Dogs Of War, They Call For Blood. But It Will Not Be Mine.

Wow, so I almost forgot my blog existed... this will be the first post in a fair few months. And holy shit, how much my life has changed.

I think last time I wrote, I was unemployed, unmotivated and undecided about what I wanted to do. Well, I got my shit together.
About a month back now, I started my new job as a Traffic Planner for a certain Traffic Management group, and I'm loving it. I'm constantly challenged everyday with everything I do, and it is just so fulfilling. I don't think it could ever be one of those jobs where you are constantly doing the same thing over and over again. Because, hey, it's traffic, some people can't drive, and you have to take into account those sorts of things.
Anyway, talk about my career is boring shit.

I'm going to talk about music for a bit here, and how I have opened my mind in the way of Metal. I believe I said once that I couldn't listen to Deathcore/Goregrind/Black Metal... well that has changed. I have come to appreciate some of the artists in those genres, despite most of it being the same, there are a few gems.
Speaking of gems, I uncovered 3 artists through personal research that I absolutely fucking LOVE, and I recommend to anyone willing to try out something a bit different and progressive, but most of all EXTREMELY FUCKING TALENTED. These three bands, from the first songs I listened to from each of them, have continued to amaze me with every new song I come across.
These three bands would be The Human Abstract, Between The Buried and Me and The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Now, I have my own name for these bands. I call it Technical/Progressive/Experimental/Metalcore. Most people call that Mathcore, but I call it Wizardcore.
Why Wizardcore you ask?
Well that's easy.
All of the guitarists in these bands are fucking wizards when it comes to note and chord progression and composing songs. In this era of metal, every song is realised as being guitar driven. And I am bloody loving it.
Namely, A.J. Minette (The Human Abstract). He is my pick of the bunch. He composes all of THA's songs and finished them off with such finesse and brutality, it is unmatched in modern guitar playing (with the exception of Mastodon's Brent Hinds and Animals as Leaders' Tosin Abasi).

A.J. has such professionalism and technicality about him that he is easily and quickly becoming one of my favourite Modern Guitarists (1990- onwards). Which is no mean feat. (Is competing with the likes of Dimebag Darryl Abbott, the aforementioned Brent Hinds, John5, Synyster Gates and Scott Hull from Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Pig Destroyer fame). If I could play anywhere as near as well as Mr. Minette, well, I would jizz-a-gallon then keel over and die. That's how good he is.
If I were to suggest a song that you should listen to, that isn't absolutely perfect for anyone wanting to get into Wizardcore or the "Technical Melodic Shit" as I also call it, I would pick Polaris by The Human Abstract. This video here is of a guitar cover from my favourite YouTube Cover Guitarist (Who also has some great original songs). His name is KillrBuckEye, and I urge you to subscribe to his channel.
The Human Abstract - Polaris (Guitar Cover by KillrBuckEye)

For anyone who doesn't feel like checking it out, that's cool, but you're missing out.

Speaking of guitars (yeah, I'm going off-topic for the remainder of the post.. which means its a new topic... OMG), uhh.. where was I... yeah, Speaking of guitars, I have recently seriously considered maybe possibly buying myself a Schecter C-1 35th Anniversary Limited Edition guitar. This guitar is special. It isn't a run of the mill Schecter (which aren't run of the mill at all). This guitar... I worship. I'm not religious, but I would worship this. It is truly amazing. Only 70 have been made, and only 4 are being shipped to Australia, of which 3 have been sold. And if I nod my head, I get this guitar, sent to me, instead of some unlucky fella in Darwin. Just because I know people... and I'm nice to guitar company HR people.

Schecter C-1 35th Anniversary Limited Edition

That's it. I am not worthy. But I think I'm going to buy it anyway. I will own it and cherish it for the rest of my life as my son.

I think I have come to the end of this post now, I ran off topic from the modern metal thing, but I will continue that in my next post (which won't be in 6 fucking months).

Other News: I'm seeing Avenged Sevenfold at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in late July. i urge anyone and everyone to go see them. The only better live bands than them are Iron Maiden and Metallica.




Sam was listening to the album Nocturne by The Human Abstract while writing this post.

Fury, Deliver Me.

I am going to start this new blog entry is with a shout-out to Paz. I hope you're enjoying your Metallica shirt.

Alright, not a lot has happened since the last blog post actually... Just a few more little tiffs with my parents, one problem that nearly caused two of my friends to stop speaking to each other, but all of that has come to pass now. And we're all better for it. (I know I can't start a sentence with "And", but fuck it, this is the internet.)

I'm just trying to remember what exactly has happened between this post and the last one. Hmm. 

Well, I saw Metallica a few weeks back, that was just fucking awesome. I can now die happy.

It is truly amazing to see a band like Metallica play in front of your very eyes. They've been around for close to 30 years, and for them to be still doing what they're doing, and the fact that (most of) the original band members are still there... it's awe-inspiring. 

Anyway, that was easily the best thing I have ever been involved with in my entire life, and for his 21st, I took my best mate Alex along with me. Happy Birthday dude, that has got to be a fucking great present haha.

