2010: The Year of Random Ramblings

Well, as the title hints to, this is me, talking about 2010. 2010 was an interesting year for me: got a job, started college, started my blog in late 2010 and so on. Meet some new people, lost a few friends and the like.

First off, I just want to say this.....WHERE THE HECK DID 2010 RUN OFF TO!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!


I mean seriously! Where did that year go? It seemed to just FLY for me. In a way, I like that, because it doesn't seem as long. But on the other hand, I don't remember much about it....In fact, the only things I remember happening is losing a few friends of mine due to certain events that transpired, going to a new youth group (which is FREAKING AWESOME because the last one I went too I grew out of the age group), I got a job and started going to college to learn ASL (LOVE IT!) and started the blog.


What else happened you say? Well, I found the wonderful world of AT4W, Thatguywiththeglasses, Itsjustsomerandomguy, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series by LittleKuriboh, TFS and others.

Overall, I'd say it was a good year. Too bad I can't remember most of what happened.....Oh well!


What do I expect for 2011? Well, the year is young so I have no idea whatso-freaking-ever!


I hope your year was better than mine, and I hope your coming year is awesome.



STAY SHOCKEY!!!!!!

Wattako's Top 30 Albums of 2010

I know this is a bit late, but when your trying to review songs for a list consisting of 30 albums while working, going to school AND having to deal with a holiday rush in December, you don't get much time to squeeze in a listening party. But here is my list of 2010 Top 30 Albums.

#1

Solution .45: For Aeon’s Past

#2

Saint: Hellblade

#3

Blind Guardian: At the Edge of Time

#4

Firewind: Days of Defiance

#5

Golden Resurrection: Glory to My King

#6

Halford IV: Made of Metal

#7

Sinbreed: When Worlds Collide

#8

Arch Enemy: The Root of All Evil

#9

Audiovision: Focus

#10

Yngwie Malmsteen: Relentless

#11

The Showdown: Blood in the Gears

#12

Accept: Blood of Nations

#13

Demon Hunter: The World is A Thorn

#14

MyRath: Desert Call

#15

Slechtvalk: The Forlorn Throne

#16

Fireflight: For Those Who Wait

#17

Grave Robber: Exhumed

#18

Fireball Ministry: S/T

#19

Disciple: Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

#20

Iron Maiden: The Final Frontier

#21

Stryper: Murder by Pride

#22

Final Axe: Beyond Hell’s Gate

#23

Coriolis: The Endless Funeral

#24

Pastor Brad: Break Out!

#25

White Wizzard: Over the Top

#26

Ted Kirkpatprick: An Ode to a Roadkill

#27

Overkill: Ironbound

#28

Grave Digger: The Clans Will Rise Again

#29

As I Lay Dying: The Powerless Rise

#30

Motorhead: The World is Yours

Now I know that the Arch Enemy and Styrper album's were released in '09, but I like them too much to not have them on here....Other then that, everything else is '10.


Well, this is my list for 2010! I'm already getting pumped for this years list! Oh Amon Amarth, Surtur Rising better be as good if not better than Twilight of The Thunder God.....And Stryper's The Covering! Oh man I can't wait! *giddy*

Blind Guardian: At The Edge of Time

Genres: Power/Progressive/Speed Metal
Labels: No Remorse/Virgin/ Century Media/Nuclear Blast


I picked this album up a few days ago and I'm in love with it. I like it so much, that's my #3 on my top list of albums 2010, followed by Firewind's Days of Defiance and Golden Resurrection's Glory to My King, but that list will be posted at another day when I complete the list. In the mean time, you get to read my ramblings about Blind Guardian's newest, At The Edge of Time.

Now when I first heard these guys it was their song Valhalla from the album Follow The Blind, another personal favorite of mine. At first I didn't really know what to think about these guys. The sound didn't really work with me and it had to grow on me.

But now I am a Blind Guardian fan. And while prowling around in FYI, I found this album and decided to check it out. Thankfully FYI has a sampler device. I checked it out and fell in love with the sound. The artwork is what really caught my eye. I'm always looking for bands with artwork like this. And when I found out that they got their inspiration for all of their artwork comes from J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings, it came as no surprise.

While listening to this in my car, I came across the second track on the record called "Tanelorn" which was an instant favorite for me. The sound that Blind Guardian gives off is certainly one of movie soundtrack quality.


I would have to give these guys a 9.5. I love the album as a whole, but a few songs are a little bit "meh" for me, which is the case for most, if not all, of the albums I listen to on a regular basis.


As always, I'm your Host, Wattako.

