Ice Cold Passion: 2021

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Movies: 5 Stephen King movies to watch on Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!!!

So we are closing off this Halloween month with a bang, today I am sharing with you some of my favorite Stephen King movies. And there will be something for everybody because not all of these are very scary, I think of Stephen King more of the king of dread, he just knows how to very subtly set a very atmospheric setting and slowly fill it with a good all portion of dread. Most of the time I just am a bit creeped out, more than really scared. I have yet to read a Stephen King book, I know I should have already, I just don't know where to start. That will be a discussion for another day.

Let's get into the movies.

Swinging Saturdays #107: Dutch Gothic Angels

Books: House of Hollow ~ Krystal Sutherland

Books: Mexican Gothic ~ Silvia Moreno - Garcia

Swinging Saturdays #106: Black Hearts

Swinging Saturdays #105: The Apocalypse is coming

Swinging Saturdays #104: Hauntingly beautiful music videos

Swinging Saturdays #103: I Am A Mainstream Metal Girl

When ever metal comes up in conversation and I get asked what kind of metal do you listen to I always go for the safest answer: mainstream metal.

Why, for 1 with that I won't insult anyone, and

two, it makes it clear that I am not the biggest metal head ever lived. My relation with especially death and trash metal is usually something along the lines of this: yes I appreciate the music until the singer/grunter/vocalist opens his or her mouth and then its gone. I am a lover of vocals, and are very picky of what I like or don't like.

A third reason why I named it mainstream metal is that it ends the discussion about if it is really a metal band quite easily. It shows that I am not a well know around the metal scene as they might think.

Anyways, I do watch my fair share of metal bands from behind the bar, because well I enjoy the audience that comes to these concerts. They are always so nice, and I can poor beer the entire evening. I enjoy those evenings. Let's get into these mainstream metal bands I like.

Papa Roach ~ Between Angels & Insects

In all honesty, I have never really considered this to be a metal band, but it shows up in many a list of metal, so I am only adding this because of this. If I would have gone with scars for this top 10 I think you might have thought it would be out of place. I actually have a line of the Scars lyrics tattood on my arm, although only a preson that can read runes will be able to read it. I used to listen to Papa Roach a lot when I was younger.

Cradle of Filth ~ Nymphetamine Fix

This is definitely a bit heavier, can I say this is kind of a guilty pleasure two me? I don't know that is how it feels to me. I have a lot of good memories of Cradle of Filth, it is still such an intresting band, very peculiar (male) vocals, one I do appreciate for some strange reason.

Amorphis ~ The Bee

They were the support act to Nightwish I was so surprised I loved there performance it was very impressive. If you like it give them some love will you?

Marilyn Manson ~ The Beautiful People

Oke, Oke, I don't stand for all the things he does, all the accusations nor his relation. However I do enjoy his music, how controversial this may seem. It just has this, thing which atrracks me to it. It is definitly the most talked about artist on this entire list, mostly in the negative.

Disturbed ~ Down With The Sickness

Well if you have been following my blog over the last year, you might have seen him preform his cover of "The Sound of Silence". I still get goose bumps when I hear the song. This remains on of my favorites of his normal reportiore.

Slipknot ~ Duality

This is what every band want, the audience screaming the words to your song back to you. What an awesome video is this. I find that I cannot so easily explain why I like all of these metal bands, sorry for giving you only short commentary today, at least you can spend less time reading and more time listening to these awesome bands.

Korn ~ Thoughtless

And we are back at Rock Am Ring with yet another artist, this time being Korn. They seems to have a lot of good video's floating around on Youtube. Not that I am complaining. I am a huge fan of Korn, from all the bands in this top 10 I think I own the most Korn albums in comparison to the rest. Second runner up would be System of a Down, which will be coming your way shortly as well. I have lived this song, even once done a drawning about this song. I wish that I had picked it up from school, but sadly it might be lost now forever.

System of A Down ~ Aerials

Now were getting to the stuff I listen to more often. I know all the songs of Toxicity by heart. Aerials is definitely one of my favorites. I am not a huge fan of the music video they made for Aerials, it is downright creepy. Again this is a vocal favorite. I am feeling a bit repetetive today sorry for that.

Rammstein ~ Sonne

From our neighbouring country comes one of the biggest names in the metal world. Rammstein. German is kind of a cool language to go with metal, everything in german sounds so much angrier.

Metallica ~ Enter Sandman

Ending this list with certainly not the least, you might have wondered the entire time, will she add a metallica song? Well yes of course I will. I think this is their most iconic song. They have had so many successes of the years, but this one stands out to me.

Are you a mainstream metal boy or girl? Let me know in the comments!
Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #102: Beautiful Dance videos

I can't dance for shit, but I love to see people dance, I watched all the Step Up movies, Dirty Dancing, Save The Last Dance.They are all awesome, I think the allure is to me that I can't even phantom doing something like they do, my body is not made to hold a rythm. Anyways here are some of the most beautiful dance video's I have found over the years.

Muse ~ Dead Inside

You might think well something like Muse is impossible to dance to, rock is not somehting you associate with dancing, and yet the choreography in this video is really amazing. I hope you enjoy it as well.

My Chemical Romance ~ Helena

I don't know I have always loved this video, it might just be the beautiful church but also the beautiful costumes and dancers.

Ed Sheeran ~ Thinking Out Loud

Here is the starting point of artists that dance their own music video's and of course these are found in the realm of pop songs. I fell so much in love with this video the first time I have watched it, it is so mesmerizing so beautiful. I don't even have words for it. Just enjoy oke?

Lady Gaga ~ Bad Romance

Can do beautiful dance video's without adding one of my favorite pop singers. In showmansship she rivals Micheal Jackson. I absolutely love her strange videos, beautiful weird costumes and the time and effort that went into every detail.

