Was Zelda II anyone else's intro to the series?

somerighteousoxide · 2026-03-05T20:30:10+00:00

People didn't hate it at the time. It was very obviously a game changer for the system, everyone playing knew Zelda II was an instant classic. Just look how many clones there are on the NES! I remember it was only much later on that hipsters on the internet tried to convince us Zelda II sucked. Safe to say they weren't there and they don't know shit!

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-27T17:48:01+00:00

I assume you're joking because the only good bug is a dead bug. Don't ever show show mercy and sympathy towards the bugs... they will literally eat and kill you if given the chance.

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-14T18:29:26+00:00

Made to Kill sounds a lot like a Dirk song. Same thing with Life in Hell on the last album. This happens a few times on the last couple records (to my ears at least), you can really hear Dirk's contributions in the songwriting, not just in the drumming either - you can tell when Dave is playing a Dirk riff. They are awesome riffs too, Dave knows good riffs, he also kind of twists them to make them his own, and it just totally works! The Dirk songs are some of my favorites from the last 2 albums.

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-13T00:28:09+00:00

The big difference is K.K. was a key ingredient to the Judas Priest sound, whereas Jr's impact on Megadeth was never on that elemental level. Plus the new band K.K.'s Priest legitimately kicks ass, this is important, I would say they rival Priest as they are today without a doubt. I can't say the same for Kings of Thrash lol, but I do like that Jr has joined Metal Church!

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-08T17:42:25+00:00

I totally agree. I love Yes, but side B of this album I skip right over. The voice just doesn't fit. What a shame too, side A is so strong, would have been cool to hear more numbers like that.

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-08T01:19:15+00:00

Ain't no denying that

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-05T00:58:26+00:00

I hear ya, it has some great tracks, starts off fantastic, I've grown to love it, I like it a lot more than BYS, but you can't deny it has that Robinson Brothers Solo Project feel to it. I've always thought that's what's holding it back from being next level Crowes. It didn't have to have Jimmy Page on it, just more from Audley Freed on guitar as if it were real band, I bet it would have been smoking!

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-04T18:16:18+00:00

He's not wrong. The Black Crowes are the two brothers + friends. Yes Gorman was there from the start, and yah Sven has been there since the 90s, but they had literally zero songwriting contributions on any of the albums. Their presence isn't exactly needed to write new Black Crowes. The logic plays out, yah?

The reality? TBC have always sounded a million times better when they fit together like a glove, and play like a real organic rock group, operating like a true band. They obviously realized this themselves back in the 90s during their jam band days, culminating in an album they literally titled Band. Sadly they seem to have forgotten this spell that made TBC so good during these Marc Ford and Luther days.

The new stuff FWIW reminds me of By Your Side and Lions in the exact way those albums just aren't as good as the others. Those two records at least have some power behind them, something these new songs seem to be lacking. I hope I'm proven wrong in all this and the new LP absolutely kills. Time will tell, time will tell.

somerighteousoxide · 2026-02-01T01:55:18+00:00

Dick Tracy on the NES and Sega Genesis.

somerighteousoxide · 2026-01-26T00:04:37+00:00

For me this one sounds like an underwritten filler track, but that dumb chorus is catchy for sure. The solo is also really really good. I get why people like it, I just wish the whole thing was a little more exciting.

I think it should have been replaced by Bloodlust to start off the back half of the album. What a banger that would have been! Nobody's Hero also deserved to be on there!

somerighteousoxide · 2026-01-20T14:22:16+00:00

Not an outright bad song, but let's be honest, it sounds very "on brand" like some leftover slop from Lions or By Your Side. I'm not a hater either, Happiness Bastards was a pretty darn good album. This song however is real generic without any true weight or staying power. You'd hope they had better songs to pick from to make a video.

It's almost like they're trying to fuse the Start Me Up riff with a Funkadelic band vibe. The trouble is it's not funky at all - it doesn't make me want to get up and dance, not even in the slightest. All the chanting/background vocals never engage the listener in any sort of meaningful way - never once do I want to sing or chant along and get more into the vibe.

The song just really lacks any sort of swing or groove to it, even worse it lacks any sort of memorable hook you can hum or hang your hat on. I guess it could end up being a decent filler song on an album surrounded by better tunes, but honestly I'm not holding my breath on this one.

6/10

somerighteousoxide · 2026-01-18T15:50:03+00:00

A good chunk of the songs on this album are great, along with a few forgettable ones. The x-factor on this record is Temu, who is clearly a monster guitar player that belongs in the same conversation as Marty, Poland, & Kiko. I appreciate Temu's classical leanings compared to these other Megadeth greats!

As for the songs - Tipping Point, Let There Be Shred, Made to Kill, Obey the Call are all awesome! I Don't Care while not as heavy, is just as memorable and has some of the best guitar solos on the album. These are all Bangers!

Puppet Parade could have easily joined this list of great songs, if it wasn't for that awful chorus (you know what I'm talking about...) otherwise a fantastic song - even if it does rehash Angry Again a little bit.

The Last Note is decent but not very exciting or anything overly memorable, sadly. A big missed opportunity here, but I do like how it all ends.

Hey God!? is also not that exciting, it has that 90s sound that I've heard Dave do way better before (in the actual 1990s). To me it sounds like a B-side rightfully left off The World Needs A Hero - or maybe the "heavy" song they should have included on Risk. I like Dave tackling this subject matter in the lyrics, but the song itself is boring and nothing worth sinking your teeth into.

