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Showing posts from 2017

Music Only Site

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Not giving up the ghost yet my dear droogies. I've just moved the music stuff to  The Evil DJ in Your Brain . This site is still up for comicons, traveling, and general nerdgasm musings. Who loves ya, baby!? theKaliDiaries on Twitter the Kali Diaries on Instagram theKaliDiaries on The Book of Face

Last Bullet - 80-69-64 (album review)

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Last Bullet 80-69-64 (EP) Self-Release Release: 14 July 2017 The main reason I like Last Bullet is because it sounds exactly like stuff I like: Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots.  Barring new music from those bands, listen to Last Bullet as they will satisfy your craving for straight ahead basly rock and roll with an attitude. This EP is perfect for playing pool in a smoky bar or driving fast with the top down or dancing around a pole. It's damn infectious. I dare you to try to listen to it and not dance about your flat! There is an awesome heaviness to Last Bullet that just slays. This band is tight! 'Bright Lights' is my favourite song. I couldn't stop dancing to it. It's swanky, schmarmy, sexy, sultry! It lays just behind the beat enough to have that raunchy factor. 'Smoke and Ashes' is a song that perfectly shows what Last Bullet are about. This song is just fracking perfect! Do yourselves and the Evil DJ in your Brain a favor come July

Osamu Kitajima - Dragon King (album review)

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Osamu Kitajima Dragon King Arista Records 1981 Sometimes things just stumble into your path and you've a great WTF! moment. Osamu Kitajima's Dragon King is one such thing. I was actually researching another band, a death metal band when this was listed next to it. I was intrigued and was met with some awesome jazz from the 70s with a Japanese twist. So why then in 2017 and I reviewing an album almost 40 years old? Because it fucking rocks! The bass work is stellar! It has this great forward momentum that sucks you in and doesn't let go! There is a wildness to the album courtesy of the compositions and musicianship. The flutes, the guitars, the shakuhachi; everything melds together to create a sense of freedom. The weakest song on the album is the third track 'Say You Will'. That's only because it has vocals. The music becomes cookie cutter to make way for the vocals. 'Share Your Love' is your basic R&B 70s track. Lackluster and stock is how

Mid Year Album Round Up

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Welcome to July! I've had a whole six months of groovin to new tunes. Here's what you should have bought already! But don't worry! Everything is still being sold and you can pick up some groovy music! Tell them The Evil DJ in your Brain sent you! The Top 5 Albums 2016 Midyear Roundup 5. All Hell - The Grave Alchemist Vapiric Lust 4. Crystal Fairy - Crystal Fairy Moth Tongue 3. Dead Register - Fiber Fiber 2. Life of Agony - A Place Where There is No More Pain World Gone Mad 1. AFI - The Blood Album Aurelia

Blood Drive S01 E03

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I love how episode 3 starts out with the white bread mayo couple. I was taken aback by (trigger warning) how abusive the wife is. ZOMG. It's a bit of a treatise on how suburbia destroys men. He's doughboy fat and afraid of his wife who is super controlling. I feel sorry for him and instantly hate her. But I do like thier music. It's so so ... happy and innocent! This is juxtaposed with Jonathan (Julian) attending a conference call (ooops, trigger warning) with the marketing team. That is truly hell as anyone who has had to sit thru a meeting with corporate. Just the way he holds the phone and tries to get them to use his real name. But they aren't having any of it! They don't care. But hey, The need more CLOWN DICK!! We finally get to Barbie and the ill named D'Argento. They have to make pit stop in the creepy Steel City to fix the car. Which mysteriously drives fine as they enter Steel City. So our first gang of Steel City is the Corporate Synergy Talk

Iron Maiden 2017 June 28 Phoenix, Arizona

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So, after talking to my mate, I realized this was the first Iron Maiden show in decades that I've gone to alone. Weird. I had my trusty Canon SX160IS with me. It's a wee thing: does great video but with only a 16x zoom, not so much. But it is a manual that takes batteries; so, it has a place in my Canon arsenal. I was sat in the 200 level of the arena and didn't intend on getting any "good" pictures. I'm just a spectator for the nights show, after all. But when  looked at the images memes came to mind. Eureka! I bring all the funny!      This, of course, no way reflect what was going on in their minds as they played. Except, maybe, Davey saying that about the dude that was in fact crowd surfing and fell on his head. I was just being pithy on a Wednesday morning (ok, I over dosed on Costa Rican coffee). 

