Pipe Bender Chapter 2 "Both"

Pipe Bender Chapter 2

“Both.”

I got as close as I could to the break-room door with a little window in it to see what the zombies were huddled around. Dreading what I was going to see I took it really slow. On my knees I peeked up to look and when I saw the zombies huddled around several bags of beef jerky relief spread through my system from head to toe. Across the room I saw the snack machine and low and behold Janice had climbed inside and must have used the contents of the machine- every type of beef jerky known to man- to lure the zombies away from her. She saw me looking through the window and motioned with her finger near her mouth for me to be quiet. I really didn’t need the advice. She then pointed to the other side of the room; there was a door that was opened to the outside. Was she trying to tell me to make a break for it without her? Even if she were there was no way I was going to leave her, once the zombies finished off the jerky, she would be next. I shook my head no, but she more aggressively pointed to the backdoor. There was only one way I would be able to get her out of there and that was a distraction. What does every good distraction need, bait. I didn’t have anything or anyone else so I decided- I’d be the bait.

Slowly I checked the door knob trying to not make a sound, thankfully it was open. I stood up and prepared myself for a quick dash across the room to the exit door. Just then I heard a noise from behind me and it was Mrs. Johnson riding on a handicap shopping cart. She was coming straight for me and hitting everything in her path. I motioned for her to stop but she wouldn’t, she just kept coming. “Billy, you forgot the screws with my order,” she yelled out.  I put my finger up to my mouth to get her to be quiet. “Don’t shush me you adolescent punk, if it hadn’t been for you I’d still be home and not tied up in this…” Out of the corner of her peripheral a zombie jumped out, and without even flinching Mrs. Johnson pulled out a shotgun and stopped the zombie in its tracks with one shot. The zombie hit the ground, and because of all the noise any sneaking around for me was over. The zombies in the break-room ran to the door, thankfully I got there sooner and jammed it with my foot. Like it or not, Janice used the opportunity to make a run for the backdoor. She climbed out of the vending machine and ran. One of the zombies in the room noticed and took chase but Janice was faster. When she got out of the break-room and into the alley she slammed the door. At least one thing went my way, she had escaped, but I didn’t feel great about it. For one; she left me, and for two; I was supposed to be helping her, and now I had the zombies and Mrs. Johnson to contend with. Mrs. Johnson rolled up on her cart, “If you had got my order right, I’d be home right now enjoying my shows, but because of your nitwit abilities as a stock boy, I have to pop these dead things in the head.”

                “I’m sorry but I think we’ve got bigger fish to fry,” I pointed to the eight to ten zombies in the room trying to get out. “Never mind them, what do you need in there for anyway?” She was right, Janice was out and all we needed to do was make sure those zombies didn’t get out.

                “Could you hand me that chair,” I asked Mrs. Johnson. She gave me a look like, “Really, do you think this cart is just for looks?”

 I thought it was.

“Fine,” I said.

I wedged my pipe bender under the door knob as the zombies pressed harder on the door and then I was able to get the chair and bring it back. I quickly replaced the pipe bender with the chair. Mrs. Johnson and I turned to leave the back part of the store but she took a wide turn and knocked the chair away from the door and the zombies lurched with enough force that the door frame gave way and they came crashing out. Mrs. Johnson’s cart lurched forward as I ran. The zombies fell over each other trying to get up which was Mrs. Johnson’s only saving grace. We got out of the backroom, but there wasn’t a door between the front of the store and the back just some big rubber strips that hung from the ceiling. We reached aisle one before the zombies caught up with us. One zombie running behind us didn’t see it coming; Mrs. Johnson slipped the shot gun over her shoulder and pulled the trigger hitting it in the chest knocking the zombie down, sending the next few toppling over it. I was a good twenty feet ahead of Mrs. Johnson and there was no way she was going to be able to keep up because her cart wasn’t made for speed. More zombies must have heard all the racket and came running from all parts of the store. I had a moral dilemma; either run leaving Mrs. Johnson unprotected, or I could try to keep her safe, but she didn’t seem to need my help with her knowing how to use the gun and all. She shot a few more times and a few more victims hit the ground, but there were more coming and our only way out of this was to get to the exit and find a way to lock the doors before they all spilled out.

                I reached the door first and looked for a way to keep the exit from opening once we got out, but it was just the one door, and there were so many others that this would just slow them down a bit. It was the only hope we had; I knew it wouldn’t stop them, but it might have given us enough time to get somewhere safe.

                Mrs. Johnson was rolling towards the door, about ten feet away now, and she was almost consumed with zombies. She fired, reloaded and fired again, but every time she reloaded she had to stop. I thought about just picking her up and running with her, but I didn’t think I’d get very far with her on my back. I heard her scream as one of the zombies bit her, she finally got up from the cart and started smacking the zombies with the butt of her gun, “If it wasn’t for you Billy, I wouldn’t be here, I hope you can sleep at night boy.” She was then engulfed in zombies and then there was a huge barrage of gun fire as the zombies around her fell to the ground. She was on the ground and looked at me and said with what looked like a smile, “I always wanted to do that…” She closed her eyes and I ran out into the parking lot. The whole parking lot seemed like a state fair; there were all these cars parked all crooked and people running mad all over, but it dawned on me slowly that the ones running were no longer people but zombies and most were running towards me. The zombies in the store were now making their way out, and now I was surrounded.

