Archive for June, 2010

CD Review: Annihilator – Self Titled Album for Lifemusicmedia.com


16 Jun

Lifemusicmedia.com have just published my review of Annihilator’s latest self-titled album. Check the excerpt below and click the album art and hyperlink to read the full review:

…this – their 13th studio album to date – easily qualifies as their finest effort in the last 20 years or so. A self-titled album, ‘Annihilator’ is brimming with speedy, precise riffage that effortlessly melds old-school thrash with more modern technical metal that will surely have you damaging neck muscles in the bedroom, car or public transport…

CLICK HERE to read the full review.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-fyGPPa9E

Wicked Wednesdays: FREE High-Resolution Ground Cover Textures


16 Jun

Throughout our travels we’ve always been on the look out for good texture images we can later give to you FREE here on our website. What we found on our search through the hard drives this week was an abundance of images depicting various ground covers – like grasses, bark, leaves and whatnot. So, that’s what you get this week!

These images have been taken from such locations around New South Wales, Australia as Castle Hill, Silverwater and Parramatta Lake. As usual, all our high-resolution texture images are entirely FREE for personal and commercial use. However, resale and repackaging is strictly prohibited.

Click the thumb nails for the high-res experience:
     

Image of the Day: Saltwater Panorama


10 Jun

This ultra-wide panorama is an amalgamation of about 15 photographs taken at Saltwater beach, near Taree on the NSW mid-north coast, Australia.

Saltwater is an ever-changing seascape, as the ocean molds the sand back to its own design. One visit you’ll come and find the lagoon closed off to the ocean and see no rocks. At other times, like you see here, the rocks are exposed and the lagoon meets up with the ocean - flushing out the lagoon.

It’s a truly beautiful place and We definitely recommend visiting if you’re driving through. Situated about 2 hours north of Newcastle or 3.5 hours north of Sydney – it’s a great place to be.

Click the image to see the photo in a higher resolution or CLICK HERE.

Wicked Wednesdays: FREE High-Resolution Carpark Textures


09 Jun

We’ve got some great new high-resolution textures for you this week. Taken in a modern concrete ad steel carpark in our local area whilst covering a car show, the textures feature various elements like dried up mud from the recent three weeks of rain, grungy drain grates, flaked paint, cabling and conduits and more.

As usual, our textures are absolutely FREE for private and commercial use. However, resale and repackaging is strictly prohibited.

Click on the thumbnails for the full resolution experience!
     

Day 3 of 365 – Spew Likes Birds


08 Jun

Day 3 of 365 – Spew Likes Birds
This is ‘Spew’ making his famous ‘bird noise’ as he intently watches two minor birds on the roof of the house next door. Cute bastard.

THE PROJECT:
Just another ’365′ project; but my first. I’ll be taking pictures of my two cats, Punk and Spew, each day and posting my favourite here. I’ll be trying to capture their personality with each one, but also try and make each image different from the last. Some may include them play fighting, sleeping, stretching, watching the world out the window or looking me straight in the eye.
All images are copyright, but I hope you enjoy anyway.
www.hoskingindustries.com.au

365 Photo Project #1: The Year of the Cat


07 Jun

There’s been a proliferation of 365 photography projects of late. The first time I heard about them, it was with the TV personality Andrew G’s self portrait project that he tweets about daily. Upon taking a wander through flickr’s expansive galleries, I noticed more and more people starting 365 projects of their own, or joining groups dedicated to taking a picture a day on some theme or another.

I got interested and thought it’d make for a great way to ensure the camera comes out of the bag every day and by trying to capture a single type of object in a different way each day, I’d also push my creativity and technical ability at the same time. While I created a list of about 30 different things I could do a 365 project on; for the first one, I chose my cats – Punk and Spew.

I figure they’re a challenging subject. Any animal photography can be a challenge. Either they’re moving, sleeping, cleaning or in some way unwilling models… my challenge will be to try and display their personalities in the photos; as well as capture them in a different way each day. I’ll submit only one image per day, meaning it’ll either be one cat or another – or both in one shot.

Anyway, I hope you like the results!

Random Thought Pattern: Naming a Decade


06 Jun

I’ve heard the new decade referred to as the ‘teenies’, the ‘tens’, the ‘tentions, ‘one-ders’ and many other boring, idiot ideas. However, my partner and I think we came up with a funny one a while back that will only get funnier come 2020 – the ‘Onesies’.

Pronouced like the cute one-piece baby apparel – or perhaps more correctly, like the alternative to doing a ‘twosie’ in the bathroom – we could surely all relate to a decade that bears a name that reflects something more like a puddle of steaming, stinking urine… right?

Forget all those cute, silly names that people spent days coming up with to enter competitions like the one news.com.au ran back in December 2009. Do the right thing and start spreading the word – “we’re living in the ‘onesies’” – because you realise, once we get done with this decade and enter the next, we can call that one the ‘twosies’ to reflect how shitty society has become!

CD Review: Delerium – Remixed: The Definitive Collection


04 Jun

Lifemusicmedia.com have just published my review of Delerium’s latest release, ‘Remixed: The Definitive Collection’. An album of 12 tracks, including one new single ‘Dust In Gravity’; it’s an excellent addition to any fan’s list.

Excerpt:
“Delerium has always been an infinitely listenable experience that has pushed the boundaries of the genre; often encompassing a wonderful darkness. Hopefully they’ve helped regular fans of mindless commercial dance to open their minds to something more creative, layered and ultimately – respectable.”

Read the the full review by CLICKING HERE or on the image.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Uv2RvwMj8

Wicked Wednesdays: FREE High-Resolution Ford Emblems


02 Jun

Another week has rolled by and Wednesday once again presents itself. This week we’ve got a cool collection of classic Ford emblems (or badges). Some would argue that the humble emblem is an art unto itself, with fancy script, use of colour and all manner of other factors at play that often have a direct impact on the level of fanaticism that its fans have for the marque.

This week we’ve brought you a series of six FREE high-resolution images of classic Ford badges, including those of the Escort, Cortina, Capri, LTD Fairlane and the iconic Super Roo decal. All texture images are absolutely FREE for personal and commercial use; however resale and repackaging is strictly prohibited.

Click on the thumb nails for the full-resolution experience:
     

CD Review: Bullet for My Valentine – Fever (For Reverb Street Press)


01 Jun

The latest issue of Reverb Street Press has just gone online. The digital version of the Newcastle print press is full of great content, including my review of the new Bullet for My Valentine album, ‘Fever’. You can read it right here!

Also check the next issue for my interview with lead singer/guitarist Matt Tuck.

And yes, I realise they spelled my surname wrong… again.

CLICK HERE to view the entire issue online.