TheAndySan.com

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Okay, so I feel like I’ve been neglecting you guys a little bit these past couple of weeks. I didn’t even remember that I didn’t do last week’s Twitter Thursday Throwdown! Well, no more! I remember now so let’s get into this two-week edition of Twitter Thursday Throwdown:

@Guitar_Coach – Thanks for ReTweeting my album review, but next time, don’t forget to add @theandysan next time!!11:39 PM Nov 5th from web in reply to Guitar_Coach

I favorited a YouTube video — Bleep Bloop: Halo Firefighthttp://bit.ly/1KdD3s11:21 PM Nov 5th from Google

I uploaded a YouTube video — Jonny Diff – Happy 19th Birthday Jon! http://bit.ly/2hH8Zu11:21 PM Nov 5th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Mickey Mouse is on Meth!http://bit.ly/1Srtxd8:06 PM Nov 5th from Google

I subscribed to LikeTotallyAwesome’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/msmd37:57 PM Nov 5th from Google

I subscribed to OddLogik’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/4bUE8V7:57 PM Nov 5th from Google

is excited as hell for the New Super Mario Bros. Wii coming out next Sunday: http://su.pr/3YK1sj5:17 PM Nov 5th from Su.pr

I favorited a YouTube video — Episode 44 – Ishizu Explains It Allhttp://bit.ly/YWebi4:08 PM Nov 5th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — YGO:AB Tristan Is Blackhttp://bit.ly/2HmZ8T3:34 PM Nov 5th from Google

wishes his brother Jon a happy 19th birthday and a Happy Guy Fawkes Day!! He thinks it’s weird that he & Jon were both born on holidays!2:32 PM Nov 5th from web

just finished watching Part 3 of 4 of the CastleVania series review by The Angry Video Game Nerd from @cinemassacre:http://su.pr/2w1JGi2:01 PM Nov 5th from Su.pr

posted Twitter Thursday Throwdown: October 29, 2009 – November 4, 2009 (Happy 19th Birthday Jon!) http://bit.ly/3InK701:00 PM Nov 5th from twitterfeed

I subscribed to TeriblyGifted’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1acUQX10:38 AM Nov 5th from Google

is awake, and working on this week’s Twitter Thursday Throwdown.10:25 AM Nov 5th from web

is going to bed. Boy, is he tired! Good night!!2:06 AM Nov 5th from web

Search 246 million Twitter messages going back to 2007 for $20/year! Subscribe at http://tweetscan.com/main.php #dlmydata1:49 AM Nov 5th from web

is going to bed, right after he gets all the Tweets for this week’s Twitter Thursday Throwdown.1:39 AM Nov 5th from web

Thursday was a pretty busy day, what with my brother’s birthday and all. He had a good time and got Brutal Legend for his birthday (he likes it so far).

I favorited a YouTube video — Momotaro Jeans – Japan’s most expensive! http://bit.ly/3bo9Ar11:27 PM Nov 6th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — A Goa-Trance Ode to Penny Robinson http://bit.ly/8y1ap11:09 PM Nov 6th from Google

I subscribed to AJSensei’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/27T2Ob11:08 PM Nov 6th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — dead fish eye and penis boy’s answer http://bit.ly/2AhfYS11:08 PM Nov 6th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Okayama Japan http://bit.ly/24JpDg11:05 PM Nov 6th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Rejected Trooper http://bit.ly/1XknVT10:21 PM Nov 6th from Google

highly recommends reading The Most Important Blogging Analysis Ever: http://su.pr/7osUlM7:49 PM Nov 6th from Su.pr

@hope2forget30 – I just saw you on Inside Edition and wanted to show you my support for what you did at Fort Hood!!!!7:14 PM Nov 6th from web in reply to hope2forget30

