Two previews of tracks from Scar the Martyr's album

Scar the Martyr have released previews for two more of the tracks off their debut album. The first, My retribution was released this morning, while that of Cruel ocean was made available only a few minutes ago. This project is sounding exceptionally promising. I'm looking forward to being able to listen to the full album.

Listen to Nine inch Nails 'Hesitation Marks' now

The first album from Nine Inch Nails in nearly five years can now be streamed via the following link. According to NIN's facebook page, different sites are hosting the stream depending on where in the world you are trying to access it from.

Also, if you order Hesitation Marks directly from the NIN store, you'll be able to download an alternative version of the album for free, which features a different mastering process. This version has been dubbed the Audiophile Mastered Version, and is aimed primarily for listeners with serious audio equipment.

I may preorder the album and download this alternate version anyway, in the hopes that I will one day have the equipment available to hear the differences between the standard and audiophile versions.

Official trailer for Grand Theft Auto V

Watch the official trailer for Grand Theft Auto V here, or below:

Diablo III expansion announced

While some PC gamers have been getting pretty uptight over the release of the console version of Diablo III, they can now rejoice as they too are getting some love from Blizzard Entertainment, in the form of Diablo III: Reaper of Souls.

For now the expansion looks to be a PC exclusive, but I'm pretty sure (read: really hoping) that Reaper of Souls will be released for consoles too.

The expansion includes a new hero-class, the crusader (which looks like a Black Templar from Warhammer 40,000), a fifth Act to the story, and no doubt a new arsenal of weapons and magical goodies to help slay some new monsters.

Ironically, I've spent the last few afternoon replaying Diablo II, so that I can complete Act V of Diablo II, before I get stuck into Diablo III in September.

Nirvana's original recording contract

Sub Pop, one of Nirvana's former record labels, has released a photograph of their exclusive recording agreement with Nirvana, who went on to become the biggest act of the '90s. 

Appropriately the caption on the Sub Pop site says, "six hundred bucks well spent."

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Don't forget to check out the announcement 20th Anniversary edition of In Utero here!

Scar the Martyr's new single will disintegrate your soul

Joey Jordison's side-project Scar the Martyr have released the second single off their eponymous album. The track is called Soul disintegration, and it sounds like the most promising release of recent months. Turn up your speakers and play the track as loudly as you can!

Third track off 'Hesitation Marks' released

Nine Inch Nails have released another track from their next album. Today NPR Music shared the third (second according to them) track from Hesitation Marks, due out on 3 September.

The song is called Everything, and it sounds almost nothing like previous material from Nine Inch Nails. It's possibly one of the poppiest, most radio-friendly pieces ever penned by Trent Reznor. That said, I doubt it'll actually get too much radio play here in South Africa where it'll be lucky to even get a mention on local radio, despite there being a pretty big Nine Inch Nails following here.

So far none of the four tracks (three studio recordings, one live performance) I've heard from Hesitation Marks have been particularly mind blowing, but they're still on average pretty good. I guess I'm just not used to hearing 'happy Nine Inch Nails' yet. Despite the apparent change in direction, I'm still rather looking forward to this release, as Nine Inch Nails has been my favourite band since the release of The Fragile. I at least hope that there's one of Reznor's trademark, scene-setting instrumentals on Hesitation Marks. 

If nothing else, I'm hoping that fellow Nine Inch Nails fans wont start labelling Hesitation Marks a complete disappointment à la Korn's 'The path of totality' and possibly Korn's follow-up album 'The paradigm shift' too.

Free download from Nine Inch Nails

Last Friday saw Nine Inch Nails release the the second single off Hesitation Marks for 'free.' Copy of a is available via Amazon, but only if you live in the United States or United Kingdom. Despite being a free download, you still need to enter credit card details to place the order, which has gotten a few peoples knickers in a knot over privacy and security issues. Since Amazon is probably one of the most trusted online retailers I don't think there's too much to get uptight about, unless you're not from the U.S or U.K. and can't actually download the track. Guess I'll just have to wait till the albums release, like a majority of the rest of the world, before I can legally own a copy of a Copy of a. (Sorry I couldn't resist.)

A good weekend of gaming was had by me

After watching a few episodes of 24 with Em on Friday night before she went to bed, I was able to get to get through the last chapter and a half of Portal 2 (excluding the credits). The credits finished playing just before 00:30 Saturday morning. I went to bed feeling satisfied, and in a good mood due to the humour of Portal 2, especially the ending.

The next day I played some Need for Speed: Most Wanted before Em and I headed out for a picnic with some friends. When we got back later that evening, we watched a couple more episodes of 24, and I decided I was going to try my hand at God of War II again. I'd been stuck in the corridor leading to the Loom Chamber since May. Between travelling up and down to Cape Town twice, Em's TV turning blue, and my trip to Europe, I hadn't actually had much time to play GoW II since May. When I did try get back into it a few days ago, I found I had forgotten the controls, and didn't get terribly far before dying and getting frustrated with the game. However after a few brandy and Cokes yesterday, I decided to take another swing at it. 