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

You would not think I would leave out the king of pop would you? ofcourse we are ending this list with the one and only master of dance, Michael Jackson! Thriller is an amazing work of art, no doubt about that. And many took inspiration from this music video, through out the years. You will also find some of the elements in the above video from Lady Gaga. This video has aged very well, and even in 2021 it is one of the most impressive video's I have ever seen.

Let me know what you thought of this top 5, and if I should re-attempt something like this again. I know there are many more beautiful dance videos that I haven't mentioned, would you like to see a part 2 to this one? Maybe do a deep dive in various styles of dancing something like that? I would love to know what your thoughts are, feel free to leave a comment here or on my socials.

Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #101 Band I hope to see live soonish

So I know that in Belgium, the UK and other parts of Europe festivals and live music events have proceeded, the Netherlands however, it still in this freaking Covid mess and in all honesty I am getting sick and tired of it.

The music/event industry is finally uniting and prostesting however the media is like, nooooo we are not going to shed any light on that. In the meantime this weekend there is a large event here in the Netherlands, one of the only wants that is allowed, with full stands, no social distancing, festival camping etc. It doesn't seem fair that non of the music festival are allowed and yet this event can pass without restrictions. Yes it bothers me and we do need to talk about it, as for the last 2 years I, we, the music industry, the event industry held it tongue but now it is time to speak up.

If you enjoy going to concerts and events and you are dutch, speak up, if you are a proffesional in the industry that has been on it's ass for 2 years speak up! Lets put an end to this double standard of our Dutch government. Only if we do this together something will happen, we might be heard. We can make them listen. Let us have festivals again. There is another protest coming, it is on the 11th of September #unmuteus. I hope it will be succesfull and the right people are finally going to listen. Because don't we all want to go to festivals again?

So what brought on this episode, well I think Martijn was certainly one of the triggers. When I got home on Friday he was really sad and grumpy, he had seen the footage of the F1, and how it is not in accordance with the social distancing rules, nor was everybody sitting on chairs like is demanded. It breaks my heart that this is allowed and all festivals are being cancelled. And then there is the other reason, I want to start seeing live music again, which is what we are going to talk about it today. There is a long list of bands I still have never seen or I am in desperate need of, because they are the party. I miss going to festivals, concerts, the sweating body's moving to the same rithm of the music, the people, the stories, the bands. Please bring them back to us. I hate having being bound to a chair, not being able to move and even worst not being able to sing along. The entire concept was ruined for me, I need to be able to move, make noise, drink a beer. It has been too long.

Anyways, let's get into which bands I want to see live, when I get the chance.

Foo Fighters ~ Pretender

I have never seen the Foo Fighters live, it is high on my lists of bands I want to see, but the thing is, this is one of those bands that only hit the big venues like Ziggo Dome, like the Amsterdam Arena. And this is not what I want,this is something I want to watch on a festival, were I will be able to see, were if I want to, will be able to be in the front line. I am not sure if I ever told you but I am only 1.5m generally 80 % of the public at concerts is a lot taller then me, which brings with it the problem of being able to see the band. That is also why enjoy festivals, it is much easier to find a place from were you can enjoy the concert with proper view.

Barns Courtney ~ Sinners

"Fire" was my most listened to song on Spotify in 2020. It is no surprise I would like to experience this live some day. If he every makes it across the pond then I will be fist in line for tickets. I think I have let you listen to Fire before, so here is a different song. This is Sinners.

Rammstein ~ Sonne

I have seen the Rammstein cover band, they play in Hedon, Zwolle once a year, and allthough it is a cover band, something I am a bit conflicted on sometimes. This band in all honest was really good, they are called "Feuerengel" I believe. So now that I have seen there show, I need to see the real deal, the biggest band (in my book) of Germany. It will be one of the most impressive things I will ever see I think.

Franz Ferdinand ~ No You Girls

My love for this band is never ending, I have such a fan for a long time, but never managed to get my hands on any concert tickets. They still sell out every show in the Netherlands, and don't play a lot of festivals, so yeah it is still on the list, and I want to see them, right now would be good, in my back yard? Can we do that? lol. Anyways I just love their sound, eventhough I sometimes forget, but when ever I hear their music, it makes me feel so good.

Blues Pills ~ Little Boy Preacher

My go to singalong band, had to be here of course, because found last year, when there wasn't anything going on, they are not yet confirmed for any thing close by but I am hoping. Please come play in the Netherlands, pretty please!

The Killers ~ Runaway Horses

I think my relation with this band is at least as long as with the music of Franz Ferdinand. Once upon a time, I fell in love with "Mr. Brightside". Then I bought "Hot Fuss" and fell in love with "All These Things I Have Done". A couple of weeks ago I watched together with Martijn the making of the song "When We Were Young". It is from a series on Netflix, about how the songs were made. It is very interesting if you like music and want to learn more about the process of making it. THe one with Hurt from Nine Inch Nails was also very interesting. Anyways when driving to work the other day I heard this new song from The Killers on the radio, it is not the Killers I fell in love with all these year ago, as this is more of a ballad then a rock song. I thought it was really good, so here the new one, what do you think? I think it is beautiful.

Dropkick Murphys ~ Rose Tattoo

Let's bring the party shall we? This would be hard without a mosh pit. This is always on top of the life list, because, is is always a joy, always a party, always a mosh pit. And it got me on stage twice! Yes I have seen the "Afas Live" from the stage. It is lovely, and seems twice as big from the stages point of view! Next time I hope to see them at a festival, that would be fun.

