Music

Band of the Week: Witchaven

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At the forefront of the Black Thrash Metal movement is California’s Witchaven.

Formed in 2005 under the name Witching Hour, this band was originally intended to be a Venom tribute band.

Fortunately, they realized their talents and became something more.

From 2006 to 2009, Witchaven built their underground empire – releasing a slew of demos, splits, EP’s and compilations before finally releasing their debut “Terrorstorm” in 2010. They then released the “Sacrificial Burnt Offering” EP in 2012 before releasing their sophomore album “Blood Sacrifice” in 2014.

Witchaven has had a revolving door of lineup changes since their incarnation with Henry Montoya and Lerby Sanchez as the only consistent members.  Through their hard work, dedication and talent they have and will continue to change the landscape of the New Wave of Thrash Metal.

Pro Wrestling

WWE TLC 2014 Thoughts

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wwe tlc 2014

As usual, WWE ended 2014 with a bang. Unfortunately, that bang was in the form of an exploding TV that cost Dean Ambrose his TLC match against Bray Wyatt.

Ambrose gave Wyatt the beating of his life, elbow dropping his opponent through a table from a ladder multiple times before finding a TV under the ring. The TV was not only plugged in, but it also gave Ambrose the idea to go for the biggest ladder he could carry. He then dropped the big elbow off that giant ladder onto Wyatt through the Spanish announcer’s table.

Dragging Wyatt into the ring, Ambrose readied to finish him off with the TV, but it was plugged in and prevented the blow. Then it exploded after Ambrose tried again. Wyatt then hit Sister Abigail and that was all she wrote.

Two things can be said of this. One: who leaves a TV under the ring? And two: there is no way any of us are to believe someone can be that stupid.

The Kickoff match was well done with Goldust and Stardust really delivering their offense and executing their heel tactics beautifully. They get better every night. The New Day predictably got the win, but the match was solid. Hats off to these teams for getting the crowd pumped up.

Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper put on the match of the night in an excellent Ladder match with Ziggler stealing the show and the Intercontinental Championship in his home city.

The Miz and Damien Mizdow had a decent encounter with the Uso’s for the Tag Team Championship with a logical DQ finish. The inclusion of Jimmy Uso’s real life wife Naomi into the storyline is interesting and will add real life situations into play if done right. Mizdow is slowly becoming a fan favorite with his antics and will hopefully get his shining moment down the road.

The Divas Championship match was also a decent match with a logical conclusion of Brie Bella’s interference and Nikki Bella taking advantage of a referee’s blind spot with a foreign object.

The Steel Stairs match between Big Show and Erick Rowan was much better than expected with good use of the stairs. This was a tough match to work but the two superstars did a great job with what they had.

Kane and Ryback’s Chairs match on the other hand, was pretty boring and predictable. Ryback was dominant, lots of chair shots and way too long.

Jack Swagger and Rusev’s United States Championship encounter also was very predictable. It’s clear that there are big plans for Rusev, but the “foreign oppressor vs. patriot” angle is getting old. We need to see more layers to the Rusev character.

Last but not least, John Cena once again overcame the odds and defeated Seth Rollins in a Tables match – securing his number one contender spot to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship yet again.

You didn’t have to watch WWE programming since SummerSlam to figure that out.

It is nice to see Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury playing the parts of Rollin’s lackey’s perfectly. These guys were the best part of the match.

It was also nice to see Roman Reigns back in action as he saved the day for Cena and is moving into a nice feud with Big Show for the time being. Having said that, Reigns returning at the pay-per-view before the Royal Rumble was a mistake as he would have had a much better reaction at the Rumble en-route to victory.

Perhaps WWE is saving that reaction for the return of Daniel Bryan.

Pro Wrestling

WWE TLC 2014 Predictions

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Another year has come and gone which means Wrestlemania season is just around the corner. As is tradition, WWE will make sure 2014 goes out with a bang in this year’s installment of their annual TLC pay-per-view. Below are our predictions for the winners of each match.

