Ridley Scott's "Alien"

As a fan of the horror genre, I have a large list of favorite films which I feel are "must see" films for anyone who appreciates horror or just loves a great film.  Ridley Scott's "Alien" in near the top of that list.

Tagged as "Jaws in Space," Alien was released into theaters in 1979.  It was Scott's first major directing job and it proved to be the film that jump-started a long and amazing career.  While Scott has directed some of the greatest films of the past 40 years, I feel that Alien still stands and one of his greatest achievements.

To define the film in a very general way, and I do mean general, Alien is essentially a haunted house style film set in space.  There are 7 people trapped on a ship being terrorized by an unknown being.  While this description could be a formula for a boring and predictable film, Scott's abilities to create tension and terror make for a movie going experience that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat.  To assist in Scott's superb direction, the design of the titular Alien character was also a terrifying sight.  Scott and the film's producers were drawn to the artwork of Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger.  Scott did not want his film to have a cheesy, B-Movie design to it's alien and Giger's work was far from that.  Based on his 1976 artwork Necronom IV, Geiger created an alien that was sleek, deadly, and very terrifying.  Using a biomechanical style, Giger then designed many other important aspects of the film including the planet landscape which the crew found the alien, the ship that the alien eggs were on, and all of the alien lifeform's lifecycle stages (egg, facehugger, chestburster, and xenomorph).  Giger's designs were like all other pieces of his work; smooth, sexual, disturbing, and yet beautiful.  Giger won an Academy Award for his designs on Alien.

Alien was also influential because it introduced the character of Ellen Ripley, the heroine of the Alien franchise.  Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver in her first staring role, was the first of her kind of the sci-fi world.  Most, if not all of the main characters of science fiction films in the past had been male.  Ripley was a strong woman in a high ranking position on her ship.  Her strength and survival was an inspiration to women everywhere.

For all of these reasons, and many more which I cannot find the words to describe, this film has been, and will always remain one of my favorites.  Scott created a sci-fi/horror masterpiece that has yet to be matched in its intensity and creativity.  There have been many sequels and spin-offs in the franchise, all of which, besides James Cameron's Aliens, have failed to match Scott's initial vision.  There are rumors going around on the horror circuit that Scott has signed on to direct 2 prequels to his original film.  I really hope this news is accurate because his genius could bring the franchise back to its terrifying roots.  I guess only time will tell if Scott pulls through.  For the world's sake, I hope the films will not include Scott's current favorite Russel Crow.  While I loved Crow in Gladiator, he has yet to wow me in any of his more current roles.  Please Mr. Scott...cut the umbilical cord on that relationship!

If you would like to view the original 1979 trailer, please click this blog's title for a link to YouTube.

Lamb of God - "Descending"

Lamb of God has become one of the constant metal bands on my playlists of the past 5 years.  This is a band that I had to slowly bring into my repertoire because at the time that I was introduced to them, I still wasn't into the harder metal, with constant guttural screaming.  At that time I still needed some combination of clean vocals and screaming.  However, what I found after years of giving Lamb of God a chance was something that has stuck with me, and likely will long after the band calls it quits (which I hope they never do).  Lamb of God is an intense, uncompromising, and brutal band whose message has never changed since their inception; being true to yourself; standing up for your beliefs; and challenging the world to try to stop them.  This is not a band for the meek and gentle.  This is pure strength, anger, and testosterone.

Originally known as Burn the Priest, Lamb of God ascended to metal royalty out of Richmond, Virginia in in 2000.  While they had formed back in 1994, it wasn't until the release of their first album under their new name, New American Gospel, did they gain any attention from the metal community.  Since that release, Lamb of God has been labeled as a prophet for the New Wave of American Heavy Metal that has been going on since the mid 1990's.  With each album release, Lamb of God has created an aggressive, uncompromising sound that builds and strengthens with each album.  As the Palaces Burn (2003) and Ashes of the Wake (2004) are considered to be examples of their best work.  Many of their fans did not care as much for their 2006 release, Sacrament, feeling that they "sold out" or "went for a more mainstream sound."  However, I beg to differ.  While there are more songs on Sacrament that have a catchier hook to them, this album could be considered a solidification of what Lamb of God is all about.  The track that I want to point out, that has had a great impact on my life, is track 6, Descending.

Descending is a song about a man sorting through a tormented life of questions and doubts.  The lyrics speak of a person who is torn between what is good and evil in his life.  They are at a crossroads feeling like in many ways, good and evil are the same thing.  "This God that I worship, this demon I blame, conspire as one.  Exactly the same, it's exactly the same." It can be hard at times to feel like you have a clear understanding of what you should do in your life.  Things that seem right can be considered wrong to others, and vice versa. There is always an internal struggle inside everyone around this, whether they want to recognize it or not.  *Disclaimer: the following is just an anecdote...not what the song is about or implying*  An example in current times is around gay rights.  Many believe that homosexuality is wrong, no matter what, and they should not have the same rights and privileges as heterosexual couples.  Others believe that regardless of who someone is and what they do, they are human beings and deserve basic rights as anyone else would receive.  Someone who is in the middle of this struggle could completely identify with the message to this song.

Beyond the message of the song, Descending is a powerhouse of sound.  From the opening guitar riffs to the pounding double base drum work, this is a song that any metalhead can feel in their core.  It may not be the most elaborate song Lamb of God has ever done, but sometimes all it takes for an incredible song is a song with solid basics to be great.

Lamb of God continues to write incredible music, and released their most recent album, Wrath, in 2009.  Wrath continues to show Lamb of God's musical growth but shows that their themes and messages are never changing: be true to yourself, stand up for your beliefs, and challenge anyone who tries to stop you.