DeWolff ~ Bona Fide

I have mede it a ahbit to go seem DeWollf play live at least once a year, but in all honesty it more often 2 or more that I see them. This is just a band that works live. It is one of those bands were I say go see them live instead of buying an album. Go see them live first. You will be hooked after the your first live performance. Also they make wonderful vinyl, if you are into that. I already have tickets to go see them, but I think this will be in 2022. I am really hoping the venues can openup fully in october, but it is still unsure at this moment.

Devil Electric ~ lady Velvet

Amazing voice, in a male filled part of the genre, called stoner. This is so good, and I am very curious to see this band live.

The Death South ~ In Hell I'll Be In Good Company

This is just hilarious, and its good, also love the music video.

I hope you enjoyed this top 10. What is on your To-Watch-list?
Let me know in the comments!

Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #100: Spotify ABC ~ H

High time for a new Spotify ABC, this week starring, H.

So let's see what we have here: Ha Ha Tonka, Häxxan, Heideroosjes, HIM, Hot Hot Heat, The Hot Sprockets, The Howlin, Hozier, Hurts.

Oh my so many favorites here! However am I going to choose only 5 of these? This is going to be hard, there is a lot of nostalgic bands here for me like HIM, Hot Hot Heat and the Heideroosjes. These are bands I loved for years and years. There is also a mystery here something I don't remember why I am following so I have to give that one a listen. Let's do this!

Häxxan ~ no. 1991

Häxxan sounds like some kind of kick as metal band in my ears, I can tell you, it is definitely not a metal band. It is more a indie rock band. The kind of band I like, it kind of reminds me of Shame, Mozes and The First Born, and Indian Askin. I like their sounds and I remember when I first found them I listened to them for days. It was my new favorite of the moment.

Hurts ~ Somebody

I haven't talked about Hurts for the longest time. I was a big fan of the songs Wonderful Life, Silver Lining, which are both from their 2011 album "Hapiness". I haven't actually listened to anything new yet so I decided to do just that before I wrote this Swinging Saturdays, and I must say I like their new work. Or newish since the newsest I could find was released in 2020. They have taken a bit of a different road with these new ones, it is a bit more cheerful. The album I was just talking about is a little dramatic and sometime a little depressing. So I am going with a newer song, Somebody. If you know Hurts, let me know what you think of this.

Heidenroosjes ~ I'm Not Deaf (I'm Just Ignoring You)

I just bought myself a beautiful album by the Heideroosjes. They are Dutch punk band and they have been arround since the early 90's. The mainly sing in Dutch, but they have also released a couple of albums in English as well. The album I have gotten is a combination of Dutch and English songs, it is a re-release of their first album, on limited edition yellow vinyl. Me and Martijn went shopping last week and I gotten 4 limited edition vinyls in this round and spend way too much money, but hey you only live once right? So yeah the Heideroosjes, what song to pick? Let's go with something I know from the album I just bought, which is I'm Not Deaf (I'm Just Ignoring You). I hope you enjoy.

The Howlin' ~ This Road

So this is a suprise I am not sure how I found this, who it came to be in my Spotify list but, I kind of like it. It sound pretty good! Good thing I am doing this Spotify ABC or else I would have forgotten about it completely!

Hozier (ft. Karen Cowley) ~ In A Week

We are ending this list with one of my favorite singer-songwriters out there, yes of course I am talking about Hozier, his music is just so damn good. I can just lie on the couch with my eyes closed being swept away by his voice. It is dreamy, deep, dark and just what I sometimes want to hear. This is just what I mean the whole setting of the video, perfect!

I hope you enjoyed this top 5 Do you have any suggestion for me?
Let me know in the comments!

Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #99: European Championships ~ The Quarter Finals in music

So we are down to the quarterfinals! I thought it would be fun to do a top 8 today, with all the countries that made it into the quarter finals! I thought it would have been I will be sharing 1 song of an artist out of each country, I am not sure how this will go, as I might have to do some research for some of the countries. So lets get into this!

Italy: Måneskin ~ Zitti E Bueni

This will be a first on my blog, I am most definitely not the biggest fan of the Eurovision song festival. Most of the songs are not for me, and usually the songs they pick for our Dutch artist to preform are bad, does any one remember Birds from Anouk? Anyone, it was so bad. Any ways, this I think is actually a great song, very original, lots of guitars, yes please can we have a winnner like this every year, please? Thank you. Sorry Duncan this is more my style.

Denmark: Volbeat ~ For Evigt

I thought I didn't know any bands from Denmark. I was very wrong, almost every week I get confronted with this band.. Because, my sister is a big fan, and well we have a company together, so yeah it gets played at the office. I like this band, but it is not my go to band, I have my favorites for example Sad Man's Tongue and I really do enjoy this song. Only just found out thought that the entire chorus is in Danish... Yeah that is kind of my issue with the singer, I don't always know what he is singing. I love this live version, also like the art from the album btw.

Czech Republic: Airfare ~ Sorry babe

I don't want to talk about the match against the Netherlands OKE..(being overdramatic) Oke, well let's move on, I know 0 music from the Czech Republic, so I did some research and found this band that sounds a bit like Franz Ferdinand but then a bit different. I like this song so this is what we are going with. If you are from the Czech Republic and you have some other great suggestions, leave it in the comments! I will definitely check it out!

Belgium: Bazart ~ Telkens Als Je Gaat

I know, I know, unfortunetly the red devils did not hold up against Italy yesterday, but hey we are discussing the quarter finalists here. Bazart is one of my favorite bands from our neighbouring countries, this just released yesterday on Youtube, so it must be a new song. So yeah, I just check they just released a new album, it is called Onderweg, which reminds of a Dutch song with the same name, from the artist Abel, but that is beside the point. This is a very interesting band to keep your eye on, their music is amazing.