The New Day vs. Goldust and Stardust (TLC Kickoff)– While the cosmic duo sets its sights on the darkening of The New Day, we at The Bonesaw feel that since The New Day has debuted very recently, it is likely that they will prevail against the brothers Dust. Expect a good back and forth with plenty of tag team twists and turns as both teams have great chemistry with their partners and deliver unique offenses. The one variable is which two members of The New Day will be doing the brawling. Our money’s on Big E and Kofi Kingston due to their more direct confrontations with Gold and Stardust.

Nikki Bella (c) vs. AJ Lee (Divas Championship Match) – A re-match for the championship that should (hopefully) last longer than their Survivor Series encounter. These two young women will make the match as interesting as they can with the time they are given but it a tough call due to the constant flip-flopping of the title. History tells us Lee will regain her championship, but we predict Bella. One thing’s for sure: sister Brie will have some involvement in the outcome.

The Miz and Damien Mizdow (c) vs. The Uso’s (WWE Tag Team Championships Match) – A tag match that will be entertaining due to The Uso’s hybrid style and Mizdow’s hilarious antics. Chances are the champions will retain, but just barely as The Uso’s will outmaneuver the self proclaimed “A-lister” and his goofy “stunt double.”

Luke Harper (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship) – Ladder matches are notorious for death-defying spots and hard hitting action. Harper and Ziggler will put their bodies on the line with an intense showing of instestinal fortitude. The two rising stars will put on a heart-stopping clinic  that will culminate in Ziggler winning back his championship.

Rusev (c) vs. Jack Swagger (United States Championship Match) –  Aside from their characters being natural enemies, Rusev and Swagger have shown great chemistry in their feud. TLC will be no different when stars, stripes and sickles clash again for the United States championship. The Bonesaw believes Rusev will again conquer the good ol’ U.S. of A. – but would enjoy seeing Swagger knock off the Bulgarian Brute as it would greatly benefit his career.

Ryback vs. Kane (Chairs Match) – The inclusion of a Chairs Match is very unnecessary in any circumstance. The feud of Ryback and Kane is probably a short placeholder that would fare better with a regular match or a no-disqualification stipulation. The match will be decent if it is not given too much time. If we see more than 10 minutes, this could turn into a stinker. It is very likely that Ryback will continue his rampage.

Erick Rowan vs. Big Show (Steel Stairs Match) – Similar to Ryback vs. Kane, this very shoehorned in match with a steel stars stipulation rather than chairs might be decent if given a short length. Fans would much rather see Rowan battle his former tag team partner Harper, but it is what it is. The Big Show is almost a lock to win this one.

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt (Tables Ladders & Chairs Match) – This match will steal the show. It will be as violent as PG programming will allow and the in-ring psychology will tell a fantastic story. Wyatt will endure the beating of his life, but The Eater of Worlds will defeat the unstable one in order for the feud to continue. The promos alone are too good to stop this freight train now.

 John Cena vs. Seth Rollins (Tables Match) – It should be noted that should Cena lose, he also loses his no. 1 contender spot against Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. Not to Rollins, but to an unknown  challenger to be announced at a later date. Seeing as Rollins is in possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase, the match is more about a notch on his belt as he will get his championship match whenever and wherever he likes until the next Money in the Bank pay-per-view. It will be a hard fought battle and a great main event, but chances are Cena will find his can of spinach and emerge victorious yet again. Having said that, we really hope Rollins wins.

Music

Band of the Week: Lord Mantis

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Lord Mantis is a band not for the weak of heart.

The Chicago act contains a unique sound merging doom metal with ambiance and is clearly influenced by horror soundtracks. The lyrical themes are often focusing on the occult.

Call it “terror doom” if you will.

Lord Mantis has three blood curdling albums available for your listening pleasure entitled “Spawning the Nephilim,” “Pervertor,” and their most recent release “Death Mask” which has spawned a video (above) for the song “Possession Prayer.” Each album contains its own chilling artwork.

