Why Aren’t Artists Releasing Studio Albums As Often Anymore?
Ever since I got into AC/DC, I’ve wondered what would’ve happened if the band released one more studio album with Malcolm Young, founding member and former rhythm guitarist, before he retired? Either between Stiff Upper Lip (2000) and Black Ice (2008), or Black Ice and Rock or Bust (2014)? To be fair, AC/DC are a… Continue Reading →
I Had Higher Hopes for Skid Row’s Debut Album | Album Review
When I first got into rock music back in 2018, Skid Row was one of the many bands that were added to my Spotify playlist. Once I started my CD collection last year, I knew I had to have the band’s debut album because 1) I was familiar with hit singles and 2) I liked… Continue Reading →
Songs with the Same Title – Black Sabbath Edition
It’s time for another edition in the Songs with the Same Title series. I previously took on American rock band Styx, so if you haven’t already, you can check out that post here! I’ve wanted to do Black Sabbath for a while and I even selected the songs I wanted to use, but I deleted… Continue Reading →
‘Ready an’ Willing’ Made Me Give Whitesnake a Second Chance | Album Review
If you’ve read my review for Whitesnake’s Slip of the Tongue (1989) album, you’d know that I wasn’t pleased with the album. I gave it a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. I thought I was done with Whitesnake for good, but then, I commented my dislike for the album on a Sea of… Continue Reading →
Def Leppard’s “When Love & Hate Collide” – The Demo Version
Every casual Def Leppard fan has heard of “When Love & Hate Collide;” it was featured on the band’s Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980 – 1995) album. The studio version is cool as it’s very stripped down and similar towards the alternative style that Def Leppard was aiming for with Slang (1996). “When Love… Continue Reading →
My Big Rant on ‘The Twilight Saga’
Before we get started, I’d like to point out that this post was inspired by a YouTube video from one of my favorite YouTubers called, “i watched the twilight movies for the first time.” While this person made some very good points on why this film series is trash, there were some points where I… Continue Reading →
AC/DC Takes a Journey Through the Past in “Through the Mists of Time” Music Video | Music Video Review
Yesterday morning, on September 29, 2021, I woke up to a tweet by AC/DC that announced the band was planning to release an official music video for “Through the Mists of Time.” The music video was posted on the band’s YouTube channel at 4:00 a.m. HST on the following day, September 30. “Through the Mists… Continue Reading →
Songs with the Same Title – Styx Edition
It’s time for another edition of the Songs with the Same Title series and we’re moving onto an American rock band called Styx. I previously took on another American rock band called Journey, so if you haven’t already, feel free to check out that post here! So, there are six rounds total and in each… Continue Reading →
Max the Axe’s ‘Oktoberfest Cheer’ is Short and Rocking! | EP Review
Earlier this week, a WordPress friend of mine, Mike Ladano, asked if I could review an EP by a Canadian rock band known as Max the Axe. So I thought, “why not!” I’ve heard a couple of their songs from Ladano’s livestreams, but I’ve never sat down and listened to any of the band’s tracks…. Continue Reading →
Savage’s ‘Loose ‘N Lethal’ Is Rough on the Ears | Album Review
Thanks to Sea of Tranquility, I became fascinated with the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM). Pete Pardo and Martin Popoff shared their top 10 NWOBHM albums and one of the albums mentioned was Savage’s Loose ‘N Lethal (1983). Savage turned out to be a very obscure band; there are no Wikipedia articles for… Continue Reading →
My Top 10 Music Videos
The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) took place less than a week ago, but does anyone care anymore? Maybe in the 90s, yes. But now, MTV is all about the drama and reality shows, so the channel lost its credentials a long time ago. What’s the purpose of music videos, anyways? AC/DC never cared… Continue Reading →
Scorpions’ Lovedrive’ Gets Better with Every Listen | Album Review
Since I haven’t been to many concerts growing up, my new mission is to see my favorite hard rock bands before they all retire. As it turns out, the Scorpions are doing a Las Vegas residency in 2022 from late March till the second week of April (but that may change, depending on COVID-19). I’m… Continue Reading →
I Was Supposed to See Harry Styles in Concert, But Now I Can’t!
