DPS Tracks 28: Cover week!!! part 5

The Supergroup leader scene in City of Heroes sucks ass. Imagine that... you know what, nevermind. There is no WoW analogy. Basically, because the majority of the content is before max level and they give you 12 character slots, people in CoH make a -lot- of alts. This makes it very difficult to keep your members active since, once joining, there is a good chance that they'll just not log into that character ever again. Kinda silly, isn't it?

...I need to clean up my roster...

Anyway, Friday wraps up with another Dragonland cover. Don't know why I couldn't bother to find another band... but whatever. The heat does funny things to my brain.

DPS Tracks 27: Cover week!!! part 4

It's entirely possible that I'm running out of covers... well, not really.. Sonata Arctica and Dragonland seriously have one or two cover songs on each special edition album, but it would be way too easy to whore those guys out. So instead, as is the case at least once in every party ever thrown, it's time to bring out the fucking Bon Jovi.

And yes, that's how -everybody- dressed in the 80s. EVERYBODY.

DPS Tracks 26: Cover week!!! part 3

*Yawn* I've been sleeping all day and I just can't think of much to say. Don't you hate when your dog (you might not own a dog) hogs the blankets and you're just laying down from 4am-8am out of habit and not actually sleeping?

Yeah... I need to have a talk with that dog...

Coming up is a Sonata Arctica cover of the Scorpions classic "Still Loving You."

DPS Tracks 25: Cover week!!! part 2

My brother's going back to World of Warcraft. Who saw that coming? To put it in perspective, he has asked me on more than one occasion when I'm going to stop playing those "stupid MMOs."

w/e

Next up, it's time for a cover by the champs of American mainstream metal. Five Finger Death Punch (affectionately known as FFDP) has enjoyed quite a bit of success if radio is any indication, and released their second album late last year.

On that album was a cover track originally written and performed by English superband Bad Company. Of course, Lexi and a few others enjoy the original version more than the covers... but at this point, I'm just amazed that Lexi knows who the band is. Gotta take your victories where you can get them.

DPS Tracks 24: Cover week!!!

I don't know if anybody remembers that far back, but the first DPS Tracks entry at WWOD was an awesome cover. Since then, I've run into more than my fair share of bands eager to pay homage to the greats that came before them in the form of B-sides and bonus tracks. So, I thought it'd be appropriate if I shared.

And y'know.. it gives me an excuse to actively post... for at least a week... (shut up)

First up is a Dragonland cover of the Helloween (Japanese-released) single Sole Survivor.

Lyrics have been omitted for space and sanity, since some artists like to ad lib for their covers. (Editor's note: Blogger can eat me).

DPS Tracks 23: Bulletproof

I know I shove FFDP in people's faces, but I freakin' love this band. As far as I'm concerned, everything they do is golden. This one's no different. I like this one playing in the background to remind criminal's that they might as well have left their guns at home...

DPS Tracks 22: Anthem

My dog has been keeping me up at night. I'd have more to say about this band... but I'm half asleep, and it's only noon, so... yeah. Wiki links and junk after the youtube vid, which are naturally after the jump.

DPS Tracks 21: Duke Nukem Theme

Haven't really been around, for a while. Been discovering the joys of Xbox Live with Lexi and leading a new supergroup, at that. Well, it's an old supergroup.

The Peacekeeper Initiative is back after a two year hiatus, and we're doing reasonably well, if I do say so myself. I wish our attendance was a bit higher, but what can you do. This is City of Alts, y'know.

Anyway, I was rummaging through some old cds and found this gem. Thought I'd throw it out there. XD

DPS Tracks 20: Dying Breed

Over the course of the last year, DPS tracks has changed quite drastically. I used to have a playlist on my winamp client (god bless that little music player) labeled DPS, and I'd use it every time I raided (for maximum face-to-keyboard action).

Obviously, I don't raid anymore, and since the upgrade to Windows 7, I've lost that old playlist. Where does that leave it, then? Not that anybody cares, but I consider "DPS tracks" "music to rock to." It's my personal blend, and obviously everyone's mileage will vary. But it's what I game to, and it doesn't seem hard to imagine that others could game to it, too. Game on.

