It is precisely and exclusively because of her father’s reputation — not musical quality — that Violet Grohl’s lackluster debut record “Be Sweet To Me” was met with any degree of commercial and critical success.

The younger Grohl began her musical career in 2018 with both live and studio guest vocal performances, and recording of her debut spanned August 2024 to May 2025, the release date of which was May 29, 2026. Four singles were released during the leadup to the record’s full release, entitled “THUM,” “Applefish,” “595” and “Cool Buzz.” The record includes 11 tracks and is 31 minutes and 57 seconds long.

“Be Sweet To Me” released to moderate commercial success, with one single charting at 31 on the billboard alternative airplay chart — which ranks the 40 most played songs on rock and alternative radio stations — and the album itself reaching 16 on the UK albums chart, although it was unable to make the American Billboard 200.

The record was generally received well by critics, receiving an average rating of 74 out of 100 (far too high, as I’ll soon prove) according to metacritic.

The importance of name recognition is not a new idea, both in the music industry and elsewhere. It seems the most popular artists can release almost anything nowadays and achieve immense commercial success, just because of their name recognition in popular music. 

Such is how Grohl achieved the amount of success she did. Her surname served as a substitute for talent, which she evidently lacks based on the quality of her debut. 

“Be Sweet To Me” begins with the track “THUM,” which is a truly horrible song. The riffs of Grohl’s guest guitarist are subpar and covered in layers of insufferable distortion. And that is not to say distortion itself is unpleasant to hear, as the guitars of traditional grunge — the genre Grohl takes great inspiration from and the genre her father helped pioneer — and all varieties of metal utilize high distortion yet sound remarkable.

It is also evident from the first verse, and especially the chorus, of “THUM” that Grohl is just an average singer. And although that isn’t a problem for many genres or styles of music, if vocals are going to be the focal point of a track, fine isn’t good enough. The intention of this entire record was clearly to have every instrument emphasize the vocals, which would be the most important piece of the album, yet the vocals are not nearly good enough for that. 

The second track, “595,” is similarly bad. Although it is marginally better than its predecessor, the use and bastardization of “Creep”-esque guitar blasts taints the listening experience greatly. 

It is with the third track “Bug In The Cake” that the lyrics of this record, from start to finish, are just meaningless nonsense, and not surreal or strange like traditional grunge lyrics. Especially when the verses and not just the chorus are taken into account, even Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a masterclass in clear and sensical prose by comparison. This theme is seen in every single track of the entire album. 

The following is verse one of “Bug In The Cake”: “Roll up a rug, fall out of love, sneak in a handle / boxes of tape, bug in the cake, light me a candle / broken vase inside a truck / do you think I give a shit?” Or the first verse of “Mobile Star”: “Lay me in down, mobile stars / crack in my mind, stay as you are / bed is unmade, forgive me now / permission to live, you tell me how.”

After the third track, the record marginally increases in quality, transitioning from unbearable to just subpar, with effectively the same criticisms as were applied to the first and third tracks remaining relevant. 

I give it a 2.5 out of ten.

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“Backrooms” follows failing furniture store owner Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) for the majority of its runtime. Clark is led into the basement of his store due to power fluctuations while staying overnight, where he finds an oddly lit section of wall. This wall turns out to be a doorway leading into the Backrooms, which Clark briefly explores. Clark later recruits his store’s assistant manager, Kat (Lukita Maxwell), and her boyfriend Bobby (Finn Bennett) to explore and record video evidence of the Backrooms. The trio are attacked by an unknown entity and separated.

Weeks later, Mary (Renate Reinsve) — Clark’s therapist — receives an answering machine message from Clark, leading her to search for him and enter the Backrooms. Clark, having gone entirely insane, subdues and kidnaps Mary. The pair briefly converses before Clark frees Mary, however they are cornered by the entity, now revealed to be a horrifying copy of Clark, dressed as his store’s mascot. 

Clark is devoured by it as Mary escapes. Mary is then chased through a variety of esoteric spaces, eventually being trapped in a replica of Clark’s furniture store, where she fights off the monster with a piece of concrete and an accidentally activated Async corporation gas trap. 

Mary is finally taken into Async custody for questioning. The movie ends with progressively more surreal Backroom’s recreations of Mary’s childhood home, ending with a shot of a malformed copy of her. 

The plot of “Backrooms” works very well for the film. The characters and their respective stories fit the setting and themes of the movie exactly as they should, and the dialogue is never clunky or unnatural, making the characters and their experiences feel all the more real. 

“Backrooms” is not a horror film in the traditional sense. There are no jumpscares, very little gore and only a few moments which really scare. 

Rather than seeking to disturb through horrifying creatures or over the top gore, “Backrooms” is more a showcase of Parson’s penchant for highly surreal imagery. Objects are frequently interconnected in ways which they should not be, including chairs which sprout from one another and steering wheels from 16th century sailing ships clipping through walls and other objects. Entire neighborhoods are contained within the Backrooms, a space inspired by an empty office building. The walls can be a floor and rooms are filled with random objects in placements and quantities that just don’t make sense. 

The standout set piece of “Backrooms” comes near the end of the film, in the form of an endless pit lined with entirely random rooms, the only entrance being a door leading onto a small ledge overhanging the void and the only exit a thin staircase leading to a single door in the ceiling. There’s simply no way to wrap your head around it. It cannot be fully understood because there is no method to the madness, nothing to be understood in pure randomness. 

