Monday, October 29, 2007

Zerulean works - part 1





Hello nothingness...

I have mentioned my artist friend from my previews post and I'm posting two of his earlier lineart here. Its the only two works he gave to me to scan and post here as for the time being. He requested me to post some of his stuff on my blog since I'm always eager to post something interesting and anyway, I'm happy to help out. We go way back in college and we both have the same taste and hobbies. We used to cook up stories and comic book heroes alongside our usual drinking spree binges with other friends. We are currently collaborating on a comic book project. An excercise in futility of sorts but hopefully something will come out of it. All we have to do is wait and bleed. hmmmm.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

I've got nothing concrete, I'll just babble some more.

Hello nothingness...

Well, like my previous entries here, I always almost mention that fact that I'm busy of late from work and my personal life and that my surf and net time is almost compromise, eventhough I usually have the privilege to boot up my PC and have access to the net and can somehow update or post something for this blog. I would end up just checking my emails and read the updates on the forum that I am currently joining in or reading the latest gadget and gizmo news or downloading MP3 songs or to some horrible extent, update my friendster account (hehehehe). Putting something in this blog journal would always come in last because I feel that I have nothing interesting to say or share with the whole cyber-community (provided that theres somebody reading this blog aside from my GF who is ever my loyal viewer). My life's a Bore. Nuff said.

As an update, me and tha band jammed late this afternoon and we were rehearsing our old composition for us to re-record it hopefully by the end of the week for the CEMP music compilation. We are terribly delayed, as usual, as far as CEMP told us, we are the only ones left who haven't submitted a song for the compilation which will be due next week and for release this coming November 11, 2007 via launching at Kasadja Bar @ Lahug Cebu (the bill is posted below).



As for me and my artist friend Elton (long time collaborator on all things sequential and lineart), things are looking up, the six page plot and script are already done by yours truly and Elton would be starting with the pencils and layout of the story within the week and hopefully he can send me some pages for me to ink (traditionally) on and do the letters (digitally) . And by the way, after much wrestling with the name game on the character we are working on we finally chose to name him the NIGHTSCOURGE, pretty nifty huh. Hope we don’t come across the comics universe with someone similarly named. The chances of which are pretty huge and for that we apologize beforehand. Nuff said.  Below is a makeshift logo of the comicbook character we are creating.



Hitchhiker's Guide to being a True Metalhead

Here's an interesting piece forwarded by a metalhead friend of mine. As most people who know me know that I'm a true blue metalhead. Ever since I first heard the deafening sounds of old Metallica and Slayer and to eventually stacking up on the more extreme stuffs. It's really a cool genre to listen to and its the music that I always highly recommend. \m/

source: http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-True-Metalhead

Whether you’ve never listened to metal before, are just getting into it, or have been listening to it for years, this guide will help keep you on the right track in the world of metal.

STEPS:

1. Realize that the amount of musicianship required to write and play most metal is astounding. A lot of ignorant people say otherwise, because they’re used to mainstream bands that are based on poppy vocals backed up by simple power chords. How many times have we metalheads been told that metal is just a fat sweaty guy screaming into a mic? That’s too bad, because people like that are missing out on some great instrumentals.

2. Realize that metal is ALL about the music. You don’t need to go around wearing fancy clothing or acting a certain way. Just be yourself.

3. Don’t just listen to the vocals. Appreciate the drumming, guitar riffs, and the heavy bass lines. If you can’t understand the vocals the first time around, look up the lyrics. Understand what they mean, analyze them and form your own opinion around them. And realize that Metal isn’t all about death, and many many of the lyrics can be beautiful.

4. Get your hands on some good metal. The variety is endless, ranging from soft to rock-your-face-off. Keep in mind, however, that a lot of bands who focus solely on being “hard” play very simple music, probably aren’t real metal, and aren’t worth listening to. A good idea is to find someone you know is a metal head and just ask him/her if you can borrow a few CD’s or just ask if you can listen to their headphones. Chances are the guy who is a metalhead will know just what to hook you up with.

5. Find some metal you like. Don’t just go for whatever all the others are listening, or what they tell you to listen to. Be an individual, thats respected in the Metal subculture. Conformity will get you nowhere. Stay true to yourself, and true to the music. Once you have obtained a love for metal, let your tastes guide you. There are always new (and old) bands for you to discover. In fact, why not try playing metal yourself?

6. Defend the music if you like it. Be prepared for criticism of the music. Tell the uneducated about the message and the meaning behind the lyrics, and to look past the lyrics.

7. Go to shows! Shows can be hard to handle at first, but eventually you get used to it. Get lost in the music; fun is what it’s all about. Going to concerts is strongly advised, as they are often almost a “magical” experience, and is a great way to meet people with similar music taste.

TIPS:

1. Feel free to listen to genres other than metal, though many people who listen to metal agree that a true metalhead prefers metal to other musical idioms.

