Erik Johnson

A pretty big look at a small metal genre...

Reviewed: 08-17-19

The first half of this piece is very informative about the inspirations that were blended together to create the Black Metal genre as well as the crimes committed as a result of the commitment to the ideology of the scene. After that, it gets very in-depth on the ideology which can be a bit monotonous. The constant refrains along the lines of "we want evil, eliminate the Christian blight, we hate everyone, Varg is great/Varg's an idiot, Euronymous was a traitor, paganism, scorched earth for the Christians, blah blah" tends to be repeated a lot in the interview sections. Eventually, the book moves back to center and takes a look at Black Metal fanzine journos and other genre acts besides the ones that are considered Black Metal's 'beloved'.

As this is a non-fiction work, it suffers from that NPR-sounding sameness that may cause you to want to give up if you're not totally dedicated to learning what the Black Metal scene is, at least from the standpoints presented, and what powers it. A voice like that is best taken in segments. Despite some mispronunciations, he's a good narrator. The voice is what it is. YMMV.

In closing, I really can't tell if these musicians are insanely brilliant or brilliantly insane. I remember being a early-20-something and wanting to rage at the world for life not turning out like I thought it was supposed to, but I never gave one rip about any religion or paganism or any of what they seem to be into. I'm sure that's because I'm not Norwegian or Scandinavian, etc... I wrote my songs and played in my bands and worked out the frustrations. In an interview I did with the late Peter Steele of Type O Negative, he called the act of playing music "sonic therapy". I guess while I got over my issues, the Black Metal musicians keep their motivations burning hot from it.

I remember reading about Dead's murder years ago and, thanks to the movie which I haven't yet seen, was inspired to pick up this audiobook. Now that I've finished it, I went on iTunes to check out the music, all of which reminds me of going to the local hole-in-the-wall all ages indie club on "new band night" and seeing some group of pimply-faced kids beat the everlovin' hell out of their chosen instruments while the vocalist screams/wails/barks into the often-dropped microphone for three minutes at a time to the adulation of their ten or twelve friends who have to be home by 11pm. Art truly is where you find it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Hit and Miss...

Reviewed: 08-10-19

I guess I'm one of the few that isn't just bowled over by this one. While I can appreciate the character building and a serious human villain in lieu of full-on xenomorph violence (they're reduced to same background position that is served by the zombies in The Walking Dead), there are some things that I'm just not buying in regard to the world as it exists in this (and often, other) Alien-based novels as well.

I'm fathoming the stupidity of setting up shop with three software projects designed to infiltrate and destroy enemy mainframe systems along with the biological project (featuring our beloved xenomorphs) without setting up four completely isolated network systems. Was there not a moment that anyone at Weyland-Yutani thought "Y'know, this is just a perfect confluence of factors that could really go wrong very quickly if we had a saboteur in the ranks"? Because, as it is shown, there are more companies and organizations in this universe looking to cash in on whatever can be derived from the alien biological samples.

Or, the human villain, a WY auditor who is not only cold, efficient, and no-nonsense, but is also a seriously disturbed sociopathic nutcase. He's a company liability. I would imagine there would have been protocols in place to scour the staff to make sure they have people that will do the job and be controllable. This guy is almost Nazi-esque in his superiority complex and that is a dangerous bet for the Company when they're already playing with xenomorph fire.

Regarding the production, the manuscript is written in present tense. It's the first time I've listened to a fiction piece written in such a way and it makes it less about hearing a story and more of a play-by-play commentary. It took some getting used to. Another thing that made it tough to finish this one is the narrator. Play the sample. That voice and that "dramatic announcer" style of read goes through the entire book. There's no dynamic, no ebb and flow to the performance. Nothing gets quiet during slow moments and there's no greater intensity in the dangerous moments and always with this overly dramatic flair. I had to force myself to not stop listening several times as it was becoming an irritation. I stuck with it and I'm glad I did, if only to cater to my completionist side.

