story for you!

As of late last week, Biscuit, my precious furbaby, turned 5 years old. Since the summer of The Plague, this adorable but exceptionally squishy cat has been a source of smiles & joy in a world that’s increasingly going to hell in a handbasket. For half a decade, this chonky cat lies right next to me whenever I’m in my room, doing the best she can to conform to my leg & ask for belly rubs, and purrs hard enough my leg jiggles ever so slightly. Yes, this kitty of mine has been a source of smiles for half of this seemingly sordid decade, and her origins is surprising.

Let’s rewind to last decade. Around 2014 to 2016 if I recall correctly. Some asshat had dropped off a small box of kittens near my house, only for them to somehow make their way towards me & my folks. Once day, my Mom opens the door to the porch, only to see one of them, and the rest after a few seconds. Immediately she tells my Dad, who reacts as her normally does when it comes to cats at the time. Mom gets some kitten food from the store that day, and begins feeding & watering them so they don’t die. This in turn got Pops to jokingly call Ma “Sucker Finder”, and I’m not going to lie when I say that I did to (Even though I loved those little kitties). For a few years, we’ve tended to them as they grew up, and oddly enough a few more showed up over time. Mom & me loved them with all our hearts, while Dad was his usual self about it. 

Fast forward to 2020. More specifically, Father’s Day 2020. That day, one of the cats was tragically hit by a local, and this cat recently gave birth to four kittens, and recently at that time moved to a spot by the creek near us. The woman that did it was a local, who came to our house sobbing & saying that she hit the most beautiful cat in the world. Mom & me immediately knew who it was, and went out to grab her body & bury her on the property (We got a tiny Cat graveyard). However, an oddly bigger issues was trying to rescue her babies. We knew they were still at the creek, but we didn’t know what part. Not only that, but when a mamma cat communicates with her kitten, they chirp rather than meow, so Ma gets some mamma cat chirp noises ready on her phone, and over the course of a few days (That’s kind of a story in & of itself) we rescued them & brought them inside.

We knew we couldn’t keep them, so over the course of a few weeks we looked for homes for the kittens, and we were pretty successful. Two of them, ironically enough, went to a local in town (Might have been the same woman I mentioned earlier), and one had gone to a friend of my Mother’s daughter, only for it to be returned cause of issues they were going through, and they went to another friend of my Ma.

So now we get to me. It was early August if I recall correct, and I just got to the bathroom after waking up. Before I could close the door, this is the conversation with my Father: 

“Josh, do you wanna keep the cat?”

“Dad, she going to a good home. It’s okay.”

“Okay, so here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna take the two kittens, and you’re gonna start juggling. You’re gonna juggle the kittens. Which ever one stays up in the air the longest, is the one you’re gonna keep.”

I was almost going to slug my Dad for that joke, but Mom came in to basically translate what he said before something actually happened. After that, the rest....is history.

So that was a warm & fuzzy story about Biscuit, my precious furbaby. With the kind of year everyone has been having, it seemed only right that I talk about her. Stayed tuned throughout the rest of this month for some more goodies. See you soon! 

Album Review: Marilyn Manson's We Are Chaos

Chaos comes fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Like I hinted at in my revised review for Ordinary Man around the middle of the month, the musician in today’s review is one I actually haven’t looked at in more detail, despite mentioning them twice on two of my lists (Once last year, and the other obviously in 2020). Throughout much of the 1990s, shock icon Marilyn Manson scared & offended conservative individuals who were too quick to judge, and delighted his fans with his on stage antics & provocative themes. Even when he lost some relevance in the 2000s & 2010s, he still had a grip on the Zeitgeist of his fanbase. The dawn of this decade, despite the copious amount of pestilence, was no different. If anything, 2020 wouldn’t have felt even remotely right if one of the icons of Shock Rock didn’t make their presence known, and what they put out that year certainly fit the time. So, sit back, check & see if everything is all messed up, and take a look at my review for We Are Chaos. Let’s begin.