On top of imagery, “Backrooms” also manages to nail its pacing. There is no one scene or act of the film that seems to stretch on, nor any that feels as if it was cut off prematurely. The movie has a perfect runtime of 105 minutes and devotes every subject therein the exact amount of time it needs. 

One problem with “Backrooms” is that watching the original online series, or the innumerable breakdowns of said series, is almost required to understand the nuances of the movie’s plot. For example, to one who had no prior knowledge of “Backrooms,” who Async is and how they found the Backrooms would be entirely unknown, with only a subpar explanation given in the last few minutes of the film. The only reason “Backrooms” can mostly get away with this is because of the general vagueness that accompanies the movie.

The film leaves many of the questions it or the viewer poses unanswered. Yet this vagueness is not the product of amateur writing so much as the fact that there can be no answers. Not only do the characters lack answers themselves, but there is no explanation of what the Backrooms is that will be nearly as interesting as the mystery. In cases like this, understanding will always be disappointing, so the best choice for the director and writer of the film is simply to withhold it. This is not to say that the necessity for speculation hurts the film. In fact, it brews greater engagement with the piece, which is easily a positive. The online theory mill surrounding Parson’s works has only further accelerated since the transition of the series from the internet to the silver screen.  

However, the elephant in the room must be addressed: the ending. While the tension throughout the film and setup are immaculate, the ending didn’t live up to its potential. Rather than carrying on the surrealist nightmare that is the majority of “Backrooms,” the final ten or so minutes of the film revert into a traditional horror flick, where the protagonist faces off against a horrific monster, which the final girl defeats, overcoming her terrifying and seemingly hopeless circumstances.

One of the greatest strengths of “Backrooms” was its subversion of traditional horror ideas, instead providing a more unnerving and thought-provoking take on the genre, and the fact that this approach is abandoned for the finale is saddening. However, the ending’s saving grace is that it does manage to satisfyingly tie up the film’s narrative, and the final shot of Mary’s childhood home being copied repeatedly by the Backrooms brings the film’s unique approach back to the forefront. 

“Backrooms” is a cleanly-executed surreal horror film which makes the oddities of the Backrooms accessible to the widest audience yet, maintaining enough mystery to stir intrigue and giving just enough to satisfy while remaining a relatively airtight plot. The ending may have dropped the ball, but despite this, “Backrooms” still earns an eight out of ten.

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Almost everyone recognizes the name, largely from the scores of movies in which he has acted — most notably “The Matrix” and the “John Wick” series. But some also know him for his musical career with the band Dogstar. Formed in 1991, Dogstar is an alternative rock trio made up of frontman-singer-guitarist Bret Domrose, bassist Keanu Reeves and drummer Robert Mailhouse.

Dogstar’s first two records, “Our Little Visionary” and “Happy Ending,” which were released in 1996 and 2000 respectively and are now nearly inaccessible aside from a few exorbently resold CDs, preceded a nearly two decade hiatus. Dogstar returned to musicianship in 2020, releasing their third album, “Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees,” three years later in 2023.

Another three years after that, in 2026, the album “All In Now” was released with three leading singles, titular track “All In Now,” “Joy” and “This Sphere.” The record consists of 12 tracks, for  a total length of about 37 minutes. 

Stylistically speaking, “All In Now” is effectively identical to Dogstar’s 2023 record. Both are focused on vocals and just about every track uses a traditional verse-chorus structure. Furthermore, tracks generally lack notable displays of technical prowess such as solos, breakdowns or instrumental passages.

Domrose’s guitar work is entirely limited to rhythm and riffs, hence the aforementioned lack of technicality. The most interesting facet of Dogstar’s musical style is the notably audible bass, which is more out of the ordinary, as the role of bass is rhythm with other instruments taking the lead. 

Sadly, I found that this uniform style led to most of the record blending together, especially considering the fact that Domrose sings in pretty much the exact same two tones for the entire album. He either uses a fairly standard, somewhat higher pitched and emotive tone, or a shoegaze-reminiscent style, the latter of which is only seen on a few of the choruses. 

Due to technical simplicity, the record’s tracks tend to only be distinguishable by the lyrics. There are, however, a few standouts. 

The record’s title track and lead single, “All In Now,” is overall very good. It has the aforementioned prominent bass which separates it from a lot of the other tracks. And the vocals and lyrics were some of the more interesting of the album. I personally quite enjoyed the storytelling and imagery the track’s lyrics were able to convey while still flowing well musically. 

“Exalted” and “Wing” are similar. They were good enough to be memorable, and that’s worth at least a little commendation.

The only track of the record to be notably unpleasant was “The Whisper.” The chorus of the track is, “The whisper, the whisper / I miss her, oh, I miss her / The whisper, the whisper / I need to hold and kiss her,” which is painfully generic and uninteresting. The instrumentals of the track also feel more basic and subpar than those of the rest of the record.

Overall, “All In Now” is pretty good. It doesn’t do anything new or unique, but that doesn’t hurt the record for most of its runtime. It isn’t a masterpiece or fine art by any stretch of the imagination, but it was an enjoyable enough listen.

I give it a 6.5 out of ten.

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The band’s final full and best known lineup was Phil Anselmo on vocals, Dimebag Darrell on guitar, Rex Brown on bass guitar and Vinnie Paul on drums.   

