Tuesday 22 December 2009

A Succinct Commentary on Sabaton's Studio Albums

The world must prepare for Sabaton's nuclear attack on mundane power metal!


Sweden's Sabaton were conceived in 1999 and in a brief space of time, they have ascended to the upper echelons of modern power metal. This is punctuated adequately by their recent signing to Nuclear Blast Records a few weeks ago. To this day, they have four full-length efforts and one tentatively due next year.

Primo Victoria [2005]


Sabaton's official debut album Primo Victoria, released on Black Lodge, redefined the benchmark for modern power metal bands. The archetypal high pitched falsetto vocals are substituted for a macho low-pitched voice, almost tip-toeing into growling territory. Guitars produce electrifying, razor sharp riffs in a power metal fashion, more like Children of Bodom than Gamma Ray but still nothing like the Finnish quintet. The drums sound bombastic, truly in-your-face and refusing to stick to the monotonous double-bass drumming most power metal acts feel comfortable with. The keyboards are fiery and intense, literally making the music sweat. All of these attributes connect together seamlessly to underscore Sabaton's central theme: war, a theme not frequently discussed within a power metal context. All of the lyrics are related to war and vocalist Joakim Broden is so passionate in his approach that the topics become infectious and the listener wants to know what exactly he speaks about. The only song excluded from the war talk is closing number 'Metal Machine' which a light-hearted heavy metal track formulated with the song titles of well-known metal bands.

Attero Dominatus [2006]


It would be futile to argue that Sabaton's second album is wildy discernable from their debut (the closing track, entitled 'Metal Crue' is another jokey metal song with lyrics created by the names of popular metal bands) but Attero Dominatus does provide evidence of Sabaton's evolution over the last year. Songs are more streamlined and sound more like anthems, with offerings like the title track, 'Nuclear Attack', 'Back in Control' and 'In the Name of God' packing a hefty punch to the listener. These songs are Sabaton at their sharpest and most dynamic, comfortable in what they do with formidable execution. Sabaton's lengthiest song to date is on this album, the melancholy 'Rise of Evil', describing with accuracy the rise of the Third Reich. This is arguably the best song Sabaton have committed to tape for its abundant maturity, foreboding riffs and envious intensity. Although an improvement on Primo Victoria, a third album like this would do Sabaton no more favours; they have exhausted this style.

Metalizer [2007]


Sabaton's third album in three years, Metalizer is not strictly speaking exclusively new Sabaton material. Before the days of their debut album, the Swedes recorded two demos [1], conjoined in a best-of release entitled Fist for Fight in 2000. It was released on an obscure Italian record label, Underground Symphony. However, it is the second disc on Metalizer. The first disc is ostensibly re-recorded versions of songs from Fist for Fight in addition to a couple extra songs. This sounds more like traditional heavy/power metal with no amazing flair and few similarities to their first two albums. The guitars are not as poised as on the other work Sabaton have recorded but do retain some formidable riffs, and the vocals sound rawer and deeper than ever. Lyrical themes pay homage to fantasy, Tolkien and other power metal clichés. Many of these songs can be considered filler tracks. It would appear Sabaton released Metalizer so fans could have the opportunity to obtain Sabaton's true origins, which is an honest move. They no longer play any of these songs in their live set [2].

The Art of War [2008]


Sabaton retain their consistency in releasing albums each year and The Art of War, their latest album to date, hits shelves in 2009. The band have been enriched over the years and showcase it in the near-fifty minutes of this album. The acquisition of a proper keyboard player [3] means the keyboard takes a more interactive stance on the album, sounds very prevalent and plays different roles on different songs. Only 'Unbreakable' and 'Talvisota' demonstrate obvious trademarks from the Primo/Attero days. The music sounds even more intense and the guitar riffs are more substantial and experimental. Although the lyrical themes are still war-driven (this time there is no party metal track), 'Cliffs of Gallipoli' has an almost joyous mood while 'The Price of a Mile' sounds cinematically upsetting. 'Union (Slopes of St. Benedict)' is a superlatively creative songs that even utilises elements of folk metal in an innovative fashion. 'Firestorm' is frenetic, certain to increase heart rates with a genuine sense of urgency. The album is divided by brief samples of a woman reading selections from Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' book that are supposed to correspond to the following song. Fortunately, unlike so many death metal bands, the sample use is not abused so the album does not become hideously fragmented. Musical explosions occur everywhere on this release with ground-pounders like 'Ghost Division' and '4o:1', marking this a relentless album for power metal and Sabaton's most articulated release yet.

Teamed with performances at Graspop, Wacken and other major metal festivals, Sabaton reached large audiences and with a captivating, energetic live show stuffed with tracks that invite the metal congregations to sing along. It is unsurprising that Sabaton have been signed to one of metal's biggest record labels, Nuclear Blast. They can only get even more popular now and are definitely ear-marked as being the next big thing in power metal. What can be anticipated from their forthcoming release is unknown, save the return of war lyrical themes; the band invited their fans to e-mail ideas of wars they would like to see covered in the next album and received over 10,000 replies. Until next year...

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[1] These were originally recorded approximately 1999/2000.
[2] They certainly played a few in 2007 on the tour for the album though.
[3] Frontman Joakim Broden used to handle keyboard duties and the band would hire a player on tour.

