White Board Mafia

So we’ve reviewed a bunch of things on this site. Games, Movies, Music, Concerts. But never food. I think I have to post this as it is among the strongest negative responses I’ve ever had to a foodstuff…

OK, for most folks it goes without saying that something from Taco Bell would be absolutely disgusting. But I personally am a fan of the Bell of Tacos, having gotten stuff from them for lunch several times. Although I find some of their foodstuffs better than others, I have never been as disgusted by anything I’ve had from them as I am today.

They got these new “Cantina Tacos” which are supposed to be like their Chipotle/Moe’s/Panchero equivalent of like corner mexican joint legit tacos. Well, not only are they NOTHING like those other places, or legit Mexican joints, they are a disgusting, nauseating disaster.

I got a steak and carnitas one, as those are my favorite taco/burrito stuffing options. The steak itself was actually OK, it was pretty tasty along with the cilantro, lime and onions they add. However, the double tortilla thing they wrap it in is absolutely horrible. It doesn’t even taste like real food, it has the taste and texture of foam rubber. It’s all spongy and nasty, it should be insulating my house not cradling my taco filling.

That would’ve been bad enough but when I unwrapped my carnitas one, I did not recognize the substance inside the “taco” as any food I recognized. It looks like they put some kind of beast through a food processors and dumped it into a pot of brown Thanksgiving gravy. Then after boiling it for days, decided to take a spoonful of their meat glop and dump it onto the sponge tortilla. Also, I don’t know if they forgot the cilantro and onions by accident, but it didn’t come with any and it would have improved the gravyness.

I sit here an hour after the meal, and my insides are going nuts. This isn’t unusual for Taco Bell, but it is at this particular level of internal rage. Much like the Wayne’s World 2 red rope licorice, stay away from the Cantina Tacos, lest you want your tastebuds offended and your intestines raped.

I will gladly be going back for the Chicken Club Chalupa, however.

I’ve always been a huge fan of tattoos, but I didn’t get my first in 2004. I was instantly bitten by the tattoo bug and couldn’t wait to get my next one. I was working at GameStop at the time and a promotional copy of Grabbed By The Ghoulies arrived in my store. My boss said I could have it since he wasn’t interested in it. I gave it a shot since Rare has an awesome track record and low and behold, I had an awesome new game to play for free. Granted, this game is still a running joke years later, even in Rare’s own games, but I genuinely enjoyed it. Once I saw the Ninja Imp, I knew he’d be inked on me.

Recently, I started playing the game again and was reminded of my idea. I took a very long shot in the dark and sent an email to Rare through their “contact us” link on the their homepage. I stated my intentions and mentioned how hard it is to find a clear picture of the little bugger and asked for a shot of him. On the worst morning I’ve had in a very long time, I received a response. Along with that response, was an attachment. Leigh at Rare sent my request to his artists and, in a nostalgic mood, sent over a high res shot of the Ninja Imp. Shortly after, I was freshly inked with my first video game tattoo and my overall mood greatly improved. I sent them over the shots and have yet to hear back. I imagine it’s because they’re still laughing at the fact that someone got a tattoo of GBTG. He’s not completely healed yet, but he’s 95% of the way there and still looks just like the day I got him done.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve actually bothered to blog about anything. I went and tried starting my own blog, but I ended up losing the purpose for my blog due to a lack of money. However, the writing bug does bite every now and then and thus I’d like to announce my official return to Whiteboardmafia.com. Reviews, complaints, rants, stream of consciousness writing, these will be all the things I write about here. Enjoy, mofos!

I’ve had a story in my head for a few years and for some reason, finally decided to try my hand at writing it out. I have no formal writing experience, so I’m just shooting from the hip. You can find chapter one here and I’ll be adding a way to jump between chapters once I have the second part of the story edited. Feel free to forward any comments over to CG@whiteboardmafia.com.

This past few days have been so incredible, it’s hard to accurately put everything into words. It started on the night before St. Patrick’s day when people started showing up from out of state. Ryno and Ruben arrived at the Philly airport, and I immediately took Ryno to a Super Wawa, and he was like a child in a candy store. Wawa Iced Tea and Tastykakes for days. We went back to JimmyC’s house and made party. A little bit later, we ended up going back in to Philly so Ryno could get a cheesesteak from Pat’s.
The next day, I shot down to AC with Jersey Steph and Jezus316 for the House of Pain/La Coka Nostra show. We got to the venue and met up with Crimson and his lady, and eventually the 516 Squad showed up with JimmyC and Ryno. HoP/LCN put it down and had an amazing show. We gambled for a little bit and then went home because I had to work the next morning.

