The Dark Knight

Wow!..never have I been soo engrossed for 2.5 hours in a movie! I wanted to see The Dark Knight, ever since I saw Batman Begins. The end scene in Batman Begins, when Lieutenant Gordon shows a "Joker" card to Batman, got me all excited to look forward for the second part of my favourite superhero! Anyways, so..me and Rajesh were headed to Wave cinemas yesterday for the 7:50 show. I had already booked the tickets online..so all we had to do was collect them from the Concierge desk. While waiting in the small line..a guy asks me "When is the show for the Dark Knight". I told him the time. He goes on to say the stupidest thing I had ever heard in my life.....ever...and I have heard many ppl say the most idiotic things. He goes like.. "Its surprising that "The Dark Knight" got 4 stars and "Money hai toh Honey hai" got only 1". I had to stop myself from laughing out real hard and had to content myself with a silent chuckle and that too inside my head. Anyways..once inside the theater, it was nice and comfortable and the show began right on time. Its a rollercoaster ride throughout..excellent story..great chase sequences and there are soo many edgy moments in the movie that truly provides a nail biting experience. The Joker is awesome! He is soo different from the old movie "Batman". This joker is a complete psycho..and a terrifying villain who kills for the heck of it! Its awesome! Its modelled on the lines of the "The Killing Joke"..the famous comic which show the origins of the Joker. Heath Ledger totally owns the character. However I would have liked if they showed how the Joker became the Joker. They do give subtle hints though. The cinematography is excellent. The way batman glides over the sky scrapers gets your adrenaline going! The chase sequences are excellent..hell..they flipped a full truck!!..what more can you ask for!!! The movie had me thinking about it all night long..the last movie which had such a cool impact on me was 300...another Frank Miller classic. Well, I really can't wait for the next part. It would be very difficult to top this one!

Lokesh Bakshi leaves Prestorika

Damn..two bad news in one day..the first one..my favourite guitarist Lokesh Bakshi is leaving Prestorika. I still can't believe this is happening. They are soo good together. The reason as to why he is leaving the band is the second bad news. Apparently, Prestorika are changing their sound!! from kick ass Heavy Metal to lame "Nu Metal/New Age" sh*t. Damn..but there is a silver lining..Lokesh has promised his fans to be back with a new band and a kickass sound..metal ofcourse! Lets just keep our fingers crossed..I'd rather keep my fingers like this - \m/ .

Charlie Chaplin

The funniest video in the world..by the legend himself..i cant help laughing the entire length of the clip..awesome!

Maiden Heaven - Its here!

Ohh man!!..am listening to Maiden Heaven right now and its sooo damn awesome!!..I am into the second track "Remember Tomorrow" by Metallica and phew!..what a kick ass track! I cant say much right now cuz I am just onto the second song. I will update something after I finish hearing them all.

Update:
Hmm..after listening to the entire album..I got mixed reactions. In this compilation I really feel that some bands which were featured just can't cover iron maiden. At the end of it, its an OK album..you might even like it if you dont take iron maiden seriously. Anyways, so now I proceed to dissect the album.

1. Prowler: Black Tide
Prowler is the first song of the album. Black Tide did a fairly good job covering it. Most of the track sounds like the original. But they did change the solo and made the guitars and drums more heavier. Its a nice track to start off.

2. Remember Tomorrow: Metallica
This track really takes the album to the next level. Its this track which raises the expectations of the listener. My best track of the album. The vocals are strong..drums are tight..the guitars are heavy and the solo is nice too!

3. Flash of the blade: Avenged Sevenfold
I like this track..but the chorus really turns me off..the vocals are "sissy". I dont know...it doesn't sound like metal at all during the chorus. Apart from that..the track is cool..but I would give Iron Maiden the credit for it..Avenged Sevenfold dint have the power to cover this song. But thats me..thats my opinion.

4. 2 minutes to midnight: Glamour of the kill
Again, the vocals dint cut for me. It just goes to prove how good a singer Bruce Dickinson is. The vocals are not powerful at all. The track doesnt sound like heavy metal at all!

5. The Trooper: Coheed and Cambria
The trooper is like one of the best songs of Iron Maiden. It takes gut to cover a classic like The Trooper and Coheed and Cambria totally lost it vocally. It lacks the power! The guitars and drums although dont sound bad. However, this track again dissapoints.

6. Wasted Years: Devildriver
This is when things get metalcore/hardcore. The one thing which really goes wrong with the songs in this compilation are the vocals. The drums and the guitars are cool in every track but the vocals gets messed up..in this track too. Going metalcore for a maiden song kills it. However the overall track does sound nice..if you can ignore the vocals for a bit. The vocals kinda ruins the overall melody of the track. By this time you find new respect for Bruce Dickinson and truly realize what an amazing singer he is!

7. Run to the Hills: Sign
They totally changed the song...for the worse. It sounds like a f*ckin nu metal/alternate sh*t like Linkin Park or something. The worst song on this album for me. They really killed a classic.

