tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72691710432347989662024-03-13T06:03:19.911-04:003 Macas and a RejectBoldly going where no rock band has gone beforeBongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.comBlogger317125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-29867294714828878572011-02-09T16:16:00.008-05:002011-02-18T14:38:15.569-05:00January SessionsIn January we only had 2 sessions due to conflicting schedules, but they were memorable nonetheless. For example, it was the first time we ever played with 2 Pro guitars. <br /><br />Our weekly DLC strategy seems to be to play all unplayed Pro Guitar songs, then make progress on all unplayed Pro Keys songs. We'll eventually play all of these and get to the songs without Pro Guitar or Pro Keys (RBN and mostly pre-RB3).<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- The zaniness of trying to sightread some of the recent European DLC on vocals made it quite hilarious (ex: "Peut-Être une Angine")<br />- blingdomepiece did an amazing imitation of a teenage girl when he sang "Open My Eyes"...<br />- Bongoo picked Expert for Pro Guitar by mistake, leading to some pretty striking numbers (ex: 1 song had 78th rank, 4% of notes, 388 points, 0 stars...) <br />- The beers of the month were "Rochefort 8" and "Rochefort 10" (Trappistes Rochefort), plus "Aphrodite" (Dieu du Ciel)Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-71700077397217953922011-01-06T02:02:00.014-05:002011-01-06T02:23:17.578-05:00Bring on 2011!Last month we had 3 sessions, which allowed us to complete the game's "Road Challenges and finish the year in style.<br /><br />Going into 2011 we can finally say we're an all-Pro band (even Pro Bass), as I just received my Pro Guitar (Mustang). Even though it was pre-ordered, it took more than 2 months to arrive... <br /><br />In order to learn Pro Guitar and Pro Bass faster, we'll now play in "All Instrument" mode, using 2 Pro guitars. The downside is that Harmonies won't count in the score, but we'll still sing at the same time to practice. Hopefully this will be fixed in the next Rock Band game.<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- blingdomepiece's "Oh My God" singing was epic!<br />- The funniest wah-wah bass moment was during "No One Knows"<br />- We got some of our first FCs in RB3 on harmonies<br />- Some of our Expert Pro Guitar percentages were extremely low, but we were still in the top 100 scores for that instrument (ex: 8% of notes and 59th overall for "Hold On Loosely")<br />- Chrissy was sick for most of the month so she couldn't join us on harmonies<br />- We got an amazing 1.5 stars for "Llama"...<br />- The beers of the month were "Harviestoun Ola Dabh Special 30 Reserve", "Maredsous Brune", "Route des Épices" (Dieu du Ciel) and "Corne du Diable" (Dieu du Ciel)Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-87831543213896583542010-12-07T00:47:00.008-05:002010-12-07T09:54:49.467-05:00"blingdomepiece" joins the band!Last week we had a great session, with talented multi-instrumentalist "blingdomepiece" (of Score Hero fame) joining the band. If you've been following the band's history, the 3 Macas were alternatively joined by Trapper (1st band name: 3 Macas and a Trapper), some random people (2nd band name: 3 Macas and a Random Guest), DMan (3rd band name: 3 Macas and a Reject), Sylvie (no name change for historical reasons), and now Chrissy and blingdomepiece.<br /><br />It was also a special session as blingdomepiece brought over one of the rare new Mustangs (Pro Guitar). We each tried this new instrument at various points during the night and I have to say that it is an amazing addition to the Rock Band platform. I can't wait to get my own and slowly learn to play a real guitar.<br /><br />With a new member, we no longer will have to have both Bongoo and Raikan do multiple instruments. This will free up someone to concentrate solely on harmonies. We'll be rotating instruments for now for variety, but eventually settle on 1 or 2 core lineups. For example, it could be:<br /><br />Bongoo: Pro Guitar or Harmonies (red)<br />Phoenix: Pro Drums<br />Raikan: Pro Keys\Bass and Harmonies (blue)<br />blingdomepiece: Pro Guitar or Harmonies (red)<br />Chrissy: Harmonies (brown)<br /><br />Note: We will not be playing in "All Instruments Mode" because we want the Harmonies scores to count. We'll opt to remove Pro Keys or Bass, depending on the song. Hopefully this "bug" will be fixed in Rock Band 4...<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown: Didn't keep track, mix of 3s and 4s<br />- Our 1st ever song with a Pro Guitar was "20th Century Boy"<br />- We played DLC for the 1st time in RB3 (a few "The Doors" songs)<br />- We were at the last section for the "Road Challenges". After we finish this mode, we'll spend our time in Quickplay playing new DLC and our worst on-disk songs by stars, rank, etc...<br />- The beers of the week were "Blanche du Paradis" (Dieu du Ciel) and "Espresso Stout" (Dark Star)Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-64276293919489713722010-12-02T02:36:00.008-05:002010-12-02T19:43:27.192-05:00"The Police" indeedLast week, we only played 7 songs due to starting later than usual (Raikan has amazing board games), plus an odd moment when Chrissy came down the stairs and said, "Bongoo, the police is at the door for you!"<br /><br />It turned out the neighbour was quite particular about warning her if we infringe a bit on her always empty parking space and she called the neighborhood's security service (not the real police, phew). The car was duly moved and a lenghty chat between herself and Raikan resolved the misunderstanding.<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 7 songs: 4 stars (4), 3 stars (3, for "China Grove", "Crosstown Traffic", "Fly Like an Eagle")<br />- Raikan continues his tradition of messing with the look of Bongoo's character (normal look is "extreme metal"), choosing some truly odd combinations, including a really horrendous purple v-neck shirt...<br />- We have to restart "The Killing Moon" 3 times, finally passing it when we were about 1 nanosecond from dying (not an exaggeration)<br />- Trapper helped us with a few songs on keyboard\bass when Phoenix had to leave earlier than usual<br />- We finish the session with 17 unplayed RB3 songs <br />- While waiting for Raikan to come back from his talk with the neighbour, we entered Bongoo's real first name in Google (ex: type "(name) is " without clicking Enter), and Google suggested that he was "gay for robots", "gay", "mad for fish", "a douche"... Hmm, quite funny considering I'm a well-mannered (I hope) straight vegetarian! :)Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-19052476045747263392010-12-02T02:31:00.005-05:002010-12-02T17:20:05.342-05:00Happy Robot SoundsTwo weeks ago, we played 25 songs, also in the "Road Challenges" section. We ended the session with 22 unplayed RB3 songs, 15 of which are without keys.