Monday 14 December 2009

Adagio in Black - Why and How Adagio Changed

Originally written for: www.Soundshock.net

A country not recurrently associated with progressive metal, France is home to symphonic proggers Adagio. After forming in 2000, the band spawned their individual brand of melodic metal, tastefully influenced by Symphony X with strong neo-classical flourishes. In 2006, they released their third album 'Dominate' which showcased a signifiantly heavier sound for the band and the incorporation of growls. Although this stirred the original Adagio fanbase, the band felt in no way discouraged to continue honing their abilities with their heavier direction as they released their latest full-length 'Archangels in Black' earlier this year on Listenable Records. Before playing their first ever show in the UK, Soundshock sit down with main composer and guitarist Stéphan Forté and pick his brains on the new vocalist and sound of Adagio.


After Forté gets comfortable in the well-lit balcony of the Purple Turtle with odd members and roadies sound-checking on the stage below, he describes the primary alterations between Adagio's
Stéphan Forté - Adagio original sound and the one they have since adopted. "The first albums were way more progressive and neo-classical, then we decided to go straight because it's more enjoyable on stage; we have more fun playing darker stuff. All the progressive elements are still present but less complex, with lots of orchestra arrangements but with dark chord progressions." The implimentation of a heavier sound suggests that Forté is suddenly listening to more extreme metal bands, which seems like an interesting contradiction given that Adagio really only meddle with power, symphonic, neo-classical, progressive and the occasional gothic metal moment - typically melodic genres, far removed from the likes of atonal thrash or death metal. "I used to listen to a lot of death metal when I was younger then I went to progressive but now I'm coming back to what I like - the more aggressive stuff. Nowadays I really like Meshuggah, Dimmu Borgir, Job for a Cowboy and also Machine Head but we're still keeping the melodic side of the vocals but with some aggressive vocals in the background. The aggressive metal is more present now."

Indeed the vocals still remain predominantly melodic. Christian Palin from Finland joined Adagio last year and is the group's third vocalist. While his voice is certainly tailored for melodic metal, he succeeds his predecessors by offering the option of a well-defined, heavier vocal stance where necessary, like the difference between Russell Allen's voice from 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' and the later 'Paradise Lost'. Forté is initially reluctant to explain why Palin is Adagio's best choice as the frontman himself sits in the room's corner, but reassures Forté that he can say what he wishes and to pretend that he is not in the room. "I like his personality. I think he's a great guy. The human approach is very important. Also, he's got great vocal abilities and a great range that really fits Adagio's vibe and Adagio's music." Palin's voice suits the band seamlessly because the band had half of the music written before he joined their ranks, meaning they knew exactly what they were looking for in a vocalist when they held their auditions, and the other half was conceived when they knew who their vocalist was.

'Archangels in Black' does feature growled vocals, as does the album preceeding it, 'Dominate'. However, 'Dominate' does not utilise black metal riffs or blastbeats. These techniques are rare in melodic metal as a whole so why does Forté believe they would improve his music? "The thing I like is that it gives a special mix. It comes naturally. I only heard when I composed the album "I want to do something heavier, really heavier." That was the main thing but all the music came naturally." Why was he so keen to release a substantially heavier album? He simply answers with a grin on his face "Because I like it! The vocals, the bass, the drums...You like heavy metal, you like heavy stuff. I don't know why. It's quite difficult to describe. I like the massiveness, the big war machine crushing everything. For the moment, still melody keeps the music because melody to me is relaly important so I don't want to move into anything like grindcore or stuff like this because it's not the same. I think the more we go, the heavier we'll be."

With the advancement of an aggressive and more sinister atmosphere and a vocalist willing to toss some brutal growls into the mix, additionally Adagio have visually had an overhaul. Album art, promo photos and their new video 'Fear Circus' feature stereotypical gothic and dark imagery. "I have always been into really dark kind of things. We're into dark arts and stuff like this. Gothic - I'm not sure because it represents so many things, just like when you say 'metal' it represents a lot. Even though we're not gothic metal, I'm into it but not all of us [are]."

As with anything, particuarly a genre like metal when cynics appear to lurk behind every musical corner, there are those who strongly dislike Adagio's extreme metal-influenced sound. When 'Archangels in Black' was originally released, numerous isolated Adagio fans sprinted to the Internet to vent their frustrated opinions. While some have warmed to the album after repeated listens, others have resolutely refused to allow the release to grow on them. What does Forté have to say about these doubters? He just shrugs. "We know that some people will be disappointed but we know that some people will like it so we decide to do what we feel because if we think about what these people will think, we're not doing anything honest and I really wanted to do this. You can't please everybody."

Wednesday 11 November 2009

How Svartsot Defy Folk/Viking Metal Conventions

Svartsot have a lot of competition in getting recognised among the folk metal explosion they were spawned during.


Folk metal frenzy still grips Europe firmly with Napalm Records ostensibly churning out a new folk metal band each month, mostly useless fodder. However, whilst on Napalm Records, Svartsot (Old Danish for 'black sickness', an illness that causes skin to turn black - a significant killer in medieval Scandinavia [1]) are a Danish folk/Viking metal band that seek to be considered more than just another folk metal band. Formed in 2005 from the ashes of a short-lived folk/black metal band named Skoll, the group are essentially the standard metal five-piece embellished with flutes, mandolins and a couple other folk instruments. In 2007, they released their debut and only full-length album Ravenes Saga.

