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3/18/2014
3/17/2014
The 175 Greatest Heavy Metal Album Covers of all Time Pt. 1: 175-160
As a fan of cool artwork and metal music, I've always liked that our genre has some of the coolest covers in the history of the world. Other forms of music seem content in giving us half-assed, boring pieces of shit for covers. But, since this is the greatest type of music in the universe, the cool covers go with it. I have ranked the best of the best, and this was not an easy list to make. As such, it is THE biggest list I have ever made on this blog. I wanted to fit as many as I could. all types of subgenres are included here: nu-metal, industrial, metalcore, deathcore, black, death, etc. I even threw in some hard rock bands. Now, remember the quality of the album does not at all weigh in with being included, its the artwork that counts here.
You will notice that the artwork includes lots of zombies, skulls, demons, babes, gore, and scary stuff cause that's what I like. The list will also have some admit ably satanic, sexually graphic, anti-Christian, intensely violent, and other potentially offensive material, so be for warned. But, if you been following this blog for long enough, you should that I could give a flying fuck about offensive material. Anyways, you have been warned...
Now let the countdown begin!!
175. Disturbed- Ten Thousand Fists- Disturbed's mascot, The Guy, makes his album cover debut here along with a bunch of others looking to stand in defiance in the very first album on this list. Props for the punk rocker hottie next to him.
174. Municipal Waste- The Fatal Feast- This cool cover by Justin Osbourn of Slasher Design is pure trash/ horror cheesiness with zombies eating human flesh in some sci-fi setting. Easily my favorite album cover of this crossover thrash band.
173. Dokken- Tooth and Nail- 80s metal band Dokken had a lot of hair, but I always thought that they were miles ahead of the other hair bands. This cool cover with a Creature form the Black Lagoon type monster hand reaching out of the water kind of adds to that coolness factor.
172. In This Moment- Blood- The first photography based cover to make the list comes courtesy of this alternative metal female fronted band. It's both sexy and kinda creepy, but all cool!
171. Helloween- Metal Jukebox- German power metallers Helloween have their pumpkin-headed mascot put some tunes on the jukebox on this cool cover to an all covers album.
170. Slayer- Hell Awaits- The first Slayer album to make the list is filled with demons in hell, and, coolest of all, a dude getting his guts ripped out by a trio of them. Gore, demons, and hell! This had to be here!
169. Metallica- Kill 'Em All- The fast as fuck debut from Metallica is the next of the Big Four to make the list. Simple but cool and bloody, the image of the hammer and the blood tell you a nasty murder has been committed.
168. Disturbed- Asylum- The second Disturbed album to make the list has a real pissed off looking The Guy looking cool as fuck. I love it when bands have their own mascot!
167. Halestorm- Halestorm- Philly hard rockers continue to get more and more popular, but it's this debut that ranks in the list. Featuring robotic versions of the band, it's a cool concept and the artwork looks great. Also, I wouldn't mind having a cyborg Lzzy Hale!
166. Behemoth- Evangelion- Blackened death metal masters Behemoth get on the list with this cover that looks majestic and evil. According to front-man Nergal the cover is:
"The picture is of The Great Harlot of Babylon riding the seven-headed beast. Saints bow before her in worship whilst the tablets of the Ten Commandments lie broken at her feet. It represents our vision and the interpretation of the New Testament parable where the “Whore of Babylon” is a symbol of rebellion and resistance against God."
165. Suffocation- Effigy of the Forgotten- Some sort of robotic horror is the focus of this cool death metal cover that is just that just perfect example of that the best of that type of cover.
164. Overkill- Fuck You... And then Some!- Badass and simple this rerelease of the classic live EP from New Jersey's king's of thrash is just too cool and memorable. Especially, when you first see it as a teen on someone's shirt and are like "Fuck! I NEED that t-shirt!!"
163. Scorpions- Blackout- The best album from Germany's hard rock/ metal gods has a self portrait of artist Gottfried Helnwein. Rudlof Schenker would play the character in the video for "No One Like You".