<br /><br />We got an odd "Happy Robot Sound" all of a sudden 3 times during the session. Someone joked that it sounded as if C3PO petted R2D2 in the right way... I also heard this at my place so it must be a RB3 glitch on the PS3 and not an issue with Raikan's sound system.<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 25 songs: 4 stars (17), 3 stars (8)<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah keyboard moment was during "Whip It"<br />- We get our 1st FCs in RB3: 1 for Raikan on Pro Keys, 1 for the triple vocalistsBongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-89957017552801734172010-12-02T02:25:00.003-05:002010-12-02T16:56:16.664-05:00Junior Chicken SauceSorry for the delay in updating the blog...<br /><br />Three weeks ago we continued our RB3 journey, playing 23 songs in the "Road Challenges" section. It was our 2nd week with Raikan valiantly attempting to play "Pro Keys" on Expert (doing an amazing job overall)!<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 23 songs: Gold stars (2), 5 stars (2), 4 stars (12), 3 stars (7, for "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "25 or 6 to 4", "Break On Through (To the Other Side)", "Good Vibrations (Live)" , "I Need to Know", "Dead End Friends and "Llama")<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah keyboard moment was during "Killing"<br />- One "Road Challenge" set tells us that we "Need to Know" a "Centerfold" in order to "Kill(ing) Loneliness"<br />- It's hard to "Imagine" that there's an on-disk song without guitar...<br />- Raikan gets 2* for his 40% notes hit Expert Pro Keys performance of "Don't Stand So Close to Me"... ;)<br />- The "Road Challenge" sets throw us "Werewolves of London" twice in a row. At least it allowed us to get better at the song and get 5*<br />- We somehow got "2 of 22 Triples" when only Raikan and Bongoo were on vocals for "The Look" (must be the talkies)<br />- Hilarity ensued when Phoenix added "Junior Chicken Sauce" as random words to the the beat of "Killing Loneliness"Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-5061608813210478332010-11-11T15:51:00.010-05:002010-12-02T02:20:43.688-05:001st session with keyboardLast week was our 1st session with the keyboard. All Bongoo was able to find in terms of new instruments\equipment before the session was a cymbal kit and a keyboard stand. To everyone's surprise, Raikan was able to get his hands on the very rare Canadian PS3 keyboard (EB gets 1-2 pre-ordered one per week it seems).<br /><br />On our shopping list:<br />- Pro guitar with buttons (hopefully within 1-2 weeks)<br />- Pro guitar with strings (March 1st)<br />- Mic stand (Bongoo using Raikan's ceiling beams as mic holder)<br />- Keyboard (Bongoo)<br /><br />Raikan played most songs on Expert Pro Keys, but had to drop difficulties a few times, which is understandable for a new instrument.<br /><br />Phoenix tried with 3 cymbals for the first time (using 1 of Bongoo's new ones). This set-up will do until Raikan gets his Pro Ion kit. Phoenix also forgot to bring his Roland KD-8...<br /><br />One interesting note is that we started playing the "Road Challenges" this week instead of just doing Quickplay.<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 11 songs: 5 stars (1), 4 stars (9), 3 stars (1, for "Whip It")<br />- The game crashed when we were playing "Oye Mi Amor", the system perhaps rebelling that we were not all on Expert (Hard for Pro Keys)...<br />- We failed multiple times on "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1". The only good thing about that is that harmonies got easier and easier for each attemptBongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-19178136946986878962010-11-04T01:51:00.021-04:002010-12-02T02:25:48.395-05:001st Rock Band 3 sessionLast week we had our 1st RB3 session. What impressed me the most was the neat new sorting and filtering options. Since we have the entire song library, this will make it much easier to find what we want. It was useful from the getgo as we decided to start our RB3 career by playing the longest songs first.<br /><br />I also liked the new "RB3" and "All Song" Leaderboards (no glitch so far!), plus the ability to sort by "Leaderboard Rank". The comparison with friends when you finish the song is also neat, as well as the ability to see Bass scores... It makes me wonder if Harmonix would ever have added all this in their game if we didn't create the Rock Band Score Reader plus RockBandStats.com (1st stat website) back in the day. Perhaps these kind of efforts were the catalyst for change.<br /><br />The only disappointing thing about the launch was the lack of Pro instruments. Only Phoenix was able to play Pro as Raikan already had 2 cymbals (need another soon, but it also works with 2). Bongoo brought his new Mapex dual bass pedal for Phoenix's Roland KD-8. We are looking forward to the release of the Pro guitar and keyboard in Canada on the PS3.<br /><br />We seem to be known as "Raikan81's band". Who knows how some people get their band name in the Leaderboards instead...<br /><br />Chrissy joined us on harmonies, with Bongoo and Raikan also on vocals (in addition to guitar and bass, respectively).<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 18 songs: 5 stars (4), 4 stars (10), 3 stars (4, for "Roundabout", "Beast and the Harlot", "Caught in a Mosh" and "Bohemian Rhapsody")<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moments were during: none! The wah-wah bass in RB3 is not loud enough...<br />- We were halfway through "Free Bird", our 1st ever RB3 song, only to find out that there weren't getting energy sections (someone had joined after the start of the song)!<br />- We finally got to play some Rammstein in Rock Band ("Du Hast", not one of the longest songs, but we made an exception)! Now let's get some Rammstein DLC (<a href="http://3macasandareject.blogspot.com/2010/08/rammstein-night.html">12-pack ideas here</a>)!<br />- We failed on the last note in "Smoke on the water" (tough on Pro drums)...<br />- Our percentages were between 56% and 86% on "Roundabout", ouch!<br />- Phoenix got the #1 rank on Pro Drums for "Roundabout" (one of the first to play it). We then checked out the Leaderboards later, only to find out he's been beaten by xXSHLONGFACEXx...