[Music Review] Amon Amarth “Twilight of the Thunder God”

twilight of the thunder god album artNow before we go into this review I need to ask you something. Are you a man? By the off chance that you, the reader, are a female then I ask you this; are you a man? If you’re a guy, chances are you’re not very manly, unless you’ve heard of Amon Amarth. Now there will be those of you that cry out “[Insert metal band] is sooo much more manly” but I am here to tell you YOU ARE WRONG! WRONG!

Amon Amarth, if you didn’t already know, is a Swedish melodic death metal band. Now these aren’t some lame excuse for a death metal band that prances around looking fashionable, these guys are big, burly, angry Swedes, not a combo that you think of much. Here’s the best part, all of their music is Viking themed. Now don’t go thinking Manowar, a bunch of airbrushed asshats standing around some maiden. Think Vikings. Big, nasty hair-having, fur-wearing, axe and sword singing, village burning vikings. If you weren’t aware, vikings have two goals in life: kill your family, and burn your village to the ground, both they do with a smile that would make the grinch look angry.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, on to the review.

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[Game Review] Brutal Legend (Xbox 360)

System: Xbox 360 (Also on PS3)
Developer: Double Fine
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Action/Adventure/RTS/Metal

Brutal Legend is the most recent project from comical genius Tim Schafer, the driving force behind critically acclaimed games like Psychonauts and Grim Fandango. Never heard of those games? I wish I couldn’t say this, but I’m not surprised.

For some reason Schafer’s games tend to go unnoticed by the general gaming public despite rave reviews, likely due to a severe lack of marketing push from Publishers. Chances are, though, that you’ve at least heard of Brutal Legend. This game has gotten plenty of attention from general gaming press and public as well as music-centered publications thanks to a stellar heavy metal theme and all-star voice cast. Continue reading