Blood Drive S01 E02

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Aaaahhhh the second installment of Blood Drive. Where to begin. The crew's pit stop this week is at a town/ diner in Pixie Swallow. A groan inducing name. On first viewing it put me in the mind when Sam and Dean went to Biggerson's: everyone is chowing down in burger eating bliss. In Supernatural, the burger was some weird goo. In Blood Drive, it was long pig. That's right - people. Shock. Horror. But hey, you don't understand the amount of water it takes to keep cows and chickens are extinct. What's a small business to do? Our bright eyed bushy tailed cop gets in touch with his eye candy partner who spends the entire episode shirtless. No complaints. I'm not sure what he did, but he had no shirt on! Oh yeah, he skulled around the basement finding his cell phone and files and wot nots. Without. His. Shirt!   My favourite part of the episode was when the big dude with the tow truck gets angry that some cannibal left his dog in the car with the windows up. He

Blood Drive S01 E01

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A treatise on Blood Drive. I like the grind house feel. The barker for the drive is my favourite character. I just love how he dresses and how he "struggles" to find an accent. The clothes he wears are ZOMG amazing. Give the costume design team a round of applause! I like the idea of the cop getting caught up in it; but HATE the fact that it's the aw shucks average white guy with a heart of gold and stickler for the law archetype. Living in murikkkuh has made he really hate average white guys. It's very one dimensional. His performance is flat and quite frankly, unbelievable! The play that in the future police departments are outsourced to private contractors is intriguing. It gives them a lawless feel, like they have their own rules to follow. They incorporate that PD has a quota of tickets they have to write for certain things (which in real life they most certainly do) and their pay is tied to that. I also like that their body cams have to stay on at all times,

Life of Agony - A Place Where There's No More Pain (album review)

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LIFE OF AGONY A Place Where There's No More Pain Napalm Records Release: 28 April 2017 I'm a long time Life of Agony fan. They are "locals". I've seen them live in Brooklyn (although, I've seen them live more in Germany). They are a solid heavy metal band. The new album on Napalm Records is wicked groovilicious. Yes, I'm biased. But Life of Agony 's A Place Where's No More Pain is gobsmackingly amazing. The songs are harsh; I mean they are like a punch to the gut. The feels. Zomg the feels. The lyrics just make you go, 'God Damn!' (said in Sweet D's voice). There is so much to headbang or pole dance (whatever you predilection). 'Dead Speak Kindly' and 'A New Low' puts me in the mind of Alice in Chains . Ted Jensen 's fingerprints are all in this pie. He worked with Alice in Chains and you can tell. This is a good thing as you are familiar with the overall tone of the music. What I really like about A P

Power Trip Obituary Exodus Dust Bolt Tour Dates

POWER TRIP Tour Dates: 6/18/2017 Yerberia Cultura - McAllen, TX @ Galax Z Fair 7/08/2017 Hard Rock Live -  Biloxi, MS * 9/14/2017 Motorco Music Hall - Durham, NC # 9/15/2017 Shaka's Live - Virginia Beach, VA # 9/16/2017 Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD # 9/17/2017 Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ # 9/19/2017 Music Hall Of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY # 9/20/2017 The Palladium - Worcester, MA # 9/21/2017 Higher Ground - Burlington, VT # 9/22/2017 Imperial Bell - Quebec City, QC # 9/23/2017 Bronson Centre - Ottawa, ON # 9/24/2017 London Music Hall - London, ON # 9/26/2017 Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI # 9/27/2017 Park Street Saloon - Columbus, OH # 9/28/2017 Deluxe - Indianapolis, IN # 9/29/2017 The Forge - Joliet, IL # 9/30/2017 Skyway Theater - Minneapolis, MN # 10/01/2017 Ready Room - St. Louis, MO # 10/03/2017 Granada Theatre - Lawrence, KS # 10/04/2017 Aggie Theatre - Ft. Collins, CO # 10/07/2017 Teragram Ballroom - Los Angeles, CA # 10/08/2017 The

