The teenage years are always strange ones. Brimming with all these new feelings, overcoming new difficulties, and making some of the most influential choices of their lives, it can easily be said that the highschool experience is always an exciting one. Although every person's expereince is different, one thing always seems to play a role in the teenage life, the wonder that is music. Now, it may not affect some as strongly as others but every kid has that one album that they just rocked out, listened to to help them get through a rough time, or in some extreme cases used as an escape that moved them in ways they never thought possible. Now with the oncoming challenge of University and adult life looming in the distance, I've been thinking alot about this apprenhensive feeling that I once had for the teenage years, and the albums that helped me make it through and enhance these, at one time, trying years.

System of a Down's "Toxicity", was the very first album I ever enjoyed from beginning to end. Up to this point, I was more of a casual music listener, liking the occasional catchy radio song and usually never being able to sit down and listen to music for more than 30 minutes. Toxicity was unlike anything I had heard before, it was consistent, fast, bouncy and alot of fun, yet it possesed another side; songs like Aerials and the title track were probably the first instance in which music ever came close to moving me.

Rammstien's "Rosenrot" was an album that I acquiered around the same time as Toxicity and I love it. Til Linderman's deep voice worked well in both heavy rocking tracks and sad ballads, and the fact that album was all in German and I still could fall in love with it is just a testimony to its quality.

In Flames' "Come Clarity" is teen angst. There is no way around it, the cover depeciting a defeated looking man bearing his heart out is essentialy what this album is, the writings of a, at the time, depressed man exposing his soul to the world. At the time of me listening to this I was going through one of the roughest patches of my life, and this is the album every kid has with the "this album understands me" feeling to it, and at the time it did. With very pained screams and teary vocals this was the soundtrack for the hardest time of my life. Along with this it served as a landmark as my first metal album.

Killswitch Enage's "Alive or Just Breathing" served as a sort of pick me up to the teen angst of "Come Clarity". The lyrics were positive, and as a depressed 14 year old nothing felt better rocking out to some guy screaming about overcoming adversary. As lame as it sounds, it was very motivational music.

Scar Symmetry's "Symmetric in Desigin" was a huge revolution for me, at the time I had never heard something that was this damn heavy, or this damn catchy. It was good, fun, rock out and forget about all your problems kind of music and I loved it from the bouncy opening riff on "Chaosweaver" to the last time the chrous of "The Eleventh Sphere" fades out.

Grade 10 - No album played an important part in my life as much as In Flames' "Whoracle". At the time this album just astounded me. It was heavy, yet beautiful. Uplifting yet depressing. It was an escape of sorts, putting on Whoracle was like leaving the real world and being transported to this otherworldy dimension of moving guitar riffs and very raw and passionate sounding vocals. I knew about this album since grade 9, and it stuck with me throughout my whole High School experience, if anything this is a testimony to the affect it had on me.

Dark Tranquillity's "Character" was not the revolution that the other albums on this list so far were, but it was an album that I was constantly listening to and never really grew tired of, so for that (along with the amazing experience of seeing them live in 2007...or 06...I can't quite remember) more than earn them a spot on the list.

Kamelot's "Ghost Opera" was an astounding album that really affected me due to its beauty. Roy Khan powerful voice, the graceful keys and the album as a whole was really something special at the time. "Ghost Opera" entered my stereo and took a good year to get out, I loved this album more than I can even say.

Agalloch's "Ashes Against the Grain" served as the haunting soundtrack for my late night walks. The experience of going for long two hour walks and getting lost in the atmosphere of their music is truely unprecedented.

Up to this point in my life, I would have never have fathomed as intense and strange of a record as Unexpect's "In A Flesh Aquarium". What originally came off as a strange and random mix of various, became after various listens one of the best written, creative , intense, and all around amazing albums I have ever heard, and remains as such to this day.

Grade 11- After getting into music on such strange new levels of immersion, Paradise Lost's "In Reqiuem" surprised me with the amount of attention I gave it. Really, there is nothing here more than some gloomy hard rocks song, but Nick Holmes voice is so great and the songs so expertly written, the album couldn't help but own my stereo in eleventh grade.

If any two albums rivaled "In Requiem" that year, it would have to be ether Arcturus' "The Sham Mirrors" or Disillusion's " Back to Times of Splendor". Both these album were amazing pieces of art that truely felt like an adventure ( Arcturus being more spacey and trippy, while Disillusion was more organic and beautiful). Both these albums were grand and powerful and addicted me like nothing else, and to this day very few albums provided the experience these two did. While The Mars Volta's "Amputechture" and "Bedlam in Goliath" albums were another pair of albums that owned my life that year. The strange and winding song structures paired with the high almost fallsetto vocals made for truely compelling listens.