                I heard a car horn being repeatedly honked and heard the screeching of tires and a blue sedan came barreling through a small grouping of zombies. The car was being driven by none other than Mister Willard. The only reason I knew that was because his picture was everywhere in the store. Like I said before we started to believe he was more myth than real. The car came to a sliding halt in front of me. The passenger’s door flung open and Janice was inside yelling, “Get in! Get it!”

I ran for the door and had to take out a few zombies on the way; they went down relatively easy. I jumped in and before I could shut the door Mr. Willard was burning the tires. The door slammed shut without me even trying but as it did a crazy old lady hit the side of the car and hung on for dear life. It was Mrs. Johnson, but not. She was a zombie now but still looked as bitter and sour as she was in life. She tried to ram her head into the window but thankfully the glass held. Mr. Willard spun the car to the left and slammed the right side of the car against another car and Mrs. Johnson got pinned between the two cars. Mister Willard then drove away leaving Mrs. Johnson there to chew-out any other zombie that was within earshot. I yelled for Mr. Willard to stop which eventually he did. I quickly jumped out of the car, “What are you doing?” Janice yelled.

                “I can’t leave her here like this,” I ran back to where she was, gave her a quick pop to the head and down she went. Getting back to the car Janice asked, “Couldn’t leave her like that, or couldn’t leave her to torture other zombies for eternity?”

                “Both.”

Leaving the parking lot I saw one thing that brought my day to a new level of low; my mom’s car was sitting at the entrance for the parking lot.

Pipe Bender

Chapter 1

It had been a long night out with friends, we weren’t up to any good, we were just up watching Sci-Fi movies and geeking out about the latest and greatest toys, or collectibles like my friend Caleb always calls them.

My mom dropped me off Wednesday morning for work at the Build and Build construction material store. Over my yawn my mom said, “Maybe you shouldn’t have stayed up all night watching those silly movies.”

                “What?” I said jokingly annoyed.

                “You heard me,” she said, “now go make your momma proud.”

                “Oh, I will, you know it.”

I began walking away when I heard her yell out, “Remember we got church tonight, I think we’re going to help with Wednesday dinner- hope you’re not too tired.”

                She knew I was, “Love you-bye”

                “Love you too Billy.”

                I was just in time to start my shift, but my boss could see it in my eyes that I spent too many hours watching late night Sci-Fi.

                “Did you watch Velocirapture last night?”

                “No,” I said with a sarcastic grin. “I watched Velocirapture 2 –duh!”

                “Alright smarty pants, that just earned you the big Johnson job today. She wants three pallets of wood out front, and loaded in her car first thing.”

                Mrs. Johnson was the mother in law of Mister Willard, who owned the Build and Build, and she used every bit of the family discount, and Truck, my boss knew that I just loved working with her. She was nice but smelled like stale cinnamon crunch cereal, and she never tipped.

                “Ah man, that’s not fair Truck; I did it the last time.”

                “I’m just making sure you stay awake today Billy, you never know if Mister Willard will show up.”

                That was the constant threat, as to why we all came in on time and worked hard, just in case Mister Willard came in. But he was getting to be more like the mythical Easter Bunny, or Santa Claus would be more accurate. You had to be good, because you never know when he’s watching.

I had just finished the Johnson job and headed back to the break-room to get some water and realized how tired I was. I splashed some water on my face which I’d seen done in a few movies, but didn’t know if it really worked. All it did was get my shirt wet, so now I looked sweaty and tired.

Janice was in the back office and noticed that I looked like a wreck, “You know if you want, there’s that spot in isle 13 that has that little cubby hole you could probably get a nap in.”

                Janice was a girl a few years older than I who graduated two classes ahead of me.  When she was still in school, I always thought she was hot, but now working with her, she felt like my aunt. She was always looking out for me, and making sure I got a good lunch, which rarely I brought.

                “You know I can’t do that, Truck would have my neck if he found me sleeping.”

                “Don’t worry, I got here early today and don’t actually clock in for another hour, I’ll totally cover for you.”

                Totally just didn’t seem like an aunt would use, but she still felt like my aunt. I really was exhausted and so I decided to take her up on her offer.

                “Do I owe you anything?”

                “No,” she said, “of course not. Just take care of yourself.”

                “Okay Auntie Janice.”

                She hated when I called her that because I think she still felt like she was the hot girl all the younger boys’ ogled after.  Calling her aunt kind ruined this image she held of herself. To my knowledge a lot of guys still ogled her but they weren’t younger classmen, they were the customers.

Everyone knew of the spot on isle 13, and knew that it was the best place to catch a quick cat nap, which made it even more dangerous considering the Truck had worked there for years and most likely knew of it too. Janice was covering for me, but it still wouldn’t look good if he found me, because then I’d have to explain the whole situation and forbid a customer overheard it, or Mister Willard actually showed. I decided that the nap was worth the hassle even if caught.

