Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 14: In Defense Of Grunge (aka Grunge Didn't "Kill" Metal)

This is a rant I've been saving up for a longtime now. Ever since I started my Food For Thought/Thought For Food series back in 2016, I knew one day that I would rant & rave about the subject matter of this post. I got the start of my musical festival for 2019 in just a few short days, and given it's theme, I find it eerily appropriate that I put this out before it starts. Anyways, on with my speel!

Like a huge chunk of us, we're probably familiar with the musical style known as Grunge. First originating in the mid 1980s, it was a form of music that took elements of Punk & Indie Rock and Heavy Metal, and dealt with themes such as social alienation, emotional isolation, & psychological trauma. It was a style that was oddly reflective in the 80s, and far more so in the 90s. For some, it acted as a catharsis. Others appreciated it unique style of instrumentation. For a few others, however, Grunge is the antichrist of music. The sole single force behind the "Death" of Heavy Metal in the 90s, not to mention that it also somehow......magical & mysteriously.....caused good music to "Evaporate" from the United States. To those within this third school of though about Grunge, may I just say.....fuck you!

Grunge didn't "Kill" Metal.....Metal helped kill Metal! Heavy Metal is solely responsible for the apparent "Asskicking" it received in the 1990s.....actually, that's not exactly true. Heavy Metal isn't completely responsible for it's supposed downfall in the last great decade of this country. It's actually a mix of two aspects: Hair Metal, and the record companies that ran them into the ground. Let's start with the first one.

Now let me start off by saying that I don't hate Hair Metal. Far from it! I enjoy Twisted Sister.

We're Not Gonna Take it

Dokken makes me smile.

Dream Warriors

Hell, I even enjoy the faith-tinged notes of Stryper!

Soldiers Under Command

Yes fellow Otaku & Metalheads, I enjoy the crap out of Hair Metal, but it's biggest strength is simultaneously it's biggest weakness. What is the style's strength & weakness. Commerciality! Hair Metal is perhaps the most accessable metal subgerne to get into. Whether you're a veteran metalhead looking for something a little softer than most of what's in his or her collection, or you're actually looking to get into Heavy Metal and want some easy listening, Hair Metal is a easy subgenre to listen to. Unfortunately, this all leads into the second fault of Hair Metal.....The record companies. I would say something about this, but I think an insider says it far better than I would.

Dee Snider About The Decline Of Heavy Metal

See!? Sure, Twisted Sister weren't necessarily one of the bigger Hair Metal bands, but they were still part of that machine, and as they traversed the 1980s, they ever so slowly were eviscerated & altered into a mockery of their former selves. This was the fate of a majority of the bands that were in that genre, and even then the few that survived were either considered to be a joke by the time the 90s came around, or weren't seen as important anymore. Sadly, Metalheads blinded by nostalgia, or their heads are shoved firmly up their asses in an act of metal elitism (A buddy of mine coined the term "Metaboo" to describe such individuals), are completely in denial about this! As horrible as this might sound, Hair Metal needed to die. By the end of the 80s, most of the bands around were Hair bands, all thanks to the record companies churning out group after group that mocked the ones that were great. Grunge did unintentionally twist the knife in the wound, but you can thank the record companies & Hair Metal for stabbing Heavy Metal, and supposedly killing it.....even though albums like 1916, Fear Of The Dark, and The Eye exist & flourished to various extents throughout the decade.

I honestly don't have that much else to say, other than to stop thinking that just because your music isn't in the spotlight anymore......doesn't mean it's dead. Grow up!

Well, with that rant out of the way, it's back to something happy & fun. So join me in a few short days when this year's metal festival starts. Until then, don't flail around like a chicken with it's head cut off because your musical tastes aren't constantly obsessed over by the public.





***
This repeats Dee's comments from earlier, but there's a little bit extra from a different band:

Why Hair Metal Got Pounded (And Deserved It)

HMO Classics: The Adventures of the Mini Goddesses Review

Hi fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Once again, it’s time for an HMO Classic review! We saw the origins of my original blog in the Gunsmith Cast review, and 2012 gave us the abomination that was SiN the Movie. 2013 definitely isn’t going to give us anything bad, as it’s one of my favorite happy shows. It was hard to find in the early years of this decade, and it’s probably almost impossible to locate today. It’s a shame, cause it can bring a smile even to the most dour of faces! So sit down with some cookies & milk, smell the flowers, and take a look at my first review of 2013, wherein I looked at the chibitastic Adventures of the Mini Goddesses. Enjoy!

“Hey everybody! Back in November last year, I had reviewed Burn Up Scramble, a show that took me a while to acquire (I reviewed it in late November cause I got the last DVD, thus completing my collection of the show). Today’s show is another one that I acquired in November, and one that’s considerably harder to find, but I’ll get to that when the time comes. So, for today, here’s a review of the incredibly adorable Adventures of the Mini Goddesses.

The Adventures of the Mini Goddesses doesn’t really have a over-arcing story to it. Actually, that’s not completely true. The basic premise of the show is that the main characters of Ah My Goddess (Urd, Belldandy, Skuld) are shrunk down to chibi-size, and have fun around the house with their rat friend, Gan-Chan. However, this leads to the first positive of the show.

Yes, I said positive. The show is pretty much a cutesy comedy, and generally cutesy comedies don’t have much in the way of a story structure (Lucky Star comes to mind when I think about this). Because of this lack of structure, it’s very loose & free forming, and isn’t all that taxing on the brain. The only time that there is any structure is when the episodes connect with one another (This doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s still frequent, and they’re to be watched in the order they’re presented).

This also goes into the 2nd positive of the show. Each of the episodes are just 5 minutes in length. They go by rather quickly (More on this later), but at the same time the 5 minute length means that they really don’t require you to think about the overarching story (What little story there is, anyway). None of the episodes aren’t really deep (Save for episode 28, but I won’t ruin that for you), but since the show is a cutesy comedy, deep episodes counteract the cuteness, except for episode 28.

The show’s 3rd positive is the cast. Almost like the main show, Adventures of the Mini Goddesses has a small but tightly focused cast. The characters that exist in the show are Urd, Belldandy, Skuld, Gan-Chan, and a fair selection of secondary characters (The biggest secondary character, Marla, almost becomes a main character in many of the episodes about halfway through the show). Given the context of this show, a large cast of characters would spoil the soup so to speak. With this cast, we still have entertaining characters, but we don’t have so many that some get overlooked.