Impeccably produced, the album opens with 'Gravøllet' which commences with a formidable drum pattern that becomes sustained by a bass - already dictating a strong rhythmic section. The guitars are
essentially an interesting cross between melodic death and Viking metal. Melodic death metal ties in surprisingly well with folk metal as evidenced by Hollenthon and to a less impressive extent Eluveitie, but even these folk/melodic death bands do not fuse the sounds of these genres together in riffs. Svartsot have managed it successfully, even blending in the typical Viking metal punch into their guitar melodies. What is highly noticeable about Ravenes Saga compared to most Viking metal releases is the absence of black metal, cleverly substituted by melodic death metal.

Amon Amarth are a melodic death metal band whose lyrical themes handle Norse mythology and Vikings but musically they are not Viking metal. They can be compared to Svartsot by their growled vocals. Viking metal usually exclusively employs higher-pitched black metal rasps when growls are in order but Svartsot predominantly opt for the Amon Amarth-style standard death metal vocalisations. Interestingly enough, these sound less human and more 'troll-like' than the black metal rasps. Direct comparison can be made on songs such as 'Tvende Ravne' where black metal growls are utilised alongside the death metal vocals. The vocals have been deliberately arranged to emphasise the edges of the folk melodies most effectively so in many instances the vocals have the same rhythms as the melodies such as on 'Bersærkergang', as opposed to just filling in the mandatory position of 'vocals'. If someone wanted to sing these vocals cleanly, the melody of the vocal line would follow the folk moments exactly; they correspond that flawlessly.

Svartsot are a musically 'serious' band but Ravenes Saga handles conventional bouncy folk metal rhythms that one could imagine encourages jigs to break out in the audience in a live environment, frequently associated with Korpiklaani or Finntroll. 'Jotunheimsfærden' takes these folk metal rhythms and juxtaposes them with 'serious' Viking metal passages. The result is somewhat akin to Moonsorrow meets Månegarm, without the black metal sentiments of course.


It is not just black metal missing on this album that many other Viking metal bands feel comfortable with; the lack of keyboards should be noted. This is always interesting idea for Viking metal bands because keyboard deduction can forces these bands to be more creative and can drastically alter the mood of the music, for example, in the case of Kampfar it allows the music to adopt a more aggressive visage which compliments the black metal accents. Keyboards feature in many folk/Viking metal bands because it makes it significantly simpler to contribute an extra dimension to the music with symphonic metal keyboard chords. Nonetheless, Svartsot achieve this with their array of folk instruments to create some atmospheric and adventurous attributes in their music. The keyboard would only serve as a distraction from other instruments.

Possibly the most 'epic' song on this debut is the near-instrumental 'Hedens Døtre' which unfurls along at a slower tempo, much like a less ambitious version of Enslaved's 'Norvegr'. The song is picturesque and highly memorable. It clocks in at just over four minutes but Svartsot could have easily stretched it out like the aforementioned Enslaved instrumental, or countless Moonsorrow tracks but they have decided to go for concision. The song's smooth soundscapes strongly contrasts to the more abrasive moments on the album, particularly with a deficiency in growls. 'Hedens Døtre' also particularly highlights how the band have not taken the guitars for granted on this release, unlike many other folk metal bands who let the unusual instruments steal all attention away from the guitars which are left to play dull, heavy chords that add nothing to the music.

During the verses, it is a delight to hear the guitars literally interacting with the folk instruments rather than being forsaken in the background, just present to let the band qualify as metal. The stance of melodic death metal truly boots the appeal of guitars on this album. Of course, there are times when the band play pure Viking metal riffs, as can be heard on 'Skovens Kælling' and 'Skønne Møer' but the melodic death metal-infused passages are the most memorable and well-written.

How Svartsot wish to follow up Ravenes Saga is unclear but one can assume their sophomore album will sound rather different to their debut due to the fact that in December 2008, most of the band members left with the exception of lead guitarist Cris J.S. Frederiksen and Hans-Jørgen Martinus Hansen who only joined as a full-time member shortly after the exodus. They left "because of different opinions on how to run a band and how the music should sound." [2] This division of opinion is testament to how much the Danes can progress their sound and the answer should arrive late Winter/early Spring 2010.

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[1] Lord of Metal interview, 2007 - the band's name is discussed.
[2] Svartsot.dk, 17/12/2008

Monday 2 March 2009

Lyrical Analysis: Testament - The Eagle Has Landed

Testament looking anything from apprehensive to mournful.

Last year, Testament released their highly-anticipated full-length album The Formation of Damnation, their first studio release in almost a decade. The album received strong praise from the critics and over all, the album is strong (except the title track which has poor metalcore written all over it). Seeing as Testament's last album The Gathering was released in 1999, they never got the opportunity to commit to record their thoughts on the 9/11 terrorist attack. 'The Evil Has Landed' was to be their articulation space for this. The music is good; the lyrics are sub-par for an American band.

Songs about atrocities like 9/11 are best avoided (see Iced Earth's 'When The Eagle Cries') but if a band's desire is to show their support for the victims, who can stop them? Besides, Dream Theater's 'Sacrificed Sons' was not considered a joke and was a mature approach to the topic. Despite the music being high grade modern thrash metal, the lyrics Testament have produced truly lay waste to the pun-enclosed title and it is questionable as to whether they were written by Joakim Broden of the Swedish band Sabaton. The title is an excellent pun but all it truly does is underline the camp nature of the lyrics.