I went to Isle 12, and then waited till the coast was clear and then crawled into my spot. Janice had agreed if I wasn’t back in the breakroom in an hour that she’d page me over the intercom. It seemed like a great plan.

                I took my hoodie off and used it as a pillow and crossed my arms over my face to block out the light that made it into the cubby hole. I was out. I had some random dreams and heard some odd noises, but other than that I slept really well. It felt like I had been there for hours, when I opened my eyes it was dark, a lot darker than I thought it should have been. I thought maybe Pierce the forklift guy parked the fork lift in the isle and had the forks in the up position, so it was probably what was blocking out the light.

 I laid there for a minute letting my eyes adjust and then proceeded to crawl out. I heard some crashing sounds in the isle behind me and stopped moving. Then nothing, so I moved again. I was just about out when I saw some boots walk right up to my exit hole. Then I knew exactly what this was. It was a prank; Janice must have set me up. She knew where I was, so she told Truck, and Truck had the team dim the lights in the store, and now they were playing a trick on me. It wasn’t going to work; I wasn’t going to give them the pleasure. So I crawled out. I looked the boot wearing individual in the face. It was Truck; he was standing there breathing heavy. He looked at me, growled and I could see blood around his lips. This was a good prank, him being all zombie like. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, “Good try Truck, I’m not falling for it.” Just then he snarled like a rabid dog and then something came up behind him. It was a huge two by four. It hit Truck so hard in the back of the head I thought his eyes were going to pop out and Truck fell to the floor. Then the guy carrying the two by four said, “That was close, he almost bit you.”

                I wanted to laugh, this had to be the best prank ever, but there lay Truck on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

                “What’s wrong with you?” the guy said. He was a black man, who had a strong build, short cropped hair, wearing a tank top and jeans.

                “What’s wrong with me?” I said.

                “Yeah, were you going to let him bite you?”

                I began to panic, maybe this wasn’t a prank, maybe this was actually happening, or at least a weird dream.

                “Truck,” I said, “No, he was my boss, he wouldn’t bite me- why’d you hit him?”

                The guy looked at me, and said, “Listen kid, I don’t know where you’ve been the last six hours but the zombie apocalypse just started and we are in the middle of hell my friend. So you better get on the ball, find you a weapon, get to killing or be killed.”

                He walked over to a display hanging on the wall. He grabbed a pipe bender, a simple tool which had a metal pipe for a handle with an ax like head with a blunt edge that you funnel pipe through to bend. The top was very heavy with the grip being much lighter. He tossed it to me, like it was a toy. I caught it, and nearly dropped it from the unbalanced weight to it. “That should do nicely,” the man said.

                I managed to lift it, and finally got a good grip on it. It felt good in my hands, so I took a couple practice swings. “You just need to remember, they’re slow, and without numbers they go down easily. Just keep your back from them. They can sneak up pretty easily.”

                I was so thankful this guy came along when he did. He was strong, he was brave, and I knew that he and I would go pretty far, even in this crazy new world- but I was still not completely sold this was happening. So far I had just seen one zombie and that was Truck, and this could still be part of some joke. The guy put out his hand,” I’m Zeke, my friends call me…” A zombie came crashing through isle 12 and on jumped on Zeke’s back, and lunged its torso forward and bit into Zeke’s neck. “Ahhh!” Zeke screamed, and then yelled, “Hit him! Hit him!”

                Zeke turned around and I took aim, and after about three to four hit the zombie fell off and Zeke turned around and beat the thing to a piece of pulp.

                Zeke looked at me, “Run kid,” he said in a very serious and almost scary tone, “You need to start running.”

                Zeke’s eyes started to go red, and I didn’t wait to see what happened next. I didn’t run, I swung for the fences and Zeke hit the floor.

                “Sorry Zeke.” It kind of made me sad, I didn’t even get to know what his friends called him.

I ran for the break-room to see if anyone else was alive. It seemed like if anyone had a chance it would have been in the break-room. We had a fully walled in room, with snacks, a fridge, a water dispenser, and even a small vault, that could fit about four people if need be. On my way there I saw a number of bodies lying on the floor, some looked like customers, but a few I knew were fellow employees. I hadn’t seen Janice yet, so I was hopefully she was still in the break-room. It took a few extra minutes for me to remember that it had been hours since I had last seen her, and not the minutes that I had thought it had been.

                I got to the break-room without seeing another zombie, but up to that point, I didn’t really know why. It was because they were all huddle in the break-room.

Lost writings = deleted scene

This is an excerpt from my Zombie novel Eternal Preservative that didn't make it in the book. I was looking around on my computer and found it in a sub-folder. I like the content because it shows a little piece of how my story came together, and then was ripped a part. I removed this bit and
replaced it when I was trying to decide on whether to tell the reader how the disease spread, but didn't want to give too much away. This section implied there was a cover up and that it had spread a lot further than what the characters had known in their little community in Tacoma Washington. I
eventually decided not to add anything about how the zombie virus broke out, so I believe I pulled this section out then. But, a friend (Jill) had read it, and not being a big zombie fan, she didn't know much about zombie lore. So I figured I'd want to bring in fans who may not like zombie stories, or
were new to them, so I created a very brief explanation which inspired the name, Eternal Preservative. I guess you'll have to read the book, to know what that's all about. Till then, here's the excerpt.

