Rooney once again paid dividends this week – that new hair implant must be doing something for his form! Manchester in general were once again to be feared, with both United and City thrashing their opponents once again. Newcastle kept up their unbeaten run (great, but…how?!) and Stoke upset Liverpool, which was hilarious. Not that we care about the actual results – to the leagues that count!
At the end of an exciting gameweek we’ve seen quite a few changes; a few dark horses shooting right up the rankings and some kings deposed. As the title suggests, it was a good day to have Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney as your captain – scoring double on a huge 22 points. In fact, it was a good week to play several players from either Manchester team, but we’ll get on to that. First up:
Head-To-Head
| Gameweek 3 | Dillinger | 79 - 42 | Kirellah |
| Gameweek 3 | WBF Flames FC | 42 - 50 | Langland Utd |
| Gameweek 3 | Hell Yeah | 74 - 50 | The Monolith FC |
| Gameweek 3 | Human Abstract XI | 83 - 32 | Vanpersieandfriends |
| Gameweek 3 | Triangle united | 38 - 22 | The Wankahoozanes |
| Gameweek 3 | StrictlyComeGyancing | 75 - 72 | Orsaeth United |
| Gameweek 3 | Average | 57 - 22 | WE HATE LEEDS |
Well, here we are at the end of gameweek 2, with our first report on our fantasy football goings on. The website goofed up last week, and so we didn’t get results until yesterday, which means there’s a fair bit of information to get through. I’ll crack on then!
Individual player scores and teams for gameweek one are already gone, so this is a quick summary of the head-to-head results. 3 points for winners, 1 for a draw. Due to an odd number of entrants, an average team is automatically paired with someone. Unlucky for Craig of Langland United, he was pipped to the post. I enjoyed a close win over my best friend, and Tyler took the crown for most points scored.
| Gameweek 1 | Dillinger | 30 - 63 | WBF Flames FC |
| Gameweek 1 | Vanpersieandfriends | 52 - 55 | The Monolith FC |
| Gameweek 1 | Hell Yeah | 32 - 26 | The Wankahoozanes |
| Gameweek 1 | Human Abstract XI | 40 - 23 | Orsaeth United |
| Gameweek 1 | Triangle united | 49 - 28 | WE HATE LEEDS |
| Gameweek 1 | StrictlyComeGyancing | 62 - 36 | Kirellah |
| Gameweek 1 | Average | 47 - 42 | Langland Utd |
Read on for gameweek 2…
With the current trend of metal pushing the boundaries of extended range instruments, causing the 9-string guitar to slowly come into demand, there’s no doubt that metal—for the most part—has a pretty wide range of tones available and is constantly getting lower. It would seem that the genre is on top of the extended range instrument market, but think again.
Elsewhere in the world of music, a man named Keith Medley has invented a 27-string acoustic guitar, and it’s quite the classy instrument. Dubbed the Medley guitar, the name seems to have an accidental double meaning; it effectively combines a bass, a guitar, and a harp—a medley of acoustic instruments, in a sense. In the wrong hands, this could be used as the source of some messy wank, but Keith Medley is a class act and a top-notch player. His compositions are often-times quite moving and beautiful. Check out a video of him performing his song “Ancestors” below.
He has one album out at the moment called Ride. You can stream and purchase it on his official website. I’m listening to it now and I can tell you that it is absolutely amazing. Give it a listen!
- JR
Last year, our super-bros over at The Number of the Blog ran an American Fantasy Football ladder – the aptly named Pigskin Destroyer 666 – with several other metal blogs. Not being a sportsfan, this didn’t interest me so much, but since my rebirth as a football fan, and combined with my penchant for nerding out over stuff, we’ve decided that this year we’re giving it a go!
A HERP DERP
So as not to cramp their style though, and because I haven’t the foggiest about the NFL, our own version will follow the Barclays Premier League, which is our top flight for what you Americans call ‘soccer’.
Signing up is very simple. We’re using the Premier League’s official template, and we’re running both types of ladder for Heavy Blog readers – classic and head-to-head.
The classic league will is open and will run all season, and spoils will go to the person who wins on overall points. If I win, I’ll pick the runner-up, and throw you something from the swag-bag. You’re best off getting in now to ensure maximum points are gathered!
Bladder Basher Classic league entry code: 425145-118189
The head-to-head league is open for entry until 11:30am GMT on Saturday August 13th, and will pit participants against each other each week. Not sure how winners will be decided, but I’ll probably sort out a prize pack for this too. More than that, though, you get bragging rights!
Bladder Basher H2H league entry code: 425145-118296
Should be a laugh. If you don’t follow the EPL, why not join up anyway for the shits? How hard can it be!
Famous last words…
- CG
At face value, a band with a name like The Fierce and the Dead sound like they’d fit right in with the metal scene – or at least some sort of post-hardcore or metalcore band.
Nope.
Following the 19-minute, one-track EP Part 1. in early 2010, London three-piece TFATD have just released their debut album, the most-excellent If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe, and it’s electronica-tinged instrumental post-rock all the way; a genre for which we have a palpable love around these parts.
British instrumental compatriots Mogwai spring to mind as the closest comparison, but it’s a little more upbeat much of the time, bringing comparisons to bands like Modest Mouse too. Album closer ‘Andy Fox‘ is a brilliant piece of music, building with a measured drum pulse, rolling bassy atmospherics, and Mars Volta-esque jazzy sax sections to create a piece that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Clint Mansell or Hans Zimmer score.
- CG
You know that we here at Heavy Blog—for the most part, anyway—adore ambient music as a counter-balance to the mind-numbingly abrasive music we subject ourselves to, and since our numero uno genre is basically at a stall when it comes to big news this week, I figured I’d take a moment to explore a new finding in the realm of ambient music.
I’ve recently discovered Chicago, IL native Benn Jordan’s The Flashbulb and his special blend of glitch, IDM, and post-rock. I’ve been spinning the album Arboreal, and I’ve got to say that it is really quite breathtaking at times, sounding almost like a more dense, upbeat, and optimistic version of Nine Inch Nails‘ Ghosts records at times. There are also hints of jazz throughout, which is certainly a nice touch. These lush soundscapes are both beautiful and interesting, and you can listen to Arboreal via the Bandcamp player below.
It’s like we get softer by the week. Don’t worry, we’ll feed you more heavier bits of music once the news starts to come back in! In the mean time, enjoy.
- JR
Ok, so maybe this isn’t the heaviest thing ever. But sometimes it’s a good thing to take a break and listen to the sounds of nature, no? This is exactly what avant-garde artist Diego Stocco does. He creates a unique brand of music where he uses improvised instruments, and sometimes those instruments are a tree. Let me demonstrate:
Isn’t this one of the most batshit crazy things ever? At first I thought “Hey, this is probably going to be terrible and lame” but wow, I was amazed at the end product. If you’re into… I don’t know what you need to be into to enjoy this but if you enjoy unique music you should enjoy this. There are no words to describe it, so just do yourself a favor and listen to it. Not heavy enough for you? He also has another piece, which, in spite of containing very little amounts of distortion, is pretty heavy if you ask me.
Interestingly enough, he has performed with Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack for Sherlock Holmes. If that is not an acknowledgement of his talent then I don’t know what is. He has a few other videos, some of them more ambient than these, and you can check them out on his YouTube channel. If you’ve ever watched a Finntroll video, you’ve probably seen them play around with fake instruments made out of logs and rope. Well, take that, Finntroll.
- NT
