Author Archives: Brandon Majors

[Music Review] “Fortress” by Protest The Hero (2008)

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Many of you may have read my review of Canadian underground mathcore giants Protest the Hero, and their second studio album Kezia. Well I’m here today to spread the word of Fortress, the third and newest album by the band.

Released in 2008 Fortress is a smashing success the band. It marks a big step foreword from Kezia, but doesn’t stray away from their mathcore/hardcore niche. Upon first listening to this album I was torn. Kezia was a big deal for me, and Fortress at first sounds like a different band. I returned to the album some time later and gave it a full play through. Two words, instant classic. Continue reading →

[Music Review] Protest the Hero “Kezia”

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Every so often I stumble upon an album that I put in, listen to, and can never seem to put down. Protest the Hero’s second album Kezia is just such an album.

For those not in the know Protest the Hero is a mathcore band from Canada and maybe one of the best things to come from America’s hat. The group has been together since around 1999 and has a lineup of only three albums. Kezia, released in 2006, is an absolute masterpiece as far as the mathcore/hardcore scene should be concerned. Spanning  ten tracks, it is one of the few concept albums that I can really say is fantastic. Continue reading →

Get Yourself a Chicken Samwich and Some WiFi… FOR FREE

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And maybe a Dr. Pepper to drink.

To clarify, only the WiFi is free. You’ll still have to pay for your chicken samwich. Anyway, people across the U.S can now officially take their large number (insert favored combo meal number here) with a large side of Wi-fi when they visit the nearest McDonald’s! Some of us may or may not have been familiar with the fast food titan’s surly charge of around three dollars for a two hour pass to the store’s wireless internet connection. Well my brothers and sisters I am here today to tell you that it is no longer so!

We have come one step closer to reaching the promise land in free internet.  Just under 12,000 wireless capable restaurants, means I’ll be spending less time at those dim lit hipster nests that we know as coffee shops and more time at the grease stained, heart destroying golden arches! Though the stores that never had wi-fi to begin with will not be gaining acces, the multitude of branches with the newly liberated Wi-Fi is still more than enough.

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[Game Review] Army of Two: The 40th Day

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System: Xbox 360, PS3 (Also on: PSP)
Developer: EA Montreal
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Third-person Shooter

Some of you may be familiar with a game that dropped a few years back called Army of Two. It was a third person shooter much akin to Gears of war, but it featured two bad ass ex army rangers turned mercenaries. The game boasted the use of co-op (both AI and a second person) to complete the game’s many missions set across the globe and the past two decades.

You play as Salem or Rios. Salem is a wise cracking little guy with a temper to boot and a trigger finger to match. Rios is a lumbering behemoth who, though bearing the face of one caught making out with a wood chipper, is more subtle and easy going. (Easy going for a Bad ass Ex Army Ranger turned merc that is.) Continue reading →

[Movie Review] Sherlock Holmes (2009)

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I’m here today to inform you about the new take on a classic hero, Sherlock Holmes.

Now I have never seen the original movies, nor have I read any of his books. The extent of my Holmes knowledge comes from the wonderful world of pop culture, combined with old cartoons and the like (such as the Sherlock Holmes in the future cartoon that was on T.V. a long time ago).  I went in to this knowing the basics i.e. super smart, pipe, Elementary Watson, etc, etc, nothing more nothing less. On to the movie.

We are introduced to Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) as he details his plans to incapacitate a lowly lackey. The detailing done in this scene set the stage for future encounters that Holmes has. After a few brutal ass whoopings inside an old tomb we meet Watson (Jude Law) who seems throughout the movie’s course that he could be his own movie star. Continue reading →

[Music Review] Gogol Bordello Live From Axis Mundi

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gogolbordelloFor those of you outside the know, Gogol Bordello is a gypsy punk band. A group of crazed, fun loving Eastern European nomadic people who play an impressive mix of punk, ska, and traditional gypsy music. It sounds a bit iffy on paper, I know, but I thought that too when I first listened to the band. Rest assured those of you who like punk rock, ska, or just crazy mix ups of music and sounds, this band is for you. But alas, I am here for the CD not the band.

Axis Mundi is an album three years in the making. A compilation of live sessions and bonus tracks recorded on a 2007 tour and from various other places since. The whole package is made up of a CD and DVD in a rather bright folding case. for 17 bucks it seemed like a good deal, and in my opinion it was money well spent. Continue reading →

[’09 Holiday Buyer’s Guide] Books

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So as you well know, Christmas is just around the bend. Before your turkey and mash potato filled stomachs sag with the thought of dishing out money for people on your list, consider something more practical than socks, or underpants, consider getting them a book!

Not surprisingly, there have been a good number of new books out in the past year; a lot of them centering around popular video games in what seems to be an attempt to open gamers to the wonderful world of reading things that aren’t on our TV screens.  Here are a couple that may strike your loved one’s fancy, and as an added plus, keep you from going broke. Continue reading →

[Game Review] Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

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modernwarfare2System: Xbox 360 (Also on: PC, PS3)
Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Genre: First Person Shooter

To be honest, I never picked up on the Modern Warfare craze until about a year ago, I played a few system link matches with my younger brothers and some friends and I was hooked. Naturally I opted to get Modern Warfare 2, which dropped last Tuesday (Nov. 10th), and I cleared my schedule for the day to play it.

Seasoned veterans of the original Modern Warfare will rejoice with the newest installation. The same fast paced, globe spanning ops of some of the worlds best special forces units holds up in MW2. You play now as Army Rangers, or Task Force 141, which is a fictional super group of soldiers that stomp the face’s of global terrorists into dirt. Which is awesome. Continue reading →

[Food Review] The Flying Cow from McDonald’s

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Once in a great while a food so great, so cheap, and so filling comes into existence. Fellow food lovers, that time has cometh! I speak of the flying cow, a tasty and oh so filling meal in its own right. I’m sure you read this now in curiosity, or just so you can spite me in comments at the end, but either way you’re reading and that’s what matters!

The flying cow is a surprisingly simple sandwich to create. Factor in a price tag of about two dollars (depending on your use of a double cheeseburger or the “Mcdouble”) and it becomes something children and adults alike can enjoy.  I simply go to the nearest McDonald’s, and ask for a Double cheeseburger and a McChicken sandwich. Some may stop here saying “Hamburger AND a chicken sandwich? Pft get out of here!” but I will not be leaving. Continue reading →

[Game Review] Borderlands (Xbox 360)

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System: Xbox 360 (Also on: PS3, PC)
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K Games
Genre: FPRPG (First-Person Role-Playing Game)

I first heard about borderlands through a mailing list from Gearbox Software, the company behind the game. For months I waited eagerly as more information about this new FPS/RPG surfaced, and about how wicked awesome the designers promised it would be. Now that the game is finally out, I am here to inform you that it is, in fact, wicked awesome. Continue reading →