The Hospital

The Hospital is about a reality show, set in an old abandoned hospital, which many think is haunted.  It is basically a parody, of all of the ghost hunter shows currently on TV today.  The movie is set up that way, but then turns into something much worse.  The main characters post as ghost hunters, but are really only in it for a cheap thrill.  The hospital chosen for the show, is basically a front for the ghost hunters to have their way with the non-suspecting guests, but little do they know the joint is actually haunted. 

This was a fairly disturbing flick, due to the rape, violence an anal torture (OUCH!).  Seriously, not a bad movie.  The acting was descent, but could have been better as with most B-movies.  The special effects aren't bad either.  The thing that holds this one together is the storyline, because it is fun and interesting.  Yeah, it gets a little twisted at times, but that's what a good movie does.  If you're into some gore and torture, then this one is for you.

Bottom Line:  A B-movie with a good story and some descent acting to boot.  You get it all with this one, murder, rape and torture.  If that ain't enough, there is some paranormal activity thrown in for good measure.

-Ragman is going to stay away from abandoned hospitals.

Vanden Plas - Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld [Path One]

Vanden Plas does it again with their most ambitious project yet: a full-blown metal opera based on a hugely popular fantasy book series. Nice.I have been a big fan of Vanden Plas for years now, ever since The God Thing (1997), and a big reason why is their ability to create consistently great progressive metal music. Having only released 7 studio albums in their 28 years of existence, it's clear that this German band has ambitions above your average 18 month cycle of recording and touring like other metal outfits. And with the revelation that the best selling author in their homeland counts himself among their fans, it was perhaps natural that they should collaborate for the latest evolution of Vanden Plas' artistic career, Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld [Path One].

Based on Wolfgang Hohlbein's vampire series Die Chronik der Unsterblichen (The Chronicle of the Immortals), the author and the band crafted a modern metal opera that debuted on stage at the Pfalztheater in Kaiserslautern in 2012 to 25 sold out shows and standing ovations galore. An attempt to capture that thrilling experience with a studio recorded companion CD became such a huge undertaking that it had to be split into two separate albums, with the second album ("Path 2") being released next year. In order to fit the album format, lead singer Andy Kuntz took on the roles of most of the cast throughout the recording. In addition, some scenes were completely re-written, either becoming simpler (removing large choral arrangements) or more complex (i.e. more solos, and even added orchestration) as constraints dictated or opportunities allowed.

The long and the short of it is that this sounds like classic Vanden Plas, who've always displayed an artistic sense in their music beyond an otherwise by the numbers progmetal band, so this undertaking with Hohlbein just makes sense - especially considering the band's longstanding themes of mortality, spirituality, good and evil, and so forth. You might want to check out the book series, or even the comic book adaptation, to get an idea of what's going on since those sorts of arcane storylines don't always translate across the medium, surrounded by the sturm und drang of the music. But even without the story, this is some great heavy tuneage, ja wohl.

The Bottom Line: Fans of Vanden Plas already know that this is a kick ass progressive metal band. And Chronicles of the Immortals - Netherworld [Path One] is another damn fine release in that vein. The story of an immortal swordsman searching for truth throughout time, battling monsters of every stripe is a natural fit. And if you can't follow the story, you can still rock the hell out to some great balls and chunkTM.

- Genghis would love to see the stage production when it comes out on Blu-Ray...

Theologian - Some Things Have To Be Indured

Worst hide and seek player ever? Sure. Is anyone complaining? Nope.Theologian would provide the perfect soundtrack for a horror movie.  Their sound is like an industrial wall of sound mixed some black/death metal.  It is slow, and for the most part instrumental horror music.  Their whole new CD reminds me of one track from Ministry's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste called Dream Song.  It is just one wall of sound track after another, mixed female vocals.  It is an erie album, that would provide the perfect soundtrack to Halloween.  The CD is fun, but maybe only listen able in October.

Standout Tracks: Like Love, Only Real, Writhing Corpus Landscape, Grand Guiglnol

Bottom Line:  A wall of erie sound that last about 40+ minutes.  The sounds are interesting and would provide for a great horror movie soundtrack, but other than that, it is pretty limited in its appeal.

-Ragman is writing the script, for the movie that this music will be used for.

Amuse Me

As you know, with Bill Zeebub, he is always looking to lower the bar, and his latest film Amuse Me, is no exception.  You kind of know what to expect when you watch a Bill Zeebubu movie, and this one is no different.  Zeebub has a certain level of cheese and trash, that keep us coming back for more, but this one fall a little short.  Amuse me is about an out of work clown that drugs and terrorizes women for his friend, that is a cop.  Actually, the clown just gets them primed up, and the cop finishes them off.  The movie was entertaining, in parts, but seemed to drag for the most part, which is not typical of a Zeebub feature.  Not bad, but not great by any stretch. 

Bottom Line: Cheap jokes and cheap thrills, don't equal paydirt for this one.  Hopefully the next one will be more entertaining.

-Ragman thought this one was kind of a sleeper.  Not too much action.

Monte Pittman - The Power of Three

Monte Pittman may not be a household name in the metal world, but maybe he should be.You may not have heard of Monte Pittman, but he's been around. Having left for LA to become a rock star at 24, he ended up working in a music store and giving guitar lessons to Guy Ritchie (Madonna's ex), which led to meeting Madonna herself and eventually forming a very fruitful musical relationship that even saw him playing solo with her on David Letterman. Not bad for a boy from Longview, Texas.

What really matters though is Pittman's approach to songwriting. Rather than amaze you with fretboard virtuosity (not to say he doesn't have chops), shifting time signatures, or arcane conceptual storylines, he just writes highly listenable heavy music. There's some really great grooves that will stick in your head for days after listening, and that's just the kind of music I dig the most.

Having played with Prong (with writing credits) on a couple of their albums you can definitely hear that influence on tracks like Delusions and End of the World where Monte throws out some sweet down-tuned riffage. But there are lots of other great influences that come together here, including aspects of Motörhead and Alice In Chains, as well as a Guns and Roses feel that all mix together perfectly into a hell of a musical stew. I know I'm ready for another helping.

The Bottom Line: Pittman's The Power of Three is one great, modern, metal album, filled with crunchy riffs, great grooves, and a terrific sense of "the song matters most". I can't wait to hear whatever he does next.

Tracks To Make You Wonder What The Hell You're Doing Not Songwriting: A Dark House, On My Mind, and End of the World

- Genghis is *really* digging this album...