Reviews
Ark Survival Evolved Review
By Camron Krauss
If you like a hardcore survival game or a nice enjoyable roleplaying game, you’re gonna love Ark Survival Evolved. In the game, the player tames dinosaurs in order to beat the bigger enemies called bosses. Once dinosaurs are tamed, players can breed the creatures to get better mutations that will help them progress in the game. It’s a very difficult game to get to the end of due to the bosses being hard to kill, and the challenges of taming and breeding. Taming can take up to two days, and breeding 24. This is in real life! Waiting for the dino to hatch is often exasperating. One needs both time and patience. There is however a way around this: you can freeze your dino into a small cylinder and put it in a cryro fridge, essentially freezing it so you don’t have to go through the bother of waiting the full time.
Gameplay
Ark Survival is an open world first and third person multiplayer game. It takes place on a planet that is filled with mountains and lakes. There are cities as well, which are futuristic and resemble an advanced civilization. You create your own character who can interact with other characters online: starting up tribes, fighting other teams, and taming dinos. The battle system is fun because it requires more skill than luck. Weapons range from primitive weapons like various bows and arrows, to fabricated snipers and shotguns. The bosses are mostly large animals such as a big monkey who summons smaller monkeys, and an enormous spider that uses knock out gasses in its attack. A boss usually has about 250,000 health points, which you need to bring down to zero in order to defeat.
The game does offer additional features which help you in the game such as maps. With a good map you can get farther in the game in a shorter amount of time. This downloadable content costs $19.99 and you can buy a season pass for $45 for a total of 5 maps. It’s a very good deal and worth it. My favorite map would have to be Extinction because it’s very easy to get farther in the game faster by getting a resource called “Element”. Element is a crafting material to make weapons, gear, and structures that will help you advance in the game. It is given as a reward for killing bosses. You can also get Element by mining it. There are places called “Element Veins” which are rocks where Elements naturally occur in the game. If you find an Element Vein, you need to protect it from other players and their various Dinos for a period of time. If you play on a pvp server it’s really fun to raid and take other people’s stuff because they get really mad. It’s not just Element that you can steal from other players. Sometimes you get really lucky and get a Dino like a Giga in a cryopod.
Verdict
In conclusion, Ark Survival Evolved is an amazing 1st/3rd person survival game. It’s fast paced, exciting, and fun. Players can also play with friends on multiplayer, which makes the experience a lot easier, and less time consuming. The only drawback is how long it takes to win. Players will have to grind a lot in order to get to the endgame. But if you like a grind, it’s worth it!
Grey's Anatomy
The Greatest Show of All Time
By Mallory Woodhull
Do you like tv shows with lots of drama? Well if you do, Grey’s anatomy is the perfect show for you. It’s not your typical show about doctors and hospitals. Sure, there are car accidents and various traumas that doctors are attending to, but what makes Grey’s Anatomy special is the characters. They make you feel like they’re real. They’re also really good looking.
Grey’s anatomy first came out in 2005 and takes place in Grey Sloan memorial hospital in Seattle Washington. The show is mainly about two people, Meredith and Derek. Meredith is a thirty something, hard working, smart, doctor. She’s someone who always tells it like it is, and even though she has had a hard upbringing, she has overcome her circumstances. Derek is older, in his forties, and everyone calls him Mcdreamy because of his good looks and warm smile. Like Meredith, he is a hardworking surgeon who cares about his patients, and everyone around him. Derek and Meredith have a romantic relationship, but they do go through some issues that cause them problems. Other characters include younger interns who are learning the ways of the hospital, and Richard Webber, the head of surgery: a tough supervisor who often puts people in their place. In most episodes, there is a critical surgery, where doctors are trying to save somebody’s life, and also lots of romantic drama. After 15 seasons, the show is still going strong. I Love this show and I think you will too.
Fortnite: The Most Popular Game Around
By Adam Collins - 4/16/18
Fortnite is a really popular video game that a lot of people are playing these days. It is a skilled based, multiplayer, battle royale game, meaning that a bunch of people are put into a virtual world to compete against one another. It is a third person shooter, and the objective of the game is to shoot, defeat your opponents, and be the last one standing.