All that said, the expansion of the capability of the power loaders, last seen in Aliens, was a really great idea as was the use of the lone robot... sorry, artificial person... on board the station as a stand-in for the scientist with the serious health issues.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

For completists only...

Reviewed: 12-23-18

This piece takes place in tandem with the opening of the film "Aliens", explaining the fate of the Hadley's Hope complex on LV-426. It's interspersed with scenes from the film to help move the story so we have a background on what occurred before the arrival of the USMC Sulaco.

The story itself is decent but it feels like they were looking for ways to tack on a "origin"-style tale to the film. I've always felt the extended version of Aliens, with its additional scenes of life at Hadley's Hope and focus on the Jordan family around the time of finding and inadvertantly unleashing the xenomorph horde, was explained enough. The involvement of the Company scientists and a Marine detachment was interesting, albeit 'more of the same', but I didn't feel the need to know the marital dynamics between Ma and Pa Jordan or how the kids played "Monster Maze" in the airducts or the history between the new Marine commander and Ma Jordan.

One of my major issues with this work is the inclusion of dialogue from the film, showing the progression of Ripley's experiences on Gateway juxtaposed with what was happening on LV-426. I thought it was a nice touch to link back to the film but, as a huge fan of the film 'Aliens', it really bothered me that there was no attempt to match the cadence of the dialogue from the scenes they were pulling from. I don't know if this was due to an issue with licensing (some of the dialogue was also altered) or if they just threw the source material out of the window and chose to do it "their way". It bugged the hell out of me listening to these scenes played in a dragged-out "play up the drama" way. Judging from the other reviews, I'm definitely in the minority on this.

My other issue is some of the characters, particularly in the case of some of the male Marines. It's as if the director decided to push the characterizations further. If it's a heroic one, have them voiced like an old time movie matinee hero type (think Rex Reason from 'This Island Earth'). If they're troublesome, make them like stereotypical lifer-wing inmates who really WHINE when they whine, completely dialed to eleven. They're gonna die anyway, I get that, but it's no less annoying to my ears. One would think it's impossible for the Colonial Marine Corps to have a troop of Marines that are good and proper marines instead of a grouping of misfits with their own individual neuroses. The cast was a fine group. I just don't agree with where several of them were directed to.

If you're a Alien completist, you may find this filling in some blanks that you've been wondering about. It's worth the listen to find out for yourself. Chances are that you'll have a greater enjoyment of it than I did.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Sequel to "Out of the Shadows" works well...

Reviewed: 12-23-18

Picking up long after the events of "Alien: Out of the Shadows", some things never change. The Weyland-Yutani Company is still after the xenomorph for it's bio-weapons division, there's always a company plant or three to get in the way, and there are always some freethinking protagonists who tend to screw it up for Weyland-Yutani.

Like OOTS, the casting and sound design are very well done. Since it's not a traditional work with a "narrator", it requires some extra descriptives from the characters which only get a little odd every so often. Stockard Channing's role as the Company Supervisor is appropriately icy and, with the turn of her character, spot on. I've never been so annoyed by a character like hers and the third act twist just dug it in deeper.

There's a third piece, "River of Pain", but it isn't required listening. Stick with OOTS and this one if you choose to delve into it. Alien fans will enjoy it quite a bit, I think. I did.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

One for the fans...

Reviewed: 11-01-18

Taking place between 'Alien' and 'Aliens' thirty-seven years into Ripley's fifty-seven year journey back to Earth, it tells the story of trimonite miners aboard the DSMO Marion and their discovery of an ancient ship (not the Engineers) containing our favorite xenomorphs. Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley returns as does the duplicitous Science Officer Ash to face off against a new scourge of xeno-chaos.

Since this is an audio drama, there is no narrator and the character dialogue must explain some of the action in the service of the story. This can get a bit odd but doesn't detract all that much. The mix and effects work are top-shelf. Rutger Hauer makes a properly sinister Ash and whoever cast Laurel Lefkow as Ripley deserves a bonus. She is absolutely spot on.

If you're a fan of the series/completist, this is worth checking out. Be sure to follow it up with the piece that this work sets up, 'Alien: Sea of Sorrows'.

