2 posts about Winds of Plague is 2 too many

Winds of Plague have announced their new keyboardist, Lisa Marx, formerly of Kittie. What I want to know is, did they just look for another keyboardist and happened to find a woman, or were they searching for another bit of eye candy? Because Johnny Plague certainly isn't a looker.

There, now I've written more about Winds of Plague than I ever thought I would.

I now can stop pretending to care about Winds of Plague

Via Metal Insider

Keyboardist Kristen Randall has quit deathcore band Winds of Plague. To be fair, she had some skill. Their most recent release, The Great Stone War, benefited greatly from her keyboard work. But to be honest, she's no Marta. And her band is certainly not Bleeding Through.

What it comes down to is, she's a talented artist who was in a mediocre band. As such, people focused on her looks (the naked shots didn't help) instead of her talent.

Perhaps this move will help her career, I honestly hope so.

But damn, she's hot, look!

Just a reminder...

Converge has a new album. It comes out next Tuesday. It rips. It's metal as fuck. It's Converge, there was no doubt it was going to rock and rock hard. If you want to preview it, it's streaming on their MySpace.

Go listen to it, enjoy it, then go buy the album in a week. If any album deserves our hard-earned moolah, it's Converge.

Here's a video for No Heroes, of their previous release of the same name.



But seriously, go buy their album on Tuesday.

Damnit, Damnit, Damnit

Via Metal Injection

So... Norma Jean, The Chariot, Horse the Band and Arsonists Get All the Girls are going on tour. Together. And they're coming to Ohio. But not Cincinnait, not even Columbus. No, they're playing in fucking Cleveland. Peabody's to be exact.

I've never been to Cleveland for a concert, but it's a three hour drive. Now I've driven for three hours before, to this and last year's Mayhem Festival. But a drive to Cleveland for four bands... I don't know if it's worth it. I mean sure, Norma Jean is going to play Bless the Martyr in its entirety. And Josh Scogin is most likely going to sing some of the songs along with his band's works. And Horse and Arsonsists kick ass too.

And seriously, The Chariot. The mother-fucking Chariot. I've wanted to see them live for years now.

But, as a friend an Cleveland native said, "Cleveland winters are no joke."

It's going to be a hard decision, do I brave a long drive, serious snow and a new city for Norma Jean, Horse the Band, Arsonists Get All the Girls and The MOTHER-FUCKING Chariot?

Decisions, Decisions.....

CD's, how I will miss thee

Via Metal Insider

Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of the CD. Being that I'm 21, I remember cassettes slowly dying and CD's coming to the forefront. They began selling like crazy, with superior sound quality and easier use (at least for me). CD's were simpler superior to cassettes, and the sales proved that.

Of course, today, sales are down. Way down. The music industry simply isn't making money through records sales. It's no secret that illegal downloads are the preferred method for most people to get their music. Digital downloads via iTunes and other services are another aspect, but the number of these legal, paid for, downloads is still a smaller portion than the illegal portion.

And CD's with their massive inflation and, now, inconvenience of use, have been floundering. Their sales have been going downhill for years now. People realized that paying $12 or more for something that takes $3 or less total to make is a little unfair. And with the advent of MP3 players and the subsequent prices drops, CD's lost yet another positive aspect: their portability. Having an entire music library in something smaller than my wallet is pretty fucking sweet, all things considered.

But still I am sad to see CD's die. Sure, I hardly ever use them once I buy them. I basically pop them open, put it in on the way home from the store and then rip it to my iTunes and never touch it again. And yes, I really do buy CD's still. I'll borrow friends music, but I don't download music (either legally or illegally).

There's just something visceral about having a physical copy of an album. Fighting with the cellophane, popping the disc out of the jewel case for the first time, and looking at the art. It's all part of the experience. And it's just something you don't get when you download the album.

One aspect that I'm really afraid will fade away is the artistic value of new releases. To me, cover and liner art is a major part of music. A good album cover can inspire, terrify or simply make you pick up the CD and flip it over. In a market awash with so many products, art is one distinguishing factor.

But with the advent of downloadable content, art may disappear. And that, for me, is a major loss.

But, the train of technology waits for no man. So I supposed I will eventually adopt the digital revolution. But not today, not tomorrow and hopefully, not for a little while at least. For me, getting new music is a very visceral, tactile event. And I don't want to lose that.