Here are the lyrics presented in their entirety:

"The sky began to fall, ripping open a path up to Heaven
Time slowed to a crawl - early morning September eleventh
Steel crumbling frames, the scales of justice are decimated
Hate ignites the flames, New York city incinerated
See the flames on the river, is this our judgement day?
Praying hands of a killer when evil flies our way
Our way

The towers got hit, a steel bird with wings of destruction
As the building split, the skyline has been deconstructed
So many people killed, two thousand nine hundred and seventy four
Innocent blood spilled, extremist plotting a holy war
See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate
Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate
Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?
Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way
Flies our way

We will pick up the pieces
We never cast the first stone
Through all the bereavement
We will rebuild our home

The sky began to fall, ripping opening a path up to Heaven
Time slowed to a crawl - early morning September eleventh
See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate
Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate
Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?
Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way
Flies our way"

The analysis is as follows:

"The sky began to fall, ripping open a path up to Heaven Time slowed to a crawl - early morning, September eleventh"

The attention to detail is precise without being pedantic (giving the actual time of impact, for example). Time slowing to a crawl gives the sense that the entire world was upset by America's injury and using it as a pre-modifier for "early morning, September eleventh" only adds more emphasis. The separation of "early morning, September eleventh" highlights the importance of the date/event for the listeners unaware about what the song is dealing with.

"Steel crumbling frames, the scales of justice are decimated Hate ignites the flames, New York City incinerated"

The justice metaphor is awkward, at best. It sounds like a foreigner wrote it, using a complex word where it is just not necessary. 'Decimated' is such an overwhelming verb that it makes the line further more ridiculous. The lack of the word 'is' in the phrase "New York City incinerated" makes the incineration more immediate but New York City was not incinerated. It just lost two features of its skyline. That hardly insinuates the destruction of the entire city. The chorus continues:

"See the flames on the river, is this our judgement day?
Praying hands of a killer when evil flies our way

Our way"


Judgement Day is supposedly at the close of the world. Again, the city just lost two buildings, not the whole country. The contradictory nature of 'Praying' and 'killer' is a nice balance (perhaps an ironic reference to the scales of justice mentioned earlier being disturbed?) although one must wonder how much thought Testament actually put into writing these lyrics. Additionally, the 'our way' makes it sound as if America is the only country that has had violent, foreign interference. It also makes the States sound innocent of committing any atrocity.

"The towers got hit, a steel bird with wings of destruction
As the building split, the skyline has been deconstructed"

The fact that the towers that were hit are not specified assumes the listener knows exactly which towers the band are talking about and they do not want to be less economic with their words in explaining. Or, the lack of specification could be because the band were so close to the Twin Towers that they always called them 'The towers'. Technically, the word 'got' should be substituted with 'were' to modify the flow better: "The towers were hit". The 'steel bird' metaphor is very visual in representing a plane but there were two planes; surely it should read 'birds'. Nonetheless, this is a trivial issue but manifests itself in the following line by mentioning 'building' as opposed to 'buildings'. Dictionary.com's definition of the word 'deconstructed' is [1]:

de·con·struct
(dē'kən-strŭkt') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. de·con·struct·ed, de·con·struct·ing, de·con·structs
  1. To break down into components; dismantle.
  2. To write about or analyze [sic] (a literary text, for example), following the tenets of deconstruction.
Obviously Testament are referring to the first definition. As stated earlier, New York's skyline was not completely destroyed - only two buildings were removed. Neither was the skyline broken into smaller components. Removal does not equate to dismantling. 'Deconstructed' is employed in a haphazard manner here too (the foreigner's unnecessary super vocabulary usage comes to mind again). Further confusion of the English language is present in the sudden change of tense. 'Split' is simple perfect tense but the same line has the verb phrase 'has been' which, although perfect, is actually the present perfect tense. The lyric should read either: "As the building split, the skyline was deconstructed" or "As the building has split, the skyline has been deconstructed," and that is without reformatting the vocabulary, still rendering it clumsy. It has to be stated though, the way Testament include the deconstructed skyline at the bottom of their album cover is truly admirable.

The skyline at the bottom, which features what looks like an Ancient Greek temple, is a clear example of deconstruction.

"So many people killed, two thousand nine hundred and seventy four
Innocent blood spilled, extremist plotting a holy war"


Precision is employed further by the thrash icons who give the exact number of casualties from the 9/11 attack, justifying the independent clause that precedes it. It is fortunate for Testament that four is the only digit that rhymes with 'war'. Had 2975 or 2973 people died, this line could be something else. The possibilities are phenomenally endless. Apparently only one extremist was behind this. The magnitude of hijacking and crashing two planes into two of New York's trademark skyscrapers was apparently all orchestrated and committed by a single character. It appears Testament have difficulties in distinguishing between the singular and the plural.

"See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate
Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate"


'Fate' suggests finality but as far as the world is aware, America is still alive and running. The following line is acceptable but far from compelling.

"Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?
Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way

Flies our way"


"Will you please reconsider" - apparently Testament are willing to negotiate with terrorists. Perhaps they should become ambassadors to America [2] or join the UN if they enjoy negotiation so much. Does this thrash metal band really think terrorists will quit their objectives that they spent years forging because they requested it in a song? What exactly do they want the terrorists to reconsider anyway? The listener will never know (and neither will Testament probably). With another 'judgement day' reference, it is clear that finality is a semantic field of this song. What the band plan on delivering is completely vague and if the "time to stand" has only come now, what were they doing before: sitting or lying? Something entirely different? It seems surprising to learn that for these choruses instead of not including the awesome pun-laden title of the song, they contradict it by saying evil is flying as opposed to landing (and this all contradicts the reality that evil crashed, not landed.)

