: AJB

Why Kurt Cobain’s death scene photos should not be released to the public

2015-10-05T04:10:00.000-07:00

A new lawsuit is urging the release of Kurt Cobain’s death-scene photos. Richard Lee, who runs a public-access show, sued Seattle Police Department to release the never-before-seen images. This has stirred up a chain of reaction amongst Cobain’s family, friends and not to mention his fans.

A week after Cobain’s death, Richard Lee hosted ‘Now See it Person to Person: Kurt Cobain was Murdered’. He claimed there were several discrepancies in the police reports, such as multiple changes in the nature behind the gunshot blast. Since then, Lee has maintained that Cobain was murdered through a conspiracy involving government officials.

So why now, over 20 years after his death, are people demanding the case to be reopened? In 2014, four previously undeveloped rolls of 35mm film from the 1994 crime scene were analysed by Seattle Police in advance of the 20th anniversary of Cobain’s suicide. According to the department the pictures were “underwhelming”. However, in light of this news, Lee took it upon himself to try to get the pictures released to the public for further investigations.

Of course this meant other conspirators, or fans as they like to call themselves, decided to join in and campaign for the release through social media, showing #justiceforkurt. All the while Cobain’s widow Courtney Love and his daughter Frances Bean fought against the lawsuit because the pictures would arguably make their lives pretty miserable (as if losing their husband/dad wasn’t bad enough).

Nirvana fans claim they have some sort of right to see these pictures, because they want to know the truth about his death (suggesting that Seattle Police Department weren’t capable of doing their job 20 years ago, and they’re still not capable of doing it). Fans also want to nail Love down for the murder because apparently he was leaving her, and she’d be left with no money (none of these theories have of course been confirmed or proved).

Here’s what fans need to realise - none of them were there. None of them are sitting on any real evidence that would suggest Cobain didn’t kill himself. Some people claim they do, like Lee’s video footage shot from a tree in Cobain’s back garden. According to Lee (who, by the way, is no forensic scientist) there was not enough blood at the crime scene. For the purpose of this feature I have watched this footage and you can’t even see Cobain’s body in it, yet he claims he can see so much in it.

Lee has also suggested in one of the episodes of his show that Cobain’s head was intact (he of course knows this without seeing the body himself), meaning there was no way Cobain could’ve shot himself with a shotgun because his head would’ve been destroyed...whereas police reports (written by police officers who were at the scene) say that Cobain could only be identified through his fingerprints. What is more likely - that a person who climbs trees on private properties to film a dead person through his window, then distributes the footage to profit off of it, would be more capable of concluding the cause of death, rather than all the trained professionals who were actually involved in the investigation?

None of the fans have any clear evidence suggesting that Love had anything to do with it. They have theories that are fuelled by their hate for her. “Hey Courtney, how come you NEVER allow a full investigation on Kurt’s death? How can you be satisfied that he committed suicide? What a wife! Stop spreading your legs you are not Sharon Stone, bitch! #FuckYouCourtneyLove,” Sandra Alberqueque wrote on Facebook. Well, there was an investigation, and it was concluded that Cobain committed suicide. What more is needed? And a woman’s right to spread her legs is none of your business and is of very little relevance to this case.

Fans need to get over it; all these theories will not bring the singer back to life, and if there was any doubt that he had killed himself Seattle Police Department would not have released his body after the autopsy, and then declared it as suicide. What makes the fans think they have any kind of right to see the crime scene photos anyway? Is it normal for the police to release pictures of other suicide cases? “What are people going to gain from seeing pictures of Kurt Cobain lying on the ground with his hair blown back, with blood coming out of his nose and trauma to his eyes from a penetrating shotgun wound,” Detective Mike Ciesynski said. And I add to this quote, how come people don’t take into consideration the horror his wife and daughter must be going through in all this?

Then ask yourself this; a close family member of yours blasts his head off after struggling with drug abuse and depression for years. You put him to rest and try to move on with your life. At the same time fanatics constantly remind you of his tragic death, and often blame you for it. What good would images of his brains spread out over the floor and walls in the home you once shared together do to you?

Masks, cloaks and Satan: Inside the esoteric cult-rock band Ghost

2015-09-21T13:42:00.000-07:00

Lincopia, Otrogothia, 2015. “The clergy has adjourned and the Nameless Ghouls are summoned…” A new and very much anticipated album is about to be released, and it’s time for Papa Emeritus II to step down and let a new pope take office in the Ghost clergy.

This event is marked through a ritualistic video, where the band is praised for their efforts so far - two album releases, one of which was a gold record. But they are told there is still room for improvement. The cardinals have elected a new pope, and the smoke burns black as a symbol of the Ghost and the arrival of the new member of the cult band. One of the cardinals, who remains nameless in the video, says: “This man will take the band further than any of us could ever have imagined. I present to you now Papa Emeritus the third.”

The unique delivery of the vocalisation and the harmonics has always been one of the Swedish band’s staples. Their music takes on an ethereal atmosphere that reminds you of going to a church. The only difference is that this is a church that is being led by the band, which is kind of the point whenever you consider the structure and naming of everything that they do - and the fact that Papa looks like an inverted pope. It is one thing to have a theme, but it is another thing to have the music actually remind you of that. With each theme it is as if you are involved in some sort of parochial environment, one that is illuminated towards the dark cultish side, which is what Ghost have done throughout their career.

Opus Eponymous

When Ghost released their first album, Opus Eponymous (2010), they caused mayhem within the music industry. No one knew who these masked geniuses were; nor did they care. The music spoke for itself, and it made no difference whether the members were well-known musicians or not. Releasing an album influenced by 60s, 70s and 80s rock, with bands like Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult and Pink Floyd at the centre of it, was exactly the breath of fresh air the metal and rock industry needed. Ghost came in with such grace, but managed to blow everyone away with their Devil worshipping theatrics.

It didn’t take the band long to get recognised for the simple yet majestic music they had produced - soon after the release they were touring with bands like In Flames and Trivium. A lot of musicians have been mesmerized by their act and you will often hear big artist such as Phil Anselmo (Pantera and Down) praising their work. Anselmo, wearing a Ghost t-shirt, invited Ghost on stage to close their set at Download Festival 2011. They finished off the set with Bury me in Smoke, but Anselmo changed the lyrics to Bury me in Ghost. In an edition of Sweden Rock Magazine the album was named the third best in the past decade, with the first two being The Final Frontier and A Matter of Life and Death by Iron Maiden.

