Pillar - For The Love Of The Game

Yeah, another music review. I've almost been surgically attached to my iPod lately, so I thought I'd make good use of that time. Multi tasking; a skill of all great consumers!

'Pillar' is a Christian rock band that's been together for quite awhile, and they're very well respected within that 'community' of artists. They're one of the bigger names, their material gets played on all Christian rock radio, and they've set the bar pretty high for all of the other hard rocking Jesus freaks out there.

Me? I've never been a big fan. Their style is a little hard, and a little rough around the edges for my tastes. But my tastes are just that; mine. Your results may vary.

Despite them not being my favorite band of all time, I have enjoyed a lot of their singles over the years. Just seems like they were never able to fill up an album with songs that I liked. 'For The Love Of The Game' seems to have broken that trend, as I really did enjoy it. It wasn't perfect, but definitely good enough that I'll load it up again.

'Reckless Youth' was one of my two favorites. I enjoy studying prophecy, and any other teen that shares that interest will get the meaning of this song. I'm not here to be preachy, so I'll leave it at that, but this song's message was a powerful one for young Believers.

'Smiling Down' was really mellow, and if you've lost anyone special in your life lately, it can be tear jerking. Jesus was actually mentioned in this song, breaking the trend of the last few 'Christian' albums I've listened to that had no mention of any sort of deity.

The other eight tracks kind of ran together to me, but they were all 'okay.' I enjoyed my experience with the disc, and I feel comfortable recommending it to other Christians who enjoy a sharper edge to their music. Available soon!


Official Site


--Jeremy Hobbs




pillar, for the love of the game, christian rock, rock, christian music, music

12 Stones - Anthem For The Underdog

As far as music goes, this is an excellent album. '12 Stones' made it through their sophomore jinx ('Potter's Field') and came back with a very refined piece in work in 'Anthem For The Underdog.' Their sound has matured greatly; gone is the needless screaming that tarnished a lot of their previous work. Not saying that they've 'gone soft,' but it's just a lot cleaner sound.

From a religious perspective, I'm left a bit disappointed. I ripped Paramore's 'Riot' for it, and I'll do the same to 12 Stones; announce your allegiances in your music, and don't straddle the fence. As a Christian, knowing I'm listening to a self-declared Christian band, I could pick out the messages. But this could have been an album dedicated to any 'god.' The words 'God,' 'Jesus,' or 'Christ' aren't used in any of the 10 tracks. That's very disappointing to me.

'It Was You' is easily the best track available on the disc. I find it no coincidence that it is also the track that had the most spiritual influences. The ballad offers a motivational perspective on the feeling a new believer will typically feel. The vocals are strong, the band plays powerfully but not to the point of being over powering. Excellent track.

'Adrenaline' was probably my least favorite. It's a song that really should have been saved exclusively for live performances. No real 'message' or 'story,' it's just a 'get pumped up' track. You might like it, but it's going to be skipped frequently by me.

The rest of the songs on the disc seem to have a theme of over coming bad relationships, and then relying further on God to get us through our problems. Everything is quite good; I don't give corny 'star' ratings in my reviews, but I do use them when forming my initial impressions. Only one track was below a three, out of the five that I use. That's pretty good, because I'm picky. Bottom line, this is a great CD for Christians who miss their secular rock, but don't wish to go back to the 'dark side.' Not worship material, but there are some good messages, and they sound better all the time as a band. Mildly recommended.


Official Site


--Jeremy Hobbs




12 stones, anthem for the underdog, christian music, christian rock, music, rock

Now and Later Cherry

I wont run them consecutively, I'm sure that'd be quite boring, but I hit the gold mine when it come to 'Now and Later's. A near by store has the largest collection of flavors I've ever seen, and over a period of time I'll review every last one of them. Just let me know if I'm going over board!