"We will pick up the pieces
We never cast the first stone

Through all the bereavement
We will rebuild our home"

The second line of this passages marks America completely innocent. The final line suggests that the band's homeland of Oakland, CA was attacked when that is actually on the other side of America. If they are actually referring to the States in its entirety when they say 'home' here then again they are exaggerating as only two buildings in New York were struck and if the whole of America needed to be rebuilt because of two buildings in a single city then it is no wonder their economy is failing hard. It would be a criminal waste of money. Testament really need to clarify this.

"The sky began to fall, ripping opening a path up to Heaven
Time slowed to a crawl - early morning September eleventh

See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate

Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate

Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?

Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way

Flies our way"


The repetition of this section can only be to entertain the listener, emphasise terrorism further (as if the song had not been doing such a thing at all) or because the band [3] did not want to write more lyrics.

It is sincerely hoped that Testament rectify their poor lyrics on their next release. A few US thrash metal bands have laughable lyrics (Exodus, Overkill, Slayer etc.) but Testament take the cake and the rest of the bakery with 'The Evil Has Landed'. It truly is hard to believe they are an American band. However, if Broden penned these lyrics as widely speculated, he can be forgiven.

You are already forgiven, Joakim.

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[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/deconstructed (in regards to online matters and discussion, dictionary.com outweights the Oxford English dictionary).

[2] With Kataklysm being 'The Ambassador of Pain' this seems an achievable goal for an American metal band.

[3] or Sabaton's Joakim Broden.

Wednesday 14 January 2009

Agallochganic - How Agalloch Usurped the Metal World

Agalloch are impressing metallers on an international scale.

Since the 2006 release Ashes Against the Grain, America's Agalloch have substantially widened their audience and, in addition to this, most of their fans are indeed fanatics. The band's name is on everyone's lips in the metal world. Even their reviews on Metal Archives praise the band in unison (with one exception but this seems petty considering there are nearly twenty reviews for each album, upon writing). With three full-length opuses and a number of harder-to-obtain releases, Agalloch have rewritten the rulebook concerning natural and organic metal.

Defining Agalloch is a challenge firstly because their music encompasses a variety of influence and secondly because their sound has developed over the years. In terms of mood, Agalloch paint the same natural picture as bands such as Opeth [1], Novembers Doom and early Katatonia. Genre-wise, Agalloch side towards the folk/doom metal side of styling, predominantly with black metal and post-rock embellishments although the magnitude of these individual genres varies over the band's discography.

The band members of this Portland, Oregon based act place a substantial emphasis on their aesthetic. In an interview with Metal Rules, guitarist Don Anderson states that he wishes for the band to be remembered "For having excellent aesthetic sense and original, quality music." Notice that aesthetic sense is mentioned before the music. It would be presumptuous to state that the band cherish their imagery over their music but one can infer it is an imperative aspect to Agalloch. Interestingly enough, in the same Metal Rules interview, the band claim to be influenced by film as opposed to other bands. Anderson explains: "I think its unproductive to be directly influenced by something within your medium, so we really rely a lot on cinema." Interestingly enough, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman is cited as an influence.

Lyrical themes throughout the band's career pertain to typical natural imagery, drawing images of wilderness, snow, birds and woodland. Rather than simply describe scenery, the band positions a narrator, generally exclaiming their despair via the nature, into the lyrics. Such a lyrical theme is befitting of the music and the cover art of their releases.



Unlike their lyrical theme, the music of the band has shifted considerably since their demo days. Agalloch's first release was their demo From Which of this Oak and Anderson states in an interview with Metal Invader "On the demo we were very typical Swedish Death/Black Metal, aside from 'As Embers Dress the Sky'- we had yet to even begin tapping into what our sound would come to be." The sound is reminiscent of early Katatonia and early Ulver. It is a rather melancholy death doom metal composition with black metal and folk meddling and a quicker tempo. Of course the band's own ideas have been incorporated into the release sublimely.


The first album entitled Pale Folklore was released in 1999 on The End Records, which deals with various unique metal bands, including Subterranean Masquerade with whom Agalloch bassist Jason William Watson has worked with in the past. This release is musically more refined than From Which of this Oak, possibly due to the reduction of black metal, substituted with gothic metal sounds. Some of the clean vocals strike as amateur but the growls are commendable. Although the whole album is emotively charged, there are heavy passages and lighter ones, such as the gentle 'She Painted Fire Across the Skyline Part I'. The use of whispers really underscore the beauty of the track and question the necessity of the sung vocals throughout. The second part of this song reminds me of The Gathering's Always album with its use of gothic ethereal guitar which converses with the final part of 'She Painted Fire Across the Skyline'; the third part is a heavier affair, more rhythmic than its previous pieces and utilizing black metal most poignantly and concluding with a humble piano exit. 'The Misshapen Steed' is truly testament to the band's interest in cinema and film soundtracks for the song sounds like it is emphasising a cinematic quality.


Of all of Agalloch's non-album works, I feel Of Stone, Wind and Pillor to be the release worth mentioning above all others. The title track is the centrepiece of the expression and combines acoustic guitar with electric in such a moving manner. Compared to the band's previous efforts, this song finds itself becoming quite gritty at times. It also moves similarly to something from Katatonia's Dance of December Souls with a retreat to melodramatic doom metal laden passages as frequented on their demo. The black metal is kept to a fair minimum here providing envious results. The two instrumentals a sweeteners to this release and the Sol Invictus cover 'Kneel to the Cross' features an improved use of vocals compared to their other releases.


