Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E10: The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E10: The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms

Being that the Twilight Zone is a fifth dimension, there are no doubt time holes all around, just ready for unsuspecting people to fall through and find themselves in a different time. Such is the storyline here, with fluid movement between both the present and the past.

The idea works well. Three soldiers participating in a war game on the site of Custer’s Last Stand, on the anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, suddenly find they can hear the sound of horses and Indian war cries. Though they can’t see anything, what they are hearing provokes a belief that there is some time distillation going on. Obviously on reporting it they are reprimanded. But when they head back the following day, they find more than they bargained for, and eventually the three of them rush of into battle.

It’s a nice touch at the end of the episode when their commanding officer finds all three names on the Custer Memorial board for having died in that battle 88 years before. His final comment of ‘it’s a pity they couldn’t take their tank with them’ makes for a chuckle at the conclusion.

Rating: Probably not the battle to choose to fight. 3.5/5

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E09: Probe 7, Over and Out

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E09: Probe 7, Over and Out

Another of Serling’s twist episodes, where rather than this being a journey into the Twilight Zone it is a story told with the reveal at the end that puts a brand new idea on an old story.

The first half of the episode deals with the stranded space traveller, crashed on an outer planet and his craft smashed beyond repair. Back home, war is about to break out, with the likelihood of complete annihilation very high. As a result, Adam Cook is instructed to explore his new world and make the most of it that he can. Believing he is alone, he is stunned to find another person there, who appears to come from another planet as they look similar but have different languages.

The outcome is the pleasing twist. Adam Cook meets Norda Eve. She gives the planet they have been stranded on the name of Earth. And they go off hand in hand to search for fruits called apples and a garden perhaps called Eden. Nicely played Rod Serling.

Rating: In a gadda da vida baby. 3.5/5

All of Your Essential "Ronnie James Dio Day" Tools Are Right Here

Today marks seven years since the untimely death of one of the greats, and my favourite vocalist of all time, Ronnie James Dio. It was a sad day. And on every May 16th since I have celebrated 'Ronnie James Dio Day', where I play his material all day as a tribute to his work.

So that you too can join in and enjoy the day, I've taken the hard work out for you, and put a selection of his greatest songs in one place for you all to savour.

Love Is All


Man on the Silver Mountain


Sixteenth Century Greensleeves


Tarot Woman


Stargazer


Still I'm Sad


Long Live Rock and Roll


Gates of Babylon


Kill the King


Rainbow Eyes


Neon Knights


Children of the Sea


Heaven and Hell


Wishing Well


Die Young


Turn Up the Night


Sign of the Southern Cross


The Mob Rules


Falling Off the Edge of the World


Stand Up and Shout


Holy Diver


Gypsy


Caught in the Middle


Don't Talk to Strangers


Invisible


Rainbow in the Dark


We Rock


The Last in Line


Breathless


I Speed at Night


One Night in the City


Evil Eyes


Mystery


Eat Your Heart Out


Stars


King of Rock 'n Roll


Sacred Heart


Rock 'n' Roll Children


Hungry For Heaven


Just Another Day


Night People


Dream Evil


Sunset Superman


All the Fools Sailed Away


Faces in the Window


Born on the Sun


My Eyes


Computer God


Time Machine


I


Buried Alive


Firehead


Evilution


This is Your Life
Welcome to my Nightmare
Dream On
Lord of the Last Day
Fever Dreams
Feed My Head
Eriel
As Long As It's Not About Love
Losing My Insanity
Killing the Dragon
Push
One More For the Road
Master of the Moon
Tonight
The Chase
Ear in the Wall
Bible Black
Eating the Cannibals

980. The Raven Age / Darkness Will Rise. 2017. 3/5

Twelve months ago I had the pleasure of seeing Iron Maiden live in Sydney once again, and their support band on this leg was The Raven Age, a band that all I knew about was that Steve Harris' son George was one of the guitarists. They played, and it turned out that they weren't one of the worst support acts I've seen. So when they announced that their debut album was coming out I felt it prudent to seek it out and see what they had to offer.