(Sorry just a little set up: The scene was cut out of the story when the characters regrouped at their base of operations. Tim, the most computer savvy found this video while digging around for what caused the zombie virus.)

“While I was looking around on the web last night I found a video from a doctor in Oakland at a Research Facility. Apparently he was a fan of Sci-Fi because his last post was put on this Trekkie Board. I didn’t know at first to take it seriously but as I watched I knew for sure it was real. The doctor in the video looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks, he was emaciated, and on the verge of breaking down.  Here watch this, I think it’ll change the way we think about them.”

“It’s apparent to us that the outbreak occurred weeks, if not months ago. There has been an attempt to cover it up. We can’t be certain the reasons for the cover up but it seems as though government scientist were working on a cure. All we know for sure at this point is that the cure didn’t work. It seemed that the powers that be realized they were over their heads a little late and decided to turn it over to a private well funded research facility that I work for. They released most of their data from the previous experiments hoping it would give us a head start. Being scientist we’re obviously a curious bunch; it didn’t take much digging for us to find out the horrifying truth… most areas within the United States had already been infected. Those in control of this last minute ditch attempt placed guards and sealed our offices when we told our supervisors what was going on. We were not allowed to call our families, email, or give them warning of any kind. Dr. McKinsey tried to leave and he was stunned by a taser; apparently they needed us alive… if they didn’t, I think he would have died that day.

We were prisoners in our own offices.

My colleagues and I were given but days to try and come up with an antidote for something we’d never seen. Let me put it in laymen’s… this would be like trying to find a cure for cancer which they’ve been studying for years and still have not synthesized a cure.

  We worked round the clock but when we ran out of time we realized that those in power didn’t even expect we’d find a vaccine that worked. By all intensive purposes these people were DEAD but their bodies just didn’t know it yet. How on EARTH… did these people think we could find a cure for DEATH? What did they think we could create the fountain of youth and stop death in its tracks… you can’t stop death!

    I digress… When it was all said and done we had more questions than answers. Why did they even bother with trying to find a cure? Did someone at the last minute decide it was in their best interest? Did someone’s loved one get sick from it and they hoped we’d find a cure, or a way to slow it down? We simply didn’t know and now I know that we will never really understand their reasons. We could only speculate, and I had determined that some bureaucrat probably knew that the end was near and used what pull he or she had to move the research to our lab. Hoping we could save their beloved… WHAT EVER! I didn’t see anyone try to save mine; you arrogant… Sorry, it’s hard not to be angry.

I had come up with the only conclusion that was a sure fire way to work… total annihilation of all who were infected. The idea didn’t sit well with most but I think all of us researchers realized it was the only way. We reported our final findings to a man dressed in black; he was as cold as he was arrogant. He said nothing… he just turned around and left us there to rot. Forgive me for my anger but if I were to ever seen that man again- I’d kill him myself.

   Had we been told earlier on, we may have had a chance to prepare for this event… we could have set up medical facilities to watch out for early signs or build safe zones for people to flee too. We could have gathered food and water supplies and got in shelters. But like a tornado without an advanced warning we were not prepared for the storm. We could have done something to save lives, but who to blame isn’t relevant anymore. We must find a way to survive, a way for mankind to hold on, and we must pray that somehow, someway the plague that haunts us from coast to coast is eliminated.

Unfortunately for us we didn’t burn our samples of the bacteria and our team chief was infected. I was able to blockade myself in a study room but my only supplies left is this computer I’m now using to send this message. The other members of the team have been infected too and the only chance I have at survival is for them to get hungry enough to eat themselves before I starve to death.  If anyone finds this and somehow someone from my family survives please tell them that I love them and that I did everything within my power save them.

 I’m Dr. Craven Winfield from Oakland California and this will likely be my last message. Star Date 2010.”

(It's short, but I think it's a neat view into how sometimes things don't make it into books, not because it's bad, but because the author, namely me, decided to go another direction. And to be honest, when I decided to add something about how the virus spread, I forgot all about this scene.)

I hope you all enjoyed this,

Tracy

Judas Priest: Redeemer of Souls Album Review

No, I'm not turning this into another album review blog, but it falls within entertainment and I grew up loving Priest, so sit back and enjoy my track by track review.

Just a quick note, if you don't want to read the whole in depth review -here's a short one, it's okay. Die hard fans will want to listen to it, new fans may wonder what the heck is going on, but it's worth the listen, now for you who want the full review... read below.

Okay, so I’m a huge Judas Priest fan. I’ve been a fan since about 1984, and I’ve owned everything they’ve ever put out in one form or another, from their first album Rock a Rolla, to the synth heavy Turbo, all the way to the infuriating Nostradamus. My favorites were Point of Entry, Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith, but I also love the Les Binks drumming on Unleashed in the East which made some of their older material soar. I kind of feel it’s an honor to review this, even though I know the band will never read this.

