Hygienic Horror!

So, in the two week half term for Easter I pleasantly enjoyed, it seems The Marches School were focusing their efforts on re-designing and recreating the boys' toilets by performing arts. These new toilets are very modern in style, feature a red and blue colour scheme and have got speakers constantly tuned into BBC Shropshire's radio station to lift the atmosphere a bit.

From reading that, you're probably thinking this is very good and people are happy with the changes. Up to this point, you're right; for you see there are a solid row of cubicles that have bottom to ceiling barriers, no urinals and an "open to the corridor" hand washing area (as described in the The Marches' letter subjecting the toilets).

The problem here is, now that everyone is free to observe the males actions after visiting these new cubicles, I have realised just how shocking the hygiene standards in this school are. Today I filled in a tally chart to try and prove my ill-fated suspicions right or wrong, and it turns out that out of a total of 31 students that were counted, 14 did wash their hands after toilet use but an increased and disgusting total of 17 pupils neglected their hygiene.

Personally, I find this very interesting (why these teenagers believe they shouldn't wash their hands) and extremely repulsive. I did a little research and found out that the amount of germs on your fingertips DOUBLE after toilet use - surely this would increase your chances of wanting to clean yourself. This is not just a problem for these foolish and neglecting teens, but for anyone in the school, for say if they do not wash their hands, then in the next lesson are handing out sheets to everyone in the class, the germs have been spread to the innocent and hygiene abiding pupils unfairly.

All this trouble from such a simple and primitive 30 second task. The mentality of such behaviour is truly outrageous and something must be done. Once or twice I have asked those in question why they didn't wash their hands, one student "couldn't be arsed" another simply laughed at me. I'm sorry to waffle on about this but another incident that shocked me was when I commanded one young boy to wash his hands as he blatantly wasn't going to and he looked at me as if I had just instructed him to walk off a cliff.

Again I apologise for such a focused rant, but this really sickens me and I hope the standards improve very soon. If you have any enquiries or comments, please don't hesitate to post them below. Thanks for reading!
-Andy.

Cancer Bats 'Dead Set On Living' Review

Opening calmly with a somewhat eerie atmosphere, it is clear from the first drum beat that Cancer Bats are not for hanging around. The guitar riffs and bass are as complimentary to each other as ever and Liam's ever happy rainbow dust style lyrics "There's a special place in hell for people like you!" are supplying the icing on this battering ram of sound cake.

One thing that Dead Set on Living does that previously I have not detected in the Bats' sound is groove! The presence and element of groove they add - not too much to alter their trusted style but enough to get noticed and impress - provides a whole new dimension to their music which prior to this people, including myself, thought their fusion of metal and punk was incapable of any other addition as weighty and fulfilling as this groove. It shows a degree of maturity, and also that, musically, these four Canadian's are on a very expansive path with possibilities that they are fully aware of.

The first track from this steel ripping album to blast my ear drums down was 'Old Blood' and, of course, I was incomparably and unexpectedly impressed. The successor of 'R.A.T.S' is 'Bricks and Mortar' and as the title suggests it is a pummelling mix of what I love about Cancer Bats, full out aggression, throat wrenching screams, unaltered heaviness and the slightest whiff of groove can be detected.

'Road Sick', the second single with a rather amusing music video changes the tone and immediately bellows 'We're VERY punk'. This is pleasing, after two crushing tracks that the Bats' know to surprise their audience and deliver a more emotional message in this brilliant track. Any doubters by this point must surely be swallowing their hateful words and regretting the day they crossed Liam Cormier and co. Luckily for me, I was not foolish enough to imprison myself like that.

There are one or two songs on this album that perhaps do not leave the same effect on the listener as the previously praised more stand out tracks, 'Breath Armageddon' is an example; the chorus is catchy and sing-alongy, but nothing about the song grabs your attention. Although it does have a very homely and welcoming sort of vibe - the vibe that is found on the best albums and not specifically the best individual tracks.

The title track and fifth in order, is winning the vote for most anthemic. With superb time changes and infectious bellowing of "I will, never forget!" reassures you that the Bats take their work very seriously and reminds you of how glad you are that they were a prized discovery.

'The Void' features yet another new added element - doom! The song starts slowly building an atmosphere of pure doom ridden madness; then the grooviest Cancer Bats riff ever written kicks in and you're almost knocked off your feet. The track continues beautifully and fulfils the hype it gives itself with such fantastic song writing. Some may be wondering that they made a mistake when purchasing - underestimating how much of a chemical equation they were in for: Punky groove + Doomy metal = Cancer Bats. Balancing it is a totally different task.

