Post-Europe 2013

There have been many developments in my life since my last blog. It has been several months of inactivity on here due to not having time to be able to publish anything, but now due to some changes I am allowed more time to focus on my blog.

I will start off by covering my incredible, and memorable, trip to Europe last year throughout August.

This was the second time I had traveled to Europe and while it was always going to be hard to top the 2012 trip I believe it may have done just that. There were many lows, and much more highs, but that comes with every holiday as you need to take the good with the bad.

Arriving into Vienna, which for the record is a terrible city, I spent one night there before catching a train to Ljubljana, Slovenia to attend the amazing Metal Days festival, formerly known as Metal Camp, in Tolmin.

This was the first year the festival was operating under it's new moniker and since I had never attended Metal Camp I cannot inform you on any changes that may have occurred, however I can vouch for it being one of the best, if not the best, festivals I have ever had the pleasure of attending. Not only was the line up full of some highly talented bands but the location is absolutely perfect, situated in a valley right next to a beautiful, and very refreshing, lake which proved to be the perfect spot to cool down and have a swim on the scorching hot days that followed my arrival.

The main bands I was eager to see at this festival were Hypocrisy, Wintersun, Solstafir, In Flames, Soilwork, Ensiferum, Primordial and Mayhem. All of these bands, with the exception of Mayhem, put on amazing shows. Mayhem were very disappointing and I left midway through their set.

However these were not the only bands I managed to see live, in between the beers, chatting with awesome people and swimming. There were quite a few bands I had never heard of, never got around to listening to before or never seen live, including Unleashed, Dying Fetus, Alestorm, Graveworm, Mystery (from Melbourne, Australia!) and Lock Up. It was a good chance to discover some new music and finally see a few bands I had never managed to see before.

The biggest highlight of the week was easily finally seeing one my favourite bands live; Hypocrisy! I was ecstatic when I saw they were on the line up, especially after their Australian tour for January 2013 was unfortunately cancelled.

Following Metal Days, I spent a few days in Ljubljana which is where the low point of my holiday occurred as this city was not only incredibly boring, but I ended up being very sick the day I arrived due to a mixture of lack of food, water and intense heat. And to make matters worse I received a text message that my dad's dog had died (which I loved very much and treated like my own).

After this I spent a few days back in Vienna, which was another low point in my holiday. I have no intention to ever return to Vienna as it's another incredibly boring, and overrated, city. Salzburg may be the go next time I visit Austria. But I did manage to find a decent metal bar not far from my hostel which was nice and provided a good night of beer and entertainment with a mate.

Then it was off to Czech Republic for some more drunken antics in Prague prior to Brutal Assault festival in Jaromer.

I ensured that this year I had a few days prior to Brutal Assault to spend in Prague as last year I was only there for one day and saw very little of the city. I cannot begin to describe the amazing times I spent in this city with amazing people. The cheap beer and food, the amazing sites, the bars and restaurants and most of all the gorgeous women!

Before heading off to Brutal Assault we, mates and I, made a stop at Sedlec Ossuary, a small Roman Catholic chapel who's interior has been decorated with human bones. Albeit being small it was still amazing.

Anyway, onto Brutal Assault. This was an incredible festival. Another one of the best I have attended and would go back for many years to come. The line up was amazing, although not quite as good as the previous year, which be very hard to top.

The only problem I have with this festival is the annoying coupon system they have in place which requires patrons to line up and purchase coupons before they can buy food or beer anywhere in the festival grounds.

As for the bands, it was awesome seeing Behemoth, Opeth, In Flames, Alcest, Ensiferum, Ihsahn, Leprous, Novembers Doom, Saturnus, Meshuggah, In Vain, Orphaned Land and Sylosis. Many of those bands for the very first time. And staying in a hotel as opposed to camping was probably a very wise move as well, although the bus system where you need to book a ticket for a certain departure time was frustrating, especially with buses not running as regularly as they could have been.

Behemoth and Alcest were the two highlights of another incredible festival.