Grade 12- Possibly even greater than my experiences with " Whoracle" was the slow discovery of the My Dying Bride discography. Ok, technically this is ten albums but the affect they had on me was so great it could easily clasified as one of the most important moments of my life ( as sad as that may be). I had known of them and had the occasional flirtation with them since ninth grade, but the loss of my first serious relationship, a depressing dead end job, an insanely low self esteem and me becoming increasingly more alienated from friends and family led to me needing something. My Dying Brid became that something. "The Dreadful Hours", "Like Gods of the Sun" and "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light" became my intial experiences with them, and it was unlike anything I had heard before. It was just so beautiful and so rewarding, it made me feel whole. After this, essentially all of grade 12 was spent listening, discovering and immersing myself in masterpieces like "Turn Loose the Swans", "The Angel and the Dark River" and after MUCH anticipation their 10th album "For Lies I Sire". As strange as it may sound, even with their dark, dreary and melodramatic sound it made me feel happy, and after discovering them a certain wholeness was found in my life, and because of this (along with a few other factors in my life) my last year of high school saw me the most confident I had ever been, making some amazing new friends, doing things I otherwise wouldn't do and for the majority of the year just enjoying life like I never had before.

Although My Dying Bride was essentially all that was on the senior palette, several other albums including both The Arcade Fire's beautiful indie rock clas sics "Funeral" and "Neon Bible", Swan's dark folk opus " White Light From the Mouth of Infinity", Mastodon's spacey "Crack the Skye", and Kyuss's trippy "Welcome to Sky Valley" all impacted me greatly that year.

Although I may of just recently finished high school, writing this blog really brought me back to past pains, joys and adventures (alot of them are through connetation, not necessarily through the music them), but it really shows the power of music can have during the most impressionable years of someones life. Call me a loser if you must for having such a passion for music without playing it, but music played a very interagal part in my development as a person, and will continue to do so with bands like Neurosis, Giant Squid and The Pixies paving the road for challenges ahead.

10. Fable 2



Although only released recently, Fable 2 had improved one the original Fable (which would of been my number 10 pick if Fable 2 had not been released) so greatly while still remaining its own experience that I couldn't help but include it onto the list. Fable 2 stays memorable with its massive world in which you always have something to do.Unlike most open-world games, which i find boring and uninspired, Fable 2 constantly had me entertained and wanting something to do. Along with all this, I believe the real fun in Fable 2 can only be found to those who try to find it. By making each character I created there own entity, it almost felt as if each hero had there own journy to be on. All in All, Fable 2 is an excellent game and a great way to begin my top 10 countdown list.

9. Pokemon : Red & Blue Editions



While this game may not of held up as well as some of the other older games on my list, Pokemo had such a large effect on my childhood, it would be impossible for me not to include it. As for why the game was so awesome, it was addicting and pure fun. The incentive to find each and every one of these 150 unique creatures was the only thing on the mind of every kid on the street, so along with being a fun game it was a really a social thing with friend linking up with link cables to trade and battle these creatures.

8. Psychonauts



I have always been a huge fan of the 3D platformer genre, but it really takes something special in that genre to really win me over. Psychonauts is that game. truely unique experience, Psychonauts made me fall in love with it through its sheer personality, bizarre story and characters, and equally bizarre levels. Level Design is always one of the most important elements of any game and the sheer originality and creativity found in Psychonauts made the experience memorable and lovable, making it one of my favorite games of all time.

7. God Of War 2



Much like Fable 2 earlier on this list, God of War 2 made the cut by taking everything that was great about the original and making it bigger, funner and more memorable. The real driving force behind God of War was power, and that feeling was taken to the top notch in God of War 2, you truely did feel like a total blade swinging bada$s. But what really made this game stick with me, beyond how addictivly fun it was, was the absolutely epic moments found in this game. You find yourself doing such incredibly extraoridinary thing that it actually blows your mind. Almost no other game can pull that off as well as God of War 2.

6. Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time Trilogy



In 2003, Ubisoft released Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time, a game that I fell in love with. The game boasted beautiful graphics, memorables areas that you explored, a charming story and lovable characters. But not all was well in this ****c, teh combat was clunky and frusterating, makin sections of the game unessecarily frusterating. This did not take much from the experience too much, but it is a large gripe I have with taht game to this day. In 2004, its sequel Warrior Within was released and hoped to elevate the series into godly status. Unfortunatley, it didnt quite work. I loved that game as well, the combat was vastly imrpoved, the puzzles and platforming were as fun as ever, and i didnt mind the tacked on "dark/angsty" setting, it just lacked teh memorability and flow of the original. The level design just wasnt there, and it was what made the original so fantastic. In 2005, the trilogy came to a close with the release of "The Two Thrones", which was also an amazing game. It had the same setting, charm and memorable environments of Sands of Time, the refined combat of Warrior Within, the staple platforming and puzzle and added all new elements such as chariot races but still something was holding it back. It was the addition of the "dark prince", which i found distracting and not as fun to play as. As critical as this analysis is, I do love the Sands of Time trilogy and it was one of my favorite gaming experiences of all time.

5. Banjo Kazooie / Banjo Tooie



I hold many a fond memory with the original two Banjo games on the N64, and very few games have to this day surpassed them in my mind. What made these games so spectacular was how interesting and creative they were. You played on, not for the sense of achievement, but of the wonder of what exotic locale you would be at next, what interesting challenges awaited you. Sure the sound effects and story are childish and at time very annoying, but to this day very few games have gave me quite the experience the Banjo games did.