Pantera released four records with this style throughout the early to mid 80s, none of which would be met with any notable success. And in a turn of events, Pantera would abandon their roots, nearly wiping the world of all traces of them. In 1990, Pantera released their true debut album, “Cowboys From Hell.” 

Pantera were trailblazers, pioneering the groove metal sound which defined their entire later career. Groove metal is a subgenre defined by its slower, repetition-focused and groove-focused riffs, encompassing traits of thrash, traditional metal and extreme metal, especially in the vocal performances of groove tracks. 

Following the success of the groundbreaking “Cowboys From Hell,” Pantera released “Vulgar Display of Power” in 1992, to even greater acclaim than their previous record. Against all odds, with their third record, “Far Beyond Driven,” Pantera not only achieved their first Billboard number one album, but also crafted the heaviest and most extreme record to hold this position. On top of this, they did so at the height of grunge, an alternative rock subgenre defined by highly distorted guitars and introspective lyrics which dominated the mainstream in the mid 1990s.

Even in the midst of band tensions coming from Anselmo’s use of alcohol and hard drugs, Pantera recorded a fourth record, with Anselmo recording his pieces separately from the rest of the band in Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails’ studio. This record was “The Great Southern Trendkill,” the magnum opus of Pantera and one of the greatest albums of all time.

“The Great Southern Trendkill” was far more raw and extreme than any of Pantera’s previous releases, melding elements of death metal, grindcore and other extreme metal subgenres with their original groove metal sound. Not only this, but “The Great Southern Trendkill” features tracks of slow, downtuned doom metal and a country-reminiscent song led by Dimebag Darrell playing a 12-string acoustic guitar. 

A great deal of this record’s quality comes from its sonic variance. It delivers on everything expected from a Pantera record while also exploring new territories which showcase not yet seen facets of the band’s skillset. 

Every element of “The Great Southern Trendkill” comes together perfectly to take the listener on a journey through rage-fueled, spiteful death metal; hypnotic doom metal; mournful acoustic ballads; erratic, violent grindcore; classic groove metal and immaculate traditional metal masterpieces. 

The record opens with its titular track, “The Great Southern Trendkill,” which rages against the vapid materialism and trend-chasing of society. This commentary has only become more relevant in the thirty years since the record’s release. The lyrics describe how people will sacrifice anything to follow the newest trend, hence, “if Hell was ‘in,’ you’d give your soul.”

“The Great Southern Trendkill” is overall a more classic groove metal track. Instrumentally speaking, it displays a relatively traditional riff, just harsher vocals than much of Pantera’s previous work. And in keeping with nearly the entirety of the band’s discography, the track ends with a Dimebag Darrell solo. 

“War Nerve” is one of the more death metal influenced tracks, with its aggressive vocals and instrumentals. Expletive-laden lyrics convey an animosity towards the world. The track is easily one of the most raw and aggressive of the record. 

“Drag the Waters” is the third track of the record, and interestingly, the only track from “The Great Southern Trendkill” to be included on Pantera’s best of release. “Drag the Waters” is one of the track’s most similar to Pantera’s prior releases, with a consistent grooving riff and clean vocals, while the lyrics discuss “dragging the waters,” a metaphor for the difficult search for the truth.

An immediately notable track, “10’s” entirely sheds any resemblance to groove metal, instead favoring the low, slow, crushing riffs of doom metal. Not only is the solo significantly slower paced than the vast majority of its counterparts, it is also preceded by an acoustic interlude, which is rarely seen in Pantera tracks. The out-of-the-ordinary instrumental combined with Anselmo’s hypnotic vocals make “10’s” a clear standout of the record. 

“13 Steps to Nowhere” is one of the less memorable tracks of “The Great Southern Trendkill.” Although far from bad, the song never had as much that made it stand out, hence the lack of any significant analysis. 

“Suicide Note” is Anselmo’s two-part lamentation of his crippling heroin addiction, telling a story mirroring his own. Part one begins with a haunting keyboard opening which transitions into a relatively simple but enthralling piece played on a 12-string acoustic guitar while the lyrics describe a man, heavily implied to be a stand-in for Anselmo, and his struggles with cocaine addiction, eventually leading him to attempt suicide by slitting his wrists. However, the man survives and resolves to “try to live through this night.”

The second part of the track begins by giving the listener sonic whiplash, having changed from an acoustic ballad into an erratic piece of grindcore — one of, if not the most extreme sub genres of metal music — where the man has succeeded in suicide, with a “gun up to the mouth / no pretension, execution.” With a sense of finality, the man states, “this is for me / and me only, cowards only try it / don’t you try to die / like me.”

“Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)” is yet another death metal-influenced track and, like other tracks found later in the records runtime, it features a nearly silent interlude which separates the aggressive punch of the track into sections, giving the listener some valuable breathing room while the track blazes along like a runaway steam engine. 

The magnum opus of Pantera’s magnum opus is without a doubt the ninth track, “Floods.” The track opens with an instantly crushing, atmospheric guitar piece which segues into the first half of the song, where all the lyrics are contained. The moment Anselmo says, “a dead issue / don’t wrestle with it,” the tone of the six minutes to come is cemented. 

With an infinitely ominous echo, Anselmo tells the story of mankind’s limitless sin. Describing how “then throughout the night / they were raped and executed … coldhearted world” and “then throughout the day / mankind played with the grenades … coldhearted world / and at night, they might bait the pentagram … extinguishing the sun.”

