All posts by Chris Butera

Chris Butera enjoys going to metal concerts, reading and having a cold one with friends.
Music

The Unravelling “13 Arcane Hymns” Review

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In 2010, Canadian Industrial band “The Unravelling” released an album that shook (and continues to shake) the very core of the metal underground.

That album is “13 Arcane Hymns.”

While drastically different from their newly released single “Revolt,” “Hymns” focuses on Lamb of God/ Tool influenced progressive grooves with locking tribal drumming and a frightful array of haunting, mid-range vocals crossing a link between Fear Factory and Alice In Chains.

The kicker: a mammoth wall of sound created by two Canadians.

Singer Scott Moore and instrumentalist Gustavo de Beauville have unleashed the early stages of a complicated vision with “13 Arcane Hymns” that is currently building into something beautiful.
Standout tracks from “Hymns” include the three openers “Move Forward Until You are Dead,” ”Becoming Chaos” and “Fire Breather.” The chemistry between Moore and Beauville is striking, capturing fear and imagination in the layers of emotions flattened into a myriad of sound.

“Last Rights Protest” is arguably the most gripping song on the album. Moore’s anger is expressed ten-fold with Beauville’s aggressive talents backing him.

“My Resignation” and “Arjuna” help round out the album with soothing intimidation reimagining pain. The progressive tendencies contain a great ebb and flow that build to impressive portraits through an innate wall of sound.

While a difficult struggle with Cancer put a strong hiatus on the band for five years, The Unraveilling have returned with “Revolt,” but their debut album serves as a blueprint for where they can (and will) go. The Unravelling’s initial unraveling still holds a body of water for what the band will eventually become. If you haven’t heard them before, do yourself a favor and give The Unravelling a whirl, starting from square one.

Music

Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 11 – Bruce “AllOne” Pandolfo

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Our guest is independent Hip Hop artist Bruce “AllOne” Pandolfo. Pandolfo is you’re average Long Island Joe with an uncanny mastering of the English language. Channeling different music genres with poetic, freestyle lyrics reflecting life in the vein of Mos Def and Eyedea, AllOne is a force to be reckoned with.

Check out AllOne here.

Music

The Unravelling Reemerge With “Revolt” Single

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After five years of waiting, The Unravelling are preparing to unleash their follow up to their critically acclaimed 2010 album “13 Arcane Hymns” stating with their new single “Revolt.”

Shortly after the release of “13 Arcane Hymns,” vocalist Steve Moore became ill. In 2011, Morse was diagnosed with cancer. The fate of the Alberta, Canada duo would have to wait while Moore coped with his condition, resulting in a five year hiatus.

During Moore’s extensive battle, instrumentalist and band founder Gustavo de Beauville would spend his time working with soundtrack and various forms of production.

Moore’s perseverance would hold true and he eventually beat cancer. With his health restored, The Uravelling would rise from the ashes like a Canadian Phoenix.

While “13 Arcane Hymns” contained a sound that was one part Fear Factory, two parts Lamb of God and a sliver of Devin Townsend; “Revolt” is more Nine Inch Nails merged with early Alice In Chains. Beauville’s moving synths and well placed guitar drones connecting with Moore’s chilling, pained vocals cultivate the appropriately named piece into a deranged masterpiece.

Although the single (which can be heard here) sounds drastically different from their well received debut, The Unravelling have changed just as drastically from their own personal experiences and have found a way to have art imitate life for once.

Pro Wrestling

WWE Elimination Chamber Predictions

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After a brief hiatus, WWE is bringing back the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view  exclusively on the WWE Network this Sunday.

Four out of the five championships will be defended with two being inside the dreaded Elimination Chamber for which the event is named.

For some, the stakes can’t be any higher. For others, the rewards will be vast. For all, there will be no mercy.

Here are our predictions for the event.

Neville vs. Bo Dallas: What started as Dallas trolling Neville’s slump has evolved into a grudge match rekindling their NXT rivalry. Expect a nice exchange between the two before Dallas pulls an underhanded tactic to squeak out a win in hopefully the first of a series of matches on the big stage.

