Find news, interviews, reviews, photos, video and more from your favorite artists on MSN Music. Terry McMillan and Ron Bass wrote this screenplay based on McMillans semiautobiographical bestselling novel over 2,000,000 copies in print before the release of. El Nio is the debut album from Def Squad. It reached 2 on The Billboard 200. The CD was released as a promotional Package including a Survival Of the Illest 3. Pop culture obsessives writing for the pop culture obsessed. Byzantine The Cicada Tree Review. West Virginias Byzantine reside near the top of my go to list for catchy and accessible modern metal jams. The resilient scrappers boast an impressive track record amidst numerous setbacks and an everlasting underdog tag. Groove-Squad-Cover-Band-Perth-Vista-Entertainment_1447997776.jpg' alt='Groove Squad Review' title='Groove Squad Review' />However, the departure of talented lead guitarist Tony Rohrbough prior to 2. Release Is To Resolve album was always going to be a tricky obstacle for the band to overcome. Replacement Brian Henderson held the fort admirably but the album felt like a transitional step for the band, and when craving Byzantine, it hasnt regularly returned to my listening rotation. Byzantines sixth album The Cicada Tree rings in further changes following the departure of long term drummer Matt Wolfe, replaced by the impressive Matt Bowles. Significantly, The Cicada Tree finds the DIY experts on a major label, joining the Metal Blade juggernaut, and embracing their progressive tendencies more than ever before. Hints of their prominent influences, including nods to Pantera,Testament and Meshuggah, are still present, but as usual Byzantine discover innovative ways to transcend their influences into a crackling melting pot of creativity and powerhouse hooks. The Hollywood Reporter is your source for breaking news about Hollywood and entertainment, including movies, TV, reviews and industry blogs. Archives and past articles from the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly. Those readers who have been around TFB for any time know how much I enjoy lever action rifles. That said Ive had the privilege to review my favorite. Emperors New Groove is the type of family film that you do not have to be a child in order to love. The voice cast is fantastically cast, the animation is very. Includes downloads, cheats, reviews, and articles. Stretching their progressive wings doesnt detract too much from the bands bread and butter style of dynamically elastic and livewire technical thrash, math, and groove infused modern metal. The chunky rhythms, riff driven punch, technical flourishes, and earworm hooks remain intact, with cuts like opener New Ways to Bear Witness boasting that signature Byzantine sound, boosted by trademark technical proficiency and frontmanguitarist Chris OJ Ojedas terrifically versatile performance and catchy vocal hooks. Similarly, Vile Maxim injects oodles of crunchy riffage and slick, aggressive instrumentation into a groove laced structure featuring a wonderfully catchy clean vocal melody and killer old school guitar shreddage and harmonies. Tightly packed with similarly memorable riffs and choruses, The Cicada Tree builds a solid case for longer term replay value, particularly when considering its more intricate and progressive aspects where deeper investigation helps unlock the albums subtle nuances. Signature Byzantine tunes buffer the more exploratory progressive and rock based elements to positive effect, while the winding and adventurous prog heavy numbers, including lengthy songs Dead as Autumn Leaves and Verses of Violence, mix airier and reflective passages with harder edged metallic crunch. Although Byzantine has employed prog in measured doses effectively in the past, initially I was on the fence on the success and execution in which they integrated these elements on The Cicada Tree. However, after multiple listens I neednt have worried, the proggier elements only serve to expand their already dynamic musical landscape into increasingly adventurous waters. Not everything runs smoothly however. Map of the Creator takes a while to hit its stride and the progressive light vs heavy structure features a few globs of cheese and clunky moments. And the cover of The Cars Moving in Stereo is both unnecessary and out of place. On his second outing with the band, Henderson, in combination with Ojeda, stamps his style and joint ownership of the Byzantine sound into a quality performance, complete with mind bending leads, mutating chugs, groovy thrash riffs, and hugely expressive, sublime solos. Overall the duel guitar work effectively melds simplicity with complexity, as fluid