The art of war

♫ Sabaton – Karolinens Bön

I've been a slightly lazy blogger, and slightly busy in real life as well. And if I was going to write about what special I've been doing lately, you might have a déjà vu after reading "I went to see Dreamtale live" for the fourth time. *giggles*

The theme of this post is warfare as a source of inspiration for artistic endeavours. Personally, I have very contradictory feelings when it comes to war and military related imagery. I'm quite sure most people can say they hate war and wish we could leave in peace and so on, and so do I. I'm also pacifist to the point of not being enthusiastic to try firearms if I ever got a chance (I'm talking about perfectly legal hobbies here). If I was a man, I would refuse to take military service, opting for civil service instead.

However, I cannot deny that warfare is a huge part of history, inspiration for stories, and probably even a remarkable part of human nature. It doesn't matter whether we are watching Star Wars, playing a sink ship game or reading some fantasy novel; war, battle or fight is often a part of the whole thing, not necessarily everything though. And why wouldn't it be? Two (or more) quarrelsome parties disputing in violent ways is often more interesting than peaceful conciliation. I also enjoy my regular dose of warfare whenever I've watching, reading or playing something.

This blog post is about real history though, not fictional wars. I've never been a fan of war movies or books, and I have been lucky enough to graduate from a Finnish comprehensive school, high school and university without having to read or watch The Unknown Soldier. I only had to watch a few scenes of the film in the Finnish film history lectures I had to take (which were probably the most horrifying compulsory lectures in university). And well, I can say I hate live action war films with a passion!

Some time ago I came across this DVD on sale, only for 5 €. Since I had seen it in a movie theater after its release and enjoyed it, I knew it would be worth my money. Yesterday we finally had a proper movie night and watched it, and well, it was still good.

Waltz with Bashir is Ari Folman's animated documentary film, released in 2008. It depicts Folman himself trying to complete a puzzle of his memories and recollections of his time as a soldier in the Lebanon War in the 80s. And it really is a documentary film, not a drama or an action piece "based on true events" – this means it doesn't have a real dramatic arc but consists of both interview and action footage like television documents. I think I once read how some professionals in the field wondered why Folman wanted to make this kind of film using animation, but I think the choice was perfect (not only because I wouldn't have watched it otherwise). The visual style of the movie is very interesting, and I think it portrays the soldiers' feelings very well: what it is like to be utterly scared, or to have a feeling of being on a vacation even at the front.

If there is a hole in your history knowledge and you don't quite know who were fighting in Lebanon and why, the movie won't leave you much wiser. It concentrates on the veterans' feelings, fears, memories and traumas rather than politics. I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in historical wars too, but first and foremost to those who haven't enjoyed other war movies like me.

And I guess the movie's success implies it is a good one; the front cover of the DVD states it was nominated for an Academy Award for the best foreign language film and it won the Golden Globe award of the same category. (Being an Israeli film, the main language is Hebrew.) One fangirl also had trouble sitting still back then in the movie theater when OMD's Enola Gay started playing in one scene. It's also a good war related piece of art!

I won't include everything I enjoy of this theme into one single blog entry, so I will move onto music now. Ever heard of Sabaton, a Swedish heavy / power metal band whose lyrical themes revolve almost solely around historical wars? Not only are the lyrics interesting, but their musical style combined with the frontman Joakim Brodén's strong voice makes their songs very enjoyable. (Most of their songs are in English but I also really like the Swedish versions of their new songs; somehow I think Swedish suits metal music.)


Primo Victoria is about the Invasion of Normandy, and the song which got me into Sabaton in the first place.


A Lifetime of War is from their newest album Carolus Rex which was released a few weeks ago. The lyrics are a good reminder of how insane warfare actually is.

I truly suggest checking out more of their songs or videos if you got interested. I guess I will stop here, though I might write more about the theme in the future, I already have something on mind. Until the next time anyway, so long!

P.S: Anyone else experiencing problems with Blogger loading CSS stylings? My blog background and linked fonts suddenly stopped loading, sucks!

Yesterday's news

♫ Dreamtale – Payback

I've been lazy again, and will only update very shortly about yesterday's musical event. Otherwise I'm in a hurry, I should get going very soon... But I will type fast!

Yesterday we went to see three bands playing live; Force Majeure, Dreamtale and SpellBlast. Seems like something you've already heard of, huh? Yes, already saw FM and DT recently. And talked about SpellBlast coming here. Well, there we went, and had a blast, pun intended.