Background
2020, as we all seemingly know by now, was an incredibly awful way to start off this decade. COVID-19, or as I now simply call it The Plague, swept the entire Earth. Untold numbers of people across the world were infected, and the lucky ones were simply hurt by the virus. Because of this once-a-century plague, there was a isolating lockdown in every single country in an effort to slow the spread of the disease & slow death from it. Save for essential workers & going out for necessities, everyone was required to stay home & hunker down, and while it wasn’t perfect the plague was stymied somewhat until a vaccine was ultimately created. Though we’ve recovered quite a bit since then, there’s still some damage from that time that still lingers in plenty of people. Mainly, as I see it at least, the psychological scars from being isolated for so long. Without getting into a lot of detail, at one point I thought that my friends & extended family were hallucinations. Even when I actually saw them during that time, there was always one small part of my mind that thought that maybe they weren’t real. On top of that, COVID forced those in the entertainment industry to adapt to a time where they might not have the resources they normally use.....which is where our story with Marilyn Manson begins.

In actuality, our story begins in 2013. In that year, former Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez introduced to his ex-bandmate Shooter Jennings, the son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. The two hit it off, and later on in 2013 the producers of Sons of Anarchy asked the duo to record a song for the finale to the sixth season of the show. Their version of the track remains unreleased to this day, with both of them saying they were unhappy with the finished product. Titled "Join the Human Gang", it was written by Jennings alongside the show's creator Kurt Sutter, and was eventually rewritten and released by The White Buffalo as "Come Join the Murder". From there, Manson portrayed a character in the seventh season of the series, and recorded two albums with Tyler Bates (Who’s work includes): The Pale Emperor and Heaven Upside Down (The two records before We Are Chaos). Manson and Jennings also collaborated on a cover of David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" for Jennings's album Countach (For Giorgio).

Fast forward to 2019, and drummer Gil Sharone (Who performed on The Pale Emperor & Heaven Upside Down) announced he was leaving the band to pursue other projects. His replacement would come in the form of Brandon Pertzborn, who was the former drummer of the legendary Punk band Black Flag. Shortly after his hiring, Manson announced that Tyler Bates was no longer involved with the group, and that the upcoming release would be co-produced by Jennings and feature contributions from his drummer Jamie Douglass. Pertzborn and the band's touring guitarist Paul Wiley were also confirmed to perform on the album, and it seemed that things were finally solid. During the recording of the new album, Manson and Jennings would record a cover version of The Doors track "The End" for use as the theme song for the miniseries The Stand. It didn’t appear in the series however, as show director Josh Boone said a license to use it proved too expensive for a series made on a limited budget.

The album that would eventually be called We Are Chaos would be released on September the 11th, 2020. Manson would go on to say that because of the album being written & recorded in quarantine, remotely, and not in his new home studio, he had to adapt to the situation and forced him to adapt to a new musical territory. As he said in an interview with Rolling Stone: 

“This was recorded to it’s completion without anyone hearing it until it was finished. There is most definitely a side A and Side B in the traditional sense. But just like an LP, it is a flat circle and it’s up to the listener to put the last piece of the puzzle into the picture of songs.”

Commercially, We Are Chaos was received pretty highly on it’s release. British magazine NME praised Manson for focusing more on craft rather than spectacle with the lyrics, and AllMusic said some pretty similar things as well, elaborating: 

 "As the years of shock tactics and theatrics fade into memory, Manson's left with just the music, aging as gracefully as he can with another expertly crafted offering for the altar."

Other music reviewers commented more on We Are Chaos’s musical diversity. Consequence of Sound would go onto say that the production, musicianship and songwriting on the record were among the best of the band's entire discography, and that the musical variation on the record was intriguing. The Arts Desk said that as a result of the musical variation, the album was "more tuneful and affecting than anything else" the band had ever released. The collaboration between Manson and Jennings would also be praised by many publications as well, with Clash magazine in their review that the pair had "created, if not perfected, a rousing ballad of angst for the Millennials", while Exclaim! said the record continued the band's creative resurgence, describing it as a "logical and welcome next step" in their discography, and said the best tracks on the album were among the strongest of their latter discography. Their summary of the album was that although the vocalist "may not be the pop culture figure he once was, Marilyn Manson is still capable of churning out some of modern rock music's finest work."