From the very beginning, for a debut album, it is long. That's a risky thing, given you are trying to grab people's attention. You don't want to the album to feel as though it is dragging on too long or you are going to lose people. Not only that, the songs are long, the shortest being five minutes. It's the same principle surely, if you start to lose your fans interest, where do you go from there?
My problem with this album lies in the same areas as I have with other bands of a similar ilk. The vocals of lead singer Michael Burrough are of that type that sound the same in every single damn song. The range doesn't change, and they just seem to hammer across the melody of the guitars. That's not to say they are poor vocals, but I feel like I'm listening to the same song all the time because that's just how the singing sounds - different lyrics but the same pattern all the time. If it is done well enough this becomes less noticeable, and this is also true of the more you listen to and get used to an album. But you have to be able to work past that if you are going to get the most out of this album, and that's not an easy thing.
There is also a very formulaic feel about the song writing. Despite the twin guitars in the band, there is very little break out soloing that takes centre stage of the song. The solos are there, but they just don't stand out from the rest of the song. The musicianship is fine, like clockwork really, but it is just the fact that it doesn't break away from the metronome type of feeling that there is some issue in finding something to grab onto, something that makes this album click.
All of this probably makes it sound like I don't like the album, and that's not completely true. What I did find was that I liked SECTIONS of songs without necessarily enjoying all of the song. Half the time that is solved with time and repeated playings, as the songs become more familiar, and to a certain extent that has happened here. The opening salvo of "Promised Land", "Age of the Raven", "The Death March" and "Salem's Fate"all grew on me over time, even if they have never become good friends. Their characteristics are similar and if not ignored would become a burden, but time has improved their edges.
"The Merciful One" breaks out of the sludgy mold that many of the songs have been cast from, and driven by the excellent rhythm drum and bass of Jai Patel and Matt Cox this became one of my immediate favourites on the album - at least until the middle of the song, where inexplicably it goes quiet leading into a mournful section again. OK, so by this time I have to accept that this is the band's style and genre, and that I'm not going to hear what I might consider would be that ultimate break out moment. "Eye Among the Blind" also comes from their debut EP, and it is noticeable that there is some difference in the song writing between the releases, except for where we again seem to stop mid-song once again, go into quiet vocal mode, before bursting back to complete the song in mourning again. Really? It's the same format, one song after the other.
"Winds of Change" and "Trapped Within the Shadows" for me are the best on the album, showcasing the best of the undertow of the band and also allowing Harris and Dan Wright the room to show their skills on guitar. "My Revenge", "The Dying Embers of Life", "Angel in Disgrace" and "Behind the Mask" are all off that same conveyor belt of the start of the album, and without trying to repeat myself, will be songs you either learn to like or will dispose of forever.

As a summary, I can only convey that I enjoy the album. It goes in a different direction song-wise than I would have imagined, and both the length of the songs and the length of the album is probably too long. A tightening somewhere along the way would probably have improved its impact. Still, as an opening effort it is a good listen once you have sanded those dull edges.

Rating:  "Destroy all you've ever known and hide the lies of your purity".  3/5

Stephen King Book #10: Roadwork (published as Richard Bachman). 3/5

Book #10. Roadwork.
First published March, 1981.

What is most interesting about this process I have embarked upon - the reading of all of Stephen King's writings in chronological order of being published - is the difference in styles at different times. Obviously this will occur most when books have been written at far different times than one after the other. This story is certainly not a horror story, it is a dramatic story of a man whose world is collapsing around him and he is incapable or unable to stop from sabotaging his own life.

King has mentioned in dispatches that it was written in the year after his mother was taken by cancer, and a fair amount of melancholy appears to have gone into the writing. Certainly the protagonist Dawes has a fair bit going on that he cannot fathom. His son has recently passed on due to cancer, and a new highway extension is not only claiming requiring that his workplace find new premises as it will be demolished, so is his house where his strongest ties to his dead son prevail. It all becomes too much for him to deal with. What results from this is his complete inaction to do anything in regards to his workplace where he is supposed to be finding a new location for the business to be moved to, or in accepting that he must also find a new place to live. And so, despite what he has been saying to those around him, he creates a massive problem at work and in his home life once his duplicity (or inactivity) has been discovered. To exacerbate this, he then quits his job rather than accept his mistakes, and his wife is brought to the brink and decides to separate.

I have always had some trouble coming to terms with the breakdown of the relationship between husband and wife here - much as I did in similar circumstances with the future Bachman novel Thinner, but more on that later - and that troubled me more than it probably should have, especially in later readings. But it remains there, not only with the lunacy of Dawes pursuing this as far as he does, but for allowing that to break down his relationship. In the long run, I guess that is what mental imbalance and fatigue will do, isn't it? This is as much about obsession and mental breakdown as it is about the futility of fighting against the powers-that-be, no matter how deluded or crazy the cause may be. The subsequent meeting up and tryst with Olivia then takes on all sorts of other discussion. Perhaps it is just my own paternal feelings taking hold, but this whole section of the plot does hold me back.

Perhaps it is just that I cannot relate with such mental anguish as to not only allow the above to occur, but to then go as far as to purchase explosives illegally and then blow your house and yourself up. And though I am fully aware that this is escapism, a fictional novel that is just a tale that you read for fun and enjoyment. Roadwork has less of that than most of King's work. I am not as invested in the characters as I would normally be, and even the characterisation doesn't excite me as they normally do. King does bring across to the reader the anguish of everyone involved - Dawes, his wife Mary, his employer - but whether it is just me or not, I find this less accessible over time.

My copy of this is a part of the omnibus edition of The Bachman Books, and over the years when I picked it up to read I would faithfully read all four novels without question. Previous to this time however, it had been about twenty years since I had last read Roadwork from cover to cover. It just doesn't hold any joy or substance for me as an ageing adult. If I'm going to re-read a novel obviously it has to be a loved one. It doesn't necessarily have to have that happy ending everyone is looking for, but it has to have a story that can hold the interest without questioning the make up of the story itself. Roadwork is a good novel about how mental anguish can dominate a person's decision making, and how it can affect the people around them, and in the extreme case to go through the process that Dawes eventually concludes with. It's well written and explores all of these things. It's just that in the long run it's not an ENJOYABLE book to read often.