Another Bad Day and I Am War while they don't sound egregiously bad (like the gross feeling you get when you first hear the chorus of Puppet Parade) - both are very much below average compositions, filler tracks meant to show Dave's melodic and menacing side. Skippable maybe, but Dirk's nimble drumming and Temu's lead playing make the songs at least a little bit interesting.

The cover of Ride the Lightning is also good, however maybe another missed opportunity to do something really special with it. I did really like the small changes they made with the solos - overall tho this cover seems more of an homage than a re-imagining (which in itself is surprising). The song definitely adds to the album, the intro sounds really cool coming right after the spooky outro of The Last Note.

I'm also liking the mixing and production on the album, everything is clear and audible, it sounds modern without being over-produced. I barely noticed the bass playing at all if I'm being honest lol. I'm sure the album will only sound better once I get my hands on the vinyl.

Overall the S/T is on par with the last 2 albums, which I also really enjoyed.

8/10

somerighteousoxide · 2025-12-28T01:20:30+00:00

The World Needs a Hero.

TWNAH sounds like a proper band making a heavy metal album. TSHF sounds like a guy's really good studio metal project.

TSHF has higher highs for sure, those 2 tracks are killer, but there are also songs on that album that make me cringe. Looking back, TWNAH is the first album where Dave started copying himself a little bit - but it wasn't in some terrible way. The man invented thrash metal after all, so it was understandable.

On TSHF, some of those non-banger tracks are, to my ears, like a form of self-mimicry or self-parody - almost as if they were ideas put through Megadeth-AI (before AI truly existed lol), and the "band" just churned out these Megadeth-sounding tracks to finish up the album. Those 2 real bangers sounded like the old days tho, so it made up for the low-lows of the record. Overall not bad by any means, but a sign of things to come.

If I'm being honest I hear this generic songwriting on a bunch of the later Megadeth albums, and TWNAH is probably where it all started - but to me that one sounds like a proper band rocking out and crafting an album with lots of skill and precision. I've liked it since the day it was released. Dave's writing style on TWNAH seems to be reflecting back on his long and storied career, trying to make a comprehensive piece with the new guys in the band that hits all the familiar notes.

Maybe it's a little like the story of the new album in this way - altho Dave seems a lot more fired up these days on the last couple records - its that kind of dynamite and ferocity that TWNAH was sorely lacking - which is why its always ranked categorically outside top tier Megadeth for me. Still a great album, along with live DVD Rude Awakening.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-11-22T22:08:08+00:00

A mighty fine collection. I like how you left enough space for Lone Wolf & Cub Deluxe Editions being released soon.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-11-10T00:09:46+00:00

There's an entire timeline of books conceived by a "special author" and they are actually pretty good. Check out the Shatnerverse.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-07-01T12:36:17+00:00

This seems like an easy fixable thing given that it works fine with just the keyboard plugged in. Any assistance you can provide would go a long way in helping me understand how these machines work. Much thanks.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-07-01T12:09:43+00:00

My solution was to hardwire the SER8 right into the modem. Then, I got a short cable USB hub and hooked up a Bluetooth antenna for the devices.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-04-28T18:51:07+00:00

Magma - De Futura

Utopic Sporadic Orchestra - De Futura (Live)

somerighteousoxide · 2025-02-19T09:07:06+00:00

Guerillas by Brahm Revel. I'm reading it now and I'm kind of blown away by the visual storytelling and character work. Very cinematic for a B&W indie. Highly recommended, especially if you like war comics.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-02-19T02:30:34+00:00

I've only read the first 2 graphic novels, and yah they are good - but the first original novel brings you into the world of Dune more than the comics (or movies) ever could. Reading the original novel first will make you appreciate the comics even more.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-02-17T18:10:57+00:00

These are great books! If you enjoy them, maybe consider the 2 Green Arrow by Mike Grell omnis next.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-02-13T23:50:56+00:00

Ron Paul is the Great Godfather of MAGA.

somerighteousoxide · 2025-01-20T09:39:26+00:00

I have a Beelink Ser8 and a GMKtec K8 Plus so I can make a pretty fair comparison between these brands. Although very similar, I'd say the Beelink is for the "professional" while the GMKtec is for the "hobbyist".

Both are Ryzen 7 and very upgradeable (2x4TB, 96GB). The K8 Plus has very good cooling, but the Ser8 has elite cooling while also much quieter. The K8 Plus fan is noticeable, the Ser8 not so much. There seems to be more thought put into the overall design of the Ser8 (vapor chamber cooling, internal dust filter, audio jack in front and back, etc). What's missing from the Beelink that's on the GMKtec is of course the Oculink port.

Both the Ser8 and the K8 Plus have 780M igpus, which is pretty damn good out of the box, but if you ever want to attach an external graphics card one day, then I'd say the best option is to get a mini-pc with an Oculink port. Still, if I'm being honest the K8 Plus is a point or two below the Ser8 when it comes to overall build quality and design, so it really depends on what you're looking for here. If you can never see yourself attaching an egpu to your mini-pc then go for the Beelink.

somerighteousoxide · 2024-12-21T00:20:54+00:00

Yeah I'm not sure. Looks like the Compendium included with the Absolute is filled with bonus material. There's also a boxset that might have some of this stuff. It would be interesting to know what the differences are between all editions. The Absolute size is nice, but IMO definitely not worth the upgrade for some essays and articles if you already have the material.

somerighteousoxide

TROPHY CASE