As far as job-hunting and TAFE is concerned, I'm still looking for constant work. I'm doing a few days here and there for my fathers workplace, but it isn't steady. 

and TAFE is going great. Slamming through all of the drawings and shit... yeah.

Meanwhile, I noticed it is around that time of the year that is called "Christmas".. and I must say; What a fucking joke.

All the kids are being lied to by their parents, the parents are buying the kids heaps of shit they aren't going to use, and ties and socks are getting recycled every year to relatives who don't want them.

This isn't to mention the whole principle this holiday is based around.

Now I am not spiritual, or religious in anyway, so there is certainly going to be bias, but really... it annoys me how parents lie to their kids just to keep up with an outdated social trend.

If your kid want presents, give them the fucking presents and say they're from you, not from some made-up douche in a red outfit that flies around on a wooden crate pulled by magical deer that have to get around the whole world in one night. It saves the kids from asking questions when they find out the truth, and I'm sure when they're old enough they will appreciate the fact that you didn't lie to them.

Now while everyone else is celebrating Christmas, I'll be celebrating "don't give a fuck-mas", and may I just say, the eggnog is much better over here.

Merry Fucking Christmas and a Happy fucking New Year 

:)

Sam was listening to Parkway Drive's new album "Deep Blue" while writing this post.

Natural Born Killer

Wow, this is my first blawg in a while. I'm pretty sure all of you readers (Note: all 3 of them) can handle that fact.
I'm really not too sure why I decided to sit down and write this blog today of all my other days... just a spur of them moment thing I guess. But it makes me feel good when I can write my thoughts down for all of the world to see and not give a damn about. Just one of those things haha.

Since the last post, I decided to quit my job to focus on studying Drafting and hopefully attain a career in that field, which is definitely more promising than the career opportunities that were available at my previous employer. But in saying that, quitting was a hard choice. I knew I would be leaving all of my close work-mates behind and me being me, well, I hate losing contact with any friends, so that has been riding my conscience quite a bit recently, but I've got to live and fight on for another day.
Back on topic:
With my decision to quit, it meant that I had to let down a few people in order to make me feel good, which I hate doing. It meant I had to tell my parents that I was no longer going to work full-time, which also meant I had to be prepared for the following months of no income. At least until I got a casual/part-time position at a local business or other workplace.
On telling my parents: that was a hard one, I told my mother the day that I resigned and she accepting it with an "oh... okay", and then a serious talk followed, and we both came out winners.
Then there was my father...
My father and I get along some days, however most of the time it's just a nod to the head to acknowledge each-others presence in the house, and I go into my den and listen to music. I put off telling him that I resigned for almost two weeks mainly because I was afraid. Not afraid of him, but afraid of what words would come out of his mouth. When I finally grew some balls and told him, his reaction was just like mum's; "Okay, what are you going to do instead?", and another serious talk.
I was a bit gobsmacked, but then there was the follow up talk downstairs... which left me feeling like a shitty son and a worthless prick. make no mistake, I'm not trying to make him sound like a bad person, because he isn't, and I'm not trying to act the victim, because I'm not. It was just a few un-favourable words were spoken, and my attitude sucked. But anyway, since then I've tried to get my attitude back in order and tried to be as "matey" to him as possible.

With regards to the other terms of my resignation; I still haven't found that casual/part-time position and TAFE still hasn't replied to my e-mail of application, so I'm just chilling at home with some chocolate milk, cigarettes and 18,000 songs on my iTunes. Feels good man.

Before you finish reading this pointless post, I would strongly recommend that you listen to Avenged Sevenfold's new album "Nightmare". I have had it on repeat ever since it came out and have urged every single person I've met since to give it a listen. R.I.P. Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan.

I'll catch you on the flip-side.


I was listening to... you guessed it, Avenged Sevenfold "Nightmare" while writing this post.

Bodies Through The Teeth of a Combine

Having no idea whether anyone read my last post, I decided it was time for a follow up effort. More so for my piece of mind than for anyone else's enjoyment, because I can think of at least 10 other websites more enjoyable than this. But alas, here I am, and here you are. So let's get on with it, shall we?

While I'm writing this, I'm home from work, sick, and laying on my bed. I have no idea on what to write about but let's go all "spontaneous" on this bitch and see how it ends up.

For the past 4 days I have been ill with a virus, so I've been coughing, sneezing and waking up at 4am with unbelievable headache's so it's kind of hard to get a whole lot of positive thoughts into my mind about anything. So please bear with me (not the grizzly kind dahuh) on any spelling and/or grammatical errors but who really gives a crap anyway. It's the internet, shit happens.

*meanwhile 5 hours later*

I started writing this thing then completely forgot about it... so I can't really remember what I had intended to write on here. Which is just perfect. Oh that's right... spontaneity.

Music. Let's just go with music (note: Metal), and my involvement and love for music (note: Metal).