At this point, the arrival of 'Old Blood', you should've have decided that what you are listening to is a pure goddamn gem. If this is a track you (somehow) hadn't heard prior to right now you are most likely completely stunned and struggling to find the words necessary to praise these sweaty, beard endorsers enough! Keep it comin'!

Track eight - 'Drunken Physics', is one of rather anthemic qualities and hits extremely heavily, the Bats here show off their mastered use of switching from very doomy and heavy breakdown chorus sections to fast paced verses brilliantly. The listener can ask for no more and should be truly enthralled by the master class they are witnessing.

The pleasantly christened 'Bastards' doesn't do a lot until the explosive side comes out at the chorus, the switch from comfortable consistent riffing to a heavy anthemic and very groovy chorus really does make a positive impact on the listener. Although this track is not one you would single out as a great individual track, it is with the likes of' Breath Armageddon' in the sense that these are songs that make the ALBUM excellent, and without them the likes of 'Bricks and Mortar' would not impress as much.

The penultimate 'Rally The Wicked' does an excellent job incurring repetition to build the tension and make that big explosion so much better and the sudden calm down moment perhaps surprises as this is not the usual method, but again things like that make this album so fantastic.

Finally, album closer time! It has been a truly marvellous journey to here and the finisher 'New World Alliance' is no worse than anything here. It does have a very definitive album closer vibe and that vibe is worn very proudly which is a good sign. All in all, this album deserves to reach the Bats' new heights as they truly deserve it!

Words provided by: Andy Smith

Dead Set On Living!

Hello everyone!
Andy here, sorry this blog has been somewhat dormant, I have been rather busy recently and here's why:

School is getting more intense as we near our final set of GCSE's and concentration levels increase rapidly. Also, coursework projects have kept me behind after hours for a lot of the time but most are finished now and study leave is fast approaching so I will be free soon enough!

During the Easter half-term, I vacated to a sunnier and very different place with the other 6 members of my family (Mum, Dad, Sisters 1, 2, 3 & 4. Lucky, aren't I?) for the first week; this was thoroughly enjoyable and a welcome break! The second week of this half term was spent mainly relaxing and a lot of reading has been done.

I have taken an interest in particular in Che Guevara's works; he was such a revolutionary man and it astonishes me as to how he kept such brilliant diaries. By reading them, I feel like I am gaining an insight into what went through his mind and of course his 'Guerilla Warfare' book is an expertly written manual on how to employ the tactics of guerilla warfare and how they were successful in Cuba during the revolution.

Also, the Brian McGilloway authored Inspector Devlin series has become a favourite of mine and I am ever so glad I picked up 'Gallows Lane' in Waterstones the day I did, for otherwise I would be missing out on such an intellectual and clever thrilling series that never fails to impress.

More recently, Cancer Bats - a band I have discovered toward the end of March and become truly enthralled by - released their Dead Set on Living album! It is just shy of 40 minutes and is an absolute treat for any fan of genius music or any CB fan. I have written a review of it as a display of my affection and will be posting it soon!
Thanks for reading and once again I am sorry at the lack of posts previously!
Andy.

Whats been 'appenin'

Ola!

This week saw a return to school after a chilled week off and it wasn't too bad; the weekend arrived quickly enough to our saviour. Also on Wednesday Waterloo Road returned to TV but we have lost Hustle forever which is a shame, although Benidorm is back to fill the hole it left. So a few changes, possibly for the better.

Yesterday happened to be the much anticipated Saturday; it arrived with a light breath of relaxation and fun. My friend Haiden hosted a barbecue in the day and some delicious burgers were being served up by the tens, then I headed home for 4pm in high spirits to witness what I hoped would be a match of England displaying their superiority over Wales, the reality was quite disappointing as we (England) lost 19-12. The game was pretty tight and was just penalty points until the last 5 minutes where Wales scored a lucky try and the final minute England thought they got one but after much consideration the referee awarded a no try. Oh well.

So, after that travesty things did lighten up as last night my friends Silent Blackout played a gig - a headlining gig - at the Ironworks in town, entrance was free and they had two decent support acts. It was definitely the most fun gig of theirs I've been to - when I got home I think my feet were ready to drop off due to the amount of dancing I produced; rightly I got championed as the best dancer of the night! Drop a comment below about anything, you don't need to sign in to comment! Thanks for reading, Andy.