DPS Tracks 19: Everlasting

I just killed a cockroach the size of my big toe, while screaming "eat loafer mother bitch!" It was kinda cool.

At least, it was the highlight of my day since lately I've felt like rolling over and dying. I really don't know what's wrong with me, but it's getting a little old.

Moving on, the new influx of awesome bands included an interesting (and already broken up) band from Japan. Japanese heavy metal, you say? It's not a joke, I swear. These guys know how to use a double bass pedal, have a rockin' guitar soloist, and are bold enough to use an electric organ. Top that!

DPS Tracks 18: Beethoven's Nightmare

I wouldn't consider myself "cutting edge DPS" anymore, but I still find excuses to whack the metaphorical pinata until my hands and face are coated with... candy. And when I am giving mob bosses are bad day, I need tunes with a visceral, sometimes carnal feeling to them.

Everybody who's visited WWOD knows I have a thing for power metal, and Dragonland fits that bill pretty nicely. Some of their tracks are much more musically ambitious than the standard fare, and that might be why I like them so much. In Beethoven's Nightmare, from their most recent album Astronomy, Dragonland uses themes and motifs from Beethoven's work, and they sound equally timeless on guitar as they did on piano.

I actually found this band through a friend of a friend, who thought my taste in music could benefit from adding even more of the same thing to my library. They were right. xD

I Don't Know If I Mentioned This...

I sorta quit WoW three months ago. Almost to the day, for that matter. And believe me, I've read every "I quit /wah" forum and blog post in the entire freakin' universe, so I thought I'd spare everyone the emo/angst trip and just leave quietly. Long story short: There was some... guild... management issues, and I just left. Gave all my primordial saronite to the guild leader and /gquit (Something like 28 pieces between me and Lexi).

After that, I signed up for Star Trek Online and bought a lifetime sub to Star Trek Online like the sucker I am, and the rest is history. Sort of...

What followed is the worst string of bad luck I've ever experienced in such a short period. Again, you get the short version: I've been through two monitors, a whole freakin' computer, and my car asploded. Combine that with the fact that Star Trek Online's design team waited until -after- the lifetime sub grace period ended to show us how stupid they were, and I'm actually starting to regret quitting.

Yeah, I know.

I wasn't one of those people who thought Warcraft kept my universe together.  On the contrary, I was looking forward to getting rid of something that my non-Warcraft friends considered an addiction.  So I quit, and I get mechanical (and in the case of NCSoft: brain) failures across the board, as if WoW was singlehandedly keeping my world from falling apart at the seams.

Doesn't make any sense to me, either.  If you ask me, the whole thing is kind of lame.  If the universe wants to beg me to go back to Warcraft, an email would suffice.  I really could do without replacing computer and fucking car.

The urge to spill my (not-so-)religious beliefs aside...  I've been struggling to blog lately.  The three months away from WWOD was intentional, since I had planned to just fork it over to Gincan.  But TeamDXL never became what I needed it to be.  I started it in hopes of collaborating with my good friends, Dayn and Lexi.  Who never post.  Oh, well..  so it's not a tank blog.  We all went to STO, and I thought... STO BLOG!!!  That didn't really happen either...  Chances diminished even further when we all pretty much pulled away from that game until they started making design decisions that made sense.


At least I still have my music...  Dream Evil put out a new album right about the time that I quit.  Go buy it.  Be a sheep.  Obey me! :3





Immortal

By Dream Evil

It's time to surrender, you know we feel no fear
Inferior contender, your men will not survive
You better tell your mortals to step aside
Or be the last man standing to watch them die

Immortal, forever we stand in line

Battlefield burning, arrows shadow the sky
I feel the yearning, longing to see their skin fry
Too late to beg for mercy, to step aside
This is your termination, just say goodbye

Immortal, forever, we just can't die

I am immortal, I cannot die, you better run and hide
We are immortal, we rule the slaughter, and side by side we ride

Immortal, forever, we stand in line
Immortal, forever, we just can't die
Immortal, forever, we stand in line

I am immortal, I cannot die, you better run and hide
We are immortal, we rule the slaughter, and side by side we ride
We are immortal, we show no fear, you better step aside
We are immortal, we rule the slaughter, and side by side we ride
We are immortal, we show no fear, you better step aside
I am immortal, I rule the slaughter, and side by side we ride

DPS Tracks 17: War is the Answer

I've got a few things on my mind, today. First, is Saurfang. Well, it's not that I hate Saurfang (although, he isn't on my fucking Christmas list or anything). But I kinda hate that our guild has a tendency of... slipping back down the difficulty slope. We get a kill, we make it look clean, and then the next week it's /smack! back to progression style wiping.