Urkaine: Stoned Jesus ~ I Am The Mountain

So I was talking about doing this top 8 today at work this week and our trainee send me a text now you need to find a song for Ukraine as well as I told him that I didn't know any music from the Chzech Republic. The thing is though I do know bands from the Urkaine. One of Martijn's favorite stoner bands is from the Ukraine, and also one of the symphonic metal bands I listen to is from the Ukraine. So it kind of was an easy one for me. And I am going with Stoned Jesus because of that epic vocals in this song. I just wanted to have an excuse to use this song actually. This song is around 14 minutes but trust me it is worth your time.

England: Arctic Monkeys ~ R U Mine?

From Sheffield England, comes a band I am a huge fan of but I am not sure if I ever used their songs on my blog. Why not? I don't know honestly, but hey now we have a great excuse to do so. R U Mine is by far my favourite, but I also love I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

Switserland: Coilguns ~ Earthians

So here is a surprise, I know 0 music from Switserland, not one single thing. It was a bit of a challenge to find anything interesting coming from this country. This band is not a hundred percent my cup of tea, but it was the most interesting band I could find. Their music is pretty expirimental, and ranges from metal screams to mellow rocksongs, and everything in between. This song actually to me sound more like something Martijn would listen to, so Stoner. I think he would appreciate this song. Man this was a hard search.If you know any good other music coming from Switserland please let me know in the comments.

Spain: Las Ketchup ~ The Ketchup Song

I honestly thought I could come up with something different for Spain, but the thing is, all the Spanish language songs that I know, are either from South America or in case of Manu Chao France. So this was a lot harder then expected, this was definitely a hit in the Netherlands, it was a number 1 in the charts for a couple of weeks here. I know it is kind of a funny song but I do appreciated. My other option would have been Penelope Cruz with Volver, from the movie with the same name. It is an authentic Spanish song, and if you would like to watch something foreign langauge Volver is a great movie. It is kind of strange in a way as well but that is oke.

This turned out to be much much harder to do then I anticipated, honestly I thought it would have been easy peasy. If you have any suggestions for music from all the countries mentions feel free to leave a comment, I am always on the lookout for new music so I will definitely check it out.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!
Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Saturday, June 26, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #98: Wanna Learn Dutch?

I do not watch a whole lot of soccer, however I always try to watch at least the World Championship and the European Championship. The latter is what is currently happening. The Netherlands will be playing tomorrow and I thought it would be fun to share with you some Dutch songs, so you can my start learning some Dutch?

I know it much sound very strange to someone who does not speak the language, I hope you enjoy this top 5. On the one hand we have songs that are often played at the parties that happen when we win a match. Some songs actually articulate so well that they would be perfect for learning Dutch. So let's get into this.

Ramses Shaffy ~ Zing, Vecht, Huil, Bid, Lach, werk en Bewonder

This is one of those songs were you can easily learn some Dutch words through the chorus. It is the same as the title and translates to the following: Sing, Fighht, cry, pray, laught work and admire. Which repeats it's self throughout the chorus. Great to practise your pronunciation!

Marco Borsato ~ De Waarheid

This is one of the biggest artists in the Netherlands, with an incredilby long career already. He sings all his songs in Dutch. And if you want to learn some Dutch I think this would be a good start, all his songs are Dutch, except for the one album, that is in Italian. This song is a bit on the dramatic side I know but I kind of like that about it. The title of the song is "The Truth".

Nielson & Miss Montreal ~ Hoe

So for the only woman in this list, I could name a few others thinking of Maaike Ouboter, Famke Louise, Maan, Glennis Grace, Merol, Wies & Eefje de Visser. However none of these artists I really like, it might still be for you, but not really for me. I thought I would at least mention them if you want to look them up. I like Miss Montreal, I always have so I went with this song, because this song is so much fun. It is a happy song. And that is what we need after the first to songs. The title of the song means: "How" it is a love song.

Guus Meeuwis ~ Brabant

Guus Meeuwis in the Netherlands stands for humble folk songs, drinking songs, songs about a train. He is one of those party bands, and songs like these are often played in the pubs across the Netherlands, also after winning matches of soccer. So I couldn't think of a more fitting song for this top 5. Brabant, is an ode to the province with the same name. It is a song that most dutch people will know by heart, even the ones that are not even from Brabant.

Kraantje Pappie ~ De Feesttent

Let's end this with a party song, this is something my sister enjoys, and I thought this would be a fitting song to end with. It is a party song, and since Guus already started the party, Kraatje will finish it for you. This is for the ones looking for a challenge, as this is a very fast song. Kraantje Pappie is incredibly popular in the Netherlands, and knows how to turn every show into a party. This song in English means party tent! A really Dutch thing I think. Every small town has it's own yearly party, usually with some form of live act. These parties are usually in summer and usually take place in a big party tent. Hence the name and theme of the song.

Kennen jullie al een beetje Nederlands? Did you learn a little bit of Dutch today? Let me know in the comments!
Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Books: Scythe ~ Arc of Scythe #1 ~ Neal Shusterman

About Scythe

What if Death was the only thing left to control?
Maybe just read this sentence and get into the book, I really encourage you to go in bind. No still want to know more? alright then here is the rest of the synopsis:
In a perfect world, the only way to die is to be gleanded by a professional scythe. When Citra and Rowan are chosen to be apprentice scythes, they know they have no option but to learn the art of killing. However, the terrifying responsibility of choosing their victims is just the start.
Corruption is the order of the day and Citra and Rowan need to stick together to fight it.

Then they are told that one of them will have to glean the other..