After refunding my Def Leppard concert tickets for summer 2020, I decided to purchase new concert tickets for a band that my 13-year-old self never got to see live…One Direction! Well, at least part of One Direction. On June 19, 2020, I purchased two tickets to see Harry Styles at the MGM Grand Garden Arena… Continue Reading →
YouTube Is An Addiction…Please Help Me!
You can say this is a sequel to my previous post titled, Is YouTube a Distraction or a Lifestyle? That post was from March 6, 2020 (pre-COVID) and I thought it’d be good to do an update on how I feel about that argument. After all, I’ve been stuck mostly at home for the past… Continue Reading →
My Top Five Adam Lambert Performances From ‘American Idol’
This past week, I finished an American Idol marathon for season eight in three days, excluding the auditions. Since the memories of Adam Lambert’s brilliant performances are still fresh in my mind, I thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to rank my top five performances of his from the show. I’m only doing five because… Continue Reading →
Whitesnake’s ‘Slip of the Tongue’ Is Not All Good, But Not All Bad | Album Review
After I begged my parents to take me to Hungry Ear Records in Kakaʻako, my mom wanted to go to Pearlridge, so that she could go to Macy’s and I could go to the Book Off. One of the albums I found was Whitesnake’s Slip of the Tongue (1989). Some of the panel on Sea… Continue Reading →
‘Hannah Montana: The Movie’ Hasn’t Aged Well With Me | DVD Review
I’d be lying if I said that I never wanted to be Hannah Montana! I mean, come on, she was a normal girl in the day and a popstar in the night. She was able to have all the fame and fortune without the annoying paparazzi, thanks to her famous blonde wig. Hannah Montana (2006… Continue Reading →
Bon Jovi Went Pop Rock With ‘Crush’ and Made It Work | Album Review
After the success of These Days (1995), Bon Jovi took another hiatus before getting together to work on their seventh studio album, Crush (2000). The band changed their sound, yet again, by going more commercial and pop. This allowed the boys to reach a younger audience and fit in with the current times. I saw… Continue Reading →
My Top 10 Disney Channel Original Movie Songs
Before I got into rock music, a lot of my favorite songs came from Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, especially Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs). I previously did a post talking about my favorite rock tracks from DCOMs, so this post is more focused on my favorite songs from DCOMs overall; most of these picks are… Continue Reading →
‘These Days’ Is Still Better Than Current Bon Jovi! | Album Review
If you haven’t read my review for Bon Jovi’s Keep the Faith (1992) album, feel free to check it out here! For now, we are moving onto These Days (1995), the first Bon Jovi studio album without bassist Alec John Such, who was unofficially replaced with Hugh McDonald. The band must’ve paid him well because… Continue Reading →
Don’t Ruin My Childhood’s Legacy – The Problem with Reboots, Spinoffs, and Remakes
In my 22+ years of life, I’ve seen many trends come and go, classic TV shows take their final bow, the birth of Instagram, the rising popularity of social media, and the rebirth of childhood shows through modernization. I’ve spent most of last year complaining that I never got to see Def Leppard in Vegas,… Continue Reading →
The Tragic Story of ‘American Idol’ – It Should’ve Ended With Season 15
Before we get started, I’d just like to say that I will forever be grateful for American Idol (2002 – 2016 and 2018 – present) because it introduced me to the music of legends like Elton John, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Queen, and Judas Priest. Unfortunately, the show has gone on for way too long and… Continue Reading →
Bon Jovi Renewed Their Status With ‘Keep the Faith’ | Album Review
If you haven’t read my album review for Bon Jovi’s New Jersey (1988), feel free to check that out here! For now, we are moving onto the next album on the agenda, Keep the Faith (1992). I tried searching for Keep the Faith on Amazon, but I couldn’t find it for a good price. So… Continue Reading →
Songs with the Same Title – Journey Edition
We’re back with another edition of the Songs with the Same Title series and this time we’re covering the American rock band Journey. I previously covered the new wave of British heavy metal legends, Saxon, so if you haven’t already, feel free to check out that post here! There are six rounds total, and in… Continue Reading →
A Brutally Honest Review on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ | Blu-ray Review
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) changed my life! No joke! This was the movie that got me into rock ‘n’ roll and convinced me to abandon my love for Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, One Direction, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, and other useless junk (technically, I still listen to 1D, but not often). Bohemian Rhapsody re-introduced me to… Continue Reading →
