Rock Music Forum Blogs – Albums, CDs, MP3 reviews

In no particular order:

AVATAR: A stunning achievement from the man who brought you the highest grossing film of all time, ‘Titanic’. Visual effects to die for, and a fairly simple but effective storyline that didn’t get in the way. Everything you could want in a mega-budget Hollywood blockbuster and more.

2012: Another mindboggling blockbuster. Such utter destruction and carnage on screen these eyes have never seen. One might say it’s the disaster movie to end them all, literally! Cheesy, but still damn good!

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: The antithesis of the above two. This movie’s budget wouldn’t have covered a day’s catering on the set of either, but still just as riveting as entertainment. Real chills, if you let it. If you’re cynical about such things, give it a wide berth.

I LOVE YOU, MAN: Possibly just because I’m such a massive Rush fan, and they feature so prominently. But still some genuine laughs to be had here. Hollywood comedies are finally attaining a sense of irony and awkwardness that the Brits have had mastered for decades.

MILK: Magnificently mounted biopic. You may not even have heard of the gay rights activist ‘Harvey Milk’ (I barely had), but give this flick a go, it’s essential stuff, and not just because of the stunningly real performance from Sean Penn.

THE STORY OF ANVIL: Funny, irreverant and heartbreaking, this Rock n Roll doco about a never say die band hits the mark. Seems to be finally giving them a new lease of life too (They kinda needed it!).

CHANGELING: A right on the money performance from Ange Jolie, and an apparently very historically accurate period piece. Definitely gets you in.

SALUTE: Another documentary, this time about the Australian runner Peter Norman, and his controversial protest at the 1968 Olympics. Not amazing production values, but that’s not the point. A great Australian story that many Australians may not know.

STATE OF PLAY: One of Rusty Crowe’s better performances in recent times. He actually the unremarkable everyman very well. The story takes you on some serious twists and turns too. Very worthwhile.

PUBLIC ENEMIES: Quite a simple narrative about one of America’s best known criminal figures, but features Johnny Depp doing what he does best, and a very well mounted production.

Roddy

Reviews 2009, Top Movies

Saw many live shows this year, here is the cream of the crop. Yet again, in no particular order:

DREAM THEATER at the Palais Theatre, Melbourne, 7/12/09: The true masters of Progressive Metal. Flawless live. Didn’t have the event-like atmosphere that they did at Festival Hall in ’07, and the set list wasn’t a comprehensive, but still incredible to watch.
OPETH at the Palace, Melbourne, 25/11/09: Similar to DT: true masters of their craft, didn’t enjoy it QUITE as much as at the Forum in ’05, but still stunning and utterly untouchable. Awesome!
KARNIVOOL at the Palace, Melbourne, 2/12/09: Probably Australia’s best now, at least equal with Cog. On the back of two stunning albums, just a joy to behold in a live sense. Deserve international success.
BIRDS OF TOKYO at Melbourne Town Hall, 15/11/09: Took pop/Rock songs from their entire history, with a couple of covers, unplugged it, added a grand piano and string quartet, put it in a massive hall and did it magnificently! Could be a once in a lifetime night, and I was privileged to be there!
DEAD LETTER CIRCUS and SYDONIA at the Ferntree Gully Hotel, Melbourne, 10/9/09: Two insanely talented up and coming Aussie alternative acts on the one night, what a dream come true! Further proof that Australian alt-Rock is extraordinarily healthy right now.
JEN CLOHER ALBUM LAUNCH at the ‘Toff in Town’, Melbourne, 11/7/09: I’m not really into the folk scene, but this chick is very different. Has a great voice, her 6 piece band is amazing and she really stands out in this overcrowded scene. Has some Rock to her as well, which many of the others lack.
THE AMENTA and PSYCROPTIC at the Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 27/6/09: Two of Australia’s finest Metal acts, both amazing in different ways. Psycroptic, blindingly technically brilliant; The Amenta, scarily extreme Industrial Black Metal. Incredible night.
ALCHEMIST and ALARUM at the East Brunswick Club, Melbourne, 3/10/09: More incredible Aussie Metal, this time of a more progressive kind. Alarum are like Cynic on steroids, Alchemist are like nothing else you will hear. Both amazing.