The Adventures of the Mini Goddesses’s 4th positive is the animation quality, despite coming out in the late 90s, things look surprisingly good. The backgrounds sometimes looks like something from the mid-90s, but the characters move around really well, and they look good also. Perhaps the one thing about the characters in the show are the rats. They get a laugh from me, because while they look like a fair representation of the rodent in question, they act more like humans rather than rats, and sometimes their faces are more human than rat. The two episodes that really show this & make me laugh is when there’s an election at the temple for a rat that manages all the other rats, and this all culminates in Belldandy somehow getting elected (Spoilers, I know).

The last positive of this show is the voice acting. By the early 2000s, voice acting was much better than it was in the early to mid-90s (Sometimes voice acting in the late 90s wasn’t that good either), and The Adventures of the Mini Goddesses has some of the best voice acting I’ve ever heard. Even the secondary characters have some great voices, which is something I haven’t come across often in my anime collection. There’s rarely any crackles or boring voices, and even on the off chance when you hear something out of the ordinary, you’ll only hear it for a second or two.

Unfortunately, Adventures of the Mini Goddesses has some big problems. Luckily, there’s really only 3 problems, but they’re big like I said. For starters, this series is incredibly difficult to find. I bought the boxed set (used) back in early November last year, and even then there weren’t that many copies. The individual DVD boxes are only slightly more available, both in new & used copies.

Pricing is the show’s second negative. When I bought my used copy back in November, I managed to get it for $28 dollars, and considering the condition it was in (It looked practically brand new), that’s a steal! At the time of this writing, there are only 4 new box sets available (Prices start at $106 dollars...oh hell no!), and 1 used box set is left for purchase (The last one is currently priced at $98.01. To anyone who to manages to acquire it, congratulations!). Pricing for the individual DVDs is much more fair, with prices going from $7 dollars to $35 dollars for new copies (The copies going for $35 dollars is a little excessive), and used copies go from $2 dollars to $5 dollars.

The last negative of Adventures of the Mini Goddesses is how fast the show goes by. Despite the fact that there’s 48 episodes, the show can pretty much be watched in four hours. Hell, I watched 1 DVD per hour, and things move so fast, it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of what is going on. Anyone who doesn’t like fast shows will be turned off by this fact.

The Adventures of the Mini Goddesses gets a 7.5 to 8 out of 10. The story is easy & cute, the episodes are nice & short, there’s a great cast, it’s got decent animation, and the voice acting is also decent, but the show is hard to find, it’s a bit expensive, and it goes by quickly.”

So that was my 3rd HMO classic, which covered one of the most sugar-coated anime I own. I got another one planned about 2 months down the road, but in the meantime there’s one last quicky post I got coming. See you soon!

Album Review: Rammstein's Liebe Ist Für Alle Da

Hi fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

It’s nice & springy as May comes around. No more cold, no more bleak sky. It’s all sunshine & warmth, not to mention flowers and other nice things from this season. Normally I would dedicate this month to album & game anniversaries I missed, but to be honest I found it annoying in hindsight (Despite some of the work being rather easy). From now on, May is dedicated to taking it easy before the annual summer festival. This doesn’t mean I won’t be putting out anything however. Today’s review is especially important, as it marked what almost seemed like a legend’s final release, and given that their long awaited 7th studio album comes out in just 16 days, it seemed only right to give number 6 a look at. So get out your beer steins, find a nice view of the Danube, and enjoy my review of Rammstein’s 2009 smash success, Liebe ist für alle da. Let’s begin!

Background
The 2000s will always be the heyday of Rammstein. Mutter, Reise Reise, and Rosenrot will always be classics in my opinion, not to mention classics in the minds of other fans. However, last decade was also a chaotic time for the band, as flare-ups between the band members gave the impression that they would breakup at any moment (Hence the 3-year break between Mutter & Reise Reise to cool down). As the decade went on they continued to butt heads, but even among this they still managed to put their noses to the grindstone in the recording studio for 2 years, and on October the 16th in 2009, Liebe ist für alle da was released.

Liebe ist für alle da managed to gain some pretty impressive accolades last decade. In Finland, it actually managed to be certified platinum before its release, while in France it debuted at no. 3 on their charts, making it Rammstein’s most successful band in that country. In the United States, it reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 (Becoming the highest ranked album of the band’s career in the U.S.), although it would fall off the charts after just 4 weeks. In their home country of Germany, Liebe ist für alle da would make it to number 1 after dethroning R&B-singer Xavier Naidoo's new album "Alles kann besser werden", and it would remain high on the charts, until......

Yeah, it’s time to talk about the controversy. As stated by Wikipedia:

“The album was added to the index of the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien (Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons) in Germany, due to the track "Ich tu dir weh" and a picture inside the album booklet displaying Richard Kruspe spanking a nude woman. This means only adults can purchase the album; additionally, it must not be displayed in stores where minors have access (see BPjM for details). As a consequence, the album was re-released in Germany on 16 November in an edited version without the censored track and picture. The band still played the instrumental version song live in Germany until it was ultimately banned from live performances.

Despite the censorship, the video to "Ich tu dir weh" was released on 21 December 2009, on adult website Visit-X, just like the video to "Pussy", after advertisement on the band's official German website. Any references have since been deleted, presumably following German law prohibiting advertisement for media on the index. In Europe, a single was released on 5 February 2010, and in the UK on 15 February 2010.

As of 31 May 2010, the administrative court in Cologne has decided to waive the suspensive effect of censorship (case 22 L 1899/09). The German department deleted the record from the censorship lists on 1 June (Decision No. A 117/10). On 9 June the band announced on their official website that the original version of the album was already available at their shop and that a release of the single "Ich tu dir weh" in Germany was planned in a short period of time.”

Yeah, this was just another example of a country overacting because of their dark past, but as with all forms of censorship & quasi censorship, it only made the music more popular & successful. Far in away their best album of the 2000s, and more than worthy of being a good closer for that decade.

Basic Description
Clean, brutal, and emotional.

I’ll get to the clean part a little later, so for now I’m concentrating on the brutal & emotional parts. Liebe ist für alle da almost comes across as very Devin Townsend-esque with it’s range of emotions, just wearing an Industrial Metal suit. You got the typical German aggression Rammstein is known for, but they tap into nature a little bit, they have fun on some of the songs (Despite the whole album being fun), and everything comes across as the most cohesive the band has ever been in the 2000s. The guitar work is great, drums are calm one moment and thunderous another moment, Flake is a wizard on the keyboard, and Till Lindemann’s voice is top notch. Despite being a decade old this year (Turns 10 in October), it holds up incredibly well.

Best Track
There’s a wide variety of tracks for people to consume with their ears...but kind of like W.A.S.P.’s inaugural release.....I can only think of one.