Bon Jovi’s ‘New Jersey’ Had Room for Improvement | Album Review
I was hesitant to get Bon Jovi’s New Jersey (1988) at first, since Richie Sambora isn’t in Bon Jovi anymore, therefore, I shouldn’t have anything to do with Bon Jovi, which is stupid because I previously bought 7800° Fahrenheit (1985). If you want to check out that review, click on the link here! I finally… Continue Reading →
My Trouble with CD Cases
I didn’t start collecting CDs seriously until last year during the pandemic, but I still have my Justin Bieber and One Direction CDs that I begged my parents to get me in my tween years. I got rid of Sonny with a Chance (2010), Lemonade Mouth (2011), and Justin Bieber’s Believe (2012), however. I tossed… Continue Reading →
Songs with the Same Title – Saxon Edition
I was fascinated by the new wave of British heavy metal, so I thought why not do a post about one of the most notable bands from that movement, Saxon, since Sea of Tranquility talks very highly of them. What better way to get a taste of Saxon than to include them in my Songs… Continue Reading →
Bon Jovi’s ‘7800° Fahrenheit’ Is Cheesy, But Enjoyable | Album Review
Here’s a funny story. When I was browsing through the Book Off at Pearlridge, I found Bon Jovi’s 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) and Slippery When Wet (1986). I was torn between those two albums because while the latter is a classic, I’m all about showing love for the underappreciated stuff. The only track I knew from… Continue Reading →
My Dream Setlist for AC/DC
So in late September 2020, I did a post talking about which songs AC/DC should add to their setlist, so if you haven’t checked that out, you can click the link here! Since then, the band announced that drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff Williams, and vocalist Brian Johnson were back in the band; and they… Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden’s ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ is Better Than I Remembered | Album Review
During the horrifying year of 2020, I turned to heavy metal and rock ‘n’ roll to cure my anger at the world; it was better than yelling at the TV. Once I started my CD collection, I knew that I needed an Iron Maiden album, so I headed for the Book Off at Pearlridge. I… Continue Reading →
‘Grease’ Doesn’t Make Sense! | DVD Review
The first time I saw Grease (1978), I was around eight or nine years-old (I don’t remember the details, but I was pretty young). I was young enough to be scared of the animated theme song that played in the beginning of the movie. Thanks to The Wiggles and their horrible animated films/clips, I developed… Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden Made a Comeback with ‘Brave New World’ | Album Review
The year 2000 saw new releases like AC/DC’s Stiff Upper Lip (2000), Bon Jovi’s Crush (2000), Backstreet Boys’ Black & Blue (2000), and Iron Maiden’s Brave New World (2000). The latter marked the return of vocalist Bruce Dickinson (he left in 1993) and guitarist Adrian Smith (he left in 1990). Brave New World is also… Continue Reading →
Def Leppard is a Different Animal on ‘Volume Two’ | Box Set Review
Formed in 1977 in Sheffield, England, Def Leppard had high hopes to make it big. Though their first album On Through the Night (1980) didn’t do much for them, their second album, High ‘n’ Dry (1981), set the band up for what was to come in the near future; thanks to producer Mutt Lange, they… Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden’s ‘Somewhere in Time’ is Mostly Filled with Awesomeness | Album Review
From Piece of Mind (1983), we’re going to flash forward to 1986. It was another great year for new music with Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Metallica’s Master of Puppets, Van Halen’s 5150, Megadeth’s Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?, Queen’s A Kind of Magic, and Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time. The latter was the second Iron… Continue Reading →
Songs with the Same Title – Van Halen Edition
Last time I took on Slayer for my Songs with the Same Title series, now we’re moving onto Van Halen and I am pumped! Not that I’m a huge Van Halen fan, but a few of these songs listed are from my childhood and it’s always fun taking a trip down memory lane. I’ll be… Continue Reading →
10 Songs That Put Me in a Good Mood
Have you ever had those moments where you’re in a bad mood and you need something to cheer you up? Well, that’s what this post is about! I’ve picked 10 of my favorite songs that always put a smile on my face whenever I’m in a bad mood. If you’ve been following my blog for… Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden’s ‘Piece of Mind’ is Overhyped! | Album Review