Following the conclusion of Brutal Assault I headed off to Cesky Krumlov, well known for being the location for the Hostel films. However it was nothing like the films, as this small town was one of the best places I have ever been to. Not only was the castle incredible, which I spent 5 hours at on the first day, but the restaurants were amazing and cheap as was the beer. I had lunch at one medieval style tavern that cooked it's meats over an open fire. So you can order your meal and then watch it cooked before your eyes. And what made this place the best restaurant I have ever been to was that it only costed me roughly $20AUD for a pint, an entree (a trencher with garlic soup), a main course and tip. Talk about nabbing a bargain! I will definitely be returning in 2016!

Following my departure it was closing in on the end of my holiday, but not before the prestigious festival known as Summer Breeze situated in Dinkelsbuhl in Germany.

It was another 3 long days of beer, festival food and bands as I saw Lamb of God, Tristania, Whitechapel, Enslaved, Ensiferum, Soilwork, Primordial, Cult of Luna, Long Distance Calling, Solstafir and Rotten Sound, who all put on very impressive performances, albeit a few hiccups, but still memorable nonetheless.

The highlight for me at this festival would have to be Solstafir as I am becoming a big fan of their unique style which differs from anything I have heard before, which these days is rare in the metal scene. But honorable mentions to Lamb of God and Tristania, in particular the latter who I had never seen before.

Following the conclusion of Summer Breeze it was time to head off to Munich was some mates for a couple of days before flying back home and to reality.

Upon arriving into Munich I checked into my hostel, caught up for some beers and the following day headed off to Dachau, a former Nazi concentration camp which is now open to the public.

This was one of the most full on and eye opening experiences of my life. Walking through and reading the history along with hearing former inmates recount their time here was both heart wrenching and sickening. The conditions were inhumane and brutal and the treatment just as bad if not worse. And the worst came when I came upon the gas chamber which had been disguised to appear as a shower so as not to cause any confrontation from inmates when brought here. They would be informed they were going to have a shower, they would remove their clothes and step into the chamber, and once the doors had been sealed and locked, they would be executed from poisonous gas emitted from the ceiling. This raised my hatred to an all new level for Nazis.

After this it was time for a more relaxing and positive tone, as it was my final night in Europe before flying home. This was spent in the city of Munich drinking copious amounts of beer with a mixed group of people from different countries; Australia, America, Germany and Japan. It is a night I will remember for many years to come. From drinking a litre of beer in Hofbrauhaus to being nagged by strippers whilst consuming a ridiculously over priced, but delicious, beer in a strip club.

My time in Europe last year is definitely a period of my life that I will be very proud of, especially taking into consideration I originally had no intention of returning to Europe in 2013. It's times like this that we need to have in our lives, a break from the everyday grind that allows us to unwind, let loose and enjoy the finer things life has to offer. Travelling the world is one of the most exciting, memorable and rewarding things you can do and everyone should do it as much as they can, not only for the memorable nights but also for the culture as well. I met many awesome people from all over the globe (Uruguay, Norway, Finland, Germany, America, Israel, Switzerland, Canada, Japan) and made some awesome new friends that I hope to share many a beer with in the future.

EUROPE!

Round 2 begins!

After much deliberation and discussion with mates who are making the trek over to Europe this year I decided a couple of months ago to make the trip as well. And why not? Beautiful European summer, metal festivals, cheap beer and no work! Not to mention I will finally be seeing some of my favourite bands, Hypocrisy in particular!




















Many of you will know that I was ecstatic when Hypocrisy announced their first ever Australian tour and to show how excited I was I bought tickets for the whole East Coast - Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Then, due to incompetence and unprofessionalism, the tour was cancelled because the promoter failed to book flights and working visas for the band. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Lucky I hadn't booked flights and accommodation as I had heard rumours it may be cancelled. But alas, I will now be making the long trek across the globe to finally witness Hypocrisy's mighty live show in Slovenia, at Metal Days (formerly known as Metal Camp). Other bands on the line up include Ihsahn, In Flames, Enslaved, Wintersun, Meshuggah, Solstafir and many others, not to mention it goes for an entire week! A whole week of cheap beer, festival food and heavy metal. This is going to get messy!

