Blog Archives
Book Review: Micro
Micro is the last novel Michael Crichton started before his passing in 2008. Author Richard Preston stepped in to complete the novel, and he did it in such a way that I was not able to recognize where Crichton left off and Preston took over. Micro is a scientific-based novel rich in detail. This one revolves around the idea of using magnetic fields to shrink down inanimate objects, working machinery, and people to near microscopic sizes. Why would anyone do that? Well, for the good of mankind of course. Nanigen Technologies is using the newly discovered technology to conduct research in hopes of discovering cures for diseases. In addition to scientific advancement, Nanigen has other more sinister plans for their technology; they created machines the size of a fly that can kill people by entering their bloodstream to cut their arteries from the inside out. Not only can these micro machines kill on command, they can be programmed to track humans by their scent like a pack of wolves. Rich governments want what Nanigen was doing. The technology is worth billions, but at what cost? Is the technology worth enough to kill for? The seven scientists from Cambridge, Massachusetts are about to find that out the hard way.
Full Album Streams/Review: Brendon Small’s Galaktikon
Brendon Small, famous for his hit cartoon series Metalocolypse and the surprisingly excellent offshoot Dethklok records has just released a new musical project veering away from the extreme metal lampooning we’ve all come to love from him. Galaktikon is a concept album with a narrative so outrageous that it could only be compared to Devin Townsend’s Ziltoid: The Omniscient. Instead of relying on the death metal style he has become so famous for, Brendon reaches to classic metal to use as a backdrop for a science fiction super hero divorce drama that takes itself way too seriously, but all not to seriously. By not wearing the goofiness on its sleeve like Dethklok, Galaktikon feels like a much more mature album. But, when you get past the killer riffs and licks and dig into the narrative, which is delivered completely stone-faced serious, you really catch the ridiculousness and hilarity of the whole dern thing.
Album Review: When Lightning Strikes by Drakkar
I love power metal. I love Italy. I love science fiction and fantasy. And I love me some concept albums. So when I checked my inbox and saw that an Italian power metal band have released a science fiction concept album and name dropped my perennial favorite power metal band Rhapsody as a contemporary, well, let’s just say I got a bit excited. I dove into Drakkar‘s new album with high hope that it would be a kick ass record. And I’m happy to say I was not let down. When Lightning Strikes is a huge and bombastic slab of balls to the wall power metal chock full of soaring guitars, plenty of memorable moments, and enough depth to warrant multiple listens. Hell, I’ve only had it in my possession for a bit over 24 hours and it’s gotten about 5 spins so far and rising.
Album Review: Vektor – Outer Isolation
Captains Log- Stardate 3298 A.D- We have arrived at the distress beacon at Thanos 8321. Upon the initial search we found no sign of distress. In fact, we found nothing at all. No buildings, no colonists, no signs of life whatsoever. In our disbelief I decided to look around and run a couple of scans just to make sure we didn’t pick up a wrong signal. If there were ever any life on this planet we could not find them. We returned to our ship to examine the scans that Prof. Ingleman ran. Upon studying the scan we discovered there was multiple deposits of strange heavy metals below the planet’s surface. We will investigate further.
Captains Log- Stardate 3298 A.D.- We traveled out onto Thanos 8321 for a closer inspection of the heavy metals that Prof. Ingleman discovered. We ordered the excavation crew to dig on the sites the Prof. has pointed out. I will report when we have reached the heavy metals. I must report I have been feeling a bit out of the ordinary since we returned to the ship after our initial search.
Captains Log- Stardate 3298 A.D.- The excavation team has discovered the source of the heavy metals and it seems that the colonists living quarters and buildings have just been sucked 150 feet below the planet’s surface. Even stranger the bones of the colonists are situated in a state that shows they were doing their daily routine at the time. Eating dinner, working, exercising, it seems as if not one showed any cause for alarm. My head, my head is killing me. It feels as if a Ceti Eel has crawled inside my brain. I am not the only human on the ship suffering from these headaches either. There must be some kind of strange gas on the atmosphere this planet that our filters are not removing.
Captains Log- Stardate 3298 A.D.- It’s massacre! The crew, they just started.. Claws erupted from their hands… Blood every where, sores all over my body. Blood, blood everywhere. My head, make it stop. For the love of God, make the pain stop. Ensign Skarsgard, in half, the claws. Tore him. His viscera. They ate it. Insect mandibles on their mouths. MY HEAD!!!! Make it STOOOOOP! It feels like its going to ex…………………………………………………………………………………………
Book Review: 11/22/63 – Stephen King
If anyone tells me they never fantasized about going back in time I would call them a liar. Wishing you could go back in time to correct a wrong and make it right is something we all agree we wish we could do. “Gee, I wish I would have done that differently” is usually the extent of our desire to travel in time. In Stephen King’s latest novel 11/22/63, Jake Epping has the ability to correct many wrongs, but at what cost? Why prevent President John F. Kennedy’s assassination? What is it about keeping JFK alive that will make the present, 2011, a better place? The answer lies solely within the context of science fiction.
Full Album Stream – Outer Isolation by Vektor
Take one part Science Fiction, one part Progressive Metal, one part Thrash Metal, and two parts Death, blend to a pulp, shake, garnish with killer guitar solos and licks, and serve. You now have Arizona metal band Vektor. Check out their album Outer Isolation in its entirety. Trust me, this album will rock you into another dimension as well as satisfy your inner nerd at the same time, do not pass this one up. Now excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor and give this another spin (and jump on Amazon and order it up). Enjoy and let us know what you thought!! Peace Love and Metal!!!
Vektor - Outer Isolation
Book Review – Hunter’s Run – George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham
I’m sure many of you have read some form of the novel The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell or at least have seen one of its many film adaptations. It’s the story where a guy finds himself abandoned on an island to soon find that he is being hunted by a rich guy who wants the real thrill of hunting something intelligent. And I’m pretty sure everyone is familiar with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. If you were to take those two novels and blend them together and add a good helping of psychological and social undertones with a good smattering of twists, aliens, and imagination you will find yourself with the science fiction novel Hunter’s Run, written as a collaboration effort between George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, and Daniel Abraham.
