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I am not as fine as I seem.

Twenty One Pilots// Migraine  (via onlybandlyrics)

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Had the best weekend ☺️

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Love these

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To be Rock n Roll you Have to Make everyone a little Uncomfortable

This summer, I cut my hair short. The shortest it’s ever been. And do you want to know why I did it? Because it was hot this summer, and I always say yes to adventure. That’s truly the long and..ahem…short of it. A lot of women have shorn their locks this year, all for various reasons. Some out of convenience like me, some for deeper meanings in search of personal change. Some ladies are doing it simply out of defiance to show the world that a woman’s hair does not define her worth or beauty. It’s amazing when you are in the public eye how passionate people can get about small changes like this. Especially on the net, the name calling, sexist comments and the mean, judgmental attacks on my gender and sexuality. All because I cut a few inches off my hair. And in the meantime most of my male friends right now are growing their mops out down to they asses! It’s just hair, it grows and gets cut. And the reason I’m addressing this issue is because there’s this misconception that your hair, what you wear, how skinny you are, your social status etc…defines your worth and your beauty. To that I’d like to say that my short hair was a test and some of you passed, and some of you failed because This could not be further from the truth. Your worth and your beauty is measured by your heart. It’s Your ability to accept yourself and others for their uniqueness, and really, being a good human is what makes you beautiful. I’ve been friends,dated and have had trists with a few handfuls of people. I’ve fallen for people who aren’t “traditionally and marketed as” beauty, and have considered them sexy and fucking amazing looking because of their bold, spunky, golden heart. I’ve also had close contact with our ‘traditional, socially accepted as beautiful people’ … and the truth is … it doesn’t matter how long your hair , your skinny waist or glowing skin… if you’re an asshole nobody wants to fuck, love or have you in their circle! The most beautiful people that I’ve kissed and that I’ve have had in my inner circle… are the rebels… the people that are defiantly being them, dressing like the want to, wearing their hair like they want to, getting tats, piercings, or none of those things. Just owning who you are is seriously the most sexy and beautiful thing you will ever do! And for me personally…this is what attracts me to someone. I hope that everyone goes on Facebook and checks out every foul comment people are making about my hair. I hope every little girl and little dude reads this. I’m here to tell you that there’s always going to be people who will criticize you, judge you and are going to be downright cruel to you for the way you look sometimes. But when this happens you have to remember that You are ‘Rock n Roll’. You are not a pop star or a porn star where your worth is measured by your youth and your looks…. you Are Rock n Roll because you make everyone uncomfortable and are unapologetically yourself, you walk into a room with your head high and Own it, you dress yourself the way you want and you follow your dream at all costs with no backup plan! Let everyone say what they want. But the only reason someone will troll you about your amazingness is because they are insecure and/or are dinosaurs who have no clue how to exist in 2017. Be you. Love you. Because I love you and we Stand Out together.

And P.S. do not feel sorry for me about any ridiculous comments that have been thrown my way… be sorry for the people that posted them… poor souls, I only give them love and encouragement to find who they are inside and not just own it .. but “Rock n Roll own it”

Love, Lzzy Hale

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#writing

Six Reasons Why Job Hunting is like Dating

1.       The Search

Just like with modern dating, job hunting often begins online. But even if you’re old school and prefer to do things face to face, the same rules tend to apply. You have a rough idea of what you want, so you have a little browse in order to see if there’s anything/anyone out there that takes your fancy.

2.       The Application

You’ve found a job/a person you like. Now you need to sell yourself (words that most of us non-narcissistic types dread). For once, you have to ignore the self-deprecating side of you, focus on the good points (or fabricate some) and make them known. Try to sound impressive…and different, people like that. But don’t go over the top, no-one likes a boaster.

3.       The Prep

Great news! You’ve got an interview/date. Now you must go through the awful process of organising how you’re going to get there, what time you need to leave so you’re not late, and most importantly, what to wear. You’re feeling nervous yet excited at the same time, and find yourself talking about very little else but the big day. Ready yourself for the onslaught of encouraging words and varied pieces of advice from your family and friends…bless them, they mean well.