** here be God of War II spoilers **

It didn't take many attempts and I found my way into the Loom Chamber, after nearly three months. There were no hitches with game progression form then until I reached Zeus. The brandy must have been affecting my quick time event response times, as I must have died about twenty times during the final battle. Many of which I failed to hit the first button, resulting in Zeus splitting Kratos' skull with the Blade of Olympus. 

I eventually got it right, commanding Kratos to thrust the sword into Zeus, only to have Athena get in the way. Cue last cinematic, slightly disappointing ending (although somewhat expected due to the existence of GoW III), and roll credits.

** end of God of War II spoilers **

Over three months after starting to play God of War II, I finally managed to complete the game. On the same day I had completed Portal 2, none-the-less. Saturday night I went to sleep feeling even more satisfied, and in an even better mood after having kicked plenty of mythological creatures, and Zeus' arse.

To commemorate the weekend, here's a link to download the official soundtrack from Portal 2. Now to decide what to play next weekend; do I get stuck into God of War III straight away, or play one of the other first person shooter titles on my shelf? Or do I go the controversial route (i.e. old school PC gaming) and try and finish Diablo II: Lord of Destruction before the console release of Diablo III?

Call of Duty: Ghosts - Multiplayer reveal featuring new single from Eminem

This morning saw the video reveal of some multiplayer gameplay from Call of Duty: Ghosts. The video also features a comeback from rapper Eminem, in the form of his track Survival. While the single is mediocre at best, the actual gameplay for CoD: Ghosts looks pretty bad ass.

What really got me interested in this game though, was the following video showing side-by-side comparisons between the graphics from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the previous release from Infinity Ward, and those of the next-generation engine for CoD: Ghosts. This game looks as though it is going to take not only the Call of Duty franchise, but also all first-person shooters to the next level in graphic detail.

Em would probably kill me if I pre-order the Prestige Edition, which comes with a 1080p HD tactical camera, and a few other downloadable goodies. I think I may however pre-order the Hardened Edition, while she is off shopping for shoes or handbags, as it includes pretty much all the same stuff with the exception of the HD camera.

If you're interested in listening to the Eminem track mentioned earlier, you can listen to it in the player below. I like the vocals of Skylar Grey Liz Rodrigues over the guitar, but the actual rapping by Eminem, not so much.

Resistance 3: Survivor Edition - I own a copy

While in Cape Town I visited my local gaming shop and saw that they had the Resistance 3: Survivor Edition bundle on special for only R 50* more than the regular edition of Resistance 3. While it was a no-brainer as to which edition to buy, I waited to check the reviews of the game on Metacritic before making the purchase. I also watched the following unboxing video of the Survivor Edition to see exactly what was inside the box.

Just to be clear this is not me in the video, but my Resistance 3: Survivor Edition box does look like this

Having seen all the contents of the box, as well as the favourable ratings of 83 out of 100, and 7.7 out of 10 on Metacritic, I was sufficiently convinced to splurge a little while on holiday, and bought the first special edition of a PlayStation 3 game. I opened my copy while in Cape Town, and was suitably impressed with the overall quality of the Survivor Edition goodies, well worth the extra R 50 in my opinion. 

The contents of my box were not packed into the satchel as in the video above, but otherwise were wrapped in the same manner. I've left them all like that for now. After removing the game disc, I put everything else back in the box and stashed it away at my parents house. If I ever have a gaming room/ study, I'll be sure to have a display case for all the extra goodies from 'limited editions' of games I've collected. I may even get the Chimera practice target framed.

Now I just have to wait for the weekend until I can begin playing Resistance 3, as my PlayStation 3 is at my girlfriends house. I may just install the game this weekend, and hold off playing it for a while, as I still have quite a few PS3 titles to get through. I'm also considering getting the boxed set of the Resistance Trilogy, so it would make sense to not get too deep into the Resistance 3 storyline before playing the first two instalments in the franchise.

I wish I had more time to play games...

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*R 50 equals roughly US$ 5.03 or GB£ 3.24 at present exchange rates.

How to take Instagram-like photos using vintage cameras

The folks over at 1000memories (which is shutting down at the end of the month) created the following infographic to show how to create Instagram-like effects, using good old-fashioned film cameras. Helena Price's article behind the process of making the figure is really interesting too.

Source: 1000memories

16 songs that sound the same

As the title suggests, here is a mix by Daleri of 16 trap songs that sound the same as a result of them all using the same samples. Ironically 14 of these tracks claim to be 'original' mixes.