The Sun Shall Rise

Ah hello, extremely glad you could visit this domain today, on such a spectacular occasion.

Today, 21st February 2012, is of course more famously known as the glorious pancake day. This means that we (Britons) celebrate the brilliance of such a simple and delicious treat. Usually, the event of pancake day means that pancakes are the meal time highlight, but not for me tonight; I had a beef stew and personally pancake day has been delayed until tomorrow; better late than never is all I can say.

Onto in some opinions more important matters now, if you read my last blog post then you should know by this point what I am referring to; the new reign. By this I mean the changing of my blog title. Right now, is of course time for the sun to rise. The new way of living is introduced, one life ends and a new one begins. The change is to mark a bit of a milestone of exceeding my tenth post if you were unaware, the content of my posts shall probably remain the same, but who can predict the future?

Today's post is not a big one, it was intended more as a bulletin of the update. So I leave you with and ask you, what do you think of pancake day - like it? dislike it? and what do you make of the new blog changes? Answer these questions in the comment section below - you do not need an account to comment and anonymity is offered. I shall reply to and take on your views eagerly and for the benefit of this site.

Thanks for reading, Andy!

This is the end

Eager readers, I welcome you, one and all!

It has been approximately six days since my last blog post, and this one bears some significance. As this is my tenth post - a bit of a milestone - I am acknowledging this achievement by altering the title of my blog. The current title 'Verteider der Wahrheit' is the German translation of 'Defender of Truth'. I chose this as the title because I wanted a mysterious element to my blog and possibly some out of the ordinary thinking. So, as of my next blog post (after this one of course) a new title will be functioning regularly. Perhaps for the duration of 10 posts, perhaps longer. The permanency of the change is yet to be decided.

Moving on, I spoke in my last post about the Silent Blackout gig I attended on the 11th February and my plans for the rest of the week; Wednesday was a bit of a letdown as Alestorm was scheduled and was for months, did not happen. This is because I felt sick (relating to the previous night) and tired; not an ideal combination for gig-goers.

Wednesday wasn't all bad though, I had a good day in Wrexham with some friends, watched Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace in 3D, it was good, but not as good as expected. The three dimensional effects were more subtle than popping out in your face, although perhaps remastering a film in a new dimension is harder than it sounds, and seeing Star Wars in the cinema was amazing, I never got to see any of the modern ones when I was younger so I cherished the experience.

To conclude this final post under the Verteidiger reign, I shall summarise the events of last night - Friday - I accompanied my Dad to a local music venue/pub in town called the Ironworks as at 9pm, they had a Guns 'n' Roses tribute band playing, we thought why not as the event was priced at a pleasing £5. The band took after Guns instantly, as they didn't start playing for at least half an hour, something G'n'R fans are accustomed to. The band did a good job of replicating imagery and nailing a well chosen set list, obvious stand outs were Slash and Axl, Slash doing a fantastic job with those famous riffs and exquisite solo's, Axl had all the moves and hit all the right notes. A truly good night.

Thank you for reading and I shall grace your computer screen again when the new regime kicks in!
Andy.

Half-term!

Hello! Today is Sunday, 12th February and for once this day of the week is not filled with dismay for a return to another week of academic life as tomorrow through to Friday is a half-term!

To start off this beloved opportunity of a week off, my friends in the local band Silent Blackout played a free gig at The Miners Arms pub in Morda (not to be mistaken for Mordor in Lord of The Rings!!) Perhaps not the most professional of venues, but a pub atmosphere with a collection of good friends and funky tunes is always better than a night in front of the TV. I thought the boys collectively performed well and were very confident, which is always a good sign. They played a sizable set consisting mainly of covers, including Green Day, Velvet Revolver, Metallica, Foo Fighters and a few more plus two or three of their own material was thrown in and received a decent reaction.

They ended with an encore of the ever fantastic Sweet Child O' Mine, that extremely famous riff executed precisely by Jamie McGowan on lead guitar, the Axl Rose imitation amusing from the vocalist Harry Davies, Duff McKagan's bass line delivered by the phenomenal Kieran Jones and Jack Hesketh of course bashing those drums in great rhythm and melody to complete the sound. I for one did enjoy the entertainment they supplied and look forward to their next gig.

Next up on my list of gigs, is of course Alestorm on Wednesday. Over 250 tickets for the show have been sold so it should be a hell of a night! Check my Youtube @ www.youtube.com/user/HiToppzx and follow me on Twitter!: @aandysmith
Thanks, Andy.