Rating:  A miserable end to a miserable three years.  3/5

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E08: Uncle Simon

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E08: Uncle Simon

Episodes like this frustrate me enormously. I know they are supposed to, because no matter how real the circumstances are that can make this fantasy actually occur, you can’t help but think that there are certain actions that should be taken by the characters within the play to alleviate their situation.

Point in fact – Barbara Polk obviously feels compelled to continue to be bullied by her boorish uncle simply to ensure that she gains the inheritance from him as his only heir. This doubles again when he does die (thanks to her own influence) but she now suddenly is forced to provide the same care for a robot he invented to remain in her position. A robot, of course, that mirrors the same personality and traits as her dead uncle. And if she doesn’t look after it, she will lose the inheritance. But can’t she see now that the robot will likely outlive her? JUST GET OUT YOU DINGBAT!!!

Again, the episode is fine to watch, but overtly frustrating in that, surely, you just wouldn’t be there. But I guess if you have nowhere else to go…

Rating: Turn the bloody thing off. 3.5/5

APJSC Under 10 Whites vs Kiama Blue

Another super day for junior soccer, and another close match for the Albion Park Under 10 Whites in their clash against Kiama Blue at Cavalier Park, where once again the Park just managed to finish on the wrong side of the ledger.

Kiama Blue made the most of their opportunities in the first half, and led 1-0 before Josh Peters found his way through the defense to level up the scores at 1-1. Despite some hard running, good defense and clearing from both Indy Middleton and Jack Tate through the middle, Kiama Blue managed to get two more goals through the Albion Park team before the half tie break. Zoe Middleton in goals made two good saves that stopped the deficit being more than the 3-1 score line.

Once again though, as with every match this season, The Park boys and girls dominated the second half exchanges. Out on the left wing Zoe Middleton had come out of goals and fearlessly attacked her opponents, making some great tackles, dispossessing her opponents and pushing the ball on to her forward line. She was backed up by both Belle and Claire Kadwell in the midfield, who chased down every opponent who managed to get the ball in their territory and harassed them constantly until they had managed to secure the ball. This freed up Indy and Noah up forward, which led to Noah scoring a second goal for the morning, and also a near miss to the left post. Kiama Blue 3, Albion Park White 2.

Every time Kiama found their way through to the back, they found the armoury in Brock Young, Jack-Ryan Eberwein and Josh Peters. They rushed the forwards coming at them, and cleared the ball from danger time and time again. Brock was terrific, not missing a ball all day, while Jack-Ryan's big boot kept turning back the attacking tide. Josh made the tackle of the day, with only himself between his opponent and the goals his full stretched leg ensured he only got boot to ball, and dispossessed the attacking run. The defense was spectacular, with Jack Tate making two diving saves that were worth the price of admission alone. Kiama had no answer, and it was only when a long range kick was saved by Jack, only to fall right at the feet of a Kiama player who nudged it past him that allowed them to score in a most unfortunate fashion. 4-2.

The Park team was undeterred, and continued to attack with even greater abandon. Noah had two shots on goal, one that hit the crossbar and another that would have cleared the roof of any stadium in the world. Finally the relentless pressure succeeded, with Belle slotting the ball past the right post, and the score was now 4-3. Unfortunately, that was the end of proceedings, and despite having once again won the second half, the game itself was lost by the narrowest of margins.

It was another terrific team performance. It is great to see everyone playing FOR each other, attacking and defending superbly well, but most of all enjoying themselves.

The Player of the Match was unable to be split this week, with both Zoe Middleton and Josh Peters being the chosen as the better performed in a fantastic team effort (I voted for Zoe, she was fantastic). The luck has to change sooner or later, and maybe next weekend is the time for the team's first win of the season.

Flynn Gets to the Next Level

I can only say that I am extremely proud of my nephew, Flynn, who has been chosen in the ACT/NSW Country squad for the Under 19 Cricket Championships in December. He has worked so hard to overcome the disappointment of missing last season's Under 17 championships because of stress fractures and then appendicitis. The fact that he will also still be eligible for next season's team is a massive boost.

Now all he has to do is get wickets!

979. Deep Purple / inFinite. 2017. 3.5/5

There is still a sense of awe and wonder every time it is announced that a new Deep Purple album is being released. Not simply because of the longevity of the band but because they can still come up with new material that is enjoyable to both old fans and new. And just like other bands of a similar longevity such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, as long as you aren't expecting an album that sounds like their halcyon period then you won't be disappointed.

