Crystalize dimensions

Had a great day at wild wild wet with my family. No photos from the day though. If I were to post a memoria photo here, it will be the smiling indian old man with no two front teeth at the tsunami. Now that's classic.

My birthday was awesome too. My sisters bought me nice clothings. Good one, because I'm a person who shops for clothes and apparels like once a year. Mum bought me a birthday cake and lunch. Dad gave me 50 bucks. I have a great family.

Wishwhoring

Can I go wish whoring? All in the name of a self-revolution.

I wish that Assault EP is out as soon as possible. Seriously. A band with a myspace profile or an official website is useless without a discography. A debut record, filled with originals, is a bands' first trophy. Whilst getting a debut gig is a mini-trophy.

I'm tired with people who keep asking "Assault no demo?" But thanks for being impatient for a first blood.

Kill the boss level monster and earn our trophy!

I wish people would appreciate my work better. More importantly, not molest them. My musicwritings that is. I'm very sentisitive about my own creations. And I hate farid harassing them. Very. If you have to please your own mates harder than you have to please the general listeners, in that case, I'll follow the paths of Quorthon and Varg.

I am Da Vinci. I drew Mona Lisa the way I want. But if you try to 'molest' my ideas and replace her nose with a prettier one, even if the new nose cost millions, even if the world of arts liked it better, I'm not happier. In fact upset. Because I want Mona Lisa, not Michael Jackson!

Anyway, will Assault today have originals if I didn't join them two years ago? Maybe still doing covers. I sound cocky. But I just feel underappreciated at the moment.

I wish that the goth-rock chick who was dismissed from my workplace is still working at clementi ph. I miss her. Her cherry pimples. Her snow white skin. Her damn cool hairstyle.

Wishes of a jester son

If a genie would appear on the night before my birthday, and I am granted 3 wishes...

Wait. If the genie is Fiona Xie from the channel 8 show My Genie, then this would save me one wish. Haha. Okay crap.

My first wish will be both my parents to be happy for eternity. It is their happiness that matters most in the family. Not only glad and proud of me, but to us all three little pigs.

My second wish is me to have a good career later in the army.

My third and final wish is to meet the lady starlight at the end of the lightless tunnel. The song playing right now in this post has been ringing in my head for too long...

Other wishes which did not seem too important:

New music headphones!

New guitar pick ups.

New 9V adapter for my current gadget. Been getting frequent electric shocks. My life could be at risk I think.

Delay effects pedal.

Assault to be one of the best melodic/progressive metal musicians from east asia. Mankind melodic death! Jester metal revival! Pure f*ckin' gothenburger!!



To become a (metal) record producer (See Fredrik Nordström).

To achieve this above, I wish to pursue a Diploma in Audio Engineering. After NS!

To be a vocalist in a small-time goth metal/rock band (See Ville Valo and Ville Laihiala).

Guitar lessons from melodic death virtuoso Jesper Strömblad or blackened virtuoso Abbath! Haha. What about Malmsteen or Steve Vai or Slash? No way. Too cliché!

Last but not least, my blog fans. Because friends do listen, all you readers are my best friends. Please head to the side of the hall for free food and beverage...

I.F.H.AMMO Ver 7.0

19 soon. And do I have to repeat myself, that I'm no longer schooling? My parents are still supportive of me and my decisions. But I might have to get a new full-time job till my enlistment. Hope you guys are kind enough to introduce me to one.

So what do I think of the metal music industry today? I've bought April's metal hammer magazine. All new bands emerging. New genres. New trends. Old bands taking new directions.

Nah. The past true legends are dead. Metal might be dead.

What's the most UNmetal song I last heard to? Scissor sisters' I Don't Feel Like Dancing. Nice but gay song. Good for dancing while I'm brushing my teeth. Haha.

