Excel Writes! Copyright!

Ask around some millennials about heavy metal and they will come up with different answers for what the latter is or how it sounds like. Try and mention 'Metallica' to them, there's probably a good chance that some of them will say they have heard 'Enter Sandman' at one point or another. Well why not. It's the most listened to single from Metallica. I mean, even Nightwish takes some cues for their epic title track Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Plus, it's a good song to jam to when you are just getting started in metal. Add to the fact that it also happens to be the band's most accessible works to date; gone is the technicality from And Justice for All in favor of straightforward, commercial songwriting.

Well then, what's with the 0 per cent? I let you in on a little secret that is not so secret; Enter Sandman is an absolute rip-off of Excel's Tapping into the Emotional Void from the album Joke's on You which was released in 1989. Fans may have known this for years but some choose to dismiss it as pure coincidence. However, knowing Lars and James penchant for incorporating suspicious ideas into their songwriting, this may not come as a surprise at all.

Again, this is not the first time they did it.

Let's backtrack a little bit to 1986. Most seasoned metalheads whether or not they like Metallica will immediately remember the chilling opening of Welcome Home (Sanitarium). Casual listeners may not immediately notice that the riff is taken from Rainbow Warrior which was recorded in 1980 by Bleak House; a NWOBHM band that not many people today will know. Call it what you will, inspiration, an homage but let's face it, this is stealing.

Some of us may consider Ride the Lightning as the only Metallica album that matters and it's for a few good reasons too. However, I'm not going to explain what those reasons are. The record is not without its merits. But let's not forget that solo part in For Whom the Bell Tolls is strikingly similar to the lead guitar in Black Sabbath's Fairies Wear Boots (which by the way was released in 1971). Similarly, Fade to Black has Iron Maiden's Children of the Damned written all over it as well.

So, where does that leave us? Here we have a mid-paced banger with significantly heavier bass and clear production altogether. You can hear the instrumentation loud and crystal. It also reveals Lars Ulrich true nature as a drummer that he can't play for shit as he used to. This also marks the beginning of James' foray into "yeah yeah" vocal shit that would drag the whole band into just another dad's rock outfit that is no longer relevant to metal as a whole while Kirk obstinately clings to his wah wah pedal for dramatic effect. At first, it was enjoyable to listen to but this song alone loses its credibility after realising that it is a blatant rip off.

Good luck with trying to enjoy Metallica's rendition of Stone Cold Crazy. It's annoying as fuck. I'd rather listen to the original than this travesty. Enough said.

I consider myself to be a fan of Metallica. At least I used to. Nevertheless, this utter crap doesn't deserve all the hype and respect. It's piracy. You want to know what robbery in broad daylight sounds like? This is it. Because of songs like these Metallica's popularity is overblown to the point that other thrash bands have trouble trying to make an impact when they should. Metallica doesn't even deserve a place in the Big 4. Morbid Saint wrote Assassin and to this date is pretty much one of the most brutal, balls out thrash anthem that actually embodies the genre in one song. Toxik blows everything out of the water with Doors to Hell. A song that is technically more complex and challenging to listen to but fun at the same time. History of a Time to Come contains far more riffs than all the tracks in Black Album put together. Have you ever come across thrash hall of fame where bands like Forbidden, Heathen, Toxik, Morbid Saint, Rigor Mortis are mentioned in one breath as Metallica? Ten out of ten it's a nope. Metallica is to thrash metal what Justin Bieber is to pop. It's a case of corporate advertising, selling to us products that are easy to digest and consume. Products that prevent us from putting in extra effort in trying to appreciate what good music sounds like or in this case, good thrash metal. To think that Metaliica steal riffs here and there and got away with it is treacherous. Yet they have to guts to file a lawsuit against Napster for copyright infringement and illegally sharing their songs online. It's hypocrisy of the highest order.

Stop lying to yourself. This is no longer a go-to song if you want to explore thrash or heavy metal in general. Well, it's probably too late to say that anyway.

Note: Originally written for http://metal-archives.com/ but was rejected due to lack of content and substance.

Review for All That Remains - Behind Silence and Solitude

[Originally rejected by Diamhea, Encyclopaedia Metallum]

I am not a huge fan of metalcore. Lamb of God sticks out from the rest due to its addictive groove combined with ridiculously odd drum works and they are enjoyable to listen to every occasionally. A friend of mine from the high school recommended that I check out All That Remains because according to him, the song “Six” is the heaviest shit since Blaspherereion. I investigated his perniciously bold claim. While the song does have a fair share of fast blast beats and some homoerotic screams, that is all there is to it.