I favorited a YouTube video — Trip To Okayama -Okayama, Japan-http://bit.ly/1qjMvO6:52 PM Nov 6th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — V for Vendetta Speechhttp://bit.ly/HtfQ66:21 PM Nov 6th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Tamagotchi Deadbeat Dadhttp://bit.ly/25hSxx6:06 PM Nov 6th from Google

says there’s under 2 hours left to buy the Philips 60PP9200D 60 in. HDTV Television with shelves that he has on eBay:http://su.pr/2nW76S!!!5:40 PM Nov 6th from Su.pr

posted How To Get Out of a Musician’s Rut http://bit.ly/taAr54:58 PM Nov 6th from twitterfeed

I favorited a YouTube video — Tramp Stamp Tattoos – Comedy Time http://bit.ly/2aLkxp4:09 PM Nov 6th from Google

says that today is the last day to buy the Philips 60PP9200D 60 in. HDTV Television with shelves that he has on eBay:http://su.pr/2nW76S1:52 PM Nov 6th from Su.pr

want you to subscribe to the new YouTube channel by @StevePavlina for Follow Friday: http://su.pr/8NHoQr #FF1:03 PM Nov 6th from Su.pr

I favorited a YouTube video — Allan Holdsworth Low Levels High Stakes http://bit.ly/1nL9sN2:51 AM Nov 6th from Google

is off to bed. For now, give a listen to Allan Holdsworth’s Low Levels, High Stakes: http://su.pr/ANgZOX. Goodnight!!2:39 AM Nov 6th from Su.pr

I subscribed to stevepavlinadotcom’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/3shum32:08 AM Nov 6th from Google

I subscribed to sinasl1’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/OCxCm2:03 AM Nov 6th from Google

posted Jonny Diff – Happy 19th Birthday Jon! http://bit.ly/3lJCDu12:04 AM Nov 6th from twitterfeed

I’m kinda pissed that no one bought the TV, but in these hard economic times, I’m just grateful I have a roof over my head and food in my fat ungrateful gut (even if it is from the flesh and vaginas of animals). God, I hate eggs!! But that’s another story…

I subscribed to magfest’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/yGpmQ8:09 PM Nov 7th from Google

I subscribed to voodooriders’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/4q8hd84:45 PM Nov 7th from Google

I subscribed to andy’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/15QINW4:44 PM Nov 7th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Weezer Snuggie Infomercialhttp://bit.ly/YCyDe4:04 PM Nov 7th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — mona lisa 3k http://bit.ly/2CJQhx2:38 PM Nov 7th from Google

@yugiohtas – Yay! I’m your 300th follower!!1:11 PM Nov 7th from web

I subscribed to mustangrebus’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/s6y5s12:39 PM Nov 7th from Google

didn’t sell the TV on eBay and is very disappoint. He’s also reeeeeeeally tired. Goodnight!3:24 AM Nov 7th from web

I subscribed to JapanIsDoomed’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/4oVwUx3:05 AM Nov 7th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — 2009 JET Program – Application checklist http://bit.ly/2HytDf2:57 AM Nov 7th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Big Bird on Jimmy Kimmel Live #1http://bit.ly/UcCng2:33 AM Nov 7th from Google

I subscribed to brandben7’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/owNpL2:27 AM Nov 7th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Incubus – Circles Ultimate Guitar Remix http://bit.ly/2hx0wB2:26 AM Nov 7th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — This Week in Unnecessary Censorship http://bit.ly/Brbfy2:26 AM Nov 7th from Google

I celebrated Mom’s birthday by not really doing much.

is going offline for a couple of days. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to post anything this week, but we’ll see. Good night!!!3:52 AM Nov 8th from web

posted Vlog 25 – The Condition of My Condition http://bit.ly/2iZQu93:41 AM Nov 8th from twitterfeed

just finished editing a new vlog for the weekend. He’s unsure if this week’s stuff is gonna be delayed, which will be explained in the vlog.1:15 AM Nov 8th from web

Before I went offline, I managed to upload a quick vlog outlining my situation. It’s damn depressing to be honest! I’m stuck waiting for my unemployment hearing that I may or may not get money from. If I get a job, then I forfeit all that money. On the other hand, waiting for this money is pissing me off because I have to put up with everybody here at home and my friends haven’t even tried once to hang out with me ever since I moved back over three months ago. I understand that they’re busy and when they’re in town they like to be with their family, but god damn!