Each album has thus far been based around a theme. A Nameless Ghoul said: "The first album is about the forthcoming arrival of the Devil, spoken very much in biblical terms, much like the church will say that doomsday is near.” The album ends on the song Genesis, the birth of Antichrist. Their second album, Infestissumam, continues from the Antichrist’s birth onwards. The Nameless Ghoul said: “Everything on the first record was about a coming darkness, an impending doom. Whereas Infestissumam is about something present. And literally, it deals with the presence of the Antichrist. But subliminally, the meaning of it is more what mankind - predominantly men - have deemed to be the presence of the Devil, throughout history and even nowadays. That’s why the record is so fuelled with sexual themes and females.”

Infestissumam

Musically, Infestissumam took the band to a new level. It was more thought through and even more theatrical than the first. Now, being on an American label, the recording process wasn’t as straight forward as it had been with Opus Eponymous. As they were recording in Nashville, the band struggled to find a choir to perform their satanic lyrics. One of the Ghouls said: “We told them what they were supposed to sing, and one of the guys almost cried as he took offense…So we ended up recording the choir in Hollywood, where people have no problem with worshipping the Devil.” The album was finally released in the beginning of 2013. It reached number one in both the Swedish album charts and in the US Billboard Hard Rock Albums.

Meliora

Meliora was released August 21; still keeping the cult rock theme alive, with prog interlaced within it. The album has a mixture of different kind of tracks, all working together in harmony, but also as stand-alone pieces. Each song uses its own energy and its own atmosphere, encapsulating the ministerial feeling of being in the house of Christ (or Antichrist). The album is musically constructed with much finesse, with elements of ABBA and The Beatles, and some heavier elements of early Black Sabbath present - a strange combination that somehow seem to work euphonically.

Being an unusual group, openly worshipping the Devil, the band has been met with some controversy. The band recently had to postpone a concert in Pennsylvania, as it coincided with Pope Francis’ visit. Show promoter Sean Agnew of R5 Productions said the event - billed as “Ghost vs. Pope” - was to be a religious “head-to-head battle for Philadelphia.” He said: "The band wanted to get really creative, and have their own Ghost motorcade where the singer would go around the city. We had these great ideas to create an alternative to the pope. But more and more stories started to come out about the lockdown. We had to scale back."

As for the members, the band has revealed that only their closest friends and family know who they are. Some critics have said that the decision of remaining anonymous is to gain more attention. The band quickly disputed this and said that the idea behind removing their personalities would allow their audiences to focus upon the artwork itself. Speculations and rumours are of course all over the internet, with the most recent being Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) on drums.

It is confirmed that Grohl produced and played drums on the If You Have Ghost EP, but if he is a permanent member has not been confirmed. In an interview with Rolling Stone a Nameless Ghoul said this about Grohl: “Well, we can’t really know, can we? I can tell you this much: He has played Ghost material in a ghoul suit. And he might or might have not have [performed onstage], and he might or might not in the future. How’s that for a commercial cliffhanger?”

As they embark on their Black to the Future world tour, it now remains to see what Papa Emeritus III will bring to the band and how he will utilise his time in office until the next Papal Conclave.

Who are they?

The identities of the six members are something which has been speculated on since their first release and appearance. These speculations will remain so until the band (if ever) decides to unmask. For now, this is Ghost: Five Nameless Ghouls and Papa Emeritus III. Each Ghoul has been allocated a symbol (pictured on their cloaks). When signing autographs they will stamp their symbol.

The lead guitarist:

The bassist:

The keyboardist:

The drummer:

The rhythm guitarist:

Papa Emeritus will sign his name as P.E.

Krimh - Czarna Śmierć

2014-12-06T12:12:00.001-08:00

YouTube musician Kerim "Krimh" Lechner has just released a new single - Czarna Śmierć - for his nearly 50 000 subscribers to check out on his channel.

I came across his videos five or six years ago, when I was heavily into Lamb of God among other similar bands. Krimh mainly uploaded drum covers, blasting his double bass to songs like Laid to Rest, but he also uploaded his own material, and it was very exciting to watch him grow.

His ability to never miss a beat and almost flawlesly playing his way through each song astonished me. The fact that he could play drums as well as guitar and bass was something that 15-year-old me never could get enough of watching.

The Austrian musician is probably best known as the drummer of Polish death metal band Decapitated. He has also been a session drummer for Behemoth for a short period of time when the original drummer was in hospital.

Lechner auditioned through his YouTube channel to be Slipknot's new drummer when Joey Jordison left in 2013, all while working on his third self-released album Krimhera. The album will be available from his website on 10 December. A review of the full album will be posted once it's out.

Composing for games: Kristin Burdal

2014-08-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

The music industry has always been and still is a very difficult industry. Making it as an artist is not a given, and it is therefore not enough just to have good qualifications. Years and years of education can only get you so far, what really matters is talent and the drive to be a good artist. Today we are going to take a look at one composers which was a topic of this blog a while back.

Norwegian composer Kristin Burdal, behind Stegosaurus on Marshland Acidic Trip, has come a long way since last time she was featured on this blog. Kristin has been offered a number of opportunities since then. She has composed the soundtrack for two games.

The first one is called GearCity which is an open beta game where you can simulate owning your own car company. The game is now available on Steam. This is a short review of the music, not the game.

The music in GearCity is lively and comfortable when listened to by itself, but has the ability to just act as background music when players want to concentrate on the game. It creates different dimentions and feelings to the game, it sets the atmosphere. GearCity's programmer, Eric B from Florida, really got his hands on a great musical talent when searching for the perfect composer for his game.

Although a lot of the pieces have a typical "background music sound", which is often the case in simulator games, there are a lot of hidden gems in the different tracks. The piano part in "In Total" is beautiful and can easily send chills down ones spine.

"One Time or Another" is fun and playful. It could be used in so many other types of games. Overall the soundtrack for GearCity is good, almost too good for a game like this, where sometimes simple is often the best. Kristin's creativity shines through each and every track.

Breakage is a free point and click adventrue game. The game consists of different "worlds" which has its own theme song. Together with the game, the music helps tell a story. The introduction theme song captures bits from all the worlds. It is a fun and adventurous song which sets the tone for the whole game. The tranistions between minor and major in "Outside" makes the piece seem somewhat sad, but the melody is picked up by a cheerful piano and light violin strokes.

My personal favourite from the game is "The Witch". It paints a picture of a witch, but not an evil one, as they often are portayed in mainstream television/media. This witch is a bit clumsy and very witty, like a modern version of Disney's "Madam Mim".