8. To tame a land: Dream Theater
They did a fairly good job covering it. However, I expected more from Dream Theater. The track more or less sounds the same. I wished they had done it the "Dream Theater" way. But saying that...the track does sound amazing...the second best song for me!

9. Madina Lake: Caught somewhere in time
For god sake ...stop turning Iron Maiden songs to shit! This track sux totally. The vocals suck..and the riffs sound like nothing like Heavy metal. The original is like 7 minutes long and this one is a 4 minute long track. It dint even have a solo. Imagine a maiden song minus a solo!!! Its exactly how not to cover a maiden song.

10. Gallows: Wrathchild
Hardcore/Metalcore enthusiasts just might enjoy this song. I dint enjoy it much. The vocals turn me off. I strongly feel going metalcore kills the melody of an iron maiden song! Although that said, Cradle of Filth cover (even if they aren't metalcore) totally pulled off Hallowed be thy name. I hate such vocals but somehow..that cover rocks!

11. Fightstar: Fear of the dark
Hmm..fear of the dark starts in a really kickass manner. But the singer cant pull it off. He cant get the high notes at all. He sings at a different scale altogether. The chorus again doesn't sound like metal..however.. the guitars rock in this track. They are the saviour of this track. Its nice and heavy.

12. Machine Head: Hallowed be thy name
Hallowed be thy name is my favourite Iron Maiden track. I love it when bands cover it. I loved the Cradle of Filth cover..even if the vocals are very different from the original. I thought they pulled it off totally. Even Iced Earth did a good job in the "Tribute to the gods" album. Machine Head also does a good job. They chose it safe and played the song as it is on the original.

13. Iron Maiden: Trivium
The song rocks..and the cover rocks too. Although the growls do sound weird in the song..but overall it maintains the power of the original..I esp liked the drums on this track and the overall pace of the song. My third favourite in the album.

14. Running Free: Year Long Disaster
The vocals sound like Marilyn Manson. But it sounds good. Got nuthing more to say for this other than that.

15. Brave New World: Ghostlines
They turned the track upside down. They made it acoustic and changed the melody on the vocals. The guitar plays the original melody in the background. Its a slow track..nice to listen and all.. but I have to say..does not sound like a heavy metal cover. I wished they did it heavy and faster than the original.

All in all its an "ok" album. You wont be dissapointed with it but once you start comparing it with the original songs, you would find they dont come even close to the sheer power of Iron Maiden. Its after you listen to all the songs..you realize the greatness that is Iron Maiden \m/.

Maiden Heaven

Kerrang! is producing a new Iron Maiden Tribute album titled "Maiden Heaven". The title includes all the biggest names in metal each covering a track by Iron Maiden. The big names include Metallica, Machine Head, Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold, Trivium and many others!! Its gonna be out only with the magazine :( . That kinda sucks..where the hell am I gonna get a copy. Anyways its gonna be awesome! Metallica's covering "Remember Tomorrow". I wanted see them cover Hallowed be thy name or Fear of the Dark. DT is covering "To Tame a Land" and Trivium is covering "Iron Maiden". Anyways I hope the album lives up to its name. Read more about it here.

Saturday Night's Alright!

Saturday is the best day of the week. Friday evenings are the best evenings of the week and Sunday is the day when I sulk my heart out. I hate mondays! Anyways my day started with me getting up at 5:45 and meeting up with Harman after a long time for a game of basketball. We went to the Noida stadium along with his li'l brother Vinny and his friend Arpit. We had a nice 2-on-2 going on..but we never managed to complete a single game! Harman got tired half-way through the game. And as usual he had his reason..this time anti-biotics! Usually its his "dislocated" fingers. Anyways we played till like 8 am and headed back. Once back, I had a much needed breakfast and spent the morning practising my guitar skills. I also finished the Attila the Hun campaign on Age of Empires. Its an old game I know, but it still fascinates me !! The sheer pleasure of building an empire and reducing your enemies to rubble (literally) certainly gets me going! The afternoon was spent on a small 2-peg vodka session with dad and mom. It was nicely done. The weather was a bit cool today, which was the reason/excuse for celebration. The evenings would be spent on the guitar and the 360. I had to replay Highway 17 (Half Life 2) since I was stuck with a bug! Lets see if replaying solves the problem.
Anyways I guess thats it then..let the games begin!

Byomkesh Bakshi

When I was a li'l kid, I used to adore this series. It was a huge hit at that time. I managed to get a few of the episodes from Bhupesh. I saw some of it today and was instantly transported to my childhood days. Byomkesh Bakshi is a simplistic yet an in-your-face kinda detective serial. Subtlety has no place in this series..which makes it real fun to watch. One is right into the story in the very first minute! The best part is the simplicity. Set in the 1950s there are no gadgets or fast cars...its a simple story driven series focussing on the lives of the common man. It has a really nice soundtrack and keeps you on the edge during the climax. Its one of the best detective serials I have seen..ever..CSI included.