However, I traced the band’s history and back catalogue. I mean, let’s face it; even if I am no fan of All That Remains, knowing a thing or two about them is a getaway ticket from being labeled as dumbass ignorant elitist. Then I stumbled upon the very first full length in the form of “Behind Silence and Solitude”, listened to it, and was surprised to know how different the band was back then before they go apeshit mainstream. Most songs are far more structured and well-defined compared to their later efforts, with melodic death metal elements making a strong presence throughout. Of course, the hardcore attitude and predilection are there, but both have been overshadowed by commanding performances from each band member. The opening track is simply one of the immediate highlights from this record and thanks to the slightly low production value, the riffs do not sound any rawer than they already are. The drums are also quite strong but they are not too pushed upfront in the mix although the cymbals are quite suffocated at best. The latter is not necessarily a bad thing nonetheless. There is some blast beats too but they are only used on a minor scale. If only the songwriting allows more room for some brutal blasts, this album is definitely a winner.

The rhythms are minimally striking; they are not too shabby but they are not show-offs either. The solos on this debut are nothing spectacular. However, where they are used, they make the songs sound a lot better as it added more colors to otherwise grey hue. The band extensively employs lead guitars to a greater effect, bringing All That Remains closer to being Gothenburg-inspired death metal outfit than metalcore. To make it interesting, the band has some nice acoustic section in “Clarity” and “Home to Me” that quickly bring to mind early Dark Tranquillity more than anything else does.

Also worth mentioning is “Erase” with its varied drumming style and chord progressions that I can bang my head to every time. The solo on this track is what I described as endemically American; it is so full of metallic bravado (similar to the ones in “Home to Me”). There is nothing to complain about the bass since each track is held together with the particular instrument acts like a soft cushion on which the songs sit comfortably.

Philip Labonte vocals are unlike the horrendous atrocity we hear today. On this record, he leans more toward death metal side than hardcore. What makes this album a lot better is the fact that Labonte growls without clean singing, making Behind Silence and Solitude quite a solid melodic death metal record. He is able to sing with conviction and passion, which is a plus because you can hear honesty coming out from the speakers as he growls his way through.

Behind Silence and Solitude is not a great album by any means but it is a certainly unique release that nobody seems to pay any attention. I think it is better that way despite the fact All That Remains have become a mockery in the metal scene, victimized by many as a group of musicians facing midlife crises writing emo bitches’ lyrics that are poorly dressed as metal. Personally, this is the ONLY All That Remains’ album worth buying and listening to, if only if, you have a penchant for American melodic death metal. Don’t worry, there are no Brokeback Mountain-esque shrieks on this debut, just death grunts through and through. Recommended while it is raw.

Christopher Nolan - (2012) The Dark Knight Rises [Review]

Yep. Christopher Nolan finally closes the deal with The Dark Knight Rises. I know, I know; I'm not really a Batman fanboy so I don't know a lot about the actual story as it is written in the comic series. Nevertheless, Nolan's representation of Batman is pure genius; the cast and crews are outstanding while the plot is breathtakingly engaging like the two previous entries in the trilogy.

Bruce Wayne, the billionaire orphan, whose alter-ego has cost him to be hunted down by Gotham police, is now retiring in his mansion. However, a new fire rises from the depth and it is ever-raging to consume Gotham City until it leaves nothing but ashes in its wake. Here we have Selina Kyle, an equally capable master thief who has earned herself tonnes of criminal records and now she decides to erase her decadent past, and start afresh. In light of recent events, Commissioner Gordon refuses to reveal the truth about circumstances surrounding Harvey Dent's death. Bane, the excommunicated member of League of Shadows makes his public appearance with one thing in mind; destroy Gotham City. Thanks to Bane and his band of mercenaries, Bruce Wayne is declared bankrupt and all his stock exchange implodes and as such Fox decides to bring Miranda Tate as the new manager for Wayne Enterprise energy division.