162. AC/DC- If You Want Blood You've Got It- The first live album both on the list and released by AC/DC has Angus getting impaled by his guitar. The cover was once pointed out as being some sort of satanic ritual by some jackass (who he is unimportant really), but that guy can suck it. Gore and great hard rock FTW motherfuckers!!
161. Kataklysm- Heaven's Venom- The tenth album by Canadian death metal band Kataklysm has their demon mascot getting attacked by some pissed off looking angels. For some reason he rips out his own heart like a self version of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!
You will notice that the artwork includes lots of zombies, skulls, demons, babes, gore, and scary stuff cause that's what I like. The list will also have some admit ably satanic, sexually graphic, anti-Christian, intensely violent, and other potentially offensive material, so be for warned. But, if you been following this blog for long enough, you should that I could give a flying fuck about offensive material. Anyways, you have been warned...
Now let the countdown begin!!
"The picture is of The Great Harlot of Babylon riding the seven-headed beast. Saints bow before her in worship whilst the tablets of the Ten Commandments lie broken at her feet. It represents our vision and the interpretation of the New Testament parable where the “Whore of Babylon” is a symbol of rebellion and resistance against God."
165. Suffocation- Effigy of the Forgotten- Some sort of robotic horror is the focus of this cool death metal cover that is just that just perfect example of that the best of that type of cover.
162. AC/DC- If You Want Blood You've Got It- The first live album both on the list and released by AC/DC has Angus getting impaled by his guitar. The cover was once pointed out as being some sort of satanic ritual by some jackass (who he is unimportant really), but that guy can suck it. Gore and great hard rock FTW motherfuckers!!
3/12/2014
Toy Fair 2014: 3A, J. Marcus Company, and The Loyal Subjects
3A had some pretty nice statues at Toy Fair 2014. Here are some of my favorites:
J. Marcus offer wholesale awesomeness, like these Halloween decorations:
Finally one of my favorite booths was The Loyal Subjects. I LOVE their Transformers toys!! they are just so cool! I want these! Like really bad. Some are out, some will be out by Spring or later. Check out how cool they are:
This one is from the video game Portal.
I am loving this Dr. Doom!
J. Marcus offer wholesale awesomeness, like these Halloween decorations:
Finally one of my favorite booths was The Loyal Subjects. I LOVE their Transformers toys!! they are just so cool! I want these! Like really bad. Some are out, some will be out by Spring or later. Check out how cool they are:
This Shockwave might be the one that I want the most!!!
Two of my personal favorite characters: Megatron and Grimlock!
They are also making Mr. Potato-Head figures!! The punk rocker is all kinds of awesome!
3/11/2014
Monster-Mania Convention March 8, 2014
This past Saturday, I went with my friend Freddie to Monster-Mania in Cherry Hill, NJ. It marked only the second time I had ever been to the convention. We had a blast!
We got there about 11AM, when the show started but with some parking closed off at the hotel's parking lot, we had to park some 5-7 blocks away from the hotel! Yes, parking was fucking awful. This con is getting more huge all the time, not the least of which is cause of The Walking Dead guests. But, more on them later.
I should also mention that prices for some guests were crazy, including The Shining twins charging 60 for an autograph plus 20 for a pic with them, Gunnar (the original Leatherface) Hansen charging 25 for an autograph plus 10 for a pic with him, and others like this. I've been doing these shows for years and still don't get this. And, when they rise their prices, well, I get that even less. Whatever. The person, I most wanted to meet was Nastassja Kinski, but she missed her flight and was not there. Damn it. But, if it sounds like this post will be all bitching, no it won't. But, I have always prided this blog on telling the truth, the good with the bad, if you will.
Anyways, the first of the two people that I went up was the lovely Sofia Shinas, who played Shelly in the action/ horror/ comic-book classic film, The Crow. She has stunning eyes in person, and I got to tell her that that movie is one of my personal favorites.