IYAN'S 5 HEADBANGER AMMOS





Immortal - One By One
Year: 2002
Origin: Norway
Genre: Black metal
Minors: Blackened thrash, blackened death, technical black, war metal

I fell in love with Immortal since I first heard to Solarfall. Bought At the Heart of Winter album too. True (comedy) kings of Norway!! This is the most popular song from Immortal at the moment I think. Will come out on "Immortal - The Greatest Hits".

A mighty war anthem if you ask me. Like, modern nuclear warfare. Not medieval war. Or whatever you call it. Mind-blowing machine gun tremolo picking with atomic charged blast beats. Damn. Abbath took the fast-as-f*ck grind sounds from Blizzard Beasts, and mixed them with the epic heavy-metalness of ATHOW. Hellishly executed. Ah, genius! He's currently my hero now. Haha.

Headbanger's meter: Almost extreme. Nevertheless, a shirt-ripping experience.

At the Gates - The Swarm
Year: 1994
Origin: Sweden
Genre: Melodic death metal
Minors: True gothenburg death metal, thrash metal, metalcore roots

At the Gates taught us 3 important lessons: 1- Play death metal before you play '[fill in the blank] death metal'. 2- Be original. 3- Change the f*ckin band name if its going to a new, cheesy direction (see The Haunted).

This is pre-Slaughter of the Soul material. Intro starts off with weeping violins. Then hear the growl of seven-string guitars. Very morbid. Suffocated, tortured, you would rather die than bear the pain. It's easy to see why hardcore and screamo kids like this kind of stuff. At the Gates (along with Soilwork) were the first 'suicidal' Swedish death bands in my opinion. Enough talking. They have their signatures signed on every songs labeled 'Gothencore'.

Headbanger's meter: Very high

As I Lay Dying - An Ocean Between Us
Year: 2007
Origin: America
Genre: Metalcore
Minors: Neo-thrash, melodic death, melodic hardcore

Slightly more serious and thrash-wise than most metalcore acts, AILD will score 5 marks higher than Trivium in a metal written exam. Haha.

Strong hints of Machine Head, riffs extracted from In Flames' Come Clarity, then made into more brutal, and still, metalcore. Awesome execution though. The drums are outstanding. High treble double kick drums. Quite solid, like armor piercing shells. Listen closely and you'll hear haunting chimes ringing in the background... that's atmosphere with dark creativity, right there. "This song is so last year," say trendwankers who now listen to deathcore or '[fill in the blank]core'.

Headbanger's meter: Very high

Novembre - Distances
Year: 2001
Origin: Italy
Genre: Gothic metal
Minors: Atmospheric doom death, melancholic melodic death

Finally I get to review Novembre. The opening track for Novembre Waltz. These guys are specialists in artistic, atmospheric, soothing gothic metal. Just, magnifico! Go ask my friend Aiiri.

Imagine yourself walking alone in the ever-beautiful streets of Paris or Venice or somewhere else in Europe. But as a destitute. Not a beggar yet, still have neat clothings on. Just hopelessly lost in wonderland. This is what you get from this song. Haha.

Moderate paced 'pleasant' death metal, with bleak classical-driven guitar licks. Acoustic instruments hissing here and there. Look out too for the accordion interlude, like from some Italian carousel carnival.

Headbanger's meter: moderate to high

H.I.M - Join me
Year: 1999
Origin: Finland
Genre: Goth rock
Minors: Love metal, pop rock, alternative metal, pop metal

Been spinning to a few HIM albums a lot recently. Though there's a Israeli-Palestinian war waging through my head, in the middle of the battleground, are smiling children holding flowers and skipping around.

If my dad listens to Bon Jovi or Scorpions or some other love rocker anthems, my own answer would be HIM. Valo is great songwriter and hate to mention it, vocalist. It's never hard to figure out their trademark formulas and sounds. Cheesy, but very effective. It's love metal!

A somewhat eerie, emotional love song. "Darling come lah die together... where you going? You're coming with me!! [maniacal laughter]". Love is crazy after all.

Favourite quote: "This life, ain't worth living!" Now that's err.. emo.

Headbanger's meter: moderate to high