There are 100 people put on one map. The map resembles a big island. Before starting the game players sit in a lobby and wait for the game to start. If you’re in a squad you can talk to other players on your team through your headset. You can also find weapons on the ground and try them out. The lobby is also a place to change the appearance of your character. The name for the outfit that you put on your character is called a skin. Every other week the programmers of the game make new skins available to players. Examples of skins are the black knight, the reaper, and the cuddle team leader. Programmers also put out new harvesting tools and gliders such as the bright bomber and the stealth glider to use in the game.
When 100 people join, the game officially starts. The lobby disappears and you spawn into the game. There are about 21 towns you can land at when you start the game. One of the places is a tiny city called Tilted Towers, which is the most populated spot. Pleasant Park is a small town with houses, a soccer field, and a park. Salty Springs is another little town with only five houses and a gas station. Once you’ve landed on the map, you can travel anywhere you want. You will find weapons on the ground or in the houses to use to defeat your opponents.
One of the best weapons in the game is the golden scar. It is a gun that is very powerful. It is also really hard to find. Getting a good weapon is important, but not as important as building structures. Building bases in order to defend yourself from your opponents is a key part of the game. These bases can be houses or just walls to hide behind.
What makes Fortnite so much fun is playing with your friends. You can log on to the game and be playing and talking with friends who might even be in another state. You can team up with your friends and compete against other teams. This is more fun than just playing on your own because you get to develop strategy with other people.
In conclusion, Fortnite is a game for all people. There’s a reason why it’s become one of the most popular games of all time. It’s got everything that a gamer could ever want. Great community, great gameplay, and all around fun.
-Adam Collins
By Adam Collins - 4/16/18
Fortnite is a really popular video game that a lot of people are playing these days. It is a skilled based, multiplayer, battle royale game, meaning that a bunch of people are put into a virtual world to compete against one another. It is a third person shooter, and the objective of the game is to shoot, defeat your opponents, and be the last one standing.
There are 100 people put on one map. The map resembles a big island. Before starting the game players sit in a lobby and wait for the game to start. If you’re in a squad you can talk to other players on your team through your headset. You can also find weapons on the ground and try them out. The lobby is also a place to change the appearance of your character. The name for the outfit that you put on your character is called a skin. Every other week the programmers of the game make new skins available to players. Examples of skins are the black knight, the reaper, and the cuddle team leader. Programmers also put out new harvesting tools and gliders such as the bright bomber and the stealth glider to use in the game.
When 100 people join, the game officially starts. The lobby disappears and you spawn into the game. There are about 21 towns you can land at when you start the game. One of the places is a tiny city called Tilted Towers, which is the most populated spot. Pleasant Park is a small town with houses, a soccer field, and a park. Salty Springs is another little town with only five houses and a gas station. Once you’ve landed on the map, you can travel anywhere you want. You will find weapons on the ground or in the houses to use to defeat your opponents.
One of the best weapons in the game is the golden scar. It is a gun that is very powerful. It is also really hard to find. Getting a good weapon is important, but not as important as building structures. Building bases in order to defend yourself from your opponents is a key part of the game. These bases can be houses or just walls to hide behind.
What makes Fortnite so much fun is playing with your friends. You can log on to the game and be playing and talking with friends who might even be in another state. You can team up with your friends and compete against other teams. This is more fun than just playing on your own because you get to develop strategy with other people.
In conclusion, Fortnite is a game for all people. There’s a reason why it’s become one of the most popular games of all time. It’s got everything that a gamer could ever want. Great community, great gameplay, and all around fun.
-Adam Collins
N.O.V.A Legacy
By Haile Shaylor - 12/19/17
N.O.V.A. Legacy is a first person shooter video game developed and published by Gameloft. The graphics are amazing and look very well done. They took a lot of time creating and designing the graphics. The gameplay is amazing. In between the levels you can customize and upgrade your guns. You can play in three different modes. The event mode, the multiplayer mode, and the campaign mode. In the event mode you are given events that you have to beat in order to win. In the multiplayer mode you are put into a map with the most user votes, and your objective is to get the most kills in order to win: your targets are the other players.