So with that being said there have been a few albums that drove me nuts. When I was sixteen I was finally going to my first concert and I was pumped for Defenders of the Faith part 2, and as most know, I didn’t get that album, I got Turbo. Long story, it was such a disappointment, but I still went to the show, and they did an amazing job.

Years later after the mighty return of Halford they released Angel of Retribution which was an awesome return to form, but then I got tickets to see them on the Nostradamus tour. The album being a double, I was pumped for it to be epic, but what I got was a snooze fest. It was hard for even me, a die-hard fan to appreciate. The concert was even a bigger disappointment. They picked out a bunch of slower tunes and the show marched like a dirge to Rob Halford’s own funeral. It was painful to watch, and the only thing I was thankful for was my poor friend Dave paid for the tickets.

This leads us to the new release Redeemer of Souls, which is a pretty confusing title if you think about it too much. But the true question was, or is… am I going to get Turbo, Nostradamus, or maybe finally Defenders of the Faith 2. (Side note: I know it’s ridiculous to get Defenders 2, but I’m using it for an analogy so bear with me.)

Judas Priest released a few singles before the disc came out but I wanted to take in the album as a whole, so this review is after one solid listen of the whole disc (minus the bonus songs) and I’m currently listening to it, which is something I like to do while reviewing discs.

The first song Dragonaut opens the disc with some pretty good energy, but the track seems to fall flat with production. The guitars seem to have a tone that leaves the track flat. I’m not sure if this is because KK Downing’s tone was different then the new second guitarist Richie Faulkner, or if Glen Tipton’s tone is the culprit. The chorus and the vocals are pretty good, but nothing seems to take the track to another level.

Redeemer of Souls is the second track which still has the flat tone on the guitars, the chorus is good, but the track never goes anywhere. It actually does remind me of Defenders of the Faith at times, but it just seems lacking in energy. I’m trying to put my finger on it, but it does sound better if you turn it up –everything metal sounds better loud.

March of the Damn is the next track and it reminds me of the Metal God’s tune. It’s a very circular tune that has a good repeating chorus, and a pretty decent solo. It even has a similar sound effect of marching, like the Metal God’s tune had, which they originally created slamming kitchen drawers shut. The track was better than the first two, but still nothing to write home about, but at this point I realized this wasn’t going to be Nostradamus part 2, thankfully.

Obviously from the titles Rob Halford and crew drew from more mid-evil themes to include dragons and Vikings as evident with the next track Halls of Valhalla -no complaint here. Halls of Valhalla is the closest thing to the Pain Killer era songs, with a high-ish scream to lead off the track. Rob even goes as far as doing a death metal voice on the bridge leading to a Halford trademark style scream. There are even some group vocals on this song, which is really enjoyable. Four songs in and it’s the best by far, but next up is Sword of Damocles.

Sword of Damocles starts off really cool, and almost gives us a sound we hadn’t heard from them since maybe back in the Sin after Sin album. The song even breaks down to a slow bridge which almost brings to mind Here Comes the Tears, but doesn’t last long as it picks back up. It’s the song with the most potential up to this point, but it still lacks a little something in the chorus, but it has a really cool native Indian sounding melodic riff that repeats at the end of each chorus. Rob’s vocals seem to be stronger on this track.

After a shot intro Down in Flames starts at a mid-tempo and is closer to maybe something you’d heard on the latter part of Point of Entry, it’s got a pretty good chorus and some good riffing before the solo. I like how you can pick out both Glen and Richie’s solos but they’re not on par with the older Priest solos. The songs good, but I think maybe the drums production are kind of lacking, seems to not have a lot of energy to them. What’s funny is this song seems farther away from what Priest is known for, but still sounds like Priest. After several listens this track has grown a bit more on me.

Hell & Back is next and starts with a softer intro, which kind of reminds me of Sad Wings era stuff, but then gets more into the British Steel style of music but it’s a pretty slow song with a good chorus, but the song is never lifted up to the level of their classic stuff. The song’s okay, but I kind of want to just skip to the next track, to see what’s next. There’s a wah drenched solo which we hadn’t seen much of from Priest in years. The song picks up at the end, but it’s almost too little too late.

Cold Blooded starts with a good opening lick, it’s slower, but sometimes slow is okay, it’s just when there’s too much of it like anything on Nostradamus. Thankfully this song picks up and gets a little more interesting. The solo on this track reminds me of the older work, similar to some of the stuff on Stained Glass, but it stops when it’s getting good. Rob seemed to work a lot of chorus and making the songs have good hooks, and I think that’s what will help this album sell, but this track is still lacking the boost it needs to be great..

Metalizer comes blaring like Ram it Down. I think this track will make some mid-nighties fans happy, but the guitar tones seem to still be weak, maybe my headphones aren’t giving it the justice it needs. It’s got a few good solo runs, but nothing up to par with Pain Killer, but at least the solo starts that way before slowing down. It seems like Richie is playing some fast runs while Glen does some more melodic runs. The song doesn’t really scream, “Please replay me”, but it’s still way, way better than that other album I keep referencing.

