Sentry Bullet 9mm Earbuds

Firearms. Quite possibly mankind's most Metal (both literally and figuratively) creation to date. How many songs in the world of Heavy Metal have been attributed by this one creation? From the American Revolution, to the American Civil War, to World War I and World War II, to the Vietnam War, firearms have been a staple of the creation of Metal music since the crystallization period of our audio "Onslaught".

Now comes the obvious question to ask. What is a firearms diet? Answer: Bullets. Never has there been a symbol synonymous with firearms like bullets. Think about it for one minute. Without bullets, a firearm is only an expensive club to wield at an attacker (not to say it hasn't been utilized in such a manner as many battles and wars were won using the rifle as a club and at times, a spear).

We now take a look at another way of hearing our beloved music in quite possibly the most symbolic gesture we can ever ask for. Introducing the Sentry Bullet 9mm Earbuds.


Now, and to have a fanboy moment, when I saw these, I couldn't believe my eyes. I needed to do a double-take just to be certain I was seeing what I was seeing, and low and behold, there they were, bullet earbuds for your music listening pleasure. To say this is Metal would be like saying chainsaws/wolves/Harley Davidsons are Metal, which is to state the obvious.


The caliber they are using to make these earbuds is the 9mm. Not the biggest bullet hole you'll encounter, but will do the job just right.


In case your wondering what the message in the beneath box says, here it is in blog clarity that my cheap lil' 1.3 mega pixel camera couldn't deliver:

"BULLET DIGITAL IN-EAR BUDS ARE DESIGNED TO THE SAME DIMENSIONS AS A 9MM BULLET CASING. ALL METAL DESIGN MEANS THEY ARE TOUGH, RUGGED & SOUND AMAZING WITH SWEET CRISP TREBLE AND RICH, DEEP SOUNDING BASS. THEY FIT IN YOUR EAR WHICH REDUCES UNWANTED NOISE. EXTRA EARPADS ARE INCLUDED FOR A CUSTOMIZED FIT".

More on this commentary from the manufacturer later on in the post.


The packaging of these earbuds really goes a distance to show that they look like 9mm bullets, and as a gun nut myself, I agree with that assessment.


Of course if your camouflage emblazoned package has the military feel, can't have it without the ultimate symbol of the muscle of said fighting force: The chevrons.


One thing that gives these earbuds a distinct advantage over the others offered in the market is the carry pouch that comes included with the package. This definitely helps in the protection of your audio investment.


Now it is time for the obligatory close up of the earbuds. Please note I tried doing the whole gun magazine fancy pictures routine with these, but my cell camera can only go so far.


As for the sound, I'll give them the crisp part as it does come in very clear, but the bass is something they need to work on.


They had these in black and silver, but decided on the brass colored as the majority of bullets come in this very well known color.


The best part about these earbuds is the amount of detail to make them look like actual bullets that they even made the material out of METAL (and not the music kind either).


Now here is a visual of how the ear plugs look when utilized properly. Note that some shooters have done this technique with REAL BULLETS due to the following reasons:

1) To test the theory of using bullets as ear protection at the range (not that any law abiding range would allow this).
2) The shooter forgot their ear protection and as a result, must go with what they got. Note this is not a commando way of handling ear protection.
3) The shooter is just a lazy bastard to walk to their car to get their ear protection.

NOTE: OBLIGATORY METAL PSA (Public Service Announcement). Do not ever attempt to place REAL bullets in your ears as you may encounter that once in a trillion chance where the round may discharge accidentally even if it is not loaded in a gun, and yes, I am being dead serious.


Talk about shooting up a lethal dose of music right into your ear.


Now here's the catch why this post even exists. The last earbuds I bought for my Ipod are now officially lost and as a result, I needed new ones. It seems I forgot to cover another potential problem a Metal fan may encounter with headphones, and that is the art of losing them.

To say this was a Metal journey the likes of which have not been seen since returning the One Ring to the lava pits of Mount Doom is a clear homage to one of the most Metal tales ever told.