I favorited a YouTube video — Yngwie Malmsteen-Arpeggios From Hell http://bit.ly/4ZtQZ11:58 PM Nov 9th from Google

I subscribed to VoiceCapo’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/2LuUhm11:40 PM Nov 9th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — The Crucial Man: Landing a Jobhttp://bit.ly/1VqiwU11:05 PM Nov 9th from Google

just finished up a massive 2,000+ word Deja Vuesday for tomorrow!! He’ll be going offline for who knows how long this week. See ya later!!!14:50 PM Nov 9th from web

I subscribed to CoolNASCARGuy’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/4FYaRq1:34 PM Nov 9th from Google

is snaggin’ WiFi at McDonald’s. He’ll probably be doing this for the rest of the week, but he doubts that he’ll be about to upload videos…1:31 PM Nov 9th from web

I subscribed to MindPower009’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/3QgX761:27 PM Nov 9th from Google

I got fed up with being without internet so I went over to McDonald’s to snag some free Wi-Fi for a couple of hours.

posted Zeus Likes Mom’s Toenail Polish http://bit.ly/7bgIm3:16 PM Nov 10th from twitterfeed

I uploaded a YouTube video — Zeus Likes Mom’s Toenail Polishhttp://bit.ly/VF6vY2:22 PM Nov 10th from Google

I subscribed to TheJapanChannelDcom’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/qm9AN2:17 PM Nov 10th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Alex Hutchings – March of the Machines http://bit.ly/22dC4c2:06 PM Nov 10th from Google

is back online at McDonald’s. He’s gonna try to upload a video from here (it didn’t work the last time he tried).1:52 PM Nov 10th from web

I subscribed to Mike17400’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/QGFBM1:52 PM Nov 10th from Google

posted Deja Vuesday Double Feature: “I Was Made To Hit In Japan!!1″ and “A Note From Dad Before The Concert”http://bit.ly/4iMCD11:16 PM Nov 10th from twitterfeed

I subscribed to xCASDGuyx’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/3oj7ms1:26 AM Nov 10th from Google

I subscribed to daddymojo1976’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1jDxFQ12:44 AM Nov 10th from Google

@allispeed – You guys gotta do an “I wanna fucking Shawarma!” shirt, but in Spanish: “Quiero un shawarma de mierda!”12:00 AM Nov 10th from web in reply to allispeed

Last week’s Deja Vuesday was quite a doozy to write!

wrote an album review & has already recorded 2 J-Vids for next week. All that’s left is editing, more writing, & recording. See ya tomorrow!5:07 PM Nov 11th from web

I favorited a YouTube video — Letterman – Paul McCartneyhttp://bit.ly/bg1vO4:08 PM Nov 11th from Google

It took me some time to write WAR 03, but I think it turned out really well. What did you guys think of it?

I subscribed to rubenu07’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/vkkzA1:52 PM Nov 13th from Google

I subscribed to 800XE’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/4btsNP1:51 PM Nov 13th from Google

Not much to say here.

I favorited a YouTube video — Al di Meola – Soudcheck – Sziget 2009 http://bit.ly/NfXJI11:59 PM Nov 14th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Al Di Meola interview (& Les Paul)http://bit.ly/2WCPdp11:52 PM Nov 14th from Google

I subscribed to daddariostrings’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/3szPDQ11:51 PM Nov 14th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Dell Laptop Explodes on Chaserhttp://bit.ly/3Z8WZQ10:57 PM Nov 14th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Seven nation army – Audioslavehttp://bit.ly/h2pjL10:21 PM Nov 14th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — meet the sandvich voice actors lines.http://bit.ly/45nssl8:21 PM Nov 14th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — My Fists, They Are…http://bit.ly/Q4TTw8:06 PM Nov 14th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — streetcomputing http://bit.ly/3M7PEE7:36 PM Nov 14th from Google

I subscribed to homerobittencourt’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/1Gys275:34 PM Nov 14th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Marty Friedman – By Homero Bittencourt http://bit.ly/4rlJt45:27 PM Nov 14th from Google

So many Team Fortress 2 quotes, so little time!

will be uploading a new Japanese video on Monday for sure!! Good-night!!12:22 AM Nov 15th from web

I favorited a YouTube video — Chris Poland bending lessonhttp://bit.ly/8bBKd12:14 AM Nov 15th from Google

I didn’t have much time on Sunday, but I did have enough time to say that I’d be back on Monday with a new J-Vid.