4.       The Interview

You’ve made it, you’re at the interview/date and you’re face to face with this unfamiliar person that’s making your mouth dry and your hands clammy. You push past the nerves and try to be your normal self, whilst remembering to continue emphasising all the awesome things about you. You politely chat, maybe make each other laugh, answer questions about yourself in such a way that you immediately think why did I say that?! You come away either thinking, that was great, they’re the one that I want (quite possibly end up singing the entire soundtrack from Grease in your head or indeed out loud), or that was awful, I know I didn’t do well.

5.       The Wait

Let’s assume it went well. You’re eagerly awaiting their call, expecting it to be within the next couple of days, that’s just standard politeness right? You find yourself checking your phone for missed messages and voicemails regularly, even though you know there aren’t any. You swing from thinking, I’ve totally got this, I’d better start planning the rest of my new life to, I know I haven’t got it, maybe this just wasn’t my time, but I’m cool with it, something better will come along.

6.       The Acceptance/Rejection

You did it! This one’s for you and you’re thrilled. You can’t wait to tell people and you find yourself smiling at the prospect of this new and exciting chapter in your life, who knows where it could lead! On the other hand, bad luck, this time it didn’t work out and you’re a bit gutted. Now you need to take some time to rebuild your confidence, and decide whether you want to jump back on that horse and start browsing again, or whether maybe you just need a little time out to heal from the rejection before you get yourself back out there.

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Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘The Stage’: A Review

If you’re a fan of Avenged Sevenfold, you will already know that very recently, the band surprise released a new album, ‘The Stage’, their first since ‘Hail to the King’ which came out three years ago. Their new work had been eagerly awaited, by me especially, because in my opinion they are one of the top modern metal bands around. Anyone who has followed their music will know how their albums have changed and evolved over the years, as it does with most bands, yet they’ve still stayed true to themselves and their overall sound.

And this new album is no exception. Some may say that it is their most radical change yet. Hell, even the lead of the band, M. Shadows, has made it clear in a statement he wrote on the band’s website and Facebook page, that they’ve gone in quite a different direction with this album, and that it may take a few listens for people to get to grips with it (he’s not wrong). He also discusses how the album is “complex” and that “the subject matters discussed in ‘The Stage’ are very real, and they are important to us”. And when you delve into the titles and the lyrics of the songs, you can see what he’s getting at. The album’s main themes seem to centre around mankind’s effect on the planet and itself, artificial intelligence, and the cosmos with a bit of religion and politics thrown in there for good measure.

Track two is entitled ‘Paradigm’ which any fellow science nerds will know is often used within the field of science to mean an agreed example or model of how and why something exists or occurs. Then there are tracks entitled ‘Creating God’, ‘Angels’ and ‘Fermi Paradox’, all of which are wholly encompassed within the overall ethereal theme of the album.

One of the ways I find myself describing this album is that it’s probably Avenged Sevenfold’s most ‘grown-up’ album, mainly due to the subject matter as already discussed, but also the sound of the album is their most progressive yet, with hints of thrash metal and a few really catchy instrumental sections, such as those featured in ‘Sunny Disposition’ and ‘Roman Sky’, the latter of which almost has a Led Zep feel to it. And the final track on the album, ‘Exist’, is over fifteen minutes long, and the first seven and a half minutes is all instrumental, with a spoken ending by Neil deGrasse Tyson (an American astrophysicist) featuring “famine”, “war”, “God”, “the human ego”, “asteroids, comets and planets”, “the universe” and “human enlightenment”. It’s incredibly powerful and thought-provoking, and very fitting to the song and the album.

I feel it’s only appropriate to end this review by discussing the album’s namesake song, track number one, ‘The Stage’. The video for this song is based around a group of people watching a puppet show inside a circus tent. At the beginning of the video, we see a ticket booth displaying the words “Professor Batz Fantastical History of the World” which also appear above the stage itself. And so the video acts as a tour through some of the well documented brutalities that humans have committed throughout history, including Egyptian slaves being whipped whilst performing hard physical labour, Christians being fed to lions for the entertainment of Romans, women accused of performing witchcraft being burnt at the stake, Native American tribes being slaughtered by white Americans, and the First World War. The show ends with the audience now appearing on the stage in puppet form, being controlled by puppets representing what I believe to be some of the world’s most influential figures, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin. These in turn are being controlled by a black cloaked figure who reaches out a skeletal hand and presses what I interpret to be the world’s self-destruct button. This song (and video) delivers a very clear and foreboding message.