"UFO" is mysterious, just like anything in the outer space. The wavy sounds makes you think of aliens, or what we on this planet have come to believe aliens sound like. The piece is quiet, calm and slow, and it makes me think about the fact that there's no sound in space.

"Dungeon" creates the perfect feeling of being down below. The song sneaks its way around, it has a few jump scares here and there, it stops to listen. Is anyone there?

Just like the intro, the outro captures the feelings of all the tracks you've heard earlier. It is happy, and so should you be. You've just completed the game!

To listen to all of Kristin's tracks, go to www.soundcloud.com/fruluna

New album by Ghost - Infestissumam

2013-04-10T12:29:00.003-07:00

Although the album won't be realesed for another six days, Ghost have published the album online for their fans to stream. Make sure you check out Infestissumam, and let me know what you think!

I absolutely love the opening track(Infestissumam). It is powerful and epic. It is everything I believe Ghost are really about. It is the perfect start to yet another great album. Though I have to say, the new album has a lot to live up to. Opus Eponymous has become one of my favourite albums (ALL TIME). That is because the whole concept of this band is unique. The music in itself has a 70s vibe to it, and I'm sure this comes from various inspirations, for example Mercyful Fate and Blue Öyster Cult. There's nothing wrong with being inspired, especially if you manage to use that inspiration to create something new. This is what Ghost have managed to do.

I heard some of these songs before when I saw them live on the Jägermeister Music Tour. For example Year Zero, Secular Haze and Monstrance Clock. Ghuleh/Zombie Queen is a really cool track as well. Not only are the lyrics catchy, but the song as a whole is quite impressive. It starts out as something I can imagine hearing on the radio during the 70s or 80s...then it speeds up. Such a funny song(listen to it, I don't want to reveal too much).

The album has a perfect opening track, but it has also got a perfect ending track. Monstrance Clock is such a cool track. Especially when it is played live. I'm sure that now the song has been released, concerts will turn out wuite epic when this song is played.

After listening to this band, I have realised it would be useful to know latin, as they use quite a bit of it in their music. I get an impression of what the songs are about, but to fully understand the album as a whole, I wish the language wasn't holding me back. Anyway, all in all, this album has swept me off my feet. I will definitely buy it when it comes out.

Band of the Week - Jefferson Airplane

2013-04-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Classic psychedelic rock is what Jefferson Airplane can be described as. Their album Surrealistic Pillow is their most famous album, and a very iconic album in the history of rock. It features songs like «Somebody to Love», and of course the song most people will think of «White Rabbit». Who hasn't seen the extraordinary performance the band did of this song at Woodstock in 1969? I'm sure very few remember the performance in person (either because they weren't born yet, or because they attended the festival high as nothing else...oh the sixties). BUT, the beauty of modern technology, is that we can see this clip over and over again. Have a look here.

Grace Slick was a beauty. I'm sure many teenagers had her posters on the wall during the 60s and 70s. Her voice was incredibly cool, she is my favourite female singer all time. One of my favourite songs are «Somebody to Love»(which I mentioned earlier). With a little vibrator here and there, she creates her own sound which you can easily recognise anywhere. I really enjoy the instrumental aspects of the song too, it has a cool vibe, and includes some great riffs and solos. Sometimes this resulted in some messy performances, thoug...

Embryonic Journey is a cool little track, well worth listening too. Besides from being mellow and nice to listen to, it creates a little break in the album. Plastic Fantastic Lover has Marty Balin on vocals. I must say, this is a perfect ending to the album. It is catchy song, both instrumental and lyrical. And it makes you want to just flip that record over and start from the beginning again (or press play, which ever you prefer).

Band of the Week - Amon Amarth

2013-04-01T03:24:00.001-07:00

You might have thought vikings are a thing of the past...well, you're wrong. They still exist, and today they go by the name "Amon Amarth". The name Amon Amarth comes from J.R.R. Tolkien's books about the middle-earth (in other words; The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings). "Amon Amarth" means "mountain of faith". Although the band isn't your typical viking(they don't invade countries, kill the men, rape the women, steal all the valuables and burn down their houses), the music illustrates a time which is difficult to forget. Through the lyrics, the band brings us on a journey back in time.

Avenger(title track of the 1999 album) is one song that I love in particular. The lyrics are about a man who loses his family to a fire, and he decides that he wants revenge on the man who lit the fire. He makes a sword, which is named "Avenger". Suitable, I suppose. In the end he manages to get his revenge, and slays his enemy's throat. The way it has been described is quite grim, reminds me a bit of old Scandinavian folk tales, they didn't hold back on any details. The sword has now served its purpose, and I guess the man realises that he doesn't have anything left in his life but emptiness. He ends up stabbing himself. Tragic story, but as I said, it reminds me very much of how the old folk tales used to be. The music compliments the lyrics well. It is a sad and tragic song, and you can hear the despair in the guitar riffs.

I never get tired of seeing them live. This is from Bergen, 2009.

Another favourite is of a newer album called Twilight of the Thunder God (2008). The song is called Embrace the Endless Ocean. Why do I love this song? Listen to it. The melody is so beautiful. The lyrics are really sad too. It's about a man (I assume), who has been a prisoner for a long time. Finally he is a free man, and can sail the seas back home. Unfortunately his ship gets wrecked in a storm, and sinks. "Won’t feel the breeze of my home shore. Nor see the lakes or winter snow. My hopeful dreams lie ripped and torn. Father, I die alone, I die alone". His dreams has been crushed, and he dies alone in the endless ocean.

One thing is for sure, the band knows how to write lyrics. All their songs tell a different story. Whether it is about a tragic death or a hero, all the lyrics illustrate Norse mythology and the viking time well. The songs I've written about here are just two songs I really enjoy. Make sure you check out other songs as well. What's your favourite Amon Amarth song?

Live in Bergen, 2009.

TEN reasons to listen to 'Nexus Polaris'

2013-03-28T14:20:00.001-07:00

Funnily enough, the 1998 album by The Kovenant consists of ten songs. I am going to give you ten more reasons why you should listen to this creation of art!

1. The album is created by a bunch of talented musicians. We have Nagash (The Kovenant) on vocals/bass, Blackheart(The Kovenant) on guitar, Astennu (Dimmu Borgir) on guitar, Sverd (Arcturus) on keyboard, Sarah Jezebel Deva (Cradle of Filth) on vocals, Hellhammer(Mayhem) on drums. No wonder this album is so amazing.