And yet, even in the face of man’s sin, those who could stand for the good of the world do not. Hence: “deaf ears are sleeping / a guilty bliss / so inviting (let me in)” and “your language unheard of / the vast sound of tuning out.” Thus, in the face of the righteouses’ apathy towards sin, God exercises his power, deciding to “wash away man, take him with the flood” in a crushing yet doubtlessly beautiful pair of bridges and guitar solo that feels as if the floods of sin and retribution are falling upon you through the song. 

And finally, with all man’s evil, cruelty and malice washed away, the track ends with one final, elegant solo, then silence. 

“The Underground in America” contains the death metal traits of other tracks yet not the respite, creating one of if not the most crushing and heavy track crafted by Pantera’s hands. For that, “The Underground in America” deserves applause. 

The themes of “The Great Southern Trendkill’s” titular track are carried on by its counterpart “(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin,” the record’s final track. Though it’s similar in style to its predecessor, the track is a bit heavier and nearly two minutes longer. However, most of that added time is silence, as the lyrics and instrumental of the song end a bit over three minutes into the song, leading to about a minute and a half of silence before the instruments enter once again for a final breakdown, ending the magnum opus of one of the greatest metal bands to ever play. 

Thirty years after its release, I give it a ten out of ten.

The post Revisiting Pantera’s Magnum Opus, 30 Years Later appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Reading challenging books improves analytical skills, attention span and vocabulary. While anything that motivates the public to pick up any book is valuable — even flash fiction — reading critically at a high level is an important skill to possess. It may even be fun. Classic literature is, by majority agreement over time, the best that writing as a whole has to offer. 

Many may groan at the thought, but classic literature shouldn’t feel pretentious or boring. Classics are considered classics because of their ingenuity and the universal themes or lessons they contain. Many classic books are still relevant and evolving today outside of the library and English class. The glamorous stages of Broadway are never empty of a play written by William Shakespeare, whose work is synonymous with classic literature. A modern movie adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic “Wuthering Heights” was released this February. 

But what actually makes a book a classic?

While deft writing, enthralling narratives, lifelike or memorable characters and even popularity are all important, lasting relevance is the defining feature of the genre. Classic literature aims to be timeless and to connect readers through universal themes and experiences. 

Being the first of its kind of style or narrative may also be a supporting qualifier into the classic literature genre. Many consider Mary Shelley’s regency-era novel “Frankenstein” to be the beginning of the science fiction genre. George Orwell’s post-World War Two novels “1984” and “Animal Farm” are another example of innovation in literature, as they’re two of the first novels to explore and critique authoritarian communism.

Orwell’s works of fiction explore the worst of society. Both depict the oppression of a fascist dictatorial regime. Ironically, the protagonists of “Animal Farm” aren’t even human. True to its title, the book features animals who start to become human through their cruel treatment and tyranny over their fellow animals. Through it, Orwell allegorically scrutinises the fascist regime of Stalin, displaying the dangers of ignorance and power clearly.

Similarly, “Lolita,” by Vladimir Nabokov, is an ambiguous tragedy. When the book was published in 1965, it was received just as such. The novel was banned almost immediately in France before it garnered great commercial success in the United States. The novel features graphic child abuse and is told from the perspective of the abuser while awaiting trial for murder. The debate over whether Lolita is a vulgar depiction of predatory violence or an expression of Nabokov’s artistic merit is ongoing. However, it exhibits clear insight into the values of censorship and morality, both from Nabokov and the public at large.

Jane Austen’s 1813 “Pride and Prejudice” could be considered the classic equivalent of a young adult love story. Set in Regency Era England, the book is both an enduring romance and a witty critique of upper-class British social customs. Austen satirises Regency England’s extreme class distinctions and rigid gender roles. She highlights the hypocrisy of the upper class, showing that wealth does not equate to character or righteousness. The novel immerses readers in the world of early 1800s England and provides fascinating historical context. It also has a widely popular 2005 movie adaptation starring Keira Knightley, a testament to its relevance today. 

Harriet Beech Stowe’s novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is not just taught in English class — the tale has a place in history class, too. The novel follows a virtuous enslaved man named Uncle Tom and a pregnant woman named Eliza who meet sorrowful ends due to the institution of slavery. Stowe’s novel spread awareness of the horrors of slavery during the mid-1800s pre-Civil War United States. It contributed greatly to growing the abolitionist movement, which eventually sparked the Civil War. Today, it can be read as a way to explore the roots of racial stereotypes and reveal how racism has and continues to shape American culture. 

Today, fantasy is inescapable, but J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” shaped the genre as we know it. Tolkien helped pioneer the now-popular image of elves, transforming Norwegian folk spirits into tall, commanding and ethereal warriors. Fantasy before Tolkien consisted mostly of fables, repackaged mythology and fairy tales like the Brothers Grimm’s stories. Readers and Dungeons & Dragons players can thank Tolkien for all the parties of heroes questing to fight dragons. 

The never-ending production of new literary works and modern media adaptations shows literature’s current relevance. Even so, classic literature is most inspiring and educational in its original written form. Knowledge, analytical skills, empathy and entertainment can all be gained from reading. Avid readers of classic literature keep the greatest ideas of the past and present accessible in literature to both themselves and the world.