"Time for Bedlam" leads off the album with hard hitting drums from Ian Paice leading the charge for the frenzy in the middle of the song of Don Airey's keyboards and Steve Morse's guitar to highlight the best parts of Deep Purple's legacy. There's more than a touch of the Perfect Strangers song "Under the Gun" in this song and I love the way it starts the album. This is followed by "Hip Boots" where Ian Gillan does a little bit of an Elvis Presley impersonation early in his vocals. The start of the song does throw me, even now after many listens, but once Morse's guitar envelopes the middle of the song everything is forgiven. There is a melding of the old and new on this song as well, but it is the new groove that dominates, with Gillan's vocals now settled in his middle age comfort zone, having dispensed with the high pitched notes and screams of his youth. "All I Got Is You" is led along by the beautiful sonding bass of Roger Glover, which effortlessly dominates the early half of the song underneath Gillan's vocals. It might be easy listening material, but it is quintessential Deep Purple even if it isn't the high energy hard rock of forty years ago. This song is the best example of it. There's nothing overtly hard rock about it musically, but it touches all of those same mood areas that this band always has for me.
"One Night in Vegas" continues with the same easy rhythm throughout. "Get Me Outta Here" does too, and it is perhaps these two songs that begin to bog the album down a bit. The middle here is just a bit too similar and simple tones, the 2/4 drumming and blues-like bass and guitar at an almost morbid pace drag out the middle section. "The Surprising" is a more mellowish played song that I would have expected. Is that why it is called The Surprising? "Johnny's Band" and "On Top of the World" again pull into the left lane and move along at just under the speed limit in type the previous few songs. There is however a magnificent mood throughout "Birds of Prey", led by Steve Morse's magnificent guitar work layered over the underlying rhythm of the organ, bass and drums. The finale of the song soars in a wonderful harmony that is a fitting send off for the album

Do you want me to be picky? OK, well as much as I admire Don Airey and his wonderful work with several bands throughout his career, his Hammond key work doesn't gel into the music as a seamless transition as Jon Lord's did. And yes, I know that's because Lord was a driving force in the band and no doubt Airey has to find his way even now after more than a decade. I just don't think it is as inspired as the organ normally sounds in Deep Purple. It's a small criticism, but one that still scratches my skin when I listen to the album.
It also has to do with the fact that this is a less raucous band now and the music is not as hard or heavy as it was in their youth, so the play off between guitar and organ that Blackmore and Lord had is not the same duel that Morse and Airey have in their music. They almost try to complement each other, whereas Blackmore and Lord pretty much tried to outdo each other.
Also, why the cover version of "Roadhouse Blues"? Is it just because they all love the song? Did they need to fill in time? Sure it sounds fine, but it is a very... tame... version of the song. There's just not a lot of energy coming from it, and for me it takes away from "Birds of Prey" as a closing number. It doesn't offer anything new, and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose.

After fifty years of music you can't help but admire this band and its members. Though they have ridden the wave of their own music, where at times they have been groundbreaking, the music they are writing now in the twilight of their career may not be the hard crashing amplifier thrashing stuff of their heyday, nor the mature hard rock of their middle age, but it is undeniably Deep Purple. And for those that have loved Deep Purple through their life, they will find enough familiar territory here to enjoy this for what it is. The musicianship is still absolutely outstanding, and Gillan's voice is still enough to make you smile in contentment. It's not going to break down barriers, but it will give you enjoyment nonetheless.

Rating:  "Bad news travels at the speed of flight, good news not at all".  3.5/5

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E07: The Old Man in the Cave

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E07: The Old Man in the Cave

In a post-apocalyptic world, which Serling delights in pontificating over throughout the series, a small group of survivors have put their trust in a leader whose decision making is made for him and ultimately everyone in the town by the so-called Old Man who lives in the cave. Early on it is shown that when they go against what the Old Man has said – in this case, planting and trying to raise crops in areas that the Old Man has nominated as contaminated – they suffer from the consequences of their actions.

Given that this is the case, the quickness with which they changed their ideas when a small band of soldiers rumbles into town and starts to rale against the ideas that there is an all-knowing person who keeps them alive seems strange. Of course, these people are tired and hungry, and when the soldiers decide to eat and drink the food that has been deemed contaminated, they quickly join in – all but Goldsmith, the town leader of course. But once his leadership is questioned, and he is forced to reveal where the Old Man is, things begin to tumble even quicker.

With the inevitable conclusion, Serling again shines a rather bright light on the fallibility of the human race, where ego and power can easily dominate over equanimity and reasoned judgement. Once again his script is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago.

Rating: Humans capacity to kill each other remains. 4/5

Australia's Plans to Obliterate the Champions Trophy

Australia goes into the Champions Trophy in England as the current world champions, and having won two of the past three Champions Trophy tournaments. Just how much that second part means is negligible, and in the long run it will only take one slip up for a team to be eliminated. The squad that the selectors have chosen for the three week campaign is designed for only one form of strategy – all-out attack – and its success or lack thereof will be an important factor for when it comes to defending the World Cup crown in the same country in two years’ time.

Given the pace battery that has been assembled, it looks as though Australia will be going for the jugular. It would not surprise at all to see Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and the recalled James Pattinson taking up positions 8 to 11 in the batting order for each game, and rotating around each other at the bowling crease. Given the form of all four in recent times, that is a pretty handy attack to have. There was a somewhat surprising recall for John Hastings after he was ignored for Australia’s ODI’s in January and February despite an impressive six months during 2016 filling in when the majority of those four were out injured. As it stands, it looks as though both he and leg spinner Adam Zampa will be on a Contiki holiday for the three weeks unless something drastic happens. Enjoy the pints lads.