I didn't take any photos of Dreamtale or Force Majeure because, well, I only had my cell phone with me again and the venue was the same too, I was standing in the middle of the front row again... The photos would have been exactly the same! I took a few of SpellBlast though, and they suck in quality.

Had no time to take photos of my outfit, being busy preparing a dinner for two (although I hate cooking), but I took a few random shots anyway to share with you.

I finally put on a pair of thights I had bought quite a while ago and let them wait for warmer weather. I had been unaware of how pretty the lacy pattern would be, so I had to take a photo of them before I manage to rip them. Usually that happens quite fast with fancy thights... 

Lately, I've been fighting eyeliners, getting frustrated and occasionally impressed by different products. If someone is interested, I could write a blog post about these issues.

Anyway, the night was very enjoyable! Good live music, and Dreamtale (which I saw for the third time within two months) played my favorite tracks too. Thus, I probably lost my voice. Already did after SpellBlast, who played second.

As yesterday was Ascension Day, I had a day off work, but would basically have had a work day today. However, we decided to keep the office closed today, which was perfect for me since the night went on late again. And the weekend will be rather busy too, let's see if I can post about it... Anyway, I really gotta hurry now, exercise calling! So long!

Tears won't dry

"Look to the mirror // What do you see? // Beneath the shadows // Hiding your face // I can see hatred // Consuming fear"
– Dreamtale; Tears

Oh yeah, I've spent the last two days crying, or, only one eye has. I don't know why; one eye just started running a race with my nose a few days ago. A mild flu or something, but it's exceptional for my eyes to react in such a way although they are generally quite wet, and tears escape my eyes very easily when I go to bed and press my head against a pillow. And out in the wind etc... And my eye is not sore, red or irritated, so I really don't know why, but it's damn frustrating to look weepy all the time! I noticed the issue yesterday morning after applying my regular heavy make-up, and I had trouble with it all the day. In the evening I had to find a good solution and I tried using Grimas make-up to draw very heavy lining on my upper lids, but it didn't save my looks. And today... Well, I knew I had better surrender.

I went to work wearing only very light makeup without bright eyeshadow or any eyeliner at all. And although I can easily leave my apartment without any makeup, I don't like it if some external factors determine whether I can wear makeup or not. But yeah, just one day during Easter I popped to a kiosk in the central marketplace without makeup, and it wasn't really a problem. But I just like draw something around my eyes! (A side note: the makeup products I use are not the most sensitive to melting or smudging. Even the eyeliner I generally use was advertised as being tear-resistant or something! But oh, I tell you; it's not. And Grimas didn't work either; my eye really is running SO much that absolutely nothing stays there now. Oh, I even tried some UDPP and light eyeshadow today. Nope.)

Only one thing made this agony a bit more bearable. Last night a friend and I went to a local club to see Dreamtale live (yes, again). I guess we both were slightly hesitant since it was Thursday and we both had to get up for work in the morning. Well, I live in the city center so I'm not dependent on public transport, but the gig began probably over an hour later than it had been announced, so well yeah... In fact Dreamtale was only a warm-up act, with Humangod being the main, but I was more interested in Dreamtale anyway. Had they started on time, I would have liked to stay there to see Humangod as well, they're interesting after all, but by the time Dreamtale were done, it was already only six hours to when my alarm would go off for the first time (=six hours and a half before I get up). Oh well, I pretty much ran home and knowing that it would be nothing but a waste of time to try to apply my regular makeup in the morning, I could sleep for another fifteen minutes. :D

I don't have photos of the gig, didn't feel like taking any. Well, the guys hadn't changed much from a few weeks back. The gig was particularly enjoyable though! Unlike the last time, they played each and every song I wished to hear! That said; it was worth the short night and feeling all sleepy.

Back onto my makeup. I feel a bit strange when I'm without makeup or wearing very light makeup like in that photo. I don't know what it is, but I feel somehow... Okay well, when I'm totally without makeup I feel that I look like a boy. Not a man, but a boy. With light makeup I feel that I just look old and tired when my face lacks contrast. However, I popped to a pharmacy today after work, to get something for the running nose, and the pharmacist was about to recommend one product to me which was only for people over 18. Then she actually had to ask if I'm old enough. Thank you my lady, you made my day. Being sleepy and slightly sick, I had a stronger feeling than usual that I looked like I was over thirty.

I've noticed a strange thing; I think I manage to babble quite a lot in my blog posts. It's very strange; I'm comparing my style of writing to what I used to do with my studies. I always wrote compact essays and such, but often got better grades than those with twice as much text. Back then I couldn't really prolong what I had got to say with useless words! It seems I'm capable of it nowadays.