I know we only killed the big stupid orc once, but I suppose I have a case of wishful thinking, and hoped that we could, y'know... get through him before he got to 10 FUCKING MARKS!

Obligatory rant about Guild/Raid night aside, I found out that FFDP put out a second album. Sure, it came out in September, but sue me, I've been busy. I don't know if I talked about how much I like Five Finger Death Punch...

I like it this much!

Before I get to that, I've been noticing a large amount of (additional) QQ in the blogosphere about dps in Heroics. And while I already threw in my two cents on the matter (I really don't give a shit), I thought I'd share an encounter that tickled me pink.

I actually was not a member of this pug, but experienced it vicariously through guild members. I suppose some of you remember huntards. There aren't nearly as many as there used to be, since most of them rerolled Deathtards, so it is really a sight to see when you catch a glimpse of them in the wild. And this one was no different.

Clad in spellpower gear (possibly even a few cloth pieces), this Hunter came in at a low 500 dps, and the entire guild was giggling at his gear and his performance. We didn't bother to tell him in party chat, mind you, that he was possibly the worst player we'd seen since Braylon Edwards. We just thought it was funny to see someone two entire expansions behind in class knowledge and damage output.

Which is what brought me to my next thought. The next time I am actually watching the meters in a pug heroic, and someone struggles to break 1k dps, I'm going to stop and calmly tell them:

Burning Crusade called: They want their DPS back.



War is the Answer
By Five Finger Death Punch

[Verse 1]
(GO!)
This aint a test, fuck the rest.
Time to set the record straight.
Talk your shit behind my back, let's hear you say it to my face?
I've heard the words roll out your lips.
You little trendy fuckin' bitch!
The time has come to get you some, cause I just do not give a shit.

[Chorus]
Do you take me for a fool!?
How's it feel to be a tool!?
See to me you're just a cancer!
Motherfucker!, War is the Answer!

[Verse 2]
As of now the end begins,I want to laugh but there's no joke.
To eat with the beast, and run with the wolves.
On the Ashes you must choke.
I know it's got to chap your ass, to think I just won't go away.
Forget me not, I'm writing you off.
I've got nothing more to say.

[Chorus]
Do you take me for a fool!?
How's it feel to be a tool!?
To me you're just a cancer!
Motherfucker!, War is the Answer!

[Bridge]
(Get some!)
You wanna disrespect me, you little fuckin' punk?
Everything I've done?, And who I am? As far as I've fuckin' come?
I'll slap you so fuckin' hard, It'll feel like you kissed a freight train.
Fuck you!

[Guitar Solo]

(Rawr!)

[Chorus]
(Bam!)
Do you take me for a fool!?
How's it feel to be a tool!?
Talking shit behind my back...
See to me you're just a cancer!
The time has come to get you some.
Motherfucker!, War is the Answer!

Yeah!!!!!!!!!!

DPS Tracks 16: Won't Back Down

DPS Tracks 15: Drones

I've been running low on steam lately, so I took the 3.3 announcement as a sort of break. I figure, anything I do now will mean next to nothing when the new patch drops, so I might as well take a breathe, stretch my legs, and catch up on some sorely needed relaxation.

Well... as much as someone like me can relax. Google Analytics was fun to install. Mainly because the damn code wouldn't stay in the right place when I hit save. Stupid templates... after wrestling with it, I finally got it working at, I don't know... 4:30 a.m. -_-

On an unrelated note, I figured out which track I want to share next.



Drones
By Rise Against

Deep inside these burning buildings
Voices die to be heard
Years we spent teaching a lesson
We ourselves had never learned

And if strength is born from heartbreak
Then mountains I could move
And if walls could speak I’d pray
That they would tell me what to do

If you see me, please just walk on by, walk on by
Forget my name and I’ll forget it too
(Simple lives)
Failed attempts at living simple lives, simple lives,
Are what keep me coming back to you.