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U2 maintains the same lineup they have had for almost the entirety of their career: vocalist and primary lyricist Paul Hewson, known professionally as Bono; guitarist David Evans, known professionally as The Edge; bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr.

“Easter Lily” has six tracks, totaling 32 minutes, and includes “Song For Hal,” “In A Life,” “Scars,” “Resurrection Song,” “Easter Parade” and “COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?).”

“Song For Hal” is, for the most part, a standard U2 track aside from one major aspect: vocals. Instead of the job being done by main vocalist Bono, The Edge fulfills the role and certainly performs to par. Although their styles do differ slightly, they are of very comparable quality. 

Just from this first track, it is clear that U2 has maintained its iconic style of composition. Minimalist yet moving guitar pieces, emotional lyrics with spirited delivery, light drumming and a bass inaudibly playing rhythm come together into three to six tracks.

“In A Life,” is, well,  pretty good. Especially when the track hits its chorus, “In A Life” is able to capture the energy conveyed by older, better U2 songs, unlike the rest of the EP.

The track “Scars” focuses on self acceptance, with lyrics reading “It’s your scars that give you beauty / You’re a beauty / Don’t cover your scars / Don’t cover your scars… they’re your scars.” However any meaning can only be gleaned from retrospectively reading the lyrics, as “Scars” marks a major problem with the EP: The tracks blend heavily with one another and similar style and lyrics make them indistinguishable from each other. 

“Resurrection Song” and “Easter Parade” feel generic. They inspire no emotion or feeling of any kind, leading to a period of time that just felt blank. So blank, in fact, that despite listening to every track on this EP four or five times, I couldn’t describe any details of these tracks no matter how hard I tried.

“COEXIST (I Will Bless The Lord At All Times?)” is an anti-war pop-rock song that is effectively trying to say killing each other is mean and we should just be nice to everyone. It’s a nice sentiment, but simply isn’t how the world works. If one seeks to espouse political stances through music, do so through intelligent lyrics delivered with either solemnity or rage, not naive writing and subpar vocals. 

An example of a much better anti-war song would be “1916” by Motörhead, which tells the story of the 16-year-old boys who shipped out to fight in World War I. The song is entirely structured around conveyance of its core message, the fast hard rock style of traditional Motörhead songs is traded for a slow, almost march-like sounds of a cello and military snare drum.

Not only that but Motörhead’s singer Lemmy Kilmister delivers the poignant lyrics he penned in a soft and mournful tone, adding significantly to the weight of the track as he describes the march to war of 10,000 soldiers and their eventual deaths where they are subsequently forgotten by the world at large.

Although both tracks discuss a similar theme of war, one is a brutal depiction of it, which needs to do no more than illustrate the realities of its subject while the other is little more than preaching about nothing of substance. 

This EP was never going to be groundbreaking, but on top of that, it’s fairly uninspiring and generally uninteresting. Overall I’d give it a four out of ten. The listening experience wasn’t unpleasant but it certainly wasn’t entertaining either. The EP gave me two and a half hours of blank listening which quickly morphed into three or four hours of me struggling to find anything — positive or negative — to say.

The post Trapped In Their Own Shadow appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

Known as Club America, it was established by president Ethan Plants, vice president Emma Young, Secretary Allegra McFadden and treasurer Lucy Johnson. The four students’ ideals have been influenced by late right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk. In 2012, Kirk and Bill Montgomery founded the student-led organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA). This organization advocates for conservative, right-wing, Christianity-based politics on high school and college campuses. 

At Caldera High School, the club has focused on political topics such as the Constitution, socialism, capitalism and Christian beliefs, according to Plants. However, many students at Caldera and other local high schools do not agree with the club’s positions.

“I believe everyone should have their own opinions and beliefs,” said Caldera student Hollyn Gregoriou. “However I think a club that is so political and controversial is not what should have been added to CHS, especially one that goes against the amendment of separation of church and state.” 

The legal principle, established in the First Amendment, prohibits a crossing of government and religious beliefs. That being said, the establishment does not require the state government to avoid entanglement of the two, though it seems likely for things to change. 

As the club continues to develop, their social media page only expands further. With a total of 251 followers as of April 15, 2026, it’s safe to say the club has garnered significant attention. However, the club’s account hasn’t always been this big. With their start in November 2025, they were quick to enter the world of social networks, trying to spread the word as rapidly as possible, yet they were quick to cross the boundary with a statement that created severe hurt and backlash.

Here in Oregon and in many other states, school administrators are required to take matters into their own hands when they deem a club’s actions have caused unacceptable and unnecessary harm to students. Club America’s statement, “We Are Charlie Kirk” was deleted not long after Caldera Principal Chris Boyd got involved. 

Initially, the club’s bio included two lines: “Caldera High School TPUSA” and “We are Charlie Kirk.”  These few words had a much bigger impact on all that came across the page. The trend of saying “We are Charlie Kirk” started after his death in September 2025. People who supported him and his views began using the phrase, making posts online and creating merchandise. The phrase was meant to praise Kirk and show commemoration, but some across Bend disagreed with the statement being used in their Instagram biography. 

Some of Kirk’s comments and remarks include, “We’ve made a big mistake passing the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s,” referencing the policy that no United States citizens should be discriminated against including their skin color, sexuality or gender. He believed it was an “anti-white weapon,” and criticized the activist Martin Luther King Jr.

