Messages

I've taken a bit of a hiatus from the place over the summer - I realised that I was being a dick (about a lot of the people at the Metallica gigs being weekend warriors and not into metal), and it wasn't good for my own noggin.

I'd like to think Juggz/Burger had a similar "just need a break" (for whatever reason) buzz.

Same as that. I can see this being my last gen of console. Time and money just making it too hard to actually get value out of it. And like you said so much stuff that I'd actually be interested in is still on PS4 so I imagine PS5 titles will still be released for a long time to come.

And Sonys push to all digital and taking away ownership rights is just going to push people to piracy. I'd seriously consider jailbreaking mine if it hadn't already updated itself to version 14

Bummer. Bad timing for sure. Plenty of emulated stuff out there so we won't be stuck for games. Just not the modern ones, but I can live with that

Yeah I've basically stopped spending money on PSN. I'd usually pick up an interesting indie game once a month or so, but of I'm ultimately going to be priced out of hardware then what's the point? Doubly so that Sony are removing consumer choice with cessation of disc production.

My only gaming spend since that news is a few discs that I sell to CeX once I'm finished.

Funnily enough, PS5 emulation is coming along at a blinding pace these last few months. And the boffins have managed to get the PS5 to run PS2 games direct from disc!

But yeah it's kinda weird to witness the death of my oldest hobby in real-time. Oh well, more time and money for CDs and books I guess.

It's a bonkers scenario. I can't believe that my launch day PS5 was basically the most value I could have got from the thing.

All I know is if (when) it packs in, I'm tapping out of gaming with those ludicrous prices.

Getting a bit "The Priest of Theseus" at this stage.

Love a bit of "Fragile", but I'd say "The Yes Album" is probably their best introductory record.

III and PG for me.

Was obsessed with No Quarter for about six months straight once upon a time. That riff! 

RtL is the first metal album I ever bought with my own money, so holds a special place. Fade to Black is a bit shite by virtue of being played to death, and Escape is obvious filler. Everything else is mint.

That said, I can't remember the last time I listened to it. Puppets sees regular goes still, ...AJfA occasionally.

Miscreance - "Reminiscence".

Sounds like Human, Focus, Unquestionable Presence, and Speheres in a blender. Fantastic.

Would also put the two of them up there.

I think Cooper demonstrated that although Ewing is integral to their sound, he is in fact replaceable. Carins' lyrics are probably the most important part of their sound for me.

Is he bitter? Or twisted? Maybe James Joyce was fucking his sister?

Cooper is much closer to Ewing in style than Hopkins ever was at least. Going from one of the best drummers in the scene to a lad who could at best be described as "yeah he's grand" is a mystery.

Big Hairy Elephant doing their thing.

U.K.'s self-titled debut is an absolute beaut of a record. Top notch line up on it too.

I got three songs in and it was grand but it didn't grab me yet, will try it again over the weekend.

The back half of the album is better TBH.

Peter Cullen, AKA Optimus Prime since the original cartoons.

Shite week for the arts!

I'm not talking about anyone here. I'm talking about the sort of dribbling fanboys who cannot find a difference in quality between Master of Puppets and St. Anger because having "Metallica" printed on the label automatically makes it the greatest thing ever recorded.

I'm talking about the sort of fanboys who have to be asked not to wear their crusty "birth, school, Metallica, death" t-shirt to every family occasion and are borderline upset about it.

I'm talking about the sort of fanboys who are insulted when you ask them what other bands are you into because how very dare anyone listen to a band who aren't Metallica.

I'm talking about the fanboys who hear the "Metallica Family" nonsense and believe it's about them.

I'm talking about grown men in their 50s who have made Metallica their entire personality since their teens.

But as inferred by my original statement (congrats on getting your knickers in a twist and not engaging your brains for a second, by the way), if ye want to pay good money for a St. Anger gig, then fill your boots.