I subscribed to JamesStrattonGuitar’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/uFR3H3:35 PM Nov 16th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Bakura Plugs Masterthecreaterhttp://bit.ly/266g0N3:35 PM Nov 16th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Paul Gilbert VIP Licks/Lessonhttp://bit.ly/1vruvL3:35 PM Nov 16th from Google

I subscribed to remyhansen’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/qvzqx3:34 PM Nov 16th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — odaiba freestyle http://bit.ly/2zBf5r3:26 PM Nov 16th from Google

posted J-Vid 03 – Exchanging Business Cards http://bit.ly/10YuYQ11:08 AM Nov 16th from twitterfeed

I favorited a YouTube video — Let The Computer Decide by Paul Gilbert http://bit.ly/3ROoOf11:05 AM Nov 16th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — A Gary Vaynerchuk Character on 30 Rock http://bit.ly/mF3XK10:57 AM Nov 16th from Google

I subscribed to ErinPavlinadotcom’s channel on YouTubehttp://bit.ly/43o8Dx10:57 AM Nov 16th from Google

I subscribed to yuichituba’s channel on YouTube http://bit.ly/NqQSy10:38 AM Nov 16th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Paul Gilbert – Scarified (Acoustic)http://bit.ly/1SyqRf10:08 AM Nov 16th from Google

@MalinaMoye – Wow, your version of Foxey Lady was smokin!!! If you guys haven’t seen it yet, check it out here: http://su.pr/ABGzxj10:04 AM Nov 16th from Su.pr

is uploading this week’s new J-Vid!! It should be up in an hour or so!10:04 AM Nov 16th from web

J-Vid 03 turned out really well, and aside from a little goof here and there (she asked me what my occupation was, not if I’m hiring), I think my Japanese was solid.

wants you guys to check out these awesome Evangelion guitars made by Fender: http://su.pr/300oXk5:33 PM Nov 17th from Su.pr

I favorited a YouTube video — Yo La Tengo – “Avalon Or Someone Very Similar” http://bit.ly/1yIijh4:00 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Mint Royale – Singin’ In The Rain (Club Mix) http://bit.ly/JLPQ03:59 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — K-On TAS : Maximum the Moe : OP Created by Toaster http://bit.ly/JC3ju3:48 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Anatole, true maestro of the balalaika! http://www.youtube.com/watc…3:37 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — balalaika amok Aleksei Arkhipovskyhttp://www.youtube.com/watc…3:37 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Nana Kitade Cover ~Lum no love song~ http://www.youtube.com/watc…3:28 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Nana Kitade- Lum no love songhttp://www.youtube.com/watc…3:21 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — How to live to be 100 years old.http://www.youtube.com/watc…2:58 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Experience PRS 2009http://www.youtube.com/watc…2:46 PM Nov 17th from Google

posted Deja Vuesday: How Do I Start Blogging? http://bit.ly/NnegR2:24 PM Nov 17th from twitterfeed

just posted Deja Vuesday: How Do I Start Blogging?http://bit.ly/2znJ7H2:23 PM Nov 17th from TweetMyBlog

posted Kitchen Stuff http://bit.ly/PQUE11:27 PM Nov 17th from twitterfeed

posted Gift Cards http://bit.ly/2UEJiy12:46 PM Nov 17th from twitterfeed

I favorited a YouTube video — Owl City – Live X – “Fireflies”http://www.youtube.com/watc…12:22 PM Nov 17th from Google