melodic and progressive flourishes intertwine with plenty of aggressive axe work. The epic Verses of Violence is a resounding triumph of the old and new, a twisting prog piece that never gets bogged down by its nearly nine minute length. Though Ojedas powerful multi faceted vocals take control, however, its the beautiful lead work and terrific dynamics that lends the song its power, especially the ferociously heavy back end. Meanwhile, the excellent title track is moody prog rock bliss with a chorus youll be humming for days. Hopefully a heavyweight label will help Byzantine achieve the credit and recognition theyve long deserved. Listeners exclusively down with the extreme nature of metal will probably be immune to the bands charms, but long term fans and curious onlookers should be pleased with what Byzantine have cooked up here. Despite my initial reservations, Byzantine struck with another urgent, dynamic and consistent offering that retains their signature sound while heaping an extra dose of prog in the mix for good measure. A few minor issues and song sequencing preferences aside, The Cicada Tree signals a triumphant step forward from the last album, with proggy tendrils wrapping themselves more forcefully around the bands crunchy modern metal sound and offering a strong hint of where their future inclinations lay. Rating 3. DR 7 Format Reviewed 2. Label Metal Blade Websites byzantine. Releases Worldwide July 2. West Virginias Byzantine reside near the top of my go to list for catchy and accessible modern metal jams. The resilient scrappers boast an impressive track record amidst numerous setbacks and. Gun Review Henry Repeating Arms Original Henry Rifle. Those readers who have been around TFB for any time know how much I enjoy lever action rifles. That said Ive had the privilege to review my favorite lever action the Original Henry from Henry Repeating Arms. For simplicity sake from this point Ill just refer to the Original Henry with brass receiver as the Henry. Before talking about the Henry I tested let me give you some history behind the rifle and the major contribution it made to the advancement in rifle design upon its release in 1. Working with other well known individuals in the firearms industry of the time Benjamin Tyler Henry was asked to design a rifle to handle the new ammunition coming out at the time as well as increase the rate of fire. In short Mr. Henry settled on the toggle link system first used in the Volcanic handgun. Mr. Henry changed the design a bit to handle the new and more powerful for the time round which became the. Henry rimfire. Of course the Henry receiver was enlarged to handle the new cartridge as well as strengthening the internal parts. When the Henry repeating rifle hit the market in 1. American civil war. The government purchased a few of the rifles for the troops but no where near the numbers to make a difference. Individual northern troops purchased Henry rifles with their own money and went to war. At that time the soldier had at his use a rifle that held 1. FPS. After the southern troops met this rifle in combat they referred to it as the Damn yankee rifle you load on Sunday and shoot all week. In fact one squad of union troops could equal the firepower of an entire company using the standard issue rifle. Once the war was over many of those troops who owned Henry rifles moved west to start settlements. Others purchased the Henry before setting out with their families to settle the western territories and protect their families as well as hunt game to support the families needs. All of the lever actions that came after the Henry owe the Henry credit for their internal workings and at least for the general way a lever action operates. If one looks at an 1. Winchester action they are darn near identical in many ways. The 1. 87. 3 was chambered in several calibers one of which was the brand new 4. The Henry was modified to use this new round which increased its power and all around usefulness. Original Iron Frame. Lets jump forward to the last couple of years and the current Henry Repeating Arms Company. Most of the readers are familiar with the 1. American made line of Henry rifles and the popularity they enjoy. Id always wondered why Henry never made an Original Henry to compliment the extensive line currently offered. Well that changed not long ago and now the shooting public has an identical to the original Henry rifle in 4. You actually have two choices now which is the specially hardened brass as hard as todays steel receiver model and the Iron Framed Original both of which are chambered in 4. Most of you who arent involved in Cowboy shooting or just love lever actions like myself may not know very much about the 4. Let me say it has more power than you might think. Now the current Cowboy loads tend to be rather mild however for those that reload you can safely load a 2. FPS and energy of 1. Out to 1. 