My opinion about Scythe

Oh how I struggled ath the first half of the book. I was having a hard time getting into the writing style of this book, it took me about half the book to get over that. As you might be aware English is not my native language, and what I found with Scythe was that there were a lot of words that are not so commonly used throughout the YA genre, and so I sometimes had to look up some of the words mentioned. It has been a while since I have had to do that. I think that made it a bit challenging for me at times to get in to. In general it was not a difficult read, it is still very much a young adult novel, but if you are starting to read English I would not pick this as a starting point.

On the front of the edition I have of Scythe it says on the front: "A true successor to The Hunger Games". I don't really agree with this, I don't think this is a proper comparison as Scythe is so different in tone and world form the Hunger Games. Yes it is still science fiction, but not in the same category of the Hunger Games, which is a game based dystopian, where this is more a utopia instead. I would have like it to be compared to Matched if you want to compare it to something similar. Matched also is very much a utopia, and has some other similarities to Scythe as well. I think that if you are going into this book with the expectations of "another Hunger Games" that you would be very dissapointed. Scythe is a very different story, intellegent, political and at times a bit disturbing.

The first half of the book is a bit slow, it is mainly based on the training of Citra and Rowan our main characters. We get to see both Citra and Rowan point of view of their apprenticeship. The internal struggles of becoming a scythe and the dread of having to glean a person. To take a persons live, they both have very distinct voices and very different point of view on things. In the beginning I did not really like Citra, I found her to be a bit shallow and a bit of a know-it-all. But the farther we got in the book the more I came to appreciate her character. Rowan is a very likable character from the beginning, allthough during the book especially SPOILER ALLERT, when under the care of Scythe Goddard I actually started doubting is choices a bit.

I think the author made a very bold move at the end of the book, something I had not expected to happen. I do applaud the events and it definitely made me change my mind about this book. Now that I have had some time to process this book I think this book is a good set up for the rest of the series. There is a lot of world building, which is also the reason for the slow start, but I think the worldbuilding is necassary to explain to us the world we are in, to set up for the other two books in the series. And it is the set up for the events unfolding at the end of the book.

The ending of this book is action packed, full of surprises, and the beginning of a very interesting journey for both of our main characters. I feel the ending is perfect and this makes up so much for the slower parts of this book.

Conclusions

This is the kind of book that makes you think about our own world, our future and our incompetences. It makes you think that maybe we could all use a Thunderhead, a disease free world. Or would live then be come a dull experience? This book is a masterpiece, eventhought, at the beginning I felt like quitting a couple of times. It is such an interesting take on humanity and I am definitely going to continue the series. As I am writing this review I am already half through the second book, and I can already say, I am loving it! Utopia at it's best. As I was not all that fond of the beginning of the book, this influenced my final rating a bit, it is still a solid work of art. Therefore I am giving this book 4 stars.

Saturday, June 19, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #97: Spotify ABC ~ G-oodness

So I had planned to finish this last week but was too tired to get it done. The G categorie of my Spotify is relatively small, it was actually a bit of a surprise because I expected this to be a much larger category. So let's see what is there, we have Gavin Degraw, Gerald Way, Good Charlotte, The Good Hand, The Graveltones, Green Day, Green Hornet, Green Lizzard and Greta Van Fleet. The last one sound very funny if you would pronounce it in Dutch.

Greta Van Fleet~ High Way Tune

Let start this top 5 with the song that sounds funny in Dutch shall we? This very much reminds me of Led Zepplin and the time they were active in. Trust me when I tell you this is from this era, instead, it was kind of suprising as it sounds much older. Holy crap it sounds as amazing live as it does on cd. Such an incredible voice.

Gavin DeGraw ~ I Don't Wanna Be

Gavin DeGraw's first big hit, was I Don't Wanna Be, that same also Chariot came out, and both were high ranking in the charts. Although I always liked Chariot more. I can't explain why, mabe because it was not as played as frequently by the radio than I Don't Wanna Be, which here in the Neterlands was the most popular from the two. Or maybe it was just my rebelious nature that drove me to the underdog. Who knows. I have been a fan from the the beginning although I never seen him live.

Good Charlotte ~ The Anthem

Let's stick to the early 2000s This is just nostaglic to me I went to see them live pretty recently for the first time and it was still freaking amazing. So much fun hearing the songs me and my sister loved for so long live. It was still an awesome experience. Good Charlotte will always be really special to me, it pulled me through a lot of shit. Sorry for adding an entire set, but hey the first song is The Anthem and it was the only video I could find that had decent audio. Thank you Rock Am Ring, you almost always have decent audio!

The Good Hand ~ What Is RIeal Is Always Alive

This is for me a local band, I have seen the show of which you can find a video online on The Good Hand's own page. But again I felt the video was not the best quality although the concert was really cool. I have a bit of a love/hate affair with the band. On the one hand there are songs that I think are freaking awesome, but then there are does I get bored with easily. It is a mix of the two. Still I have chosen to mention this one as they could most definitely deserve some love. And also I try to cooperate some Dutch music in all my Swinging Saturdays, just because I can, and we really have some great musicians.

Green Day ~ Jesus Of Surburbia

I was actually pretty surprised to find a live performance of this song. For 1 it is the longest Green Day song ever. And usually the songs I like are rarely played live. Or so it goes for a lot of songs. This makes my choices for Swinging Saturdays sometimes somewhat difficult. This is my favourite song from the album American Idiot, an album I have definitely lived. I know all songs by hard. American Idiot also contain my least favorite Green Day song, Give Me Novacaine.