We Are Chaos did get some mixed reviews however. Rolling Stone said the songs on the album were not memorable, Mojo magazine said the best songs on the record were the tracks where Manson "actually emotes" and summarized: "Manson's Iggyesque croak begs for the pared-to-the-essence Rick Rubin treatment; We Are Chaos isn't that record, but it's a step in that direction.", and while The Independent complimented the quality of musicianship and variety found on the album, saying that the music "spans everything from Satanism to angry Enya", their writer simultaneously lauded and criticized the lyrics for both critiquing the MeToo movement and for lyrical content they perceived as misogynistic.

Basic Description
Chaos. In all the right & wrong ways.

I’ll get into the wrong ways a little later, but for now it’s time to talk about the right ways. By being forced out of his home studio/comfort zone, Manson had to adapt when it came to recording this record, and that in turn added to the chaotic nature of this record. However, by not being in a place that’s comforting & familiar, this made Manson’s creative gears move in a way that have never moved before, and the end result is an album that’s up in the air in some surprisingly exciting ways. On top of that, the chaotic nature of We Are Chaos lends itself to music where there’s quite literarily something for everyone. Each song across it’s 42 minute run time is unique, and they’re all completely different from one another. It’s so hard to nail down what this release is despite the gimmick, that the only way you can genuinely understand it is to listen.

Best Track
As the first single of the album, the title track ultimately became the face of the record. Kinda like Rammstein’s 2022 release Zeit, it has a bit of buildup before the metallic elements appear, then it hits hard like a truck.....only for it to go back to the same cycle of buildup/metallic release (Keep your mind out of the gutter!). Annoying for a second, it actually helps create a vibe that was oddly positive & optimistic. It’s got great guitar & bass, the drumwork is tight, and the inclusion of some piano playing gives it a mildly melancholic attitude as well. Manson’s singing is especially potent here, as he somehow manages to perfectly sound like how we all felt 5 years ago. If there was a song that could have represented what 2020 was like, it’s the rightful face of this release.

We Are Chaos

As for what is considered to be the best from the “B” side of the album, Infinite Darkness has a completely different atmosphere when you compare it to the song above. It’s much more dark & bleak, which probably fit what some people were feeling half a decade. The instrumentation reflects this, as it goes from creeping dread to loud & intense. Manson’s voice matches up with the instruments as well, going between both sides with ease. It certainly is a darker song when compared to the album’s title track, but with how chaotic & jumbled this record can be, then it’s not surprising to come across a track like this.

Infinite Darkness

Worst Track
Now we come to the bad side of this album’s chaos. This release is one of the most random records I have ever listened to: odd vocals & lyrics, instrumentation that’s all over the place, recording & production that seems disjointed, you name it. If this was all done in keeping with the record’s theme, then it’s some incredible levels of genius. If it’s more due to the fact that Manson was outside of his comfort zone & didn’t know what to do, not to mention how he was feeling at the time, then I feel a little worried. Luckily, he made it through a low point in his life, and would release a monster of a record 4 years later.....but I can’t say anything else.

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

We Are Chaos

Overall Impression & Rating
We Are Chaos definitely lives up to it’s name. Chaotic when it comes to the variety of music, but also chaotic when it comes to everything else. Given what 2020 was like, it was easy to consume the album back then without much trouble, but in the time since then it’s gotten oddly harder to listen to. At it’s best, We Are Chaos is a delightful whirlwind of creativity that shows how imaginative Marilyn Manson can be, but it’s an odd mishmash of various elements at worst. It’s really hard to describe what this album was upon it’s release & is still like nearly 5 years later, so pick the album up and listen to it for yourself!