2. All the songs has a beautiful melodic(symphonic) sound. The album includes a lot of piano, synth and violins. And choir/opera song, which creates an epic atmosphere (in your head, while listening). I can imagine falling asleep while listening to this album would be some experience. Oh the dreams you'd have then...

3. The lyrics are well written, and brings you through some epic stories.

4. The vocals are cool and different. Together with the opera/choir, it creates a big contrast in the music. While Nagash' vocals are rough and raw, Deva's vocals are softer and "prettier".

5. The album has won the title Best Hard Rock band at the Norwegian grammy's(1998). This is the first time in history this prize has been won. That's a damn good reason why you should listen to this album.

Awesome album art! The album came out before they changed their name to "The Kovenant".

6. When the re-release of the album came out in 2002, the songs where exactly the same as the 1998 recordings. Why? Because they are fucking awesome, they didn't need to be re-recorded.

7. Chariots of Thunder. Need I say more? THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST METAL SONGS EVER MADE, NO SHIT! The opening of the song includes an amazing, catchy guitar riff on top of an incredibly cool drum beat. Then comes the song of Deva. Her singing on this track is really what completes this song! After listening to this song, you'll be going around singing "ah, ah, ah, ah" (like she does) for days. Trust me, have a listen to it, and you'll figure out what I mean.

8. This album is considered The Kovenant's best album (the majority of the fans seem to think so anyway). That must be reason enough to check it out.

9. I can't think of any other bands that had a sound like this at the time the album came out (can you?). Which means this album is a revolution to the history of metal (the history of music, even).

10. While the album all in all sounds quite serious, the artists show that you are allowed to have some fun with the music as well. Just listen to the last track "New World Order". It is so funny. All the instruments are played in a funny way(a happy beat, and happy chords). The lyrics/vocals are also very funny. Honestly, the song makes me want to get on my feet and bounce around. But I have to say; listen to the original one, not the re-release.

I was one of the lucky few who got to see the band perform THE WHOLE ALBUM (Nexus Polaris) live! This was a special tour, which I don't think they've done before/since. This took place at the Inferno festival in Oslo(2010).

With that I will link you to the album on Spotify, that way you can listen to the WHOLE album. If you don't have spotify, get it now! (Or buy the album).

Anders Fridén - 24 Years of Awesome Music

2013-03-25T04:54:00.002-07:00

As a tribute to Anders Fridén's 40th birthday today, I thought I write a bit about him and what he's been doing. First of all, happy birthday Anders. It must be amazing to think about that you've been creating mind blowing music for over half your life?

Anders has been active within the music industry since 1989. He started out as the vocalist for Dark Tranquillity (based in Gothenburg). You can hear him on the first album Skydancer. Check out the song "Crimson Winds". This is how the earliest melodic death sounded like. Incredible how it started! (You could say it started with three bands: At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. They are the source of melodic death metal, or Gothenburg metal as it is also called). Fridén joined In Flames soon after he left Dark Tranquillity, which is the band he is most famous for. His first appearence was on In Flames' second album The Jester Race. Have a listen to the title track, it is amazing! The sound on this album had in many ways changed since the first album Lunar Strain, but they still stayed true to the Gothenburg sound!

After this, the band went along to become one of the most successful metal bands in Sweden's history. Metal fans all over the world wanted to buy their music and see them perform live. In 2001 their only live album "Tokyo Showdown" came out. It was a sensation, becuase not only had they recorded their first ever live album, but it was also recorded in Japan! People all over the world could now experience the live magic In Flames created, back home in their own living room(or wherever you may choose to listen to In Flames).

Anders is a really great live act. He knows his audience well, and has a relationship with his fans like no other artist. When you see In Flames live, it is difficult not feel like you're getting a special bond with him! He speaks to you through his lyrics! But you also connect with him when he talks to you either in person on between songs on stage (at least that's the way I feel).

Anders Fridén live on stage!

The first song I ever heard of In Flames was "Trigger". I remember thinking that this music was something I'd never heard before. Not long after, I was hooked. I started buying their albums and checking out everything from Lunar Strain to their newer albums (at that time the newest album was Come Clarity). In Flames was my favourite band in the whole world. And they still are one of my favourites! Whenever I listen to "Trigger", it brings me back to that first time I listened to it! I love that song!

I know there's been some discussion about their albums after Come Clarity (A Sense of Purpose and Sounds of a Playground Fading). But honestly, I don't really care. Their new music will never change how I feel about their old music. And also, what is a band if they never change and never develop? On that note, I will end this post. Make sure you check out In Flames and Dark Tranquillity (and his other prjoect Passenger).

Me with Anders Fridén and Daniel Svensson. (November 2009)

Band of the Week - Eisbrecher

2013-03-24T07:46:00.002-07:00

Ich dachte, es wäre angebracht auf Deutsch zu schreiben, weil Eisbrecher ist eine deutsche Band... Just kidding. Yes, this is a very German band, playing a very German genre called "Neue Deutsche Härte"(new German hardness), which basically is industrial/elecronic metal. The reason why I say "very German", is because I feel only the Germans can get this sound right. Yes, you have bands from other countries which have tried to do a similar thing, but it isn't quite the same as the German sound. It is a bit the same as with Norwegian black metal or Swedish(Gothenburg) melodic death metal.

Eisbrecher has been around since 2003, and they have made in total five albums in that period of time. My all time favourite is the second album "Antikörper"(2006). Yes, they play the same genre as Rammstein, but Eisbrecher is a bit more meoldic than Rammstein. The synth and electronic parts play a much bigger role in Eisbrecher's music than in Rammstein's music. However, what is similar is that the guitar riffs are quite simple, and recorded with a heavy tone. The vocals are very deep and they sing in German (of course). The vocals are a bit more distorted, and therefore it sounds a bit more metallic (industrial metal, you say?).

I can definitely hear the inspiration from bands like KMFDM and Rammstein, but they have managed to find their own path. Take for example the song "Leider"(Antikörper, 2006) It starts off with a cool piece of percussion, and I can't help but tapping my foot to it. The vocals are pretty straight forward, but what I love is when the guitar riffs kicks in(yes, it is as if it's "kicking"). And with the synth, it sounds like you're in a haunted house. I'm sure we're supposed to feel that way. Maybe that's how the main character in the song feels like inside his head.

