01
teFowjn
Arts
&
Entertainment
&
(Clawfinger:
Sate
Yourself
with
Sty
I
3
VI
va
CD
Review
n
by
Andrew
Steele
When
I
first
ripped
open
e
Nuclear
Blast
envelope
id
puilea
out
uawnngers
3
:Q
test
release,
Hate
Yourself
!itn
style,
l
naturany
lurnea
rer
the
CD
sleeve
and
lecked
out
the
song
list.
'0
song
titles
immediately
ped
off
the
cover
at
me;
le
Faggot
In
You,
and
Right
Rape.The
CD
was
well
on
way
ta
the
trashcan,
but
kily
I
decided
to
read
the
ind
bio
which
accompanied
disc,
mostly
out
of
morbid
inosity.
Turns
out
that
these
les
are
about
as
sarcastic
Brian
praising
Peter's
elligence
on
Family
Guy.
Clawfmger
are
a
highly
socially
conscious
group
of
alternative
metal
junkies
from
Sweden.
Incorporating
many
of
the
elements
"that
made
Nu-Metal
titans
such
as
Korn
and
Limp
Bizkit
so
successful
in
the
late
nineties,
straight
up
metal
reminiscent
of
As
I
Lay
Dying,
Punk
Rock
elements
derived
from
such
influences
as
The
Sex
Pistols
and
The
Sub-Humans,
and
big,
evil
riffs
which
bring
to
mind
early
Soulfly
records,
this
is
a
diverse
offering
indeed.
And
by
coupling
this
daring
musical
concoction
with
scathing,
intelligent
lyrics
about
such
crucial
issues
as
sexism,
racism,
and
homophobia,
Clawfinger
deliver
the
goods
on
this,
their
seventh
album.
Clawfinger
display
their
lew
Pages:
t
Book
Review
by
Michael
Brisbois
'
Reader
sj
Adviser,,
v
Prince
George
Public
Library
jw
--s
i
-
m.
tf
mmmmw'x-
Back
in
2000,
author
George
R.
R.
Martin
asked
for
his
reader's
patience.
The
first
book
of
A
Song
of
Ice
and
Fire
was
only
four
years
old
and
its
sequels
were
released
in
back
Es
if
Mil
iSF
tSb
v
aHRpV
4F'HiH
L
amwW&
"V'j"""
'j
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rmM-
y
"
&-&-'
"9"
r
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-
'wfH
musical
prowess
throughout
Hate
Yourself,
with
styles
ranging
from
hip
hop
to
blistering
European
speed
metal.
Vocalist
Zak
Tell
is
more
than
competent
in
his
delivery,
though
he
could
possibly
benefit
from
a
dose
of
melody,
or
a
more
aggressive
scream
at
the
other
end
of
the
spectrum.
Keyboardist
Jocke
Skog
adds
flourishes
throughout,
but
does
so
in
a
nuanced,
understated
way
which
never
threatens
to
overshadow
the
bands
sonic
attack.
And
Guitarist
Bard
Torstensen,
Bassist
Andre
Skaug,
and
Drummer
Henka
Johansson
are
definitely
holding
down
their
end
of
the
bargain,
with
intense
technical
sequences,
paired
with
huge
hooks
that
A
Feast
for
Crows
to
back
years
('99
and
'00),
but
the
next
book
would
take
two
years.
This
was
a
reasonable
request,
but
still
hard
to
take.
Martin's
series
is,
without
any
doubt,
one
of
the
finest
pieces
of
genre
anywhere,
anytime.
As
a
work
of
low
magic,
high
history
fantasy
it
thrills,
as
a
political
novel,
it
excels,
and
as
a
series
of
character
studies,
well,
let's
just
say
masterclass
fits
Martin's
success
best.
The
rub
is
that
in
2002,
no
book
appeared.
Ditto
2003.
And
2004.
In
2005
Martin
finally
relented
and
published
a
book.
Not
THE
book,
more
like
half
of
it
(if
just
shy
of
700
pages
is
half
of
anything).
The
other
half,
we're
promised,
will
be
along
next
year
(and
he
better
be
finishing
it
up
right
now).
A
Feast
for
Crows,
a
title
reminding
us
that
the
realm
of
Westeros
is
left
shattered
after
the
War
of
the
Five
Kings,
was
released
to
great
fanfare
and
celebration.