We Are Chaos gets a 6 out of 10 at it’s worst, but an 8 out of 10 at it’s best. 

And that was my review for We Are Chaos. Over the top, random, and chaotic, Manson’s offering in 2020 definitely reflected what that year was like, and oddly reflects what 2025 has been like so far. It’s all over the place, but there is definitely a theme if you dig deep enough. So with that, we’ve made it to my number 1 albums of 2020. I’ll begin taking a look at them soon, but beforehand I’ve got a bit of a heartwarming story to tell you all. See you soon!


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If you would like to see more details into the background of this album, then click on the link below: 

We Are Chaos (Wikipedia)

Album Review: Ozzy Osbourne's Ordinary Man (Revised)

We’re nearing the end fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

I’m starting my look at the other musical honorable mentions of 2020 today. Ironically, I did a review for this one back in 2021, but it wouldn’t be right to leave it off the table during this look back at the most plague-ridden year of this decade so far. A triumphant return in the early parts of 2020, Ozzy Osbourne came back after almost a decade from his last album, and after touring with his old bandmates from Black Sabbath for their final tour towards the end of last decade. Coupled with the fact that he was diagnosed with mild Parkinson’s, it seemed like the Blizzard Of Ozz would never make his own music again.....until he did.  So with that out of the way, here is my revised review of Ordinary Man. Let’s begin.

Background
The 2010s was an interesting time for the Blizzard Of Ozz. 2010 saw the release of Scream (Which wasn’t a bad album at all), and a few short years later he regrouped with his old bandmates in Black Sabbath to release the album 13 in 2013, and go on for a farewell tour that lasted until early February of 2017. For a brief time after that, Ozzy went quiet, until a weird encounter by the end of that decade. In September of 2019, he would be featured alongside rapper Travis Scott on the Post Malone track “Take What You Want” (From Post’s 3rd album Hollywood's Bleeding). The song would go onto be Ozzy’s first Billboard Hot 100 top 10 in over 30 years, marking the occasion as the longest gap between top 10 appearances in the chart's history. However, rumblings from the shadows of a new Ozzy Osbourne album was in the works, and on the 9th of November of 2019, it was shown that such a record was coming. In an interview on that day, the Blizzard Of Ozz revealed that he worked with Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith on the album, and when it came to the recording of it he said that the entire process was done "in just a short time", adding ""Duff and Chad came in and we would go in and jam during the day and I would go work out the songs in the evenings. I previously had said to Sharon I should be doing an album, but in the back of my mind I was going, 'I haven't got the fucking strength.' But Andrew pulled it out of me. I really hope people listen to it and enjoy it, because I put my heart and soul into this album."”. Then on the 21st of February in 2020, the release known as Ordinary Man would be put out for the public.

Ordinary Man would go on to chart pretty highly on the Billboard 200 & UK Albums Chart. The number 3 spot on both of those lists, to be exact, and was Ozzy’s 8th top ten album as a solo artist. The record would also be met with mostly high praise upon it’s release, with Allmusic critic Fred Thomas giving it an almost positive rating, writing “The production is huge but the energy is spontaneous, sounding like it was as fun to make as it is to listen to. 71 years old at the time Ordinary Man was released, Osbourne's voice is in great shape, sounding more or less like he always has. How he's making music this strong after riding the crazy train for more than half-a-century is anyone's guess, but the better songs here rank among his best.”, and Josh Gray of Clash magazine saying that “Ordinary Man is far from perfect, but all Ozzy Osbourne's solo releases tend to reflect their creator's flaws to one degree or another. It does, however, absolutely succeed on its own terms, serving its purpose by reminding the world just what we'll miss when this titan among titans finally departs us for good.”

Basic Description
Ozzy’s supposed final goodbye.