Older readers will remember these from their youth, the rest of us have only seen them sparingly. They seem to fade in and out of popularity. Any young people out their that might want something to compare them to, just think Starbursts. Now and Later's are just a bit more firm, and I think more flavorful.

Don't think I'm kidding when I say 'firm' either; if you don't suck on them 'Now' before you bite into them 'Later' (get it), these can very well rip a filling right out. That would not be cool at all.

To start with, I'll hit a basic flavor; 'Cherry.' Tastes great, but absolutely nothing like any cherry I've ever bitten into. That's a trait with a lot of these budget candies; they'll taste good, but the names can be interchangeable. This could have easily been a 'Berry.' Regardless, they're good, and I think you'll enjoy them.

Take this nutritional info with a grain of salt; there wasn't any official info so I grabbed some numbers off of a diet information site. 9 of the individually wrapped pieces net you 120 calories. I don't think that's too bad; you're unlikely to sit down and eat 9 of them at a time anyway. Where these really shine is price; if you're paying more than a quarter for the 1.26oz 'bar,' you're paying too much. Excellent value, great flavor, and that combination equals a solid recommendation.


No Useful Official Site


--Jeremy Hobbs




now and later, candy, snacks, food

Chocolate Mix Skittles

While shopping a few days ago, the same day I found Sour Nerds, I also ran up on these. 'Skittles Chocolate Mix.' Or 'Chocolate Mix Skittles.' Take your pick.

When I was a kid, I ate Skittles like mad; I bought them by the one pound bag and kept them in my M&M dispenser. As with most foods, constant access leads to burnout, so I've gotten away from them as I've aged. I don't think I've even tried the other fruity varieties, though I plan on doing so soon. But Chocolate Skittles just seemed to strange to pass up; perfect Consumer's Corner review material.

To describe them in three words or less, I'd say 'crunchy Tootsie Rolls.' The texture and flavor are very similar once you break the candy 'shell.' There really wasn't a huge difference in flavor between the different colors, except for 'Vanilla.' In a bag, you get (from top to bottom in the picture) 'Vanilla,' 'S'mores,' 'Chocolate Caramel,' 'Chocolate Pudding,' and 'Brownie Batter.' Calories are 230 per 2oz serving.

Do I recommend them? For those who like to try new things just for the sake of it, sure. There's nothing wrong them, but they're not that great either. I'll stick with the M's for my candy coated chocolate needs. If you can keep your curiosity from getting the best of you, I'll say pass.


Official Site
(They're not listed yet, but should be soon)


--Jeremy Hobbs




skittles, chocolate, skittles chocolate mix, chocolate skittles, candy, snacks



(Thank you to:
www.candyblog.net
www.typetive.com
for the photos. Sorry for any trouble.)

Wonka Sour Nerds | Lightning Lemon & Amped Apple

I've never hid my love for all things Wonka, they just produce products that make my taste buds jump. If they release something, I'll buy it, at least once. Nerds, Bottle Caps, Runts, and Gobstoppers all hold a very dear place in my candy covered heart. Bottle Caps are probably my favorite overall, but the other three run a close second (I love them all equally, like you do your children).

While strolling through the candy aisle at my local convenience store, I saw 'New Sour! Nerds' sitting alongside their usual Nerd collection. Needless to say, I was excited. My hand reached for that 1.65 ounce box faster than I could think about it, and I thoroughly analyzed my marvelous new find. Only major difference in packaging was a shrink wrap; much like those on cigarette packages. Found that a bit odd, but no big deal.

The flavors, as you can see in the picture, are Lightning Lemon and Amped Apple. Catchy, huh? The lemon was sour, or tart, as advertised. All lemon candies should be. Nothing 'painful' though, just a bit more sour than your standard Nerd. Doesn't much taste like a lemon, more like a lemon flavored candy; which it is. You all know how that goes.

Amped Apple was my favorite of the two, and not really all that sour. Kind of made it an odd inclusion in this extension of Nerds, but it tasted great. More or less a standard 'sour apple' candy flavor, it should be very pleasing to those who enjoy similar candies. It would have easily fit along side any other Nerd flavor, 'sour' or not.