No signs of life here, save the embers, the occasional flame
We know the way but can’t remember, conception to the grave
Shout confessions from the greatest heights, where no one can hear
All my fears, my insecurities are falling like tears

If you see me, please just walk on by, walk on by
Forget my name and I’ll forget it too
(Simple lives)
Failed attempts at living simple lives, simple lives,
Are what keep me coming back to you.

The drones all slave away
They’re working overtime
They serve a faceless queen
They never question why
Disciples of a god
(I won’t come back!)
That neither lives nor breathes
(I won’t come back!)
But we have bills to pay,
Yeah we have mouths to feed!
(I won’t come back!)
I won’t change back!

And if you see me, please just walk on by, walk on by
Forget my name and I’ll forget it too
(Simple lives)
Failed attempts at living simple lives, simple lives,
Are what keep me coming back to you.

I'm coming back to you...

DPS Tracks 14: Whirlwind of Doom

My favorite band of all freakin' time!

Seriously! Wikipedia entry here.

And yes, I have a goddamn theme song. Sue me.



Whirlwind of Doom
By Iron Fire

One for all...

It's been five long years in the dark
And now a new age will begin
This time there will be no prisoners
There will be no mercy
Bloody wars in the underground
Has made a new monster
And the war for revenge, will strike, now go

Trapped in a nightmare, lost in a dream
Betrayed at the battle scene
Backstabbing brothers wanted me dead
Now my steel is all that they get

Like a shadow rising up from below
Years in darkness, now we finally
Know where to go
Metal we will consume like a...

Whirlwind of doom, one for all
The hammer of Caine will crush you
Whirlwind of doom, hear the call
Ironheads united
Whirlwind of doom, one for all
The hammer of Caine will crush you
Whirlwind of doom, hear the call
Ironheads united for revenge.

They granted me power and took it away
Here’s another battle to slay
A monster of metal, a creature of steel
To no man we will kneel

Like a shadow rising up from below
Years in darkness, now we finally
Know where to go
Metal we will consume like a...

Whirlwind of doom, one for all
The hammer of Caine will crush you
Whirlwind of doom, hear the call
Ironheads united
Whirlwind of doom, one for all
The hammer of Caine will crush you
Whirlwind of doom, hear the call
Ironheads united for revenge.

It felt just like paradise days of no compromise
Bridges will burn but we will build new ones
So join us in our world and fight by our side
Brothers and sisters, we bid you welcome

Hail to the chosen ones
There will be no mercy, no prisoners
Hail to the chosen ones
We will last like no one before
Hail to the chosen ones
There will be no mercy, no prisoners
Hail to the chosen ones
We will last like no one before
No one before

Like a whirlwind of doom
We're out for revenge
Like a whirlwind of doom

DPS Tracks 13: Treason (Battle with the Four Fiends)

This is fairly old news for some, but the geniuses (no sarcasm, really) at Overclocked ReMix have given us a free-to-download album featuring my favorite game of all time: Final Fantasy IV. Run, don't walk, download it here.

DPS Tracks 12: I Am Hated

I AM HATED
By: Slipknot

The whole world is my enemy - and I'm a walking target
Two times the devil with all the significance
Dragged and raped for the love of a mob
I can't stay - because I can't be stopped
Eat motherfuckers alive who cross us
I know you're all tired of the same ol' bosses
Let me tell you how it's gonna be
I'm gonna kill anyone who steps up in front of me

Welcome to the same ol' fucking scam
Same ol' shit in a dead fad

Everybody wants to be so hard
Are you real or a second rate sports card?
They all lost their dad or their wife just died
They never got to go outside - SHUT UP
Nobody gives a fuck
it doesn't change the fact that you suck

(We are) The anti-cancer
(We are) The only answer
Stripped down, we want you dead
But what's inside of me, you'll never know
(We are) Bipolar gods
(We are) You know what we are
My life was always shit
And I don't think I need this anymore