Now, we all know that Ordinary Man wasn’t a goodbye mostly due to Patient Number 9 in 2022, but at the time in early 2020 it felt it. Similarly to Rammstein’s retrun in 2019, the whole mood surrounding the record came across like the end of something incredible. That’s not to say that it’s a perfect experience, cause there are issues for sure. However, what we get outside of those faults is one of the most emotional releases that Ozzy has ever put onto a CD. As old as he was at the time & with the health issues he was facing, he none the less managed to get onto his feet, and delivered a pretty introspective album. I’ll be repeating this at the end of the review, but if he was to have ended his time in the spotlight with Ordinary Man, it would have been a nice way to go. Flawed, but nice.

Best Track
Like I said in my original review & in part 3 of my overview, it is so hard to not like the title track. On an album that’s seemingly introspective, this song is the most in that regard. Opting for a slow pace, Ozzy is singing like an old crooner that’s at the end of career, looking back at how expansive it was, and not wanting to go away like an average joe. The instrumentation is equally soulful, with Slash on the guitar, Duff McKagan on bass, and Chad Smith on drums pouring their hearts out. Perhaps the most important guest on the song is Sir Elton John, who provides some beautiful piano playing & singing himself, and even feels like he’s just as much of a part of the song as Ozzy himself. It’s really hard to not get misty-eyed when you listen to this, as it really feels like he could go away at any point. Never.....skip.....this.....song.

Ordinary Man

Over on the energetic side of things, It’s A Raid is one of the funniest songs I’ve ever heard! Based on a highly humorous story of his time in Black Sabbath, the track is incredibly fast and energetic, with the instrumentation and vocal work matching the pace. Post Malone manages to get in some singing as well, and he actually sounds pretty good when you can hear him. It’s genuinely hard to not laugh when you know the story, and even if you don’t know it, you’ll get a really big smile when you listen to this from beginning to end. There was no other way to conclude Ordinary Man than with this track.

It’s A Raid *

Worst Track
Like I said in my original review & part 3 of my overview, there were no bad songs per se, but a bunch of issues that definitely weighed the album down. Ozzy had issues with his voice, and thus a bunch of auto-tune was put in. There was also the 54 additional musicians brought onto the record, which was way too many, but Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slash from Guns & Roses, Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine, and rapper Post Malone were perhaps the best and didn’t feel like they were taking up space (Post Malone especially). Finally, you had up to 26 people working on the engineering, mixing, production, and recording, which is way too many individuals if you ask me. All of this ultimately felt like too many cooks at the soup pot.....even if the end result was still tasty to a degree.

That being said, Darkside Blues is the lone bad track. Available only on the Japanese edition of the album, it’s a minute & 47 second long, but it’s oddly forgettable. It’s basically Ozzy & the crew trying way too hard to sound like an old-school blues song, complete with effects that try so hard to sound dated. Another version would appear on Patient Number 9, and while I still don’t think it’s a great song there, it’s faaaaar better on that record than on this one.

Darkside Blues (Ordinary Man Version)

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

Ordinary Man

Overall Impression & Rating
Ordinary Man was far better than what many of it’s critics said at the time. Yes, it’s got some problems. Major problems in some cases. However, if you are able to get past it faults, you will find one of the best Ozzy Osbourne albums that has ever been released. Though the record to come after would be improved to an extent, there’s just something about the raw emotion on this release that grabs you a little faster. I can understand why some wouldn’t like Ordinary Man, but it’s managed to gain a big following of fans.....myself included.

Ordinary Man gets an 8 out of 10.

And that was my revised review on Ozzy’s first release of this decade. Faulty for sure, but there’s a lovely diamond underneath that’s worth seeking out. If Ozzy would have ended his career on this record (As many thought was going to happen), then it wouldn’t have been a bad way to go. So, join me at the end of the month for a look at my other 2nd honorable mention of 2020.....and the musician in question is one that I’m surprised took me this long to finally look at here. See you soon!