180 calories per box, as each box contains three servings. Wasted calories, but it's candy; you can't expect multivitamins. The box cost me $0.69, your results will certainly vary by location. I give these a general recommendation to the average person, and I highly recommend them to Wonka fans, and especially Nerd fans. Enjoy!


Official Site


--Jeremy Hobbs




wonka, nerds, sour nerds, candy

Alan Watt | Cutting Through The Matrix

Awhile back I reviewed and highly recommended the excellent news source ‘The Drudge Report.’ Matt Drudge runs a very tight ship, bringing you the cream of the crop in mainstream news. But there is another side to the news industry; an ‘underground’ if you will. People that are willing to spill the beans, and tell you the things that ‘they’ (the 'Big Boys) do not want you to know. Alan Watt, and his little slice of the web he calls ‘Cutting Through The Matrix’ is one of those sites, and I bring you this ‘review’ if for no other reason than to be thorough.

Alan is based out of Canada, produces a (tri-weekly?) internet radio show, books, CD’s, and DVD’s that try to ‘enlighten’ people as to how the world really works. I’ve had the, um, pleasure of listening to a handful of his broadcasts, and at the very least, what you’ll hear is bizarre enough to keep you quite interested. The people that actually call in are a hoot!

Now, whether I buy into these conspiracy theories or not is completely inconsequential, I just think it’s great that we can live in a world where this type of ‘information’ is freely available to anyone who wishes to waste their time with it.

As far as a ‘real’ review goes, I can’t give you much of one. I have not, nor will I ever purchase any of Alan Watt's products. No good can come from doing so; if he’s right (cough) and ‘they’ really are out to get me, I’d rather my name not be on the mailing list of the guy who exposed ‘them.’ Should he be (gasp!) wrong; I’ve wasted perfectly good money that could’ve otherwise been spent on some genetically modified food.

Take a peak, if for no other reason than other reason than expose yourself to a 'different' point of view. Keyword being ‘different.’ Who knows, you may be one of the few who becomes ‘awakened.’ Always remember to keep an eye over your shoulder though; just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

alan watt, cutting through the matrix, conspiracy theory, underground news

24:7 Cherry Berry Energy Drink

Yep, I bought another one, knowing full well that the original 24:7 was almost undrinkable. I'm very big on second chances, and thought a splash of flavor might help this particular drink out, so I picked the one that I figured to be most appealing to me; Cherry Berry. My two favorite 'add on' flavors to any given beverage, there was no way it could taste bad. Right? Wrong.

24:7 Cherry Berry is plagued by the same problem as the 'Original' unnamed flavor, it's painful to swallow. To prove to myself that I wasn't reacting unfavorably to some funky ingredient, I asked a couple other folks to try it out, and they came back with the same impression; a grimace and the word ''ouch!.' Suffice it to say, I refused to finish this can, and dumped the remaining amount down the sink. It is so acidic I'm certain it did wonders for my pipes. For the record, I tasted no cherry, and the berry tasted like cranberries.

Ingredient list is the same, so I'll link you to my original article on 24:7 Energy Drink, and you can read up on it there if you're interested. But please, for you own good, if you need a budget energy buzz, find someone near you that offers 'Rip It,' and avoid this at all costs. You'll be better off for having done so.


Official Site


--Jeremy Hobbs


Related Articles:
Jeremy's Consumer's Corner: 24:7 Energy Drink
Jeremy's Consumer's Corner: Rip It Energy Fuel Power
Jeremy's Consumer's Corner: Rip It Energy Fuel Citrus X
Jeremy's Consumer's Corner: Rip It Energy Fuel Power Sugar Free
Jeremy's Consumer's Corner: Rip It Energy Fuel A'Tomic Pom
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24:7 energy drink, energy drinks, red bull, prilabs