This June saw me returning to Clisson in France for the fourth time in four years, for the extreme music festival Hellfest. From Friday 18th - Sunday 20th June 2010, I would be immersing myself in a plethora of live acts.
Day 1 - Friday 18th
The day began with France's own Gorod, a brain-bendingly technical bunch of death metallers on Mainstage 2. The precision in their music did not compromise the brutal nature that is frequently associated with death metal. Unlike 'riff salad' tech death bands that rely on a barrage of hundred riffs per song, Gorod maintain a great sense of memorable composition, complete with a melodic edge that compliments the music. Frontman Guillaume Martinot raged across the stage, barking his rasps admirably. A great wake up call for the early morning start.
The next stop was Ortagos in the Rock Hard Tent. These French black metallers are signed to Season of Mist, a label I usually associate with quality, and after around four songs, I left their set. They were simply a hybrid of monotonus, double-bass black metal ala Marduk with simplified ideas akin to a watered down Secrets of the Moon moments.
Returning to the second Mainstage, Swallow the Sun's melancholic doom swarmed over the sun-drenched audience. It was difficult to watch them in the heated environment. Their cold and bleak melodies were lost in the festival atmosphere, particularly outdoors on a large stage. Nonetheless, the members avoided compromising and put on a decent show. The best moment was closing number 'Swallow', which provoked more action from the audience.
In the Rock Hard Tent, one of Norway's premier lesser known black metal acts Urgehal were about to commence spewing rabid blasphemy all over the festival. An austere performance, the band pumped out new songs from Ikonoklast, including 'Stetsolid Self Destruction' and 'Dodelagt'. The crowd were treated to the staples 'Satanic Black Metal in Hell' and 'Goatcraft Torment' alongside the non-album anthem 'Nekromisanthrop'. Despite the anti-human exterior these Norwegians have been successful in portraying in the past, they frequently thanked the audience, which destroyed their credibility. Nonetheless, Urgehal were still vastly enjoyable and entertaining.
I watched a little of Crowbar on the second Mainstage. They were quite amiable with their gritty sludge metal and were certainly enthusiastic to be playing live even after over twenty years.
On the smallest stage of them all, the Terrorizer tent, Sigh took the audience by storm with their innovative black metal and avant garde songs. With Dr. Mikanibal in a skimpy white outfit, embellished with bloodstains and angel wings, they had the entire audience focussed on their performance. However, the absence of a keyboard removed one of the dimensions of their music and songs like 'Death Before Dishonour' were seriously lacking their quirk. In spite of this, the band terminated their show with a grim rendition of the Venom classic 'Black Metal' with Mikanibal pouring candle wax all over herself.
Necrophagist were clearly comfortable exercising their technical prowess in front of the large multitude gathered at the Rock Hard Tent. Muhammed Suiçmez was a wonder to behold with his progressive slant on technical death metal. The quintet stormed through prime cuts from both of their full-lengths, such as 'Extreme Unction', 'Fermented Offal Discharge', 'Epitaph', 'Foul Body Autopsy' and 'The Stillborn One'. 'Stabwound' and 'Only Ash Remains' received particularly notable reactions from the audience and for good reason. There was little movement from the band on stage but with so much concentration needed to effortlessly execute their delicate music, they cannot be blamed.
More black metal was presented in the Rock Hard Tent with Norwegian four-piece Kampfar. The introduction of 'Valgalderkvad' looped through the PA before the band took the stage. When they did (save frontman Dolk), the members launched into 'Vantro' from their latest full-length offering Heimgang and exploded into 'Inferno' when Dolk joined them. Dolk was highly charismatic, racing around the stage to get the pulses of the audience pumping, even during the lengthier numbers like 'Hymne'. The setlist was fairly representative of all the Norwegians' four albums and very well selected, even if they were no major surprises.The crowd reacted solidly to their Viking metal embossed formula and judging from Dolk's reaction, he was appreciative of it. Closing with 'Ravenheart' was a particular highlight, sealing a remarkable appearance at the festival already.
Kampfar's setlist: Vettekult / Inferno / Norse / Troll, Dod og Trolldom / Hymne / Vettekult / Ravenheart.
With large banners at either side of the stage, Secrets of the Moon's innovative black metal emanated from the Terrorizer Tent. Despite their diligence, the band looked somewhat subdued and following Kampfar's performance, the quartet appeared somewhat sedate. Still promoting their latest full-length Privilegivm, a decent flavour of the album made the setlist, including 'Sulphur' and 'Queen Among Rats'. The newer songs were bolstered among typical staples, such as 'Lucifer Speaks' and 'Seraphim is Dead', painting a strong representation of what these Germans have to offer.
