Justin Broadrick

My journey into rock/metal started with Alanis morissette. True fact that. along the way though, I found a lot of other bands, Slayer, Slipknot, etc and then I started using Napster. Before Metallica decided to be bellends and ruin napster, I used to use it for downloading random bands. Id buy a copy of Kerrang, and pick names in there, influences  on other bands etc, and then id download a selection of thier songs. In this early period of my musical journey so to speak, I found bands such as The Gathering, Neurosis, and others. Often, a lot of these bands I didnt fully research until years later. Somewhere along the way, I got into the band ISIS. This is around about 10 years ago now. ISIS blew me away at the time, and in some ways, still do. I remember thinking they sounded like Dillinger escape plan, but slowed down, and with prettier bits. my taste back then was a bit of a strange mixture of metal, and I hadnt fully explored the original bands from the 70s. I would later do this, and that would change my taste dramatically. However, in this period of being madly into ISIS, I recall that they did a 7" record I didnt own, but did have on mp3. This was the sawblade EP, and on it was a cover of Godfleshs Streetcleaner.

I then decided to explore Godflesh. The reason I have put this blog together is to show appreciation for the influence Justin broadrick has had on my music taste.

Godfleshs streetcleaner album is a Viseral, nihilistic, caustic, heavy as hell and dark album. at the time, It went a little over my head I must admit. but eventually, after trying the other albums, the charm of the album wore its way in and I went through a period of being mad into Godflesh, and I dont think that period ever ended. However, It became glaringly obvious to me that I had gotten into the band a bit late really. I remember them doing a Kerrang christmas show with Fear factory and Devin Townsend and being into them, but I couldnt go. Nottingham was slightly unobtainable for me at that point in time. So I missed thier live shows and then they split up.

Still, didnt stop me getting into the discography. few years later, after him splitting up Godflesh, he put out the first Jesu EP. This EP was important to me because it came out my first year of university. In fact, during his first few Jesu years, he was pretty prolific, so I followed this and Jesu became a bit of a personal soundtrack to my time living in Leicester. Really good times. Creative too, used some Jesu in college work, made a music video of Streetcleaner. During this time, I saw him play live first time with Jesu, he supported Mono. Both bands put in excellent sets, and I remember meeting Adam. Saw Jesu once or twice since, not always perfect, but still pretty decent.

Seeing Godflesh reform and play London was a fantastic night, Goatsnake supporting too!

So Ive pretty much followed his musical career. Final is excellent music to use for film projects, oddly enough, electronica. Techno Animal, Fall of because, Head of David, early Napalm death, Pale Sketcher....Theres so many great acts and good music to come from one man. From researching and
reading interviews, he has pretty much inadvertently gotten me another of my favourite bands, Killing Joke. Killing joke have been a big influence on my music taste too. they played Roadburn this year, and I met Justin. He was a really friendly, approachable chap. saw him play with JKFlesh and it was fantastic. Posthuman is one of the best albums of 2012.

All in all, in Summary, id just say thanks to justin really, got me into some great bands, created some awesome music. Dudes a good man. Massive kudos, and I think hes a very underappreciated musician. Sorry if this sounds a bit fanboy! haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54DkLXzlYrY&playnext=1&list=PLEE3E1FFC174926C3&feature=results_video

Max Payne 3 - Morally bankrupt.

Started playing this game recently. Thought id share some of my views on it and the current state of gaming through this blogging medium.

Max Payne 1 and 2 were excellent third person shooters, with a bit more depth than most games of thier style. sure, they introduced bullettime to gaming, after the matrix introduced it to film. but both these games charted the life and times, in a awesome comic book style, of a cop called max payne. They used a very Noir dectective style, and despite there being violence and lots of criminals being shot, they justified it by the fact that the criminals killed paynes wife and child. The style of the game was unique. a crime noir shooter narrated via the main character, using metaphors and wordplay to describe the world you played in. Both games were of thier time, but excellent for what they were.

The ensuing years, over 10 in fact, since the 2 games came out, gaming has changed. we now have Call of Duty ruling the gaming landscape. as memory serves me, I remember them being average war world two games. obviously, they improved them slightly over the years, but COD is really just a very average FPS,and its somehow became the standard because of how standard it is. Thats my understanding of it anyway. Ive played other FPS in the last 5 years, and all are far superiour to modern warfare, black ops and thier ilk. But the impact has been made. Gaming is now a far reaching, mainstream culture. Black ops 2 adverts litter the media, and I even saw a building sized poster for the game in Birmingham. a far cry from the days of the megadrive. perhaps im getting old.