<br />- Phoenix has fun with Bongoo's new dual bass pedal, which inspired a "death metal" version of "Sister Christian" (much to the Trapper's delight)! :)Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-32399673098151035812010-10-19T19:50:00.014-04:002010-10-26T01:53:41.374-04:00Double session weekLast week we had 2 sessions, which allowed us to catch up on all remaining RB2 songs (70). Our final score for RB2 is 1,455,577,362 points! :)<br /><br />Tonight will be our first session with the much anticipated RB3. I can't wait to try the new keyboard and the Pro modes for all instruments.<br /><br />For the foreseeable future, this blog will solely focus on the highlights of our weekly RB sessions. We'll be experimenting with the new modes and trying out the various Pro instruments, therefore there is no need to include details like "Top Performer", "Worst Performer", etc... I will also stop posting my top 3 DLC of the week as the focus will be on the RB3 on-disk songs.<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moments were during "Creep (Stone Temple Pilots)", "Exodus", "Fire (Live)", "Indians", "Infected Nation", "Long Train Runnin'", "Tha Shiznit", "That's tha Homie" and "Sending Signals"<br />- Bongoo gets a dual FC on voxtar for "Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom"<br />- Phoenix gets an impressive 91% on "In Memory" on Expert drums and survives a lot of tough songs (ex: "3rd Stone from the Sun")<br />- Raikan tries the drums and also survives some fairly tough songs (ex: "Manic Depression")<br />- We have quite a laugh for Parry Gripp's 2 new RBN songs on the PS3 ("Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom" and "Last Train To Awesometown")<br />- The last RB2 song we will ever play was "Redemption Song" (Bongoo voxtar, no drums or bass)Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-40602484959803645992010-10-19T19:48:00.003-04:002010-10-26T01:25:59.695-04:00PS3 swapLast week we had a short session due to Raikan's work hours. Thankfully this will be the last time we have to swap days or shorten the session as he just got a promotion. Congrats!<br /><br />In order to avoid the need for Phoenix to bring his DLC complete PS3 to Raikan's new townhouse every week, they had the great idea to swap PS3s!<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 8 songs: 5 stars (4), 4 stars (4)<br />- Raikan was the "Top Performer" for the most songs (5), followed by Bongoo (3) and Phoenix (1)<br />- Phoenix was the "Worst Performer" for the most songs (6), followed by Bongoo and Raikan (2 each)<br />- There were no FCs<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moments were during "Death Quota for Purification" and "Among The Living"<br />- It's quite ironic that we barely survived "Among the Living" (Expert)<br />- Everyone fails within fractions of a second of each other at 20% of "Death Quota for Purification" (Expert)Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-7729137453477740592010-10-14T00:00:00.010-04:002010-10-14T00:53:23.027-04:00Short session with some new HendrixThis week we'll have a shortened session due to Raikan's special work hours, but we'll still try to catch up on some of the unplayed DLC (including this week's new Jimi Hendrix album).<br /><br />It will be our 2nd last session playing RB2 as the <a href="http://3macasandareject.blogspot.com/search/label/rock%20band%203">much anticipated RB3</a> is soon upon us! :)<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Betty and Me", by Jonathan Coulton:<br /><br />Jonathan Coulton is back with another great RBN song, this time with some neat country guitar and a genetics theme. The drum chart is fairly fast and has a few tough rolls. There is also a decent amount of movement on bass. One highlight is the relentless hammer-ons on guitar, especially in the pre-chorus and chorus... The song is quite funny once you hear all the lyrics. It is in my top 3 Jonathan Coulton songs released so far in RB in terms of story due to its interesting progression (after "Skullcrusher Mountain" and "Creepy Doll").<br /><br />2. "Hey There Mr. Brooks", by Asking Alexandria:<br /><br />What makes this metal track stand out is its amazing sound. I love the symphonic addition near the end and the various transititions and riffs throughout. It also has a bit of a black metal feel and some well-integrated techno elements. The drum chart is always fun, being fast and diverse with a lot of interesting bass pedal patterns. The guitar and bass charts are not overly difficult, except for a few fast strumming sections. The vocals have a good mix of death + clean vocals. I liked the voice during the symphonic part near the end.<br /><br />1. "Shallow Waters", by Amberian Dawn:<br /><br />This is my favorite Amberian Dawn track since "He Sleeps in a Grove" due to its amazing heavy riffs, interesting transitions and great operatic melodies. The drum chart is pretty diverse, including some fun fast rolls with lots of bass pedal. The strumming on guitar and bass can be pretty intense. Watch out for some really challenging guitar solos. As usual the vocals are a treat due to the singer's outstanding lyrical voice.<br /><br />Honorable mention. "Driver 8", by R.E.M.:<br /><br />The R.E.M. songs released last week are fairly simple, but I have to say that they definitely grew on me after each listen. There were lots of neat moments, including the infectious chorus of "It's the End of the World as We Know It" (would be great with harmonies), the super catchy "Stand", plus the fun constant sound of "Radio Free Europe", but overall the mellow "Driver 8" was my favorite due to its neat country-ish riffs on guitar and unique melancholic feel. The bass chart is pretty constant, with nice up and down movement. There is also a decent amount of variety on vocals, including some nice long clean lines.Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-35462801004009286362010-10-13T23:38:00.008-04:002010-10-14T00:00:03.250-04:00A variety of players in KanataLast week we had a great time at Raikan's new place in Kanata. It will be a great place for our sessions for the time being. Chrissy helped us out at the beginning of the session on vocals. Trapper even helped at the end on bass when a sick and tired Phoenix had to bow out. The extra help will come in handy when RB3 comes out (ex: harmonies, keyboard).<br /><br />We gained 13M points after completing 22 songs (1382M to 1395M).