***
If you’d like to read my original review of this album, click on the link below:

Album Review: Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man


*
The story in question, taken from a comment on Youtube:

“The song is based on the time when Ozzy was in Black Sabbath, and he wanted to turn the A/C down. But, he got the thermostat confused with the emergency police call button. So, when everybody saw the incoming squad cars, they thought it was because of the massive amounts of cocaine and marijuana that they had. So, Ozzy was hiding in a bathroom with a toilet backed up from pot, and trying to snort a buttload of Coke with one of his roadies when the maid answered the door, and he heard a cop say "Yeah, there's this button next to the air conditioning that you can use to call us in the case of an emergency. You'd be surprised how often this shit happens. Have a nice day." So, Ozzy turned to his roadie and said, "Y'know, we really need to teach Bill how to use the fucking air conditioning."”

MTG Set Review: Ikoria (Lair Of Behemoths)

Halfway through 2025 fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

Halfway through what is so far the worst year of this decade. Maybe even more so than the plague ridden hellscape that was 2020, this year so far has been nothing short of protracted misery for us here in the United States, and in so many other places in the world it seems. But, I will continue to do the best to avoid that negativity, and so the look back at 2020 will continue. My other musical honorable mentions of 2020 will continue later this June, but beforehand I’ve got another look at the Magic The Gathering landscape of that year. This time around, we travel to a brand new plane! One in which nature explodes so many forms of life, and the forces of humanity do the best they can to live their lives & defend themselves from whatever creature assaults the town! So, get on your most protective armor, sharpen up your sword, and take a look at my review for Ikoria: Lair Of Behemoths. Let’s begin!

Story & Setting
Taken from the fandom wiki: 

“The setting is Ikoria, a plane of beasts and monsters. As the world of Ikoria developed, humans quickly realized what types of defenses were needed to stave off monsters. The humans were quick to become both militaristic and ingenious. Unfortunately for the humans, the monsters of Ikoria have begun to mutate and the fortresses that were previously successful at protecting humans have now become fodder for the monsters to annihilate.”

Now, despite the incredibly short blurb I put up above, I will say that the story for Ikoria was one of the better ones in 2020. While Theros Beyond Death felt rushed with it’s lore, here it is far more fleshed out in a lot of ways, and there’s more time given to creating more believable characters & the “Civilization vs Monsters” theme of what the plane is going for. So much so, that a few of them were still around during the Phyrexian Invasion, and after in some cases.

Art
Art is different this time around for Ikoria. Whereas Theros’s visuals were heavily inspired by Greco-Roman mythology, Ikoria is of two worlds. Among the forces of humanity, everything (Outside of the Bonders & the more rough towns) is organized, clean, and most of the people look like they’re ready to defend themselves whenever their home is threatened. When it comes to the wilds of Ikoria, things are very different. Outside of the various human settlements, nature is practically wild & untamed. The landscapes come in a variety of locales, and each one is brimming with details, with the wildlife being especially on top in that regard. All of the various beasts & creatures come in so many different shapes and forms, with the ones with Mutate having the most extreme forms of them all. It really feels like Yin-Yang on Ikoria because of that artistic duality, and that made for some of the best MTG art of 2020.....though not the best.

Mechanics
Ikoria had an interesting set of mechanics upon it’s release, and still kinda does to this day. We had the return of Cycling, which was pretty surprising since we had it come back in 2017 (And waaaay back during Shards Of Alara) with a lot more support, and the same is true here. For those few who don’t know, Cycling is paying a small mana cost to draw a card, or search for a land or creature in some circumstances. It’s not deep by any means, but if you need to draw a card for something, it works great in a pinch.

What really stood out in Ikoria mechanically was Mutate, and the quasi-partners known as the Companions. Mutate reflected the incredibly unique & bizarre nature of the plane’s wildlife: if you target a non-human creature with a creature that has the mechanic, one of two things will happen. If you put the creature with Mutate on top of the target, then the creature will become that creature & gain it’s ability. If it’s mutated underneath that creature, then that creature will get a boost to it’s power & toughness equal to the creature that was put under it. Flavorwise it absolutely fits Ikoria’s world, and gameplay wise it led to some interesting stuff.....both good & bad.