Anyway, to elaborate on my point. The impact these games have made on the environment and landscape of the current gaming generation is undeniable. Gamers now crave instant action. I first heard about Max payne 3 coming out start of 2012, and I instinctively decided not to bother with it. It looked too action orientated, and totally of odds with the original games. Turns out I was right. Picked it up for a tenner, cheap really considering it came out in July. Thought id try it.

Max Payne 3 to me, sums up all that is wrong with the current gaming generation. It was immediately obvious that they had changed the enviroment Max was in, this I could deal with, but after playing the game for a few hours it became even more obvious that Max payne had changed to fit with the current standard COD has set. In the game, you are pushed from mission to mission, protecting this rich family, and then you get attacked by armed foes, and have to bulletime your way to the end of the mission, all the while adding to the Grind counters (in game awards) and occasionally collecting golden guns. So the game has the usual staple of collectables, and the levelling up grind rubbish from the COD multiplayer, and then every single level is basically is the same after that. you shoot a bunch of people, using bullettime to stop being shot yourself, and then go to the next level and do exactly the same. But heres the worst bit. The Narration from the previous games is still present, only this time, instead of interesting wordplay,inventive narration and metaphors we get Max payne, The moaner.

Max payne moans and whinges his way through this entire game, making it actually a very depressing experience. Perfect example, you bullettime through a window, shooting guys in the face, land on the ground and shoot your last bullet, which by the way slows down so you can see it enter the face of the enemy, and then we get a monologue about how maxs day has gone from bad to worse and all he wants to do is drink and forget it all. we then get a cut scene of max passing out from drinking a bottle of whiskey. So let me clarify this. we are in sao paulo brazil, hes in a fully paid for apartment in the sun, hes just done some cool ass moves and saved the people hes protecting, and all he can do is whinge and moan and hand out depressing monologue throughout the entire thing. your kind of taking the audience away from the fun of the game, and sucking you into his depressing and pointless existance. and then of course, the game continues. and in every level, Maxs bodycount raises, often your shooting people for no particular reason other than your in the wrong place, wrong time. as Max, you massacre entire neighbourhoods, and a police station, and the entire time, his moaning and whinging underscores it all. He has been turned into this disgusting, unlikeable, hateful murderer essentially.

For most of the plot, it could all have ended and Max would be fine, if he had just walked away. instead, the storytellers reiterate how hes addicted to painkillers and booze, and that hes stuck in this rut. well, as a player, I find it slightly morally wrong. I think that the games only purpose is to shoehorn action scenes, intense violence and to glorify an alcoholic waster. I feel that they have tried too hard to bring Max Payne alongside the CODs of the world. The franchise has lost all the depth, meaning and purpose that it had for the first two games. I actually find a lot of max payne 3 offensive and pointless. To me, it sums up all thats wrong with this current generation of gaming. I feel that had remedy kept this game, the story would have been so much different. I  Suppose maybe im just a sour puss, getting old. not seeing the fact that things have to change. but really? like this? Turning a detective noir shooter into a violent, pointless and depressing piece of crap?

Maybe im just getting old.






Heres some Quotes from Max Payne.

“I was a dumb American in a place where dumb Americans were less popular than the clap.”
“I didn’t know what to think any more. This town had more smoke and mirrors than a strip club locker room.”
“I’d been stuck in the past so long I’d forgotten what year is was.”
“It was Monday afternoon and I’d already been thrown out of a party, been to a strip club and got into a bar fight. This latest mid-life crisis was certainly ticking all the boxes.”
“This kind of place made me want to puke. I needed a real drink to cope with the electronic music and robotic people” - on entering a nightclub.
“There was a bar ahead. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I figured sobriety was no used to me if I was dead.”
““Sao Paulo is like Bagdad with G-strings”
“There must have been another way out through the VIP lounge. Rich fools love a private exit.”
“I stood out in this place like a street walker in a monastery” at a party in a shanty town in Brazil.
“These bastards made the NYPD look like the Hari Krishnas.”
“Do you think a pile of shit feels popular because it’s surrounded by flies?”
“When you’re stuck in a foreign country and don’t know the words for “reverse charges” and you’re in some lonely skin joint in the middle of some poor slum and just had every last cent robbed from you and you call yourself a bodyguard then you know you’re a loser.
“First day off the sauce and somehow I’d still ended up in the gutter.” - after being robbed by a gang of thugs.
“I’d been sitting at the bar for three hours, or five hours depending on the way you looked at things.”
“The way I see it there’s two types of people, those who spend their lives trying to build a future and those who spend their lives trying to rebuild the past. For too long I’d be stuck in between, hidden in the dark. What was I really doing walking in there with my bad haircut and ridiculous shirt? – gatecrashing a party dressed in Bermuda shirt.