Summer Slaughter Tour Dates

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THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER: The Summer Slaughter Tour w/ Fetus, Oceano, Origin, Slaughter To Prevail, Rings Of Saturn, Betraying The Martyrs, Lorna Shore: 7/27/2017 Reverb - Reading, PA 7/28/2017 Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ 7/29/2017 The Palladium - Worcester, MA 7/30/2017 Webster Hall - New York, NY 8/02/2017 The International - Knoxville, TN 8/03/2017 The Masquerade (Heaven) - Atlanta, GA 8/05/2017 Come And Take It Live - Austin, TX 8/06/2017 Gas Monkey Live! - Dallas, TX 8/07/2017 House of Blues - Houston, TX 8/09/2017 Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM 8/10/2017 The Marquee - Tempe, AZ 8/11/2017 City National Grove of Anaheim- Anaheim, CA 8/12/2017 The Novo - Los Angeles, CA 8/13/2017 House Of Blues - San Diego, CA 8/15/2017 The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall - Berkeley, CA 8/17/2017 Studio Seven - Seattle, WA 8/19/2017 The Summit Music Hall - Denver, CO 8/21/2017 The Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN 8/22/2017 Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL 8/23/2017 Bo

Rapheumets Well - Enders Door (album review)

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Rapheumets Well Enders Door      Test Your Metal Records Release: 26 May 2017 Full disclosure. I reviewed Rapheumets Well 'The Exile' last year and it was awesomeness!  Rapheumets Well - Exile   So now I bring you the newest offering from Rapheumets Well entitled 'Enders Door'.  The band's fifth album and nothing has diminished. 'Enders Door' is just as heavy and scary as the previous albums. There is a delicious wickedness that oozes from every track.  'Endors Door' is thirteen tracks scintillating in at an hour and two minutes long. I really like how they blend some many musical styles into their atmospheric doom contemporary dance metal opus. That being said. I can have my opinions on the music, but here is what is really happening:  In the fifth era of the Avomenian Empire, amidst the planetary ruins of Vaath, a rogue traveler would discover an artifact that would forever change his place in the cosmos. Upon arriving to retrieve the artifact,

Dead Register - Fiber (album review)

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Dead Register    Fiber Throne Records Release: 9 June 2017 All the heaven that is Dead Register is back with the vinyl version of   Fiber . As usual, Dead Register puts you in a different dimension of sound and feeling. Everything about the debut album  Fiber is to die for love. Just the over all tone of the album weaves it way into your heart and soul and takes over. The guitar work is ethereal yet strong. The vocals are haunting and unforgettable. Dead Register are M. Chvasta (vocals, bass, bass vi), Avril Che for her bass synth, textures, keys, and background vocal accompaniment, and Chad William on drums. It's the perfect tri-fecta. Fiber makes you want to get up and dance. It's aurel movement. You really can't help but embrace the tracks on Fiber. I reviewed Dead Register's Fiber last year for the 2016 release:   https://thekalidiaries.blogspot.com/2016/05/dead-register-fiber-album-review.html Please, please do yourself a favour. You can pre-orde

Tour Dates

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ALL OUT WAR: 6/16/2017 Gold Sounds - Brooklyn, NY 7/05/2017 Kavka - Antwerpen, BE 7/06/2017 Magnapop - Krefeld, DE 7/07/2017 Le Gibus - Paris, FR 7/08/2017 Resurrection Fest - Viveiro, ES 7/09/2017 Jardin Moderne - Rennes, FR 7/29/2017 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA @ This Is Hardcore 8/18/2017 Upstate Concert Hall - Clifton, NY 8/19/2017 The Loft - Poughkeepsie, NY AMENRA: 7/28/2017 Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL w/ Neurosis, Converge [tickets] 7/29/2017 St Andrews - Detroit, MI w/ Neurosis, Converge [tickets] 7/30/2017 Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA w/ Neurosis, Converge [tickets] 8/01/2017 Metropolis - Montreal, QC w/ Neurosis, Converge [tickets] 8/02/2017 Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON w/ Neurosis, Converge [tickets] 8/03/2017 College St. Music Hall - New Haven, CT w/ Neurosis, Converge [tickets] 8/04/2017 Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY w/ Neurosis, Converge [SOLD OUT] 8/05/2017 Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY w/ Neurosis, Converge [tickets] 8/06/2017 Royale - Boston, MA w/ Ne