I subscribed to owlcityconcert’s channel on YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/user…12:21 PM Nov 17th from Google

just posted Gift Cards http://www.tweetmyblog.com/…12:17 PM Nov 17th from TweetMyBlog

I favorited a YouTube video — A ROCKET TO THE MOON: Mr. Right http://www.youtube.com/watc…12:10 PM Nov 17th from Google

I subscribed to FOXYCODE’s channel on YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/user…12:09 PM Nov 17th from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Atreyu Gallows The Sound Academy Nov 3 2009 Toronto http://bit.ly/2P6xi711:45 AM Nov 17th from Google

This week’s Deja Vuesday was another big article! I liked writing that one because it allowed me to tell you guys what I’m doing now to earn money online. My strategies haven’t changed much, but there have been some very noteworthy changes over this past year.

I favorited a YouTube video — Ranma Trailer OAV Rumic World 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watc…about 18 hours ago from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Scar Symmetry – Deviate from the form 2nd solo http://bit.ly/MjaS5about 19 hours ago from Google

posted WAR 03 – Atreyu CONGREGATION OF THE DAMNED Album Review http://bit.ly/iYKdxabout 21 hours ago from twitterfeed

I favorited a YouTube video — Welcome to the Maid Cafe! (Anime Festival Asia ‘09) http://bit.ly/2OJWfZabout 21 hours ago from Google

Delete

I favorited a YouTube video — remanence : variance (Tokyo time lapse) http://www.youtube.com/watc…about 21 hours ago from Google

is going to get him some lunch!! BRB!about 21 hours ago from web

I favorited a YouTube video — 35 years Shinjuku in 35 secondshttp://www.youtube.com/watc…about 21 hours ago from Google

I uploaded a YouTube video — TheAndySan – WAR 03 – Atreyu CONGREGATION OF THE DAMNED Album Reviewhttp://bit.ly/1fl0NKabout 22 hours ago from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — Electro Harmonix Cathedral Stereo Reverb http://bit.ly/3h6P9vabout 24 hours ago from Google

I favorited a YouTube video — What is Your Blogging Vice?http://www.youtube.com/watc…about 24 hours ago from Google

I flipped the fuck out when I saw a preview for the newest Ranma 1/2 OVA!! The animation has been improved greatly, and I don’t say that much about anime since modern anime’s picture quality has remained about the same since the early 00s.

Well, I’m sorry if you got a little depressed reading some of my commentary, but these past couple of weeks have been hell for me. I came down with a cold that I’m still trying to shake off (all that’s left are the coughs).

I’ll see you guys next week when I drop my next J-Vid on you! Later!!

TheAndySan

P.S: If I have the time, I might upload another vlog that I recorded earlier this month with me and my youngest bro revisiting the dog park. Stay tuned!!

Buy Congregation of the Damned From Amazon

If you can’t see the video above, click here.

Buy Congregation of the Damned From Amazon

Today’s album review has been specially requested by Ben, one of my best friends. This week, I’m going over Atreyu’s newest release, Congregation of the Damned.

To be honest, I prefer music from the 80s-90s over what’s going on today. However, there have been several newer bands and artists that I’ve been really getting into: Owl City, Orianthi, housethegrate, and Atreyu just to name a few.

Atreyu’s previous release, Lead Sails Paper Anchors, was a good listen and well-received by the critics. Let’s find out how this new record stacks up:

Personal Backstory

I first heard Atreyu back in late 2007 when I was working at Andy’s Roadhouse and I often listened to the local heavy metal/rock radio station, 98.9 The Bear. Their breakout hit, Becoming The Bull, was played over and over and over and over again. It was great when I heard it the first couple of times, but because radio stations like to pummel listeners to the ground by replaying the same songs over and over and over and over again, Becoming The Bull got really old really quick.

Then, my bro Jon went out and bought Lead Sails Paper Anchors and I became quickly hooked to the song Falling Down. The opening drum-and-bass riff is so infectious it makes the Swine Flu look like a mild case of the sniffles.