Kirk was also known to express his opinions on what roles women should have in society. Quoted at a TPUSA convention in June of 2025, he said “If you are going to college to find a husband that’s a very good reason you should be going.” Kirk addressed this to a group of girls, the youngest being 14, in his audience, encouraging them to get married young instead of pursuing further education paths and careers they might want to achieve.

 At a TPUSA convention in April 2023, Kirk stated, “I think it’s worth it. It’s worth the cost of unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so we can have the second amendment.” This was his response to an audience member asking a question about the school shooting crises across America. Kirk acknowledged the deaths but agreed that it is necessary to have innocent lives taken away then lose the right to bear the weapons that cause them. 

Campbell Thomas, a student at Summit, stated, “I think that on account of the fact that Charlie Kirk was such an abrasive individual and the phrase ‘We are Charlie Kirk” could arguably be an incitement of violence or put other students in danger due to his views. The students running the club did not have the right to keep it visible on their page.” She added, “I think he was an awful person, and anyone who can excuse the deaths of children as ‘necessary’ is someone completely lacking moral compass.” 

Despite Kirk’s behavior, the students representing Club America are very much drawn to him.

Young, the vice president of the club said, “I’ve always liked watching Charlie’s videos and hearing his opinions. Overall, I agree with most of what he said and I respected how much he focused on getting young people involved in politics.” 

A survey conducted in September 2025, just two months after Kirk’s death, focused on interviewing about 5,000 people including younger and older generations. It recorded that about 40% of Gen Z had followed very closely with Kirk’s actions as well as about 28% of Gen Z that felt impacted after his passing. 

It’s important to recognize no matter what area you side with, that the truth about what is happening, with what political commentators, parties, government and especially what the people are saying, contribute to our society, especially during times in the U.S. today.

Nonetheless, the club’s members have been quite active since November, attending the TPUSA convention held in Arizona last December, and the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center gathering in March. 

While the organization continues to exist and grow, the question still remains: Will the club continue to attract more attention in the future, or will something of greater power stand in their way? 

The post Students Speak Out About Club America appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

It is to be expected that this wide range of subgenres possess their own unique style of metal. Thus beginners can have immense difficulty in finding out where to start listening to the genre. Metal can, however, be broken down into levels of sorts, each becoming progressively heavier and more complex. 

Level One: Introductory 

The first level of metal music is introductory metal, demonstrated perfectly by the record “Meteora” by Linkin Park. “Meteora” is a relic from the peak of the nü-metal genre in the early 2000s. Nu metal was pioneered in the 1990s by bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot and peaked in terms of both popularity and quality with Linkin Park’s first two records, “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora,” released in 2000 and 2003 respectively.

“Meteora” contains the hallmarks of its subgenre: shorter songwriting almost completely devoid of solos, elements of electronic music rather than the traditional instruments of a metal band, although all of those instruments are still present, and a vocal style with elements of rapping,screaming and growling. 

Although almost every track on “Meteora” is legendary in its own right, three standout tracks are  “Faint,” “Figure.09” and “Numb.” “Faint” begins with its instantly recognizable electronic beat, which dominates the instrumental portion of the song. Percussion and guitar only enter around the chorus. As with almost every Linkin Park track of the time, the talent of rapping vocalist Mike Shinoda is elegantly mixed with the voice of lead vocalist Chester Bennington. 

“Figure.09” trades the electronic sound of “Faint” for guitar-led instrumental more reminiscent of traditional metal. 

“Numb” is a deeply emotional ballad with electronic beats intermixing perfectly with guitar riffs and percussion for the entirety of the track similarly to the harmonizing of Shinoda’s backing and Bennington’s lead vocals, which together create an unforgettable sound.

Level Two: Standard

The second level is standard metal, where the record “Painkiller” by Judas Priest is a perfect example. The musical style of “Painkiller” is a perfect evolution of the first metal played by Black Sabbath, with evolution brought on by changing musical capabilities. The album was released in 1990 along with other legendary metal records such as “Rust in Peace” by Megadeth and “Cowboys From Hell” by Pantera. 

The standout tracks of “Painkiller” are the titular track “Painkiller,” “Metal Meltdown,” and “One Shot at Glory.” “Painkiller” opens with its signature aggressive drums which are shortly joined by guitar and vocals, telling the story of the painkiller, a mechanical avenging angel who has come to save mankind from its devastation.

The complexity of “Metal Meltdown” is on full display from the instant the track opens with its masterfully technical guitar play, and although drums and vocals also make up a large part of the song, the guitar remains the most memorable part of the track. 

“One Shot at Glory” is a glorious anthem of courage and heroism, completed by inspiring vocal delivery and energizing instrumental.

Level Three: Experimental

The third level is experimental metal, and with it comes “Leviathan” by Mastodon. “Leviathan” is a concept album which melds the story and literary themes of “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville with the monstrous riffs of Mastodon. Mastodon blends the quas-classical complexity of progressive metal with the slower downtuned riffs of the sludge metal subgenre to create a sound that is almost wholly unique, and “Leviathan” is their masterpiece.

Each one of  the record’s tracks is a beautiful composition of its own, as goes with all of Mastodon’s work, but the best of the best are “Blood and Thunder,” “Naked Burn” and “Hearts Alive.” 