Was
it
worth
the
wait?
Yes
and
no.
Martin
is
very
committed
to
his
characters
and
rather
than
split
the
whole
narrative
in
half
(using
to
be
continued...),
he
split
the
characters
in
half.
The
book
centres
on
the
royal
seat
of
power,
King's
Landing,
and
the
fall
out
of
the
regicide
of
boy
King
Joffrey
and
the
patricide
of
the
most
powerful
man
in
the
realm,
Tywin
Lannister,
with
Ik
ahdnrif
"
'
dH
Hk
.,
ml
E&x"-
-
-WJk
..
.
'MB
-
J
stick
in
your
brain
like
gum
on
the
bottom
of
your
shoe.
But
by
far
the
most
important
part
of
this
record
is
its
social
content.
Clawfinger
display
a
significant
amount
of
courage
in
their
stances,
as
progressive
social
commentary
is
not
always
the
most
sought
after
trait
in
the
underground
metal
scene,
the
characters
dealing
with
the
social
and
political
aftermath
of
medieval
warfare.
Dominated
by
a
variety
of
female
characters,
Feast
shows
Martin
has
grown
in
his
ability
to
render
female
characters.
We
see
Queen
Regent
Cersei
as
a
proto-feminist
trying
to
be
a
ruler
in
a
man's
world,
warrior-maid
Brienne
trying
to
be
a
knight
in
a
man's
world,
and
Sansa
and
Ayra
Stark
sublimating
their
own
personalities
in
two
different
forms
of
brainwashing,
one
political,
the
other
monastic.
A
few
male
voices,
Cersei's
twin
brother
Jaime
and
Samwell
Tarly,
centre
on
the
characters
desire
for
personal
absolution
and
honour
while
facing
their
own
fears
and
desires.
Martin's
book
is
intensely
immersive
and
always
makes
the
reader
read
more,
both
for
the
wonderful
psychological
narratives
of
the
characters
as
well
as
the
horribly
compelling
plot.
A
Song
of
Ice
and
Fire
has
been
dominated
by
gritty
feudal
realism,
with
all
the
medieval
mortality
and
morality
of
characters
that
that
implies
and
this
book
does
not
disappoint.
Cersei's
failures
and
Jamie's
successes
mirror
one
another,
just
as
Sansa
and
Ayra
run
parallel
in
different
continents
and
cultures.
Martin's
book
also
fails
to
truly
fulfill
its
promise
because
which
is
notorious
for
darker
messages
and
profane,
shock
oriented
themes.
And
make
no
mistake,
this
album
is
both
dark
and
shocking,
but
in
a
different
way.
This
is
the
type
of
music
that
the
world
needs
now;
an
unsparing
portrait
of
the
ills
inherent
within
our
contemporary
psyche.
of
what
it
lacks
in
particular
the
cynical,
Machiavellian,
witmeaster
dwarf
Tyrion,
the
soldiers
along
the
wall
and
other
characters
readers
will
have
heavily
invested
themselves
in.
It
also
hints
at
the
whole
picture,
but
without
the
full
number
of
character
perspectives,
we
can't
complete
the
plot.
We'll
all
be
happy
if
the
next
volume
hits
stores
very,
very
soon
(and
now
that
Martin's
done
his
book
tour,
he'd
better
be
writing
247
no
sleep
until
I
get
a
new
book,
George.
No
sleep).
A
Song
of
Ice
and
Fire
is
by
far
the
crowning
achievement
in
fantasy
for
the
90s
and
will
likely
dominate
the
early
2000s
as
well.
Titles
in
this
series
include
A
Game
of
Thrones
(1996),
A
Clash
of
Kings
(1
999),
A
Storm
of
Swords
(2000)
and
A
Feast
for
Crows
(2005).
A
Dance
of
Dragons
should
be
released
late
2006.
Start
reading
now.
And
George
R.
R.
Martin:
get
back
to
your
typewriter.
Reader's
used
to
the
puerile
early-adolescent-
aimed
fantasy
market
will
find
these
books
much
more
mature,
detailed,
and
true-to-life:
moments
of
beauty
and
moments
of
absolute
horror.
Robert
Jordan
is
PG,
maybe
PG-13
sometimes.
Martin
gets
the
R.
Maybe
even
an
NC-17.