Things quickly get out of control; Gordon is hospitalised the rest of the police force is torn between catching Batman or Bane's loyalists. Alfred leaves Bruce Wayne after he reveals the truth about Rachel's choice of choosing Dent over Bruce, and that Alfred burnt the letter to spare him the pain. At the same time, the stock exchange crash is perpetrated by John Dagget, an executive member of Wayne Enterprise who has always been wanted to own the company to himself. With Selina's help, Bruce fingerprints are needed to complete the bankruptcy process. It is this moment when both Batman and Bane make a show; Bane and his soldiers infiltrated every part of the city including Wayne secret Applied Science Division. The meeting between Bane and Batman is a trap set up by Selina so she can get Bane's fighters off her back. Batman loses the fight and his back is effortlessly broken by Bane, which then allows him to be imprisoned in a hellhole somewhere; a place where Bane comes from. With Gotham police force launching city wide search for the criminals under pretense of routine exercise, a network of deadly traps has been set in place while police are heading into the city tunnels. Blake, who has been a friend of Wayne since childhood knows who Batman is and he is relaying information to now hospitalised Gordon. Blake then goes to investigate the connection between the tunnels and Bane, only to realise that the construction workers are actually a bunch of crooks hired by Bane to plant explosives throughout key areas of the city. When the Superbowl game begins, Bane detonates the explosives, killing dozens of people including Gotham mayor while trapping thousands of police officers beneath the rubble. The explosives also cut off the main exit routes from the city, preventing locals from escaping. Bruce Wayne, now beaten and broken, watches the attack helplessly from his prison cell. Angered, he works hard to recover with the help of fellow inmates who also reveals Bane's origin; a warlord daughter falls in love with one of his mercenaries. They secretly marry. The warlord finds out about their secret and the mercenary is thrown into the prison. Somehow, he is released and then banished instead. Little does the mercenary know that his wife pays the price for his freedom and she is condemned to the pit, who by then already has a child with her. Well, prison is where the bad guys are and the mother does not survive the encounter.

Meanwhile, Selina Kyle is put behind bars in connection to the kidnapping of Gotham congressman. Bane reveals the speech that Gordon supposedly reads at Harvey Dent's memorial service. Gordon lies to save himself and his family and put the blame on Batman. All the criminals incarcerated under the Dent Act have been freed in what Bane refers to as 'giving back Gotham to the people'. They are now armed and have become more dangerous than ever, serving as Bane foot soldiers. Crane, the previous drug dealer is now the city's judge, sentencing anyone deemed by the revolution as 'criminals' with death sentence. Chaos devours Gotham City. Lawlessness prevails. People are now under daily threats of terrorism as Bane steals an armed nuclear warhead from Wayne Enterprise which is supposed to be a source of clean energy who has been entrusted to Miranda Tate. At the height of the crisis, Bruce Wayne crawls out of the prison and returns to Gotham, much to Selina's surprise. She agrees to bring Wayne to meet Lucius Fox, where she later frees both of them. Gordon plans to disarm the the nuclear device but there are many decoy trucks carrying empty cargo with no nuclear in them. They are caught in the surveillance process by Bane's mercenaries and received death sentence by Crane. Batman shows up and saves the day and he frees the police who are trapped underground. Bane looks at the blazing monolith of Batman's return in disbelief, telling his soldiers to keep a close eye on Tate.

As morning comes, a war broke out between Bane-led terrorists and the city cops. Batman almost defeats Bane when his mask begins to wear off, causing Bane to limp in pain. While interrogating Bane about who is the actual triggerman for the nuclear warhead, Gordon leaps onto a truck that contains the bomb and places the signal blocker. Miranda Tate stabs Batman with a knife, revealing herself to be Talia Al Ghul, Ras Al Ghul's daughter. She is the child that climbs out of the hellhole and it is Bane who helps her to escape. With this twisted revelation, Talia fails to detonate the bomb. She then pursues the truck to reactivate the device. Bane is about to shoot Batman in the face when Selina fires full force on his chest with Batpod mounted cannon, saving Batman. Realising that Talia has overridden the device, Batman anchors the warhead to his aerial combat vehicle and flies outside the city limit into the ocean, where it finally detonates, forming a giant mushroom cloud. Seemingly, Batman is dead, but not before hinting at Gordon about his real identity.

In the aftermath, Wayne Enterprise is closed down. Alfred weeps during the funeral, regretting his alleged failure to take care of Bruce Wayne. The manor is made to house Gotham orphans. Somewhere in Europe, Alfred sees Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle on  a date and they nod to each other. Finally, Blake inherits the Batcave.