Solution .45: For Aeon's Past

Genre(s): Melodic/Progressive/Power Metal

Label: AFM Records

I think I could benefit from getting a new Laptop messenger bag from CSN Stores.

Solution .45, For Aeon's Past, my album of 2010. I can not stop blasting this! Every day I have to listen to this album because it's such a stinking ear worm! Gravitational Lensing, The Close Beyond, Lethean Tears.....GAH! I can't stop listening to this album! Another one I can't stop listening to is Saint's Hellblade, but that's another review for another time. When I first heard this album, I was hooked from the word go. 

                                                

 The following statement will be brought to you in part by.......

(This has been a wild one from the word "go"!) 

Ahh memories.....Anyway, back to work!

Solution .45 is one of my top picks of last year in terms of "Top Five", which is a list I will give to you.......now....

Solution .45: For Aeon's Past

Saint: Hellblade

Golden Resurrection: Glory To My King

Fireflight: For Those Who Wait

and last, but most certainly not least, Accept: Blood of Nations.

For Aeon's Past flows really well, which is something I LOVE hearing in Melodeath. The songs are all made really well, and theirs even a break in the album from all the hard awesomeness with a slower song called Lethean Tears. Overall, the album itself is amazing, and the artwork is an eye-catcher.

But alas, with every good album comes the bad. And the problem that I have with this one iss the same as all the other Melodeath that I listen to: after a while, it gets boring. And that's one reason why I'm trying to cut back on it. I don't want it to become TOO boring so that I'll never listen to it again. So this album gets a 9.5 out out of me. It's sound is amazing, the flow is good, the lyrics are different, but it gets boring after a while.

As always, I'm your Host, Wattako. Stay Shockey.

Disturbed: Asylum

Genre: Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
Label: Reprise



When I first heard that this album was coming out, I was stoked. I couldn't wait for it to be released. I was still listening to their last album, Indestructible, and wanting more. When I first heard Disturbed, I heard their cover of Land of Confusion by Genesis, and the songs Ten Thousand Fist, Down With The Sickness, Prayer, Voices and so on. The first album I listened to all the way through by these guys was Ten Thousand Fist, the title track being my favorite. Jump forward to me finding The Sickness and listening to that, as well as Believe. When Indestructible was released I listened to it as soon as I could. And then when I heard about Asylum and how it was their darkest album yet, I wanted to see if that held true. And it did, for the most part. I wanted the album badly, but after listening to it fully thanks to youtubers, I wasn't has hyped about getting it as I once was. I only like a few songs of the album: Asylum, The Animal, Another Way to Die, Never Again and Warrior. The rest of the album I didn't care for.

Another thing that made me disapointed was the music videos for Asylum and The Animal.  I felt like they didn't stick to the story that was being told. For example: the song Asylum, from what I can tell, is about how a man is driven to the point of insanity because of loneliness.

The Animal: short and sweet, werewolf. Nuff said.


Over all, the album gets a 7.5, my lowest score yet. Reason be is because the rest of the album aside from the songs I listed above, I thought where just bad. They could have done better with the videos and songs in my opinion. But hey, beggar's can't be choosers.

As always, I'm your host, Wattako.

Sonata Arctica: The Days of Greys

Genre: Power/Progressive Metal
Label(s): Spinefarm, Nuclear Blast


Sonata Arctica, originally called Tricky Means and starting out as a hard rock group rather then the power metal they are known for nowadays, is one of  my personal favorites of the genre. I like a lot of power metal, ask any of my fellow metalheads and they'll tell you. I recently picked this album up while I was looking for their debut, Ecliptica. I saw other albums by the group, ones such as Unia, Silence, and Reckoning Night. I didn't have an interest in the other albums, although Unia is one of my favorites by the band, so I picked up The Days of Greys after using the sampler at the store (I love FYE). And I have to say, listening to it for the first time without any knowledge of the album, I was pleasantly surprised by what I was hearing.

As I said before, I like power metal. And I've listen to these guys for a while, the first song I heard from them was Paid In Full while I was on youtube one day and stumbled onto the music video, and thus began my interest and personal investigation into the group. It wasn't until recently that I found out that this album is their current most recent album to be released. I haven't heard anything so far about a new album. According to the website, www.sonataarctica.info, they are still on a U.S. and Canada tour for The Days of Greys.

I look forward to a new album by these guys, and hopefully to see them live someday. I still want to get my hands on Ecliptica, though....

Overall, I give these album an 8. I like the album, but the second track on the album, Deathaura, to me is too long and drawn out. Not really sticking to a select path. But then again, that's just me being pessimistic.


As always, I'm your host, Wattako. Stay Shockey.