Metallica By the Numbers

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Thanks to WMMR for providing the maths-heads out there some amazing numbers!! Want to amaze your friends and otaku alike? Here are some groovy stats about the world's favourite band - METALLICA!!!! 35 – The number of years since Metallica’s 1st show on March 14, 1982 3 – The number of days takes to build the entire World Wired Tour stage production in each stadium 48 – The number of trucks carrying 1.5 million pounds of steel and staging materials from city to city 4 – The number of big rig trucks dedicated to nothing but transporting lighting 54,000 – The number of guitar picks carried to accommodate what is being played and handed out to fans during the WorldWired Tour 41,158 – The number of sets of strings being played through countless riffs during the 27 shows 480 – The number of feet of custom truss and torms -  All Metallica white 83 – The number of laser fixtures, emitting a whopping 510 watts of laser light 91,800 – The number of refracted light beam

All Hell - The Grave Alchemist (album review + tour dates)

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All Hell The Grave Alchemist Prosthetic Records      14 April 2017 I hadn't planned on listening to All Hell and doing a full review. It was just something to post. But, seven tracks in and I'm still here. I initially had written All Hell off as King Diamond Light. Something sinister and dark for the 2017 kiddies who need "safe spaces" and are "offended" by everything. The kiddies who wear black eyeliner and black clothes and honestly believe they are being goth or depressed or whatever; not realizing that we were doing this back in the 1980s. Any who, I'm still listening to All Hell's The Grave Alchemist. It's catchy. It IS King Diamond Light. But it has this 1960s camp quality to it that is fun and engaging. The musicianship is solid, not stunning, not new, but solid. It's an homage to dark sinister rock and roll. There is a nice punk element to it. Some tracks have a worthy circle pit vibe. Some, I swear, no lie, are like **gasp** M

Cara Neir /Caina - Split

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Caïna / Cara Neir       Split Broken Limbs Release: 12 May 2017 When Cara Neir does a Split I rejoice. I can't even feign being impartial as every time Cara Neir knocks it out of the ballpark. This Split with Caina is no exception. It's brutal in it's beauty. It's dark and evil. It's bombastic. Caina's track 'Rhosniger' vomits a blackness that is awesome in its putridity. The music is heavy and overly thick. The guitars are like a runaway freight train. Everything about it is lovingly bestial! I'm saddened that this is the final release for Caina. So much good music, but alas, no more. So get this one as it's muy caliente! Cara Neir's track 'Stained Grey Bones' is bombastic and raucous and I, of course, love it! there is nothing more to say. It's frakking awesome! I can't wait to hear what else Chris Francis and Garry Brents has in store for us in 2017!    

Tour Dates

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ALARIC w/ Pinkish Black: 4/19/2017 Willemeen - Arnhem, NL 4/20/2017 Roadburn - Tilburg, NL 4/21/2017 Doom Over Leipzig - Leipzig, DE 4/22/2017 Klub Poglos - Warsaw, PL 4/23/2017 Collosseum Club - Kosice, SK 4/24/2017 Dürer Kert - Budapest, HU 4/25/2017 Klub 007 - Prague, CZ 4/26/2017 Divaldo Pod Lampou - Pilsen, CZ 4/27/2017 Kulturbahnhof - Jena, DE 4/28/2017 Die Friese - Bremen, DE 4/29/2017 Northern Discomfort - Copenhagen, DK 4/30/2017 TBA 5/01/2017 Hafenklang - Hamburg, DE 5/02/2017 Antwerp Music City - Antwerp, BE 5/03/2017 LA Zone - Liège, BE 5/04/2017 Strumpf - Hannover, DE ALL HELL:  3/24/2017 Blood Of The Wolf III -  Lexington, KY 4/27/2017 The Nick - Birmingham, AL w/ New Masters Of Evil 4/28/2017 529 - Atlanta, GA w/ New Masters of Evil 4/29/2017 drkmttrD - Nashville, TN 4/30/2017 TBA - Knoxville, TN 5/04/2017 Slim's Downtown -  Raleigh, NC 5/05/2017 Raw Ink Live - Gaithersburg, MD 5/06/2017 Kung Fu Necktie (earl