4. Prince of Persia



Easily the most recent additiong to my list, the Xbox 360 verison of the Prince of Persia blew my mind in ways I had not felt since I was 14. The game is absoltuly beautiful, everything about it from the water colour grphics to the smooth, fresh movements of the Prince. Along with this the level design is top notch, and you go to some truely amazing and memorable areas. I really struggled with the placement of this one, since i did enjoy this game to such and immense extent, and I almost have trouble putting it into words how great this game is, but due to how only time can tell if it will stick with me as heavily as the other games on this list, but overall this took everything great from the Sands of Time and made it a beautiful, unique and memorable experience.

3. Beyond Good and Evil



When Beyond Good & Evil was released in 2003, it really did not do to well. But one day out of curiousity, I decided to pick up a copy and see why the gaming media seemed to loved it so much.I instently fell in love, and this game consumed my life for months on end. I really had not experienced anything like this before. A game so unique adn mature that disgues its self so well. The story was grand and epic and has, honestly, gone on to be one of my biggest inspirations as a writer. I found myself playing on to see what happens next, and found myself feelings genuinely sad or happy at what happens to the characters in the game. It truely is a revolution in stroy telling in games. I explored every corner of Hillis, and did everything I could to enhance my experience with it. In short, I love this game.

2. Shadow of the Colossus



When Shadow of the Colossus was released, I was going through a tough point in my life, but I remember this game fondly despite the period of time that surronded it. I remeber anxiously waiting at school to get home and play it, and for good reason to. This game is breathtaking and the best example of games as art. The feelings of desolation and lonliness in this game can only be duplicated by a proper Doom Metal album. Your roam the land searching for these giant monsters to slay as to bring back a deceased love one. The battles with these giant beasts are absolutly amazing and unlike anything you will experience in any other game.You find your self almost feeling bad, as you watch the sheer majesty of these beasts fall to your sword, that is after putting up a blood pumping challenge. With that said, the ending and stroy to this game is one of the most amazing in any medium ever. period. My description cannot due this game justice for it is a work of art, and a game that I hold near and dear to my heart.

I will say this straight off, I love my Xbox 360 but it has to be one of the weakest, most frail systems I have ever owned. My 360 has been having minor freezing issues since sometime after I started playing Fable 2, luckily they weren't major enough to stop me from enjoying that absolutley majestic game. I was able to get most everything I wanted in the game without the freezes taking to much effect, but then that all changed when the xbox update came. After that my xbox had numerous freezes and was almost unplayable, it then got the red ring.....which i then fixed and my xbox worked better than ever. Fasr forward to Dec.4 and one of my most anticpated games of the generation is released, the latest installment in the Prince of Persia seres. So i go home, anxious to play it and......I can't. The freezes have become unbarable, I cannot so much as get to the dashboard without it freezing uo on me. I try every piece of advice i can find...its not overheating.....its not the hardrive...so I call microsoft and find out i have to send it away for repair, and now my copy of prince of persia just sits there waiting to be played.

well the new In Flames album "A Sense of Purpose" has officially leaked onto the Internet, and while my initial reactions were disappointment, the album has come to grow on me, if only marginally. The album has a very distinctive sound its best described as a mix of old and new school sounds, which at times can be frustrating, like on the track Sleepless Again, which starts with a Whoracle-esqe acoustic riff, which got me thinking initially " OMG THIS IS IT, IN FLAMES MIGHT HAVE RETURNED" but then abruptly goes into Come Clarity ****thrashing and rasping, which is probably the best way to describe Anders voice on this album, raspy. The drums are for the most part great, and the album has solos which was great and remind one of the colony days, that is before it abruptly ends and goes into new-school territory. With that said, i do like new in flames, just not as much as there older material. New in flames relys on greats choruses, personal lyrics, and and a great sense of struggle. THe only probelm is only two fo those three elements are in play here, teh choruses and lyrics. What made Come Clairty and Soundtrack so special was sense of struggle in them, this album just feels bland and uninspired. That is probably my biggest problem with the album, it feels as if they didnt even put any effort into it. All in all, I originally disliked this album, but after multiple listenings I accepted that this wasn't Whoracle 2, and grew to appreciate it for what it is......but after that section I went through I went straight back to dissapointment. While there are a few killer tracks that really remind me why i love In Flames so much in the first place (March to the Shore, Delights and Angers, and Sleepless Again) too much of the album feels lazy, uninspired and just bland
I grudgingly give this album a...6/10
Sad Days indeed

Well looks like PETA have reached a whole new level of stupid, they have released an anti-KFC game...which i is provided with this link....

http://www.peta2.com/superchicksisters/index.asp?c=p22504

if you where smart enough to not click that, you would see that this is a game where you play to chickens who have to save pamela anderson from the evil grips of colonel sanders.....all as a super mario bros parody.......I wish I wasn't making this up....

I dunno, i thought I saw it all til this....like what are they trying to prove, this just makes them seem like there cause is just a joke...

When i saw this I wasn't sure whether i should laugh....or puke...