Iron Man 2 stands as a pivotal entry in both the film saga and the MCU, weaving a symphony of legacy, identity, and evolution. Pepper Potts, a symbol of efficiency and pragmatism, provides a resonant counterpoint to Stark’s unbridled optimism.
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Blending death metal ferocity and thrash precision with Fredrik Thordendal’s fluid jazz-fusion guitar solos and mind-melting rhythmic complexity, Destroy Erase Improve remains Meshuggah’s most definitive statement.
1. “Echoes Of Iron”
The first in a new series of epic fantasy novels, Echoes of Iron explores themes of power, greed and revenge set within an imaginatively crafted world filled to the brim with fascinating characters, fantastic landscapes and vicious foes. For fans of the epic fantasy genre and stories such as The Black Company and The Name of the Wind this is an essential read.
After the events of Throneworld your party heads out into the vast open world of Valandis with the option to travel by airship or even take to the skies in their very own sky armour which is basically like those mobile suits from that mech anime you can’t stop thinking about. But even if you travel to the most remote corners of this huge and varied game world you’ll never run out of new enemies, obstacles, betrayal or story to experience.
This is all helped by some truly inventive combat ideas that give players the chance to try their hand at an entirely unique type of RPG play. For example, a mine cart battle where you have to fight enemies while making sure your vehicle doesn’t crash can be quite tricky and requires careful planning and execution while encountering enemy groups that each offer a very different challenge. The same can be said for the many boss battles which are all different and often offer players a chance to use class emblems that dramatically alter the fight.
Chained Echoes is a superb JRPG tribute and easily one of the best this year, thanks to its beautiful visuals that celebrate the foregone 16-bit art style and its engaging and politically charged story that is set in a warring fantasy world filled with retro mecha technology. However, I do feel that the game could have been a lot better as a whole and would have been on a much higher level if David Guymer had expanded the scope of the conflict and given the Orks a stronger identity as the main antagonists and added some real challenges for his characters.
2. “Iron Man”
A brilliant industrialist and genius inventor, Tony Stark was conducting weapons tests overseas when he was caught in a war zone. During the battle, shrapnel from a land mine lodged in his heart and was about to kill him. To sustain his life and escape from his captors, Stark built a suit of armor. He named the suit Iron Man.
The armor provided him with superhuman strength, flight, and a range of other abilities. His body was also augmented through an Extremis process which rewired his neural system, allowing him to control all the technology in his suit and others’ bodies. This enabled him to use a form of telekinesis, and gave him the ability to interface with satellites and wireless communications.
As the years went by, Stark refined his armor. Upon returning to America, he began using the Iron Man persona in order to fight crime and terrorism. However, his secret identity as the superhero was kept a secret from the public. He believed that his heart condition meant he had a limited lifespan and wanted to make the most of it.
He became involved in a conflict with the terrorists known as The Mandarin and their lackey, Wong-Chu. Stark was aided by his ex-partner from his weapons plant, physicist Yin Sen. After defeating them, Stark used his arc reactor to power a suit of stainless steel armor. He called the new suit Iron Man and wore it to fight injustice.
As the years passed, he would battle many enemies such as The Melter, Titanium Man, and a resurrected version of the second Crimson Dynamo. He also got into a feud with the Avengers over the Kree/Shi’ar War which resulted in him leaving the team for a time. He later rejoined them.
3. “Scarlett Witch”
In this symphonic metal version of the classic tale, Dickinson’s lyrics veer into melancholic wistfulness. It was the first time Iron Maiden had used vocal melodies that were less rooted in blood and thunder bravado, but no less impactful for it. A direct descendant of power metal pioneered by Eighties heavyweights Helloween, Savatage and Blind Guardian, the subgenre known as symphonic metal juxtaposes explosive sing-along hooks with soaring orchestration—either via synthesizer or, in the case of a lucky few like Nightwish, full-scale orchestras.