I love the lyrics, I think they are very well written, simple and straight forward. They are quite easy to understand. For those of you who know German, you might have the same impression as me... The lyrics make me think about being in pain, or a need to feel. As the chorus suggests, the main character feels very sorry for himself and therefore feels like he has to hurt himself. This person is clearly not in control of his own thoughts, because he feels he have to hurt himself all the time. He seems like a very vunerable person. "Ich muss, ich muss mir wieder weh tun. Ich tu mir leid, so leid. Ich muss mir wieder weh tun, weil nur der Schmertz mich heilt" (I must, I must hurt myself again. I'm sorry for myself, so sorry. I must hurt myself again, because only pain heals me). Whether the song refers to actual physical harm or mental harm, is something you will have to decide for yourself. The lyrics definitely match the sadistic image industrial German bands tend to have.

Another song you might want to check out from the same album is "Ohne Dich". It is one of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard. It is beautiful and raw, so sincere! "Gothkiller"(Eiszeit, 2010) is a bit different to their other songs. First of all it's in English, and secondly it is a bit more pop than the other songs. But what I do love about this song is the guitar solo!

...This is only me mentioning a few songs I like, do make sure you check out their other music too!

Band of the Week - Gojira

2013-03-19T10:02:00.001-07:00

It may not come as a surprise that the week I'm seeing them live, they are one of my most listened to. Gojira is a French progressive death metal band, which is as heavy as it gets. They take the word "heavy" to a new level. They have a unique technical skill that I've never seen before. I will even go as far to say they've created a musical style many other bands crave to understand and wish they could use themselves. Some bands use Gojira as an inspiration to their own music, which is fine, but they will never quite get to where "Godzilla" is today.

The emphasis might be on the heavy riffs Gojira creates, but one must not forget the beautiful melodic parts they include in most of their songs. Take for instance the song "The Gift of Guilt" from their newest album "L'Enfant Sauvage". The opening riff is amazing, loaded with feeling. It echoes throughout the whole song, and I can't help but think what went through their heads as they wrote this song. It makes me think of longing for something, and the desperation you might feel from this. As the title suggests, the song is about guilt. I can picture this music ringing in my ears whenever I feel gulty. It is a feeling I believe many of their listeners will have found in themselves at one point in their life. Incredible that a band can recreate a feeling like that, just by playing their instruments.

L'Enfant Sauvage. Picture taken of the head used on stage on the Jägermeister Music Tour.

"Esoteric Surgery"(The Way of All Flesh). Need I say more? Try listening to this song and tell me you don't love this band. The drums are so powerful and awesome. Some drummers will have a thing or two to learn from this guy(Mario Duplantier). He knows drums! Yes, the rest of the song is mind blowing as well, but had it not been for this perfectly created piece of percussion, this song would've been nothing. This song always gives me a big lump in my throat, which I struggle to swallow. You know that lump that makes it impossible to speak, that makes you want to cry or scream. But all you can do is sit still, listen to the music, and take it all in.

Speaking of heavy. VACUITY. This song is on the same album as Esoteric Surgery, and I believe these songs compliment each other. On one hand you have the faster song, where the focus lays on the drums. On the other hand you have this slow, heavy piece. I can't help but to nod my head to this track, and when seeing this song live, I woulcn't be able to hold back the rage it creates inside me.

I could continue writing about their other songs as well. For example how insanely awesome "From the Sky" (From Mars to Sirius) is, but unfortunately this entry would end up being way to long. If you have never listenend to Gojira before, check out the songs I have mentioned here. If you are an experienced Gojira listener, please leave a comment with your favourite songs and let me know what you believe makes those songs awesome.

Here's a full concert from Graspop Metal Meeting 2012. Check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw4BH6UFaCw

Jägermeister Music Tour

2013-03-19T08:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went down to the O2 Academy in Sheffield to enjoy some good music. It's been a while since I've been to a metal concert, so it's good to fresh up my memory on how it's really like.

The first band was The Defiled. Now, when they walked on I can't say I was very impressed. They looked like a cross between Ronnie Radke and Marilyn Manson. So what kind of music can you expect from that? The sound wasn't very good, which I suppose wasn't really their fault. It was way too heavy on the bass. The keyboard served no purpose what so ever, because you couldn't hear it. And The AvD (on keyboard) looked dead uncomfortable throughout the whole concert. To the musical part, I didn't really like the vocals. However, the instrumental part was alright from time to time. I did like the heavier riffs. And the last song they performed, "Call to Arms", was quite cool!

The Defiled

The next band on is a band I would like to call the kings of heavy riffs. Gojira are truly amazing. They know how to deliver a show you just want to headbang the shit out of! And if you ever want to learn how to play drums, have a look at Mario Duplantier. He is one of the best drummers I know. And he kicked ass last night! Gojira played some songs from the new album L'Enfant Sauvage, like for instance the title track. But they also played some older stuff like "The Heaviest Matter of the Universe", which I suppose is a suitable title for one of the heaviest bands of the universe. One of the songs I enjoyed in paricular was "Oroborus" of "The Way of All Flesh". All in all, Gojira is an amazing band, both live and in the studio. If you ever get the chance to see them, do not pass on that opportunity!

Gojira.

The headliner's of the whole Jägermeister Music Tour were Swedish, Satan worshipping, Ghost. Before the concert started, the venue was filled with insence. It smelled like what I can imagine a medieval church would smell like. As you might expect, the concert was like a big sermon, like a sermon you've never seen before. An anti-christian sermon, I have to point out. The songs were all well performed, and Papa Emeritus II's voice was as mesmerizing as ever. They played five songs from their upcoming album "Infestissumam", which comes out in April. The new songs were truly amazing. As a big fan of the band, it made me very pleased to know that the next album will most likely be as big of a success as the previous album. Two of the new songs, "Secular Haze" and "Year Zero" have already been released. The other three were a preview of what to expect. Other songs they played were "Elizabeth" and "Con Clavi Con Dio" (to name a couple). The band is unique, and it is unlikely that you've seen anything like it before! Yes, it might remind you a bit of Mercyful Fate (King Diamond). Ghost's inspiration might come from the 70s and the 80s, but the music has its own sound and personality. Make sure you see them live!

Papa Emeritus II

The sermon.

Nifrost

2013-03-12T13:55:00.001-07:00

Nifrost is a folkloric black metal band from Jølster in Norway. The band was formed in 2005 by Eyvind Aardal, Kjetil Andreas Nydal and Tage Årdal. Jørn Ståle Norheim joined the band later on.

Unless you're not Norwegian, you might not understand a word of what I'm about to say in the next paragraph, but here we go...

All their songs are written in their own dialect called "jørstamål" . Which I think is incredible cool. I wish I could read the lyrics while listening, so I can only assume what the lyrics are about from the titles. And with it being a folkloric/black metal band, I'd guess it has some aspects of Norwegian nationalism to it.

