AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE- Total Brutal (Metal Blade)

AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE- Total Brutal (Metal Blade)

So often metal tends to take itsself way too seriously, so when album this fun comes along, it's a blast.  As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis is the brains behind this project, which conjours up metal as if it were made by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Implementing some of his more memorable lines from his many action movies as song titles, ADM pushes the Arnold as metalhead theme to levels of rediculousness, drawing many chuckles and a few groans along the way.  The tunes are thrashy, a tad generic at times yet full of energy and no doubt they had a ton of fun in the studio creating them.  Hard to pick a favorite, though Get to the Choppa, Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, and the Terminator inspired I am a Cybernetic Organism, Living Tissue Over (Metal) Endoskeleton are among the catchier tunes.  In an era where a cartoon band has  the best selling death metal album in Billboard history, it shouldn't be a surprise that ADM has come along.  I will say though that Vancouver's Flaming Death Crucifixion Symphony Number 9 not only did the Arnold Metal thing first, they do it better.  Still, this is a solid album well worth a few spins.

10:51 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

new METALLICA- Death Magnetic album review posted

As we gear up to get this lil podcast up and running again, we will be posting daily album reviews, and couldn't think of a better one to start with than Death Magnetic from Metallica. Check out the review here to check it out...

10:09 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Back with a fucking vengeance...

Enough talk... time for action. MH Metal Radio has Episode 18 recorded, and editing will be done this weekend. It's so damn good to be back... we are gonna kick ass once again, track listing will be posted soon... spread the word!!!

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Biopsy Results

no suspense... just good news!!! The tests have come back absolutely clean, and there is no evidence of cancer!!! Laurie and I are so beyond relieved, it's indescribable. The last month has been absolutely crazy, but thanks to family and friends we got through it all. I will need to continue to get tested annually, but a little discomfort is a small price to pay for knowing if it does come we get it early. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support, we truly appreciate it!!!

6:06 AM - 10 Comments - 12 Kudos - Add Comment

The most fun you can have...
Current mood: blah

With a Finger Up Your Ass. Ok probably not. But the day to visit the Urologist has finally arrived. Having tossed and turned the last couple weeks, and not getting much sleep at all last night, we went to Dr. Piercy's office, tired and nervous. After another blood test, we met the doctor. He went over the details in my chart, the family history, any problems that could prostate related etc. He seemed quite surprised to see someone my age in there, his usual patients are close to twice my age. At that point, it was time for the mildly unpleasantness to begin, so Laurie waited in his office. We were very relieved initially to hear that my prostate feels normal. He then informed us that even with that he was ordering the biopsy, given the number of cases within my family, and my PSA level. So now we wait again, though this time the wait is a lot shorter. Next Wednesday we go to Vic General to let them have a gander in my keister... After that it's another week and we should have the conclusive evidence of what's going on inside me. Laurie is so relieved, at the news that nothing jumped out at him during the examination (nice mental image, huh?) and the general bedside manner of the doctor. He answered all our questions, and said it was good she was so interested and involved, because it really does affect both of us. I am possibly more shaky than I have been, but I really don't know why. Maybe I was subconsciously expecting a clean bill of health and applause as I walked out the door? Hard to say. But as Laurie put it so kindly this morning, "You look like hell, buddy". LOL. I love that she never holds back what she feels. I wouldnt have it any other way. Thanks again to all of you for your kind words and support. I hope to be feeling well enough to be back at work tomorrow, and at a couple of the numerous upcoming shows, having missed both 3 Inches Of Blood and Joey Belladonna over the weekend.

10:42 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Irrational Fear, or How a 6 letter word can make you shit your pants...

    Perhaps this post won’t make much sense to you if you haven’t read the last one.  So I will give you some time to go back and read it.  It’s Ok.  I’ll wait. 

Ok.  It’s been an emotional time as you can imagine.  You spend most of your time listening to people tell you about the cure rate, and how everything is going to be ok.  And you can look at the numbers.  It’s true, the number of cases of prostate cancer that make a full recovery are astounding.  Very high 90’s for sure.  But no matter how much data you look at.  No matter how many friends and family send their love and support.  No matter how positive you try to be, you cannot escape it.  Cancer.  What is it about the word that instills such fear.  Well obviously there are other forms of cancer that are truly dreadful.  My step-Grandfather passed from cancer of the spine a few years back.  No symptoms, one night he felt something was wrong, got out of bed and collapsed.  He was gone 3 weeks later, in agonizing pain for the remainder of his time here.  It was devastating to the family.  And yet, even though I know that what the doctors think they have found in me is like a paper cut compared to what he went through, I still cannot get the fear out of my head.  I went to the store on Monday, thinking some fresh air would help.  When I got there, I felt like everyone was looking at me.  It was as though I could hear their thoughts, like that book the Chrysalids.  Poor bastard... he has cancer.  I know they weren’t looking at me.  That’s crazy.  But I felt like it, to the point of almost breaking down right in the middle of Fairways.  It’s not right.  Sure, the fear of cancer is justified.  It doesn’t discriminate.  It takes the young and the old.  The rich and the poor.  It takes people you love and admire.  It never seems to take the truly evil, mind you... but that is for another blog i suppose.  I do think part of it though is the media and the way it portrays cancer.  Lumping it all into one pot, instead of looking at it from an individual basis.  Prostate cancer is not the same as lung cancer.  But it’s that 6 letter word that makes both seem so terrifying.  Thank you to everyone who has contacted me with your thoughts and wishes.  I truly appreciate it, and assure I will beat this.  More to come...