On Friday, AFChris came in from Toledo and Krazee came in Boston, and I picked them up and took em to Pat’s for they could experience the majesty that is the Philly cheesesteak. Chris could barely believe the joy occurring in his mouth, and I slaughtered a wiz with and cheese fries. We headed back towards Jersey and Chris says about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, “Holy shit, is that Camden? Dude, I want to go there.” I take a slight detour and roll through a few streets in Camden to appease Chris, and drop everyone off at their hotel and head home. Shortly after, Crimson and his girl show up to my house to stay the weekend. We hung out and talked for a while and passed out about 4am.

We woke up the next day and headed out to pick up STLRyan from the airport at about 12:30. We got caught in traffic due to roadwork, but we had to stop next to exit 17, so it was all good. We picked up Ryan and headed over to the Electric Factory for ICP’s Oddball Bonanza. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be outside. Munky had a spot in line for us, and we hung out until doors. The doors opened at about 4:30ish, half an hour earlier than expected, and we got in with the quickness. I grabbed 2 Oddball shirts, one to wear and one to throw in the bin, and headed to the wrestling ring. Right before the matches started, Jersey Steph showed up with Jezus and Carrie, so I headed to the door to give her a ticket to get in, and headed back to the ring, where Nate was holding it down for me. 2 Tuff Tony had a dope match with Trent Acid full of blood, barbed wire, and dick for dinner. Tony poured a hefty amount of Bacardi Limon down my thirsty gullet and told me how happy he was to be back in Philly. After that match my back started bothering me so I headed upstairs, and my homie Mike took my spot on the barricade.

Mike E Clark’s DJ set was incredible. He hit Bugz on my Nutz and the people that knew it went nutty. I REALLY hope with the upcoming release of ICP: The Old Shit that Juggalos will know more of the older ICP stuff and they’ll do it live. He also played a remix of Skitzofrantic and another of Golden Goldies. I marked pretty hard for GG. Not a lot of Juggalos even know about the Golden Goldies anymore but they were the OG Rydas and did a set at the Riddlebox Release Party in 1995. They’re even thanked in the Riddlebox booklet. Anyway, I really didn’t eat all day so I went to go downstairs to get some food, and ran into 2 Tuff Tony before I hit the stairs. He gave me a giant bear hug and told me to take him over to the rest of his Philly friends. I brought him over to where we were hanging out and many good times were had. We talked about his match and the upcoming tour and let me tell you, I am very hype for this tour. It’s going to be good times. I already have at least 2 dates planned, and we’re going to TRY to pull off both dates up in Woopsta but traffic will likely make us miss all of the show except ICP, and that’s if we’re lucky.

After that, we watched the Nigerian Nightmares roll over the Thomasellis. Literally. Gross. The next match was the 7 foot lady vs jobbers 1, 2, and 4. My memory is a little fuzzy but I believe up next was when Big Blaze ran out and did a surprise set, ending with Escape Artist. Color us excited. He sounded awesome and even with the maggots and al, he looks GREAT! Then Pondo came out and cut an awesome promo about how Nightline showed him how the Insane Clown Posse really influences people. Let me tell you, Pondo is one of the greatest heels in wrestling. Corp came out and laid the smack down with some light tubes and got the d over Pondo. Up next, the wicked clowns.

ICP took the stage and I headed down to the floor and made my way to the front. The easiest way for me to do this is see STL standing tall above the crowd and just head for him. I eventually battle my way through one of the roughest crowds I’ve had to deal with in a long time, and make it to the barricade. Already waiting for me are AJ, Spinz, Ruben, Ryan, and StephTL. Shortly after, AFChris arrives with ShaggyAndrew, and Rob Dancer appears behind them. He probably ripped someone off for their spot. Basically, ICP put it down. Incredible setlist. Southwest Strangla, What Is A Juggalo, and more. I may have even liked the set more than the Bang Pow Boom set. After the show, everyone met back up in the parking lot for a giant Goon Squad picture. We dropped off AF at his hotel and we headed back to my place to shower. Once I’d washed off the Faygo Rain, Crimson and his lady and I headed back over to JimmyC’s. We crammed ourselves in and hung out for the rest of the night. Sadly, there wasn’t enough space for everyone there. We headed home and got back to my place around 5am. We would have left earlier but Jelly and Andy D had us crying.