The Mantle is the album where the post-rock sound Agalloch have come to incorporate thoroughly into their music beings to manifest itself only in miniscule measures. 'In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion' is a curious piece of music, wondering through almost progressive passages. There are several guitar leads that express a new direction in the band's compositions and the drumming sounds thoughtful and introspective. The song sounds indescribably refreshing. The effect of resonating guitars, especially on 'Odal', works on a similar basis to progressive bands who use the same technique and sounds introspective. However, the album suffers the clean vocals of John Haughm. It would be more beneficial of the band if they were completely omitted. They sound far too relaxed and one-dimensional to be performing on music such as this and contradict the mood. Whilst the growls remain fairly average, they are significantly less trifling than the clean vocals.


Ashes Aganinst the Grain garnered the band worldwide attention, or so it would appear. The black metal element is barely audible. There is a modern gothic metal moment that echoes Lacrimas Profundere's modern material and the post-rock sound makes no effort to appear inconspicuous. There is a fine line between post-rock and the jangles of indie and indeed 'Fire Above, Ice Below' strays into this territory and the upbeat mood leaves the piece slightly confused but fortunately, these indie scrapings are not bountiful. The three seperate parts of 'Our Fortress is Burning' could quite easily have been condensed into a much more succinct tune and the third part that concludes the album sounds contrary to the rest of the music that preceded it, leaving the disc ambiguous at its tail end. The folk element of Agalloch is almost wholly eradicated, probably in submission for the post-rock. Agalloch used neo-folk elements in their music perfectly and its reduction for this releases seems tragic considering the amount of scope that remained within their capacity to position it and how to utilize it in their music. Another negative feature, again, is the vocal shortcomings mentioned previously.


With the limited release of The White, it feels like Agalloch released this EP to console those who missed the emphatic folk elements on their last album. This EP is an acoustic release playing neofolk and ambient tunes. For this reason alone, it is best not to consider this a precise indicator of future paths to be pursued by the band. Nonetheless, the melodies and rhythms of The White reminds me of neofolk bands like Of The Wand And The Moon and of Green Carnation's Acoustic Verses. Acoustic albums are a common part of a band that appear influenced by nature's repertoire (Opeth, Borknagar, Green Carnation etc.) so it is natural for Agalloch to produce a similar working.

Agalloch's main shortcomings are certainly the vocals. Haughm should drop them entirely and new talent should be enrolled. I feel a cross between Novembers Doom's Paul Kuhr and Kim Larsen from Of The Wand And The Moon would suit Agalloch's music most ideally. Alternatively, the music would sound better if the were no clean vocals and the listener was treated to more instrumental passages. Additionally, Agalloch are a band that produces lengthy songs but at times, some of these songs would be more compelling if they were cropped to a shorter length and would not reduce the atmosphere evoked.


Obviously these weak points will not deter others. It seems like Agalloch are an inspiration to
bands world wide. The fusion of post-rock in many of the younger suicidal black metal bands may be a casual link to Agalloch. The UK band Fen clearly draw inspiration from these Americans with their brand of atmospheric black metal peppered with post-rock and are highly enthralling to many. However, The Morningside, hailing from Russia, are a poor man's Agalloch and early Katatonia with only the vocals setting them apart from either band. Needless to say, The Morningside leave significantly more to be desired.

In a world where Opeth and Ulver reached an audience beyond the realms of angsty and supposedly romantic metalheads to a high level of acclaim, it does not seem unreasonable for Agalloch to clamber up the same ladder. They are yet to release the same release twice, opting to carve unique music and progress their sound with each release. Detractors are scarce and the fans they attract are dedicated and passionate about this band from Oregon. The band maybe overrated slightly but they are certainly worthy of investigation.


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[1] In an interview with Earache, bassist Jason William Watson denies that Opeth were ever an influence on Agalloch but claim Katatonia were. The sounds of early Opeth and early Katatonia have several similarities and this clarifies the notion of Opeth considered an influence on Agalloch by some.

Wednesday 7 January 2009

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Black Metal

Black metal is metal's most controversial genre, predominantly due to events that occurred in Norway in the early '90s involving murder, suicide and church burnings. Black metal imagery has been linked to Satanism, suicide, Nazism and other far right beliefs, creating a following of rejected mainstream society and social expectation. Musically, black metal is an articulation of despair and hatred with either an admiration for nature or complete nihilism. The definition of this genre's ideology varies depending on the person.

The original second wave Norwegian bands shared the value of poor production. One reason for this was supposedly a reaction to the death metal movement prominent in Florida and neighbouring country, Sweden. Interestingly some of these second wave acts, such as Satyricon and Mayhem, moved on to create a clearer sound in regards to production on later releases. These bands were labelled sell outs. Fans argue that raw production adds an otherwise unattainable arcane atmosphere to black metal. Darkthrone, another second wave act, have kept their gritty production to this day in spite of progressing their sound to a punk influenced one, currently playing black 'n' roll. The raw production certainly does have its charm but sometimes this idea becomes exaggerated and the result is low-fi black metal that completely usurps the guitars and drums audibility. Often, the music is unlistenable and becomes termed 'bedroom black metal' - as if it had been hastily recorded in someone's bedroom with basic equipment and the help of a computer.

