Metal Menagerie - SPACE CHASERS - "Watch The Skies"

I have been a metalhead since the beginning of time. Every sub-genre of metal holds a certain amount of appeal to me. Some more than others. Today I wanted to begin to take a look at some of the music in my collection. Finding a place to start had me scratching my head so I decided to begin with the cd that is currently spinning in my car. As good a place to start as any I suppose.
Space Chaser is a young German Thrash band that plays an up-tempo style that could be categorized as Speed Thrash. They released an ep in 2013, but the disc I'm discussing today is their first full length release, "Watch The Skies."
Upon picking this up the first thing you notice is the extremely cool cover art showing aliens blasting the crap out of a cityscape in true classic thrash style artwork. Promising start.
I probably won't do this for all the stuff I put on here, but for this release I decided to go track by track and say a few words about each one.
The disc kicks off with a track called "Interstellar Overlords." A song that seems to be about aliens coming to earth in ancient times to get people hooked on beer in order to make this planet much easier to conquer. That's some highbrow concept work right there! Nice riffing, some tempo changes, and energetic soloing make this an excellent start for the album.
"Loaded To The Top" is about zombies that are driven by a thirst for beer. Are we discovering a theme already? The thrash clichés abound throughout this release, but that is just part of the fun. From the Repkaesque artwork to songs about aliens, beer, zombies, beer, etc. If you enjoy these traditional aspects of thrash you will not be disappointed here.
The title track "Watch The Skies" is a pummeling riff monster where we start to get a good feel of what this band is capable of. It is a great song. The vocals stay in the high pitched style of thrash singing/screaming style for the most part. He adds a nice dimension over the top of the speedy riffs. His soaring and screeching style is a nice departure and sets Space Chaser apart from many similar bands out there. This is an energy band and the song "Watch The Skies" features a very Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth from Overkill style of vocals.
"Saucer Attack" follows and this time around the vocals veer into a more Sean Killian of Vio-Lence fame type of style. There is also some tastefully melodic soloing that hints at a bit of Kirk Hammett influence. Another strong song.
"Wastecrawler" is where I first learned about Space Chaser. I came across the video on Youtube and became interested in the band because of it. The Captain has a soft spot for modern metal videos that are shot on a non existent budget, yet are still able to capture the flavor and energy of the band. Wastecrawler teaches us about the horrors of a post apocalyptic world after being devastated by the invading alien hordes. There is a nice slammable mosh pit section in this song but it is not even close to being the best track on the album.
The song "Space Chaser" comes next and is an instrumental that serves as a nicely placed interlude to transition into the second half of the album. Space Chaser showcases some catchy guitar licks.
"Decapitron" describes a monstrosity created by using hazardous waste that is let loose on the land and is chopping the heads off anything that gets in its way. Featuring a decent bass intro and traditional riffing, this is solid thrash. I was hoping this song was gonna be about the Decapitron that is one of the murderous puppets in the Puppet Master movie series. Oh well, maybe Decapitron 2 is in the works.
"Predator" is a song about...you guessed it, the Predator movie. This may be my favorite track on the album. Predator features a noticeable Slayer vibe and portions of this song are so similar to "Angel of Death" that it is hard to ignore. Not complaining about the wearing of influences on their sleeve, just making an observation that is hard to overlook. I greatly enjoy the pace of this song, the riffs, and overall classic groove feel. Outstanding.
"Thrashold" is a typical thrash song about thrashing. No epic story. No mystery. Think along the lines of Metallica's "Whiplash" and you will be on the right track for Thrashold.
The final tune is called "Undead Revenge." Obviously this is a story about unicorns and cotton candy. Or maybe this is just a typical zombie themed jam to close out the disc.
Space Chaser aren't shy about showing their influences on this recording, even with the first listen. Gama Bomb is a band that may come to mind upon the first spin, but repeated listens begin to bring into focus exactly what is up with these guys. After eight to ten listens through, I knew that this is a band that excites me, and I can't wait to see what other nonsense they are capable of vomiting onto the masses.

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TV Talk - "Orphan Black"

Orphan Black - I caught up with the first
two seasons and stayed current with season three of Orphan Black. It is an interesting production as I believe it to be a joint British, Canadian, and United States show. This is a fun show
that follows a group of clones that are just discovering each other's existence
and are trying to figure out exactly what they are and where they come from.
Tatiana Maslany is the actress that plays multiple roles, sometimes several
characters in a single scene, and she is great. Of course all of the clones are quite divergent. A British Punk, a Russian assassin, an American housewife caught up in scheme after scheme, a hair stylist, a businesswoman, a scientist. You get the picture. This is a well executed,
intriguing show with layer upon layer of conspiracy. I find myself enjoying the plot lines that
revolve around the twisted up day to day mundane lives of the clones more so
than the over arching conspiratorial plot. That is unusual for me. I will continue to watch Orphan Black but overall is doesn't quite live up to the underground cult status hype that it seems to receive.
Good stuff, but not great stuff.

TV Talk - "12 Monkeys"

12 Monkeys - A SyFy Channel series about a dude time traveling
back from the future to try and prevent a virus from being let loose onto the world. Yes, it is a version of the story from the movie with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt. I watched
the first season, and it was recently renewed for season two. This is a well
written show that bounces all over the place. Thoughtful science fiction from the SyFy Channel. What a concept. This series is shot in a very dark manner which suits
it well and features good production values for a SyFy show. Lots of stuff going on in this
one so don't be scrolling through Facebook while you are viewing 12 Monkeys or
you may get lost. 12 Monkeys is available on Netflix and is definitely worth a watch. I like it a lot.