Wow! What a movie, is it not? A friend of mine told me that Nolan's final chapter is destroying the originality of the Batman franchise. I understand his disappointment because he has been reading the comics since childhood. Just like when I gravely disappointed that Paul W.S. Anderson decided to bring Resident Evil to silver screen. What I find interesting about this film is the fact Nolan wants people to feel the realistic nature of Batman. In the past, the live action movies are downright crappy. Not to mention the storyline itself is so mainstream. However, Nolan must have thought abut every single aspect that makes Batman to be so believable to the audience; the idea behind a symbol is that Batman can be anybody. After all, the film downplays the elements of superhuman that characterised Bane as he is portrayed in the comic, making The Dark Knight Rises to be grounded in reality. Whereas the need to be masked is to protect people that Batman cares about, even though he spent most of his time to himself. Fighting crimes often come with a terrible cost; say a police commissioner combating mafia can have his wife and children murdered because the criminals know a person's vulnerability, which is the inability to let someone hurt their loved ones. This is the most painful way to go and this also the choice made by Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight when his sanity collapses thanks to Joker's agitation. Also, Bane character in this film is totally relevant to the current state of the world. Look what happened in the Middle East where countries like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and Syria have been ravaged by coalition forces in the name of democracy. What did Bane say during his public speech? He said that he is a liberator that will give Gotham back to the people, not the corrupt conglomerates. We've heard this before, aren't we? But unlike in this film, those Middle East countries will never see peace in anytime soon and there's no one to stop the NATO-backed terrorists from overturning the ruling government and make a regime change that is friendly to the West.

This film has little to less witty catchphrase compared to the second installment. However, this is compensated by the question of hope, fear and anger. Hope that Gotham citizens need, a hope to live another day, a hope to be freed from these so called liberators. Fear as in Bruce Wayne refusal to see Gotham crumble before his very eyes and fear that he could not do anything to save it. Fear, that will place him a great deal of regret if 12 million Gothamites are reduced to flaky pile of ashes. It's the fear that drives him angry and the anger starts to change the world. Bruce fears not death, but he cares for the people he always tries to protect, the people of Gotham. And this goes back to the hope, where it is the last thing he will ever give to citizens of Gotham City, a hope to live free from fear.

So, in essence, I give this film a strong 9.5 out 10 for creative storyline, awesome casts and crews, superb special effects and realistic take on what it means to be a superhero, a symbol of hope for the people. Until then I hope my review gives you a little bit of an insight as to why I think this title is the fitting end for this trilogy. We shall now wait for another hit, Man of Steel.

Sisworo Gautama Putra - (1982) Pengabdi Setan [Review]

Here's a review I made for Pengabdi Setan; an Indonesian horror film produced in 1982. The title of my review as it appears on imdb website is 'Forces of Satan's Storms'.

This is a film that signifies the horror cinema of Indonesia; it's cheap, it's cliché, it's scary, great fun.

A lot of people don't understand how his mother is resurrected in a form of ghost; in the opening scene where a funeral is held, you see the main antagonist standing amongst the mourning crowd. Therefore it is implied that she is the one responsible for bringing Tommy's mother back to life. Of course she does.

The slightly affluent family is shown to have lost touch with their religious beliefs, especially the father who arrogantly dismisses the advice from an ustaz. Their caretaker Pak Karto tries to remind them to pray constantly and read the Al Quran. This too is ignored. It doesn't help with the fact that Tommy begins to delve in black magic after he is influenced by a fortune teller (yes, Darmina). Karto discovers an altar of madness in Darmina's room and he is then killed off screen, apparently by Darmina satanic forces (some believe Karto committed suicide). Tommy's sister Rina is hopeful that her boyfriend Herman will hire a witchdoctor to get rid of demonic entities that are haunting their house. Herman later dies from a freak accident. Somehow, the zombified Herman now returns to give Rina another visit from beyond, which scares the daylight out of her. She asks her father to seek help from a shaman to perform a ritual cleansing of the house. The witchdoctor doesn't seem to survive the encounter. After witnessing his mother rise from the grave, Tommy tries to convince his father and Rina that Darmina is evil. After the family comes under siege by the zombie trinity, they eventually realised that it's their fault for not being Muslims enough. An ustaz and his followers immediately come to the rescue (strange though; how do they know what's happening inside the house?). Eventually, Darmina is set ablaze and the family is now born again Muslims.

If one is to observe the storyline from an Islamic perspective, it actually has some good message behind it. For long Indonesian films have been using elements of Hinduism and Christianity to exemplify the battle between good and evil. This goes on to show Indonesia's multi religious community and that evil does not restrict itself to one belief system. Verses recited by the ustaz are of course taken from the Quran, both in the original Arabic language and Bahasa Indonesia; a reminder for us to not follow in the footsteps of syaitan (also called Iblis) for he is the arch enemy of humanity. Sisworo cleverly depicts the family as neglecting their religious duties, such as Rina's going to discotheque just days after her mother's death. Darmina also musingly explains that we (Satan and demons) are ubiquitous as long as Islam is not actually practiced.