You also had the Companions, and that’s where things get intriguing. Like I said above, they’re basically quasi-partners for your deck, but with a twist. For starters, you had your companion in it’s own zone, and it came into play when you payed it’s mana cost (Don’t think it went back to that zone when it died). Each & every single one had it’s own weird quirk to it that kinda had EDH shape any potential deck they were making around it. If you just put it in the deck like a normal card, then it’s fine, but if used EXCLUSIVELY in it’s companion role, then you must abide by the rules it has. Some are easy to work with, others are a little more frustrating, and a few more than that are irritating to follow......except for the example I used, which is adorable. 

Finally, Ikoria marked the first time that keywords could be given to creatures as counters. It’s happened on & off since then, but it was in this set that it came from, and it’s exactly as it sounds. Various cards from various card types can give out Lifelink counters, Trample counters, Fear counters, and so on. It really added to the gimmick of the whole “Make Your Own Kaiju” thing the creators were going for, and much like the various other kinds of counters, they don’t go away unless an effects says so.

Negative Aspects
Unfortunately for Ikoria, there are some issues that did hamper it’s success. First, and perhaps a more minor fault, would be the complete lack of other fantasy races. Outside of the various creatures & other beasts that the plane generates, the only other significant group on Ikoria are the humans. It’s weird just to see humanity, as while the various groups are all interesting in their own right, it does make for a somewhat plain setting. I don’t know if anyone else had issues with this back in 2020, and while I didn’t at the time, in the years since it has bugged me....but only mildly.

Next fault, and this was a bigger issue, were the companions. Conceptually, they were a cool idea, but in practice they has faults. Like I said above, the older version of the companions limited how a EDH deck could be made, and while this did present an interesting challenge, more often than not it was a pain to plan around. Some companions were easier to work with most definitely, but others were just frustrating. One companion in particular was so infamously (and unintentionally) overpowered, that it was banned before the set came out! You know the one.....

Finally, there was Mutate. Kinda like the companions it was a neat idea in theory, but ended up frustrating a lot of players. Also like I said above, Mutate on top of the creature you’re targeting and it gains the abilities of said creature it was put on top of, but if you mutated it underneath the creature it would gain a boost to it’s power & toughness equal to what was put under it. Simplistic, but it made a lot of gamers back then scratch their heads, and because of that I don’t think we’ll be seeing the mechanic make a comeback anytime during the rest of this decade. 

And though I don’t think it was a problem 5 years ago, I should make a quick mention of the pre-built decks. For the first time in MTG’s history, the commander decks released that year were tied to a specific setting, and that proved to have a lasting impact on the product. All of the pre-built decks since then have been tied to a plane to show off more of what that area of Magic’s universe is like. It will be interesting to see how Edge Of Eternities will be like come this late July, as that set takes place in Outer Space, but regardless the pre-builts are now just as much the face of the set as the main set itself.

Overall Impression & Rating
Ikoria was the oddball set in 2020 in my view. Make no mistake: it was absolutely fun to collect & play with, and the plane itself was cool and quirky! But the frustrations with Mutate & the Companions, not to mention the complete lack of fantasy races, makes this one a bit lower on totem pole that what came out at the start of this decade, but it was still a neat experience to feel. Definitely pick up a pack or two if you can. 

Ikoria gets a out 7.5 of 10.

And that was my look at Ikoria. Maybe not as good as Theros Beyond Death, but it still managed to provide something special to the MTG landscape back in 2020. It can still be found in various hobby stores, so grab it before it’s gone for good! So with that, we now move onto the other musical honorable mentions of 2020, and join me around the middle of the month for a revised look at Ozzy’s return after nearly 10 years. See you then.

Album Review: Moonspell's Memorial

Part 1 of my 2020 honorable mentions ends today fellow Otaku & Metalheads. 

