s3thra ⁽⁴²⁾

This is my first little map compilation for Quake. Created with TrenchBroom and compatible with vanilla Quake. Place inside ID1 directory.

This guide will show you everything involved with getting TrenchBroom up and running on Ubuntu ready to create and compile Quake maps.

After looking for a good night time book to read, I rediscovered Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner. Highly regarded as one, if not the best, video game books of all time, it details the beginnings of id-Software and how it changed the video game world.

Here is a list of currently active Quake communities, portals, software and other miscellaneous sites which have helped or inspired me. The Quake community as a whole is very fragmented, so lists like these help to bind it all together in some way. This list isn't comprehensive by any means. Bear in mind also there are other Quake communities (like bulletin boards/forums) that were once active that…

A story of the ye olde times; growing up with a 386 PC, PlayStation, and being introduced to Quake.

Article originally published on metalonvinyl.net on 2nd April 2011.

Mastodon's third studio album will always be remembered as one of the defining heavy metal albums of the 2000's. Following it's sophomore album, Leviathan, Mastodon had started to venture into unmarked territory in Blood Mountain. A unique and stand out record that will no doubt stand the test of time and continue to inspire many heavy metal bands in the future.

At a time when the genre had been swamped with popular metalcore (depending where you looked) acts after the downfall of nu-metal, it was nice to see a band step up to the plate and offer something truly unique in a sludgy, progressive effort that was the bands 2004 album, Leviathan. It was then further solidification with this 2006 effort from the band.

Article originally published on metalonvinyl.net on 23rd January 2011.

Formed by Max Cavalera after departing from Sepultura, Soulfly has gradually transformed themselves over the years. Initially a nu metal outfit, Soulfly’s debut self titled album is so far their most successful, being certified Gold by the RIAA in 2005.

Soulfly’s run of success continued with the two albums that followed, namely 2000’s Primitive and 2002’s "3". Once nu metal began to fade from existence however, so too had Soulfly’s emphasis on the genre.

Article originally published on metalonvinyl.net on 15th January 2011.

Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, a thrash band formed in Pennsylvania in 2002 have released their second studio album Living for Death, Destroying the Rest.

I personally had not been aware of the band before being given their latest album. Consequently, I don’t know a lot about Rumpelstiltskin Grinder other than the small bits and pieces of information that I managed to find on the internet about them.