ProgPower Update

So, as I'm sure many recall, I have mentioned ProgPower a number of times in the past. Well, on Tuesday, Arcturus decided that despite agreeing to play at the festival a year in advance, they are now dropping out. Below is their official statement, but I read on the PP forums that more is going to said at some point. If that point is soon, I'll edit this post with the updated info.

Arcturus have issued the following statement regarding their cancellation:

“Arcturus still suffer from hibernation sickness, and due to outdated parts we deeply regret to inform you: We are canceling Progpower USA. This lack of maintenance is entirely our own fault, and sincere apologies go out to the promoter and all ticket holders, especially those of you who had planned to travel far..”

ProgPower USA Promoter, Glenn Harveston, adds:

“I have no idea what the hell that statement means. I’m not going to try and figure it out either, as I have wasted enough time and effort on that “band” already. In the meantime, I would like to personally thank Ihsahn for taking the slot. His professionalism in this situation is greatly appreciated.”

That last bit there that Glenn said...That was part of him announcing that on incredibly short notice, he was able to get Ihsahn from Emperor to do a US exclusive show in lieu of Arcturus. As disappointed as I am that Arcturus won't be performing, I am that glad that they were replaced by another act that I will likely never get another chance to see. For those that don't know Ihsahn, here are a few tracks from his solo albums:

Here is Astera Ton Proinon from The Adversary.



Threnody from angL.

And On the Shores from his latest album, After. I'm REALLY hoping he brings this Sax player with him.

Also, in case anyone is interested, the new schedule is as follows:

- PROGPOWER USA XII DAY 1 -
Friday September 16, 2011
Creation's End - (USA) - 2:30-3:15
Darkwater* - (Sweden) - 3:45-4:30
Voyager - (Australia) - 5:00-6:00
Eldritch* - (Italy) - 6:30-7:30
Mob Rules* - (Germany) - 8:00-9:00
Ihsahn* - (Norway) - 9:30-10:45
Sanctuary - (USA) - 11:30-close

- PROGPOWER USA XII DAY 2 -
Saturday September 17, 2011

Haken* - (UK) - 3:00-4:00
While Heaven Wept - (USA) - 4:30-5:30
Red Circuit* - (Germany) - 6:00-7:00
Labyrinth* - (Italy) - 7:30-8:30
Dream Evil* - (Sweden) - 9:00-10:15
Therion* - (Sweden) - 11:00-close

and

- PROGPOWER USA KICK-OFF -
Thursday September 15, 2011

Doors - 6:00
Powerglove - 7:00-7:30
Vanden Plas* - 8:00-9:30
Evergrey (Playing “In Search of Truth” in its entirety exclusively) - 10:00-close

- PROGPOWER USA MIDWEEK MAYHEM -
Wednesday September 14, 2011
Evergrey (Acoustic Show)
Metal Karaoke

*U.S. exclusive appearances



And, as with all my other posts mentioning ProgPower, if you, or anyone you know, decides to go, PLEASE get in contact with me. We can both win free Gold Badge/VIP tickets for life.

Mixes and Mashups

So, a while back I was on Stumble Upon, and found THIS. While I can't say all of his stuff is exactly my cup of tea, I will say that this man is quite talented, and there are more than a few tracks that I have fallen in love with. Here's a few of those. This first one, especially, I haven't been able to get out of my head for the past few days.

The Beatles Vs Nine Inch Nails - Lets All Cum Together On Her Face
 The Beatles Vs Nine Inch Nails - Lets All Cum Together On Her Face (mix\mashup) DJ Zebra by Mixes and Mashups #1

Rage Against The Machine VS Electric Six - No To The Gay Bar Idea

 Rage Against The Machine VS Electric Six - No To The Gay Bar Idea (Dj English Pete) by Mixes and Mashups #1 

Black Sabbath vs Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Ozzy Love

 Black Sabbath vs Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Ozzy Love (Rock Mashup) Wax Audio by Mixes and Mashups #11 

And, as much as I hate rap, I have to admit that this (And a few other mixes) sound great...

Ludacris Vs Nine Inch Nails - The Shaky Hand That Feeds Your Fantasy

 Ludacris Vs Nine Inch Nails - The Shaky Hand That Feeds Your Fantasy (Rock Hiphop Mix) by Mixes and Mashups #3 

Mastodon

Mastodon is a band from Atlanta, GA that is known for their sludgy sound and crazy time signatures. Also, all, but one of their albums are concept albums (And even the one that doesn't have an overall story does have a theme.) so, of course I'm drawn to them because of that. Lastly, if harsh vocals bother you, then you'll be glad to hear that with every album, their sound has become cleaner, and more melodic.

All four of Mastodon's albums have an elemental theme to them. Their first CD, Remission, is their "fire" CD. This is, March of the Fire Ants, off that album.



This is Seabeast, from their second album, Leviathan, which is a concept album based on Moby Dick. As such, it is their "water"album.



This next track is Sleeping Giant, from their third album, Blood Mountain, (Ahem..."Earth") which is about, a guy climbing a mountain, looking for the Crystal Skull, and he gets lost, and weird shit starts happening.



Their latest album, Crack the Skye has a VERY in depth and convoluted story about a paraplegic that has been playing around with astral projection, and one day his soul travels too far, and it gets lost. Then he somehow gets possessed by Rasputin, or something, then they go to Hell....Like I said, very convoluted. Great album, just has a very weird story.Oh, and the theme is apparently "Air".


See more from Videos on rocktube.us


And simply because I mentioned it briefly, in the past, I thought I'd post this setlist that I got when I saw them co-headline a show with Dethklok. (Also pictured: my Ross the Boss setlist, DragonCon 2010 badge (With personal information, ergo the black out) and the tip of my deer skull/drinking horn stand.)

Why Is The Rum Always Gone? part 3

So, now that I've switched over to posting four times a week, instead of seven, my weekly EtOH reviews will be on Sundays instead of Saturdays. This week's review: Mount Gay Vanilla Rum. Much like Daniel Craig, and his portrayal of Bond in Casino Royal, I am a big fan of Mount Gay rum. Yes, it has a funny name, but the brand is known for producing outstanding golden rum.

I've tried their flagship Eclipse and Extra Old rums in the past, so when I decided I was in a vanilla mood one day, and saw that Mount Gay makes a vanilla rum, I decided to give it a try. I was certainly not disappointed. At $15 for 750 mL of 64 Proof rum, it won't exactly break the bank. (I'll give it a 3.5/5 on the Broke College Student scale. It's by no means expensive, but for only coming in a 750 mL bottle, it's not "cheap".) The first thing I noticed when I opened the bottle was the smell. It was like a vanilla bean shot out of the bottle, and punched me in the face. Which, worried me for a second as I'm not aware of many other drinks that are "flavored", taste good, and carry a punch. Typically, in my experience, these things fall in one of two categories: They are either, thick, sugary and full of flavor, or they're jet fuel with a drop of extract. To my surprise, however, when I took a sip, it actually tasted good, brought a lot of flavor, and had a real nice burn.

I can't speak on how well it mixes as it didn't take long for a friend and me to kill the bottle off, but it's high enough proof, (and provides that burn) that I believe with a bit of expermination, it could contribute to some great drinks.

On one last note, I will say that this is perhaps not the manliest of drinks, but fuck it. I wasn't going for manly. I was going for vanilla. If it bothers you that much, add 5 parts Everclear, and 2 parts grizzly bear blood to your drink.