If there’s anything that can be said it’s safe to say that Lord Mantis’ material is for mature audiences only.

Random

Places to Eat: Pizza D’Amore

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Photo Credit: Talya Goldberg
Photo Credit: Talya Goldberg

If you’re in the mood for pizza with class, look no further than Pizza D’Amore.

Located on Avenue U and Strickland ave, Pizza D’Amore’s exterior looks like an average sized shop, but it has so much more to offer.

The Brooklyn kitchen surprisingly takes up a small section of the eatery to make room for the traditional restaurant portion of the venue while the main dining area – resembling a cabin; takes up the front. The place is much bigger than it appears on the outside.

The food is delicious and the service is remarkable. Italian classics like eggplant parmigiana and calzones are cooked to perfection while healthier alternatives such as BLT wraps are stacked with flavor. If you’re eating in you’ll be surprised with complementary garlic bread garnished with a healthy dose of pesto sauce for snacking.

Even slices of pizza are served elegantly, with each individual slice on its very own plate.

Talk about class.

Photo Credit: Craig Gibbons
Photo Credit: Craig Gibbons
Movies

Trailer Feedback: Terminator Genisys

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As if there wasn’t enough confusion in the Terminator franchise, here comes Genisys.

Apparently, John Connor is sending a Resistance soldier back from the future to a time before the first Terminator in order to save his mother Sarah Connor from the terminators to prevent judgment day. Additionally, the past has somehow been altered to the point where it is now in the middle of Terminator 2 and there are two Arnold terminators and an asian T-1000.

If you’re confused, you’re not alone.

The trailer does show off some great visuals and teases cool action sequences. It’s also really nice to see Schwarzenegger in a Terminator film again. The special effects look killer and the CGI doesn’t look too digital either, which is always a plus.

Unfortunately, being good looking is not enough to get the audience any less bewildered by the plot, or lack thereof.

Well…he’s back.

Music

Band of the Week: Exhumed

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Exhumed is a death metal band from San Jose, CA that will sonically tear you to shreds.

Boasting a total of six albums, Exhumed is fronted by vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey, bassist turned guitarist Bud Burke, Mike Hamilton on drums, and rounding out the bass is a guy named Slime who also fronts the Philadelphia death thrashers known as Coffin Dust.

America’s answer to Carcass, Exhumed was started by Harvey in 1990 and signed to Relapse Records in 1998. Their early work consisted of short, technical grindcore that focused on ridiculously gory lyrics. If you need a visual, check out the cover of their first two albums “Gore Metal” and “Slaughtercult”.

Around the release of their third album, “Anatomy is Destiny;” Exhumed began to shift towards longer groove oriented songs, transitioning further into the realm of death metal – not unlike Carcass had done in their own career.

In 2005, Exhumed released a covers album a la Metallica with “Gabage Daze Re-Regurgitated”.

2011 was a turning point in Exhumed as the band had finally begun to gather some mainstream attention with the release of “All Guts, No Glory,” embarking on tours with Napalm Death, Cannibal Corpse and others. Exhumed then released their sixth and most recent album “Necrocracy” in 2013.

2014 has been an interesting year for Exhumed as they have just wrapped up a tour with Carcass and Florida death metal legends Obituary. They are currently playing select dates with Aborted, Origin and Miasmal on the “Hell Over Europe” tour from November 20-December 20.

In February 2015 Exhumed will be going into the void  on the “Through Space and Grind” tour. Iron Reagan, Black Crown Initiate, Napalm Death and Voivod. Dayglo Abortions, Phobia and Ringworm will be joining them on select dates as special guests.

Movies

Trailer Feedback: Star Wars – The Force Awakens

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As of Friday, we now have the first look at JJ Abrams’ Star Wars.

The visuals are stunning and vivid as all Star Wars films are. We see several X-Wings and the Millennium Falcon take off, new Stormtroopers, and even a sweet new lightsaber, yet something’s missing.

Perhaps any inkling of a plot.