In campaign mode you play as Kal. You are sent on missions that you have to accomplish in order for upgrades to your guns and/or to get new guns. While in campaign mode you are on an airship in space, then you go to a planet and are inside of a gigantic forest. While all of this happens you are fighting bad guys but you have to get to a certain part in the game to beat the level. You play as a guy named Kal Wardin and you are fighting for the human race against aliens that are trying to invade our planet. As you fight against the bad guys they are trying to kill you. There is battle music that comes on and lets you know when the enemies are trying to kill you. Music is played throughout the game so it does not get boring.
Your controller is a D-pad on the screen and you use it to shoot and move around the airship, and the other places you go. On the right side of the screen is one D-pad that allows you to move around and on the left of your screen you have another D-pad and that one allows you to move your head and shoot your targets. The screen is split in half between the two D-pads. You can also change the controls so you can add a controller and have it like that if you wanted.
I would rate the game with a full five stars because the gameplay is amazing, the graphics are well done, and the controls are easy to learn and to use. The music can get annoying at times but I still love it because it keeps the game uplifting and fun.
-Haile Shaylor
By Haile Shaylor - 12/19/17
N.O.V.A. Legacy is a first person shooter video game developed and published by Gameloft. The graphics are amazing and look very well done. They took a lot of time creating and designing the graphics. The gameplay is amazing. In between the levels you can customize and upgrade your guns. You can play in three different modes. The event mode, the multiplayer mode, and the campaign mode. In the event mode you are given events that you have to beat in order to win. In the multiplayer mode you are put into a map with the most user votes, and your objective is to get the most kills in order to win: your targets are the other players.
In campaign mode you play as Kal. You are sent on missions that you have to accomplish in order for upgrades to your guns and/or to get new guns. While in campaign mode you are on an airship in space, then you go to a planet and are inside of a gigantic forest. While all of this happens you are fighting bad guys but you have to get to a certain part in the game to beat the level. You play as a guy named Kal Wardin and you are fighting for the human race against aliens that are trying to invade our planet. As you fight against the bad guys they are trying to kill you. There is battle music that comes on and lets you know when the enemies are trying to kill you. Music is played throughout the game so it does not get boring.
Your controller is a D-pad on the screen and you use it to shoot and move around the airship, and the other places you go. On the right side of the screen is one D-pad that allows you to move around and on the left of your screen you have another D-pad and that one allows you to move your head and shoot your targets. The screen is split in half between the two D-pads. You can also change the controls so you can add a controller and have it like that if you wanted.
I would rate the game with a full five stars because the gameplay is amazing, the graphics are well done, and the controls are easy to learn and to use. The music can get annoying at times but I still love it because it keeps the game uplifting and fun.
-Haile Shaylor
Photograph
One of the Greatest Songs Written
By Chelsea Swartout - 12/8/17
The song Photograph by Nickelback is one of the best songs ever made. It’s meaningful and there’s a story behind it. It reminds me of the things I've lost or things that have been forgotten like friendships, family, and the place I used to live. I love the the way the song has a mellow sound. When Chad Kroeger, the lead vocalist, sings, “And this is where I went to school, Most of the time I had better things to do,” it’s easy to relate to. He speaks to many people who don’t feel connected to school.
The song is also great because of the way Chad sings. His voice is warm and intense. When I hear it I feel like all my problems go away. The drums provide a steady beat that goes really well with the lyrics.
Nickelback has been around for quite a while. They are a canadian band formed in Hanna, Canada back in 1995. The band consists of four people: the lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, a keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, the bassist Mike Kroeger and the drummer Daniell Adair. Between the years 1995 and 2005 they went through a few different drummers. In 2005 the current drummer Daniel Adair replaced Ryan Vikedal. Nickelback is one of the most successful Canadian groups, selling over 50 million albums worldwide.
In Brief, the song Photograph by Nickelback is a song everyone needs to listen to. The band is great, and the song is the best. When you listen to the song, you will relate to it, and love it.
