I've been in such a good mood since I made the realization I wrote about in this post. I'm sure everyone has been worried about their health at one time or another-- maybe they think they have cancer, or diabetes. They ruminate about it. Then, finally, the doctor's appointment arrives, they have the gamut of tests, lo and behold there is nothing wrong with them.

That's a bit how it was for me. I was growing concerned about what seemed to be a diminishing of passion over the past couple of years: "Are my glory days well and truly behind me?", I wondered. But no: I was just looking at things the wrong way! It's axiomatic that as people age, there is less of a potential for novel situations or things, because the person has experienced more. It would be futile to base happiness then on the need for novelty alone.

Now I know the proper framing. Let's use music as a hypothetical: "Ok, I've now heard every single genre of music. Instead of searching in vain for new genres which simply aren't out there, I'll focus on being happy listening to my favorite genres." I know this sounds like "Captain Obvious" territory to everyone else, but I'm one of those people where I need to come to realizations on my own, for them to "stick".


Galneryus

Speaking of music, I know I've mentioned them before, but I've decided to do a more thorough write-up regarding Galneryus, because over the past two-or-so months, I haven't been able to listen to anyone but them. They are the "perfect band"-- let me explain why by going through their members first:


Vocalist: Masatoshi Ono. "Sho", as he's known in Japan, runs his own prestigious vocals school is a huge celebrity within the metal scene in his country. And his reputation is no wonder: just take a listen to him singing his wonderful "Hunter x Hunter" theme song, "Departure". Outside of maybe luminaries such as Ronnie James Dio, Sho is the best metal vocalist I've literally ever heard. He is unlike most power metal singers in two ways: first, he is so natural up and down the scale that he doesn't even need to use falsetto to hit the high notes; second, he is able to powerfully project his voice with consistency, no matter where he is, without sounding strained or thin.

Guitarist: Syu. I've gone through "best guitarists of all time" lists over the decades I've been listening to rock and metal music, and Syu is one of the top three or four I've ever heard. I debate with myself whether he's even better than Yngwie Malmsteen. Like Yngwie, Syu is not just an unbelivably fast and technical player, but he composes all of his own music. In this example of his prowess, he even opens with some of Yngwie's music, before transitioning into his own instrumental song. He's so fast that he plays the "pentatonic"-style stuff without "flattening" the guitar in front of him!

Keyboardist: Yuhki. If Syu is one of the best guitars I've ever heard, then as keyboardists go Yuhki is perhaps even better. I have never seen or heard someone who can play as fast and as note-perfect as he can. In Galneryus's songs, he routinely alternates solos with Syu, and indeed he even does so in the aforelinked instrumental video. In the live performances I've watched, he carries one of those zany guitar-like keyboards with the distortion touchpad-esque surface-- simultaneously, he has a stack of three additional keyboards, the bottom of which is a 1960s-style Hammond organ.


Their Albums: The consensus regarding their best album comes down to these two: 2010's "Resurrection", and 2012's "Angel of Salvation". I waffle as to which album is better. I've heard probably over a hundred power metal albums, including the ones which make up the "all-time sub-genre classics" lists-- and I think both of these works from Galneryus are in the top six or seven, ever. I hold them in that much esteem.

"Resurrection" is one of those what I call "easy listening" albums, similar to, let's say, Kamelot's "Epica" or Sonata Artica's "Ecliptica". The expectation-subverting chord progressions and almost Weezer-like changing keys take the listener on an emotional journey, and the whole work progresses like a smooth-running waterfall from start to finish. Every single song is a total masterpiece: the album is flowing with authenticity. "Angel of Salvation" has a heavier tone, and leans more into the fantasy realm. Some of the neoclassical Yuhki-Syu instrumental sections throughout are absolutely mind boggling, both in composition and in execution.

Word tells me that Galneryus is a huge band in Japan-- but from what I can see from my usual sources, they are almost completely unheard of in the United States. Even my usual metal resources which cover hundreds and hundreds of bands, such as the "Metal Reviews" site, have never mentioned that this incredible Japanese band even exists! Hopefully I can start to change that in my own little way via this blog post.

Their combination of incredible compositional qualities, maybe best I've ever heard power metal vocals, and Yngwie-caliber solos make it difficult for me to even listen to any other bands at the moment. Galneryus is the complete package: as I said before, they are the perfect band, with absolute superstar virtuosos in every single role.


Starfield and Champions League

These are two topics about which I don't want to reveal too many spoilers, but let me just say that in the former's case, this title is a real return to form for Bethesda. The game is filled with the classic Bethesda-style humor I came to know and love from games such as "Daggerfall", "Morrowind", "Fallout 3", and "Oblivion". Their most recent titles have taken themselves way too seriously, so Starfield's wit is a welcome development. Prospective players should look out in particular for the main questline on Mars: it has several hilarious moment that take me back to moments such as the "falling out of the sky" dude in "Morrowind".

I'm also surprised at the human aspects and level of detail put into Starfield. In one sequestered location, compliments of her young boy, I met a struggling woman whose husband had died in a mining. The game gave me the option to gift her 20,000 credits, to help her get off the planet-- I took the option, and was rewarded with some phenomenally believable gratitude via the voice actress. Mind you, this moment wasn't even a side quest: it was just a random NPC that most Starfield players will probably miss altogether.

As for the Champions League, you simply won't believe what happened at the end of this match. I've been watching football for decades now, and have never seen this occur before: drama of the highest order.


Microsoft Leaks

A huge amount of information leaked today regarding Microsoft-- complete with internal presentation material and email communications. From the outside, Phil Spencer seems like kind of a dufus-- and internally thanks to these and other email chains, he seems like someone who is too agreeable to be such a high profile boss.

Microsoft are not only-- and have been for some time-- trying to convince Nintendo to sell themselves, but are actively trying to determine how to buy Valve. Such an acquisition, ending in Microsoft owning Steam, would spell the end of PC gaming as I see it, and I sincerely hope the FTC would block such an attempted purchase.