Had a cool discussion regarding the new release from Black Sabbath. Lotta buzz about this disc, and not all of it is very good. Folks have highly mixed feelings, as some seem to love it, and others seem very disappointed.

Personally, I don't hate the disc. I certainly think there are some flaws, not the least of which is Tony Iommi's guitar just not sounding like what we've come to expect. And it's not just me who's noticed it, others have mentioned it as well. And Ozzy's vocals aren't his best work, either. Kinda lackluster, with a few moments here and there where it almost sounds like he's about to get a fire lit under his ass...and then the moment's gone...

I don't know, maybe it'll grow on me, but after two initial listenings, I highly doubt it's going to be in my Top 10 for this year.

I will say this, however. Just having a NEW Black Sabbath record in 2013...is pretty damned cool from that perspective...probably shouldn't bitch too much...

 

So, a couple of weeks following our most recent visit from Steve Papagiorgio, I found those copies of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, and even recited/sang (sort of...) "The Hearse Song", which is what Steve and I had been singing when that whole topic came up. May have to bring them along when Halloween rolls along...

 

In the interest of tracking my weight loss progress, Azkath asked how much I was down. Of course, I really wasn't sure of what my weight was when we first mentioned the challenge. If anything, we did establish my initial weight to kick this off as being 356 pounds. Hopefully we're gonna see that number go down a LOT in the coming weeks! Because, let's face it, that cake battle will be far more entertaining between Dave and Jeffie...

 

And that pretty much wraps it up for this week. We'll be celebrating Joe's birthday on the next show, which is always a fun-filled evening. Don't be surprised if we get a JustJoe visitation, and of course Jeffie won't be able to stay away. 

And to think...I've got some unfinished business...with BOTH of them...

 

 

If I don't, I have to go one on one in the cake battle with Dave that we've mentioned jokingly in the past. Which is okay, I suppose, 'cuz if I win, Azkath has to challenge Dave to the cake battle. 

Okay, that's not entirely accurate. Azkath is going to have a stand-in, should that come to pass. So, if he loses the challenge, it will be JEFFIE who gets to take on Dave.

And quite frankly, I'm gonna laugh my ass off while watching it!

 

 

 

 

This night also saw the return of Jeffie, who was really pushing his luck when you think about it. I mean, only a week earlier I had sworn vengeance on both him and JustJoe for the beatdown I'd been given at the end of our No Pants Day show.

 

In fact, that idiot had the audacity to suggest that I actually owe him money for SAVING me! Yeah, no shit, I OWE HIM MONEY! HAH!!! Yup, good ol' Jeffie is claiming that he "saved" me from my Brony-ism, and that I now owe him money for his services. Which is a load of crap, because if anyone is owed restitution, it's me, and I plan on receiving it, in huge quantities of flowing crimson... 

 

Truth is, his little game of "My Crotch, Your Face" is gonna turn into a round of "My Fist, Your Face". I even told him that I'd be glad to pay them both back. JustJoe will get paid back in Jeffie's blood, and Jeffie will get paid back in JustJoe's blood.

 

Hey, sounds fair to me! I even suggested juicing them with a wine press, just to be sure I got every little drop...

 

Azkath joined us once again, and seemed highly miffed at my behavior on No Pants Day. 

Which is kinda weird, to be honest, because if somebody should be pissed, it's me...something I made decidedly clear in a little rant I made regarding the beating I took at the hands of Jeffie and JustJoe.

Yep, it's pretty sad when a person tries to come out of his shell, only to be reviled and treated with intolerance and violence. Josh even knew where I was going, as I accused Jeffie and JustJoe of enacting a hate crime on me.

I also swore vengeance on them both...

 

Above and beyond that, it was pretty much an evening of pumping ourselves up for Finger Lakes MetalFest, which was amazing, as always. The bands kicked ass and we seemed to have a really good turn-out, which gives some hope for next year being even bigger and better. 

Enough 'bout that for now, though, I'm pretty sure we'll have plenty to share on the next show!

Fairly uneventful evening all told. David Henninger from Spater dropped by for more promotion of Finger Lakes Metal Fest. Yeah, time is flying, as of this writing the event is just a hair over two weeks away. Doesn't seem possible, but there ya have it!
Also on the Metal Fest end of things, we had Jesse Halstead, who will be singing for two bands at MetalFest this year. He'll be fronting his long-time band HorseFace, who will also be officially releasing their new CD ("Army Of Swine") that very day. He'll also be fronting Stygian, coming full circle from a year ago when that band asked him to be their vocalist following THAT Metal Fest.
Crazy how things happen, huh? Oh, and Stygian will have new music available, as well, to my understanding.

Azkath was also on hand, and proceeded to pummel me senseless when I'd admitted to liking The London Quireboys. Seems one of their songs had come up as a bullet on one of his Russian Roulette shows on The Last Exit For The Lost, and he had to rub it in my face....not to mention beat the snot out of me when I refused to denounce them...
Sorry, love that first album ("A Bit Of What You Fancy"), even 23 years after it's release. I've even done an edition of Randy's Rants talking about this whole debacle, so keep your eyes open on the ol' YouTube channel. I hope to have the latest clip up very soon.


Outside of that, the only really notable events occurred later in the evening. We've had a television in the Stupid Room for awhile, and Josh had been watching some basketball in between talk breaks. After it was all said and done, Eric from Ire Clad turned it to the Disney Channel...and subject us to an hour and a half of some of the lamest programming I've ever seen.
No beef against Disney, mind you. I mean, truth be told, if I had a choice, I'll always go with Warner Bros. and Looney Tunes over anything Walt ever concocted, but hey, it's still fun on occasion to take in some Disney animation.
But their other shows suck. Case in point, this thing that Eric was watching called "Good Luck Charlie"...god-awful...freakin' terrible...
Eric went on to describe to us his dream of recording an album of Demi Lovato covers, only giving it the extreme metal touch...you know, blast beats and such...and if that doesn't scare you, I'm pretty sure he mentioned an interest in doing something similar with the Lady GaGa catalog...
Utterly terrifying...

So, with all that being said, our next show will be No Pants Day. I think that pretty much says it all. Bunch of goofs running around in their boxers, maybe some ladies in their undies as well, you never know.
One thing that won't be making an appearance this year, though, is anything resembling a damned Bronie! Ain't happenin', not on my watch!