Now we finally get to one of the most unique tunes that from the opening bluesy riff, you’re like, “Oh, this is going to be good.” It’s still a mid tempo track called Crossfire, which could have been played by any blue band, but with Priest playing it, it’s fun to hear them doing some throwback riffage. There’s even some more wah-drench soloing over a Voodoo Chili Hendrix type section. The only downside is actually Rob Halford at the end screaming, “Caught in the Crossfire,” it just seems out of place on the song. After repeated listening the track grows old pretty quickly.

The song Secrets of the Dead starts off how a new Priest song should start. It’s heavy, with a good groove. This song reminds me of Love Bites a little bit. It’s darker, and fits with the motif of classic priest, but contains a little more vigor to the performance. With an older production I could put this on Sad Wings of Destiny. It’s hard to keep a slower tempo interesting, but they seem to do well on this track. It’s not fantastic, and Rob Halford doesn’t shine on the song, but it’s moving in a better direction.

Battle Cry starts off a little like a song from Defenders of the Faith, but then bursts into an Iron Maiden type duel lead in before they transitions into a faster Free Wheel Burning riff. This track should have been the lead off, it’s got the most energy, and it sounds great. The guitars sound really good with this track, almost like they should have used these sounds for the rest of the disc. Rob Halford comes to life too, and he sounds closer to what he sounded back on Ram it Down, before he felt that he had to hit high screechy notes like in Pain Killer to sell an album, but he does leave us with one good one at the end. The vocal seems less processed, so we hear him a little less drenched in effects while screaming. Hidden almost at the end of Redeemer of Souls is this gem, which could easily fit in with a lot of Priest classics.

Beginning of the End completes the regular length disc. This song although slow carries more heart than a lot of older Priest material. Rob Halford’s slower singing sounds really good, like on Dreamer Deceiver, Epitaph, or the softer moments of Victim of Changes, but I think it sounds better than the earlier performances. His tone sounds really clean, really strong, and not stressed. Rob Halford hasn’t sung too many emotional songs in the last 30 years, and this song really shows more emotional depth than just about all their songs except for maybe Beyond the Realms of Death. The song also carries a similarity to Black Sabbath’s Planet Caravan which isn’t a bad thing.

Overall this disc won’t be in my player quite as often as most of their older albums because it feels like it lacks energy and emotion in most songs besides the last. Scott Travis’s drum work which should catapult the band seems to just be the back bone and doesn’t deliver anything special and the sound on the drums is just above average. On songs like Sword of Damocles where the song could completely destroy, the drums although ample, just seem to do the job, and not add anything to push the song to the next level.  Ian Hill’s bass playing is solid, but there’s nothing there besides the basics but that’s what he’s done for about 99.9% of his career with the band, so there’s no surprise there. The clean guitars sound great, and the interludes are nice touches. The album has a couple tracks that stand out, but, it really feels like most of these songs would have been left off earlier albums had they been wrote earlier in their career. The solos seem lack luster, and once they begin to shine they end before they really launch. It almost feels like a great producer would have done the band some good.

Redeemer of Souls wasn’t Turbo part 2, thank God. It wasn’t Nostradamus part 2, again thank God. I did get a little bit of Defenders 2, which I’m grateful for, but I’m still left feeling like my 16 year old self, disappointed over the new image of Judas Priest for the Turbo album wondering what the heck happened to the cool band from Defenders, and hoping the album sounds better than how they looked- nope.

Bonus Disc tracks:

Snakebite is the first track leading off the bonus material, this song is way different and reminds me more of something you’d hear from older Deep Purple or even Whitesnake, it has an older 70’s feel, with little solo’s thrown throughout. I think I even heard a “My Woman from Tokyo,” riff towards the beginning. The lyrics are a little immature, but it’s a fun tune without much to it. The drums are a little livelier and the guitar tones fit with the style of this song. I’d almost think this was a cover, but I’ve never heard it before. After further review at least from Wikipedia, it’s an original.

Let me get animated for a second, Tears of Blood the second bonus song is AWESOME!!! It should have been the single. This track goes back to the sound of the full length Redeemer, but sounds better, like the production of Defenders of the Faith. Rob Halfords vocals sound great, and they remind me of a lot of the material from Defenders of the Faith, but this doesn’t sound like a throwaway track. This track is what I was truly waiting for and fans who don’t get this song because it’s a bonus track, I believe will not know how good this band still is. If this track was the single from Redeemer, I believe most fans would have been immediately thrilled.  The solo section was actually the best on the disc, even having some dual harmonies, which was missing from the rest of the album. This track will be added to my collection and moved up on the set list for this disc. If they don’t play this live it would be a shame.

Creatures at first starts off a little rough and it doesn’t sound like it’ll be any good, but then the pre-chorus comes in, and the drums actually do something a little different on the toms and it gets good –for a while. The verses sound more like a demo, but the chorus’s come out in the mix and sound really good. This track would also have fit nicely during the Defenders era with a little better production. The solo section on this track sounds great. It sounds like they had done their homework and made a really good melodic solo. Parts of the song don’t work as well as others, the outro just sounds messy, and so I can see why it was left to the bonus disc.