Tag Team Championships Elimination Chamber Match – The New Day (c) vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd vs. The Ascension vs. Los Matadores vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Prime Time Players: For the first time the Tag Team Championships will be defended inside the Elimination Chamber. Given the circumstance, this is going to be both fun to watch and a bit confusing when determining the grounds for elimination. Having said that, there are going to be plenty of high spots involving The New Day’s Kofi Kingston, The Lucha Dragons and Cesaro and Kidd. When you give young talent with unique styles an enclosed cage you are creating a recipe for beautiful, violent art and we can’t wait. However; we feel that The New Day is going to end up retaining with another slight of hand from the groups wild card Xavier Woods. One question remains: does one member have to be pinned or submitted for a team’s elimination or do both members have to be eliminated individually? We’ll know for sure come Sunday.

Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Match – United States Champion John Cena vs. NXT Champion Kevin Owens: This is something the WWE should cherish. Since making his NXT debut roughly three months ago, Owens has not only dominated but completely changed the WWE landscape in that short time. Cena has also greatly invigorated the United States title as well, making it feel as important as it should be with his weekly open challenges while giving the rub to young talent waiting to shine. Though it would not be the worst thing in the world for Cena to win, Owens is something special and should be treated as a commodity. If WWE wants to continue building the NXT Champion as a monster they should have him go over the Cenation Leader. Win Owens, win.

Triple Threat Divas Championship Match – Nikki Bella(c) vs. Naomi vs. Paige: Naomi has been gunning for the Divas Championship for quite some time now and Bella has held on long enough. Paige is the wild card in the match with her eyes set on not only a third title reign but revenge on Naomi as well. The two’s history has been budding for several months as Paige was originally set to take on Bella at Elimination Chamber, only to be taken out of action by the former Funkadactyl. Sunday night will not be her night, as Naomi will finally rise above the ashes and taste gold for the first time in her career.

Elimination Chamber Match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship – R-Truth vs. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. King Barrett vs. Ryback vs. Rusev: When Daniel Bryan vacated the Intercontinental title due to injury last month, he may have given Elimination Chamber a small blessing in disguise. While he is unable to compete, a new champion will be crowned. One of the best features of the Elimination Chamber is the unpredictable feeling of when a competitor will be unleashed from the pod and who will be eliminated by whom. This match will have all that and more due to how even the odds are for every WWE Superstar involved.  While the momentum is on Barrett’s shoulders, he needs something more than the Intercontinental title as he’s held it enough to show he’s ready for the main event. Due to an unforeseen injury on Smackdown, Rusev may not be in the match and there are talks of him being replaced with Bray Wyatt if he is not able to compete. If Rusev is in, he’s taking home the gold. If he’s out and is in fact replaced by Wyatt, then the Eater of Worlds will leave the arena 10 pounds heavier.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match – Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose: This is one of the more intense rivalries WWE has built up in a while. These two were brothers in The Shield before Rollins did the unthinkable and turned on his fellow man for corporate greed. A little more than a year later, the self-proclaimed “Future of WWE” is sitting atop the food chain as WWE Champion with Triple H’s Pedigree finisher at his disposal. The Lunatic Fringe on the other hand, is fighting in the trenches day in and day out against anyone and everyone just to get his hands on Rollins. This Sunday he finally gets another shot at his former ally in what could be their best match to date. Ambrose is not going to win, but he’s going to put on a clinic trying.

Music

King Parrot: Dead Set Review

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When one finds a band that sells a t-shirt bearing the words “I’m not here to fuck spiders,” it’s safe to say they have no idea what they’re in for.

That band is King Parrot; a destructive grindcore act from the hardcore pubs of southern Australia who is bestowing their sophomore album entitled “Dead Set” on Pantera and Down’s legendary front man Phil Anselmo’s (who also produced the release) Housecore Records.

The album kicks off with “Anthem of the Advanced Sinner.” If you’re familiar with King Parrot’s music the difference in production is night and day compared to their first album “Bite Your Head Off.” The clarity of each individual member is striking and it goes to show what a difference a larger budget and ample amounts of time can make.

“Dead Set” progresses deeper into darkness with “Need No Saviour,” “Hell Comes Your Way” and “Like a Rat,” boasting speed and relentless grind with true precision and technicality. The plunge then goes further with “Tomorrow Turns to Blood” and “Home is Where the Gutter is” when the grind becomes blackened and sludgy. The songs slowly start to accumulate grooves in all the right places, twisting King Parrot into form.

“Sick in the Head” and “Punisher” shake things up a bit by starting with thrash laden riffs before taking some groove oriented turns at Albuquerque. One of the best things about King Parrot is that their music is all over the place, never sticking to the same formula twice. We could be looking at the first “progressive grindcore” band – if ever there could be such a thing.