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Skylanders Adventure Pack Darklight Crypt

There comes a time when you find something that was never meant to to be Metal that somehow finds its way to our Holy Land with an offering that definitely represents our culture best.

Spyro is a videogame that is NOT Metal as it involves a cartoonish looking dragon with some storyline of a no-goodnik doing something bad and it is up to Spyro and his buddies to stop said no-goodnik and blah, blah, blah, blah (you get the idea of how irrelevant this has to do with Metal music and it's culture).

So why are we talking about a video-game that has nothing to do with Metal? Because one of the characters happens to be an excellent representative of our culture in a place where our music has no business being in the first place.

Introducing Ghost Roaster and his Darklight Crypt set.


At first glance of this set, I thought this was some kind of action figure set for fans of the series to collect, but after further review, there's more to this than what is being let on... at least to those who don't know what the whole Spyro and his blah blah adventure is.

Here we have a good look at Ghost Roaster. A little bit of a back ground story as his credentials of being Metal are in order. Please note the following was taken from the Spyro Wikia section of Ghost Roaster:

"There was a time when Ghost Roaster was neither a ghost nor a roaster. Instead he was a chef living in a village high in the mountains. One day, while clipping wool from a sheep to use in a recipe, he accidentally fell into the Valley of the Undead and transformed into a ghost eating ghoul! After eating an entire spectral village, its Ethereal Ruler chained Ghost Roaster to a spiked ball as punishment. Its rattle can be heard as he wanders the night, warning nearby spirits. When Master Eon eventually heard of his predicament, he figured even a ghost eater could be useful. So he made Ghost Roaster a Skylander... after he promised to eat only evil ghosts."

So as you see it seems Ghost Roaster has the "Grave Digger" touch to his character.


The best part of this set is the crypt as it bears a menacing looking skull with tethered black wings. If I ever make it to a cartoon fantasy land and die there, I want this to be my grave.


Here we have some additional items the Ghost Roaster utilizes in the game.


As mentioned earlier, this is more than a trinket set for those who worship Ghost Roaster as it is a play set that is interactive with the video game by releasing the Ghost Roaster portion of the game. For somebody like me who is a product of the 80's, this reminds me of Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, except this set most likely works better than the Captain Power action figures of yesterday.


Of course, if you don't have the goods for the set to be interactive with the game, you can always apply the code and get to the Ghost Roasters chapter of the game.


Overall, this set is Metal if you are looking for a cute side of Metal that isn't weakening the music at all. If anything, Ghost Roaster should have his own TV show.

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Monster Khaos and Assault Energy Drinks

Energy drinks. A beverage that has been around since 1929, it was intended to help those of us who are low on the gas that gets us through the day. One of the first thoughts that comes across a persons mind when they think of energy drinks is the extremity of the stimulants the beverage contains. For some, this beverage helps start the day, while for others it is the needed turbo-kicker for the midway point of their day.

Many drinks of this nature exist, but very few have made the impact on Hard Rock/Heavy Metal as Monster. When you think about the number of Metal Festivals Monster has been involved with (as in sponsoring), they feed the Metal War Machine the necessary ammunition needed: money and extremely sugary liquids.

Today we look at 2 of their most Metal offerings to the wired consumers that need the extra jolt of electric juice (unless they want to take a chance on a busted Marshall amp still hooked up to the electric outlet and stick their finger inside of it to get their fix, hurrah!): Khaos and Assault.


Monsters Khaos is a juice-type beverage that focuses on the non-carbonated consumer who doesn't like the bubbly taste such beverage brings to the table. The flavor is a wicked mix of apple, orange, peach, tangerine, pineapple & white grape juice, which means it's just like orange, but with buddies joining in on the party.


The 2 requisites that make this beverage Metal aside from the manufacturer that brought it to life is the name that was bestowed upon it and the graphics on the can, which make it look like either a battleship ready for war and/or a really awesome guitar graphics.