The only other person I went up to was the beautiful Dea DeMatteo of The Sopranos and the actually quite good Assualt on Precinct 13 remake. I wanted to meet her for the longest of time, but when I saw that she was charging 20 for an autograph and 20 for a pic with her, I was a little turned off. But, with no Ms. Kinski, I was like "what the hell, why not?" She was very sweet and friendly in person and all smiles. But, the best part was when she asked my name for the autograph, and I told her my name was "Gio, well Giovanni, but everyone called me Gio" She said "Gio. I like that!" THAT made my entire day!! If not, in fact, week!
I promised I would tell you about The Walking Dead cast. Well, much like last year, the lines were AWFUL, and everyone was charging 40 for an autograph plus 20 for a pic with them. No fucking way was I gonna go on those lines! That said, Emily Kinney, who plays Beth on the show, is soooo cute in person!
There was some cool cosplay at the con including the following two:
Finally, we tried to attend the Candyman panel, but it was hot as fuck in the room! We couldn't take it and left the room. I did get to snap some pics of the still beautiful Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd, though.
In all, we had a fucking awesome time. I bought tons of shit, including: a 20 buck Fright-Rags Maniac Cop tee (come on I dress like the guy, had to!), from HorrorMerch I got a two for 30 deal of Jaws and Slumber Party Massacre tees, 25 bucks for Michonne and her Pets from The Walking Dead box set Pop! figures, Jason Voorhess Pop! figure, Maggie Green's McFarlane The Walking Dead action figure, and a Return of the Living Dead 3 mini-poster for a buck. We look forward to returning to this convention in the near future.
We got there about 11AM, when the show started but with some parking closed off at the hotel's parking lot, we had to park some 5-7 blocks away from the hotel! Yes, parking was fucking awful. This con is getting more huge all the time, not the least of which is cause of The Walking Dead guests. But, more on them later.
I should also mention that prices for some guests were crazy, including The Shining twins charging 60 for an autograph plus 20 for a pic with them, Gunnar (the original Leatherface) Hansen charging 25 for an autograph plus 10 for a pic with him, and others like this. I've been doing these shows for years and still don't get this. And, when they rise their prices, well, I get that even less. Whatever. The person, I most wanted to meet was Nastassja Kinski, but she missed her flight and was not there. Damn it. But, if it sounds like this post will be all bitching, no it won't. But, I have always prided this blog on telling the truth, the good with the bad, if you will.
Anyways, the first of the two people that I went up was the lovely Sofia Shinas, who played Shelly in the action/ horror/ comic-book classic film, The Crow. She has stunning eyes in person, and I got to tell her that that movie is one of my personal favorites.
The only other person I went up to was the beautiful Dea DeMatteo of The Sopranos and the actually quite good Assualt on Precinct 13 remake. I wanted to meet her for the longest of time, but when I saw that she was charging 20 for an autograph and 20 for a pic with her, I was a little turned off. But, with no Ms. Kinski, I was like "what the hell, why not?" She was very sweet and friendly in person and all smiles. But, the best part was when she asked my name for the autograph, and I told her my name was "Gio, well Giovanni, but everyone called me Gio" She said "Gio. I like that!" THAT made my entire day!! If not, in fact, week! 
There was some cool cosplay at the con including the following two:
Finally, we tried to attend the Candyman panel, but it was hot as fuck in the room! We couldn't take it and left the room. I did get to snap some pics of the still beautiful Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd, though. In all, we had a fucking awesome time. I bought tons of shit, including: a 20 buck Fright-Rags Maniac Cop tee (come on I dress like the guy, had to!), from HorrorMerch I got a two for 30 deal of Jaws and Slumber Party Massacre tees, 25 bucks for Michonne and her Pets from The Walking Dead box set Pop! figures, Jason Voorhess Pop! figure, Maggie Green's McFarlane The Walking Dead action figure, and a Return of the Living Dead 3 mini-poster for a buck. We look forward to returning to this convention in the near future.
3/07/2014
Update for March 2014
It's time for a site update! I'm considering doing these as a monthly thing. And, speaking of which last month was this site's 6th anniversary!! I never expected this site to blow up they way it did, but it has! I might talk about this a little more in a future post. For now, though, let me just thank you all for your continued support! I love you all!
OK, on to the matters at hand:
Tomorrow, I will be at Monster-Mania in Cherry Hill, NJ. It's been a year since I was last there (and, coincidentally, that one was my first there). I'm looking forward to all the fun. I personally love this convention and the guests that will be there sound great. I think it's a good, fun time to be had.
I been talking a lot about Arrow here cause it is just such an awesome fucking show!! The last two episodes have had Slade "Deathstroke" Wilson reveal himself still alive to Oliver Queen. The shit is hitting the fan!! Villains and heroes galore are gonna be clashing! Is there a more geekgasm filled show on TV? I think not!!
OK, on to the matters at hand:
Tomorrow, I will be at Monster-Mania in Cherry Hill, NJ. It's been a year since I was last there (and, coincidentally, that one was my first there). I'm looking forward to all the fun. I personally love this convention and the guests that will be there sound great. I think it's a good, fun time to be had.
Probably my favorite pic from last year's con, it's the beautiful Katharine Isabelle and me.
Speaking of conventions, I should be back at Exxxotica AC, next month, at least if all things go as planned. I already have some cool stuff lined up. The guest list keeps growing, and I love that some first timers to the eastcoast shows will be there! Anyway, let me share with you my second favorite picture from the show from last year, taken by BAS Photography & Design. I may post my actual favorite next month. Stay tuned!!
The pic is of beautiful adult star Jacky Joy, my friend, and camera-girl for the show. Kristin, and myself. It was taken after a fun interview that Jacky did with us for this site. I love that she was dressed as a Ghostbuster and was next to an Ecto1 and a Stay Puft Marshmellow Man. Which brings to mind the passing of Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler in the movies, last month. He had been going through health issues for a long time, but that didn't make it any less tragic in my eyes.
On more ridiculous side note, this picture was reported on my personal Facebook. Why?! I don't know?! Neither of the two ladies are nude or showing off enough skin to warrant that shit! Oh wait, Asa Akira is naked on my Two In The Shirt tee. Lame!
I been talking a lot about Arrow here cause it is just such an awesome fucking show!! The last two episodes have had Slade "Deathstroke" Wilson reveal himself still alive to Oliver Queen. The shit is hitting the fan!! Villains and heroes galore are gonna be clashing! Is there a more geekgasm filled show on TV? I think not!!
Finally, one of my most anticipated movies of this year comes out this month on the 14th: Veronica Mars!! I was a HUGE fan of the TV series and had a crazy crush on the beautiful Kristen Bell. Fans, myself included, demanded and petitioned this movie be made for ages. I always hoped it would be made, to tie up a show that never ended in the proper manner. This movie promises to satisfy us! I'm so excited for this one!!
That's it for now. Talk to you all soon!
3/06/2014
Scott Ian Spoken Word NYC 2014
Last night, March 5, 2014, I went to B.B. King's in NYC to attend Anthrax's Scott Ian Speaking Word tour. I won tickets via a contest on PiercingMetal.com, and as a fan of Anthrax since I was a kid, I was really looking forward to this. From the moment I found out that I had won, i was super pumped and happy! I knew Scott would have some really great stories to share, and I was right!From the start to the end of the show, he told us funny and crazy stories.
For me to reveal any of them would be to spoil it for you, and I am not doing that. If you ain't seen it yet, you really need to, as soon it comes to your neck of the woods. If it already passed your town or city and you missed it; you missed a great show! Sorry!
It is broken into three parts: first, his stories, then he answers fan questions, and finally he gives us some advice. The tales and words spun by him included but were not limited to: drinking, Lemmy, Dimebag Darrell, poop, mistaken identities, Sebastian Bach, and so much more! I had a fucking blast and laughed my ass off! This show gets my highest possible recommendation! See it!
The use of hilarious slideshow drawings and awesome pictures added to the fun.
This dinosaur toy was given to Scott by his son. He loved touching and holding it.
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