<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 22 songs: 5 stars (11), 4 stars (10), 3 stars (1, for "I Shot the Sheriff")<br />- Bongoo was the "Top Performer" for the most songs (12), followed by Raikan (6), Phoenix (2) and Trapper (1)<br />- Bongoo was the "Worst Performer" for the most songs (11), followed by Phoenix and Chrissy (4 each) and Raikan and Trapper (1 each)<br />- Bongoo had the only FC of the night (1)<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moments were during "Jeepster" and I Shot the Sheriff"<br />- Phoenix didn't bring his real pedal and KD-8 combo, so we limited ourselves to the easier drum songs<br />- We also didn't have a mic stand, so Bongoo used the unfinished ceiling beam as a mic support for voxtar<br />- The PS3 freezes after the 1st song is played, perhaps due to Phoenix's excessive bass pedal hits at the loading screen?Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-49414505123330852502010-10-08T16:34:00.004-04:002010-10-13T23:36:43.684-04:00Off to Kanata we goThis week we're heading off to Kanata (west of Ottawa) for our 1st session at Raikan's new place. We'll continue to catch up on September's DLC, as well as the new DLC from this week and last week (R.E.M., Anthrax, etc...).<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Cali Girl", by Ballyhoo!:<br /><br />This happy RBN song surprised me as it has a great reggae rock feel. Its beat is pretty unique, with some neat quick hits in the reggae section and a fun faster section. The bass chart is not too difficult but it has an awesome groove. The guitar and vocals are also fairly simple, but the song sounds so great that it hardly matters.<br /><br />2. "Indians", by Anthrax:<br /><br />I'm not a big fan of Anthrax's rap metal (ex: "I'm the Man"), but they more than make up for it with some great sounding thrash metal classics like "Indians" (also check out "Among the Living" and a neat live version of the GH2 classic "Madhouse"). The drum chart has 1 tough fast beat, but you can omit the extra notes to survive. The guitar and bass charts are always fun due to the amazing variety of heavy riffs, especially in the 2nd half. The vocals are not too difficult, but they have a decent amount of variety and a great theme.<br /><br />1. "Long Train Runnin'", by The Doobie Brothers:<br /><br />This classic song from a talented band is my favorite of last week due its great sound and fun charts. I love the groovy bassline and the series of complex fun chords on guitar. The drum chart is fairly easy except for a few tricky fills at the end, but it has a nice flow. The vocals were also fun due to the "Without looooove" sections. You can also check out their other song "Listen to the Music" for some more guitar fun.<br /><br />Honorable mention. "Now Demolition", by Evile:<br /><br />Last week also had some interesting moments, including the neat buildups and epic bassline of "Closer to the Edge", the awesome guitar and drum charts of the chaotic "First We Feast, Then We Felony", the fun heavy groove metal riffs of "Hail Destroyer", but overall my special mention goes to the long awaited return of Evile to Rock Band. This song is much slower than 2008's "Thrasher", but with such great riffs and an impressive soundscape with a tinge of black metal, it is a joy to play and hear. The drum chart is always interesting. I especially liked the quick double hits after the guitar solo. The guitar and bass charts are always interesting due to the variety of heavy riffs. It is also one of the rare RBN metal songs with almost no talkies.Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-40500898879617511262010-10-02T22:47:00.014-04:002010-10-08T16:37:23.025-04:00The arrival of EmmaThis week we canceled the session due to the recent arrival of Bongoo's daughter Emma. She joins 22-month-old Jonathan in his growing family.<br /><br />Raikan was also preparing to move west of Ottawa this week (Kanata). We'll have our session there next week.<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Is This Love", by Bob Marley & The Wailers:<br /><br />The late great reggae sensation Bob Marley added some nice variety to Rock Band last week (although the genre should be "Reggae" instead of "Other"). There were many great songs, but my overall favorite was "Is This Love". It is a nice laid back song with good instrumentation, including some fun quad hits on drums, a pretty groovy bass line, plus some good diversity on guitar. It is also fun to sing due to the variety of lyrical phrases. Hoepfully the harmonies will be charted in Rock Band 3.<br /><br />2. "Step Up (I'm On It)", by Maylene & The Sons of Disaster:<br /><br />This rockin' RBN song has a neat country guitar sound and great energy. Its beat is fairly simple but it has a good flow. The bassline is repetitive but the main line is so fun that it doesn't matter. The guitar chart was the funnest of the week due to its great mix of singles and chords. I really liked the hammer-on additions in the last chorus on guitar and bass.<br /><br />1. "Riot Act", by Exodus:<br /><br />This intense thrash metal song from pioneers Exodus was a treat to play. It is heaven for anyone who likes diverse alternating "bass pedal\pad hit" patterns. The bass chart is awesome and quite dynamic, although I wouldn't have put it as tier 7 (only one tricky section with unique strumming). The song is really tough on Expert guitar, so I had to play it on Hard difficulty. It is surprisingly fun on Hard guitar due to its non-stop hammer-on and chord sections. I really liked the 2nd guitar solo and the riff after the solos. I have to say that there is an awful lot of cowbell in the intro... I wonder if the real singer would approve. ;)<br /><br />Honorable mention. "I Shot the Sheriff", by Bob Marley & The Wailers:<br /><br />There were many memorable Bob Marley moments this week, including the guitar charts of "Jamming" and "Could You Be Loved", the drum chart of "One Love/People Get Ready", plus the vocals of "Satisfy My Soul", but my 2nd overall favorite was "I Shot the Sheriff". It is a really unique song with a groovy bass (3 great repeating lines), a fun beat (neat double hits), plus some challenging vocals.Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-16457497819316402992010-10-02T22:43:00.006-04:002010-10-03T00:05:32.651-04:00"Move"-ing onThis was the 2nd week in a row that we started and ended our session with a bit of 4-player Disc Golf and Bocce, courtesy of the new Playstation Move and "Sports Champions". I am quite impressed with the new technology as it is very accurate.<br /><br />This also marked our last session at Phoenix's place for a while, as we'll be moving on to Raikan's new abode next week. We played 15 songs, slowly catching up on our backlog of DLC (the whole month of September). It was an interesting mix of genres (urban, country, metal, etc...).