-Chelsea Swartout
One of the Greatest Songs Written
By Chelsea Swartout - 12/8/17
The song Photograph by Nickelback is one of the best songs ever made. It’s meaningful and there’s a story behind it. It reminds me of the things I've lost or things that have been forgotten like friendships, family, and the place I used to live. I love the the way the song has a mellow sound. When Chad Kroeger, the lead vocalist, sings, “And this is where I went to school, Most of the time I had better things to do,” it’s easy to relate to. He speaks to many people who don’t feel connected to school.
The song is also great because of the way Chad sings. His voice is warm and intense. When I hear it I feel like all my problems go away. The drums provide a steady beat that goes really well with the lyrics.
Nickelback has been around for quite a while. They are a canadian band formed in Hanna, Canada back in 1995. The band consists of four people: the lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, a keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, the bassist Mike Kroeger and the drummer Daniell Adair. Between the years 1995 and 2005 they went through a few different drummers. In 2005 the current drummer Daniel Adair replaced Ryan Vikedal. Nickelback is one of the most successful Canadian groups, selling over 50 million albums worldwide.
In Brief, the song Photograph by Nickelback is a song everyone needs to listen to. The band is great, and the song is the best. When you listen to the song, you will relate to it, and love it.
-Chelsea Swartout
Minecraft: The Best Multiplayer Game Out There
By Haile Shaylor - 11/9/17
Minecraft is a very well known game. People all over the world, boys and girls, young and old, enjoy building their own imaginary worlds. There are more than 10 million downloads for the program. But did you know that there are different servers that you can go on for free and play with friends and other people? There are many different multiplayer games you can play that resemble arcade games. In this review I will list the games that I play that I think you might like.
The first game I’d like to tell you about is CakeWars. CakeWars is a game that you can play with friends. The object of the game is to eliminate the opposing team, destroying their cake so they can’t respawn. In the game you have to cover up your cake with wool blocks that are set to your specific color because doing that allows you to respawn back to your position in the game. If your cake remains uncovered it can be broken by the other team. If this happens, you can’t respawn when you die. There are four different teams: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow. There can be up to eight people on one team. It all depends on how many people are in the hub for the game. The teams are not always even, and there could be more on one team than the other. I really like this game because it’s fast paced; you have to speed around to get upgrades for your team before your opponents do. The game is also exciting; especially moments where you’re building a bridge across platforms to get to the other team’s cake to destroy it, and they try to knock you into the void.
Another game you might be interested in is Mixed Arcade. Mixed Arcade is a fast played, multiplayer game that has four different games inside of it: Gladiators, Dragon Escape, Bomb Lobbers, and One in a Quiver. In the game Gladiators, the objective is to eliminate the opposing player. You're on your own fighting little battles and if you survive you have to fight other people. Dragon Escape is a parkour type of game. The player jumps from block to block trying to escape a dragon that is trying to kill you. Bomb Lobbers is a game where you join a team, red or blue, and move around on an island throwing TNT at the opposing team. You win by killing the other team. In One in a Quiver, you spawn in the game with an axe, a bow, one arrow, and a chicken feather that gives you jump boosts. You are on your own in this game, with usually twelve to fifteen players competing to get the most kills. When the time runs out, whoever has the most kills wins the game.
One of my favorite things to do on Minecraft is playing on a personal server. Basically, a private game with just your friends. My friends and I play a survival game where you can go into creative mode and create stuff out of blocks, like cobblestones, walls, concrete, wood, clay and dirt. You can fly around and get whatever block you want and you can build things. You can also break any block you want to break. You can switch from creative mode into survival mode, and try to survive while different mobs try to kill you. Some of the creatures that lurk in the night and attack are creepers, zombies, skeletons, spiders, and Endermen. The creeper was originally created from a glitch. The developers of Minecraft were trying to make a pig, but one of them accidentally messed it up, and it turned into a green monster. Don’t get too close or the creeper will blow you up.
