What better way to spend Halloween than with heavy metal?

The December 2008 issue of Decibel magazine inducts Metallica’s …And Justice For All into their esteemed Hall of Fame. I may not be a fan of that band anymore, but I can easily admit that the album is one of the finest metal albums of all time. What annoyed me, however, was what I read during the accompanying interview.

Whenever Decibel inducts a new Hall of Fame album, they interview all of the contributing bandmembers, even if they’re no longer part of the band. As such, this issue’s interview included bassist Jason Newsted, who left Metallica in 2001. All four musicians weren’t interviewed at the same time; that rarely happens with the Hall of Fame segments. I’m assuming most of these interviews are done via phone, and for each question the writer asks, each bandmember is given the opportunity to answer, often without knowing what the others have said. Nowhere is that more clear than with the …And Justice For All piece.

We’ve known ever since the Load era that drummer Lars Ulrich can be a bit of an egotistical tyrant, and he usually drags lead singer/guitarist James Hetfield along with him. This reached a fever pitch during the Napster debacle, when Ulrich claimed that “true Metallica fans” would never download their music. Few things are more arrogant in the music world than a band who determines for themselves who their “true” fans are! Anyway, continuing on over the years, the Ulrich/Hetfield Express have continued their displays of unabashed douchebaggery (especially in the film Some Kind of Monster), but guitarist Kirk Hammett generally tended to stay out of some of the more controversial outbursts. But what he said in the …And Justice For All article? Oh, this is the cream of the dickhead crop. In reference to Newsted, here’s what Hammett had to say:

The only thing he really came up with was the riff in “Blackened,” and in retrospect, that was pretty much the biggest contribution he ever made to the band.

Wow…what an asshole. Newsted was in the band for nearly fifteen years, and you’re claiming that his single biggest contribution was just a riff on his first album? Not only that, anyone who’s listened to …And Justice For All knows that Hetfield and Hammett had the bass lines mixed down so low that you can’t even hear them! They claim that it was because they were too similar to the guitar parts; Newsted claims that it was all part of the “hazing” he endured as a new bandmember. Given the rest of the band’s behavior over the past decade or so, I’m inclined to believe the latter. I’m surprised Newsted didn’t leave the band shortly after …And Justice For All was released; essentially deleting his playing was a colossal “fuck you.” Lastly, the Hall of Fame article was supposed to be a celebration of …And Justice For All, not an excuse to attack former bandmembers! How immature can you get?

The Load album is what made me drop my Metallica fandom. I’m all for bands trying new sounds and stuff, but when your “new sound” just happens to be a carbon copy of exactly what’s popular at that point it time, it proves that you really don’t give a shit about your music or your fans. The band’s controversial actions since then have borne this out, and this latest outburst hammers another nail into the coffin.

In case you hadn’t guessed, I’ve been playing Mega Man 9 quite a bit. I’ve already completed the game, but I’m trying out the Time Attack modes and other stuff, including the downloadable content (DLC). However, there’s one aspect of the DLC that infuriates me: it’s the fact that the downloads are really just keys that unlock the actual modes within the game. What I’m saying is that all of those extra modes and such are already in the game. You just have to pay to unlock them!

I hate that shit. Give us the full game all at once, or make the DLC actual full packs, not just keys. Mega Man 9 isn’t the only game that’s pulled this kind of stunt before, and it’s unlikely to be the last.

What the fuck is wrong with people on the roads these days? It’s like traffic laws have become a thing of the past.

On a routine basis, people ride my ass. Now, I’m not a senior citizen-style driver who goes five miles below the speed limit; I do, however, obey speed limit signs around schools and such. Plus, I drive a midsize sedan, which doesn’t exactly have the world’s fastest acceleration. But even when I’m on the highway doing 70mph, I’ve got assholes on my bumper, who burn around me at the first opportunity, with no care for other drivers around them. And this is in the “slow” lane! What’s the fucking rush?

Highways are one thing, but worse yet is the behavior I’ve seen on local roads. For example, the exit off the highway I take to get home splits in two; the left side to turn left, and the right side to turn right. Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? However, on more than one occasion, I’ve had assholes come up on my right…on the left-turn side. When I make my left turn, then speed around me and cut me off! These are single-lane roads, people; the first time this happened, I was nearly pushed into oncoming traffic. Of course, from there on in, I could easily recognize when some prick was going to pull that kind of stunt, and made sure to position my car slightly to the left during the turn. Since I’ve used that technique, the offender is practically forced off the road, and it’s their own fault, as I’m completely within the boundaries of the law. The most ridiculous part of this whole thing is that about five hundred feet after that left turn…there’s a four-way stop! So again, I ask you: what’s the fucking rush?

The usual maxim applies to these incidences: “Where’s a cop when you need one?” Ironically, the last story I have to tell relates to just that. Down the road from my apartment, there’s a large four-way intersection, and one of the roads in question has a sign that clearly reads “No Turn on Red.” Well, we all know people love to ignore that particular traffic law, but it’s absolutely hilarious when people break it at this stop. Why? Because right as you turn the corner, the local police station comes into view. I’ve seen many people turn on red there, and every single time, they get busted. It’s comedy at its finest.

Given the fervor surrounding the upcoming US presidential election, and the fact that I’ve ranted about political matters in the past, I’ve decided it was high time that I create a new Politics category. Quite a few of my past entries would fit there, but were originally filed under Culture. I’ve since moved them to the Politics category.

We all know that CD prices were a tad exorbitant for a long time, but once digital distribution channels like the iTunes Store began to pick up steam, record companies had no choice but the drop the prices of physical media. Now more than ever, CDs are rather cheap, even at major chains.

But, not all is sunny. A format that’s experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years is the extended play, or EP. These usually contain four or five songs, and bands often release them in between full albums (LPs). You’d think that for what’s essentially half a CD, then the price should also be half, right?

Wrong. Many EPs are priced only slightly less than their LP counterparts, and that’s a steaming pile of horseshit. For example, I wanted to pick up Jesu’s Lifeline and Why Are We Not Perfect? EPs, but they go for $10-11 a whack. That’s ridiculous! Meanwhile, on the iTunes Store, Lifeline can be had for a paltry $3.96. (As of this writing, Why Are We Not Perfect? isn’t available there yet.) I definitely prefer physical media to downloads, but in this case, the CDs just aren’t worth it.

I realize record companies are fighting a losing battle when it comes to digital distribution, but I don’t give a shit. Don’t overprice your EPs just because you can’t pad out your million-dollar salaries. Cheaper music means more sales; even the digital model’s proved that!