2. Buying lots of band shirts is a great way to support the metal bands that you like (as applies to all genres), and possibly meet new friends with similar musical tastes. However it is not needed but it does reinforce your tastes. Be sure you know about the bands you’re wearing. People may come up to you and engage you in a conversation about them.

3. Ask around. If you’re interested in metal, you’re bound to meet someone who can let you listen to some good stuff. This way, you can get a feel for what you like in a metal band and start to purchase albums from there.

4. Start off slow, and your tastes will expand. A lot of metal bands’ vocals are based on screaming, which will be hard to get used to and is probably the sole reason that the majority of people shun metal the way they do. Screaming maintains the heavy, hard atmosphere, and allows a band to spread their message while using no definite tone… allowing the instruments do the melodic work. A good way to start would be to listen to a metal band whose vocalist sings with occasional screaming, like Pantera. If you’re feeling daring, though, you could try a band whose screaming vocals blend in better, like Children of Bodom.

5. Many older bands use high-pitched but melodic vocal styles, often of very high quality. Examples include Iron Maiden, Queensryche, King Diamond, and Skid Row. Many fans prefer this style to the more modern scream or growl commonly found in a lot of death/black metal. In addition, there’s a growing style in Europe called “gothic metal” that typically features female vocalists of extremely high, often operatic quality. Examples of this include Within Temptation, Epica, and After Forever. Nightwish could be considered similar in many respects to this style. There are many subgenres of metal, (speed and thrash, glam, power, death, black, doom, grindcore, industrial, new wave) and a great variation of vocal styles among them. Many of the best are extremely demanding and skillful in their execution, as much so as the music itself.
6. Check out some bands like Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Anthrax, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Megadeth and Manowar.

WARNINGS:

- If you don’t like (or down-right hate) some of the first metal material you hear, don’t back off right away. Metal is very diverse, and there’s something to be had for everyone. Some metal is fast, (Progressive Metal) and some is slow (Doom Metal). There is even Christian Metal!

- Stand up for your music. Do not be afraid to voice your opinion and stand up for what you believe in [but watch your back]. After all metal is one of the greatest genres of music.

- Try not to illegally download the music you are trying. This wrecks up the album if you eventually get it. Try free legal music download sites like purevolume and the bands MySpace for free tracks.

THINGS YOU’LL NEED:

- An open mind.
- Optional: Money for CD’s and shirts.


Sunday, October 14, 2007

A possible Comicbook contribution


Hello nothingness...

Just a quick update. I'm terribly excited, me and E.J. Espinosa had a meeting and we collaborated on a comicbook which I did the story and the scripts and will hopefully ink on and him doing the pencils and possible greytones. The tentative title would be a story on the plights of the Reaper, tentatively called because my friend told me that a Reaper character already appeared in the pages of Popcorn Comics here in Cebu and we're gonna change his identity soon after we come up with a better name for the character. The story is kinda like the Crow meets Buffy thing. So, its gonna be with aswangs, spirits and the like. Hope we will be a part of the anthology of sorts of comicbook creators here in Cebu, I already posted a message in Istorya dot Net on our enthusiasm in contributing a story on that soon to be anthology, hope Suede well hook us up soon. I'll keep posting updates. Nuff said. (a sketch of a headshot of the Reaper above if you haven't noticed, a full body shot will soon follow).

Friday, October 12, 2007

Another interesting filler


Got this from surfing Istorya.net forum, im a member by the way and its where I usually post threads. Try it and share. Its kinda cool.

My Japanese name is Aritomo Etsuko.
Take The Original Japanese Name Generator by Shu today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.


Domo Arigato.....hehehehe....(cant help it, i luv them Japs.)

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Just a little update (CEMP compilation release 11/10/2007)

hello nothingness...

Again, I think I'm too busy to put a real post here so I just wanna do a quick update.

From my previous post (if anybody ever cared to view this blog anyway), I mentioned my sabbatical in the band. Well, I'm excited somewhat that CEMP (Cebu Extreme Metal Productions) is currently working on a compilation of singles from bands under its belt and my band has been a part of CEMP since 2005 and we will contribute hopefully a re-recording of our old composition "Darkness Cometh" and maybe when we can, add a new death metal compo also. So, my sabbatical is put on hold for the moment (if ever there was such a thing).

Also, my friend (CEMP manager) and I would be contributing an industrial metal composition in the vein of the almighty Godflesh, entitled "The Terrible Wait". The drum sequence of which is already done and the guitars and bass parts will soon follow. All this is done via a home studio software, so were recording it via virtual studio, i.e. my home PC. Hopefully it will be included in the compilation. It's gonna be a double CD release, an independent release to be exact, so don't expect much regarding packing and production wise, but still its gonna be a killer.

I've already heard some of the other bands contribution, there will be about 12 bands contributing and it kicks serious ass. All in all, the compilation CD's release will be accompanied by a gig this coming November 10, 2007 (the venue is still under negotiations).

Nuff said....