DLC out soon. Cant wait, really looking forward to it.

Roadburn Rundown

These are the bands I saw at Roadburn this year. id like to do a full review but to be honest, too much fun was had, and I cant remember it at all. its like a blur and a haze. but fuck me, it was awesome. below are the bands that grabbed me enough to watch their whole set, or for the majority of it. I saw other bands over the top of heads from crowded rooms that I couldnt squeeze into but I didnt include them here because I dont deem that watching a band. Watching a band is being able to stand front row and see the band playing, and that is unfortunately impossible at roadburn if you make it too late to see the band you want in anything other than the main stage. my only complaint though! a wicked weekend. Walter works hard to get a decent bill and does a fantastic job. Im going to highlight my top 3 bands!


Agalloch    - Sublime, played an excellent set. would like to have met them, didnt find them.
d.USK/diSEMBOWELMENT –  grim show, heavy as hell. best dudes ever, gota love the aussies.
Killing Joke - were okay, not the best set I have seen. pssyche still ruled though.
Sigiriya - impressive, id go next time they play bham
Voivod - I cannot stand this band and endured bits of them twice. I wont make that mistake again.
White Static Demon vs JK Flesh - Met him this weekend and JK flesh raped my face.
Anekdoten - Really cool prog, with a moog. a real moog! watched them with Grutle from Enslaved.
Dopethrone - caught the first few songs then had to go outside, but they were cool.
Gnod - a very spaceman 3 vibe from these guys, and im from rugby so i like spaceman 3
Sólstafir -   Sublime, blew me away.
40 Watt Sun - much much better than when I saw Warning. Heavy sound. Awesome.
Leaf Hound - really enjoyed them, but I do wish Sad road to the sea was the same song as the LP
Necros Christos - they blew me away, fantastic death metal/doom.
The Obsessed - stunning in every way, heavy as hell. all the songs id want to hear, worth the trip.
Mike Scheidt - interesting to listen to, and id like to hear the solo album.
Sleep - I found them too repetetive, and I went to see Necros christos, came back and they were ace.
The Wounded Kings - evoke the feeling that Chutlu himself is rising through the ground due to the hymns sung at him, written by steve. lol
Coroner - same as the last time, standing still, boring to watch but technical to play I suppose. Nah.
Yob - blew my tits off playing the whole of Catharsis. thanks to the singer for giving me a guest pass to the show!

some images id like to share.

Forgot that I used to draw a lot. remembered recently. drew the dog, twice. just gona put em up here as a place to keep them.

Sleeping pug and awake pug

Skyrim Vs Dark Souls.My opinion on these 2 big fantasy epics.

                                                                                  VS

Ok so before I begin this. id like to make it very clear that I have played both these games top to bottom, explored them profusely and yes, they are both awesome. The reviews are right, and Skyrim is a brilliant piece of next generation gaming, beautiful in its scope and epic. the reviews claim Dark souls is impenetrable, hard as nails and a triumpth in gaming. both statements are very true. However, im going to relay the reasons that I believe Dark Souls deserves more accolades,  and that it has been painfully overshadowed by Skyrim this winter, and possibly indefinately.

Skyrim is a huge open world game, the graphics are gorgeous and there is so much to explore and do you could indeed spend 100s of hours within it playing the game. I personally gave Skyrim over 80 hours, and while doing so managed to achieve the full 1000G. it wasnt exactly challenging but it was fun, time consuming, and it was worth my effort in buying the game. Its a better peice of software than Oblivion ever was, and I believe its because it takes all the best bits from the 2 Fallout games and melds it all together to make the perfect bethesda open world game.  You start as Dragonborn, end as dragonborn and you are a god amongst men. That however is my main problem with Skyrim. You are indeed without a doubt the most powerful being in the game. after levelling up enough you can destroy dragons with a few hits, shout at them to bring them down, and virtually every enemy in the game you can annihilate. There is no consequence for dying because you can save at any point, and just do it again. Sure, its fun and it means you dont have to repeat but it does kind of eliminate challenge. Glitches plague the game the same way they did New Vegas also. and this in itself can be a big issue sometimes, removing the realism and immersion. Still, the game does make up for it, by its fun quests, its NPC characters and the amount of effort and detail put into the background, such as all the books that are fully readable for example and the daedric quests which I found to be the most fun in the whole game. So to sum up Skyrim, I loved it. It had all the right elements. However, I believe it epitomises all that is currently an issue to me with all the latest games released in the last 2 years and this brings me to my next point. The differences between these 2 games.