SPOILER:

Due to the 'memory wipe' facet of the third act, it almost renders the whole tale unneeded in Ripley's arc though it's still a fun ride. However, I got the impression that the procedure also removed everything that happened on LV-426/Acheron as well, which doesn't jibe with her knowledge of those events by the time she's returned to Earth and getting grilled by the executives and ICC suits in 'Aliens'.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Some expansions on what we know...

Reviewed: 11-01-18

This is a series of short stories by various authors relating to the Colonial Marines. Some of the marines we know from the film 'Aliens', such as Hicks and Frost, and others are new characters. There are some interesting ideas presented, such as the reporter hired to cover a CM platoon as a pawn for the research purposes of Weyland-Yutani or that Cpl. Hicks was previously married to a female marine who disappeared during an op and what happens when he's put on the mission to find out what happened years later. The tale of the development of the M41A Pulse Rifle is particularly good in both writing as well as the narrator chosen to handle it. It reminded me of those old 1950s-era newsreels without the overtly 'announced' delivery.

Where it gets a little odd for me is two-fold: the first, and I admit this is probably a bit nitpicky, is the incorrect use of the term 'clip' as opposed to 'magazine'. Marines wouldn't do that. Again, nitpicky. The other issue is narrator choice. Certain ones don't seem very well-matched to the material they're performing. A couple of the male narrators are a bit too... happy, doing a 'PERFORMANCE' instead of just telling a story with appropriate gravitas. A couple of the female narrators sound like they are more experienced in Romance works than in science fiction and thrillers. Art IS subjective, so that's my two cents on that matter. Your mileage may vary.

Overall, it's still a good listen if you're a fan of the series and particularly the 'Aliens' film. The M41A story is a definite highlight.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

A must-listen for MASH fans

Reviewed: 08-09-18

Being the basis of the film and, to a lesser degree, the TV show, "MASH", this gives some fill-in material on Doctors Pierce, McIntyre, and Duke Forrest from their arrival at the 4077 to Forrest and Pierce's travel back home. If you're a fan, you know these stories from the film and show and this work will give you more context to situations like Ho-Jon's college aspirations, the football game, and the incredibly short appearance of 'Captain' Frank Burns.

Keep in mind, younger listeners, that having been written in 1969 about a war around 1950, there are some racial slurs you may feel uncomfortable with. That was the way of the time.

Heller's performance is brisk and almost down-home style, just a straight-ahead read as opposed to obvious character voices except in cases where a Southerner or a Brit is speaking. His accents are never over the top and character performances are understated.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Let Uncle Archer tell you a few stories...

Reviewed: 08-09-18

I expected a humorous work and it is that, though not to the degree I was hoping. That H. Jon Benjamin's regular voice IS the one he uses for Sterling Archer gives me more than a few grins while listening to his tales of falling upward, falling for a girl, and just flat out falling on his face. Growing up, the parents, the work, babies, Disco, trying to find someone else to write this book for him... it's all here.

For me, the absolute howler of the book is the final chapter where he relates the dangers of long rental car trips complicated by airline-served Filet Mignon. Most of us can relate.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The Best Realistic Sci-Fi of The Year

Reviewed: 10-06-15

What did you love best about The Martian?
As much as I appreciated the seemingly exhaustive attention to detail regarding the scientific minutia and found it very interesting, it's the humor and sarcasm that kept it an intense yet light listen.

What did you like best about this story?
The MC's irreverent attitude of his situation as well as the technical sides of what he was doing. You get just enough science to feel like you've learned something which helps you understand why he's doing what he's doing.

Have you listened to any of R. C. Bray’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I've not heard RC Bray's other works so I can't make comparisons.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
There were several moments that got a good laugh out of me. Mostly with Watney, but a few exchanges between the ground crew did that as well.

Any additional comments?
I think anyone who passes this up because of the science fiction genre is doing themselves a disservice. It's a fine tale of beating the odds with knowledge, gumption, and a irreverent refusal to lay down and die.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!