Darkthrone

Returning to Darkthrone's progression from traditional black metal into black 'n' roll, black metal has spawned a variety of subgenres. Symphonic black metal, suicidal black metal, romantic black metal, raw black metal, black 'n' roll and melodic black metal are just some of the genre labels that are attached to albums. This is in addition to the merging of black metal with other metal subgenres for example progressive black metal, black thrash metal etc. [1] The opinion of the black metal fanbase appears somewhat polarized on black metal expanding its musical ideas. Many expect black metal to remain raw and primitive, seeing any fusion of melody or catchiness as a grasp towards mainstream acception and thus 'selling out'. Satyricon has been accused of selling out for trading their medieval black metal sound for the black 'n' roll road [2] and creating catchy numbers such as 'Fuel For Hatred' and 'K.I.N.G.' alongside creating music videos for these songs. Their real reason for losing fans (the band were not so detested around the time of their Volcano release which was strictly black 'n' roll and included 'Fuel For Hatred') was signing up to Roadrunner Records, the same record label that houses big rock acts such as Slipknot and Nickelback. Similarly, Cradle of Filth from the UK suffered a similar fate a few years earlier, signing up to Sony Music and then settling down with Roadrunner Records for their 2004 full-length Nymphetamine. Their music morphed from their symphonic black metal to an extreme gothic metal sound borrowing elements from various other metal subgenres. Dimmu Borgir, a Norwegian act, also began their early days spawning symphonic black metal before giving into an extreme gothic metal sound like Cradle of Filth and often receives the same criticism as Cradle of Filth.

If black metal were not to expand beyond the realms of its raw or symphonic sound, it would be a very limiting genre. New bands would be performing old music. This explains the decision to expand black metal's musical capabilities. Suicidal black metal (also dubbed depressive black metal) is a popular and fairly modern alternative, utilizing depressing tremolo picking black metal sometimes with a subtle and seething melody, often with quieter post-rock passages interspersed between the black metal, using screams and whispers. Lyrically, the focus is on suicide, self-harm and depression as opposed to the usual anti-Christian themes. In recent years, this has become somewhat of a trend in black metal circles with bands such as Shining, Silencer and Lifelover increasing their fanbase. The post-rock in Lifelover and Shining songs make the band significantly more accessible than second wave Norwegian band Mayhem's debut album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, a highly-regarded black metal classic. Suicidal black metal has come under fire with insults, with tormentors claiming the association with suicide and self-harm is identical to the 'emo' phase enjoyed by the mainstream at the time.

Shining

Experimentation within black metal has led to some truly outstanding music, particularly with avant-garde bands such as Arcturus [3] who began making black metal and moving towards the more conceptual and unique. Norway is home to numerous avant-garde bands who have at least a smidgeon of black metal creeping into their sound: Ulver, Solefald and Ved Buens Ende. Additionally, Norwegian black metal musicians teamed up to create the avant-garde band that draw more influence from the progressive side of metal - Age of Silence. Age of Silence can be compared to Winds (both bands share the drummer, Hellhammer, of Mayhem fame), also from Norway. However, Winds play neoclassical progressive metal and their interesting component is that most of the band members play in black metal bands.

Progressive metal occasionally seems like a logical progression from black metal particularly with the inclusion of avant-garde. Emperor frontman, Ihsahn, created a solo project which was progressive metal exclusively [4]. This seems hardly surprising considering the post-black metal direction Emperor pursued with their later material. Before Ihsahn, progressive metal and black metal had been married together numerous times. Vintersorg, Enslaved and Borknagar were certainly proactive in merging these genres into their Viking metal with great success. Akercocke from England incorporated progressive metal passages into their death/black metal hybrid as their discography accumulated. Finland's Moonsorrow play black/folk/Viking metal but are sure to embellish their music with progressive metal influence, being fans of progressive rock. All of these bands have contributed something worth listening to in the black metal genre. In Enslaved's case, it appears their progressive metal has significantly overtaken their black metal; with each release, the band become less black metal and more progressive. Black metal purists hail abuse in Enslaved's direction, concerning the reduction of black metal in their music. Akercocke receives similar distaste.

Enslaved

Black metal did create an entire new genre of metal, named Viking metal due to its narrow lyrical themes. This genre began when Bathory decided to cease creating black metal and offered the metal world a slab of thrash metal paired with a new sound unprecedented in metal with their 1990 opus Hammerheart. Viking metal is an ambiguous genre to some; bands who merely vocalise about Viking history or mythology are mistakenly label so such as Unleashed, a Swedish death metal band. Lyrical themes cannot decide a band's genre. Viking metal is punctuated by its staccato rhythm and atmospheric (usually tinged with a black metal sound) guitar riffs, symphonic metal keyboards with vocals ranging from black metal growls to clean singing full of pride. It borrows influence from black, thrash and folk metal predominantly. Many classify it alongside folk metal for its lack of defining substance. As it has very few signature features, Viking metal can easily be welded with other metal genres. Black and folk metal seem the most popular pairings with Viking metal. Popular examples of Viking metal include Kampfar, Thyrfing, Manegarm, Svartsot and Myrkgrav. If black metal did not exist, this experimental genre would not have surfaced.

It should be emphasised that black metal was conceived by teenagers and with its exclusive subculture, flamboyant image and the events that surrounded the Norwegian 'Black Circle', this genre went against its own objectives and became mainstream, receiving more media attention than any other metal genre. It is simplistic to play resulting in a multitude of people worldwide forming black metal bands with no actual creativity, new ideas or progression of old ones. Black metal remains the most highly populated metal subgenre after death metal. Needless to say, there are countless imitations of the second wave bands. It is not challenging to play and it retains an image of supposed evilness which is what makes forming a black metal band so attractive and easy. Black metal fans usually take themselves so seriously and project over-the-top humours imagery that they are frequently ridiculed by other members of the metal following.