Another creature to worry about is a Zombie. Zombies try to kill you but burn in the sun light. They are kind of smart because they run into the water or hide under trees to put out the fire. Endermen are tall creatures that teleport to you if you look at them. Endermens hate bath time because water kills them.
Spiders are larger than they are in the real world and most of the time they only attack you at night. They can attack during the daytime as well, but you can kill them if you hit the spiders. Also there are skeletons that shoot arrows at you and rarely miss you.
On a private server you can only have six to eight people on a server at one time; it all depends on what country you live in, because they have different rules Playing on a personal server is fun because you get to play with your friends. You can chat through typing, or if you want to use voice chat, you can use Discord or Skype.
Generally speaking, Minecraft is a game where you can do more than just build things. It’s a game that has many opportunities to play a wide variety of mini-games that are both fun and challenging. The fact that you can also play with your friends online makes it the best multiplayer game out there.
-Haile Shaylor
By Haile Shaylor - 11/9/17
Minecraft is a very well known game. People all over the world, boys and girls, young and old, enjoy building their own imaginary worlds. There are more than 10 million downloads for the program. But did you know that there are different servers that you can go on for free and play with friends and other people? There are many different multiplayer games you can play that resemble arcade games. In this review I will list the games that I play that I think you might like.
The first game I’d like to tell you about is CakeWars. CakeWars is a game that you can play with friends. The object of the game is to eliminate the opposing team, destroying their cake so they can’t respawn. In the game you have to cover up your cake with wool blocks that are set to your specific color because doing that allows you to respawn back to your position in the game. If your cake remains uncovered it can be broken by the other team. If this happens, you can’t respawn when you die. There are four different teams: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow. There can be up to eight people on one team. It all depends on how many people are in the hub for the game. The teams are not always even, and there could be more on one team than the other. I really like this game because it’s fast paced; you have to speed around to get upgrades for your team before your opponents do. The game is also exciting; especially moments where you’re building a bridge across platforms to get to the other team’s cake to destroy it, and they try to knock you into the void.
Another game you might be interested in is Mixed Arcade. Mixed Arcade is a fast played, multiplayer game that has four different games inside of it: Gladiators, Dragon Escape, Bomb Lobbers, and One in a Quiver. In the game Gladiators, the objective is to eliminate the opposing player. You're on your own fighting little battles and if you survive you have to fight other people. Dragon Escape is a parkour type of game. The player jumps from block to block trying to escape a dragon that is trying to kill you. Bomb Lobbers is a game where you join a team, red or blue, and move around on an island throwing TNT at the opposing team. You win by killing the other team. In One in a Quiver, you spawn in the game with an axe, a bow, one arrow, and a chicken feather that gives you jump boosts. You are on your own in this game, with usually twelve to fifteen players competing to get the most kills. When the time runs out, whoever has the most kills wins the game.
One of my favorite things to do on Minecraft is playing on a personal server. Basically, a private game with just your friends. My friends and I play a survival game where you can go into creative mode and create stuff out of blocks, like cobblestones, walls, concrete, wood, clay and dirt. You can fly around and get whatever block you want and you can build things. You can also break any block you want to break. You can switch from creative mode into survival mode, and try to survive while different mobs try to kill you. Some of the creatures that lurk in the night and attack are creepers, zombies, skeletons, spiders, and Endermen. The creeper was originally created from a glitch. The developers of Minecraft were trying to make a pig, but one of them accidentally messed it up, and it turned into a green monster. Don’t get too close or the creeper will blow you up.
Another creature to worry about is a Zombie. Zombies try to kill you but burn in the sun light. They are kind of smart because they run into the water or hide under trees to put out the fire. Endermen are tall creatures that teleport to you if you look at them. Endermens hate bath time because water kills them.
Spiders are larger than they are in the real world and most of the time they only attack you at night. They can attack during the daytime as well, but you can kill them if you hit the spiders. Also there are skeletons that shoot arrows at you and rarely miss you.
On a private server you can only have six to eight people on a server at one time; it all depends on what country you live in, because they have different rules Playing on a personal server is fun because you get to play with your friends. You can chat through typing, or if you want to use voice chat, you can use Discord or Skype.