<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 17 songs: Gold stars (3), 5 stars (10), 4 stars (2)<br />- Raikan was the "Top Performer" for the most songs (8), followed by Bongoo (6) and Bongoo (4)<br />- Bongoo was the "Worst Performer" for the most songs (13), followed by Raikan (4) and Phoenix (3)<br />- Bongoo had the only FCs of the night (2)<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moment was during "Days Go By"<br />- We get a triple "Worst Performer" at 99% for Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot"<br />- We also get a double "Top Performer" and double "Worst Performer" for "Fancy" <br />- Bongoo gets a double FC on voxtar for "Beautiful" (vocals + guitar)<br />- We manage to survive until the 96% mark in the 8-minute long "Bleed", only for Phoenix to fail... It's a tough song, so surviving that long on Expert was impressive<br />- Talk about a crazy drum chart on Expert for "Packet Flier". It must be one of the toughest ones to FC, let alone pass, due to its insane speed...<br />- We get an odd "Song data unvailable" error after trying to play "Nirvana", by Juliana Hatfield. I noticed that the tier info was unavailable for that song. Hopefully re-downloading it will fix the errorBongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-5569180010205480172010-09-23T19:33:00.008-04:002010-10-08T16:37:46.268-04:00Last session at Phoenix's for nowThis week will be our last session at Phoenix's house for the time being as Raikan is moving west of Ottawa and won't have transportation. We'll likely have our sessions at his place for the next little while. <br /><br />Our goal will be to continue to catch up on September's DLC.<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Writing on the Walls", by Underoath:<br /><br />This song is from a 2006 album, right in the middle of the other 2 Underoath songs previously released for Rock Band (2004 was emo, 2008 was metal). This song seemed like a good mix of the two genres, blending quiet melodic segments with pretty heavy sections very well. I liked the drum chart due to its variety and good pad action, plus its fills with varying speeds. There were a few challenging sections but it never felt impossible. Always assume the song is not over until it's over (played the last section with my hands in the middle of the drum sticks...). The bass chart is not too exciting, but the guitar one has enough variety to stay interesting (ex: a few hammer-on sections are fun).<br /><br />2. "The Final Episode (Let's Change the Channel)", by Asking Alexandria:<br /><br />This song has awesome riffs and also has a great blend and heaviness and melody. I liked the techno add-in at the end (not typical in metal, but can add some flair when mixed in correctly). The drum chart is pretty diverse and has lots of bass pedal, while the bass one has a dymanic 1st half. The guitar chart has some fast strumming in the 1st half and is quite fun during the techno part.<br /><br />1. "Holy Diver", by Dio:<br /><br />This is a classic epic metal song from the late Ronnie James Dio, which you'll remember from Guitar Hero 80s. It has a great driving rhythm with lots of variety, including some fun fills and quick hits. The neat galloping riffs on guitar and bass are a treat to play. The guitar solo seemed tougher than the one in Guitar Hero 80s.<br /><br />Honorable mention. "Nightlife Commando", by Bang Camaro:<br /><br />This week had a lot of other great moments, including the fun solos in "Swallow the Razor", the groovy bassline of "This Charming Man", the tough triple chords of "Irish Blood, English Heart", the fun driving beat of "Stand Up and Shout" and the unique tribal beat and vocals in the intro of "Africa", but I have to give my special nod to Bang Camaro's "Nightlife Commando", another bombastic rock song from this charismatic group. It has a good simple drum chart with a neat roll in the middle. The acoustic guitar in the intro sounds neat and is fun to play. The bass is fairly simple, but the guitar chart has a neat chugging riff and some melodic solos. You kind of wonder why they need so many singers to just repeat the title of the song, but I guess that's what gives this group that special something...Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-27624668946441704032010-09-23T01:57:00.010-04:002010-10-02T23:11:48.618-04:00Party timeLast week we finally managed to have a session and started catching up on some DLC. We played 17 songs, going up 17M points in the process (1350M to 1367M).<br /><br />One interesting event was the knock on the door mid-session. We assumed it was Phoenix's next-door neighbour, who would usually ask us to turn down the volume past 11:00 PM. What we had forgotten was that this was a once-in-a-blue-moon Friday night session, so it turned out to be one of Phoenix's female neighbours from down the hall inviting us to a party (he had only met her once a year prior). Phoenix is recently single, so he was happy to find out that almost all attendees were female. After the mini-party, we came back to our session and wondered, what the hell just happened? I guess you never know what can happen when you're rockin' to this great game... ;)<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 17 songs: Gold stars (4), 5 stars (11), 4 stars (1), 3 stars (1, for "Buster Voodoo")<br />- Bongoo was the "Top Performer" for the most songs (10), followed by Raikan (8) and Phoenix (4)<br />- Bongoo was the "Worst Performer" for the most songs (12), followed by Phoenix (6) and Raikan (3)<br />- Raikan and Bongoo had 1 FC each<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moments were during "The Price" and "Asylum"<br />- We get 999K for "Seasons"...Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-39579750062015540482010-09-17T01:14:00.007-04:002010-09-27T16:52:23.661-04:004 weeks of DLCWe didn't have a chance to play last week due to Raikan's new work hours, but we'll be back this week for a special Friday session. We'll start catching up on 4 weeks of DLC (Disturbed, Country, Snoop Dogg and Dio weeks).<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Valkyries", by Amberian Dawn:<br /><br />This is another fun symphonic power metal song. It is not as heavy as previous Amberian Dawn RBN releases, but is still worth checking out. The constant pedal beat is fun but can get tiring. The guitar and bass charts have tough variable strumming, with some sections that are constant and fast. The guitar solo is short and challenging. The keyboard part in the intro would be fun to play in RB3, but it is unlikely that current RBN tracks have that charted. The vocals were not too difficult, but as usual the female singer has a good operatic voice.