Although every musician has bolstered their repertoire on Dead Set, no one has improved more than vocalist Matt “Youngy” Young. Youngy’s voice has gotten significantly higher (which he attributes to quitting cigarettes) and more ferocious at that. Whereas Youngy sonically was a bit more like Steve “Zetro” Souza (Exodus) on “Bite Your Head Off,” he’s much more in the vein of Tomas Lindberg (At the Gates, Lock Up) on “Dead Set.”

The final two songs “Reject” and the title track combine everything that King Parrot have done so far on “Dead Set” and then crank it up a few notches for good measure. The title track not only revolves around a blackened breakdown, but it also clocks in at six minutes and 49 seconds; the longest song King Parrot has ever recorded to date.

King Parrot continues to be unpredictable with “Dead Set” and have clearly gone a long way from playing locally to tens of people. With the added experience from the success of “Bite Your Head Off,” the band has musically matured for the better and it shows on every crevice of “Dead Set”.

After all, they’re not here to fuck spiders.

Movies

Trailer Feedback: Cooties

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In our youth, there was once an invisible disease all little boys and girls had at some time in their lives called “Cooties.”

Essentially a warped version of tag, cooties could be brought on at a moment’s notice when one child would yell that another “had cooties”. Those highly contagious cooties could then be given to someone else by touching them and screaming loudly that said child now “has cooties”.

The only way to rid someone of their cooties would be to give them a “cootie shot” by making circular patterns on the victims wrist and saying “circle circle, dot dot, now you’ve got the cootie shot” before poking the cooties away.

But what if one of the cutest “diseases” on earth was actually a food-borne virus that turned kids into zombies?

In a nutshell, this is “Cooties;” a comedy-horror film that hits theaters just in time for class in September.

Elijah Wood (“Lord of The Rings” trilogy, “Green Street Hooligans”), Rainn Wilson (“Backstrom,” “The Office”) and a plethora of others star as teachers and faculty of an elementary school overrun with zombie children in what looks to be a smart, funny and adorable showing in the vein of “Zombieland”.

“Cooties” should have an abundance of great lines and cult classic moments. A trailer highlight is the tail end when Wilson cooly says “Naptime, mother- (shut your mouth)” before lighting a jumping jamboree full of infected kids on fire.

How’s that for a cootie shot?

Movies

Trailer Feedback: Poltergeist (2015)

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This weekend horror icon Sam Rami (“Evil Dead” trilogy, “Drag Me to Hell”) and director Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) are prepared to deliver a modern retelling of Tobe Hooper’s 1982 terror classic, “Poltergeist”.

Our first glimpse of the film is full of Rami’s signature style of in-your-face jump scares, complete with slightly humorous teases. The infamous clown doll looks sinister as ever and is going to be a pleasure to endure in full effect.

The casting of the Bowan family looks to be decent as their fear and concern feels legitimate and does not appear to come off campy. Youngster Kennedi Clements is undoubtedly going to steal the show as ghost hostage Madison.

Jared Harris (“Pompeii”, “Natural Born Killers”) looks interesting as Carrigan Burke and may end up being a total badass from the sights of the trailer.

We are also treated to a combination of impressive visuals (restless spirits of the other side) and practical effects, which is always a treat as most films will rely heavily on CGI.

If you’re a fan of the Poltergeist movies or horror in general, head over to the theaters and shell out some coin for a trip down memory lane.

They’re waiting.

Gaming

Throwback Thursday: Top 5 Poke’mon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire Mega Evolutions

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With every new Poke’mon release (and re-release) we now have the awesome feature of Mega-Evolutions, with more available with every 3DS adventure. Being that only a select few poke’mon possess that ability, it makes some stand out above the rest. Here are our top 5 mega-evolutions from Poke’mon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.


Mega Swampert – When holding a mega stone, Swampert upgrades its “cool factor” to turn into Brock Lesnar. Mega Swampert looks like it’s begging for a fight and whoever’s on the receiving end of its Hammer Arm is not getting up any time soon. Despite its awesome looks and newfound aggression, we are a little peeved that Mega Swampert does not learn F-5.


Mega Steelix – When mega evolved, Steelix grows armlike appendages and has an aura of metal constructs floating around him ala Magneto. This thing looks like an angry Imperial fleet and possibly could take on the Death Star.


Mega Salamence- While the appearance change is not too drastic, Mega Salamence’s wingspan has become larger and it is now topped off with a shell-based armor around its body. It’s the batplane on steroids and we raucously approve.