Any new G's I should add? Let me know in the comments!
Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Monday, June 7, 2021

Books: A Shifter's Sin ~ Debbie Cassidy ~ Book Blitz

A Shifter’s Sin
Debbie Cassidy
(Wolves of Hawthorne Cove #1)
Publication date: June 3rd 2021
Genres: Adult, Reverse Harem, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Goodreads / Amazon

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Saturday, June 5, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #96: Folk punk is sort of my thing

Things are finally looking up for the music world, venues are already programming for the fall, hoping that everything will go through and we can get back to concerts like before COVID, were you are aloud to move, instead of sitting, and don't have to shut up. Today I am going for a top 10 close to my heart, because folkish punk is kind of my thing. What do all these bands have in common? They all took influences from folk and combined this in a way with punk. There are going to be some names that you might have seen before when you have been around my blog for a while, but I just love this music oke? It makes me very happy and I can't wait to join the mosh pit once more when we finally can. So yeah maybe this is going to be a little ode to live music in a way.

Flogging Molly ~ The Devil's Dance Floor

Swing a little more, yes that has always been the purpose of these Swinging Saturdays, the are here for you to swing to, take you to new place or like to day, to the era of live music. Devil's Dance Floor is definitely a fan favorite and I think this video is a nice compilation of how these concerts go. I got a bit "homesick" for the lack of a better word watching this, we haven't been able to do this for so long!

Skinny Lister ~ This War

Sninny Lister was the support act for the Dropkick Murphy's the first time I went to their concert. I thought it was pretty cool and added it to my list of folk punk. I like that there is also a women in this band, as the rest of the top 10 is going to be a full male round. So enjoy it while you can.

Seán McGowan ~ Never Let Us In

Let slow it down for one song alright, then I will bring back the roudy crowds. Seán sure has a great voice compared with that accent, awesome!

Fiddler's Green ~ Victor and His Demons

Fiddler's Green has been around for a long time, for years they have been playing at De Zwarte Cross in the Netherlands, the tent will fill to max when they are playing. It is certainly aparty when they are around!

Dave Hause ~ Burry Me In Philly

I love this song! The entire album is worth listening to, I was also thinking of Dirty Fucker for this top 10 but then this got stuck in my head. So here it is. I hope you enjoy!

The Real McKenzies ~ Chip

This is one of those artists I know a couple of songs but never really listened to an entire album. It is right up my alley though.

The Rumjacks ~ Uncle Tommy

Actually don't know much about this band other than the played or were scheduled to play in Deventer and I was considering going as it sounded like something I would like. It does sound great so this is going on the list of bands to go to.

Tim Vantol ~ If We Go Down, We Go Together

Not so famous in the Netherlands, but more so in Germany, this was also one of the support acts that stuck. I enjoy all his music and have also seen him live a couple of times. Great music, great shows!

Frank Turner ~ Glory Halleluah

This songs speaks to the rebel in me of course, I think I will always remain a rebel. It is so boring being main stream. I forgot how it is to communicate with people that don't understand my scene, my interests, my taste in music. People sometimes just don't understand. Anyways, here's a bit of a rebelious song for you.

Dropkick Murphys ~ I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Leaving you with another fan favorite, damn... Need I say more?

I hope you enjoyed this top 10? Do you have any suggestion for me?
Let me know in the comments!

Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #95 : Amazing covers part 2

I took a little blogging break again, the last couple of weeks I didn't have any inspiration for new Swinging Saturdays. I am in the background preparing some new posts, some exciting things. Today were are doing an amazing covers part 2. If you want to know which songs I discussed in the first part, click on this link. It seems that there are a lot of covers floating around, for example the other day I heard a new cover on the radio of No Diggity.

Hurt: Nine Inch Nails versus Johnny Cash

Yes I have finally found a legitimate reason to use Hurt on my blog! This is one where I knew the cover before the original and yes I am going to say this, I enjoy the cover more than the original. The fragile voice of Johnny Cash in this song is absolutly beautiful. I will let you decide which version you enjoy. The version from Nine Inch Nails, just feels so different, it is still beautiful, just very different to Johnny Cash's version. Both versions have rather dark videos by the way, so be warned.

The Sound of Silence: Simon and Garfunkel versus Distrubed

So my parents were fan of Simon and Garfunkel, I remeber that I used to steal my fathers best of Simon and Garfunkel cd, to take me on the bike to school. So yes I kind of grew up with Simon & Garfunkel. The video of Disturbed covering the Sound of Silence went trending a couple of years ago and it really touched me deeply. The beautiful voice of David Draiman, proves that even if you usually sing metal, you can still have a beautiful singing voice. This version always gives me goose bumps.

You've Got The Love: The Source (ft Candi Staton) versus Florence + the Machine

I actually don't really know much about The Source however befor Florence released the cover it had been a hit in the 90s. I knew the song, but never thought of it again until I found it on the album of Florence + the Machine. I fell in love with this song. So what did the original sound like? Well find out below!

I Put A Spell On You: Screamin' Jay Hawkins versus Annie Lennox

Diving deep into blues history back to the 1950s. This is an interesting song to start with, and I think both preformances are unique in there own way. Which one do you like the most? Have you ever heard of Sreamin' Jay Hawkins? I can tell you I did not, such a peculiar preformance I can tell you, I hope it doesn't freak you out.

Bridge over Troubled Water: Simon & Garfunkel versus Hozier

Finishing off with the cover that started all this, the song that got me thinking that there are covers worth listening to, and that there are artist out there that can bring those beautiful songs a new live, live up to the history of that particular song. Make it available for the youth of today, which might not be familiar with the original. I leave you with that thought happy listening to these last two editions of Bridge over Troubled Water.

Any notable covers I am forgetting here?
Let me know in the comments!

Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Thursday, May 20, 2021

Books: Crown of Midnight ~ Sarah J. Maas

About Crown of Midnight

She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But does she have the heart of a killer?