Pussy (Low Quality)

Yeah yeah, I know it’s cheap to go for the dirtiest track as the best thing on the record, but can you blame me. Up until this point, it’s been a while that Rammstein gave the fans a fun dirty song (Te Quiero Puta doesn’t count!), and they delivered in spades! A great beat, wonderful instrumentation, Till’s gutteral vocal work, and coupled with the incredibly filthy music video, Pussy won’t leave your brain.

If you have the 2-CD edition of the album, might I suggest Donaukinder, or Children of the Danube as it’s translated. Whereas Pussy was energetic, this one is somber, serious, and slower paced. Rammstein actually taps into a real-world tragedy for this tune: On the 30th of January in 2000, heavy rainfall had caused a dam to breach, which in turn caused 100.000 m³ of water to flood a goldmine. Said flood caused 100 tons of heavy metals and sodium cyanide to be brought into the Danube river. Said poisons caused havoc in several countries along the iconic river, drinking water became tainted, and people fled to avoid the poison, which caused all life around the river to die. Though many children had died from this tragedy, Donaukinder is actually about the fish & wildlife within and around the Danube, what with the many play on words contained with the track. It’s a sad song, but somehow there’s a strange beauty within the music. Almost as if some part of the mighty river was calling out to anyone who would listen, and possibly remember this tragic tale.

Donaukinder

Worst Track
I confess when I said back in 2015 that this album sounded a little too clean.......I was pulling straws. Every song on Liebe ist für alle da is good. Damn good, in fact! Even the bonus tracks, despite the last 2 sounding similar to stuff off of the main album, is still wonderful. That being said, if you liked the rough & tumble nature of their previous work, you won’t like this one. Liebe ist für alle da sounds considerably more modern in terms of production, and while that does make the music sound cleaner, something about the feel of Mutter, Reise Reise, and Rosenrot just tickles the nostalgia. In hindsight......I don’t have that much of a problem with it now.

Other
This is the second example of an album I’ve reviewed that I can’t find a good link on Youtube. Their music has always been a bit susceptible to copyright issues, and while I can easily find individual songs, a full album is almost impossible. What else can I say, but go out a give this a purchase.

Overall Impression & Rating
Liebe ist für alle da was a hell of an album to close the 2000s with. Great songs, great production, and overall a great time! It might be too clean for some in terms of the sound, but even those people can’t deny how kickass the whole record is. Quite possibly Rammstein’s crowning achievement.....or is it?

Liebe ist für alle da gets a 10 out of 10. It deserves that rating!

So that was Liebe ist für alle da. Like I said above, their newest album is coming in 15 days, so it needed to be examined. Next week we have another HMO Classic....and it comes from the early days of 2013. See you soon!

Album Review: Megadeth's Greatest Hits (Back To The Start)

Compilation Month 2 ends today fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I’m deeply considering making April the month of looking at compilations. It’s kind of fun to listen to them, even if finding background information can be hard. We’ve already looked at 2 neat releases early & mid of this month, so let’s end this on a nice note. The Ozzy compilation I looked at in 2017 was a gift from my folks, so this time around let me talk about a compilation I purchased myself a few short years afterwards, and one that holds up well at the same time. Let’s take a look at the mid 2000s Megadeth compilation Back to the Start, and what it’s all about shall we.

Background
Much like Voices Of Transgression from 2017, and the Ratt review from the middle of this month, there’s not much info about Back To The Start. However, what is around (Mainly from Wikipedia) is actually interesting. The songs on this compilation were picked mainly by fans, who voted in polls on Megadeth’s website (With the exception of 1, but more on that in a bit). Then, on the 28th of June, 2005, Greatest Hits: Back to the Start was released.

Back To The Start managed to get to No. 65 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 17,441 copies within it’s first week according to Nielsen SoundScan. By the 16th of December in the same year, 133,000 copies were sold. By July of 2011, Back To The Start was actually certified gold in Canada for 40,000 copies, and on the 23rd in Ontario, Megadeth was presented with gold plaques by EMI in recognition of the achievement.

Basic Description
A fantastic thrash medley.

Back To The Start is just one of those compilations that’s just fun to listen to. You’ve got stuff from the band’s start in the mid 80s, and things go all the way to the super early 2000s. This length of time allows for a wide variety of tunes to roost on this release, and thanks to the fan voting, it feels like a compilation that’s truly meant for fans rather than a simple cash grab. There’s plenty of classic songs that the longtime Megadeth fans will sink their teeth into, but at the same time this release acts as a great gateway for anyone even remotely interested in Megadeth! Definitely a spicy release if I do say so myself.

Best Track
There’s a pretty good buffet of songs from a wide stretch of time here. From their beginning days in the 80s, all the way to the super early 2000s, there’s something for just about everybody. However, I gotta go with a perfect middle finger to the man in the form of Kill The King. Ironically taken from another compilation (Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years. I’m definitely gonna take a look at this one during Compilation Month 3!), Dave Mustaine himself insisted that this track be on here, and I can see why: harkening back to some of Megadeth’s earlier work, it simultaneously has a more polished sound & feel thanks to the then modern recording technology available. The end result is a song that’s equal parts nostalgic & yet fresh and new.......fresh & new at the time at least.

Kill The King

Worst Track
Kinda like The Least Worst Of & Voices Of Transgression: A 90s Retrospective from 2017, Back To The Start’s only real flaw is it’s organization. One of Allmusic contributor Jason Birchmeier’s critiques of the compilation was that it came across as more of a sampler than an actual look at a career. To a certain extent this is true, as the selection of songs feels like they were singled out, despite what I talked about above. However, this release does share one thing in common with Voices of Transgression, and that’s the organization. Things definitely flow somewhat smoothly, as some songs seem to be alongside others from a similar timeframe.

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

Greatest Hits: Back to the Start

Overall Impression & Rating
Greatest Hits: Back to the Start is a wonderful assortment. It could have done with some better organization, but at the same time there’s a nice vision of Megadeth’s career up till 2005. People who are new to the band are going to get a lot more from this what compared to those who’ve been following the group for a while, even though they’ll get a kick out of something on this CD. It’s easily an essential Megadeth record for the collection, and one of my favorite Megadeth releases period!

Greatest Hits: Back to the Start gets an 8 out of 10. Newer fans of Megadeth might give it a 1 point higher score, but longtime listeners will probably keep it at 8.

So that was Back to the Start. A fine selection of song from a respectable length of time within Megadeth’s career, new fans will like the width, and old fans will appreciate what’s here. Well, Compilation Month 2 is at an end, so I figured that I’ll take it easy in May before the summer festival I got planned. See you soon!