Bring it On is the next track and from the title I’m a bit skeptical, maybe it’s because of all the cheerleader flicks with the same name. But, I’m happily wrong. This track is fun, and has an older late 70’s Priest vibe, with a good chorus. This number could have fit nicely on British Steel, Hell Bent for Leather, or Point of Entry. Yes, it’s a bit cheesy, but it’s what some fans really like. I could hear this track used for a fighter in the UFC. It’s better than a majority of the full length in my opinion.

Never Forget is the last track for the bonus material. It’s a slower, pretty number that sounds like a swan song for a band that was calling it quits or it’s the song played with the credits of a movie. Reminds me of the song Changes by Black Sabbath/Ozzy. (Side note: I found out years back Rob Halford front Black Sabbath in place of Ozzy for one reason or another, and I think it would be awesome if Rob fronted Heaven Hell as a tribute for DIO.) This song doesn’t fit well in the Judas Priest canon, but it’s nice to hear it. The solo section reminds a lot of Ozzy material too, and some other 80’s metal solo that I can’t put my finger on. I might have felt ripped off if this was the only bonus song on the disc, but seeing how you get five, and I got it for free, I feel pretty good about it.

Although the bonus tracks went from great to messy they were still enjoyable, and I’m thankful that they were available. Tears of Blood and Bring it on are two tracks that should have been added to their regular release and a few tracks from the full length pulled to make a more solid disc, but fortunately I can make my own mix. Well that’s it folks, my review is just that, my opinion and hopefully you found it interesting. Bye!

Help for Impatient Parents

Just go to Walley-World for one hour and you’ll soon learn that this world needs a bit more patience. Yes, this is WAY out of my normal blog subject, but I thought this was important enough, so here goes.

Have you been at the store and you’ve seen some parent yelling at their kid to hurry, to be quiet, to stop playing with toys, to stop being a --- a KID?

My wife the other day said something that really stuck in my mind, “Kids are living in their own time zone.” Kids are not in a rush, they have nowhere to be, they don’t have jobs, they are not going to be late, all they care about is being where they are, and playing with what’s around them.

It’s the parents who get upset that their kid is not in as big of a rush as they are. I’d say 9 times out of 10, it’s the parent who’s running late causing the strife they are dealing with. We get to running around, we leave the house late, we get to the store and we’ve got to be in and out, and it’s the kids fault for being a kid. So we get mad at them and yell and fuss at them for doing what a kid does.

Hurry up! Shut up! Stop playing with that! I know children can be very slow when they want to look and touch everything, and at times this can drive you nuts. But if you the parent plan enough time into your schedule for your child to be a kid, your trip to the supermarket, or to Walley-World won’t be so agonizing.

My son loves discovering his surroundings. He loves seeing new people, and he loves to sit and stare -it is who he is. Yes, we have to restrict how long he takes, but we try to let him have fun, and we try to let him be who he is. Remember kids are not living in the same time-zone as you are. Their world his huge and it can be very distracting for them. Can you imagine taking in a TV show-room for the first time as a two year old? It can be a lot for them to take in at once, sometimes they need to just absorb their surroundings and figure out if there’s something there they like. Sometimes our son will enter some place with a lot going on, and he’s like, “Woe- this is too much.” He’ll turn around and want to be picked up, but after a while he adjusts and them wants to see his world.

My only real advice if this seems to be an issue. Build in some extra time for your kid to be a kid. Take a breather at the store, find the toy department, and let your kid play around. We started very early on- we make our son put his toys back after he plays, so when he goes somewhere, and play time is over, we tell him to put the toys back- this way- he doesn’t spend a half hour at the store crying over the toy he can’t have.

Kids want to play, they want to be loved on, and they want to experience the world we live in. If we yell, scream, and fuss at them for being what they are- what do you think the outcome will be?

Obviously, my wife and I don’t have it all figured out but I know that if we treat our son the way I would have liked being treated, we’ll nail this whole parenting thing.

Back with a Vengence: Star Wars and I, or is it Me?

This is a bit out of place for my blog, but I’m changing things up and moving into a new realm of writing, and so now my blog will cover, entertainment: movies, music, and whatever else I deem entertaining, plus I’ll be covering my new projects. I released Eternal Preservative my first short novel on Amazon Eternal Preservative: A Zombie Tale Part 1 which is available for $.99. I’m working on a few music projects to include electronic, metal, rock, and some country. I’ll dig deeper into that subject in the near future. Plus I’m working on my new novel Destroying Utopia which I’m thrilled about how it’s going so far. Till I have more info please enjoy my newest blog about the new Star Wars.

Well now that the powers that be, Disney and J.J. Abrams have released the cast of the new Star Wars Episode VII, I don’t think anyone is surprised by the announcement that Han, Luke and Leia will return leaving Lando out in the cold. That answered my question as to why Billy Dee Williams was on Dancing with the Stars with EWOKS. What is surprising and what will lead to a heaping mound of speculation is the new cast members.