The songs are genreally very catchy, and has a cool beat. The song "Ei Vinternatt" is the sort of song I can picture myself listening to while sitting on the grass with a beer in my hand (preferably at a festival like Hellfest). I really enjoy some of the heavier guitar riffs. The transition from a fast tempo to a slow, heavier tempo is always appreciated from my point of view. Some of the heavier riffs in for example Svigersvorne actually reminds me a bit of some of Gojira's heavier riffs.

The ending of Svigersvorne is very beautiful and raw. And this is one of the places where I can fully hear and understand the lyrics. This makes the song even more powerful than before. The contrast between the clean vocals and the instrumental part is tremendous.

I can definitely hear an influence from other Norwegian black metal (such as Taake) in their songs. If you're going to be influence by black metal bands, the Norwegian ones are definitely where you want to start. Norway is the land of black metal, no doubt. Glad to be able to recognise the country of origin just through the black side of the music. Of course, I can hear it in the folk as well (and the lyrics). But just as melodic death metal from Gothenburg has its own sound, Norwegian black metal has its own sound too.

Will you enjoy listening to this band as much as I did? Check them out on their website.

Band of the week - The 69 Eyes

2013-03-10T12:56:00.001-07:00

I remember when I first started listening to The 69 Eyes. It must have been about six or seven years ago. My sister sort of indirectly introduced me to them. She used to listen to them all the time, but at first I thought it was two different bands... Let me explain.

The older 69 Eyes sounds completely different to the newer 69 Eyes. So when listening to it in the background without knowing who they are, you don't realise that all the songs are made by the same people. Over time, 69 Eyes has changed a lot. It started out as glam rock, where as today it is a lot more gothic than glam. I remember listening to songs like Juicy Lucy(Bump N' Grind), Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams(title track) and Feel Berlin(Devils). If you know the band, you'll automatically know that these three songs are completely different to each other. The vocals change and their whole musical style changes.

The 69 Eyes is a strange band. I know bands that have changed a bit over time, and there's nothing wrong with that. It means that the band is evolving. You don't want to keep doing the same old thing over and over again. But I have never seen a band change as much as The 69 Eyes.

I really enjoy most of the bands work, but lately I've been in to their older stuff. I've been listening a lot to their three first albums Bump N' Grind, Motor City Resurrection(technically this album has many of the songs from the previous album) and Savage Garden.

I'll write this today, even though it might change tomorrow...my favourite 69 Eyes song is Juicy Lucy. I can't explain it in any other way than: it's ROCK N' ROLL! Juicy Lucy has an awesome beat, catchy lyrics and cool guitar riffs(and I do love the guitar solo). The piano parts lifts the song to a different level. Perhaps it's not the most complicated song ever, but it doesn't need to be. Juicy Lucy is leather and sun glasses, it is layered hair cuts and ripped jeans. It's old school (for 2013 anyway).

Check out Juicy Lucy on Spotify or Youtube

Agonyst

2013-03-09T10:29:00.001-08:00

Here's another band I found in my followers on Twitter. I thought I'd give them a listen.

The band is called Agonyst. They are a progressive death metal band from Norwich, UK. The band consists of four members; Louis Coates on lead guitar/vocals, David Perrin on guitar/vocals, Zac O'Neil on drums and Nathan Weanie on bass.

When I first started listening to "Omni" ,the first song of their debut album "Centennial", my initial thought was the band is definitely inspired by Mikael Åkerfeldts(Opeth) clean vs. growl vocal. But that is what makes the music more interesting; being able to hear their inspirations, while they're still being able to do something new. Being inspired by others is definitely not a negative thing. It is what all musicians have done and one point or another.

When getting further into the track, I soon realise that this is not like Opeth at all. It is clever, like Opeth, but in a different way. The songs in general seem to be well composed. Some bands can be very repetitive and you can often tell where the song is going to go next. That is not the case with this band. All the songs are all very different to each other, and it is extremly difficult to predict what is going to happen next.

What you have to remember when listening to a progressive band is that patience is key. Long songs will have to be appreciated, but if you're the sort of person who cannot handle long songs, this band isn't for you. However if you appreciate the exploration of music that progressive bands do, this will probably be right up your street.

My impression of people making progressive music is that they are extremly clever (musically clever, anyway). But because I don't know the people in this band, I don't know if that is the case here as well. What I do know, however, is that mastering progressive music is not something you can just do without having any experience. It's technically challenging, and not everyone is cut out for making such music.

You should definitely check out their music on MySpace

Stegosaurus on Marshland Acidic Trip

2013-03-05T09:55:00.001-08:00

Fru Luna, better known as Kristin Burdal, is a 22-year-old musician/composer from Norway. She composes her music using Mixcraft with plug-ins like East West and Quantum Loop.

Her main project is an electronic project called Stegosaurus on Marshland Acidic Trip. All Stegosaurus albums tell individual stories. My impression of the latest album, "Are You AnyWhere?", is that Stegosaurus is on a quest to find/save the Green Goddess. It seems like it (Stegosaurus) has to get through different obstacles to get to where it needs to be. Stegosaurus seems to be coming very close to the Green Goddess a few times, but then something happens and it has to keep on searching for her. However, I have concluded that Stegosaurus does in fact manage to save the Green Goddess in the end, because the title of the second to last song on the album is simply just "The Green Goddess".

One song that in particular caught my attention was "Calling Upon Ba'al Shamin". The music itself is well orchestrated. We've entered a completely different part of the world now. Because the contrast between the previous song "Spring the Lamb's Bread" and "Calling Upon Ba'al Shamin", is huge. The track starts of quite calm, as if we are getting introduced to a new world. Then it speeds up. It's as if we're running through an adventure. But where/what are we running towards/from? After doing some searching around, it has been brought to my attention that Ba'al Shamin is in fact an ancient Syrian god. I can't figure out what role Ba'al is supposed to play in this matter. Is he supposed to help Stegosaurus find the Green Goddess?

This is what Kristin says about the song: "at one point, Stegosaurus is about to give up. It feels as though it is impossible to find the Green Goddess. For that reason he seeks help from 'the Sky Lord' Ba'al Shamin.This song is connected to the next song, 'The Answer', which is supposed to be Ba'al Shamin's answering to Stegosaurus' prayers. It's important that I mention that this in no way is supposed to be some religious message or anything. Why I chose Ba'al Shamin, is basically because what really happens is that Stegosaurus gets high, and therefore calling upon a 'Sky God' seemed appropriate..."