Perhaps one of the scariest moments in this film, for me, is always the first scene where Mawarti pays her son a visit at night. This makes classic Indonesian horror film a winner compare to any other cinema in the region. There is only one movie from Malaysia that can rival all the Indonesian horror titles; it is called 'Dendam Perawan Bunting' (Revenge of the Pregnant Virgin). The latter is no longer in print and nobody seems to have a physical copy of it, let alone watched the whole film when it first came out in 1989.

Back to Pengabdi Setan, it's hard to ignore Mawarti (the mother) ghostly whispering voices calling for Tommy; that alone is enough to send shivers down the spine. Whereas the zombie Herman and Karto are somewhat worthy of praise; they are also managed to maintain the devilish expression throughout the entire time which is a plus. It's just that I find it absolutely hilarious when fanged Herman first appears on screen; he looks ridiculous, as if he was sticking out two pieces of Twisties from his mouth. Talking about gore, I think this film has none, other than exposed bones and rotten meat. If you're looking for something gory, check out Bisikan Arwah (Whisper of the Dead), another Indonesian cult horror from 1988. That is, if you can actually get a copy of it.

In short, this is a mildly scary flick with average but praiseworthy acting, good makeup and, some laughable moments with overall positive message. At least this film doesn't rely on cheap-Brazzers-wannabe-sex-scene to get the audience attention, like what most nowadays titles. A good flavoured film I must say. Easy to understand (if you know Malay or Bahasa Indonesia). I'll probably be watching this again while eating spaghetti. A memorable classic!

Paul W.S. Anderson - (2012) Resident Evil: Retribution [Review]

 

You know who she is. Her name is Alice and she worked for the Umbrella Corporation. Okay, I'm just going to stop there. If you're keen on finishing that sentence for me, be my guest. From the very first titular debut film, I was already disappointed with the fact that filmmakers have strayed too much from Resident Evil grand mythology. I mean who the hell is Alice anyway?

One after another, Paul W.S. Anderson, Alexander Witt and other parties responsible in bringing Resident Evil from console to silver screen, have spewed forth rather disappointing films as the entry progresses. It's downright embarrassing to watch my favorite characters such as Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy and Chris along with Claire Redfield being defiled by incessant effort to cash in on the franchise already worn out cliche.

Li Bing Bing as Ada Wong. She cannot perform too much action due to the USD$7,500 wig she's wearing.

I guess it will be better if Hollywood try to follow the storyline from the first ever Resident Evil that was released in 1996. That game has one of the scariest plot filled with bleak atmosphere of impending dread. No kidding. Set in a mansion somewhere deep in the Arklay Mountains, the latter is teeming with life devouring terror that awaits in every corner. Perhaps filmmakers find the story, well, less accessible to people who aren't familiar with the moniker?

Retribution is laden with laughable shoot 'em up scenes; the characters are heavily bombarded and shot at but fled the scene unscathed. One thing that bugs me which doesn't feel quite life-like is the fact that they never ran out of ammo. Only when Leon and Luther West confronted the bad Rain do their guns run on empty clip. Yeah it is understood that such an element is part of the action. However, when they have neglected to bring up the sense of realism to the film, it's nothing more than just another cliche entertainment.

Sienna Guillory as Jill Valentine. My favorite

At least the fight choreography is well executed. It is perhaps the only redeeming thing about Retribution. It is as impressive as it gets, most notably the melee combat between Jill and Alice near the end of the film. Valentine now brandish a retractable scepter, reminiscent of Paul W.S. Anderson 'Alien vs. Predator'. Then again, fans like me clearly recall of how Jill kind of looks similar to Nina Williams from the Tekken series. Bad Rain is not really bad at all when it comes to her penultimate battle with Leon and West; upon injecting herself with Las Plagas parasite, she gains the upper hand by beating the shit out of Leon, and killing West in the process. Yes. It's obvious that black people will always be sacrificed as part of Hollywood ritual.

Verdict: Repetitive, been there done that kind of feeling, like Deja Vu. Nothing new. Basically the film uses hell a lot of stock footage to retell the already redundant facts about the film's mythology. Cardboard characters, especially that of Ada Wong and Leon S. Kennedy. Cliche feats. Worst dialogue ever. Bland storyline. Great fight scenes. In essence, I gave this film 2.5 out 10.