Now I'm not pretty and I'm not cool
But I'm fat and I'm ugly and proud - so fuck you
Standing out is the new pretension
Sreamline the (sic)ness, half-assed aggression
You gotta see it to believe it, we all got conned
All the mediocre sacred cows we spawned
Put your trust in the mission
We will not repent - this is our religion

(We are) The anti-cancer
(We are) The only answer
Stripped down, we want you dead
But waht's inside of me, you'll never know
(We are) Bipolar gods
(We are) You know what we are
My life was always shit
And I don't think I need this anymore

I AM HATED
YOU ARE HATED
WE ARE HATED

Everything sucks and I can prove it
Everybody dies, shuffle on, remove it
Individuals, indispensable
I'm the paradox deity vessel
...the other side holds no secret
But this side is done, I don't need it
Before you go, you should know you're breaking down
You'll be rotten by the time you're underground

(We are) The anti-cancer
(We are) The only answer
Stripped down, we want you dead
But what's inside of me, you'll never know
(We are) Bipolar gods
(We are) You know what we are
My life was always shit
And I don't think I need this anymore

(We Are) The source of conscience
(We Are) Distorted sentients
There's only one thing left
And I can't leave until it's sated
(We Are) The absolute
(We Are) Controlling you
They're closing in, I can't escape
I AM HATED

DPS Tracks 11: Crush'em

Blah blah competitive spirit blah blah.

It might have something to do with my work in the arena. I don't know.

And yes, this is from what is likely Megadeth's worst album (although it and Cryptic Writings are pretty close in that respect). Also of note, is that you'll notice (somewhat) famous film and t.v. personalities Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bill Goldberg. This may be the last Van Damme movie that anybody actually cared about. And by care about I mean... it was in theatres.

Edit: The hyphen was in the wrong place -_-



Crush 'em
By Megadeth

Enter the arena and hit the lights
Step up now you're in for a ride
this is war, ain't no fun and games
we get it up, you go down in flames

Party time, going down
you better not mess us around
the stakes are rich, take a hit or stay
the price is high, someone's gonna pay

Heads I win, tails you lose
out of my way I'm coming through
roll the dice don't think twice
and we crush, crush 'em

Looking for trouble, now you've found it
you're a drum and we're gonna pound it

Last one standing wins the fight
hear us scream and shout all night
down on the floor and eat the grit
this is gonna hurt a little bit

Heads I win, tails you lose
out of my way I'm coming through
roll the dice don't think twice
and we crush, crush 'em

Now we lay you down to rest
you'll never be more than second best
step inside you're in for a ride
and we crush, crush 'em

Don't need reason, don't want names
just a John Doe to put to shame
step aside let me explain
the name of the game is pain

Now we've found you
We're gonna pound you
We're gonna beat you
Gonna defeat you
We're gonna bust you
We're gonna crush you
We're gonna crush 'em

DPS Tracks 10: 99 Ways To Die

When I was young (read: in high school), I stopped into a used record/cd store and picked up a random album, thinking I needed to branch out my musical tastes. I just happened to pick up an album with some skeleton on the front. Seemed relatively harmless... What I found was a fast-paced metal experience that changed my life.

This particular track was featured on The Beavis and Butthead Experience, and was later available on a sort of greatist hits compilation album.

And yes, I realize that thar be controversial images in this video. Deal or don't press play.



99 Ways To Die
By Megadeth

If I see the morning hours
Ill have one more yesterday
Take life from tomorrow
Cause Ive burned out my today

If I get up to the top I know
Ill just go back downhill
Gotta terminal future
And its time to write my will

Down another glass of courage
And a shot of thorazine

Were not ready to see you yet
99 ways to die
Were not ready to see you yet

Gotta short between the earphones
Wringing my hands in dismay
A more efficient maniac
With two feet in the grave

Aint got no last words to say
Yellow streak right up my spine
The gun in my mouth was real
And the taste blew my mind

In a black tie and straight jacket
Man Im gonna try again

Chorus repeat

Demitasse of arsenic
Try on this tie
Never mind the tree

There is only death and danger
In the sockets of my eyes
A playground of illusion
No one plays they only die

Theres a prison in my mind
And the bars are gonna break
Im as mad as a hatter
And strung out just the same

Taunting rigor mortis
I feel it draw me in