This entry has probably turned out boring by now, so I will entertain you with a bit of art for both eyes and ears. At first a portrait which I finished... Hmm, a month ago I suppose, because I think I finished it four months to the day after my dog's death. Well, a portrait of her. I actually had a print made of it for my parents; it was sent straight to them so I haven't seen it yet, but they've received it already.

I don't have much to say about it, I just felt the need to immortalize her sweetness once more. It was made completely using Photoshop CS5.

And then, candy for yours ears. I already embedded a few Dreamtale songs in this blog post but you will get another one here. I was somewhat surprised they played this last night, but it was awesome to hear it!

And one more thing. Sad, sad news. I mentioned Freedom Call coming to my hometown in that same metalfest entry – their concert date was confirmed and quite soon also cancelled! The whole event where they were supposed to play got cancelled. I'm so very disappointed! :C So long!

Let the record show

♫ Altaria – Ravenwing

Beware, my dear readers, I will shower you with photos I took of Emilie Autumn's show on Friday. I'll let the photos talk about the actual show and what happened in it, and I won't go into set list details or anything. It was nice to have a better camera on a gig for once, though it was still difficult to take photos; I had to raise my hands up high quite often; thus, the strange cropping in most photos. That's not exactly the right position for a photographer and works particularly badly in darkness. My arms were still bloody sore after the workout, which probably added to the trembling and resulted in many blurry photos after all. But still better than what my compact camera or cell phone would have managed!

I'm quite a cynical EA fan, I'm afraid – or at least a friend said so, and I'm not sure what to say about the concert... Oh well. I think Emilie is a true musical and lyrical genius. However, I cannot swallow the whole concept of what Emilie Autumn represents, and what being a wayward Victorian girl really is all about. But I cannot deny it; she's made quite a successful product of herself.

I saw her and the Bloody Crumpets live in 2009, and I must say... Friday's show was pretty much a déjà vu. Of course it wasn't identical; she had new songs to perform after all, but most of the elements that contributed to the visual part of the show were something I really had seen before. A huge illuminated canvas, a Venetian beak, a wheelchair, tea spitting, Rat Game... Trademarks or worn patterns? I think she's fallen into a rut. Especially with her mind-blowing release pace, she really hadn't renewed the show enough. I know the line between trademarks and, well, let's say those worn patterns is very fine. I also understand very well that her fans are looking forward to certain things – such as the infamous Rat Game – and it's fine, it's fun. However, trademarks can be incorporated into the show in new and creative ways. I mean, come on – three years since the last show, and I felt like I had already seen it.

I'm not saying I didn't like it. It was entertaining, and I liked hearing her new songs although I generally prefer hearing familiar songs played live. However, I didn't get to see anything new, and considering how big part of her show is based on visual aesthetics, I do think it's a pity. This is something I would be preaching to our clients (as I'm working in an advertising agency) – if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.

But I will leave that issue for now. Onto the photos, with a bit of my club outfit at the very end! Enjoy. All photos are naturally © yours truly.

Captain Maggot came crowd-surfing at one point. I would have liked to take photos only, but I actually had to participate as otherwise I would have got a pirate boot in my face. :|

"Ratty ratty..."

The Rat Game

"Is it the hair?"

My outfit bonus: I had trouble deciding what to wear. I thought Emilie's concert would be about the best opportunity for me to put on the freakiest pieces of my wardrobe – I had been planning something like this ever since I heard of the concert last year. I had thought I could wear something light and nice, it would be April after all! However, the extreme late frost ruined my plans. I still considered putting on some hotpants, but in the end I didn't; the first pair I considered turned out to have approximately six holes in the crotch while the other pair just made me feel too... indecent. Seriously, I wouldn't have thought I could feel like that about pants. I considered stripey black and white thighs, I considered mismatched socks... And eventually got a feeling I've grown out of all that stuff. :/ And thus, I ended up with this;

The outfit is pretty much the definition of "lazy". Or "comfortable". I opted for my dearest pinstripe corset – because it is comfortable while my other corsets can truly hurt. I opted for such shoes which don't have the highest heels – just because the club was at the opposite end of the city center and I knew the roads would be slippery, and it'd be the most amusing way back home at night wearing something else. And I would have liked to try doing something nice to my hair, such as Victory rolls, but uh-oh... Too sore arms, couldn't have held them up long enough to complete a complicated hairdo. (And they hurt like hell still.)

So long!

