Epinions Recent Reviews for thetoolsofwar

Hatebreed - album & live show

Tue, 11 Jun 2002 17:17:12 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - Hatebreed is definitely on the "metal" side of the "metal/punk" blend that makes hardcore -- this album even more so than the previous ones. There's even some guitar-solo stuff...but not so much to make this a metal album. It's still hardcore. A...

I go down to my basement and put Black Sabbath on...

Wed, 27 Sep 2000 19:45:35 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - Just read the two prior Carnivore reviews by tatoodjedi and suckernyc, and I figured I'd throw my two cents in. Good reviews from both of them -- I suggest you read 'em. I'm just going to add a bit of detail here and there, rather than re-write their...

close enough

Sun, 17 Sep 2000 18:01:25 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I had a cherry-red woodstain Gibson SG Special built in either 1980 or 1982 with a single bridge-position humbucker pickup. The Special is a very plain guitar--mine had chrome hardware, no binding, no inlays, nothing fancy at all. But it was perfect...

I live here

Fri, 8 Sep 2000 21:53:55 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - The T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond...well, I'm sitting in the library right now, I've been here for about six and a half hours...and I don't mind. That's the amazing thing--I put in more time here and work harder than I ever...

Ooops! I forgot to review the first one first...

Sun, 18 Jun 2000 02:29:23 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - My forgetfulness wasn't really that much of an oversight--I was going to review the original "Nativity In Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath" several months ago but noticed that Mr. D had already reviewed it, so I figured it would be...

too bad the millenium wasn't the end

Sun, 18 Jun 2000 00:50:17 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I just bought "Nativity In Black II: A Tribute To Black Sabbath." Anyone familiar with me & my earlier Sabbath reviews knows that I love Sabbath--they've been my all-time favorite band for about 15 years now, and somehow I just don't...

trinity complete

Fri, 16 Jun 2000 23:24:09 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - "To Dream of Dreamers Lost" is the last of the Grails Covenant trilogy by David Niall Wilson, begun in "To Sift Through Bitter Ashes" and seconded with "To Speak in Lifeless Tongues." The tale of the vampire Montrovant...

Breakdown (slight return)

Thu, 15 Jun 2000 23:00:20 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - Somehow the hardcore band Breakdown is listed under the Electronic category...and I'm trying not to laugh. I guess there is a drum & bass group with the same name. Whatever, I'll take the hardcore band, New York style, straight up. If you're...

continuing the quest

Thu, 15 Jun 2000 16:22:51 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - "To Speak in Lifeless Tongues" is the second book of The Grails Covenant by David Niall Wilson, taking place in the milieu of White Wolf's Vampire: The Dark Ages game. Again, the story revolves around the vampire Montrovant, the Dark One,...

A knight's quest, a vampire's greed

Thu, 15 Jun 2000 15:39:49 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - "To Sift Through Bitter Ashes" by David Niall Wilson is Book One of The Grails Covenant trilogy. As the trilogy's title indicates, the story focuses around a quest for the Holy Grail. Visions and tales of Arthurian legend immediately spring...

The Many-Colored Land: Praise be to Te, it was a banner year for giant slugs

Wed, 14 Jun 2000 23:22:33 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I must first credit Elegiac (if you don't know who that is, check the Most Popular Reviewers section here at Epinions) with introducing me to Julian May's novels way back in 8th grade, back when Voltron was a central element of every school day. That...

3rd try's a charm...

Wed, 14 Jun 2000 18:37:13 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - First, some basics: RPG = role-playing game, you pretend to be someone else for a couple hours with friends, creating a unique story together. Shadowrun is an RPG set in a future version of the "real" world, one where magic has returned,...

Fleming, Gherbod: Surprise! I really enjoyed these books!

Mon, 5 Jun 2000 01:22:48 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I recently plunged into White Wolf's World of Darkness (TM) by purchasing some of the novels based on WW's "Vampire: The Masquerade" game. I've never played the game before (and still haven't), but I know some people who do--mostly Goths...

Star Wars Dark Tide: Siege: the saga continues

Wed, 26 Apr 2000 10:57:59 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - Dark Tide 1: Onslaught is the second book of the Star Wars The New Jedi Order series, following Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore. Onslaught is a fairly quick read--I read it in about four or five hours as a study break. Nice relaxing escape from...

Legions 666...

Sat, 22 Apr 2000 21:57:44 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I no longer have a copy of "Possessed" but a few of the songs left enough of an impression that I'm going to write a review anyway. First off, I've been a Venom fan since about 1985, so I'm highly prejudiced in their favor. Second, for...

"kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill"

Sat, 22 Apr 2000 17:24:16 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - Essential speed metal, thrash metal, death metal, however you choose to describe it, Slayer's "Reign In Blood" is a must-have. It epitomizes not only the band, but the whole genre--from the opening riffs and super scream of "Angel of...

when the skull was new

Sat, 22 Apr 2000 16:42:31 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - "I want it, and I need it..."

Samhain never seemed to be as popular as the Misfits, but they we're essentially the same thing: horror-punk. The songs were generally a touch slower, more atmospheric, more bent, more syncopated...

Earth Crisis: something's not right

Mon, 20 Mar 2000 01:03:25 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - Just being straight-edge, vegan, and hardcore isn't enough to judge a band on. I just read 3 other opinions generally speaking about Earth Crisis, and while there were some valid points made, no one really wrote about their music!

For...

iMac: That looks like fun...

Fri, 17 Mar 2000 02:56:38 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - My initial reaction to this controversial commercial is just laughter. Checking my e-mail, I just got a letter from a friend with an iMac-she started off by saying she wanted to throw the little @#$^%@^!! purple thing out the window because she had...

all-time bestseller...?

Thu, 9 Mar 2000 20:04:22 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I didn't know the Holy Bible was up for review here on Epinions! Wow! Well, I'm not going to get into a religious argument, so if you're looking for one, look at someone else's review. I'd like to talk just a little about the Bible as a work of...

Madball: NYHC legacy

Sat, 4 Mar 2000 00:18:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - As tattoedjedi's excellent review of Madball's "Demonstrating My Style" album mentions, Freddie (vox for Madball) is Roger (vox for Agnostic Front) Miret's little brother. The connection between the two bands runs deep. The first Madball...

Steppin' up easy

Sun, 20 Feb 2000 16:30:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - The other night I had dinner with a friend; it was my job to get the beer. Well, my friend generally drinks domestics, and usually light beers at that. I generally prefer the dark beers, brown ales, and stouts. So I was searching for a tasty...

"Hare Tonic"

Sat, 5 Feb 2000 21:31:52 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I've seen Let's Go Bowling twice now but this is the only one of their albums I've bought. That's a big hint about how I feel about their music--it's pretty good live, and they are excellent musicians, but it really doesn't move me much. If anything,...

good time-spanning overview of rocksteady

Sat, 5 Feb 2000 21:03:07 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - "The Original Rude Boy - The Best of Desmond Dekker" is a pretty good sample of DD's works over the years. The changes over time are best reflected by the song "King of Ska," which is both the first and the last track on this CD...

Martial Arts at Indiana U.-Bloomington

Sat, 29 Jan 2000 04:47:51 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author thetoolsofwar - I participated in several of the martial arts clubs at IU Bloomington from 1990 until 1996 (I lived there after graduation), particularly the Self-Defense Club, the Tae Kwon Do club, the Tomiki Aikido Club and the Jiu Jutsu Club. I also took the Judo...