Then it's off for some sight-seeing in Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana, then off to Vienna, Austria for a few days before heading further north to Prague in Czech Republic. Last year this was a city I saw very little of due to time constraints but this year I refuse to make the same mistake. I have made sure I will be arriving a few days prior to the commencement of Brutal Assault Open Air to allow me to have enough time to explore the city and it's surroundings including venturing out to Kutná Hora to marvel at the wonder that is the Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel with it's interior decorated with human bones!







After exploring Prague and it's beauties it will be time to venture out to the remote parts of Czech Republic for yet another metal festival known as Brutal Assault! I attended this festival last year and it was possibly the best festival I have ever been to! The line up was amazing, the atmosphere memorable, the beers cheap, the food delicious and the fact there was only 3 stages meant very minimal clashes! The only downside was standing in line for 6 hours to receive the wristband that would get me into the festival ground. But the promoter has promised that such a debacle would not occur this year as systems had been put in place to increase the flow of patrons and reduce waiting times. I can only hope this is true!

I am not entirely sure what will be happening after Brutal Assault but I remember a mate of mine saying something about a road trip through Germany, so if this is the case then it will no doubt be a unique and different way to see a stunning country as opposed to the usual cliche tourist methods through coaches, mini buses, etc.

Then off to Summer Breeze on August 14, for the second time, and after that proceeding to wrap up my holiday in Munich from August 18 to August 20 before I fly home! I will have plenty of photos and no doubt another and more lengthy blog following the conclusion of what is promising to be another amazing and memorable holiday in Europe!

Now I must be off to pack before flying out tonight!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Creating a better world for all

It amazes me how it is quite simple to create a better world for everyone but Governments across the globe and the UN alike all refuse to take any steps towards this common goal. It makes me wonder that maybe they are too ignorant to know what to do or they just refuse to notice. Either way, this has made me decide to write up what I believe is a few simple steps, controversial or not, that would make this world a better place to live for everyone.

1. Ban all religions worldwide; The truth is that religion is the root of all evil. Look at the war in the Middle East, the constant fighting between Israel and Palestine, the pedophilia occurring within the Roman Catholic Church, just to name a few. If there was no such thing as religion of any sort then none of this would be happening and people would be able to go about their lives in a more peaceful environment than they do today.





2. Rid the world of nuclear weapons; Russia and the US make up roughly 95% of the world's nuclear weapons and as long as they remain in existence there will always be the possibility of a worldwide nuclear war and the complete eradication of the human race. The fact that so many people don't seem to give this topic the attention it deserves is disturbing to say the least. It's time for the UN and all nation's with nuclear weapons, not just Russia and the US, to act and put an end to this.

3. End the war in the Middle East; the war on terror has been a facade and a lie since the beginning. The fact that the Bush administration used 9/11 as an excuse to illegally invade third world countries under false pretenses with the sole purpose of harvesting it's oil supplies by creating a "war on terror" should be worthy of war crimes and have those responsible stand trial. But alas, that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon as Obama said on January 11, 2009 that "we need to look forward as opposed to looking backward". He admitted that he believes no one is above the law prior to that comment, but then following it up straight away about looking forward and not backward shows that the Bush administration will get away with all of the heinous crimes it committed during it's time in office.

Whilst on the topic of the "war on terror" it's worth mentioning that the death toll has risen since the invasion by America and it's allies and that no doubt there wouldn't be as many deaths to civilians had America never stuck it's nose where it's not wanted. In May of this year, a Muslim brutally murdered a British soldier and openly claimed that it was an act of revenge to the atrocities that the UK, through supporting it's ally in America, is partially responsible for in his home country. More evidence that had the "war on terror" never begun then there would not be so much bloodshed.