Matthew Wade is the only keeper chosen, and once again has the opportunity to prove the whole world wrong over his suitability to be in the Australian colours. While his batting is handy in the late overs, it will be his glovework that will be in the spotlight. Again.

The top order also appears to be settled, with Aaron Finch likely to get the job of opening with Dave Warner, though it is not beyond the realms of possibility that either Glenn Maxwell or Travis Head will be elevated to that position to squeeze in another batsman. Should that be the case, then it will allow an extra all-rounder in Marcus Stoinis or Moises Henriques to move into the number six position to add another bowling option to complement Maxwell and Head in the fifth bowling spot. This of course is all subject to the fact that it appears too juicy a prospect to not choose Chris Lynn in the top six. You cannot imagine that he has been taken to sit on the reserves bench. If this is the case, it would likely leave Finch as well as one of Stoinis and Henriques to sit with Hastings and Zampa as the tourists with the most spare time to catch up on some reading during the tournament.

Skipper Steve Smith probably holds the key to Australia’s chances again. His batting has been the cornerstone of the innings – for years now, believe it or not. His ability to control the pace of his innings according to the situation has been paramount in Australia’s success (or failure) in recent times. His captaincy too will be put to its toughest test in the one format so far. If he can manage his bowlers and get the fields right then it will go a long way towards his team’s chances of victory.

Five wins separates Australia from another world trophy. Looking at the squad, anything but winning the final will likely be seen as a backwards step for the team as they build towards the next World Cup.

BLADE RUNNER 2049 - Official Trailer

I'll be honest with you. I didn't believe they should have attempted a sequel to Blade Runner. The original is just awesome. Having seen this second trailer, I think maybe they can pull this off. Can't wait.

978. Serious Black / Mirrorworld. 2016. 2/5

I came into the first Serious Black album on the coattails of Roland Grapow being involved, and at the end of that first album I hoped for a follow up to judge the progress that could be made from that. That has come to pass with Mirrorworld, but without the continuing presence of Grapow who has moved on back to his other projects. Despite this, I was happy to go forth and give this its chance to grab my attention.

The first mystifying piece of this album is the two minute opening instrumental "Breaking the Silence". If you don't have your stereo up loud enough, you would imagine you have forgotten to press play. It's just a waste. Eventually we come into "As Long As I'm Alive", the opening play of reasonable power metal, driven by guest muso Alex Holzwarth from Rhapsody on drums and Urban Breed's vocals leading the way. Following this solid start comes "Castor Skies" that again leads off with the drums and vocals pushing the song along, before the twin guitar harmonies come within the middle. It's a harmless addition to the catalogue that doesn't raise to any great heights but doesn't offend either. "Heartbroken Soul" cartwheels into power ballad territory, a sure sign that by song three on the album they are already running out of ideas. "Dying Hearts" is probably a dead giveaway in the title, and while it remains on that track it does have a bit more oomph to it that the previous song. "You're Not Alone" creates new hope in the heart however, with a fast paced opening containing true melodic guitars over the double-kick drums and Breed's layered vocals throughout. This is far and away the best song on the album, and one that to me shows the true potential this band has when they do the good things right.
The title track "Mirrorworld" is catchy enough but it is pure AOR without pretense and if you love that style then you should enjoy this song- but for a power metal band I would have been hoping for a bit more grunt behind it. It's a similar story in "State of My Despair", where the drums may be trying liven things up as best they can (thanks Alex Holzwarth) but the rest of the song just sounds... weak. The vocals are almost in the background and certainly not making their presence felt at all, while the rest of the band barely seems to be making an effort. Disappointing. The final track "The Unborn Never Die" moves along a similar track, never really defining itself from the motley of other songs here that just seem to be missing the engine room. And then, almost before you know it, the album is over. And to be honest, it comes as a relief to find there is nothing more to follow.

For those that like their power metal really watered down to the point of being like weak tea, then you will probably get the most out of this album. And I really wanted to like this, because I think both this album and its predecessor has some good things about them. But in the long run, it just can't get past the fact that the vocals are fine but have no power, and the band just doesn't seem inspired enough to put down something with enough individuality to make this stand out from the crowd.

Rating:  "Too many die alone, don't die without a fight". Much like this unfortunately.  2/5

The Missed Opportunities of the Champions Trophy

For all of the fanfare that is being touted by the ICC and the ECB over the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament in England during June – is there any fair dinkum cricket fan out there that gives a rats arse about it, apart from the fact that there will be some cricket on TV to watch on those cold winters evenings? The BCCI more or less threatened not to turn up, such is their lack of interest (and pouting at only getting $300 million from the ICC instead of the $600 million they want). It isn’t even the fact that it is billed as a mini-World Cup (which it isn’t). Back in 1975 when the first real World Cup was run, it was with exactly this number of teams and this two-group-two-semi-one-final format. But how can you have a mini-World Cup where teams are excluded based on rankings and not on a qualifying tournament? All this then becomes is a tournament with the same old faces, playing for a meaningless trophy that everyone will claim is ‘an important tournament in World cricket’ when in reality it is a three week sojourn in the Old Dart before returning home after the Indian Premier League has run its course.