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. But Calaena is far from loyal to the crown. Keeping up the charade - while pretending to do the king's bidding - will test her skills in an entirely new way. And it certainly isn't the only point of confusion for the young girl. Because though she's made her choice between Dorian and Chaol, the ways of the heart are never simple...

My thoughts on Crown Of Midnight

Lest dive into the depth right away. The first half of the book, is rather slow, it is building up to the second half of the book which is very fast paced, and full of action. I think it is a bit of a contrast with the first book, where we got used to all the action, around every corner there was something happening. This was more strategic games, politics and a bit of mystery. I think that if you were to continue straight from the first book into the second one, you will need to adjust abit to the new approach. It slowed down considerably, but I really enjoyed this book, eventhough the pacing was very different I love the political intrigues, the multiple perspectives we see throughout the story. And that ending! Amazing! And I kind of went in a reading slump from there.

There is one part of the book that I really hated and it is sort of the best part of the book as well. One of my favorite side characters dies. It made me cry a bit, I just couldn't help myself. And since this book was a re-read for me I was dreading these pages, as I actually don't like how Celeana's responds to the death of her friend. She get's very unreasonable, and in honesty a bit annoying. She goes to the extremes and it at the end of a the book being a pain in the ass and becomes the reluctant heroine. Don't get me wrong, I get were she is coming from but the way she responds to this death, and again pushes everybody who cares about her away, is just a bit of an overreaction in my opinion.

At the end of the book Celeana is leaving for Wendell, I hope that in the third book she stops running away from her fate, and starts picking up the battle axe, once more. I am very curious to learn more about the fae, this will only be my second series I have read with fae in it. The other series being of course the Mercy Thompson series of which I posted my review of Iron Kissed at the beginning of the year, which is ofcourse an urban fantasy, so in that sense very different. I don't know much about fae in young adult, so I am curious to find out.

Conclusions

I needed some time to adjust to the slower pacing, but that ending, that made up for the entirety of the book. It was so well done. I loved the minor character Mort who is an enchanted doorknob he was so funny. I think story wise we see a lot of character growth, interesting politics and a bit of a mystery to figure out. The outstanding ending of a book, made this into a 5 star read for me.

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Swinging Saturdays #94: Spotify A-B-C: F = Freaking awesome

It is that time of the week again where I tell you about the music I love. This week we are diving back in to my Spotify acount looking at which artists I follow in the F category. And boy are there some favorites there! So lets see, Family of the Year, FFS, First Aid Kit, Fleddy Melculy, Flogging Molly, Florence + The Machine, Foals, Foster The People, Frank Turner and Franz Ferdinand. However will I choose?

Well let's find out shall we?

Flogging Molly ~ If I Ever Leave THis World Alive

For all the women among my readers, have you ever watched P.S. I Love You? Well then you might have heard this song before. It is on this song that they end the movie, and they could not have picked a better song to end the movie on. Honestly if was the perfect ending of the movie. Sorry this might seem really off topic but trust me if you have seen the movie you will understand. So know you might wonder, did you find the band through the movie, but no sorry I knew the band long before I ever watched the movie. I just really love their sound, the Irish feel the flute (not in this song, go listen Devil's Dance Floor), the violin, the aucoustic guitar, but boy they can also rock your socks of. By the way I also love the lyrics of this song!

Florence + The Machine ~ The Drumming Song

Going on with the favorites, if you hadn't noticed it by my long explanation with the last song. This song is from her debut album, a very very impressive debut if you ask me. It is still my go to album if I want to listen to Florence. She has an incredible voice, that is what makes her such a joy to listen to. This performance at the Royal Albert hall I have watched way to many times, I like that it has an ochestra instead of her band, and it sooths her music so well.

Family Of The Year ~ Diversity

Remember Hero? That was their hit song, and I liked it so I decided to try the rest of the album, and ended up really liking it. It is not a band I listen to often, but that album, damn I forgot how good it actually is. Here is something different for you, not Hero, because we all know that song, here's Diversity for you to listen to.

Franz Ferdinand ~ Jacqueline

Been a fan since there debut album came out, but never seen them live. I just never really got the chance, everytime I was either too late for tickets, or only heard they were playing in the Netherlands afterwards, or on a day that is was impossible for me to go. I really hope that I get a chance to see them live some day. I love their music it is full of energy and it just makes me so happy.

Frank Turner ~ Silent Key

This artist I think needs no introduction, and Maarten, if you are still a reader, thanks you ever so much for sharing this music to me. Frank Turner is by far one of my favorite artists of all time, my go to guy to cheer me up. And he has been around a while. I just bought myself a really cool copy of the album No Man's Land, with white vinyl. I like the idea of the album No Man's Land, which is kind of a tribute to woman, specifically women that meant something to the world. It is a beautiful idea, and Silent Key is on the this album, but I so happend to like the acoustic version that was on the Positive Songs For Negative People Delux album, just a bit more. So yeah no fancy video for this one. Let me know which version you like, the No Man's Land version or this acoustic version? Curious to see were you stand in this.

What do you think, have I covered F well enough here?
Let me know in the comments!

Want to host Swing Saturdays next week?

Send me an email: icecoldpassions@gmail.com.

I would love to hear what kind of music you like!

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Books: Polar Heat ~ Simone Beaudelaire

About Polar Heat

Polar bear shapeshifter Russell Tadzea is content with his rather isolated life in a small central Alaskan town. He has friends, work and a congenial, yet cautious relationship with his family.

That is until the arrival of a kindergarten teacher from the lower 48 blows Russell's comfortable world to pieces. One whiff of Riley Jenkins' compelling scent, and Russ is a goner.