Roddy

Reviews 2009, Top live shows

Here are my top songs of the year, again in no particular order:
PORCUPINE TREE – FLICKER. Incredible ambience, and yet catchy as hell too. Best song on the album, and that’s saying a lot considering ‘The Incident’ such a massive piece of work. My only beef is that it should have been longer!
DEVIN TOWNSEND – KI. Title track from an incredible album. Stunning build up to an operatic climax. Truly unique. The Dev outdid himself on this one!
KARNIVOOL – GOLIATH. The epitome of modern Progressive Rock. Odd time signatures but still grooves like anything. A truly powerhouse performance from this exceptional Aussie oufit.
EPICA – KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Definitely rivaling Nightwish now for sheer symphonic brilliance. Thirteen and a half minutes of pure musical majesty.
DEVIN TOWNSEND – ANYTHING FROM ADDICTED. I needed something from the album of the year, but I couldn’t narrow it down to just one, so I took the whimpy way out! Virtually every song on that amazing record is KILLER!
LIVING COLOUR – BEHIND THE SUN. Just groovin’! Catchy as hell, a real surprise packet from these old masters.
DREADNAUGHT – AGONY/ECSTACY. Couldn’t squeeze their album into my Top 10 of the year, but this heavy Rock/Metal institution from Melbourne, Australia pulled out a cracker here. Great riff, great dynamics. BIG!
SCAR SYMMETRY – NOUMENON AND PHENOMENON. These guys do the brutal verse/soaring melodic chorus thing as well as anyone, and it’s at it’s best here. Sensational!
EXIVIOUS – AN ELUSIVE NEED. All instrumental progressive heavy fusion from members of Cynic and Textures. With a pedigree like that, it has to be good! Rounds a sensational album off in real style.
JEN CLOHER – WATCH ME DISAPPEAR. Yep, had to put it in. Fantastic folky pop/rock from this Melbourne prodigy. Moody, driven by the despair of watching a loved one slowly fade away before your eyes. Sad, but beautiful at the same time.
Roddy

Reviews 2009, Top 10 songs

1. Devin Townsend: Addicted. In a word, this album just ROCKS! But in a way only the mad genius knows how. It’s powerful, epic, catchy and fun, all at once. Buy it now.
2. Karnivool: Sound Awake. Was a shoe-in for the number one spot until the 11th hour when Hevy Devy unleashed Addicted.
3. Exivious: Exivious. Surprised? I certainly am! Superb heavy Fusion that’s complex and yet still accessible. A side project from the members of Cynic and Textures. Hoping they do more.
4. Dream Theater: Black Clouds and Silver Linings. Ridiculous consistency from the greatest Progressive Metal band in history. They just keep delivering the goods, time after time. Magnificent live, too.
5. Devin Townsend: Ki. Definitely less immediate than Addicted, but if you let it slowly creep into your psyche, the rewards are great. Moody and wonderful.
6. Scar Symmetry: Dark Matter Dimensions. A straight down the line Melodic Death Metal album, but they do it oh so well! Brutal and triumphant.
7. Porcupine Tree: The Incident. Not quite was I expecting, but if you asked me to define exactly WHAT I was expecting, I would be lost for words. It wasn’t this, but at the same time it did NOT disappoint. An enthralling listen.
8. Epica: Design Your Universe. The craftsmanship that goes into the making of this kind of music blows my mind. Bloated, pompous and just damn good.
9. Cradle of Filth: Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder. Gothic/Commercial Black Metal, call it what you will, these Englishmen are true masters of their craft.
10. Derek Sherinian: Molecular Heinosity. This bloke used to be in Dream Theater, but by the sound of this and his many other projects, he is having an absolute ball creating his own crazy fusion stuff. The presence of one Virgil Donati ain’t hard to take either!

A bit disappointed that only one Aussie release made the cut, especially compared with previous years. Hopefully the Aussie scene can redeem itself next year.

Reviews 2009, Top 10 albums