Ignitor - Year of the Metal Tiger

Yeah, you know him as the lead vocalist from 80's rockers Dangerous Toys, but did you know that Jason McMaster also fronts a couple of other projects.  Jason McMaster is no stranger to the scene; he once fronted the iconic techno-thrash band Watchtower, as well as his band after DT, Broken Teeth and his newest endeavor Evil United.  Busy dude! Jason is one of those killer vocalists that just seems to fly under the radar.  He is a very versatile vocalist. in that he can sing the more melodic style of Dangerous Toys, as well as be able to turn it up a notch, and sing more metallic with a band like Ignitor.  Year of the Metal Tiger is the second release that McMaster has fronted for the band.  The sound is basic meat and potatoes classic metal.

Ignitor is rooted in classic metal with an up to date sound.  The songs are closely rooted in the vein of classic Judas Priest (Jason lets out some Halford-esque screams at times).  Year of the Tiger is a 7 track release that packs a nice punch of old school metal.  Tracks like Shadow of the Needle and Beast in Black will get the fist pumpin and head banging within seconds.  The lyrics are of a darker nature, which coincides with the feeling of some of the tunes.  There is a definite dark feel about this release.  Don't let that scare you off though, because like Mystic Prophecy, there are some nice melodies on this CD as well.  If you dig bands like Primal Fear and Brainstorm, then this one is right up your alley.

Bottom Line: Meat and potatoes metal.  Nothing fancy, just pure hard rocking tunes.  McMaster sounding masterful, singing some of the heaviest material I've heard his sing in a while.

Standout Tracks: Shadow of the Needle, Beast in Black, We Are Ignitor and Island of the Damned.

-Ragman thinks he needs to talk to Mr. McMaster.

Profane

Profane is a new horror/psychological thriller about a Muslim woman trying to fight her inner demons.  The woman is living a troubled and confused life, by surrounding herself with drugs and submission.  The story is set in Chicago and filmed as a pseudo documentary.  The woman feels that she is being haunted by a Jinn (demon) and is caught between her lifestyle and trying to find religion.  She reaches out to a cab driver for spiritual bliss, but ends up pushing him away, before she can find redemption. 

The premise is somewhat intriguing, but unfortunately the movie skips around so much, it becomes difficult to follow.  Again, this is shot like a documentary, so it going to have that feel, but the flow of the movie never really stayed on track.   The acting was not bad and the cinematography not too bad either, but it was just the story line that hurt this one.  I like the fact the woman was fighting the Jinn, it might have been interesting to see the Jinn get a little more busy with her though.   I'm not talking exorcist busy, I just saying she could have been a little more demented.  Not a bad flick, but not a great one either.

Bottom Line: In the ever growing world of pseudo documentaries, here is another one to test your wits.  A nice plot, but a story that really goes nowhere.

-Ragman wanted this one to get more scary.

Fetish Dolls, Die Laughing

You ever sit down to watch a movie that is so bad that you wonder why you invested the time to sit through the damn thing?  Think about it, that is an hour and a 1/2 that you'll never get back.  Well, unfortunately, yours truly recently had that experience whilst watching, the unwatchable, Fetish Dolls, Die Laughing.   On the surface sounds interesting, but after that, the intrigue ends. 

Fetish Dolls is a serial killer type flick, that is just plain goofy, in which the villain is called the Tickle Monster, enough said.  The Tickle Monster (Urban Legend) is a spirit that posses photographer Billy Tagg, who also has a serious foot fetish, hence the title.  Once possessed, Tagg lures women/models to his apartment so that he can bound them up and tickle them to death.  Simply said, this sucked.  The acting was poor and the story line even worse.  I like a B-rated horror movie like the next guy, but c'mon, give me something to work with.  I barely got through this one, without gouging my eyes out.  Don't waste your time.

Bottom Line:  A cheesy horror flick, without any substance.  For a B-movie to captivate, you have to have something to keep the audience entertained, but unfortunately this one didn't contain much. 

-Ragman's intelligence was insulted while watching this one.,

House of Flesh Mannequins

House of Flesh Mannequins is a film about a loner photographer/filmmaker named Sebastian whom obsesses on the darker things in life.  He films and take pictures of death and violent acts.  He basically makes snuff movies.  His life is consumed with watching his homemade sadistic films, which are pretty disturbing at times, to get off.  The films take you into his sorted past, which includes child abuse and other dark secrets.  Things really get interesting when his neighbor (Sarah) takes an interest in him and his films.   It is just a matter of time, that he brings her into his web of evil.

House of Flesh Mannequins has a total 70's Italian horror vibe to it; from the cinematography, to the storyline, its apparent.  It also evokes the greatness of Lynch and Cronenberg, at times, because of it's odd twists and turns, but does not quite reach the heights of these legendary filmmaker's.  Warning the movie starts off a little slow, but then it engulfs you, once the odd shit begins.  Unfortunately, it gets difficult to follow at times, because of the randomness in the story line.  Another issue is the volume of the dialog.  It got very difficult to hear what the actors were saying at several spots in the movie.  The acting is okay, but nothing spectacular.  Not a bad film, but not a great one either.

Bottom Line: A demented film about a disturbed human being, who draws others into his madness.  This one jumps around abit, so make sure your focused when getting ready to view.  Also, if you have a weak stomach, this one probably isn't for you.

-Ragman is wondering how much realism was in this film.

Dirtbags

As always Bill Zebub goes out of his way to offend as many people as possible, but isn't that why we love his movies?  Whether it be race, gender or religion, nothing is sacred - no pun intended.  The latest is actually a limited re-release of his classic Dirtbags.  Dirtbags is a tale of a group of misfit dirtbags, with one thing on their mind - scoring.  The movie is mixed with slapstick and some mild gore, which will keep you entertained. As with most Bill Zebub flicks, the soundtrack is pure black/death metal.  I'm not sure, but assume most of the actors are metal heads and some may actually be musicians.

Also another major selling point is the cameo by Type-O-Negative vocalist/bassist Peter Steele (RIP).  Peter has a small role, but included as a bonus is a 41 minute interview with the Goth/Metal rocker.   There is also an entertaining blooper reel included on this one as well.  All in all an entertaining view.  Yeah, it stupid, but it's funny.

Bottom Line: Bill Zebub doing what he does best, offending as many people as he can within a couple of hours.  A slapstick B-rated comedy about a bunch of losers. 

-Ragman chuckled out loud more than a few times whilst viewing this one.