I also found out that Dan Jacobs, one of Atreyu’s guitarists, has his own series of guitar instructional videos with Rock House. I checked out a couple of the free clips that Rock House put out on YouTube, and he’s a pretty well-schooled guitarist as well as an easy-going teacher.

The Track Breakdown

The first track, Stop! Before It’s Too Late and We’ve Destroyed It All, starts the record off strong with a Paul Gilbert-approved intro solo and goes into a throaty call to destruction.

The next song, Bleeding Is a Luxury, continues with the throat screams and makes me think of what a collaboration between Sixx AM and Avenged Sevenfold would sound like.

Congregation of the Damned, the title track of the album, gives the throaty shreiks a quick break with some great singing that doesn’t sound overdone.

Up next is Coffin Nails, a nicely-done emo-metal track. I know that emo is still regarded in the same way as goth was before the turn of the millenium, but for me, that doesn’t take away anything from a good song.

After that, it’s Black Days Begin, a Pantera-meets-Scorpions song that takes the excellent groove from both of these bands and adds a nice modern metal sound to it.

Gallows begins with a drumbeat straight outta Racer X’s Scarified and the opening guitar line is equally impressive! This has got to be my favorite track out of this album so far!

If Gallows is my favorite song on this CD, then the seventh track and the first single off this album, Storm To Pass, is an uncomfortably close second! The first vocal line in the chorus (Watching, waiting) is absolutely killer and the guitar work is noteworthy!

You Were the King, Now You’re Unconscious, the longest song on the album at 5 minutes and 8 seconds, begins with a Slayer-endorsed drum-then-pause drum line (think Raining Blood). It then goes into a sing-a-line-scream-a-line pattern that’s characteristic of today’s metal that’s carried throughout the rest of the song.

Insatiable, a hair-metal-meets-modern-metal song, is next on the disc. The vocal lines have enough CFCs in them to rip the ozone layer a new one and teaming with the crunch-and-punch guitar rhythms redefines the phrase “a world of hurt!”

Track 10 is So Wrong, another fiery modern metal track that’s also singleworthy. It starts off sounding like Iron Maiden and shifts between Staind’s quiet voice and throaty screams for the remainder of the song!

The next track, Ravenous, is a pretty straightforward thrash tune from the bowels of Hell. ‘Nuff said!

After that is Lonely, a tune reminiscent of Linkin Park and Fall Out Boy. Is this what FOB would sound like if they were a metal band? No, but it’s awful close.

Track 13 is Wait for You, which is the last of the regular tracks on this CD. It’s an approprietly-placed mellow wrap-up to the album that seems to be the oddball song in comparison to the metal onslaught from the previous 12 tracks. Is it just me or does this track remind you a little of the song Slip Out from the anime BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad?

Up next is Bravery, the first of the 3 bonus tracks. It fits in well with the other tracks with its sing-a-line-scream-a-line combo that Atreyu is so fond of.

We Are the Living Dead, the 15th track on this CD, is quite a screamer of a track! It should find a good home on metal radio stations around the globe, where it will pound listeners in the ear until they go running under their Hanna Montana blankets reciting lyrics from Jonas Brothers songs for comfort!

The 16th and final track on Congregation of the Damned is Another Night (Wishing I Wasn’t Here). It’s my favorite of the 3 bonus tracks and as a bonus track, it appropriatly bookmarks this album.

The Goodies, The Baddies & The Uglies

Looking at a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of this album in one of my Guitar World CD-ROMs, my expectations for the guitar work on this album was frightingly high! I’m happy to say that my expectations were well-met and if you dig modern metal rhythms mixed with bits of tasty 80s shred, you’ll dig it too!

One of the big gripes that I have with Congregation of the Damned is that it has the dreaded from-gut-to-throat-with-hate screams that are kissing cousins with Cookie Monster vocals in their overuse in today’s music. However, I think that Atreyu used them appropriately to accent a song instead of overwhelming it with pig roars, although some songs came close to overdoing it.

Another gripe of mine is that a lot of the rhythm tracks seem to be interchangable with other songs on this album. While some might like this kind of consistency, I however loved the interesting tidbits and then got bored listening to the same stuff played over and over and over and over again.