I could probably analyse all the songs on this album, but this little blog would turn into a book if I did. As for the musical side to it, each individual song tells their own story. They are all very well composed and it seems like nothing is done by random. Kristin has an ear for putting strange notes together, that some people wouldn't necessarily put together. Somehow she makes it work, and that can't be an easy job, not even for the most experienced musician. She is definitely no stranger to the progressive and experimental genre. This album is a work of art, and it certainly is an experience listening through it. This is the future!

Album artwork by Inna Hansen - www.doodlepod.blogspot.no

For your own interpretation of the album, listen to it here - FruLuna-

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators

2013-03-04T02:23:00.001-08:00

As the headline might suggest, this is another concert review. Slash played two dates in England, one of which took place in Nottingham on Thursday 28. February.

After waiting one and a half hours after the doors openend, the warm up band, The Treatment, entered the stage. The band was full of energy and ready to try to get the crowd going You could clearly see that their biggest inspiration is Mötley Crue, simply from the hair cuts and clothes. It sort of looked like they had been dragged out of the 80s, which I suppose went along with the music they played. They were very fun to watch, but some of the songs didn't feel that original to me. Considering that this was the biggest show they had ever done, they did a decent job, but I think most of the people in the audience were ready for Slash not long after they started playing.

The Treatment

Slash and the band always seem to deliver, and so they did yet again. Playing a variety of some new and some old songs, they created a great vibe throughout the whole venue. Everyone were singing along and moving to the drumbeats. Some of the songs they played were Anastasia (from the new album), Back from Cali (from the previous album) and of course some Guns N' Roses like Paradise City, which is always to be expected at a Slash concert. Myles Kennedy is difficult not to love. He has this innocent sort of look, and a voice of an angel. He always hits the high notes, and - speaking for myself - it gave me goose bumps several times during the concert.

Myles Kennedy and Slash

When I have seen this line-up before, the focus has often been on mainly Slash (obviously) and Myles Kennedy. But on this concert, bassist Todd Kerns got the spotlight on a few songs, such as Doctor Alibi and Welcome to the Jungle. Who said bassists can't sing? I'm not sure if it was like this on the whole tour, or whether he got to sing a few more songs because Kennedy had a cold. Either way, it was awesome!

Todd Kerns on bass and vocals

For many, the highlight of the evening was probably Rocket Queen. The band had made a slight alteration to the song - a 15 minute guitar solo from Slash. It did drag out a bit, but you can't complain. After all, it was a Slash concert... If I had to pick on anything, it would be the fact that neither of them said much through the whole concert. But I concluded that this was because they had been on tour for a long time, and every day they wake up in a new city. They had a job to do (play the concert), and they did the job pretty damn well.

Welcome to the Jungle

AngelFlayeR

2013-03-03T06:37:00.003-08:00

AngelFlayeR is a German/Swedish melodic death metal project, which was founded in 2012. It consists of two members, Heiko Lange and Daniel Friberg. When hearing the song "For My Betrayer" I immediatly think about a cross between In Flames and Amon Amarth. The sound is very unique and in this song in particular you get a flavour of melodic guitar roaming over heavy guitar riffs. The vocals are well executed and it goes well with the instrumental part.

The second song I listened to is called "Crown of Thorns". This song is truly amazing. The music is indeed very cool and catchy, but what really makes this song is the lyrics. Reading the lyrics while listening to the track makes me shiver, and it is not often I react like that to written words. The lyrics seem so honest and sincere, so that might be the explanation why I feel this way about the song.

You can clearly hear that this band consists of experienced musicians. The music flows so easily, and the songs are mixed to a very high standard. It is easy to forget that the band was founded just a year ago, because when listening to their music they could've easily been around since the 90s, growing and getting recognised with other bands from that era such as At The Gates.

As a big fan of Swedish metal, this band lives up to the standard that has already been set by the older bands. It is reassuring and amazing to see that bands like this still exists, even 20 years later.

The band has uploaded their songs to their website www.angelflayer.com
Make sure to check it out, you won't want to miss out on this one!

Changes

2013-03-03T05:19:00.000-08:00

I thought it was about time to do something new on this blog. And what I'm going to do now is look at some of the bands who are following me on Twitter and write a review of it! I mainly want to review bands I don't already know, who are new to the industry and so on. I am open to review anything you've got for me, so for the bands who already follow me - thank you, I will try and write a review for you all. And for those who do not yet follow me, do it now, and I'll see what I come up with.

Find me on Twitter @annaburdal .

The DD Tour

2013-02-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't believe how small the venue was, unless you were there, but I will try to explain it anyway. Santiago Bar is a tiny bar inside the Grand Arcade in the middle of Leeds. It has a bar at the enterance and then a little staircase down to a lower level which is where the bands set up. The place definitely have a feel of a "basement party in high school", as the last act of the evening, Phil X, put it.

Excited and with no knowledge of what to expect, people started lining up outside the bar. After running a little bit late, they finally let us in. As one of the first people to get in, I went straight to the stage area. No pushing through people, no thinking "I won't be able to see the band from here". The atmosphere was very laid back, and the audience seemed generally happy about what was going on.

The first act of the evening was Paul Glover. Equipped with only a guitar, a pedal and a loud speaker system, he managed to make people stop talking and just listen to what he had to do. He is a very talented guitarist, and as far as I could tell, there wasn't anyone there who wasn't impressed by what he did.

A little while after Mr Glover finished his last solo, a five-man-band walked through the audience and started tuning their guitars and preparing the stage for the next set. That's how small the venue is, there's not even a separate door for the musicians to enter and leave the stage. Stormborn is like an 80s rock band on steroids(is that what you call power metal these days?) It was difficult not to smile and cheer along to them, because they were full of energy and they did create a very good atmosphere. The only thing that worried me slightly was that they were five people, swinging their instruments and limbs around, in very small amount of space. It was incredible that no one -the audience or the band- got smacked across the face.

Stormborn

The highlight of the evening(for many in the crowd) came next, Dorje. Rob Chapman was literally in my face through the whole concert. What was different about this band, was that they were very including. They talked to the audience and included us in the show. They delivered a well performed set list with some killer solos. Mr Chapman himself was very welcoming, thanking us all for turning up and singing along to their songs. These guys are incredible talented, and it is difficult to take your eyes of their hands wondering whether one of them will mess up. None of them ever did, as far as I could tell. What more could you ask from a band?