Tracklist.1. Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike - Wakanda (Original Mix) [Intro]2. FTampa - Kick It Hard (Original Mix)3. Alvaro & Moti - NaNaNa (Original Mix)4. Pyero - Genesis (Original Mix)5. Chuckie, Dzeko & Torres - Down To This (Original Mix)6. Makj - Springen (Original Mix)7. Sini - Razz Up (Original Mix)8. Pelari - Cango (Original Mix)9. Krewella - Alive (Hardwell Remix)10. Shermanology - The Only Way (Original Mix)11. W&W - Thunder (Original Mix)12. Gta, Henrix & Digital Lab - Hit It! (Original Mix)13. Sultan, Ned Shepard, Fedde Le Grand - No Good (Extended Mix)14. Henrix, Wayne & Woods - Jumangee (Original Mix)15. Alvaro & Mercer feat. Lil Jon - Welcome To The Jungle (Original Mix)16. Klauss Goulart & Mark Sixma - Rio (Original Mix)

I'm certainly not going to rush out and buy any music from these 'original' artists, although I do suggest listening to what Daleri have to offer on their SoundCloud page.

Free download from Moby

Moby has released an alternate version of the track A case for shame featuring Cold Specks as a free download.

There is also this remix of A case for shame by Thom from Alt-J which I quite like.

††† teaser video

††† are just teasing us now. Here's a short video with no information about any future release, but it does feature some haunting music. Thankfully I've still got Thursday night's Deftones show stuck in my head (I'm busy writing a post about it and sorting through photographs from the evening). 

-- Update 06 November 2013 --

A video of the song has been released, giving the title as Bitches brew.

Puscifer's remix album

Puscifer have a new album coming out 27 August, called All Re-Mixed Up. It will feature remixes of tracks off the groups second album Conditions of My Parole. You can listen to it here.

Around the World in 80 Beers

Following on from the maps of the United States' favourite alcoholic beverages and how to say 'beer' in Europe, here's a map by PureTravel entitled 'Around the World in 80 Beers.'

 Larger version, and close up of each continent available at PureTravel

While I haven't nearly as many countries as I would have liked to, I have had the fortune of drinking several of these (as well as other local brews) on my travels.

Interview with the lads from Manchester Orchestra

Following the interview with Deftones' Abe Cunningham, and with One Night In Cape Town only a three days away, here is an interview with opening act Manchester Orchestra. 

After Deftones, these are the guys that I'm most looking forward to seeing perform.

Only three more days!

Deftones posted the following picture on their Instagram account a few hours ago. I hope they're as excited about visiting South Africa, as South Africa is excited to be having them come and visit.

I'm really looking forward to Thursday nights show, as it will mean checking off one more band on my "list of bands to see before I die (or they stop touring)." In the meantime, if you're attending One Night in Cape Town too, here is an article listing things you may and may not bring with you to the venue.

Video: The Naked and Famous - Hearts like ours

The Naked and Famous have released a music video for the single off their second album that they shared last week. The single is called Hearts like ours, and the new record is entitled In Rolling Waves.

Scar the Martyr's first single, 'Blood host'

Here's a chance to listen to Scar the Martyr's first single, Blood host taken of the groups full-length album scheduled for release on 1 October.

Scar the Martyr members from left to right: Jed Simon (Strapping Young Lad), Kris Norris (Darkest Hour), Henry Derek, Kyle Konkiel (World Under Blood), & Joey Jordison (Slipknot, Murderdolls).

Interview with Abe Cunningham of Deftones

It's just a few more days until Deftones play their first gig in South Africa. While I'm a bit bleak that I wont be seeing them at Oppikoppi, I am pretty stoked I'll get to see one of my favourite bands, perform live in my home-town.

Rolling Stone South Africa have interviewed band member Abe Cunningham as part of the lead up to Deftones two performances.

Cunningham shared some insight into what we can expect in terms of the set lists, and the bands approach to recording new material. Rumours of the possible future release of Eros, the unfinished album recorded in 2008, were put to rest.

Show times for the three bands were announced yesterday, but today One Night in Cape Town have added the disclaimer "Line up subject to change." I'm seriously hoping that this doesn't mean that one of the acts has pulled out, unless it's Yellowcard. I'm probably going to go buy beer and t-shirts during their set anyway.

Free download of Astrothrone's 'Space Carrier' EP

Here's something a little different from Astrothrone, a collaborative effort by Wayne Adams (Ladyscraper, Death Pedals) and Oliver Barrett (Petrels, Bleeding Heart Narrative). 

Actually this sounds a lot like local musician Yesterday's Pupil, so you should check him out too.

Man vs Plane

British Airways has a new Airbus A380 operating between Johannesburg and London. The marketing campaign to sell tickets for this route features a video of South African rugby star, Bryan Habana racing against one of the new BA A380s.

If you don't know who Bryan Habana is; just know that he once ran against a cheetah, almost beating it.* It's also interesting that he chose to run in his Western Province kit, over that of the national team. Guess it had something to do with aesthetics or sponsorship deals.

As an aside, the race starter must have been in distress, since she was waving the South African flag upside down.