In “Blood and Thunder” the commands of Captain Ahab to his crew as they hunt the white whale who is Ahab’s “holy grail” make up the majority of the lyrics, with the riffs of guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher completely dominating the instrumental.

“Naked Burn” is in my opinion the greatest metal track of all time. The chugging riff is a wondrous demonstration of Mastodon’s prowess, and the protracted cries of “save yourself, don’t wait on me” which are barely audible beneath the guitar are quite simply haunting. One must listen to this track to truly understand its beauty. 

“Hearts Alive” is the nearly 14 minute penultimate track of “Leviathan,” composed of mostly instrumental passages. The song is an unforgettable testament to Mastodon’s ability not only to craft beautifully technical music, but also to impart complex themes and stories through that music. 

Level Four: Intricate  

The fourth level includes some of the most complex and heaviest subgenres and albums metal has to offer, including “From Mars to Sirius” by the French band Gojira. “From Mars to Sirius” is a record of the technical death metal genre, or tech death, for short, which is a subgenre of death metal which focuses on instrumental and songwriting complexity.

The three greatest tracks on “From Mars to Sirius” are “Ocean Planet,” “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” and “Flying Whales.” “Ocean Planet” features a short but technical guitar riff, which repeats for most of the track, sometimes accompanied by vocals and always followed by a moment of respite. This riff is quite enchanting and is alone enough to make a more than memorable track, despite amazing vocals and drumming. 

“The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” is an aggressive joyride, never slowing down and never giving the listener a moment to catch their breath, and is all the better for it. Unlike other tracks, which are dominated by one aspect, the vocals, guitar and drums all perfectly balance one another out, creating a listening experience to remember. 

“Flying Whales” showcases the intermixing of slow, almost melancholic instrumental passages with the aggressive weight of tech death music, taking the listener on a journey for the duration of the almost eight minute track.

From the simplest nü-metal track to the most complex progressive metal, there is a beauty that can be found in metal and nowhere else, and if I’ve managed to impart even a fraction of this beauty on my readers, then I’ve done my job well.

The post A Beginner’s Guide To Metal appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

This change has come at the same time as titans of traditional metal rest their laurels. The rising stars of modern metal are not remotely similar to, for example, the legendary band Megadeth, who released their final, self-titled album on Jan. 28. 

The band was formed in 1983 after guitarist and vocalist Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica due to his issues with substance abuse. The current lineup of the band includes the aforementioned Mustaine on vocals and guitar, James LoMenzo on bass, Dirk Verbeuren on drums and Teemu Mäntysaari on guitar. 

Megadeth’s discography began on May 17, 1985 with the release of “Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good.” Megadeth then went on to release seventeen records including hits such as “Rust In Peace”in 1990 and “Countdown to Extinction” in 1992, ending in 2026 with the record “Megadeth.”

The record contains 11 tracks, which are as follows: “Tipping Point,” “I Don’t Care,” “Hey God?!,” “Let There Be Shred,” “Puppet Parade,” “Another Bad Day,” “Made To Kill,” “Obey The Call,” “I Am War,” “The Last Note” and “Ride The Lightning (Metallica cover).” 

“I Don’t Care” opens immediately with Mustaine listing the things he does not care about. The tough guy act coming from a more than 60-year-old musician is many things; pleasant is not one of them. The instrumental is still enjoyable, but the lyrics are borderline painful to listen to, making this the worst track on the record.

Although a sonically pleasant track, “Hey God?!” could have been much better. Even as Mustaine calls out to God, saying “[he’s] had a lot of things on [his] mind” it feels as if he has nothing of importance to say. 

“Puppet Parade” is easily a standout track of the album. The instrumentals, vocals and lyrics are all well done and enjoyable to listen to.

“I Am War” speaks to similar militaristic themes as many Megadeth tracks, but with a different tone. “I Am War” seems to almost revel in war and all that it brings, providing a shakeup to the usual anti-war commentary one would’ve come to expect from the band. Overall this track is good enough but relatively forgettable, aside from the unique perspective.

“The Last Note” is a more introspective track than any other on the record. Here, Mustaine takes a moment to reflect on his storied career before lamenting its end with a bittersweet mix of pride and regret. Mustaine certainly has a lot to be proud of and he knows it, and he also recognizes that his legacy will outlive him, his “last note [will] never die.”  

Contrary to the band’s storied career, the record has been a disappointment to many. Bennett Ardeljan, a Summit sophomore and Megadeth fan said “If I saw [the album] in a record store, I would probably hide it behind other CDs and records so other people wouldn’t have to listen to it.”

Scathing as this review may be, it isn’t wrong. The majority of the album’s tracks are average and the standout tracks, good or bad, balance each other out, leaving a record which is mediocre. 

“Megadeth” is not just the end of a popular and influential band, but the end of an era. The once-dominant forces of metal are beginning to fizzle out, and there are almost no true, deserving successors to succeed them. For example, Sleep Token, a rising star in the modern “metal” scene, isn’t truly a metal band, let alone a band which produces quality music. 

Take Sleep Token’s song “Caramel,” which is the most streamed track of their most recent record and according to The New York Times, the single best song of 2025. The track is described to contain elements of “rap-metal, dream-prog, pop-reggaeton, backpack hip-hop, cosplay rock, metalcore.” 