Will Andy Serkis get to play something besides a guy with dots all over his face? (Motion-Cap) Will he be a villain? Will he be the latest and greatest enemy of the rebellion? Is there even a rebellion? Domhnall Gleeson (Sadly, not the son of Jackie) from Harry Potter and About Time, what role will he have? He has a very unique look with his Irish heritage. Will he dawn the wardrobe of the empire. I can see him standing next to General (bad guy) wearing the customary hat and stiff uniform of the Empire. But, I can see him bringing a bit of a laugh too; maybe he could be Han’s and Leia’s son. There are plenty of other people cast that would look great as villains, Adam Driver who has a very varied resume (Girls, Lincoln, and Inside Llewyn Davis) and a growing list of roles would look great in all black, fighting for the dark side. (But say it like the Emperor) “Dark Siiid.”

Then there’s Max Von Sydow, whose name alone screams VILLAIN! Max Von Sydow is the legendary actor of the Exorcist among 151 other appearances in film and TV; could he be cast as a good guy? Yeah right! That would be like making Christopher Lee a good guy when everyone knows even as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings he couldn’t be trusted. (Side Note: Kind of funny, that both Andy Serkis and Christopher Lee will now both be Star Wars alums.) The real question is will Max Von Sydow play a new villain, or maybe the reincarnation of an all too familiar one. Plus one more question, why wasn’t he already a villain in Star Wars?

Oscar Isaac and John Boyega poise other great questions like could they be offspring of legendary characters like Boba Fett, Lando, or even Han or Luke?    

I think one addition is easy to figure out; at least we must deduce the Daisy Ridley will be the child of Princess Leia and Han Solo. I’ve read that in some story lines Han and Leia have twins and either they both have the force and fight together for the good, or one turns to the dark side. Either way, this is gearing up to be 150 times greater than anything we’ve seen in the past 20 years. Let’s all admit it; Episode 1-3 should have never been made. I think the earth would have been a better place. Okay, okay… maybe I’m overstating a bit.

Writing is not for the Weak by Julie A Lindsey

First, I need to thank you, Tracy for having me over to your blog! Blog tours are such strange animals. Imagine promoting yourself! It’s a complete freak out. I thought I’d tell you how I ended up on this tour.

About three years ago, I saw a movie I loved. Something drew me in and I discovered it was a book. I devoured the book. It was the first book I read in years. YEARS. But, it left me with an overwhelming need to do the same. I wanted to write something that would provide another person an escape.  So, I got started. I googled “write a book.” LOL I laugh now, but I knew absolutely nothing aside from the fact I wanted to “write a book.”

So, I wrote. And it sucked. And I queried *everyone on the planet* with the suckage. And I was rejected about 100 times. So, I wrote another book. Rinse and repeat. On it went. BUT day by day I began to learn. I joined a critique group who broke things down for me. I started tweeting and stalking and slowly things came together. I made a plan, revised my work and started again. I’m nothing, if not hugely hard-headed.

I started using simple past tense and reading voraciously. I cut the filler words from my manuscripts (that, just, very, and most adverbs) then I nixed the dialogue tags to the minimum. I started to show and not tell. “It was cold.” Became “I warmed my frigid hands with my breath and watched tendrils of breath rise into the air.” Then, I started toeing the water. There’s a way in to every pool, no matter how crowded. I decided to find a way.

I looked for anthologies open to submissions and wrote lots of short stories. I looked for small pressed seeking new voices. I entered agent run contests. Soon, I got the response I went looking for. A small pres, Turquoise Morning Press, liked a 25K word novella I submitted for their upcoming line. That was the beginning of my life as a romance author. I’ve signed five more contracts with them in the 12 months since their first ‘yes.’

Am I a romance author? No. I don’t think so. I’m a reader who likes to learn things and tell stories.

My debut novel arrived in print last week, Death by Chocolate. Knight Romance publishing published this. It’s as far form romance as they come, but it makes me laugh. I like to laugh, and I like to write what makes me smile. Death by Chocolate is a nutty tale of harmless looking women with a mounting body count. I also like irony.

If you’re in the mood to let loose and smile at the inconceivable, try my sweet ladies. But don’t try their goodies. You have been warned. LOL Death by Chocolate is available now on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. I hope it will make you smile : )

If you’re an author feeling discouraged by the insanity that is our industry, take heart. We’re all in that boat. It’s okay to get mad, as long as you get over it and start writing again soon. As a writer, I want you to succeed. Embrace your dream and conquer your goals. As a reader, I want to know that drop dead fabulous stories are coming without end, so I have plenty of amazing, upcoming books to dig into. Now, what are you doing still reading? Get busy!

Death by Chocolate

Ruby Russell has reached her limit. When she discovers her hipster husband has a dirty little secret, she whips him up a Viagra-infused-chocolate mousse punishment, but in the morning, her husband's a stiff. Armed with a lifetime of crime show reruns and Arsenic and Old Lace on DVD, Ruby and her best friend Charlotte try to lay low until after Ruby's son's wedding, but a nosy therapist, meddling minister and local news reporter are making it very difficult to get away with murder.

About Julie:

I am a mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you'll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.

You can find my blogging about the writer life at Musings from the Slush Pile

Tweeting my crazy at @JulieALindsey

Reading to soothe my obsession on GoodReads

And other books by me on Amazon