For even the slightest bit of closure to the families and friends of the innocents that have perished at the hands of the largest terrorist organisation known to man (the US Government), George W. Bush and Dick Cheney must stand trial for war crimes. It's time to stop avoiding the situation and have it resolved.

4. End the relentless attack on Wikileaks, it's whistleblowers and everyone associated with it; Julian Assange, Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden (along with many others I'm sure) have had their rights violated by the US Government for nothing short of revealing war crimes, violations of human rights and creating Government transparency to the general public that those in power refuse to reveal themselves. Then when the truth comes out they hide behind the 'treason, espionage, aiding the enemy' curtain.

For those unaware and living under a rock, Bradley Manning is responsible for what is the biggest leaking of intelligence files in US history with the leaking of the video now known as Collateral Murder. See for yourself why Bradley Manning risked his freedom and life in prison. This man is a hero and should not be relentlessly pursued by a US court-martial but rather be recognised and rewarded for the war crimes he has revealed to the world.


There are many other requirements to create a better world for everyone but today I have outlined the most critical. I hope this gives you some food for thought and encourages you to speak up to your local councils, State Governments, Prime Minsters, Presidents, etc. It's time for change.

Edward Snowden - Who is The Real Enemy?

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, minions and dwellers of the night,

This is my first ever blog, and I want to start off by saying I do not plan on pulling punches with these thoughts that flow from my mind and fingertips onto the keyboard. Freedom of thought is something that should never be oppressed or disallowed and self expression should always, and never cease to be, considered an art that should be appreciated by all worldwide.

With that out of the way, let us begin.

A topic that has been crossing through my mind for quite a prolonged period of time is that of Edward Snowden, and by association Wikileaks and Julian Assange. These are people who make enormous sacrifices for the good of not only the general public of their country but the world as a whole.

 

I'm sure by now everyone knows who this man is. Edward Snowden. The man responsible for the public knowledge of PRISM and the US Government through the NSA (National Security Agency) spying on internet user's through social networking, emails, Skype, Youtube and even something as simple as a Google search, and that they have been using Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Apple, Facebook, Skype and Youtube to collect the data.

All of this has been going on since 2007. For six years the US Government has been spying on the world online. And the worst part is is that it is completely legal under US law.

So I ask, is Edward Snowden, the whistleblower behind possibly the biggest intelligence leak in US history, a hero or a villain? Should he continue to be hunted so tirelessly across the globe by US authorities for acts such as "treason" that could have him serve life in prison? Or should he be given the praise and gratitude that he deserves?

President Obama addressed the world by saying that he would not allow any diplomatic "wheeling and dealing" over Edward Snowden's case however shortly after this he has ordered the Vice President to pressure leaders of nations across the globe to deny Edward of his basic right, a right that belongs to everybody, which is to seek asylum. The Obama administration has no judicial order to do this and they have even gone as far as revoking Edward's passport leaving him a stateless individual. Not only that but there is no international warrant for his arrest and he hasn't been convicted of any crime!

So not only does this prove President Obama has lied but also that he cannot be trusted. He has obviously been aware of the PRISM surveillance since taking office and has done nothing to put an end to it, therefore supporting it and lying to the world by keeping the wool over their eyes. But now that wool has been taken away by a 41 year old ex-CIA operative who gave up a gorgeous girlfriend, a $200K a year job in Hawaii and his liberty all for the sake of the truth. This is a man who deserves every bit of respect the world can give him and then some. This is a man not afraid to sacrifice it all for the greater good, a trait so rare these days. So to this man I say thank you, and I hope many others do too.

I now ask, who is the real enemy? For a prolonged period of time I have had disgust towards America and it's Government. And this is another example as to why I continue to despise such a deceiving, lying and betraying Government that cannot be trusted. A Government that is happy to lie to it's people. It's time the general public and the world, as one, stood up for what was right and demanded a constitutional Government the American people were promised.

President Obama is becoming the enemy of not only the American people, but the world.