I woke up Sunday and saw off Crimson and lady. I was sad to see them go, but we’ll be meeting up again. I headed out and picked up AF and Ruben, and drove them all around Philly, including the infamous South St. We got some pizza from Lorenzo’s and walked up and down South. We caught some other sights in Philly and headed back to JimmyC’s, where beer pong and flipcup were already in session. Flip, flip, flipadelphia. I hung out for a while, and then headed over to the Quality Inn where my man Krazee was holding it down in D Block. I hung out with him and his girl for a while and we discussed plans for the Happy Daze tour in Woopsta. I headed home around 1ish, and ended an absolutely incredible week. There were so many details I can’t even fit in here, but this weekend had something for everyone and I didn’t have any drama, so that’s always a win. Up next, the Happy Daze tour featuring Necro, Kittie, Coolio, Kottonmouth Kings, and the one and only Insane Clown Posse. A little tidbit of info, there is a reason some of the shows are outside, you can’t fit a wrestling ring in some of the normal venues they play! Boomaga and I will be at PAX East this weekend in Boston so come on out and say hi! I’m mainly looking forward to boozing it up and hopefully getting to talk to the Red vs Blue guys again, I haven’t talked to them in person since 04, and I’m going to bring up my Drunk Gamers mug to be signed. I’m not even really a mark and I really don’t even like getting autographs, but I think this might be something cool to have since Geoff sent it to me a few years ago. Anyways, look us up out there, I’m sure I’ll be hanging out in Pictochat throughout the weekend and updating my twitter @counterfeitgod.

2009 was a hell of a year, that’s for sure. We saw the release of many albums that will be enjoyed for years to come, and a perfect mood setter for the Halloween season finally saw a release. Wrestlemania 25 went down in Houston, and 3/4 of the White Board Mafia was there to witness it live and in person. A few decent movies were released in theaters, but nothing I went absolutely batshit over. I got to see some incredible live acts as well. Here is a condensed list of my favorite points of 2009.

cKy – Carver City
I’ve been a fan of cKy since 01/02 when I got turned on to the DVDs in high school and I’ve followed them through their career and I can honestly say that no one sound like cKy, they’re simply in a league of their own. This is easily my favorite album from the group, and I highly suggest you scoop it up.

P.O.S. – Never Better
The Junior album from that lovable piece of shit from Minnesota, this album is topping a lot of “Best of 09″ lists. I love this album from front to back, I’m just disappointed I still haven’t seen him live yet.

Mastodon – Crack The Skye
If you take mind altering substances, this is the album for you. A concept album that follows a rollercoaster of a story that you’ll agree is one of the most inventive things you’ve ever heard. Mix that with a solidly written album, and you have a recipe for success.

Insane Clown Posse – Bang Pow Boom
This album was highly touted as the “Return of the Dark Carnival”. Every act has billed their newest album as the darkest, or sounds like the old stuff, or whatever the fans want to hear. The difference is, the wicked clowns got it right. This album brings be back to when I got into ICP around 97, and the live show was brought back in full force as well. 5 dates on the tour including the Hallowicked stop in Detroit on 10/31, and I could have easily done another 5.

Twiztid – W.I.C.K.E.D.
Personally, I think this is Twiztid’s best album since the Mostasteless album(s) dropped. The album flows so well and every track is a banger. There must be something in the water in Detroit Murderous, because both ICP and Twiztid albums this year were worth their weight in gold.

The only movie I’ll mention is Trick ‘r Treat, because it deserves the most attention, by FAR. Originally attached to the DVD of 300, this movie has had a cult following of people that have never seen it, campaigning for its release. Years passed, but the faithful did not forget. This year, it was finally released to smashing reviews and currently sits at an 86%(As of when I wrote this) on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a very high rating for a movie with no promotion that people have every right to be angry at. It’s an incredibly fun set of Halloween stories that’s perfect to get you in the mood for the best season of the year, the Season of the Pumpkin.