The Verdict

Despite the annoying vocal & rhythm guitar repetition and pig roars that threaten my sanity, Atreyu’s Congregation of the Damned scores big with some impressive guitar hooks and melodic vocal lines that give me a sense of hope in this generation of musicians!

6 Tracks To Give a Clicky-Click

- Stop! Before It’s Too Late and We’ve Destroyed It All

- Black Days Begin

- Gallows

- Storm To Pass

- Insatiable

- Lonely

- Another Night (Wishing I Wasn’t Here)

TheAndySan

P.S: Here’s the link to buy Congregation of the Damned from Amazon.

Alrighty boys and girls, it’s that time of the week when I take one of my older posts, dust it off real nice, and talk about how it relates to me today!

In this week’s Deja Vuesday, we’re going back a full year to 2008 when I received a question about how to make money online:

It All Started With A Question

My friend Adam asked me a question on FaceBook today. He asked:

“So I’ve seen quite a few people actually try to make some dough with blogs. Some succeeding.

I used to blog.. on Xanga.. but then everyone stopped doing it.. so I stopped doing it too.

If I could make 10-30 bucks a month.. that’d be sweet. So where do i start if i wanna make money with it? Give me some help dude. I wanna document the life and times of an aspiring jazz musician in acollege of music.”

Since I published this article, Adam has created his own blog and told me that he’s making around $20 in AdSense revenue. That’s pretty impressive considering that I’ve been writing articles for years and I only make around $37 a month. Then again, if I didn’t screw with AdSense back in the day, I’d be making more money, but c’est la vie…

Buying a Domain Name & Hosting

Well Adam, that’s fairly easy, especially since you have a good topic (my problem is I can’t stick to one topic). If you want to get a good start as a blogger, purchase your own domain name. Sure, you could go through third-party blogs like MySpace, LiveJournal, Xanga, etc, but you’ll have the most freedom from purchasing your own domain name.

I use WordPress as my blog software. For hosting, I use DreamHost. It’s been pretty reliable so far.

When you’re thinking of a domain name, I’d go with something instantly recognizable and without numbers. For example, www.minording.com is available.

After you’ve settled on a domain name, go through a hosting company like DreamHost, BlueHost, Laughing Squid, etc. Make sure that they can do an auto-install of WordPress. That’s one of the major reasons I went through DreamHost is because they have one-click installs. Sure, I could install everything myself, but I want to make the whole process as efficient as possible so auto-installs are the way to go!

Once WordPress is installed, just follow the prompts to build your website & blog. Although I just have a blog on my website, WordPress can build an entire website as well as a blog.

WordPress has sure come a long way in only a year’s time! Now you can update it by going into the dashboard for WordPress instead of messing with DreamHost’s one-click installs every time it needs to update. I like using the one-click installs to put it up initially, but going back every single time WordPress issued an update was getting tedious.

What Are Your Visitors Doing?

One of the most important things to put up in your blog is Google Analytics. It give you a comprehensive overview of your website. It tells you where your visitors are coming from, how many you’re getting, everything. I can’t recommend it enough!

Seriously, this is critical! If I didn’t have any kind of analytics software, then I wouldn’t know how many people are visiting my website, what posts they’re reading the most, when they come here the most, etc. Without these statistics, I would have no clue as to what posts my readers like and when they like to read them.

Moving my update schedule from 10pm-12am EST to 1pm-5pm EST has seen an incredibly positive shift in the amount of viewers that I get. I still do nightly posts from time to time, but my main posts are done between 1pm and 5pm EST, mostly around 2pm EST.

How To Make Money, Money, Money!

Now as far as monetizing goes, the king in that regard is Google AdSense. Just follow the instructions and you should be good to go. Another service that’s been working great for me is Text Link Ads. If you have a PayPal account, I’d definitely put up a Donations button.