I’m so surprised that 2025 is going by so fast. Despite how exceedingly dogshit things are in my home country, I’m experiencing an odd sense of relief that the year is moving on by. However, we’re not talking about right now! We’re talking about what my tunes in 2020 were, and did Moonspell deliver back then. Sin/Pecado was a nice return to the late 90s, but now we come to the mid 2000s. Once the era of Grunge has ended, Heavy Metal came roaring back into the popular consciousness, with both old-school acts and new-school bands playing on the airways once again here in America & in the rest of the world. Moonspell had already rocked throughout the decade by the time it hit 2006, but the results beforehand were mixed (Depending on who you asked). When it came to 06, things seemed to solidify for the band, and what they put out that year was quite nice indeed. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my review for the 2020 re-release of Memorial. Let’s begin!

Background
Taken from part 2 of my Overview on the band. *

“As the 2000s went on, Moonspell seemed to be going further & further away from the experimenting of the late 90s & early 2000s, and decided to return to their Gothic roots as a way to anchor themselves so as not to stray anywhere. Boy was I surprised when I decided to give Memorial a go! Released on April the 24th, 2006, Memorial finds the back once again back in the experimental seat. Not only were they experimenting a little bit with Industrial, Orchestral parts & even some Operating vocal work can be found on this album. It was perhaps this experimentation that managed to get the album Gold On January 16, 2007, by the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa for selling 10,000 copies in their native Portugal. I’m happy for the band, and I have to admit I’m kind of fond of how & what they experimented on this album.....despite my issues.”

* My description in this review is somewhat different than how I first described it back in October of 2018.....again.

Basic Description
Goth Metal, nice and clean.

Memorial is Sin/Pecado’s opposite. Not in terms of quality, as both records are top notch when it comes to their songs! What separates them is their refinement: Sin/Pecado has that 90's roughness to it, while Memorial is more clean when it comes to the recording & production. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for anyone who likes their music more on the polished side, but there are times where things do come across as too clean. Even with that factored in, the record is still filled from top to bottom with some of Moonspell’s best music of the 2000s. The band was willing to try new things once again to diversify themselves once again, and the end results.....speak for themselves.

Best Track
Also like when I was talking about this album the first time back in 2018, but Upon The Blood Of Men was just too catchy to not put upon a pedestal. An absolutely thunderous track, the instrumentation hits hard & never lets up, but it doesn’t feel like the train is gonna ride off the tracks. Fernando Ribeiro vocal work is particularly vicious here, as at no point does he ever singly quietly, opting to bellow and furiously growl throughout the whole thing. Do not skip this song!

Upon The Blood Of Men

Worst Track
Really the only fault in this remaster’s armor, and then only in my case, is that I can’t tell that it has been remastered. Kinda like Devin Townsend’s remaster of Infinity back in 2023, you have to listen really carefully in order to hear any kind of different between the 2020 version, and the original released back in 2006. Because of that, it almost feels pointless that Memorial got a re-release/remaster, as while older content getting a second outing is welcome, if nothing new is around then there was no point.

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

Memorial

Overall Impression & Rating
Memorial hits like a Gothic tractor trailer, and leaves a nice smear all over your eardrums. While it’s incredibly difficult to tell if it’s actually been remastered or not, and there’s moments where the music might have been too over-produced, it’s still a badass record that you just gotta try. Memorial also has the distinction, at least in my opinion, or being a piece of proof that Gothic Metal still had what it takes to stand on it’s own two feet in the 2000s, alongside titans like Type-O Negative and Paradise Lost. You definitely don’t want to miss this one! 

Memorial gets an 8.5 out of 10.

So that was my look at Memorial. More modern than Sin/Pecado was, and maybe a touch too clean, but it still shows that the band was willing to try anything to keep themselves out there. Original 2006 release or the 2020 re-release, the album is definitely something to consider when snagging some new tunes. So with that, tomorrow is the first of June. I have my other musical honorable mentions of 2020 to talk about, but before that I’ve got another look at one of Magic’s big releases from then. See you all tomorrow!