Album Review: Tourniquet's Stop The Bleeding

Happy Easter fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I’ve had a bit of fun doing surprise posts on this day. In 2017 I did an overview on iconic Christian Hair Metal legends Stryper, and last year as a prank I decided to take a look at the discography of the hidden gem known as Grim Reaper. I didn’t necessarily know what to do this year, as I had a couple ideas swirling around in my head, and didn’t know what to pick. Low and behold, a suggestion on Youtube pointed me in a direction of a band that’s absolutely perfect for today. On Easter Sunday 2019, we’re gonna take a look.....at Tourniquet!

That’s right, we’re delving into the realm of Christian Metal for this review! Like their 80s counterpart Stryper, there were a band known for speaking the good word without the holier-than-thou preaching, and for crafting some fantastic music. However, while Stryper was rooted in Hair Metal and the early years of Power Metal, Tourniquet was all about Thrash Metal. From 1990 all the way until last year, they wielded their instruments & vocals as wild as any other Thrash band, but stayed truth to their faith in their own unique way. I figured it would be interesting to examine their first ever release, so grab some Easter candy, and take a look at my review for Stop The Bleeding. Let’s begin!

Background
Taken from wikipedia:

“The band recorded Stop the Bleeding at Mixing Lab A & B studio in Garden Grove, California. The band's line-up consisted of Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter, and Gary Lenaire. Session musician Mark Lewis played nearly half of the album's lead guitar solos.

Prior to the album's recording, during an "Artists vs. Label" softball game, a label executive accidentally ran over drummer Ted Kirkpatrick's foot (his main kick foot) while rounding second base, requiring Kirkpatrick to record the album under a great deal of pain.

The band faced other recording obstacles as well, such a power failure that forced the producer to mix the songs over again. In an interview, then-vocalist Guy Ritter reminisced:

    At about 3:00 a.m., we are still trying to sleep. All of a sudden the lights go completely out in the studio! Gary was, like, "What was that?", and I said, "I think it was a power failure!" [laughing], and we looked at each other and went, "Uh-oh!" We called [producer] Bill [Metoyer], and he was screaming, "What?!" He had to come back in and mix a lot of the stuff over because of that power outage.

    Another funny time was when we were recording "Tears of Korah," and we completely forgot a verse! We did not even notice it ‘cause, well, the song is, like, 35 minutes long! We used to have the joke, "Oh, it’s a Gary [Lenaire] song." The whole second side of vinyl would be just Gary songs or maybe just one, since they were so long! (laughter) "Harlot Widow" was like twelve minutes. "Tears of Korah" was like eight minutes or something. So anyway, we didn’t even notice it was missing, it was so long. And, remember, we were recording on two-inch tape, so it’s expensive to do, to put an eight-minute song down. So, I am in the vocal booth recording my parts when, all of a sudden, I go to sing the third verse, and there is nothing there. I was just stunned! The guitar solo was there, and I was supposed to sing another verse. (This is back in the days of tape.) So, what Bill did was he switched over to a couple of tracks, and I recorded the vocals to the third verse to the second verse on different tracks. I was going, "How are you going to fix this?! How are you going to fix this?!" when we were mixing the album. He bounced down the second verse to half-inch tape, and then he bounced the same verse again to the third verse to half-inch tape, and then the rest of the song to half-inch tape, and then got out a razor blade and cut it up and spliced it all back together so we had a complete song.
In the original booklet, the band gave co-production credits to Roger Martinez, vocalist of fellow California-based Christian thrash metal group Vengeance Rising. However, Metal Blade Records' Bill Metoyer actually produced the album. Ritter said about this:
   
    Roger Martinez was asked to co-produce our first album. I think he asked to do it. (Imitates Roger:) “I need some, uh, co-producing points here. I would, uh, like to, uh, co-produce Tourniquet. Yeah, that would be really great, uh, if I could, uh, co-produce Tourniquet, yeah.” So they [Touniquet] let him. It was kind of weird, and we were okay with it just for the name on the credits. Everybody in the world at that time loved Vengeance Rising, so if they saw his name on the album, more power to Roger, but we would be in the middle of a session and Bill Metoyer would be getting everything perfect and everything set up great, and Roger would turn to Bill and say, “Yeah, um, Bill, um, yeah, can I have one more DB, please, on track two, um, yeah, one more DB?” And so Bill would pretend... I don’t think he would even change it, and Roger would say, “Yeah, sounds good, bro.” (laughter) That, to us, was one of our favorite things, and we did that continually on the next two albums. We would always say to Bill, “One more DB please.” (laughter)

Musically, the album was said to be "unlike anything else on the market at the time" and incorporates classical music to 1980s-inspired speed and thrash metal riffs. Guy Ritter's vocals on the album, which he said were inspired by glam metal vocalists, shift between low-baritone and high-falsetto vocals, although they were performed higher on the demo versions:

    In some of the early demos of those songs there were lots more high parts. That whole first verse on “You Get What You Pray For” was all high. Only on the final versions in the studio are all the parts lower. So we did tone it down a little before we recorded it.

Ritter's falsetto vocals are often compared to those of King Diamond:

    ...it is true, a lot of people used to ask me [Guy Ritter], “Have you heard King Diamond sing?” And, seriously, I had not ever heard him sing until after Stop the Bleeding came out. So many people said, “Oh, come on, you probably listened to a lot of King Diamond.” Finally, I was at Ted’s apartment, and he pulled out a CD, and he said, “Okay. You have got to listen to this King Diamond and see what you think," and I had to agree that, “Wow, this is kind of similar” (laughing).    

The album cover art features a snake restrained by chains, representing the power good has over evil and how that relates to the death and resurrection of Christ, which was the ultimate victory over Satan. The bible verse 1 John 4:4, which reads in part, "Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world," inspired this concept.”

Basic Description
Thrash Metal Surprise.

Kind of like when I delved into Stryper’s discography back in 2017, I did a double take or two when I first listened to this record. Two forces, seemingly at odds with one another in so many ways, somehow manage to compromise & create something special. The Christian side lends it’s countless stories, myths, and fables to the Thrash side, while the Thrash side sharpens the Christianity into a fine edge, and acts as a vehicle for it’s delivery into your veins. It might seem jarring at first, but Stop The Bleeding is right up there with the Thrash Metal classics of Metallica, Slayer, Sodom, and many others. Whether you believe or not, this has to be in your music collection at some point!

