Tag Archives: les invincibles

TOP 10 TEUTONIC TERRORS: 2. Scorpions

Posted by gruesomegreg on

The Teutonic Terror tour is coming to Toronto tomorrow, featuring Kreator and Accept.  Which got me thinking, who are the top Teutonic Terrors–the 10 best German metal bands?  Unlike, say, picking the top Japanese heavy rock bands or the best female-fronted doom troupes, there are a whole lotta options here.  I’ve even come across a couple Top 10 lists where I haven’t heard of 80 per cent of the entries…  Obviously, Germany is known for producing thrash bands in the 80′s and pumping out power metal today, but are there any German doom bands worthy of inclusion, for instance?  Well, I’ll be revealing my list over the next 10 days.  I’ve tried to keep it balanced while still highlighting the country’s strengths, but in the end, it really all comes down to personal preference. ;)

10. Atlantean Kodex

9. Obscura

8. Tankard

7. Running Wild

6. Blind Guardian

5. Grave Digger

4. Helloween

3. Destruction/Kreator/Sodom

2. Scorpions

The forefathers of German heavy metal.  The Scorps started off as a heavy rock band ahead of their time in the early/mid 70′s before cashing in come the 80′s with megahits such as “No One Like You” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”  After going soft in the 90′s by penning chart-topping ballads “Wind of Change” and “Send Me an Angel,” they’ve recently returned to rocking with 2010′s Sting in the Tail, and have been on their farewell tour for a good 3-4 years now.  A plethora of great guitarists have come up through their ranks, whether it be Michael Shenker, Uli Jon Roth or the longtime and current duo of Rudolf Shenker and Matthias Jabs, while the inimitable Klaus Meine has set the standard for a legion of shriekers.  Their music has been used in many movies, commercials and TV shows, but placing “Still Loving You” in the series finale of Radio Canada’s Les Invincibles really hit home like a sledgehammer…

The opening strains of the song start around the 1:10 mark.  And yes, if you watch this video, you’ll spoil the whole series, but it’s not like you can get it on DVD with English subtitles or anything.  (Mind you, there was talk of FOX purchasing the concept of the series about a year ago.  Not sure that it ever made it into their fall lineup, though…)

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A few views on last nite’s Storage Wars

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Storage Wars is now officially my favourite show on television.  Not since Les Invincibles went off the air a couple years back has there been a show that I’d make plans around.  If your band’s playing a gig on Wednesday, I won’t be there, cuz I’ll be watching Storage Wars.  (Coincidentally, I think Les Invincibles also aired on Wednesdays at one point…)

Though I also like Auction Hunters, it’s a show you watch to be wowed by how much money these guys are making.  Storage Wars is more about the personal stories, the drama that goes on between characters—as well as the profits earned on storage lockers.  That’s why I’m hooked.  Anyways, there were a few things about last nite’s episodes that I wanted to share my thoughts on, namely:

  1. The Auction Hunters wouldn’t win anything on Storage Wars.  These guys are consummate professionals; they assess the value of a locker, set a price limit, and never exceed it.  There have been times when a locker has gone to someone else for exactly their limit, but they won’t raise the bid, not even by a dollar.  On Storage Wars, you have Jarrod throwing money recklessly at any locker that catches his eye and Dave using his wallet to intimidate people by driving up the bids.  I think that Darrell is cut from the same cloth as Allen Haff and Ton Jones, and that’s why he’s gone home empty-handed more often than not this season.
  2. Barry might soon be done for.  After losing money on crappy lockers on back-to-back episodes, he seemed pretty down.  I know the guy only does this for a hobby, and he’s already rich, but if he doesn’t make a big score soon, I dunno if he’ll make it through the season.  Then again, I could be wrong.  He seems to like the attention of the TV cameras.
  3. Dave Hester really enjoys being the bad guy.  I tweeted last nite about how he’s like a good wrestling heel: he enjoys it when people boo him, and he’s good at getting under the “good guys’” skin.  These past couple episodes have really proven my theory, with him bidding on stuff he doesn’t want just to drive the prices up on Jarrod/Brandi, Barry and/or Darrell, and taking another look at the lockers during the auctions (I thought that wasn’t allowed?) to psych people out.  If it wasn’t for his auction business, he could be the next Andy Kaufman.
  4. Man, I hope Darrell’s alright.  After keeping his stone-cold demeanour all season, he just casually mentions that he’s going through a divorce, a child custody battle (no more Brandon on the show?) and even a home invasion.  That’s pretty rough.  At least he looks to have made a decent profit on that locker fulla stuff.  I think I’ll be rooting for him the rest of the season.