<br /><br />2. "Wake Up", by Me Talk Pretty:<br /><br />This neat sounding group is like a "rock" version of Lacuna Coil with soaring vocals and heavy riffs. The drum chart is really fun due to a unique flowing beat. It has an odd pattern due to the bass pedal and lots of pad action, but it feels great when you get it. There is nice variety in the groovy bass chart, with slow and fast parts, plus occasional chords. There are simple chord changes on guitar but they are still fun. The singer has a good range.<br /><br />1. "Bleed", by Meshuggah:<br /><br />This song will make your ears bleed, but in a good way... :) The volume for RBN songs is louder than regular DLC, so after playing the Snoop Dogg tracks on drums, it was kind of a rude awakening to play this song, especially with my right speaker being fairly close to my drums. This 8 min. song has an awesome chugging technical death metal feel, with non-stop heavy riffs with complex time signatures except for one short interlude near the end. The drum chart is really tough but has at least 4 really fun patterns with loads of bass pedal. There is crazy strumming on Expert guitar and bass, so I had to play it on Hard difficulty. The guitar chart on Hard has some interesting sections that mix singles and chords.<br /><br />Honorable mention. "We Are the One", by Anti-Flag:<br /><br />Last week had a few interesting songs from Snoop Dogg (more so the Re-Records than the Mixes due to the better instrumentation, ex: guitar, flute), but the song that deserves special mention is the neat sounding RBN punk song, "We Are the One". It has a fast beat with 2-3 patterns so it can be challenging to keep up. What makes it stand out is a really awesome dynamic bass chart. On guitar there is also a great variety of chord patterns, plus the "Whao, Whao, Whao-ao" section is fun to sing.Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-57574885676614405842010-09-09T02:27:00.016-04:002010-09-14T18:50:37.110-04:00Disturbed, Country and... Snoop?Last week we couldn't play due to conflicting schedules, so we're finally back this week for a triple dose of new DLC! I think this will be one of the most diverse session we've ever had (Disturbed, Country and Snoop Dogg)! If they ever released more SpongeBob SquarePants songs, followed by more Cannibal Corpse the following week, then it would beat this combination... :)<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Women", by Jamey Johnson:<br /><br />This cheekily funny song ("they're all craaaaaazy"...) is my 2nd favorite of the 4th Country pack, mainly due to its really fun hammer-on sections in the guitar solos. The twangy guitar chart also has some quick singles and chords throughout the song, plus a somewhat odd outro. The bass is constant and simple. As for the drum chart, there is enough variation for it to stay interesting.<br /><br />2. "What Was I Thinkin'", by Dierks Bentley:<br /><br />Dierks Bentley had one of my favorite tracks of the 1st country pack with "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)", so I'm wasn't too surprised that he ended up having my favorite of the 4th. As usual for this artist, the song has great rhythm and energy. The drum chart includes 3-4 fun beats, including a neat one with the green pad. The song has a very dynamic guitar chart with a great mix of chords and singles, plus a fun solo. The groovy bass chart also has lots of movement. On top of all this, the semi-raunchy story will keep you entertained.<br /><br />1. "Seven", by Sunny Day Real Estate:<br /><br />This RBN song tops my list due to its really amazing drum chart. It has 3-4 fast beats with constant movement and variation, but it is never impossible. There is a great section with stop/start sequences, plus another fun one with "double pad/bass pedal" alternating. The bass chart has a tough pattern at the beginning, but it then gets easier. The fast and fun chord patterns on guitar can sometimes be challenging. If only all emo songs were as enjoyable to play as this one...<br /><br />Honorable mention. "Do Not Disturb (Tell Me How Bad)", by Let's Get It:<br /><br />There were lots of other higlights last week, including some great hammer-ons and taps on guitar in "Bang Camaro" (also features an army of cowbell vocalists...), the always impressive riffs and solos of Five Finger Death Punch in "Hard to See", the awesome unique flowing beat at the very end of "Days Go By", the challenging patterns and variety on guitar in "Would You Go With Me", the quick double notes on guitar and bass on "It Happens", plus the impressive range on vocals in "Hell on the Heart" and "Fancy", but I have to reserve my special mention for the neat sounding pop-rock RBN song by Let's Get It. The main reason is due to its challenging and fun vocals that are all over the place. It also includes a tough rolling beat on Expert and a good diversity of beats. The guitar and bass charts are simple but the rhythm changes keep them interesting.Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-22957875826639342892010-09-02T12:49:00.006-04:002010-09-06T01:54:14.411-04:00Country is back!This week we'll catch up on last week's DLC (Disturbed, etc...), plus play the new Country pack. That's right, country is back with a vengeance with an all-new 9-pack (called pack #4, although #2 and #3 were released as one "Track Pack" last summer). The country songs in RB are usually a lot of fun on guitar and sometimes have complex vocals, so they will be fun to sightread on voxtar.<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Bury Me Alive", by We Are The Fallen: <br /><br />This gothic metal band with ex-members of Evanescence is quite melodic. Their singer has a deeper voice than Amy Lee and has a good range. I liked the orchestration in the background near the end, but the outro is overly long. The drum chart has a nice steady beat with a good amount of variety, especially in the buildup and the outro. The guitar and bass charts are fairly simple, but the song is fun to listen to so it's not really an issue. I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm hoping we eventually get some Tarja-era Nightwish (ex: "Ghost Love Score"). I think of this every time I hear this genre in RB.<br /><br />2. "The Great Plains", by Scale the Summit: <br /><br />This song is an awesome prog instrumental from some very talented musicians. It has a neat flowing beat with great variety and a nice use of triplets. The guitar and bass charts are also quite diverse. I especially like the hammer-ons throughout on guitar (especially in the 2nd solo). The song is not overly difficult but it is always fun and interesting. We definitely need more from this genre, and the RBN is a great platform for it. I hope the Guitar Hero 2 instrumental classic "Gemini" is eventually added.