The cricket world is currently being skewered by the apparent popularity of Twenty20 cricket. The rise in domestic T20 leagues is beginning to clog up the cricket calendar for international cricket, both Test and ODI (One Day Internationals). These are attracting cricketers from around the world, and seeing international stars mixing with local players in teams and tournaments is not only great for spectators, it is good for cricket relationships at player level and hopefully then on an international level. Whether it is good for the level of cricket played in other formats, in regards to technique and temperament, is a debate for another day, as is whether T20 should be played at an international level (no, it should not, but again that is another debate). What T20 cricket is doing is taking up the time where ODI and ODD (One Day Domestic) once flourished, and with less of this now being able to be shoehorned into the calendar, there are fears for its livelihood. In Australia, the ODD tournament, currently the Matador BBQ Cup, is played over a three week period in October, and for the majority is played on three grounds in Sydney, in front of crowds that can barely make a ripple when a boundary is hit or a wicket taken. Cricket Australia has not cut it completely, but has minimised its costs completely. One wonders however how Australia’s domestic players can improve their standing for a national call up if they are only playing one day cricket at a first class level for three weeks of the 26 week calendar season? Even when they do, as in Cameron White’s case, is anyone looking? White has dominated the Matador Cup for three seasons, and yet still cannot find a recall to the national set up. Meanwhile the Big Bash League now sprawls over the summer school holiday period, taking up seven weeks of the season and banishing all Sheffield Shield cricket in its wake, allowing big hitters on flat decks and small grounds to dominate against bowlers who are restricted to bowling at the stumps to avoid wides and free hits and who only get four overs to have their say. Half of every squad barely gets to raise their voice let alone have a meaningful bat or a good spell of bowling, wasting the best months of the cricketing calendar sitting on a bench and watching the world go by. They might be well paid for doing nothing, and the cricket for the audiences may be entertaining, but what is it doing for cricket and the cricketers overall?

Which brings me back to the Champions Trophy. An eight team tournament that does not contain Full Member countries of the ICC in West Indies and Zimbabwe because they are not in the top 8 on rankings in ODI cricket. That may not seem to be a problem by some, but there are bigger problems. Because this tournament also contains none of the up and coming countries who are aiming to play more and more international cricket. What an oversight it is not to have Afghanistan and Ireland in this tournament. What about Scotland and the United Arab Emirates who both played at the last World Cup in Australia? How about the Netherlands or Canada who have both played at previous tournaments? No doubt two influences would have stopped this from happening. The holders of the rights to show the tournament on TV pay their money for people to watch, and their ability to draw advertisers is directly correlated by how many are watching. Thus their question of ‘who wants to see Scotland play Zimbabwe?’ would have been a driving force in negotiating just the ‘cream’ of world cricket playing. This would then have influenced the ICC and the ECB who would be looking for the largest profit available. And this is where it all falls apart. What would be of the most benefit to those associate countries named here who are not currently in the Champions Trophy – a handout from the profits made from the tournament, or hands-on tough matches against top ranked opponents in which to judge their own skills and development? Surely the answer is self-explanatory. And should some of the games be one sided, what does it matter? All countries had to start somewhere, and all teams got some floggings. They still do now – has anyone seen some of Australia’s batting in Tests in recent times?

The Champions trophy as it stands is a non-descript (read useless) tournament. However, if it had instead been extended to four groups of four teams, all playing each other once, with the top team in each group making the semi-finals, it would not only have given all of these countries an opportunity to gain much needed experience and game time, it would also have not stopped the best four teams making the final stages. And given the proximity of teams to host country England, it’s not as if it would have been a stretch for them to travel to the tournament.

If cricket is going to survive and expand in the world’s current climate, it needs to have these associate countries playing the sport, and improving, and succeeding. England at least started this by playing two ODI’s against Ireland this week. Other countries need to start doing this as well. The ICC should be reversing its decision to lower the number of teams who will play at the next World Cup to ensure that these associate nations are allowed to compete. The Champions Trophy would have been the perfect way to do this, but instead its meaninglessness is extended. I will be watching, and I will no doubt enjoy the cricket, but I will also be ruing the missed opportunity for cricket as a whole and not being able to watch Afghanistan show their wares on the world stage again.

IT - Trailer #2

This just gets better and better....

977. The Unity / The Unity. 2017. 3.5/5

It’s a tough gig when the leader of the band you are in decides to go off and do one of his side projects, and thus leave your band in limbo for that length of time. In essence that is what happened to new Gamma Ray drummer Michael Ehré, who found himself at a loose end when the reformed and expanded Helloween tour project was announced late in 2016. So what do you do? Well, you give a nudge to Gamma Ray guitar god Henjo Richter, get him to follow you, and with your own band The Unity decided to record and release your own album. And this is where we are today.