5:53 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

what am I supposed to say?
Current mood: nauseated

Hey. Remember me? Yeah, it’s been a long time. It seems like I hit a wall, and really struggled just to get through day to day life, let alone keep this podcast up and running. And it had been doing really well a year ago. Interviews, steady listenership. Couldn’t ask for much else. But it seemed like once the time between the last episode and what I had started for 18 grew, it became harder and harder to get back to it. Weeks passed, and I began feel like staying up past 9 pm was a challenge. Some days I felt fine, but others, well... I wondered if something was wrong. A cold that normally took a day or 2 to pass hung around longer. My asthma has become harder to control. December arrives, and we are preparing to return to Kamloops for Xmas. It’s very exciting, as we haven’t spent the holidays with family since moving to Victoria. The 21st is the day before we leave, and I am preparing to go out for my company Xmas party when my Dad calls. In mere minutes, my happiness is sent spiraling down a hole. He has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The doctors say they have caught it early, and expect him to make a complete recovery. But still, the word elicits such fear, that I was a wreck that night at the party, choosing not to drink, as I would quite easily lose control in the state I was in. Anyways, Dad is doing well, and currently on hormone therapy to prepare for radioactive implants. These tiny ’seeds’ will pinpoint the cancerous cells and treat them. It is far less invasive, and the side effects are far less troublesome. Since that day, he has been asking for me to go get tested. I turn 40 this year, so it’s something I should have probably already done anyways. Sure most sufferers are in their later years, but it is something you probably should for no other reason than piece of mind. I ha dcome down with another virus, so I requested the bloodwork to test my PSA (an indicator of trouble with the prostate), while I was there. This was Friday. Saturday I went to the bank, and upon my return, Laurie was waiting for me, pale and obviously upset about something. "The doctor’s office called," she said, "They want you to go in right away". The blood was pounding in my ears, as the realization of what I had suspected for a while now hit me. I have cancer. The doctor was, well blunt. Normal PSA levels are 2.5. Mine is 18. "This is more than likely an indicator that you have prostate cancer". Now there are things that can create a false positive. An enlarged prostate. Even not ejaculating in over 48 hours can skew the results. But even the most optimistic person in the world cannot look at 18 and go... "oh, you just didnt have sex for a couple days, that’s all."

So now I wait. They have told me it could be at least 2 weeks until I can see the urologist. At that time I will undergo an ultrasound (to look at the small bump the doctor "thinks" he felt during his examination) and a biopsy. Then they will either deny or confirm that I do indeed have cancer. To say I am scared, even with the knowledge of how treatable this form of cancer is, is an understatement. I have just felt numb for the last couple days. Until I can see the urologist, I think that fear will remain. After that, the fight begins. I have far too much unfinished business in this life to check out early.

Thank god (or whatever) for Laurie. She has been utterly heroic in trying not to let me see how scared she actually is. I know she is terrified, and having already lost her father, step-grandfather and a niece to the disease, she is prepared to help me beat this.

oh, and guys? Go get checked. It’s utterly stupid not to.

6:42 PM - 5 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Concussion 9

Hey.  It's been a while, but we are still kicking.  Summer has been crazy with work, and trying to get this record company thing rolling.  I am recording a new show this weekend.  Seriously.  Anyways, as mentioned in the title, I suffered concussion 9 yesterday at work.  Fell from about 3 feet off the ground, and caught my head on the door frame of the house on the way down.  Sprained my wrist and took a nice chunk out of my elbow too.  I am quite sure the boss will not be happy when I call him in an hour, but I am dizzy, have a headache and cant make a fist. 

Metal Matt is here for another week.  The time has really flown by, and he turns 14 in two weeks.  He got his first Venom shirt the other day.  As a metal dad, it was a proud moment lol.  I wish he didn't have to go back.  I know he isn't happy there (apart from school and his friends).  I can't force him, he has to make the decision himself.

Van Halen seems to have finally gotten it together for the reunion tour.  Dec 5th in vancouver apparently.  Diamond Dave may not have the hair anymore, but Van Halen is only Van Halen when he is behind the mic.  yeah we will probably go.  I need to cross them off my list, and didn't think I would ever get the chance to do so.