One way you could monetize your content is by going through a service like Associated Content. You can submit virtually anything in about any format (text, video, audio, picture, etc). If you choose to submit content that is Non-Exclusive (recommended), you can later submit it to your blog once it’s published on AC. This way, you get more content for your website AND you get paid for it via AC before it hits your website. It’s a win-win!

You have an excellent topic in hand (becoming a successful jazz musician). You have a variety of means in which you can add content to your site. You can give out lessons, either via text, pictures, or video (I’d recommend all three at once). Post some lessons on YouTube and embed them in your post. For pictures, I’d go through something like Flickr or Picasta or something like that and embed them into your post. You could post pictures of close-up hand positions, tabs, musical notation, etc.

In addition to posting lessons, you can also record your gigs. This not only gives your viewers your resume-of-sorts, but it can also help land you gigs if you get enough exposure. Just look at what it did for Tay Zonday aka the Chocolate Rain guy!

I would also post about your experiences and what you’ve learned from them. Experience is what makes the difference between learning from a book and learning in real life. It could be about gig disasters, meeting your heroes, making a difference in someone’s life through your music, etc.

Remember, the name of the game is exposure. The more you put yourself out there, the more possibilities and opportunities open themselves for you.

I haven’t used Associated Content at all since they rejected my review of Myself ; Yourself because they don’t pay for reviews anymore. I still use services like SocialSpark and PayPerPost whenever they ask me to do a post (like the two I did before this post). Text-Link-Ads is still my number-one moneymaker, pulling in over $37 every month. I’m beginning to get back into using Amazon Associates by tying it in with my reviews. So far, I’ve sold one CD (it was Orianthi’s Believe album) and I think I’ll continue to use Amazon Associates like this, but I’m gonna skip the banners and all that stuff.

How Monetization Really Works

Adam then asks:

“Yeah. So like you did calculating.. how many hits/clicks would I need for like.. 300 bucks or something.. an estimate.”

It varies a lot. It all depends on what keywords are clicked, how many clicks you get, how many visitors you get, etc. One click could range from a penny to a dollar to five dollars to more. For example, somebody clicked on one of my text link ads and I got $5 from it. Another text link ad got me $1.05. Going from my examples, you would need between 60-286 clicks to generate $300. If you’re pulling in the traffic, this is an easy task. That’s kind of where I’m at right now; I’m building content, seeing what connects with people and what doesn’t, and slowly building a following (I’m averaging 28 visitors a day).

After blogging for over five years, I’m still learning how to monetize my website. There’s new programs and different monetization methods coming out all the time, and I’m always doing research on what the next big thing in online money-making is gonna be, as well as how my viewers react to such changes on my website and individual posts.

I’m also still building traffic and an online rapport. It’s weird to think that some of my YouTube viewers think I’m an up-and-comer, even though I’ve been around a lot longer than pretty much every e-celebrity except Fred (May 1st, 2006 is when I officially joined YouTube, although I’ve been browsing around it since the early days back in 2005).

Express Yourself

To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t focus a lot on the making money part until you have at least a month’s worth of content. That’s not to say that you can’t immediately monetize it; it’s just so much easier to make money when you have something on the table to offer people.

These things generally take time to build up the traffic and the money, but the payoff is well worth it because although I only average 28 daily visitors, it feels good to know that 28 people took time out of whatever they were doing to read and/or watch what I’m doing.

Bottom line: be creative and be yourself. Sure, I use an online nickname (TheAndySan), but I use that to differentiate myself from all the other Andys and AndySans and whatnot.

If you have any more questions, feel free to leave me an email (my email address is at the very top of this page). Good luck!

TheAndySan

Yeah, I still get around an average of 28 daily visitors, but I’m also working on building my online presence on other websites like Twitter and YouTube and Facebook. With my anime/album reviews and my Japanese videos, I’m sure that I’ll be getting more viewers in no time. The more viewers I get, the closer that I can be to doing this full-time without having to live with my parents or being homeless.

Well, it’s been fun looking back at one of my really good posts, but it’s time for me to go eat some lunch. See you guys tomorrow when I review Atreyu’s latest album, The Congregation of the Damned! Don’t miss it!!

TheAndySan