This year, I got to see Nine Inch Nails again. Their performance I saw in Philadelphia with A Perfect Circle on tour for The Fragile has topped my list of shows as the best I’ve ever seen. That was, until August 6, when I finally got to see the Don Dada himself, Ice Cube. As the main act for the opening ceremonies of the 10th annual Gathering of the Juggalos, he followed solid sets by the likes of Paradime and MC Chris, and blew the entire crowd away. Not once did the energy stop. EVERY song was a banger, every song had the crowd moving, and dare I say it, it’s the best live performance I’ve ever seen, Gathering or not.

Wrestlemania 25, oh what a trip you were. I can’t really add on to what’s already been said, without repeating that Undertaker vs Shawn Micheals was the best wrestling match I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Live, taped, it makes no difference. That match blew the roof off the dome and blew every other match that night away. I felt every single emotion during that spectacular display, and couldn’t have been prouder when Undertaker sealed the victory.

All in all, 2009 is one of the best years I’ve had in a long time. I made a lot of good memories with a lot of close friends, got more ink, traveled all over the country, and even picked up some nice stuff along the way. 2010, let’s see if you can compare.

So I’ve managed to whittle down my top 5 favorite albums, but I’m still working on those video games! I’m having too much fun with Borderlands and Assassin’s Creed 2 to seriously get down to business, sit down and try to beat them!

Regardless, here’s Boomaga’s Top 5 Albums of 2009…

5. POS – Never Better

Rhymesayers continues to be my favorite label for hip hop. Atmosphere’s “When Life Gives You Lemons…” was one of my favorite albums of 2008 and their trend of excellence continues with POS’ Never Better. You’ll never hear me listen to a Top 40 or rap station on the radio, because 99% of what they play is garbage. However, there is another subsection of hip hop that actually is thoughtful, deep and culturally relevant, and POS’ Never Better is the best example of that sect In 2009. POS is a talented wordsmith, able to write and deliver his lines with flair and creativity and his beats are unique and catchy, letting you bob your head as you think about what he’s saying. As a metal head, the hip hop albums I like are few and far between, so when I say there’s one people should actually pay attention to, you can take it to the bank.

4. Megadeth – Endgame

Megadeth has this strange talent that seems to be exclusive to them. They’re one of the first bands I ever really got into, and unlike other classic metal bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica, they always seem to vanish from my attention. Then, out of nowhere, Dave Mustaine and his rotating collection of metal misfits seem to tear their way back into my metal consciousness. They did it in 2004 with the System has Failed and now again in 2009 with Endgame. Their 2007 album seemed kinda weak, but Endgame is short, to the point, heavy, thrashy and amazing. From the opening instrumental to the last few moments, Endgame doesn’t let up for one bit and recalls Megadeth’s finest days in the mid to late 80’s. Not one second of time is wasted in this perfectly executed, concise album, leading me to pop this CD into my car or stereo and listen to it over and over and over. It’s hard to say all of today’s long-time metal acts have what they had 20 years ago. Slayer seems to be writing the same album over and over again, Judas Priest doesn’t know if they want to be like Sabbath or Jethro Tull (Nostradamus, anyone?) but Megadeth still manages to stay fresh while reminding old metal heads why they loved the band in the first place.

3. Lamb of God – Wrath

I love Lamb of God, they are an incredibly energetic live act and their music makes me want to punch some faces. That being said, I can rarely listen to a complete Lamb of God album from start to finish. I have all of their albums but I’ve listened to them the whole way through very little. The reason being is that LoG’s hardest hitting songs are awesome, most of the stuff they play live and the singles are pretty intense and great to listen to. However, some of their deep tracks are pretty weak and everything starts to run together about 5-6 tracks in. Wrath breaks that cycle and delivers a solid metal experience from beginning to end. Each LoG album has its share of great songs, but this may be their first completely great album, despite what its naysayers think.

2. CKY – Carver City

This would be my dark horse. I didn’t really care about CKY prior to 2009, I had heard their older stuff and didn’t give it a second thought. Well, I’m glad I found Carver City or else I’d never know what I missed. Carver City isn’t groundbreaking or technically amazing, it’s just a solid, fun rock album and there aren’t nearly enough of those. Memorable riffs, catchy hooks, plentiful organs (it’s an inside joke and quip about some of the unique features of this album), Carver City just plain rocks. I’d recommend this to fans of metal, hard rock and alternative alike. These guys can span a pretty wide audience, it’s amazing they really haven’t broken through the mainstream yet, there are quite a few songs on this album I could imagine hearing on the radio, but I guess the record industry is too busy looking for the next AC/DC knockoff to find the quality rock music sitting right in front of them.