This version of the Scarlet Witch is a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants and a fraternal twin sister of Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver). She is a human who has the ability to alter probability. Unlike her main reality counterpart, she relies on mathematics to use her powers rather than brute force. She is also physically stronger and has received combat training.
During the Kree-Skrull War arc, she battles with Immortus, a cosmic sorcerer who can manipulate matter and energy. When she is able to convince him that she loves her friends and family, he gives up on her nexus energies. She and her twin are then restored to their non-mutant human forms.
Roy Thomas frequently incorporated Golden Age characters into his modern-day Avengers stories. In Giant-Size Avengers #1 (August 1974), the twins are revealed to be the children of Golden Age superheroes Whizzer and Miss America. Later, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver encounter the High Evolutionary in his Counter-Earth and learn that their mutant powers were the result of genetic tampering by Magneto and his late Roma wife Magda. Despite her initial shock, the Scarlet Witch decides to stay with the Avengers.
4. “Fallen”
In 1970, a thunderclap and the ringing of ominous church bells heralded the birth of a new music genre. Heavy metal, with its ferocious guitar sounds and screaming vocals, had finally arrived with Black Sabbath’s gloomy debut self-titled album. With its heavy riffs and powerful rhythm, the record was a hit with both fans and critics and set the tone for a generation of metal bands.
In the Eighties, power metal became a popular subgenre of heavy metal that featured fantasy themes (think dragons and wizards), high tempos and heavy emphasis on melody, as well as elaborate orchestration either via synthesizer or, in some cases, full-scale orchestras (like Nightwish). One of the pioneers was Finnish band Fates Warning, led by classically trained soprano Tarja Turunen. This album is a perfect example of the genre, blending explosive sing-along hooks with power chords and operatic vocals to create a symphonic metal sound that was at once forceful and melodic.
After two albums of dirty Venom-inspired punk-metal bombast, Bathory discovered high drama and a sense of subterranean evil on this dark epic. By contrasting Ihsahn’s shrieked vocals with blurred, repetitive guitars and drum abuse, the group inscribed the blueprints of what would become black metal, influencing the likes of Emperor, Satyricon, Darkthrone, and many more torch-wielding miscreants in white face paint.
An utterly engrossing mix of sludge metal mayhem and ethereal ambience, this record is a hallucinatory mass of mixed euphoria and dread. Featuring some of the most impressive drum and timpani fills you’ll hear, as well as some tremolo picking that’s reminiscent of Morbid Angel’s style, this is one intense album. Almost poetry at times, but still brutal and hard-hitting in other places, this is one of the most rewarding metal records ever made.
5. “Scarlett Witch”
A barnstorming barrage of traditional heavy metal, this song delivers a pounding beat that is head bangable to the max. Its riffing is ferocious, yet the melodies and arrangements are very pretty. It’s an interesting contrast between the raw and the pretty, with elements of country music, bossa nova and latin jazz.
After two albums of dirty Venom-inspired punk-metal bombast, Bathory discovered high drama and a sense of subterranean evil with Under the Sign of Black Mark. The quintet’s shrieked vocals, blurred guitars and spooky choral sound effects helped define the blueprints of what would come to be known as black metal. Bands like Emperor, Satyricon and Darkthrone owe a debt of gratitude to this pioneering album.
Iron Man 2 weaves a symphonic chord of legacy, identity and evolution across the burgeoning Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its enigmatic protagonist and the palladium core that powers him loom over his life as a reminder of his own mortality become a focal point in the film’s story of growth.
The film’s conclusion is a rousing call to action and the ultimate expression of humanity’s power and potential. Its narrative, driven by its protagonist’s personal struggles, concludes with a clash of civilizations and ideologies that mirrors the MCU’s own grand symphony of conflicting ideas. The film’s triumphant finale, and its resounding resonance in the MCU’s ever-expanding symphony of legacy, is a perfect example of how the genre’s melodies can be used to tell powerful stories and connect us all.
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