It was always important to go into this album remembering that this isn’t Gamma Ray. Two excellent musicians from that band have joined four other excellent musicians from other projects to form this band that is not Gamma Ray. Now, once you accept that fact, and also listen to this like it is an exciting new band playing Euro styled metal in the traditions of those bands, then you will have a better chance of appreciating it from the outset.
For the most part this is a pretty solid release. The first two singles released prior to the album coming out lead off the list, and both "Rise and Fall" and "No More Lies" hit all the right places. It is very much in the traditions of European power metal, but both opening tracks edge the power to a higher setting, led by the rising vocals of Gianba Manenti who proves from the outset he has a fair set of pipes on him. "No More Lies" did have to grow on me, but I now find I'm drawn to sing and play along with it. "God of Temptation" goes for a slower and heavier back track which they actually pull off really well, factoring in the chorus of vocals over the top. "Firesign" is one of a number of sings that has more than just a touch of Avantasia about it, and vocally it reaches the two pinnacles with what seems like a minimum of effort.
"Always Just You" is a plodder after the opening tracks, without much inspiration and just the basic guitar and drum tracks. This is overturned by "Close to Crazy" which picks things up a bit and adds a bit of individuality to the guitars and vocals. "The Wishing Well" and "Edens Fall" are middle of the road tracks for this genre, not bad songs but without inspiring anything out of the ordinary for the listener. "Redeemer" acts as a vehicle especially for Gianba's vocals, showing off  his crooning abilities. The short and sweet guitar riff of "Super Distortion" sweeps straight into "Killer Instinct", before the closing track "Never Forget" ties off what is a very acceptable debut release.
Gianba Manenti on vocals is powerful, has a great range, and does an excellent job on this album. He finds the mark immediately and doesn’t hold back. The rhythm section of Jogi Sweers on bass, Sascha Onnen on keyboards and Ehré on drums is fantastic. They hold the songs together in admirable fashion given the power of the vocals and guitars that take centre stage for the most part. Stefan Ellerhorst is excellent on guitar, and in the company of Henjo throughout creates an brilliant dual guitar attack that makes the most of the written material to create the atmosphere required for enjoyable listening.
I won't lie that the album doesn't contain a lot of some of the aspects I would loved to have heard, that being some real speed, and some scintillating solo bursts from the guitarists. For the most part this settles nicely into the tempo you would expect and doesn't compete with the heavyweights of the genre such as Gamma Ray, Helloween or Blind Guardian. And fair enough too, because both Henjo and Michael made it clear early on that this band was looking to record the kind of music that the two of them enjoy that is separate from Gamma Ray's material. So going in I knew this would be the case. Still, one can only dream of what they could produce in that direction should they want to.

Given this sextet has signed a multi-year deal with their record company, you can only hope that if this succeeds then there will be more albums to come. How that all ties in with the members’ other projects remains to be seen, but it augers well for what will hopefully be a long term band rather than a one-off project.

Rating:  A debut worth a listen.  3.5/5

Stephen King Book #9: Firestarter. 4/5

Book #9. Firestarter.
First published September 29, 1980.

For whatever reason, Firestarter is one of the Stephen King books that slipped past me over the decades, and I had never read it until I finished it this afternoon. Part of the reason for this journey is so that I can fill in all of those gaps and read those things that I have not read before.

And so I went into this with eyes open, not knowing a single thing about it. The obvious thoughts I had initially is that that is was a re-imagining of Carrie. While this is slightly correct, it is a whole lot more than that, and on a much wider scale. From the introduction of Andy McGee and his daughter Charlie in the opening pages, with the two obviously on the run from people working for some shadowy organisation, Firestarter immediately drags you in, and opens up questions that you must know the answer to. And the only way to do that is to delve further on into the story. And you are hooked.

One thing that kept me moving for quite some time as I wondered just how this was going to pan out was the HOW of Andy and Vicki’s relationship, because it isn’t revealed immediately about how they got together, or how Charlie came to be, or how they eventually came to be on the run. King holds that information back until you are a good third of the way in, and mentally I was constantly asking myself these questions, even as the action with Andy and Charlie was beginning to build to its first cataclysm. And fair enough too, because I guess there was a period that if I hadn’t put myself on this challenge, I could have put this down and moved on to another book. But by the time the death of Vicki and the kidnapping and eventual retrieval of Charlie from The Shop is explained in full, I was fully invested into the book, and needed to know how it was all going to go down.

What I like about the first half of the story is that The Shop is not treated by King like governmental departments can be in fictional films and such, as bumbling Clouseau’s. For the entire chase of the first half of the book, they are aware of where their quarry is, which is a much more realistic scenario than is portrayed in other media at time. Even in the confrontation at the farm, the agents work as you would expect, disbelieving of that which they don’t understand until it is too late. I like that realism that isn’t always apparent with other writers. Given the unrealistic situations he writes about of course.
The second half of the story leads to fire and destruction, with Charlie being drawn into showing off her abilities somewhat against her will, while Andy at first believes his abilities have evaporated, only to find that when he finds he needs it, they are still there for him to draw on. The level of Rainbird's obsession with Charlie, and his hopes with her once The Shop has finished learning everything they want from her, increases as well.
While the ending is not a complete surprise, I'm not sure it is as satisfying as the chase leading up to it. By the time Andy and Charlie were captured, I was in a verily hurry to get to the conclusion to find out what happens, and while I didn’t skip pages nor take a peek at the last couple of pages, I read in a speed-reading fashion that gave me most of what I needed to know, but may not have gleaned everything that happened subconsciously. I don’t think there is any doubt that I will get more from this book when I read it again down the track sometime. But the anticipation I felt getting to the barn and the final confrontation was probably not fully sated by the events that occurred. Perhaps that was a given, and as I said once it had been read it appeared an obvious one.