Love, for one, comes hand in hand with close-mindedness, and when it comes to love and music, there is no exception at all. Me, being love with all things that is Metal, am naturally close-minded about mainstream radio play like rock, pop, hip-hop, rap, techno, dance, house, country, funk, and punk. I despise these genres. Sure, some amount of talent goes into it, (Pressing a few buttons to make techno and dance, putting power chords together for rock and punk etc.) but I just don't see the appeal in everything that gets played 20 times per day that is enjoyed by thousands upon thousands of people that couldn't really give a rats ass about the state of our music industry, and who only listen to the stuff because "the radio plays it, so it must be good". But let's not turn this into a rant (oh shi-).

My love for metal pretty much came about when I first heard Blinded In Chains by Avenged Sevenfold (not a great example of Metal, but it's still a kickass tune). I heard this whilst playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted and I fucking loved it. (Bear in mind, I was insanely into dance and rap at this stage). Just like that, after one song, I was hooked. I started listening to the whole catalogue of Avenged Sevenfold, which consisted of their albums Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, Waking The Fallen and of course City of Evil. But I didn't stop there. I had a couple of mates in High School who were listening to this awesome band that was getting around (circa 2006) called Parkway Drive.

Now, I don't know if you have heard anything by this band, but when the first song I ever heard from them started, my mind was blown into deep space. I knew straight away that this was my niche, and they didn't fully take hold of my full attention until a year after I heard Mutiny (off Killing With A Smile, 2005).

So, basically, Avenged Sevenfold and Parkway Drive pointed me in a direction I didn't know I needed or had to go in. And by Odin's Raven, I'm so glad I followed suit. Both of those bands fully expanded my mind to the Metal world, and from there, I backtracked and found Black Sabbath, Guns N Roses , Pantera, Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, Led Zeppelin and a whole host of other excellent and awesome bands of which I proudly listen to, and will so for the rest of my life.

In saying that, however, there are some borders of Metal I can't cross, and some I refuse to cross. Grindcore, for one. It's unbearable. Death Metal, Black Metal and Deathcore to some extents. For reasons I don't fully understand, I can't listen to them. I can listen to screaming and cowls and gutter growls, but it is beyond me on how my brain doesn't react positively to those genres. Maybe it's my preconceptions towards them, maybe not. Who know's? It's me and the Metal I like in one corner, and all of the other shit-stained music in the other corner. (HA, my own close-mindedness right there!)

Enough about Metal, there will always be another blog about it here. I can guarantee that.

So I'm pretty sure this is the end of this blog post... yeah.

One more thing. Just to check if anyone reads this dribble, for my next blog I will ask you, readers, to e-mail me a subject or topic you would like me to discuss on my next blog. It can be about anything. From the e-mails I get I will choose one and Valois: next blog, with your name on it.

(Yeah, I spoke French, hello ladies.)

Toodles.

*EDIT* e-mail your shit to sam.baird319@hotmail.com

Sam listened to the new album Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold while writing this post. The second part of it anyway.

An Epiphany Of Reality....

Basically, this is my first blog...ever. I figured I can make one of these because people bored on the internet love reading other people's thoughts on random stuff and experiences (as opposed to looking at porn... which everyone likes to do, they're just afraid of admitting it). So here I am, typing my thoughts from this weekend, and here you are, reading said thoughts.

I figure that I had better start out from my beginning as to give the reader's a little bit of an insight into my history on this planet. I was born in 1990, in Brisbane. My parent's granted me the name John Samuel Wrightson Baird, in which they and pretty much everyone else in my life have been calling me Sam. Now, here is where most people go "But why don't you call yourself John?". So I will tell you, the reader, exactly what I tell everyone that asks me this; It's a Baird family tradition. The first born male is given the name John before his chosen name (my father is John Bennett, or Ben, my grandfather was John Donald, my great-grandfather was John Percival). I didn't wake up one morning and decide that John wasn't for me... that's just how it is. Anyway, I did the school thing for 12 years, which I hated, and now here I am. 2 and a half years out of school, I have no idea what I want to do with my future. I just have realistic views, a super wild imagination and a dream.

Here are 3 realistic views about me that I know I do not want in a job:

• I couldn't handle being a desk-jockey
• I am a tad clumsy for full on constant manual labor
• I don't have the motivation to go and study for another 4 years and become $20,000 in debt just to get a degree that I might do something with.

I am not going to get roped into something unless I know 100% it's what I want. But it's just so bloody hard to decide what to do these days. Yeah, for some people, they can click their fingers and say "I am going to be in Politics...". (That's a bad example... the Government hand-picks their politicians by finding the biggest bullshitters and liars in the classroom, then they grow them on misleading views and false hope).

tl;dr I don't know what I want to freaking do.

But, as a friend told me, it's perfectly fine to not know what to do at this stage, because one day I will find it. For now, all I've got to do is keep searching and not give up. Because if you roll with the punches, you get a break at the end of the round, you get up, and beat the living shit out of anyone that doubted you, then you're happy.

At least that's something along those lines....

Listened to The Amity Afflictions Youngbloods while I was writing this blog.