Mega Sceptile- Eat your hearts out, turtles. Mega Sceptile completes the reptilian ninja look and fuses it with a Stegosaur-oriented tree tail. Speaking of tree tails, Mega Sceptile’s gives it the lightningrod ability; rendering electric-type attacks completely useless. Well played Mega Sceptile, well played.


Mega Rayquaza – This is no dragon, but a remorseless killing machine. Mega Rayquaza is given a slew of new armor, complete with overlord helmet. The legendary poke’mon is now even more a force to be reckoned with as sparks generate from its hulking body.

Music, Podcast

Bonesaw Podcast – Episode 10: Moon Tooth

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Moon Tooth preparing for takeoff. (from left to right) Ray Marte Nick Lee, John Carbone, Vin Romanelli
Moon Tooth preparing for takeoff. (from left to right) Ray Marte, Nick Lee, John Carbone, Vin Romanelli

For our 10th episode we have Long Island based experimental metal masters Moon Tooth. In this episode, we talk movies, SXSW and all things Moon Tooth.

Check out Moon Tooth here: http://www.facebook.com/moontoothband

Donate to Thrash Bash BBQ IV: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/206782…ash-bash-bbq-iv

Pro Wrestling

WWE Payback Predictions

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With a name like Payback, you have to imagine someone is going to get their comeuppance and you can believe it with tonight’s installment of WWE’s “what goes around comes around” themed Pay-Per-View.

Here’s who we feel is going to get (and receive) their payback.

Kickoff – Macho Mandow & Curtis Axel vs. The Ascension: Ever since their debut, The Ascension have played the fools as opposed to their NXT dominance. This outing will be no different as they take the fall from Axel and Damien Sandow’s latest personality.

Divas Tag Match – Naomi & Tamina Snuka vs. The Bella Twins: Naomi is gunning for Nikki Bella’s Divas Championship again, this time utilizing Snuka as her in-law powerhouse. The Championship is not on the line, so we feel that Naomi and Snuka will assert their dominance against The Bella’s in this chaotic family outing.

King Barrett vs. Neville: These two are no strangers and will meet again inside the Elimination Chamber on May 31st along with four other WWE Superstars for the now vacant Intercontinental Championship. Barrett has been the aggressor in this feud so far but Neville is one tough son of a gun. While Barrett is on a roll lately, it seems that there are greater things on the horizon for this year’s King of the Ring than the Intercontinental title. Barrett will win the match at Payback, but we think Neville is next in line for Intercontinental gold.

Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback: While wins and losses do not mean much in the world of Sports Entertainment, Wyatt needs to start winning the feuds he starts for the credibility of his character. A loss in Ryback’s column will not hurt The Big Guy at all. For this reason alone Ryback is our pick to be the sacrificial lamb Wyatt needs to rejuvenate his persona as The New Face of Fear.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus: This is going to be better than their Extreme Rules encounter, but the end result will be the same: Ziggler will win the match but Sheamus will be the one getting his payback after.

Two Out of Three Falls Match WWE Tag Team Championships – Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs. The New Day (c): We saw an interesting double turn last month as Cesaro & Kidd are now the faces and The New Day have officially transitioned to heels by tapping into their inner Freebirds. Cesaro & Kidd are a treat to watch and have some of the best chemistry we’ve seen in a long time, but they’re better on the chase. The New Day are starting to come into their own and get some real heat. We feel it would be in the WWE’s best interests if The New Day retain their titles to grow into some much needed villains and we think a long title run for them will start at Payback.

“I Quit” Match for the WWE United States Championship – Rusev vs. John Cena (c): Cena is undefeated not only at Payback but in “I Quit” matches. For Pete’s sake, the words “Never Give Up” are on every piece of merchandise bearing his name. Cena’s “open challenges” have also elevated the United States Championship greatly over the past two months, so why stop now? While the odds are clearly in Cena’s favor (aren’t they always?) we think that this is why WWE is going to throw the ultimate curve ball and have Rusev take the gold back to the USSR.

Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins (c): While The Authoroty’s “golden boy” Rollins has the odds stacked against him (he does not have to be pinned or submitted to lose his title), he is going to keep his WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to Kane getting involved for the sake of his job (if Rollins does not retain Kane will be fired). Seeing as Ambrose is going to participate for the Intercontinental Championship inside the Elimination Chamber at the end of the month, it’s pretty likely that WWE’s Lunatic Fringe will be the contender Rollins pins.