50 yards the 4. Henry rifle to take most any game in the US as long as you do your part and make a good shot. The Henry Original I received for testing is just absolutely gorgeous. In fact I consider it just about the best looking lever action rifle there is. With well chosen Missouri Walnut buttstock, brass butt plate, brass receiver and the deep blue octagon barrel finish it really is a work of art. As you can see in some of the photos the Henry has two side plates so you can access the internals. Unless you get very close these plates are so well fitted you cant even see the line between the plate and receiver body. All around the fit and finish is outstanding. I cant say for certain how much hand work went into creating the Original but to get this kind of fit there must be a good deal of it Missouri Walnut Stock. The Henry loads and operates much like the lever action. The rifle is loaded by raising the brass tab in the magazine all the way to the top moving it over a short amount then turn the last few inches of the barrel shroud to the right. This action exposes the opening in the magazine. The shooter then drops each round base first in the magazine until the magazine is full which takes 1. The barrel shroud is then moved over to line up with the barrel then the brass tab is lowered onto the top round. As the rounds are fired the brass tab moves down giving the shooter a reference to how many rounds are left. Loading chamber. The hammer has a half cock notch but none of the obnoxious new safety devices that have been so common on new guns. When you move the lever forward the carrier moves down a small amount and a round is dropped into the carrier. As you pull the lever back into firing position the carrier is raised along with the live round. Next the bolt moves forward pushing the live round into the chamber and engaging the extractor to the bullet rim. After firing the brass ejects up a couple of inches or more depending on how hard you work the lever and tosses the brass straight back and to the right in one handy pile. Brass buttplate which holds a cleaning rod. At first I intended to do a few week test but that changed to a several month test after I had a couple of persons who informed me the action of the Henry was weak and wouldnt hold up to much shooting especially handloads. I didnt buy that for a minute so over the past few months Ive shot many hundreds of rounds of factory rounds as well as handloads of my own creation. Let me just say the action is as snug as it was the first day on the range and the accuracy is very good indeed. Ive run it fairly hard and the Henry has taken everything Ive thrown at it. Bolt and chamber. On the range Ive taken some sessions with several targets and shot fast from 2. Other range trips I simply setup at the 1. As you may note in the photos the front sight is silver and easy to see. I was able to shoot 1. I could cover with the palm of my hand. I consider that very good for iron sights at that distance without a rest. I also setup a steel target at 3. Henry rear ladder sight also set at 3. I was firing prone using a backpack as a rest. With some of the more anemic factory loads I had to move the sight to 3. With my handloads I was hitting steel with the sights set at 3. I was hitting steel nine times out of ten with a mild wind coming from 5 oclock at approximately 1. I honestly didnt think the rifle would shoot so well at that distance but it did and it sure was fun hearing that target ring. Silver front sight. Ladder rear sight. Specifications The Original Henry Rifle. Model Number H0. 11. Action Type Lever Toggle Link System. Caliber. 4. 4 4. Capacity 1. Length 4. 3Barrel Length 2. Weight 9 lbs. Stock Fancy American Walnut Buttstock with Hardened Brass Buttplate. Sights Folding Ladder Rear, Blade Front. Finish Hardened Brass Receiver. M. S. R. P. 2,3. The Iron Framed Original Henry Rifle. Pororo: The Racing Adventure Online. Model Number H0. 11. IFCaliber. 4. 4 4. Stock Fancy American Walnut Buttstock and Case Colored Steel Buttplate. Receiver Case Color Receiver. M. S. R. P. 2,7. To sum things up I was very happy with the performance of this rifle as well as the 4. Again this is a beautiful piece of work and a rifle anyone who owns one should be very proud to have in their collection. Henry Repeating Arms Website. For more history of the henry rifle I highly recommend this book. A search on Amazon or ebay should give you results.