As at least three of these subgenres are of either rock or metal, this song is in large part metal, yet its runtime of four minutes and 51 seconds, contains, by my count, only 104 seconds of guitar. In contrast, a track of comparable success, “The Heart From Your Hate,” by metalcore band Trivium contains four minutes and four seconds of guitar in its four minute and four seconds runtime. 

Guitar is undoubtedly a core part of metal and all its variants or subgenres, so to see it cast aside in a track hailed as the greatest of a year long period is a clear demonstration of what metal is coming to, and what is being lost of traditional metal. 

Now do not mistake me, I have no problem with innovation, but watching the genre that I grew up listening to, and will continue to listen to for all my life, be warped beyond recognition is without a doubt saddening. And make no mistake: This is no swan song, but a last gasp. Although even if this is the end of an era, Megadeth, and metal as a whole, had a good run, and for that I am eternally grateful. 

The post “Megadeth”: Swan Song or Last Gasp? appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.

This is not a gothic movie. It isn’t the Dust Bowl, nor heavily-industrialized India. This is Oregon in 2025, grappling with the perpetual drought and disaster brought on by climate change. And according to experts, the Trump administration’s policies will only worsen the problem.

In July, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a proposal to void the endangerment finding, a crucial decision that granted the government authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Issued in 2009, the finding established that certain greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, “threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.” 

This finding, which was largely backed by the scientific community, has fueled the agency’s actions in the years since, paving the way for policies such as the regulation of tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions in American vehicles.

Opponents have long claimed that the finding is an overstep, granting the EPA far too much power over industry. However, its legitimacy has been supported by the U.S. court system: In a 2010 case, the Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. ruled in favor of regulations imposed under the finding, and the Supreme Court declined to review the case.

For members of the climate advocacy community, a rollback of the endangerment finding is not only distressing, but a perplexing negation of the scientific consensus.

“I think it’s very disappointing to see the rollback on what was very well-supported, scientifically-supported policy that’s been in place for a long time, almost 20 years,” said Neil Baunsgard, Climate Policy Manager at the Bend Environmental Center.

Baunsgard, who has worked in the sustainability field for over a decade, described the EPA’s actions under the Trump administration as a “vibes-based decision-making process” rather than one informed by scientific fact.

Dr. Erica Fleishman, a professor at Oregon State University and director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, shared similar concerns.

“Climate change is creating warmer and drier conditions in general in Oregon and across most of the Western United States,” Fleishman explained. “It’s important to clarify that it’s not what I think. It’s what there’s overwhelming evidence about: that wildfires are becoming larger and that they are becoming more frequent.”

These risks have been felt acutely in Central Oregon, a region that has in recent years been wracked with destructive wildfires. In fact, a recent study conducted by the University of Washington Bothell named Bend the third-smokiest city in the nation. Two other Oregon cities, Medford and Grants Pass, ranked first and second, and Klamath Falls, Roseburg and Eugene were situated in the top 10.

Overturning the endangerment finding would only worsen this problem, allowing manufacturers to resume the production of inefficient and high-emission vehicles. This projected jump in greenhouse gas emissions would be felt globally, but especially in the vulnerable and water-starved West.

“The effects of climate change are likely to happen faster, and they’re likely to be more severe,” Fleishman said of a post-endangerment finding future.

This accelerated progression becomes even more concerning when one considers a recent study on the deadly nature of wildfires. The researchers, who hail from universities nationwide, found that if climate change continues on its projected path, wildfire smoke is expected to kill 70,000 Americans by the middle of the century.

According to experts, studies such as this one support the assertion that the endangerment finding has enshrined for over a decade: Climate change, if left unregulated, will elicit a public health crisis of unbelievable magnitude.

Moves to dismantle the finding are not the only controversial shift in climate policy since President Trump’s inauguration in January. In fact, on the first day of his second term, the president issued an executive order withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty dedicated to climate change mitigation (Trump also removed the United States from the pact during his first term; Joe Biden revived the country’s involvement immediately upon his inauguration in 2021).

Trump has also vowed to expand fossil fuel production in the United States, carrying out a pro-oil agenda that can best be described by its rallying cry: “Drill, baby, drill.” In October, the administration drew rancor from environmental advocates for its decision to open Alaska’s Arctic Wildlife Refuge, a swath of historically-protected land, to fracking.

“I think a lot of people are rightfully feeling disempowered with some of the rollbacks and actions on the federal level,” said Baunsgard.

So what can concerned citizens do in this era of policy upheaval? According to Baunsgard, the answer is simple: Get involved.

“We’re really lucky in Central Oregon that we have a lot of great nonprofit advocacy organizations,” he explained.

Involvement is especially important for young people, he said. After all, this world of smoke and struggle is in the younger generations’ hands. However, in a political climate where the average age of U.S. senators is 64.7 years and the average age of representatives is 57.9, their voices are often absent from the policymaking process.

With this in mind, Baunsgard emphasized the importance of seeking out groups that support one’s environmental interests and contacting political representatives with concerns.

Today, the proposal to repeal the endangerment finding remains in review. In the meantime, there is no doubt that Central Oregonians are living in a changed world: one of wildfire, warming and the everpresent risk of natural disasters. And so, as fires crackle across the West and a snowless winter serves as an omen for summers to come, Central Oregonians wait for the EPA to decide their fate.

The post How an Altered EPA May Impact Central Oregon appeared first on Obsidian News | Oregon Youth Voices.