<br /><br />1. "The Animal", by Disturbed: <br /><br />This song is my favorite of the week due to its really amazing drum chart. It has a great flow with 3-4 rolling patterns. It doesn't have a crazy constant pedal section like the other 2 new Disturbed songs. The song itself has a neat groove and some nice melodies with a good vocal range. There is a great bass section after the interesting but slightly off-tune guitar solo. As usual for Disturbed, the song has some triple chords on guitar, but it is fairly easy. I wonder why these new songs are classified as metal instead of nu-metal (all previous Disturbed songs), even though they are very similar to their older material. Nu-metal has a negative connotation as a genre due to its commercialization and simplification of metal in the late 90s and early 2000s so that might be the reason.<br /><br />Honorable mention. "Buster Voodoo", by Rodrigo y Gabriela:<br /><br />This is another great instrumental RBN song, this time omitting drums as well. The Spanish-style guitar strumming is quite a challenge, alternating between sections with 3, 4, 8 notes, etc... I like how they charted the rhythm guitar as the bass (reminds me of Guitar Hero 2 co-op). The song is quite unique and it has some really tough guitar solos.Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-4750049160385396362010-09-02T12:29:00.008-04:002010-09-02T12:58:43.851-04:00Hong Kong CinemaLast week we didn't play RB as Raikan was sick. Instead, I shared one of my favorite Hong Kong movies with Phoenix.<br /><br />As you can imagine from this blog and the website I created (<a href="www.RockBandStats.com">RockBandStats.com</a>), I tend to get pretty involved in my hobbies. My passion between 1996 and 2001 was Hong Kong cinema. I owned hundreds of DVDs and even went as far as writing a movie script.<br /><br />Like most people who got into Hong Kong cinema, it started with Jackie Chan movies. My collection grew to include classics from John Woo, Jet Li, Stephen Chow, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Wong Kar-wai, Anthony Wong, etc...<br /><br />Last week we watched an original version (Cantonese + English subtitles) of what I consider to be Jackie Chan's greatest achievement, "Drunken Master 2" (released here as "The Legend of Drunken Master"). The final 20-minute multi-part fight sequence is one of the most impressive in movie history. The period between "Drunken Master 1" (1978) and "Drunken Master 2" (1994) is to me the pinnacle of Jackie Chan's career.<br /><br />In future weeks, we'll likely watch what I consider to be Jet Li's best ("Fist of Legend") and Tony Jaa's best ("Ong Bak", a Thailand modern action classic). We'll also see the John Woo movie with the best action scenes ("Hard Boiled", although "The Killer" is a better overall movie). I might even share my favorite Stephen Chow comedies ("God of Cookery" and "Love on Delivery").Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-45017378067754327242010-08-26T00:53:00.015-04:002010-08-30T12:19:49.537-04:00New DisturbedThis week we'll play the new DLC, as well as play our worst songs by star. This includes 3 songs from the new Disturbed album. I've played them on solo drums and I know that Phoenix will wish he already bought a dual bass pedal for his KD-8 (at least for 2 of the songs)...<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on all solo instruments):<br /><br />3. "Sins of My Youth", by Neon Trees: <br /><br />This pop-rock song has a good sound, but what makes it stand is its awesome drum chart. It has 2-3 fairly simple but fun beats, then a great "Maps"-like section closer to the end. The bass chart has enough movement to stay interesting. There is also a fun triple chord pattern on guitar.<br /><br />2. "Blow at High Dough", by The Tragically Hip: <br /><br />As Canadians, it's hard not to love playing this "The Hip" classic from 1989. The band has a great rockin' sound with a steady beat that is simple but fun. The repeating bass pattern has some good movement and gives the song a good backbone. The lead guitar is pretty simple but it is always interesting due to its variety.<br /><br />1. "Unfurling A Darkened Gospel", by Job for a Cowboy: <br /><br />This death metal band has an awesome heavy sound, alternating between fast and slow sections. The song is crazy on Expert drums (failed right away), but it is great on Hard drums due to its variety of patterns. The guitar and bass chart are also very fun due to the neat hammer-on sections. It is my favorite song of the week because it has great charts for all instruments and it is always changing and interesting.<br /><br />Honorable mention. "Mandelbrot Set", by Jonathan Coulton:<br /><br />This week had some good moments like the simple but great sound of "The Black Keys", the fun "Science Genius Girl"-like beat at the end of "Let The Games Begin", and the amazingly dynamic hammer-on sections of "Hook, Line, and Sinner", I have to give another nod to the great Jonathan Coulton. While "Mandelbrot Set" is not as obviously funny as some other Coulton songs due to its subtle math humour (except for the hilarious "badass f'n fractal"), it is worth mentioning due to its awesome drum chart. It has 3-4 fun beats, the best part being the complex but doable fills with some great pad action. The bass chart is simple but it has a great guitar chart with a variety of chord patterns.Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-757412406961680012010-08-26T00:51:00.009-04:002010-08-26T12:13:49.973-04:00All songs playedLast week we managed to catch up by playing all 32 unplayed songs. That will allow us to concentrate only on new DLC this week, as well as our worst songs by star (ex: we have 5 3-star songs). We added 26M points to our total (1324M to 1350M).<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 32 songs: Gold stars (5), 5 stars (19), 4 stars (7), 3 stars (1, for "Crushed Beyond Dust")<br />- Raikan and Bongoo were the "Top Performers" for the most songs (14 each), followed by Phoenix (8)<br />- Bongoo was the "Worst Performer" for the most songs (17), followed by Raikan (6) and Phoenix (5)<br />- Bongoo had the most FCs (4), followed by Raikan (1)<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moments were during "Blow at High Dough", "Bulletproof", "I Got Mine", "The Crying Machine (Live)"<br />- Bongoo got double "Top Performer" for "Is There a Ghost" (FCs for guitar and vocals), while Raikan and Phoenix tie for "Worst Performer" (both at 99%). Apart from a few full band FCs, this might be the 1st time we have 4 people to mention for top and worst<br />- Phoenix showed great skills on drums, allowing us to pass "Crushed Beyond Dust" and "Hook, Line, and Sinner" on Expert (even getting 4 stars for the latter)<br />- Raikan managed to get "Worst Performer" and "Band Savior" on the same song ("Hook, Line, and Sinner")...Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-73035083503330815192010-08-19T01:25:00.032-04:002010-08-19T17:05:46.823-04:00Rammstein confirmed + RBN metalThis week we'll catch up again as we have 21 songs remaining from previous weeks, plus the 11 new ones from this week (2 new bands with 3 songs each, plus the 5 RBN). This includes another Jonathan Coulton song ("Mandelbrot Set") and the first one by Canadian rockers "The Tragically Hip" ("Blow at High Dough").<br /><br />It's almost certainly a coincidence, but a few days after my <a href="http://3macasandareject.blogspot.com/2010/08/rammstein-night.html">Rammstein wishlist post</a>, it was confirmed that <a href="http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198381">"Du Hast" will be in RB3</a>! :) Thanks Harmonix! Hopefully we'll eventually get some DLC as well.<br /><br />I was looking at the genres for the 90 RBN songs released so far on the PS3:<br />32 - Metal<br />26 - Rock<br />10 - Indie Rock<br />7 - Alternative<br />4 - Novelty<br />3 - Punk<br />2 - Pop-Rock<br />2 - Prog<br />1 - New Wave<br />1 - Nu-Metal<br />1 - Other<br />1 - Urban<br /><br />I find it awesome that metal tops the list. Most of the time it is songs that are selling well that are ported over to the PS3 so it proves that there was untapped demand for it. A whole range of metal subgenres would never have been represented if not for the RBN (ex: blackened thrash and technical melodic death, the 2 genres for songs that are 1st in my top 3 for the last 2 weeks).<br /><br />Here is my top 3 DLC from last week (after playing them on guitar, bass and drums):<br /><br />3. "Tree Village", by Dance Gavin Dance: <br /><br />Once again the top 3 is all from the RBN. The normal DLC had some fun old school Ministry classics like "Jesus Built My Hotrod" (ding-a-long-ling-long...), but the variety and quality of RBN offerings makes them stand out. First off we have a "metal" song that is amazingly mellow and melodic for a complex and heavy song (Wikipedia says the band is "post-hardcore"). I loved the part with the heavier vocals and the clean vocal one that followed. There are 2 or 3 really unique and fun beats, but if you're on Expert watch out for a really difficult rolling beat. It's even tough to hold a streak on Hard drums during the first roll and intense last section. The guitar chart is also fun due its variety. There are some tough sections with lots of movement and complex strumming (ex: 4 notes when you expect 3).<br /><br />2. "Icarus' Song", by Furly: <br /><br />Apparently this was a day 1 RBN song on the 360 that was composed entirely for the RBN. This really shows in the high quality of the charts, but the song itself has a great sound and is very melodic. The singer has a good range and the keyboard fits in nicely. The highlight by far is the variety of the drum chart, which is always changing with 3-4 interesting beats. The best section is the awesome fast beat with lots of pad action near the end. The bass chart is pretty simple, but the guitar one has enough chord changes to stay interesting.<br /><br />1. "We Are The Nightmare", by Arsis: <br /><br />Be afraid, be very afraid... When the RBN release info for this song mentioned that playing "Visions" on drums would be a warmup for this song, they weren't kidding. This is the 1st song in 1400+ RB songs I've played where I couldn't even 5 star on Hard difficulty. It pretty much exists on its own as a "tier 8" drum song. It made for an interesting first play on Expert: Odd the intro isn't charted, this doesn't sound too difficult, hmm the drum in the background has an awful lot of bass pedal, it'll probably start soon... WTF wall of notes, fail! :) Arsis is a technical melodic death metal band, and you can guess from my warning where the "technical" aspect comes from. The song's great variety of complex riffs have a well-balanced mix of melody and heaviness. It was really fun to FC on Medium drums (even the Medium chart has a few tricky parts...). The blast beats near the end sound insane so I can just imagine what they look like on the Expert chart. The bass chart was quite fun but it is actually overtiered (should be a 5 or 6).<br /><br />Honorable mention. "Descend Into the Eternal Pits of Possession", by The Project Hate MCMXCIX: <br /><br />I could easily have picked "The Crying Machine (Live)" by Steve Vai due to its awesome bass line during the main riff and its interesting violin solos, but I can't help to give a special mention to this epic track due to its value for money. The song is roughly 10 minutes long and costs only $1. This is in contrast to the occasional average length song at $3 (ex: "Blow at High Dough"). If you play this melodic death metal song on Expert drums, watch out for a crazy fast beat 3 minutes into the song (at least it's not at the 9 minute mark...). The song has lots of interesting sections, alternatively sounding like "Lacuna Coil" (female singer sections) and "Bolt Thrower" (male voice chorus). It likely would have made my top 3 if the charts and\or audio didn't have a disjointed and muddy feel, for example during the intro and before the 1st off-tune piano section. This is another song where I wondered why a section wasn't charted (drums during 2nd off-tune piano part). The guitar was fun during the "Bolt Thrower"-like sections (at least on Hard; Expert has some really intense strumming).Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269171043234798966.post-14764546770022363012010-08-19T01:20:00.006-04:002010-08-19T10:58:07.551-04:00Kevin Bacon tastes oddLast week we managed to catch up a bit and played 13 songs out of the 34 on our to-play list (unplayed + 3-star), gaining about 12M points.<br /><br />Highlights:<br />- Stars breakdown for the 13 songs: Gold stars (3), 5 stars (5), 4 stars (5)<br />- Raikan was the "Top Performer" for the most songs (6), followed by Bongoo (4) and Phoenix (3)<br />- Bongoo was the "Worst Performer" for the most songs (8), followed by Phoenix (2) and Raikan (1)<br />- There were no FCs<br />- Raikan's funniest wah-wah bass moment was during "Yerbatero"<br />- Bongoo got "Top Performer" (vocals) and "Worst Performer (guitar) on the highly unusual "Tastes Like Kevin Bacon" by "iwrestledabearonce"Bongoohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16080311064048530994noreply@blogger.com0