So that's it.  Sorry I haven't kept in touch lately.  Football season in the states is starting, and hockey season is right around the corner (stay tuned for the re-launch of our Canucks podcast).

5:24 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Things you think about when you have the flu...

Knocked totally on my ass with this damn flu, so I havent been able to keep up on things as I would like.  But laying on the couch watching movies gives you lots of time to think about things.

If I had Bill Gates' money, I would fill a cargo plane with golf balls and drop them on a bunch of cars, just to see what it would look like...

Why do they call them refried beans, when I saw on tv they're only actually fried once?  Is someone lying to us?

Calgary has the best home record, and is tied for the worst road record, yet TSN still insists they are a favorite to win the Stanley Cup.  Discuss.

Is there someone else in the world besides me who thinks if the world stopped caring about Britney Spears' mental health, and started caring about the environment, and the escalation of hatred in the world, and unequalled famine in Africa, things might just get a little better... and while we're at it, just bury Anna Nicole Smith already.  It's getting so you can't even get wood anymore because you keep hearing abou ther body decompozing (am sure some of you metalheads are snickering right now...)

at least there's a Canucks game tomorrow...

bleh.

8:09 PM - 6 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

MH Metal Radio Episode 16 Playlist

Sick and Sweet 16, it's the latest edition of Mass Hypnosis Metal Radio.  This week, we give you some classic old school from SACRIFICE and FLOTSAM & JETSAM, a couple great bands from South America (CHAINSAW KILLER and FUNEBRIA) and Europe (DEATH BY DAWN and ENFORCER) killer tracks from SODOM, ENTOMBED, MORIBOND and SELF REGIME and an interview with Vancouver's ENTROPIA!

CHAINSAW KILLER- Spark Of Creation
Columbia's Chainsaw Killer have that early 80's Euro-thrash vibe that seems to breed like crazy in the jungles of South America.
http://www.myspace.com/chainsawkiller666

DEATH BY DAWN- Not Afraid To Die
These German thrashers feature ex-Pestilence/Bolt Thrower vocalist Martin Van Drunen.  Very straight up death-thrash for those who like their thrash traditional and without all the metalcore trappings.
http://www.myspace.com/deathbydawnde

ENTROPIA- One By One
Another up and coming Vancouver band with a great old school vibe, part of a new wave of metal talent coming from a city ready to unleash a tsunami of metal insanity on the world.  The interview was done with MH Metal Radio's Chunky McFunbags at The Buffalo Club's Metal Mondays.
http://www.myspace.com/entropiametal

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM- Iron Tears
The band recently re-released it's classic 1986 debut 'Doomsday For The Deciever', that introduced the metal world to a young Jason Newsted, who would...well you know all about that.  A killer album by a bunch of crazy Arizona thrashers that is a must in any decent metal collection.
http://www.myspace.com/fandj

ENFORCER- Evil Attacker 
Sweden certainly isn't lacking for bands who keep the spirit of 80's metal alive.  Enforcer remind one a lot of 'Violence and Force' era EXCITER, which is something we here at MH will always support!  Love these guys!
http://www.myspace.com/enforcerswe

ENTOMBED- Forsaken
Along with bands like Dismember, Unleashed and Grave, Entombed made their mark on the metal scene with a sound that just fucking crushed you upon first listen.  This one goes back a bit, as they began their transition to a more groove-based death sound, but still with that wicked gallop that's instantly recognizeable.
http://www.myspace.com/serpentsaints 

FUNEBRIA- Tormento
Back to South America, this time it's Venezuelan Black Metallers Funebria.   The track is from their debut album 'IN DOMINUS BLASFEMICAL EST… AD NOCTUM SATHANIA'.
http://www.myspace.com/funebriaband

MORIBOND- Dim Light
Now this is weird, a death metal band from Quebec!  Okay all kidding aside,  Moribond is a fairly new band who unlike a lot of their provincial counterparts focus on the heaviness rather than the technicality.  Their debut is called 'Funeral', and is a promising entry into the Canadian metal scene.
http://www.myspace.com/moribond01

SACRIFICE- Soldiers Of Misfortune
While we patiently await the Canadian thrash legends' triumphant return later this year, here is the classic title track from their third album.
http://www.myspace.com/sacrificecanada

SODOM- City Of God
From their most recent, s/t release, the legendary German thrashers show no sign of slowing down or lightening up.  A great track from one of the best albums of 2006.
http://www.myspace.com/sodomisthy

SELF REGIME- Infected
This week's BC Metal Forces Band of the Week is a great death/thrash act from East Vancouver, with vocals from (and yes, stu... 3 bands officially makes you a bandwhore :>) Into Eternity/ Omega Crom screamer Stu Block.  But don't let those names fool you, these guys sound nothing like either two.  Death-thrash will some nice black metal flourishes that will leave an impact on you.
http://www.myspace.com/selfregime

7:35 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment