[Vai Freak] Glacius

Mood: -
Listening To: Nothing, yet..









Now, I was going to watch this episode of Top Gear and how it was going to test the Volkswagen Golf GTI, putting it under a few hundred watts of a thunder bolt, and how it withstood the shock, but it died on me half way on my brother's computer, and the codec was unavailable in this laptop.  Then again, the filesize is ridiculously small, so I think it's the file which is corrupted instead.  Wasn't copied properly from the CDs I borrowed from Say Leng.

In prior to the previous post, especially when I signed off with that last bit about how cars ruined my musical studies, I can't help thinking idiots going nuts over famous bands that were promoted and advertised on MTV very often.

I suppose you all heard of the band that released Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park?

I haven't heard of it personally, nor have I started criticising how horrible their music might be, or how "hard" it's supposed to be.

Seriously, I can't stop laughing when I meet and read blogs, saying that Linkin Park is the best Rock band out there.

First of all, you uneducated dimbwits, they're nowhere near rock.  Suprisingly, the advertising has brought them to the wrong level of the genre when they're supposed to be rock.  But thanks to the lifesaver, Chester Bennington's heavy vocals in the first and second album, they are rated as a band who are Nu-Metal.

With that cool guitarist who used to play with headphones as a signature or a costume, the riffs made it acceptable for Linkin Park to be categorised as Nu-Metal.

But let's have a look at Nu-Metal, shall we?  One band that was mistaken to be Heavy Metal and ended up as Nu-Metal, would be SlipKnoT.

Personally, with Joey Jordison behind the drums, Corey Taylor rated to be one of the best grind core vocalists in the studios, Mic Thompson and Jim Root with minor modified guitars that produces heavy sounds, nothing could be more heavier.

And seriously, I can't stop laughing when they respect major bands when they're over-advertised that captures the audience's ear and giving out so many comments that are overrated.

Example?  Stuff like, Linkin Park being the most heaviest sounding band out there.  Well, yes, I agree.  On MTV, of course.

Now, talk about studies, this is one of the reasons why I keep going back in time.  Ranging from Linkin Park, went back in time to search for SlipKnoT, then came Metallica, In Flames, Children of Bodom, then came guitar lords like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Jimi Hendrix.

Okay, let's take something that I never bothered studying.  Drums.  Basic foundation, yes.  But not entirely good for a stable drummer, I admit.  If you wish to take on bands like Simple Plan, go ahead.  Respect them, yeah, just go ahead.  The only thing you'll learn would be fast drum rolls, heavy sounding drum rolls, and well, basic rhythm.

Now we look at Joey Jordison.  I'd say he would have 4 foot pedals for 2 hi-hats and for the double-pedal, or double bass drums he would perform with.

If you think 4 wasn't enough, look at Mike Mangini.  The Berklee's Music College proclaimed Drum Professor, and the user of Pearl Drums with Zildjian cymbals who has 6 pedals.  Double bass, and the other 4 would be for the hi-hats.  That was his set up in the 2004 drum clinic at Kuala Lumpur.  And somehow, I think he would have more than 6 pedals on his own drum set, always experimenting with new stuff.  In fact, I think most of you know that he took his mother's Volkswagen when he was 5, and ran over one of his cymbals and used it to sustain the "perfect pitch" for cymbals.  In other words, this cymbal of his is not supposed to be used individually, but to be used under each cymbal on the drum set to sustain that certain sound when you smash into a cymbal.

Now, I'm no drum professor, but that's what I learnt when I decided to be free from bias.  Realising that what they show on TV - the mainstream artists, can never be better than underground artists.

I don't claim myself to be either, by the way.










Now, when it comes to things like having a heavy sound, I think some bands are overrated.  In fact, I think the bands I mentioned above - In Flames, Children of Bodom, etc, are sometimes overated although they're underground bands BUT still being promoted well.

Some bands are being promoted really well, but just undiscovered.  Look at Dream Theatre.  Nobody heard of them but serious musicians.










Same thing goes for guitars.  I understand that LTD/ESP guitars are better but some of you may wonder why I settled down with an Ibanez.  Well, simple.  It's about Marketing and I got suckered in for it.  I'm a freak for Steve Vai, and he's under Ibanez.  The JEM JR I own is the lowest range for JEMs as some of you Ibanez followers would know of, so there's nothing to go "ooo.. ahhh" about.  It's like.. going "ooooo" at me driving a bloody Kancil.










Need to venture out a little bit more to find all those serious kickass bands.










Oh.  Just in case if you're wondering, I respect bands like Linkin Park because of their creativity.  You want to know why bands died off?  Like Simple Plan.  They were the shit before they died down from MTV.  Avril Lavigne's making a comeback with her noisy "Girlfriend" single, Silverchair's hitting the charts once again with new singles, so on and so forth.  Bands like these would be respected because of their creativity and hard work.  Even if the music sucks, the hard work and effort being put into the recording process can be understood.  Heck, I went through the recording process and I used to practice it (hoping to practice more too), and it's a bitch at times.  Taking so many takes even if you're tune but out of tempo.  Out of tune, but in tempo.  Bloody hell.










And please, if you want to be like.. I don't know, people who give out serious comments about how hard bands would rock, please pick the right ones..










It's as silly as saying that Proton will rule Fiat anytime.