Best Track
Ark Of Suffering is a pretty brutal song on an album of already brutal music. Taking on the rough topic of animal rights, the lyrics are a mix between gruesome violence & exploitation intertwined with a little bit of religious doctrine. It does come across as a little condescending & preachy, but it never gets overwhelming to the point where you feel like you’re at a fanatic’s sermon. The instrumentation is Thrash to the 10th degree, and coupled with vocal work from Guy Ritter & Gary Lenaire, keeps the imagery stuck in your memory at least for a short time. The music video for the song was eventually taken off of MTV due to complaints about it being too graphic, but in a ironic twist, it was the winner of the “Rock Video Of The Year” from the Christian News Forum Contemporary Christian Music Award, and readers of Heaven’s Metal voted it their favorite music video of the year.

Ark Of Suffering (Video/Caution for shocking imagery)

Worst Track
If there was one bad thing I could say about Stop The Bleeding, it would be mainly towards the Christian crowd, and it would mainly be how they like their faith in their music. Do they like the lighthearted & fun nature of Stryper, or do they prefer a more serious interpretation/implementation. Luckily with Tourniquet, they don’t get preachy & holier-than-thou when it comes to the faith based lyrics & message. That being said, they get pretty brutal with the subject matter, especially on the previously mentioned track. Even among non-Christian metalheads, this decided factor will most definitely be the tone & vibe.

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

Stop The Bleeding

Overall Impression & Rating
Stop The Bleeding is two things. For starters, it is further proof that Heavy Metal never mysteriously disappeared or “died” once the 90s came around. It easily got stuck in the brains of those who listened to it, and gave further credibility to the idea that Christianity & Heavy Metal can get along in some circumstances. Secondly, the album cements itself as a classic, and Tourniquet as a Thrash Metal titan. It might be a strange experience at first for new listeners, but Stop The Bleeding is one of those albums you need to listen to at least once.

Stop The Bleeding gets a 10 out of 10. Earns every point!

And that was my surprise post for Easter 2019 everybody! Marking one of the few times that Christianity & Heavy Metal can not only get along, but can create some surprisingly awesome art! Standing alongside their hairier counterparts Stryper, both them & Tourniquet are great bands for Christians to get into if they want to try metal. Heck, they’re great bands to get into even if you’re a non-believer. Heavy Metal is for everyone, after all! I’ll see you all in about a week or so for the conclusion to Compilation Month 2.0, so put a bandage on that wound in the meantime will ya!?

Album Review: Ratt's Collage

Welcome back to Compilation Month 2.0 fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

We started things off with a garbage release of a compilation in the form of The Best Of Type-O Negative. A soulless, commercial, deceptive release of a compilation, it’s one of the most worthless of albums ever released (Apart from the Highway Star cover). Today’s release? Not so much! The compilation I’m covering today is fun, doesn’t reek of commercialism, and might be a bit hairy. That’s right, we got a Hair Metal compilation today, and from one of the greats of the 80s. So put on your clothes that would make peoples’s heads spin, put on so much makeup & hairspray that would turn you into a walking fire hazard, and enjoy my review of Ratt’s 1997 compilation, Collage. Let’s begin!

Background
Kinda like the Kreator compilation I covered back in 2017 (Read here), there isn’t that much info to go on for Collage. Even Wikipedia doesn’t have much, but what little they do have will be enough. Effectively consisting of alternate recordings, B-sides, and versions of songs from the band's Mickey Ratt period, Collage was mostly recorded and released in 1997 concurrently with their reunion tour at the time, which in turn would help them promote a new album. In 1998, Ratt would go on to sign a new major deal with Sony.

I should make mention of some odd facts about Collage. The track Mother Blues first appeared as an Arcade (A Hair Metal supergroup that had ex-Ratt members on it) song off their 1993 self-titled record, but was originally a Ratt demo. Meanwhile, Steel River is an alternate version of the Mickey Ratt song, Railbreak. Again, some odd facts right there.

Basic Description
A motley collection.

Ratt has always put out fun music. From the early 80s all the way to today (Supposedly a new album is coming out this year or next), the band was always on the fun side of Hair Metal, and Collage is no exception. It’s cool to hear material that didn’t make the cut the first time around get a little moment in the spotlight. As a way to announce a comeback, this is definitely a good way to do it. Even if you’ve never listened to Ratt before, Collage is certainly a gateway for potential fans to come into the fold.

Best Track
If there’s one thing about compilation albums, it’s that there’s a “Chinese Buffet” feel when it comes to songs. There’s definitely something for everybody, whether it’s the more popular songs or the ones that the fans might not know about. For me, I’d go for the laidback Mother Blues. There’s always something about a metal band going for a Blues style track, but Ratt doesn’t do that. Instead, they go for a full-blown Blues song, and it’s the best thing on Collage. Mother Blues is the kind of tune you’d here on the Mississippi Delta, sitting on your porch, and just enjoying the day. It’s easy listening, and it’s easy to get into your head.

Mother Blues

Worst Track
There honestly isn’t a single bad thing on here. Every song is great, the band seems to be at the top of their game, and the production value is good too. The only complaint I could give was that the selection of music is a little scrapped together, but even then I can’t really complain. It was 7-ish years since their last release, so they might have had a little bit of rust on the joints.

Other
This is the first time that I can’t link an album in a review. You can find a few songs from Collage on youtube, but this looks like the only time you can find this release on Amazon or one of the many music streaming sites. Sorry.

Overall Impression & Rating
Collage is certainly a fun collection of songs. It definitely comes across as scrapped together, but Ratt wasn’t really trying to release something grandiose. The band was trying to release a statement, and that was the fact that they were still around despite Hair Metal not being in the public eye anymore. Whether you’re a longtime Ratt fan that’s never picked this up, or somebody that has an interest in the band, Collage is definitely something to consider.

Collage gets a 9.5 out of 10 objectively, but a 10 out of 10 due to the fun factor.

So that was my look at Ratt’s 1997 comeback, Collage. A fun collection of songs, and unlike my first review this month, is definitely worth your time. There’s plenty more of Compilation Month to come, so come back at the end of the month for a......unique conclusion. See you them!

Wrestlemania 35 Review

Man, people haven’t been looking to this year’s Wrestlemania, haven’t they fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

To be honest, I’ve been dreading this year’s show alongside most people. 34 from last year wasn’t necessarily a bad show, but in hindsight it was a rather boring show that had some end results that didn’t quite make sense. This year’s buildup, however, has been abysmal! I don’t know what’s up WWE’s ass, but outside of maybe 2 to 5 matches, the “Road To Wrestlemania” seems like a dirt path that hasn’t been paved yet. With the show now a few days behind us, is it the flaming 5-car pileup a lot of people have been suspecting it would be? Well, let’s take a look at my review of the show (As well as Raw. Skipping Smackdown this year, cause....yeah, you’ll see.), and see if there are any bodies within the wreckage. Fingers crossed.