P.S: That club is the worst concert venue I know, seriously. I've always hated it. The architecture is horrible, there are huge pillars very close to the stage and although we were standing pretty much in the middle, we couldn't see everything! The pillars are actually blocking most people's view in most directions. D'oh. They might not be so troublesome in the first row, but everywhere else, yeah. And I've seen quite many bands live there. Even Emilie made fun of this feature, introducing one pole close to the stage after introducing the Bloody Crumpets.

Make a fire of the storm

♫ SpellBlast – History of a Siege: Slaughter

What a night, oh my, oh my. This post will be roughly 10% about style and the rest... music. Metal. Let's begin with the style part though.

Last night we went to an event called NKM Metalfest, a club happening in the city center. Surprisingly, I actually have photos of what I wore to the club! This is quite something since I'm usually too much in a hurry to take photos of my club outfits.

I don't think my desire to do "fancy" photoshopping destroyed all the details in the photos. Basically, I had a small tube top with studs positioned in the shapes of crosses over breasts, a pinstripe waist corset, a short skirt with a wide hem, home-made ripped tights, high-heeled boots and long armwarmers. And a Kreepsville necklace. I also had a simple, small black bag – naturally, though it turned out to be too small indeed, especially after I had purchased two CDs and someone else three, and they all had to be stuffed into my bag for the rest of the evening...

Sometimes I feel I stand out from average metal concert goers though. And I'm talking about women, it would be natural to stand out from male metalheads. In a way I might feel overdressed – something which never happens in a goth club since I'm far from being as imaginative as the most stylish goth chicks. However, I do want to have the fun of dressing up whenever I'm going out.

Onto the music part now! There were four bands altogether; Crow's Flight, Cardiant, Force Majeure and Dreamtale. I had listened to all the others except for Cardiant, but I was very interested in them as well as we're hailing from the same hoods and I've actually listened to some of their members' earlier music projects. All the bands represented power metal more or less, with elements from other genres as well; heavy, electro... That sort of.

I have crappy photos again since I deliberately used only my phone as the concert camera this time. I knew it would turn out like this, but I wouldn't have wanted to carry my SLR camera. In a way that's a pity; I would have got to take awesome photos in the front row.

Crow's Flight – an interesting Finnish–Swiss act. I was almost the only person who dared to go even remotely near the stage though, which is a pity. I really enjoyed their show, with all my favorite songs from their own album and Shot in the Dark and some Rammstein cover songs.

My favorite song might be Heroes Dying Alone, though it's probably also their #1 hit. Crow's Flight and Gabriel are also close to my heart! I had been listening to them on Spotify (which I recommend others to do too) but I wanted to buy their album The Calm Before, just to support them. Besides, the guys were nice, and offered to give me their autographs (yet some of them had left the club by the time this happened). But had fun chatting.

Crow's Flight – Heroes Dying Alone

The next band was Cardiant (this time the banner on the wall is correct too). As I said, I hadn't heard their material before. It was enjoyable, but didn't blow my mind. I cannot recommend any song for you to listen to, because I cannot remember any by name.

Force Majeure – I think the event host described them as "disco metal", basically they're power metal with some electronic elements. A very good show, the vocalist is talented and an energetic performer. The bassist was radiating energy and delight as well.

I guess I rocked most to this song: Ecstasy

And last but not least, Dreamtale. Very enjoyable power metal again. I can admit that I'm mostly familiar with their album Difference (which is quite old already, and with Jarkko Ahola as the vocalist), but I bought their newest album, Epsilon, at the club. Their show was awesome as well although most of their songs were only vaguely familiar to me, and they probably only played Lost Souls from Difference. (I would have sacrificed something important in order to hear Secret Door. It's my favorite, though somewhat vulgar. Anyway, the melody is bloody catchy!) However, I got to hear Angel of Light and Firestorm, had to watch out for the vocalist's hands so that they wouldn't hit my face and had a great time.

Dreamtale – Angel of Light

Dreamtale – Secret Door

The event host also evoked some excited fangirl screams from me by announcing that SpellBlast and Freedom Call would come to perform in my hometown! The former probably in May and the latter in June. Oh my, cannot wait, especially for Freedom Call! Looking forward to some confirmed information though. So long, hopefully you guys have enjoyed your weekend thus far as well!

P.S: If you've got nothing better to do this weekend, hurry and go grab yourself a free copy of the eBook The New Death and Others which I reviewed some time ago. And even if you weren't bored, hurry, you can save it for a better moment! :D Don't miss the chance!