I enjoyed the journey. The chase for the first half which also set up the back story, and the battle and pulling of wills in the second half leading to its conclusion. While it may not have been perfect, King's writing and characterisation never fails to inspire. And when this is all over, I look forward to reading it again and see what I missed this time.

Rating: The fire storm is coming.  4/5

APJSC Under 10 Whites vs Balgownie Green

Let me say this from the start. I hate losing. It damn well annoys me. Unless I have a shedload of money on the opposition, which sometimes eases that pain somewhat. The problem is that they won't let me bet on junior soccer, so I am left with the feeling of losing. Which damn well annoys me.

The Albion Park Under 10 Whites took on Balgownie Green in today's blockbuster match, and from the start it looked as though it was going to be a cracker. The Park team was out of the blocks early, attacking from the kick off, and before anyone could blink they had secured a 2-0 lead. Noah Black made his first strike count into the back of the net, while Jack Tate's goal followed beating three defenders on his wing, and shooting from an impossible position almost on the goal line to the left of the goals. No problems to Jack though, he crashed it at the keeper and it bounced from him into the back of the net.
After this start both players and supporters thought it could be their day, but the bigger and stronger Balgownie team began to find huge strides through the centre of the field, and by half time had taken dominance of the match, leading 5-2.

A stirring half time speech from coach Matt Middleton turned the game around, as the Park boys and girls took control. The defensive duo of Brock Young and Indy Middleton were superb, tackling each attacking defender and then sending the ball back into midfield. Claire Kadwell made some crucial saves in goal on the few occasions they were able to penetrate. Jack Tate made countless runs through the opposition midfield, finding his way past up to five opponents in a single run. Belle Kadwell was fearless, running headlong into boys almost twice her size and intent on winning the ball back for her side. Josh Peters took on marking the biggest player from Balgownie in the midfield, nullifying his impact for the second half. Jack-Ryan Eberwein played wonderfully well, running hard down his wing and bullying his way to the ball on many occasions to set up attacking chances. All of this led to plenty of ball getting to the strikers Noah Black and Ky Van Helden, and for the first 20 minutes of the second half Balgownie must have felt like they were in the Charge of the Light Brigade (cue Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" here).

This pressure directly led to an own goal by Balgownie after terrific lead up play from the Park, and the deficit had been cut to 5-3. Not long after, some terrific lead up play from Belle, both Jacks and Kyan allowed Noah to push through his second goal, and at 5-4 the game was afoot. Five minutes later, after great defensive clearances from Indy and Brock was then pushed forward by Josh, and left Noah to make a clean strike past the keeper to level it up at 5-5, and the Park sensed that a win was in the making.
Only two great saves from the Balgownie keeper had stopped Parkfrom taking a lead, and now there was some tired players on both sides. Being a Collingwood supporter, and having seen such a scenario against my team occur on so many occasions, I began to get nervous, and it was unfortunately not unfounded, as against the run of play the Balgownie team found a way to sneak not one but two late goals, and snatch 7-5 victory. It was, I felt, a completely unfair result for the Park Whites, as they had dominated the second half and at least deserved a draw for their effort.

Player of the Match was Jack-Ryan Eberwein whose second half was one of his finest performances for the team. He made chances for his team by sheer will and determination, and he fully deserves this week's award.

Don't Pay the Ferryman Cover by Domain on Spotify

You can't beat the original, but this is a great cover version of Chris de Burgh's "Don't Pay the Ferryman". Check it out when you get a chance.

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E06: Living Doll

Revisiting The Twilight Zone: S05E06: Living Doll

No matter what role you cast Telly Savalas in, he comes across as an angry man. And he’s at his best in this episode as the man who has a wife and step-daughter, and is angry at the world mainly because he can’t have children of his own, and because of his step-daughter’s talking doll. Yes, it may seem a strange thing to be cranky at, but once he decides to get rid of the doll in a fit of rage, it seems as though the doll doesn’t want to go – and that it is getting nasty.

The episode does extremely well in building up the tension as it moves along. The denials of daughter and mother that they are perpetrating this increases to the fact that no matter what Erich does to the doll, it just keeps coming back, and it keeps taunting him. Though the ending is perhaps not surprising, the method of it unfolding does come as a surprise, and the final scene suggests that there is more to come if things don’t go the right way.

This is a very watchable episode despite the rage that Savalas exhibits – or perhaps because of it. The Twilight Zone strikes back.

Rating: Got myself crying, talking, sleeping, walking living doll.