Goodbye Clive Burr, hello Nicko McBrian! After tackling The Number of the Beast (1982), we are moving onto Piece of Mind (1983), the first with McBrain on drums. Man, 1983 was a good year for new music; there was Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All (1983), The Police’s Synchronicity (1983), Dio’s Holy Diver (1983), AC/DC’s Flick of… Continue Reading →
Thoughts on My Last Semester of College
Final grades for the University of Hawaii at Manoa were posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, which means I am officially a college graduate for the class of spring 2021! How does it feel? I don’t feel that different, to be honest. Could it be because I didn’t participate in my university’s hybrid commencement ceremony?… Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden Soared to Greatness on ‘The Number of the Beast’ | Album Review
If you haven’t read my review for Iron Maiden’s last studio album with Paul Di’Anno, Killers (1981), feel free to check that out! For now, we are moving onto the band’s next album and it’s a big one, The Number of the Beast (1982); it marks the first album with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and the… Continue Reading →
My Top 10 Richie Sambora Songs
Disclaimer: I’m sorry if I offend any Jon Bon Jovi fans throughout this post, as these are strictly my opinions and Richie Sambora was the reason why I got into Bon Jovi in the first place. Richie Sambora hit it big when he became the guitarist for Bon Jovi. From 1983 to 2013, Sambora helped… Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden Avoided the Sophomore Slump with ‘Killers’ | Album Review
If you haven’t read my review for Iron Maiden’s debut album, feel free to check it out! For now, we are moving onto the band’s second album, Killers (1981). It marked the first album with guitarist Adrian Smith, who replaced Dennis Stratton, and the last with vocalist Paul Di’Anno. Killers was also the first Maiden… Continue Reading →
Songs with the Same Title – Slayer Edition
We’re back with another edition to the Songs with the Same Title series, and this time, we’re covering the thrash metal band known as Slayer. Last time when I took on Thin Lizzy, I said that I’d be interested in checking out more Slayer songs, so this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Once… Continue Reading →
Iron Maiden’s Debut Album Showed the Band’s Potential | Album Review
I’m not doing an entire series where I review Iron Maiden’s studio albums because I don’t have all of them, but I have some of them, so might as well review what I have, right? First up is Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut album, which was released in 1980. The record store I bought the debut… Continue Reading →
My Big ‘Degrassi’ Rant – Everything the Show Did Wrong
Next to Full House, Degrassi is my second favorite show of all time! And when I say Degrassi, I mean Degrassi: The Next Generation with Paige Michalchuk, Spinner Mason, J.T. Yorke, Eli Godsworthy, and Clare Edwards. From 2001 to 2015, the show centered around teenagers as they navigate their way through life. They covered a… Continue Reading →
Dio’s ‘Lock Up the Wolves’ is Pretty Bada**! | Album Review
We are finally down to the last album in the first five Dio album review series, Lock Up the Wolves (1990). The album saw a dramatic change in the line-up including Rowan Robertson on guitar, Jens Johansson on keyboards, Teddy Cook on bass, and Simon Wright (the name sounds familiar) on drums. If you haven’t… Continue Reading →
10 Underrated Songs From Bands I Like
This is a follow-up to my previous post titled, 10 Overplayed Songs From Bands I Like, so if you haven’t already, go check it out! Instead of talking about the overrated songs, this post will focus on the underrated songs from bands I like. As a warning, not all of the bands from the previous… Continue Reading →
Dio’s ‘Dream Evil’ Lacks Consistency! | Album Review
And just like that, we’re onto album number four! If you haven’t read my review for Sacred Heart, feel free to check it out. The next album on the agenda is Dream Evil (1987). It was the last record to feature Vinny Appice on drums until Strange Highways (1993), the last to feature Jimmy Bain… Continue Reading →
What If Drew Seeley Was Troy in the ‘High School Musical’ Franchise?
Disclaimer: I am not trying to offend Zac Efron or Drew Seeley in this post. I just always wondered what could’ve been, and I love both actors dearly. I don’t want to assume everyone knows High School Musical (2006), but if you were a kid growing up in the 2000s, you might’ve at least heard of… Continue Reading →
Dio’s ‘Sacred Heart’ is a Beast! | Album Review
Wow, these Dio album reviews are going by fast because we’re already on album number three. If you haven’t read my review for The Last in Line, feel free to check it out. For now, we’re moving onto Sacred Heart (1985), the last Dio album to feature Vivian Campbell on guitar. First things first, I’m… Continue Reading →