But how can he explain all that he is to this innocent young woman? And will her own dark past interfere with their ability to turn a fated love into a happily-ever-after?

My Thoughts on Polar Heat

So sometimes I like to browse Amazon for freebies, because I am a Dutch person and we like thinks cheap.. Just kidding who doesn't like to read something for free? And hey, if it is any good the author will definitely get a review from me. I am guilty of hoarding freebies when ever I feel the need to buy an insane amount of books, that I don't have the money for. I have a very big kindle libary to choose from, almost all that is on there are books that are written by indie authors, a few I have bought, some I won in giveaways and some were kindly gift review copies. Last year I decided I was not going to read all the ebooks I owned and decided to clean out my kindle, it took me about a week to get from an insane amount to a less insane amount of books.

Every once in a while when I feel like I am going in a reading slump or I just want to read something short that I can finish in a day or sometimes I just want some smut with my books. I go to my kindle and select something at random, that peaks my interest. This time I was in the mood for something smutty and romantic, because well I just finished two YA books, (Scythe and Crown of Midnight) and was just not feeling like continueing with the series, like I should be doing.

So I decided to find something short to read, something sweet, something wait a minute is that a polar bear? Is this about a Polar bear shifter? That sounds cool, let's go in blind, and so I did, and I don't regret a thing. Because this novella was actually very well structured, and was much more than I would have imagined could be in only 185 pages.

The beginning is a bit slow, we get to know our main characters Russell and Riley. The first 7 or 8 chapters are told from Russell's perspective, and I had been wondering all the while if the perspective would shift to Riley, as I want to get her perspective as well. Luckily it did shift but not as often as in some of the romance books I read, it felt very natural when we did shift perspectives.

It was also very clear who we were following because men are men, with a bit of a dirty mind. What was also great is that Russell took it slow with Riley, he felt like there was something in her past that if he pushed too hard she would run in the other direction. There was a lot of consent, going both ways, and I liked that it was there. It made Russell such a patience and wonderful character.

What was interesting about Riley's character that she seems like a normal human, however she has a special ability as well. She can Dreamwalk, this concept was very interestinga and it gave the story another dimension. I really love how the story evovled and that ending, wow, that was really intense! I was expecting an appearance of Riley's past but damn that was a good ending.

Then there are of course the romantic scene, oh who am I kidding, the smutty scenes the sex scenes, whatever you want to call them but they were good, so sexy! Loved it!

Conclusions

I love polar bear shifters now, and dreamwalkers, eventhough the concept scares the shit out of me. This was a great read, it had all that I was looking for, polar bears, Alaska, snow. Just what I needed and much more, because I had not expected dreamwalkers. That was a really nice suprise. All in all a good story, if only it were longer!

Pagina's

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Monday, October 25, 2021

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Saturday, October 2, 2021

Papa Roach ~ Between Angels & Insects

Cradle of Filth ~ Nymphetamine Fix

Amorphis ~ The Bee

Marilyn Manson ~ The Beautiful People

Disturbed ~ Down With The Sickness

Slipknot ~ Duality

Korn ~ Thoughtless

System of A Down ~ Aerials

Rammstein ~ Sonne

Metallica ~ Enter Sandman

Saturday, September 25, 2021

Muse ~ Dead Inside

My Chemical Romance ~ Helena

Ed Sheeran ~ Thinking Out Loud

Lady Gaga ~ Bad Romance

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Foo Fighters ~ Pretender

Barns Courtney ~ Sinners

Rammstein ~ Sonne

Franz Ferdinand ~ No You Girls

Blues Pills ~ Little Boy Preacher

The Killers ~ Runaway Horses

Dropkick Murphys ~ Rose Tattoo

DeWolff ~ Bona Fide

Devil Electric ~ lady Velvet

The Death South ~ In Hell I'll Be In Good Company

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Häxxan ~ no. 1991

Hurts ~ Somebody

Heidenroosjes ~ I'm Not Deaf (I'm Just Ignoring You)

The Howlin' ~ This Road

Hozier (ft. Karen Cowley) ~ In A Week

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Italy: Måneskin ~ Zitti E Bueni

Denmark: Volbeat ~ For Evigt

Czech Republic: Airfare ~ Sorry babe

Belgium: Bazart ~ Telkens Als Je Gaat

Urkaine: Stoned Jesus ~ I Am The Mountain

England: Arctic Monkeys ~ R U Mine?

Switserland: Coilguns ~ Earthians

Spain: Las Ketchup ~ The Ketchup Song

Saturday, June 26, 2021

Ramses Shaffy ~ Zing, Vecht, Huil, Bid, Lach, werk en Bewonder

Marco Borsato ~ De Waarheid

Nielson & Miss Montreal ~ Hoe

Guus Meeuwis ~ Brabant

Kraantje Pappie ~ De Feesttent

Thursday, June 24, 2021

About Scythe

My opinion about Scythe

Conclusions

Saturday, June 19, 2021

Greta Van Fleet~ High Way Tune

Gavin DeGraw ~ I Don't Wanna Be

Good Charlotte ~ The Anthem

The Good Hand ~ What Is RIeal Is Always Alive

Green Day ~ Jesus Of Surburbia

Monday, June 7, 2021

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Flogging Molly ~ The Devil's Dance Floor

Skinny Lister ~ This War

Seán McGowan ~ Never Let Us In

Fiddler's Green ~ Victor and His Demons

Dave Hause ~ Burry Me In Philly

The Real McKenzies ~ Chip

The Rumjacks ~ Uncle Tommy

Tim Vantol ~ If We Go Down, We Go Together

Frank Turner ~ Glory Halleluah

Dropkick Murphys ~ I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Saturday, May 29, 2021