Supernatural Season 9 Review

Supernatural Season 9

Although the finale premiered several months ago, I only recently got around to watching all of Supernatural’s ninth season. Supernatural is sort of a guilty pleasure of mine. Yes, I have seen every episode, and intend to watch Season 10 as well. However, I feel conflicted about Supernatural. The first couple of seasons of the show were distinguishable and interesting. But after the fifth season, everything started to blur together. There were times when Supernatural tried to mix things up (like in Season 7 with those ridiculous Leviathans) but nothing never really stuck.

Thus, Supernatural stayed on the “Angels vs. Demons” conflict. Still, I am constantly encouraged to continue following the show. Maybe it’s because I don’t want the hours I’ve put into watching all 195 episodes to be for nothing. Maybe it’s because I still have hope that the show will revert back to the classic “saving people; hunting things” routine. Regardless, here are my thoughts on the latest season of Supernatural. If you haven’t seen up to this point, read at your own risk; there will almost certainly be SPOILERS ahead.

Plot

After the events of Season 8, all the angels have fallen out of heaven and have lost their wings. Also, Sam was put in a comatose state and is on the verge of death. Again. Dean is very upset about his brother’s state of life, despite the fact that both the Winchester boys have potentially died and been resurrected hundreds of times without even knowing it.

But I digress.

Dean asks a very firmly spoken angel named Ezekiel to heal Sam by merging with him and repair him for the inside. Except Ezekiel isn’t really Ezekiel because Ezekiel died in “the fall.” He is actually a criminal angel named Gadreel. Gadreel is supposedly the angel that let Sin into the garden and destroyed God’s plan for the human race forever. But whatevs.

I could probably fill an encyclopedia with the events that unfold after the premiere, but for your benefit and mine, I will just list the most important events.. In bullet format!

• Sam is healed
• Kevin finally dies (killed by Ezekiel/Sam)
• Crowley and Abaddon fight for control of hell
• Metatron starts to build an army
• Castiel is a hobo
• Dean turns into a dog
• Dean gets the mark of Cain
• Dean gets the “first blade,” the only thing that can kill Abaddon and, conveniently, Metatron
• Dean becomes bloodthirsty
• Castiel starts a cult
• Metatron becomes god
• Dean kills Abaddon
• Dean tries to kill Metatron but gets his ass kicked
• Metatron is no longer god and is locked up in jail
• Dean kind of dies
• Sam cries
• Dean is now a demon for some reason

Congratulations! You have just read the basic plot synopsis of Season 9 of Supernatural. I think I have included the most important events that happened, but I still feel like I’m forgetting something. That’s because Supernatural is a incredibly over-complex show. *Sigh* I suppose it can’t be helped. If you think I forgot something that deserves to be mentioned, let me know in the comments below.

As the last bullet mentions, Dean turned into a demon in the last 5 seconds of the season finale. This makes me happy. Dean’s transformation means that there will finally be a new villain next season. It’s about time.

Acting/Dialogue

The acting and dialogue in Season 9 follows the classic Supernatural pattern. That is to say: it’s bad. Call it whatever you want. Cheesy, unoriginal, forced; bad pretty much sums it up. Still, the awkwardness of the acting and language gives the show a sort of charming quality. Still bad, just not unbearably bad.

SFX/Action

Makeup and special effects in Supernatural are surprisingly high budget. Blood effects also look good but costumes occasionally stray into the cheaper side.

The fight scenes and gunfights are well choreographed and fun to watch.

Conclusion

Before we get to the score for this season, it’s award time.

Best Performance: Curtis Armstrong (Metatron)

Best Episode: Bloodlines

Nine seasons is a lot for any show. Even though Supernatural has run for what seems like an eternity, when Wayward Son by Kansas played during the season finale, I found myself being hit by a wave of nostalgia that I have for the series. I give Season 9 of Supernatural an 8/10 for an attempt to stray from the established pattern and for getting me excited for Season 10.  

The Winchester brothers have grown into quite the master hunters, and I am excited to see what happens next.

Adelitas Way - Stuck Album Review

Stuck by Adelitas Way Review

This review will be my first album review for Empirical Reviews and it will be a little different than usual. Instead of just summarizing the album, I will go song by song as I am listening to them and give you my thoughts. The catch: I only have enough time as each song allows to write the description.

Ready? Set? Go.

Dog on a Leash

The first single of the album, Dog on a Leash is the fastest and loudest song on the album. It starts will a slow classic rock feel and speeds up into a loud and angry headbanger. Rick DeJesus (vocals) does some small scale screams and chilling whispers during the chorus. The song is very catchy.

Save the World

The drums (Trevor Stafford) and bass (Andrew Cushing) really carry this song during each verse. The chorus reaches odd heights and we get our first view of DeJesus’ range. The song has a good message and is fun to tap your foot to.

Different Kind of Animal

The transition into the chorus is especially good in this song. The song doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the name. DeJesus really show his range. He goes higher than I thought he could. This track kind of reminds me of Daughtry’s style. I find the chorus particularly memorable.

Stuck

This is the second single of the album. It has an acoustic feel in the beginning. It is a bit repetitive, but still good. The verses are slow, but the chorus picks it up a bit. Overall, it has a more classic rock feel.

Keep Me Waiting

One of the faster tracks, Keep Me Waiting isn’t very unique. There is a strange contrast in vocals because DeJesus sometimes switches to an abnormally high pitch. Neverless, the bass part is good, and it is a good song to rock out to.

Undivided

This song includes a piano part. There are also some electronic songs throughout the track, but nothing that will make a difference if they play it live. There is also an actual acoustic guitar part. Undivided is one of the slowest and most touching tracks on the entire album. I suppose you could call it a love song of sorts.

