Published inThe Riff·PinnedMember-onlySlayer’s Reign In Blood vs Metallica’s Master Of PuppetsIn 1986 the two records that would perfectly encapsulate the Thrash Metal paradigm were released. The following analysis sets out to explore which was the superior opus and why. On its face, this seems a dumb article to write. No one is better off for harbouring a belief that one of these records is superior to the other. From my perspective, it always boils down to the rush. All that really matters is how a record makes me feel…Music17 min readMusic17 min read
Published inThe Riff·PinnedMember-onlyHow Scandinavian Rock ’n’ Roll Saved VinylDid you know? It was Scandinavian Rock ’n’ Roll that saved vinyl. From what I can tell, Rock ’n’ Roll has always been a big deal in Scandinavia. …Music9 min readMusic9 min read
PinnedMember-only5 Reasons I’d Never Make it as a ConservativeTwitter is rife with stories of Democrats who switch teams. The most noteworthy being those who were elected before changing parties. I wondered what it would take for someone to switch lanes in such a dramatic way and ran myself through a set of prerequisites to see if I could…Satire2 min readSatire2 min read
Published inThe Riff·4 days agoMember-onlyRecord Collecting: If You Don’t Love Something, Why Buy It?How to ensure your collection is a collection for the ages. Countless motivations for collecting vinyl records and an equal number of variables influence buyer behaviour — access, discretionary income, years of listening, and your appetite for risk. The 10-dollar record is largely a relic, and investing in releases that may not be satisfying is post-purchase dissonance personified. Having collected records…Vinyl5 min readVinyl5 min read
Published inThe Riff·Sep 15Member-onlyEvery Vinyl Record Has a Story — And It’s Not Just The MusicEvery Old Record Tells a Story. You can tell a lot about who owned a record by the state you find it in. A musical take on the maxim — how you do anything is how you do everything… Old records have a story, even if it’s a story of…Vinyl6 min readVinyl6 min read
Published inThe Riff·Sep 2Member-onlyThe Top 10 Death Metal Dictionary WordsIt’s impossible to really dial into the Death Metal genre without needing to consult a dictionary on occasion. Whether you’re a casual fan, or digging right into the lyrical currents, there’s an ever flowing stream of terms that won’t typically surface in your day to day conversations. How did these…Death Metal7 min readDeath Metal7 min read
Published inThe Riff·Aug 21Member-onlyWas Celtic Frost a Big Influence on Nirvana?If you’ve ever studied the cover of Tom G. Warrior’s autobiography Are You Morbid, you may have noticed the hype quote is attributed to Kurt Cobain. For those who don’t have the book within arms reach, the citation reads, “A big influence.” — Kurt Cobain, Nirvana. So the question we’re…Music7 min readMusic7 min read
Aug 10Member-only5 email essentials to get the desired outcome.Ever log on for work to learn that one of your peers is sending emails at all hours — 11:56PM, 2:44AM, 4:19AM — hours disassociated to regular folk working hours. What’s their intention and do they ever think about how the recipient views those messages. We’ve all experienced the office exclamations over this, but the intention behind this practice is rife with subtext and even passive aggression.Scheduling5 min readScheduling5 min read
Jul 13Member-onlyThe Introvert at the Conference Dilemma — Solved.Putting yourself out there without putting yourself out there. The introvert at the seminar will inevitably come face to face with their principal nemesis — the networking part of the program. As we all know, it’s not always as simple as bailing when the last speaker has concluded. …Conference2 min readConference2 min read
Jun 23Member-onlyRecord Collectors, do you do this?If you collect records, I need to know if you do this. For as long as I’ve been buying vinyl records, I’ve experienced this weird blocker where I can’t listen that album on any other format. And provided I’m in control of the listening decision, it doesn’t matter what the…Music4 min readMusic4 min read