1. Mastodon – Crack the Skye

This one was a no-brainer. Anyone who’s known me, followed my Facebook posts or listened to my musical rants knows that Crack the Skye was not only my favorite album of 2009, but has quickly ascended to one of my favorite albums of all time and my favorite work from Mastodon, period. The third in a series of excellent and varied concept albums, Crack the Skye stands as Mastodon’s most mature, complex and emotional work to date.

Drawing from a number of musical, literary and metaphysical influences, Crack the Skye tells the story of someone’s soul losing its way across the universe, trying to find its way back home. There’s such a strong feeling of hopelessness and despair during the journey I can’t help but feel emotionally attached to the tale through some of my own personal journeys over the last year. A 50-minute long epic spread across 7 tracks scouring several metal and rock genres, its hard to pinpoint the words to describe how the album sounds and feels except for give it a try. You don’t have to love Mastodon or metal to appreciate what Crack the Skye does, you just have to have an open mind and an appreciation for something a little different.

And now, my biggest disappointments of 2009…

God Forbid’s “Earthsblood” and Chimaira’s “The Infection” – I am putting these two together for the distinct reason that they were both disappointing follow-ups to amazing metal albums. While I’ve made peace with both albums and think they are both decent, Earthsblood doesn’t touch Constitution of Treason and the Infection shouldn’t even be on the same shelf as Resurrection. Better luck next time, guys.

Every year on the message boards and blogs I post on, I usually post 3 messages, one with my top movies, albums and video games of the year. Well, I’m still undecided on the albums and I’m still playing through a lot of 2009’s best games, so I don’t feel I’m ready to write those posts, but in a generally disappointing year of movies, I’m ready to reveal which of the few good ones I saw were my favorites.

Boomaga’s TOP FIVE FILMS OF 2009

5. The Hangover – I usually don’t have any comedies on my yearly list, but that’s because most comedies nowadays kinda suck. I’ll see them in the theaters and they’re one and done affairs, walk away with a few laughs and never need to see them again. The Hangover was different, loaded with enough witty remarks, ridiculous situations and clever jokes to keep me laughing several times through, this movie is something different. It’s a comedy that almost anyone can enjoy, provided they’re not the easily offended type.

4. Up – I don’t think a single movie this year made me laugh or tear up as much as this one. While it’s not Pixar’s best movie, even their worst movies usually end up being some of the best films of their respective years. I never thought I’d want to see the adventures of an old widower and a young cub scout, but I couldn’t help but be drawn into their story of adventure and mutual friendship in a beautifully rendered wilderness.

3. Watchmen – This movie was made for people who read the book. That being said, I read the book and loved this movie. Slavishly loyal to this source material, this was literally the comic brought to life. Now, because of that it became a little long winded and hard to swallow for folks not familiar with the original material, but as a fan of the book I will say I don’t think they could have done a better job. All the intense moments and favorite characters brought to life before me couldn’t make me happier, kudos to Zach Snyder for giving us Watchmen fans the best film adaptation we could hope for.

2. Inglourious Basterds – SPOILER ALERT….

I can’t not like any World War II movie where they kill Hitler. After being sucked into Tarantino’s wild world by Kill Bill and massively disappointed by Death Proof, I didn’t know what to expect from Inglorious Basterds. World War II seemed like a time where Tarantino’s style and scripting wouldn’t really flourish, but I was wrong. From the drawn-out and increasingly tense dialogue in the first scene to our introduction to the titular Basterds to the very last swastika being carved into Hans Landa’s head, this was Tarantino at his finest, a truly interesting and original take on cinema.

1. Star Trek – Of all the movies I saw in 2009, none of them captivated me and kept a smile on my face like JJ Abram’s Star Trek. I was never a huge fan of the original series or any of the Trek material, or anything JJ Abram has done for that matter, but the stars must have aligned for this project. I had seen a couple of the older Trek movies and knew who the main characters were, but I was nowhere near a Trekkie, and this movie managed to blow me away. A fantastic and likable cast, which is uncanny in most of today’s movies, a mix of new and nostalgic elements from the series, great action and special effects and a well-paced storyline that was more likely to keep you enthralled and entertained. It wasn’t trying to be revolutionary like Avatar or pretentious like District 9, it was just trying to be fun, and that’s really what movies should strive to be, they are entertainment after all. I can honestly say I didn’t enjoy myself more at the movie theaters than I did watching Star Trek, and that is why it is my favorite movie of 2009.