Who are the people in the trailer? Do they have any significance to the film? Where and why are the Stormtoopers about to land? What are we supposed to be investing our time in?

The only thing The Force Awakens gives us is a good look at the 2015 Star Wars toy line.

Movies

Trailer Feedback: Jurassic World

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On June 12, 2015 we will yet again have a T-Rex – or worse.

Universal Studios revealed the official trailer for Jurassic World Wednesday and it seems that after three failed attempts, Dr. Hammond and company have finally opened the park for business.

People and dinosaurs interacting for the first time, Sea Worldly attractions, and running with dinosaurs has finally become a reality.

Unfortunately it looks too good to be true as man has decided to continue to play God. The Jurassic World scientists have spliced dino DNA to create a hybrid carnivore that’s not only highly intelligent, but very hungry as well. Its up to Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Her) and a band of misfits to save the day in another thrilling adventure.

The trailer does a good job of establishing the general themes of man vs. nature and continues to beg the question, “should  we create life through technology?”

Having said that, it is a breath of fresh air to once again see the park and even better to see Hammond’s vision complete.

Judging from the trailer, Jurassic World may not be as good as Jurassic Park, but it will definitely be better than the two sequels that precede it (The Lost World, Jurassic Park 3). Hopefully the film will turn out well but let’s face reality: at the end of the day, we just want to see people get eaten by dinosaurs.

Pro Wrestling

It’s Sting! WWE Survivor Series Thoughts

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Survivor Series 2014 posterAt Survivor Series this past Sunday the unthinkable happened: Sting stepped foot in a WWE ring.

All looked bleak for Team Cena as Dolph Ziggler was beaten down by The Authority’s Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury before suffering a pedigree from Triple H. Team Authority had done it. All they had to do was have the ref. count to three.

Suddenly the sound of crows flapping and cawing filled the arena and the last man anyone suspected walked through the curtain.

The Icon had arrived.

Sting slowly made his way to the squared circle and engaged in a long staredown with The Game before taking him out with the Scorpion Death Drop. He then took the fallen Ziggler and laid him over an unconscious Rollins for not only Team Cena’s victory but the end of The Authority’s reign of terror.

This was done extremely well. Despite internet rumors circulating throughout the weekend WWE did an excellent job of keeping Sting under wraps.

Besides, would anyone have believed Sting to ever truly make an appearance in a story arc that had nothing to do with him?

The most likely candidate for interference in the match was Randy Orton, who had had a falling out with The Authority in several weeks Prior to the match.

Although the rest of the event was mostly decent, we all knew this was the only match that really felt like it mattered.

Dean Ambrose’s encounter with Bray Wyatt was a nice showing of a long feud to come. The match was a solid back and forth until the end, where the use of tables, ladders and chairs blatantly set up the real match at next month’s TLC event.

A Fatal Four Way Tag Team Championships match was a nice choice for an opener that featured some great spots and a surprise win for The Miz and Mizdow. It seems as if the new “Hollywood A-lister” and his stunt double gimmicks are breathing new life into the careers of these young talents.

Adam Rose’s match was a pointless match that was thrown together at the last minute. The bunny was funny for a little while but now it seems everyone just wants Rose to “kill the wabbit”. If Rose’s character can be more vicious like Leo Kruger was, he might be able to get over with the fans.

Last but not least, the Divas matches were weak for opposing reasons. The Survivor Series Elimination match was way too long while the Divas Championship match was way too short (33 seconds, really?). AJ Lee can go and Nikki Bella has improved a lot over the years. They have too much ability to be squandered and should have had at least 10 minutes to give the people something to care about. Also, does a common enemy make a person forget about all the grief someone has given them over the past month? If so, then what creates the urge to kiss said person’s opponent as a distraction?

Having said that, the main event was a great one as many stories were told that will set up interesting angles over the next few months into Wrestlemania season. The surprise of Sting saving the day made the show as a whole that much more special as it is not just something fans will remember for a long time but one of the last few times we will ever see something like this again.

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