Dark Souls. Yes. It is indeed as difficult as it says it is, and it is utterly impenetrable...but spend enough time within it and something becomes very clear. As I said with Skyrim that as dragonborn, you are the most powerful creature within the game, with Dark Souls it is literally the opposite. You begin as the lowest of worms. Everything you encounter is either hostile, or unfriendly. and even after putting the first 10 hours in, if you can last that long, you come to realise that virtually every other being within the game wants you dead. you literally live within fear of staying alive long enough to explore the next area. but you see, if this sounds unpleasant and not fun to you then your missing the point. Dying has been used in gaming for years as a submission of failure. you die, and clearly youve done something badly or wrongly. this is true for Dark souls, if you die, its your own fault. However, unlike other games, Dark souls uses Dying a core game mechanic. Without dying endlessly, and without learning...the groove of that certain area, then you simply cant progress. Why? Because when you kill something, you gain souls. Souls are used to level up, which in turn makes you more powerful. So the game essentially forces you into suffering and grinding souls. because when you die your souls are left in the exact spot where you die, so you have to kill all the bad guys again to get there, and therefore your souls duplicate. Once you recover the souls, you can return to your save point (called bonfires) and hopefully use the amount you have gained to level up, and use the next powerful weapon you have obtained to make it easier for yourself. Only through learning the layout of the level, and becoming powerful enough to remove the enemies can you hope to progress, and move forward to the next bonfire. The story of the game is very minimal, almost non existent, but it is there and its dark. its fantasy, just like skyrim, in a similar world, but its a grimy, gritty, evil world that wants you wiped from it.

Basically, Dark souls epitomises old school, hardcore gaming. The days when Megadrive games were the norm, and you regularly got all the way to that bit in level 6, then got taken out because you hadnt been there yet and fell down a hole or got killed by a bad guy you didnt know existed. Later in the game you come across bosses 10 times your size, that without learning the patterns of their attacks, you have no hope of succeeding,just like the old games. The word is Challenge. It poses a challenge within a game that I personally haven't come across since yes, the early days of gaming. It harkens back to those days where you had to learn the layout of the level in order to beat it on repeat visits. where there no saving at any point, Dark souls uses a save system where you have to get yourself to the next bonfire in order to progress, until later on when you can warp to previous ones. So you cant just save when you want, you cant even pause. the developers have crafted a game of pure warped genius.

Skyrim is a next generation console game that despite its many many good points, poses no challenge or threat, because you are the most powerful being in the game. Dark souls is a next generation game where you are the downtrodden piece of turd on the shoe on every single enemy or indeed everything you encounter. But heres the big difference, when you endure, suffer, grind and finally become powerful within Dark Souls, you can literally own every one of those bad guys that once proved a challenge, yet...if your not careful enough, you can still be killed by a rat if its faster than you.

To sum up. If Skyrim is this:

Dark souls is this:

Grim.

Ok...Video games of 2011.

Now, this is the first post here since the original one that I havnt copied and pasted. This year for me has been a lot about video games. ive played way too fucking many of them, and wasted a lot of hours playing them. there are not many of my friends that I can talk to about games, because none of them waste quite as much time playing them. a new years resolution for me will be to cut down, in all honesty. for my sanity, let alone the fact that ive spent more time playing xbox than I have looking for a decent job. I cant think of any big games to look forward to next year either, they all came out this year! Im going to try and put together a top 10, but a lot of the time its lost in the midst of time. I believe these are the ones that enveloped my life the most.


Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Batman: Arkham City
Dead Space 2
Alice: Madness Returns
Crysis 2
Portal 2
Ms Splosion Man


I am planning to put together a blog gushing about Dark souls VS Skyrim. The two games just need to be compared. haha