Also, here were my biggest disappointments of 2009:

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: I watched Harry Potter 4 and 5 right before this came out and was actually pretty hyped for it. I’m not a huge fan of the franchise, but I enjoyed the previous two movies and was excited for the new one, which proved to be one of the most boring movies I ever saw. 2 hours long and covered a plot point that could have been wrapped up in like 10 minutes, the rest of the time nothing fucking happened. Just a long-ass teenage snogging Dumblebore.

- Public Enemies – Two of my favorite actors in a real-life gangster drama, sounds sweet to me, too bad neither of the actors played likeable characters and the entire movie seemed to put along at an uninteresting pace. I couldn’t get sucked into it and spent the entire 2 movies battling sleep.

- Avatar – This really shouldn’t be on here because I wasn’t that excited to see it, but this movie was all style and no substance with all the special effects to impress someone who’s never played a Playstation 3.

Although the top films were easily my favorites of 2009, I don’t think any of them would rank within my top 10 films of the decade, 2000-2009. I’m currently trying to break down what’s going to be included in that list but I already know what number 1 is by a landslide, I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with “Fjord of the Pings”.

59 is a wonderful number, but 60 is even better. I’ve done up the final list of Psychopathic events I’ve been to, and this year’s New Year’s Evil caps it at 59 total. I’d love to end the list at 60, but what can you do? I’ve already got some Twiztid dates planned for 2010, plus the Insane Clown Posse’s Oddball Extravaganza show in Philly on March 20. One time for one off shows in Philly. I’ve taken on new responsibilities lately as an admin over at Psychopathic Traders, come on by and check us out. We rule. I’m currently caught up in Adidas new Star Wars line. Check em out they’re hot as fuck. I’ll be scooping up a pair or 2 of the X-Wings once they drop and I’ve already picked up 2 of the shirts. I’m not one for Christmas so I’m just looking forward to spending new years with my beautiful girlfriend and the Juggalo family up in Cleveland. Shouts to AF, JimmyC, Andy D, and all those homies. On the video game tip I recently picked up a Genesis 2, OG Gameboy, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and a Osaka Pokemon Center GBA, all boxed, and a new/sealed Famicom syle Game Boy Micro. I’ll probably make a post Christmas update but I dunno. Until next time Mafiosos!

It’s been a long 5 years since Dimebag Darrell was selfishly taken from us by the acts of a madman that should have been institutionalized.  Instead, he was allowed to walk around with the choice to stop taking his medication.  If you talk to the older generations, they’ll say that they can never forget what happened when certain events occurred.  JFK’s assassination is one.  While I’m in no way comparing Dimebag to JFK, it’s a similar situation.  He was important to a very large amount of people and was ripped from us when they still had so much to give to us.  I’ll never forget being in the Stratford Diner and getting multiple text messages and calls, all of them from people turning to me for information, as I am usually the first to get it.  I left the diner, shaken, and drove home, spending the rest of the night online looking for news reports and talking to a very good friend of mine that lives in Dallas.  I never got to meet Dimebag, but I was lucky enough to see Pantera twice, and Damageplan once.  A lot of people have been accused of cashing in on his death, including his own brother.  Personally, I do not think Mr. Vinnie Paul has done anything to cash in on his brother’s memory, only to help find ways for his brother to be remembered.  On the Black Label Society album “Mafia”, Zakk Wylde dedicated the song In This River to Dime.  This song is breathtaking.  The video can still jerk tears out of me to this day.  I’ve gotten to see the song live many times, and it is always a very emotional affair, something very hard to pull off with BLS’ audience.  Now, in 2009, Metal Hammer has released this year’s metal covers album, a tribute to Dime.  I’m usually 40/60 on these albums, but I had extra special hopes for this one.  So far, I’m not disappointed with what I’ve heard from the tracks I’ve expected to like.  My favorite thus far is Zakk’s cover of Suicide Note Part 1. (The link I had here to all the tracks no longer works, try checking Youtube.)  The issue should be on shelves this week.