Generally speaking, Minecraft is a game where you can do more than just build things. It’s a game that has many opportunities to play a wide variety of mini-games that are both fun and challenging. The fact that you can also play with your friends online makes it the best multiplayer game out there.
-Haile Shaylor
Matthew Halon 32
Great Hunting Bow
By Dawson Kellogg - 11/6/17
Great Hunting Bow
By Dawson Kellogg - 11/6/17
2017 Matthew Halon 32
Poundage 60-70
Price msrp $1000
Fps 350
A couple of months ago, I bought a Matthew Halon 32 to eventually replace my Matthew Solo Cam. Even though I have only shot it a couple of times, I can tell already that it’s a great bow. Once I add a stabilizer and a better sight, I know the accuracy will be awesome. The bow pulls back great and it has some nice Cams that allow you to hold it back to get it perfectly steady for your shot. When I shot the bow during target practice, I shot from 30 yards. It felt very smooth and fast. I think I’m going to keep this bow for a very long time. The camo I chose for the bow looks great and matches all my gear perfectly.
The Matthew Halon 32 is a little heavier than my Solo Cam, but it has longer limbs that allows it to be more stable at full draw. It has 32 inch split limbs for cancelling shot noise and vibration.
The accuracy and stealth is above any other bow that I have shot. I highly recommend this bow for anyone who hunts big game.
-Dawson Kellogg
The Matthew Halon 32 is a little heavier than my Solo Cam, but it has longer limbs that allows it to be more stable at full draw. It has 32 inch split limbs for cancelling shot noise and vibration.
The accuracy and stealth is above any other bow that I have shot. I highly recommend this bow for anyone who hunts big game.
-Dawson Kellogg
The Legend of Primus by Robert Wintermute - 11/2/17
Mr. Les Claypool and his band, Primus, have been making music since the early 1980’s. The band had their big break in 1989 when Claypool and his band (Larry Lalonde, Jay Lane and Tim Alexander) released their first debut album Suck On This. The success of the album brought fame to the four musicians from San Francisco, as well as fortune, and record deals resulting in two more albums in the early 90’s: Frizzle Fry and Sailing the Seas of Cheese followed by Pork Soda in 1993. Primus’s music has always been out of the ordinary, with bass and guitars both playing leads and solos done with a cello, helping to add to their quirkiness and success. On October 17th, 2006, Primus released the album, They can’t all be Zingers composed of the band's best hits, all digitally remastered with a crisp clean out of this world sound that you’ll enjoy hearing as well as singing along with too. The music has a lot of bass playing lead, while Larry Lalonde (guitarist) plays his rhythmic riffs bringing the parts together creating an orchestral sound that’s startlingly impressive .
The song, My name is Mudd, is an intense song played with a lot of anger and rage. It starts with an amazing bass line that resembles a drum part. The song is about an antisocial individual who doesn’t like to be mixed up with other people. “My name is Mudd, not to be confused with Bill or Jack or Pete or Dennis. My name is Mudd.” The name Mudd is representative of his destructive nature. Like literal dirt, Mudd is nasty, sickening, and covers up bad deeds. “Six foot two and rude as hell, I gotta get him in the ground before he starts to smell.” Mudd is a murderous maniac who has a short fuse.
Another song on the album is Southbound Pachyderm which is about saving the elephants. In the song, Claypool’s steady bass riff, and Lalonde’s fast guitar part build intensity and suspense making a rhythmic explosion. The song explores the problems of illegal hunting and poaching. “Such an indigenous device, boredom encompasses my mind, I don’t know what i should do.” This lyric indicates and explains how the human mind can become distorted when it has nothing to satisfy it’s time with. In this case, hunters used their imaginations to create a weapon capable of killing an elephant.