Another runt of the black metal litter is the imitation church burnings, grave desecration, murders and suicides that have occurred worldwide under the influence of this genre by its fans. This simply results in more media exposure and exploitation of the genre. It dully informs people of black metal misconceptions, resulting in negative opinions. With black metal experiencing so much controversy, various people have found an opening to make money out of its image. There are numerous documentaries on the genre but none of them focus on the music itself; they are far more concerned with the murders, church burnings and suicides of the genre, churning the genre into nothing more than scandal and gossip for the general public to digest. What is covered in the documentaries is considered common knowledge among black metal fans. Potentially worse are books like Lucifer Rising and Lords of Chaos which slander and exaggerate incidents in black metal and are generally considered unreliable sources. Burzum mastermind Varg Vikernes has released in-depth criticisms on both of the aforementioned books on his website.

After Vikernes was arrested following the murder of Mayhem guitarist of the time Euronymous, he spent some time adhering to Nazi ideology. One print of Darkthrone's Transylvanian Hunger CD has the phrase 'Norsk Ǻrisk Black Metal' on the back, which translates as 'Norwegian Aryan Black Metal'. This was removed on future prints following a disclaimer from the band denying that they are affiliated with any far-right movement. The website www.norsksvartmetall.com states: "I have old letters/photos from both Shagrath [from Dimmu Borgir] and Mortis before they became artists of note. Mortis is scribing a swastika into a tree trunk and Shagrath signs his letter with a swastika. This is more teenage ignorance than blatant fascist idealism, but all the same it is a very real glimpse into the minds of the early band members, and their one dimensional ethos of Norse pride merging with Anti-Christian hatred." [5] Black metal is associated with Nazism although most black metal bands are not connected to Nazism in anyway.

Naturally, the subterranean acceptance of far-right ideologies has certainly brought black metal to a new demographic. NSBM (ironically, Eastern Europe hosts a large NSBM scene) enjoys some popularity, no doubt exclusively because of its lyrical theme to some. Musically, it fails to show any defining trademarks save the strong punk influence (far more raw and unrefined than black 'n' roll); the link is solely lyrics relating to national socialism. NSBM bands of note include Aryan Terrorism, Absurd, Kataxu and Der Sturmer. Often, folk black metal is played by some of these NSBM bands which has led several folk/Viking metal bands such as Tyr, Moonsorrow and Eluveitie, to denounce any political beliefs articulated in their music.

With its rebellious lyrical content, the black metal scene does have a questionable fanbase more so than any other metal subgenre. Far too many Internet pretenders listen to black metal exclusively to enhance their social status, unable to differentiate between bands and like every black metal band they hear. Many explore only the 'kvlt' or underground black metal acts and pounce at the opportunity to heckles those who listen to more popular bands (apparently more popular bands are not 'true') or accessible styles of metal or music. Such an attitude is frequently ridiculed and black metal is becoming increasingly less popular as people begin to grow out of the trend. It seems like not many take black metal seriously predominantly due to the desperate portion of its fanbase. As a metal genre, it was unique as the subculture was in place before the music.

Now black metal sometimes feels like it has fallen from its former glory (if it ever existed) with key figures in the scene distancing themselves from it, including Burzum's Varg Vikernes and the members of Ulver and Darkthrone. Abbath from Immortal does not taking black metal seriously at all. It seems less arcane and organic than, with many vapid bands appearing in rapid succession. Most of the original second wave bands no longer play the exact type of black metal/music they started with [6] Do black metal's disadvantages outweigh its positive points? Black metal seems to be something more cosmetic than mystical nowadays with people opting jokily to try out with black metal vocals on televised singing competitions, American photographer Peter Beste releasing his photographs of Norwegian black metallers for a book available for purchase, countless tactless documentaries relating to the genre exploiting its controversies and a particular jewellery company releasing a tacky supposedly 'black metal inspired' range of jewellery. Perhaps black metal was meant to be nothing more than what it was initially. I doubt the original black metallers had the intention of using black metal to make money. But simultaneously, they are probably not complaining that they are making money out of it either.

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[1] Other loosely used terms are employed to describe certain variants of black metal, but not for musical discernability: USBM (United States Black Metal), TNBM (True Norwegian Black Metal), NSBM (National Socialist Black Metal) and UGBM (Underground Black Metal).

[2] It seems unexplained that bands like Darkthrone and Satyricon who get penalised by the black metal scene for converting to black 'n' roll (before signing up to a major label as in Satyricon's case) whereas a band like Carpathian Forest who have been playing black 'n' roll since their inception do not receive noticable universal detraction.

[3] Interestingly, some consider Arcturus part of the original Norwegian second wave, having started life, like many of the other second wave components, playing death metal.

[4] His second album
angL features a guest vocal performance by Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth, one of the most well-known progressive metal bands.

[5] http://www.norsksvartmetall.com/history.htm


[6] Some examples:
  • Burzum: from black metal to ambient;
  • Darkthrone: from raw black metal to black 'n' roll;
  • Enslaved: from Viking/black metal to progressive/Viking/black metal;
  • Emperor: from symphonic black metal to post-black metal;
  • Mayhem: from raw black metal to post-black metal to black metal