Drive

Drive is the third and final single of Stuck. This song is also slow, with a surprising high pitched chorus. The drum and bass parts are great once again. It has a very peaceful feel. A sense of tranquility, which is odd since some of the lyrics contradict that feeling.

Not Thinking About Me

This song starts off slow but really picks up during the chorus. It is probably the second fastest song overall. DeJesus’ raspy voice really shows in some parts of this song.

Blur

The bass part is noteworthy during the first verse. It stands out. The sound of this track reminds me of some of Adelitas Way’s earlier songs. It is mildly fast and a bit heavier than most of the other songs on the album. Oh, and it’s about a girl.

Something Else

Something Else is the one the more odd songs on the album. It starts with a violin (or viola) part as well as a piano in the background. It’s another love song, but I like it more than Undivided. DeJesus once again shows his impressive range. Overall, Something Else is a new sound for Adelitas Way and is probably my favorite track on the album.

We Came

We Came is the final song on the album. Obviously, Adelitas Way wanted to finish big. We Came is almost as heavy as Dog on a Leash, but not as fast. Still, the track is a good ending to this excellent album.

Conclusion

In Stuck (referencing the album, not the song), Adelitas Way departs from their usual sound in exchange for a more classic-southern rock feel. Now let’s give out some awards.

Award for Best Single: Dog on a Leash

Award for Best Heavy Song: Dog on a Leash

Award for Best Slow Song: Drive

Award for Best Overall Track: Something Else

I really like the way Adelitas Way is going, and with Rick DeJesus’ impressive and diverse vocal leading the band into the future, I’m positive we’ll hear more great content from them soon. I give Stuck an 8.5/10.

Enjoy the review? Have any advice? Let me know in the comments below.

7 Things Red Dead Redemption Does Better Than GTA V

I recently bought Red Dead Redemption played it for the first time ever. I realized that I now have the rare experience of playing GTA V before Red Dead. This has provided me with a unique insight about both games’ mechanics. So, instead of a normal review, I present you with:

7 Things Red Dead Redemption Does Better Than GTA V

1. Weather Effects

Sure, sure, the rain effects in GTA V are pretty. When it rains, the roads glisten in the light. Also, characters’ clothes get wet and stay that way until a little after it stops raining. I think roads may become more difficult to drive on during bad weather, but none of this compares to when a storm rolls in when playing Red Dead Redemption.

Dark clouds fill the sky and thunder crashes while you ride across the country on your horse (or mule). Rain makes the dirt damp, and puddles will form in the irregularities of roads. If you’re lucky, you may even see lightning flash in the distance. All this makes for a cool and unique gameplay experience.

2. Free Roam

Both Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption feature expansive open worlds to explore. GTA V’s world is definitely fun to drive around in, but the city and countryside seems really compacted. For me, riding for miles across a intentionally empty desert landscape is much more preferable. One can truly get lost in Red Dead’s open world, which truly defines the term “free roam.”

3. Side Quests and Random Events

Occasionally (by which I mean rarely) in GTA, random events will spawn in the map. The thing is, these some of these supposedly “random” events are scripted to occur, and actually impact the story. While this feature is a good idea on paper, it doesn’t give the player much freedom to create their own story outside of the campaign. Even stranger missions (side quests) are sparse and usually not interesting.

Red Dead Redemption perfects side quests and random events. Random events happen way more frequently and with a variety of different scenarios. There are many stranger quests as well, each with their own plot tree (that don’t always end with the player killing the stranger; cough, cough GTA).

4. Shooting

Auto-lock is a common mechanic in all Rockstar games. In Grand Theft Auto V, auto-lock makes shooting stupidly unchallenging. While you technically can turn this feature off, it then makes shooting practically impossible.

Red Dead’s auto-lock system is a bit different. Instead of targeting an enemy on the other side of the screen (as it is in GTA V), the player must aim relatively close to the enemy in order to lock on to him/her. Simply put, it’s better this way. Besides, auto-lock fits the tone of Red Dead better, since John Marston is supposed to be somewhat of a dead-eye.

Note: Red Dead Redemption also has a “Dead-Eye” (bullet time) Mode, which is much better than Michael's special ability in GTA.

5. Hunting

GTA V offers a hunting mini-game to players that want to make a quick buck (Get it? Like the deer?). Basically you go to a specific area where that is populated by wildlife and, well, hunt. After you kill an animal, you take a picture of it with your cellphone and soon after are awarded with cash.

RDR’s hunting system is much more fleshed out. A variety of creatures populate the open world (including a jackalope), all of which/whom can be skinned for resources. These materials can then be sold to shops and are sometimes needed for side-quests. There are also 10 hunting challenges which, upon completion, contribute towards a hidden outfit.

6. Cover System

In Grand Theft Auto V, all the characters tend to stick to cover, making it a bit hard to navigate quickly during a fast paced shootout. John Marston is much less adhesive, and can slide to cover from long distances. Plus, he can crouch! I’m not talking about the sill hunch that the characters do in GTA. John Marston straight up squats right in the middle of battles, so you can avoid enemy fire without getting to cover.

7. Story

GTA’s plot is by far more interesting and exciting than Red Dead’s, but it is so loosely connected and lacking in flow that I sometimes thought, “Why am I doing this again?”

Red Dead on the other hand, has an actual story. You know, with a sense of direction instead of cashing out for complete chaos and fancy explosions? Even though the gameplay during Red Dead Redemption’s single player is very repetitive, I found the story that was being told more enthralling than GTA V’s.

Conclusion

If you came to this review looking for a score, here it is: I give Red Dead Redemption an 8.5/10.

Note: I’m gave GTA V a higher score than Red Dead Redemption because of its gameplay versatility and general fun factor.