In Primus’s hit single, To defy the laws of tradition, Primus encourages people to act against normal traditions and celebrate holidays or events in more personalized ways. Primus also calls attention to the greed and commercialism of Christmas. “What if Christmas didn’t come this year, and no one paid for Christmas cheer? Who would cry the bigger tear, the child or the store?” This lyric asks the audience to imagine what it’d be like if people didn’t celebrate the holidays and who they think would suffer more, the children or the stores. The answer is clear. Business sales in some companies would plummet without Christmas, which shows the holidays are mostly about money, and less about giving. Another tradition Primus brings up in the song is weddings. “Why do brides wear virgin white? Most do not deserve that right. But to choose the color of their delight.” This lyric explains that most women who wear virgin white don’t deserve to wear it because they aren’t virgins. Then it explains how women should go against the “traditional” white wedding and choose a colored dress of their liking.
Primus’s music was and still is influential to this day, with many fans young and old who continue to appreciate the music and lyrics. With many albums to explore, fans of Primus can literally spend hours listening to this extraordinary band. A band that synchronizes melodic tunes with rhythmic beats and out of this world bass riffs that come together to make an exquisite and superior sound.
-Robert Wintermute
Mr. Les Claypool and his band, Primus, have been making music since the early 1980’s. The band had their big break in 1989 when Claypool and his band (Larry Lalonde, Jay Lane and Tim Alexander) released their first debut album Suck On This. The success of the album brought fame to the four musicians from San Francisco, as well as fortune, and record deals resulting in two more albums in the early 90’s: Frizzle Fry and Sailing the Seas of Cheese followed by Pork Soda in 1993. Primus’s music has always been out of the ordinary, with bass and guitars both playing leads and solos done with a cello, helping to add to their quirkiness and success. On October 17th, 2006, Primus released the album, They can’t all be Zingers composed of the band's best hits, all digitally remastered with a crisp clean out of this world sound that you’ll enjoy hearing as well as singing along with too. The music has a lot of bass playing lead, while Larry Lalonde (guitarist) plays his rhythmic riffs bringing the parts together creating an orchestral sound that’s startlingly impressive .
The song, My name is Mudd, is an intense song played with a lot of anger and rage. It starts with an amazing bass line that resembles a drum part. The song is about an antisocial individual who doesn’t like to be mixed up with other people. “My name is Mudd, not to be confused with Bill or Jack or Pete or Dennis. My name is Mudd.” The name Mudd is representative of his destructive nature. Like literal dirt, Mudd is nasty, sickening, and covers up bad deeds. “Six foot two and rude as hell, I gotta get him in the ground before he starts to smell.” Mudd is a murderous maniac who has a short fuse.
Another song on the album is Southbound Pachyderm which is about saving the elephants. In the song, Claypool’s steady bass riff, and Lalonde’s fast guitar part build intensity and suspense making a rhythmic explosion. The song explores the problems of illegal hunting and poaching. “Such an indigenous device, boredom encompasses my mind, I don’t know what i should do.” This lyric indicates and explains how the human mind can become distorted when it has nothing to satisfy it’s time with. In this case, hunters used their imaginations to create a weapon capable of killing an elephant.
In Primus’s hit single, To defy the laws of tradition, Primus encourages people to act against normal traditions and celebrate holidays or events in more personalized ways. Primus also calls attention to the greed and commercialism of Christmas. “What if Christmas didn’t come this year, and no one paid for Christmas cheer? Who would cry the bigger tear, the child or the store?” This lyric asks the audience to imagine what it’d be like if people didn’t celebrate the holidays and who they think would suffer more, the children or the stores. The answer is clear. Business sales in some companies would plummet without Christmas, which shows the holidays are mostly about money, and less about giving. Another tradition Primus brings up in the song is weddings. “Why do brides wear virgin white? Most do not deserve that right. But to choose the color of their delight.” This lyric explains that most women who wear virgin white don’t deserve to wear it because they aren’t virgins. Then it explains how women should go against the “traditional” white wedding and choose a colored dress of their liking.
Primus’s music was and still is influential to this day, with many fans young and old who continue to appreciate the music and lyrics. With many albums to explore, fans of Primus can literally spend hours listening to this extraordinary band. A band that synchronizes melodic tunes with rhythmic beats and out of this world bass riffs that come together to make an exquisite and superior sound.
-Robert Wintermute