Overall, having given this album a few listens, I have to say that I think it is awesome. I commend Avenged Sevenfold on being brave enough to surprise release something as complex and thought-provoking as this album is, and I hope that other long-term Avenged fans love it as much as I do.

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So beautiful

Hohenzolleran Castle, Germany

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Love this!

Yes, I’m a metal head. But no, I’m not a Goth.

We are all guilty of stereotyping; Irish people like Guinness, Northern people are loud, the list goes on. But one that I have personally experienced is the apparent discord between the way I style myself and the music I enjoy.

If someone finds out that my favourite genres of music are rock, metal, heavy metal, punk and alternative, they, without fail, will say, “I never would have expected you to like that sort of thing” or words to that effect. And as well as making me feel a bit awkward because I never know what to say in response to that, I always wonder, why? Is their assumption based on the way I look? The way I behave? Because if so, what does that say about society’s opinion of metal heads? I would describe myself as fairly ‘ordinary’ looking, in the sense that I don’t style myself as a ‘Punk’ or a ‘Goth’ or an ‘Emo’. Not because I have anything against the way they look. I love the black and purple hair, the dark eyeliner, the ripped jeans, the tattoos, the skull jewellery. And some of those styles have definitely influenced my wardrobe. But I have naturally curly brown hair, I dislike wearing (and more importantly taking off) super heavy makeup, and I possess what some people describe as a ‘sweet and innocent’ look. So it would be hella time consuming and way too much effort every day to make myself look like a typical Emo or Goth.

Once you hit your twenties, keeping up that kind of look becomes harder anyway. You feel totally at liberty to experiment and express yourself when you’re a teenager or at university. However, once you start applying for jobs, attending interviews, having meetings with the bank, all those adulty type things that you suddenly have to do for yourself, you start to wonder if a really overt look will be taken seriously. But that’s not me having a dig at adults who do have a strong look; I’m all for people expressing themselves, I definitely believe in live and let live (as long as you’re not hurting anyone). There are just certain environments where people may find their look doesn’t fit in, and people either let that bother them or don’t give it a single thought.

On the flip side, there are certain environments where the way you want to look fits in perfectly, and it’s like coming home. Personally, I find the main times I straighten my hair and apply dark makeup are when I go to a gig or festival where I will be surrounded by like-minded people who, like me, want to let loose and rock out. However, it doesn’t take an event such as a gig or festival for me to don a band t-shirt, skinny jeans and converse, that’s just one of my comfortable every day looks.

This is the thing, within the rock music genre, there are many sub-genres, a few of which I mentioned earlier. And I personally love heavy metal as much as pop punk, so whereas I may not style myself to look like a member of Kiss, I could be styling myself to look more like Hayley Williams [Paramore], which is much more subtle, yet still inspired by the bands and musicians I love.

If the situation occurs where someone actually asks me what kind of music I like instead of just assuming (weirdly, no-one ever tells me what they assume I do like, only that they assumed it wasn’t heavy), that often ends up being just an awkward a conversation. I’ll generally prepare them by starting off with, well I like all sorts of music (which is true, I have very eclectic tastes), but that I mainly listen to rock music. The rest of the conversation depends on the age of the person I’m talking to. Someone of my generation might think I mean ‘mainstream rock’, so bands like Coldplay, Kings of Leon and Snow Patrol for example. Or someone a little older might think I mean old school rock, like ZZ Top, The Rolling Stones and Guns N’ Roses. So when I name bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Breaking Benjamin and Asking Alexandria, they smile politely in an effort to conceal the blank look in their eyes and say “Oh, right”. Although some of them are honest and admit they’ve not heard of them.

Once people know that you like heavy music, that’s when they often feel compelled to ask “Are you a Goth then?” I get why people ask (a lot of rock and metal music fans are Goths or Emos or Punks which is absolutely fair enough) but why do some people assume that they have to be synonymous with each other? If a man told me he liked ABBA, I wouldn’t ask if he was gay…or Swedish.

I get it, the way people style themselves can be a great indicator as to the type of person they are and the things they like. And often it’s spot on. But I also know that people can surprise us. So rather than assuming things about each other, why don’t we just have conversations and actually discover things about each other. Just an idea.