When you describe a Metal concert, what's the first word that comes to mind? Chaos? Except Monster changed the first letter to a "K" to let people know they are not messin' around.


Next we have Monsters Assault flavor. Now, I ask, with that name and colors don't you feel like waging a "War Ensemble" in your city? Think about it, for those of you that live in big cities, how many weekends pass by when there are no good Metal shows, and your alternative forms of entertainment, like renaissance festivals/beer fests/pro wrestling/Oktoberfest/Halloween outings/carnivals/house parties/etc. are just not there to keep you busy. What's left? An invasion of Metal Madness in the urban shithole known as Miami (or any other city like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, "insert name of city where people who look and act like the cast of Jersey Shore outnumber Metal Legions by 10,000 to 1 here", etc.).


Now it's time for the Metal credentials. The can is decked out in digital subdued urban camouflage, with the big red "M" (as in \m/ METAL \m/) smack in the middle of the can. When you factor our wardrobe and what we typically wear, this is what you call a Metal fashionistas idea being implemented on something outside of the typical Metal fare.


Interesting side note about this beverage is a twisted turn on an old saying that is not very popular in my neck of the woods (known as "Viva la Revolucion!", a pro communist chant from a nearby island). Thankfully, they went with the English version, so we'll put to rest what they almost accidentally intended.

And for those of you wondering what they are talking about in the back of the can, it is just a message about being neutral in their stance on war and politics. Take it for what it is worth, but I take this beverage as a declaration of war on being out of the juice known as energy to get work/school/blogging =P/etc. done.


As for its taste? I really can't pin-point which neighborhood this flavor falls in. All I can say is that it tastes a bit dirty. Not bad dirty, more like the energy drinks world version of Guinness. I know it's a weird metaphor, but it's the best one to work with.

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Channel 13 Video Syndication Re-haul and Update

Good evening (or should I say morning?6?6?6?) ladies and gentleman.

As promised, the Video Syndication is up and running again. This time, instead of putting up one episode at a time of the channels that are being syndicated, I present to you the whole shebang of the episodes for the ease of viewing every episode all within one single page. The permanent link can be found the right side under the PAST POSTS section.

Also, expect a new series for Channel 13 to debut very soon. This is where my blog will take to the presses.

Stay tuned...

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Fraoch Heather Ale

Folk Metal. One of Metals more controversial offerings since Glam Metal. It is a form of Metal that in the last decade has seen its rise with many bands taking to the bagpipes/harps/accordions/flutes/violin/tin whistle/some random instrument that doesn't fall in the core group of Metal instruments (Electric Guitar, Bass, Drums & Vocals)/etc.

Today we look at a beverage that is a potential "Middle Kingdom" of the aforementioned genre and one that many "Folk-Lores" of tales will be told. Introducing Fraoch Heather Ale.


On one of my many visits to my favorite liquor store, this beverage managed to capture my attention with it's ancient design, and one of the first things that came to mind was a "Beer Beer" that had potential, a Folk Metal potential.


From what the label indicates, this type of beverage has been brewed since 2000 B.C., so if you want a beverage that lives up to its true meaning (the times before modern society), this is it.


Some more shots of the ancient design I mentioned, and let me tell you, this would look good on a Metal shirt.


Looking inside the wishing well. My wish? A season long trek through Europe and as many of its many Metal Festivals as I can possibly hit all in the comfortable confines of a motor-home. Of course, this is a wish after all.


Here comes the nectar of the fairies and elves, oh my.


At 5.0% ABV, it it is a light middleweight of a beverage, which means it won't mess you up too much, but that's due to the Clansman waiting right behind you to nail you with a axe to the back of the skull. As for its taste, it is a bit on the "grassy" side, like if you were drinking a garden, but its not as bad as it sounds. If anything, it adds to the beverage unique disposition.


A beverage fit for those evenings when you want to LARP (Live Action Role Play) to some Lord of the Rings, or if you want to blast some Cruachan and Korpiklaani all night and want to make a Renaissance spectacle out of it.

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