Rabea Massaad and Rob Chapman

The last band for the evening was Phil X and The Drills. Playing in such an intimate room was definitely a new experience to them, but they didn't seem to mind. Phil X is a star. He knows how to entertain and he knows how to get the crowd going. The Drills performed everything from Swatted Fly to Kiss My Troublemaker. They also covered bands like ZZ Top, The Knack and Led Zeppelin. All in all the set list was very good, even though they seemed to make most of it up as they went along. Nothing wrong with that! The trio is a very funny combination. Not only do they "kick ass" on their instruments, but they also have an insane chemistry with each other.

Phil X

All in all, the evening was unforgetable, and I give it a 6(out of 6, obviously) because they proved that size really doesn't matter. A small venue results in an extraordinary experience.

Are concerts dangerous?

2012-10-20T09:42:00.003-07:00

Not a very newsy story, but I thought I'd write about something that concerned me a bit yesterday. Last I went to a Down concert at Manchester Academy. What I experienced was several injuries and people passing out. Why?

Down can be a quite heavy band and they do know how to get the crowd going. After being inside The Academy for several hours, after watching two warm up bands, Down finally came on stage. By this time it was starting to get really hot. Many people came running out from the middle of the crowd pouring with sweat. On three occations I saw someone having to get help to walk. Now I don't know whether they were drunk, or if they were about to pass out, but it still looked pretty rought. I also so a girl coming out of the crowd in the middle holding her hand on her bleeding forehead. With the number of people crowd surfing, she could easily have been kicked in the head by someones boot.

I have never seen as many people injured/passed out at an indoor concert before. Is this just a Down thing? I would like to say concerts can be very dangerous, but after being there yesterday, I am glad to say that people actually do take care of each other(even if you know each other or not). When a guy dragged his passed out friend through the crowd, others came and helped him carry his friend and lay him down on the floor away from the crowd. I've had some bad experiences too, for instance when I was in the middle of the crowd at a Machine Head concert. The audience were so excited and everyone wanted to be at the front. This ended with all the people at the front(including me) getting squashed. And because this was at a festival, there was a lot more people pushing than at a normal concert. I couldn't breathe and I panicked. Luckily I managed to get help from someone in the crowd. So the conclusion is that if you become injured or simply just have gotten "too much" at a concert, there is always someone who will help you out.

Trashed on Twitter

2012-10-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

After getting into a pretty heavy discussion with someone on Twitter, I decided to write an entry about it. The thing is, I don't mind discussions. I suppose everyone like to discuss things that mean something to them or they have knowledge about. But when you get total strangers accusing you for being a racist and use abusive language towards you, the sudden urge to discuss kind of drops off. Why do people have to be so abusive?

Another area to social media (Twitter) I have noticed is the ability people have to completely trash/spam you. You don't really get that on Facebook, but with Twitter it is so much easier to be spotted. Today I received several abusive messages from someone I have never interacted with before. He had simply spotted one of my tweets, and then completely trashed me, calling me names and all sorts. This is not acceptable! Luckily I have the ability to report and block people like that.

I guess it is the thing you have to expect from online interactions. People who normally wouldn't say anything, have time to think about a response that will just completely destroy the other person. But guess what, calling people abusive names doesn't make you good at discussing things. People would never say what they said to me in real life. #Fact

Presidential election

2012-10-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

The US election has been going on for a while now, but it is really starting to kick off. One place you can get constant updates on the matter is of course on Twitter. While many people are hoping that Barack Obama will remain president for the next four years, others have a stronger feeling for republican Mitt Romney. Who has a better chance?

A massive "tweet war" has broken out after actress, model and political activist Eva Longoria started to encourage people to use their votes in the election. It was when Longoria, who is democratic, started retweeting what the republican supporters were writing. According to her Tweets this was in order to create a discussion, and not because she had changed her own view. "I use Twitter as a platform for all Americans and their opinions. Sorry if people were offended by retweet. Obviously not my words or my personal view. I respect all Americans #FreedomOfSpeech" she tweeted earlier today. She then tweeted "I retweet many people I don't agree with for the purpose of discussion and dialogue, that’s democracy...and boy did this create dialogue!" She received lots of support, but also lots of hate-tweets. Is this what Twitter has become? I thought Twitter was supposed to be about sharing opinion and using your voice. Which is exactly what Eva Longoria is doing.

Are bloggers journalists?

2012-10-18T08:08:00.004-07:00

As a response to all the angry people out there who think bloggers are not journalists, I have written my own personal view on the subject(on my blog, of course).

What is journalism, really? Who is to define what a journalist is and how he/she operates? In my opinion, a journalist is someone who spreads information to a group of people. It can be a large group of people, or a smaller group of people. The information can be called news, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. Information is so much more than just news. Both journalists and bloggers publish information in the public. It doesn't matter where it is published, what matters is that someone is reading it. Both comment and analyze content, and both also put a new perspective on certain subjects.

The difference is that professional journalists who for instance write for a national newspaper have certain responsibilities. They have to make sure that what they write is the truth by checking their sources and they shouldn't make the article "poisoned" by their own opinion(which is what some people think bloggers are doing).

I believe that a blogger can be a good journalists and vice versa. What you should consider is the quality of what is written. Some bloggers can't be seen as a journalist simply because their written content is so bad. But for those who are putting time and effort into their writing, good for you. I think you are contributing well, and I don't see why you can't be seen as an online journalist.

For me as a student journalist, having a blog is very handy. Not only can I put my university work up here, but I can also find other stories and write about them as well. I should probably be against those who "think" they are journalists without a degree, since I am paying alot of money to get my journalism degree, but the truth is, I think blogging is great. If you have something you want and need to get off your chest, blog about it!

Stagecoach leaves elderly woman behind

2012-10-18T07:33:00.001-07:00

Buses in Sheffield can't always be trusted, that is something I have definitely noticed by now. In an earlier post on my other blog (http://annaburdal.weebly.com/1/post/2012/10/number-51.html) I wrote about how the bus route I normally take is very late and how the bus company don't seem to be able to do anything about it.

Today I am going to talk about a complete different bus route from different bus company. I was on my way home on the number 123 (Stagecoach) which goes towards Crimicar Lane(Fulwood) in Sheffield. The bus wasn't busy at all, and had many free seats. When we came up towards Tesco Express, an old lady was standing at the bus stop and waved the bus in. The bus stopped and she looked so happy because it had finally arrived. She picked up her bag and started walking towards the door. Before she reached it, the bus driver just drove off in a big rush. She was left standing on the sidewalk with a bag in her hand. I have no idea what I just witnessed, but I know it made me feel very angry. Is this acceptable?