(No Pre-Show section this year. Due to.....issues, I wasn’t able to watch it in time. I saw a little bit, but not enough to include it in the review)

Main Card
Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins (Universal Title Match)
Prediction: Seth Rollins
Actual Winner: Seth Rollins
- The show starts off with perhaps one of the most bizarre opening matches in recent memory. Paul Heyman comes storming down to the ring, furious that Brock wasn’t going on last. He goes on further, saying that if they wouldn’t go on last, him & Brock would leave. Instead, they had this match first, with Brock entering the ring first, and Seth second. Before the bell actually tung, Brock proceeds to maul Seth outside the ring, and it’s a pretty typical Lesnar-style mauling. Eventually, Seth manages to get into the ring, and Brock executes his typical “UFC meets WWE” style of wrestling, while Seth can barely fight back. Eventually, he does get some energy back, and manages to get a low blow on Lesnar (The referee gets knocked out in the scuffle, but another comes in not long after). Eventually, Seth manages to pin Brock for the win. Just a weird way to start things off, and a quick one as well.....but a satisfying conclusion at the same time.

AJ Styles vs Randy Orton
Prediction: ?
Actual Winner: AJ Styles
- I didn’t have a prediction for this match. The buildup to this wasn’t half bad, and it was one of those rare times where it seemed like either side could win, and the crowd would probably enjoy it.
- AJ heads to the ring first, followed by Orton. Things start off with some grappling, during which Orton goes for an RKO but fails. From there both guys trade control of the match: first it’s AJ after he jumps out of the ring onto Orton, then Randy has it for a while (Throws AJ around, then gets him back in the ring, and grapples him), then Styles manages to get out of the grapple. Weirdly enough, it looked like Orton’s left knee was hurt somehow, but whether it was fake or not I’m not sure. AJ manages to get a Calf Crusher in, but ends up letting go because Randy grabbed the bottom rope. Styles goes for the pin, but Orton kicks out & gets some offense in. After a superplex, both wrestlers were weakened, but Orton tried to get the pin. Randy gets some energy back into his system, starting with a DDT, and then a RKO, but AJ kicks out of that & lands a jumpkick. Orton tries again, and actually lands the move, but Styles kicks out. Orton tries to get AJ onto the ropes for a 3rd RKO, but once again AJ slips out of it. The two make it outside the ring, then Styles lands 2 phenominal forearm, with the 2nd one inside the ring for the win. A good fight overall!

The Usos vs The Bar vs Shinsuke & Rusev vs Ricochet & Alister Black (Fatal 4-Way Tag Championship)
Prediction: ?
Actual Winner: The Usos
- I was so confused by this match. Kinda like AJ & Orton, all of the teams here deserved the tag titles in some capacity. What left me scratching my head was just how random everything seemed in the ring. It came across like a Tornado Tag Team match, but without the normal tornado tag rules.
- Usos are first. The Bar was second. Shinsuke & Rusev were 3rd, and Lana followed her husband out (Seemed kinda cute). Ricochet & Alister Black were last, and Black’s entrance was awesome as always. Jay Uso & Black were first to square off, but Shaemus tags in to get some offense. Rusev comes in for a bit, but then he tagged his partner Shinsuke into the match. Ricochet & Nakamura fight, then Cesaro gets Nakamura out. Shaemus joins his partner in beating up Ricochet, and Cesaro keeps him in a hold. Jimmy Uso breaks it up, and then Alister comes in & almost gets the win, but Nakamura breaks it up. He gets tagged in & attacks Black, but get Rusev back in and almost pins Ricochet (Who got tagged in beforehard), but Ricochet kicks out. Cesaro gets Rusev out, then Shaemus & Cesaro & Usos get involved, then Rusev & Shinsuke get involved, and the match turns into a giant cluster. Alister takes Shinsuke out, then Ricochet almost gets pin but the other teams come back in to break it up, turning things into a cluster again. The Usos fight back once again, and manage to keep the titles in the end.

The Miz vs Shane McMahon (Falls Count Anywhere)
Prediction: The Miz
Actual Winner: Shane Mcmahon
- Now here was a match that had some pretty decent buildup. For months, The Miz & Shame McMahon had been together as a team, and their chemistry worked really well. Due to them losing the tag titles a month or two ago, Shane turned on Miz, and leading up to Wrestlemania things were building up between the former teammates. Miz got a lot of sympathy, and became quite the babyface (Something that hasn’t been done in a while). Then, just a week or two before the big day, the fight between the two became a Falls Count Anywhere match.....and it was damn good!
- Shane was the first to the ring, and in a disappointing twist, the Mean Street Posse didn’t come out with him. The Miz was second to the ring, and the crowd was behind him 100 percent. Shane’s first action was the mess with Miz’s Dad, and this distracted the Hollywood A-Lister. In a move that became a meme almost overnight, Miz’s father comes into the ring, and strikes a fighting pose so weak, it was fantastic. He & Shane traded a few blows, but ultimately fails. Miz makes it back in the ring to save his pop (Basically got him out of the ring), and to proceed to go all out on Shane. When they make their way into the crowd, it actually gets kind of violent. Miz manages to go for 3 pins, and each time Shane kicks out, yet he never lost control. Shane does get a little bit of offense back, and tries to leave Miz behind by climbing up some rigging. Miz follows, and once he’s cornered Shane begins to play the sympathy card pretty hard. Miz doesn’t buy it, and then grabs his opponent for a flip off the rigging......and Shane wins.....by a technicality....I think.......WHAT!!??

Boss & Hug Connection vs Nia & Tamina vs The Iconics vs Natalya & Beth Phoenix (Fatal 4-Way Women’s Tag Championship)
Prediction: Boss & Hug Connection
Actual Winner: The Iconics
- Honestly, I’m not gonna type much here. Kinda like the 4-way from earlier, this came across like a cluster. Whereas I enjoyed the men’s match, this one was just meh. Even the notes I have don’t inspire me enough to write things down here in detail. To give it a little bit of credit, Beth Phoenix was pretty good. She didn’t come across as rusty in any way, and if they brought her back to Raw or Smackdown, she might be a good draw for a program with somebody. Sadly, we got perhaps the worst tag team in the Iconics winning the match by literarily stealing the pin. Easily the worst match of the night.

Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Title Match)
Prediction: Kofi Kingston
Actual Winner: Kofi Kingston
- There were definitely a few “Feel Good” moments on this show, but I think this one might be the best out of them all. Though this came about completely by accident, not to mention because of pressure from the fans, it still would up getting just about everybody to smile. Both men were fantastic in the ring, with Daniel Bryan playing up his "Psycho Vegan/Humanitarian" really well (Even though I think he works better as a face), and Kofi coming across as highly reminiscent as Bryan from 5 years ago. Another thing I liked was that the rest of the New Day & Eric Rowan didn't interfere for their respective side, keeping things pretty personal between the two. All thoughout the match, everybody in the arena was completely on Kofi's side (There might have been a few that weren't), and any time that Bryan got offense in, the boos were loud. There are definitely some matches throughout the night that had a nice ending, but this one was easily the best!

Rey Mysterio vs Samoa Joe (U.S. Championship Match)
Prediction: Rey Mysterio
Actual Winner: Samoa Joe
- The shortest match of the night, and the worst match of the night. It’s kind of sad, as I was looking forward to a “David vs Goliath” style of fight. Boy oh boy, did that optimism drain away quick! Rey is the first to come out, and his moment was nice, and Joe came out second. Joe managed to get in some offense pretty early, but not long after Rey goes for a 619. It fails, and almost immediately he got put into the Cocina Clutch, & fell right asleep, with Samoa Joe as the winner. Now, due to Rey ankle issue, I can see why they would go for something quick......but it didn’t have to be a single minute!

Drew McIntyre vs Roman Reigns
Prediction: Roman Reigns
Actual Winner: Roman Reigns
- I think this match is the first time in years where people were actively in Roman Reigns’s corner. Given that he beat his Leukemia into remission, it would probably make someone into a monster if they booed a cancer survivor. Him announcing in October last year that he had the disease basically gave him a medically induced babyface turn.....but I digress.
- Drew comes out first, and he’s got the NYC police bagpile band playing along with his theme. Reigns is next, and for what seemed like a flashback to the middle of this decade, the crowd was actually behind him. In fact the cheering from the audience last for quite a bit. In anycase, the two men had an intense staredown, only to trade a barrage of punches, kicks, and throws a few seconds afterwards. Drew actually goes for a pin in the early moment, only for Reigns to kick out. Drew keeps control of the match for a bit, but Roman gets a little time in. Reigns gets a hold put on him, but manages to stand up and get out of it. Roman misses a move (Forgot what it was), and Drew gets right back on him for some punches, and a suplex onto the floor. Staying in control for a little more, he goes for a second pin, only for Roman to kick out. Reigns gets a tiny bit of offense in, only for Drew to flip him onto the mat shortly afterwards. Feeling tired at this point, Reigns looks beat, but after some taunting from the Scottish Psychopath, he basically taps into his inner Incredible Hulk, and just gets an immediate boost of energy. Reigns wins the match by landing a brutal spear on Drew, and pinning him without any resistance. Definitely a feel good moment of the night!

Batista vs Triple H (No Holds Barred)
Prediction: Batista
Actual Winner: Triple H
- Right away, the buildup to this match was terrible. For starters, they made Batista the heel for no reason! He’s come off of many successful movies, especially both of the Guardians of the Galaxy flicks. Everything he did came across as weak, with the exception of him beating up Ric Flair, which was kinda scary to be honest. Triple H didn’t look that much better, but at least he had the home advantage. Then it comes to their entrances: Batista got some quasi-Hollywood escort, while Triple H got a dorky Mad Max intro on a post-apocalyptic dune buggy (Which looked kinda awesome). From there.....well, I’m not sure.
- The match itself wasn’t terrible. Due to the weak buildup, a lot of it was underwhelming, but it wasn’t bad. There was a lot of physicality from both men, and some of the spots weren’t half bad (The spot where Batista’s nose ring got pulled out looked brutal). What ultimately made me go “Meh” was when Flair showed up to give Triple H a hand (Despite not being in any of H’s promos building up the match), and the fact that Hunter won the man, when Batista said this was basically his last ever time in the ring. Absolutely frustrating!

Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
Prediction: Kurt Angle
Actual Winner: Baron Corbin
- Right away things seemed screwey about this match, for the simple fact that John Cena wasn’t picked for this match. Angle & Cena had numerous bouts over the years, and it was their first encounter that birthed the term “Ruthless Aggression”, not to mention the subsequent era in WWE at that point in time. Secondly, the reasoning behind Kurt picking seemed odd, as it related to both of their terms as GM of Raw. Given the rumors swirling around Kurt & where he was going after he retired from active competition....people should have lowered their expectations.
- Anyways, Corbin goes down to the ring first, and there’s nothing that separates his entrance or attire here than on any other night on Raw. Angle is next, and the fans went nuts. He goes for the offense once the match starts, but Corbin is unusually slippery, and gets some attacks in. Kurt gets creative in avoiding the blows, and gets in a suplex in the process. Goes for a pin, but Corbin kicks out. Angle goes back in for an ankle lock, but Corbin gets out. Then Corbin goes for a Deep 6 and goes for the pin, but Kurt barely kicks out of the move. Angle goes for an Angle Slam, but doesn’t get the pin. Then he tries another ankle lock, and gets thrown into the turnbuckle for his troubles. Luckily, he recovers in time to get some suplex on Corbin, but fails in giving his opponent a moonsault. This gives Baron the window he needed to win the match.....barf! Luckily, Angle is given a moment in the ring to speak with the fans before he left, so there was that.

Bobby Lashley vs Finn Balor (Intercontinental Championship)
Prediction: Finn Balor
Actual Winner: Finn Balor
- Usually when a match is place within the deadspot of Wrestlemania, that means it’s one they wanted to get out of the way earlier in the show, but couldn’t because of timing. In regards to this match, not much was being built up, and thus kind of deserves being here. That said....it was actually okay! Not amazing. Just okay.
- Lashey & Lio Rush come down to the ring first, and may I ask.....what the hell is with the contacts Lashley is wearing!? It makes him look like a bald Michael Jackson werewolf. Luckily, Balor’s entrance wasn’t dumb, as we haven’t seen the demon in what seems like ages. Finn immediately goes for the offense, but Bobby turns things around for himself quick and gets the Demon to the floor, but his infernal foe gets some attacks in. He’s then met with a spear outside the ring, and when the two get back inside the squared circle, he gets another spear, and almost gets pinned. Luckily he kicks out, and delivers Lashley a coup de grace for the win. Again, nothing amazing before the main event, but it wasn’t boring either.

Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair (Winner Takes All Women’s Championship)
Prediction: Becky Lynch
Actual Winner: Becky Lynch
- Two things. On the one hand, the right woman won the match. The story leading up to this match had been going on since late last year. All thanks to an accidental punch, Becky Lynch has been getting stronger and stronger, not to mention more competent on the microphone, and more credible as a wrestler in WWE (Despite having some accolades outside of the company). If The Man didn’t win this fight, it would mean that the buildup was all meant for nothing, and it would show to the crowd & those watching at home that it never mattered. Luckily, the right choice was made, and Becky won!
- On the other hand.....this match had so many problems! For starters, this should have been between Ronda & Becky only. Charlotte added a bit of randomness to things, but at the same time she really didn’t provide anything of note, and her winning the title from Asuka (Who seems like an abuse victim in the company at this point) felt cheap. On top of that, this bout came across as incredibly rehearsed. For the first ever Women’s main event at a Wrestlemania, it should have come across as incredibly organic. Instead, it was stiff, full of botches, and not quite as energetic as people thought it was going to me. Anthony “Missionary” Thomas of the Wrestling Soup podcast said it on their WM35 review episode (Which you can listen to here) that a Women’s match will never headline any future Wrestlemania ever again, and pins the blame all on this bout. While I would like to think otherwise, I reluctantly agree with the points he’s made.

Overall Impression & Rating
Wrestlemania 35 was shockingly good. It had some big issues, and the end result for some of the matches could be questionable, but it’s amazing at how much fun things were. Maybe the overall spectacle wasn’t a 5-car pileup, but perhaps a 2-car instead. A considerable improvement over last year’s show, and once I most certainly recommend.

Wrestlemania 35 gets a 7.2 to 7.5 out of 10.

Raw Review
Hour 1: (Missing 1st half-hour)
- We have Baron Corbin coming out, gloating about his victory over Kurt Angle, and the crowd was almost as mad at him as they were at Roman Reigns back in 2017. Ironically, Angle comes out, and the crowd is right behind him. He wishes Corbin luck in his future endeavors, but grimly says “Bad Luck”, and give him an Angle Slam, then proceeded to put him in an ankle lock. This was short lived, as Lars Sullivan (Who was supposed to show up months ago) comes out, and proceeds to turn the olympian into ground beef, slamming him onto the mat, then landing a pretty brutal dive. Makes Kurt’s leaving active wrestling look pathetic!
- After this spectacle of stupidity, we got another one in the form of Alexa Bliss vs Bailey. This must have lasted maybe a little over 3 minutes, and it almost seemed like Bailey was being punished for something stupid, as it was a clean pin on the part of Alexa. Again, Bailey must have pissed somebody off in the back. It can be the only reason why she was decimated so quickly.

Hour 2:
- Becky Lynch, fresh off her botched win, comes out to wild cheers from the crowd. She talks about how she was feeling, and thanking the crowd for sticking with her for as long as they did. She leaves the ring with a still positive crowd, when the “Southern Bell” Lacy Evans, comes down, and at first it seems like a cool encounter.....then Lacy lands a blow to her, and the two women proceed to fight. So the woman who walks down to the ring for the past few months, and has done nothing of note, is the first to try & take the titles......WHY!?
- We get a glimpse of Seth Rollins in the back, being interviewed by somebody new. He talks about why he accepted the challenge from Kofi Kingston (More on this in a moment), and speaks about some other stuff I can’t recall.
- Up next was a match between Ricochet & Alister Black vs Bobby Roode & Chad Gable. Alister’s entrance was a little screwed up, as his normal gimmick was not working, and crawled up from the floor instead. It was a good match for what it was, and they won. Afterwards, Roode & Gable proceeded to ambush them, showing off the potential for a heel turn. Might be interesting sometime down the road.
- We get a quick segment with Elias in the back, complaining about Cena coming out and ruining the concert he was going to host (A pretty cool moment from this past Sunday, as John Cena came back as his “Doctor of Thuganomics” character from last decade, and he brought his rap game. Huge wave of nostalgia if you ask me). He then said he was gonna come out a little later to sing, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
- Next up was Dean Ambrose vs Lashley, but it wasn’t really a match. For a guy that gave a good amount of time to WWE, this was a giant slap to the face. Lashley started out with a cheap heat move of creeping on Dean’s wife, and proceeded to basically have control the entire time. Things mercifully ended when Dean was slammed through the announce table. One third of the Shield’s exit everybody!

Hour 3:
- Hour 3 starts off (Technically in Hour 2's end) with a surprise return from Sami Zayn, and he asks for a match. Out comes Finn Balor (Minus the demon getup), and the two have a bout for the Intercontinental Title. It’s not half bad, with Finn managed to pin Sami for the win. Afterwards, Sami basically has a bitch fit, and seems to go back into his heel role he embraced nearly a year before. Barf!
- We get that Elias concert, and it was actually a rap similar to how Cena performed the night before. After saying the words dead man, we get a surprise appearance from the Undertaker, and it was easily the best spot of the night. Undertaker looked pretty good, as he was losing weight & getting back into shape. Again, the best spot of the night!
- Now it comes to the final match of the night. Seth Rollins vs Kofi Kingston for a winner takes all match (Announced in the half hour I missed). We never got this bout technically, as the two did face off....only for The Bar to screw things up, and then things turned into a tag team match. So as not to completely screw the fans, Kofi & Seth did get the win for a feel good moment. A weak one, but it was a feel good spot.

Overall Impression & Rating
Man......Raw was hot garbage! After the surprisingly good Wrestlemania this past Sunday, the Monday night afterwards felt like the exact opposite. There was little effort in essentially everything, and what little good there was felt like faint motes of light in the deepest darkness. Those motes keep this Monday Night Raw at the average point, but only just.

Raw gets 5 a out of 10, and that’s being kind.

And that was my review of Wrestlemania 35, not to mention Monday Night Raw. Again, 35 managed to surpass a lot of people’s expectation and ended up being a lot of fun. Raw, on the other hand, ended up being the biggest bait-and-switch dumpster fire after a Wrestlemania in a long time. Hell, I was gonna review Smackdown, but given how Raw played out, not to mention hearing how pathetic Tuesday was, I can only assume it was just as bad. Well, with this out of the way, Compilation Month 2.0 marches on, and in just a few days I got a review of a release that’s considerably more pleasing to the ears than what I started April out with. See you soon!



***
If you want to see what I thought of last year’s Wrestlemania, check out the link below:

Wrestlemania 34 Review

Also, check out the video below on why we never really got the real “Winner Takes All” match. Absolutely infuriating!

WWE Raw April, 8 2019 Full Show Review & Results: RAW AFTER WRESTLEMANIA 35 WAS COMPLETE GARBAGE