The Rock Hard Tent was fairly crowded with a congregation eager to witness Ihsahn's first live appearance outside his native Norway. Those expecting Emperor covers were fools as the prog mastermind layered prime cuts from each of his albums for the audience to feast on, backed by the entire line up of fellow Norsk prog metallers, Leprous. The dark progressive metal was a welcomed change of pace from the extreme metal I had been ingesting previously. Opening with the first song from After, 'The Barren Lands', Ihsahn demonstrated his musical dexterity. Handling guitars and vocals meant limited stage presence from him but the music was too emersive to notice. The particularly tender songs like 'Unhealer' were received solidly by the audience and Ihsahn's entire attitude to the live show was nothing but positive. Closing with another new track 'Frozen Lakes on Mars', it is clear to see why Ihsahn will be relevant to the current metal community, even after the demise of seminal black metallers Emperor.
Ihsahn's setlist: The Barren Lands / A Grave Inversed / Misanthrope / Scarab / Emancipation / Invocation / Called By Fire / Unhealer / Frozen Lakes on Mars.
A gathering swarm at Mainstage 2 awaited Hypocrisy. Opening with 'Fractured Millennium' from their self-titled album, Peter Tägtgren appeared completely confident wheeling his guitar and growling along to the large mass of people who appeared mostly curious of what the highly acclaimed band had to offer. In an attempt to perform as many songs in their allocated time, a medley of 'Pleasure of Molestation', 'Osculum Obscenum' and 'Penetralia' attempted to satiate as many Hypocrisy fans as possible. Despite the universal great reception that the Swedes' latest full-length A Taste of Extreme Divinity received, only 'Weed out the Weak' was played from it, this compromise obviously in favour of dishing out the much loved songs such as 'Fire in the Sky', 'A Coming Race' and 'Adjusting the Sun'. Despite their efforts, I found the band to become somewhat tiresome after some time. Closing with 'Warpath' and 'Roswell 47' was actually quite relieving.
Hypocrisy's setlist: Fractured Millennium / Weed Out the Weak / Eraser / Pleasure of Molestation/Osculum Obscenum/Penetralia / A Coming Race / Adjusting the Sun / Let the Knife Do the Talking / Killing Art / Fire in the Sky / Warpath / Roswell 47.
Having heard plenty about their latest album, Watain were unsurprisingly vomiting their blasphemy over a commendably-sized crowd in the Rock Hard Tent. Their gritty black metal with digestible melodic strains were a clear crowd pleasure. Bedecked in their corpsepaint, the band handled the entire performance seriously with no pandering to the attendees. Only 'Reaping Death' was heard from the new Lawless Darkness but with lengthy songs like 'Stellavore' and 'Legions of the Black Light' hitting the setlist, the black metallers had little time. Conversely, the brief 'On Horns Impaled' closed the set, the oldest song they conjured up.
Being their only European show, matters grew painful for Godflesh at the Terrorizer Tent. The British industrial group got off to a slow start with impeding technical issues that bit into a portion of their set. However, like most industrial groups, Godflesh's live show was devoid of enthralling elements and felt repetitive just staring at the band members doing very little on stage. I am sure they are more accessible on CD. The entire experience was quite a disappointment over all.
Following Godflesh were another experimental, non-metal band: Ulver in the Rock Hard Tent. Of course, none of their older, metal or folk songs would be showcased in their hour-long slot but their music came complete with their projections. Captivating both visually and musically, the Norwegians sped through their post-metal, avant garde numbers including 'Porn Piece or the Scars of Cold Kisses', 'Little Blue Bird', 'For the Love of God', 'Let the Children Go' and 'Like Music'. The experience was aurally overwhelming with so many beautiful nuances that grafted a strong personality into the music. It is a shame that the crowd appeared to dwindle in number as the set progressed but perhaps Ulver were not heavy enough to appear at an extreme metal festival for some. As the set closed, Garm graciously thanked those present, in a way that was devoid of pretence.
Concluding the night for me was The Devil's Blood, a psychedelic rock group in the Terrorizer Tent. The band are familiar in black metal circles because the Dutch group consider themselves an occult group and make appearances at many metal festivals. Their music was very seventies influenced with a female singer who does not possess a 'typical' female voice. The music was thick with atmosphere and, although the band were only allotted an hour long slot, they played for approximately an hour and a half. I struggled to endure the music for this long and think that they would be a richer listen in solitude as opposed to the live environment. Nonetheless, I am glad I caught their performance, even if it grew a little tiring during its tail end.
Day 2 - Saturday 19
The second day began with death thrash metallers Dew-Scented on Mainstage 2. The only original member, Leif Jensen, literally barked out his vocals in such a commanding manner that it shook off the cobwebs of the morning. Their brand of thrash socketed with death metal was aggressive and uncompromising with sinews of melody although ultimately unvaried throughout. Having said that, for a thirty minute set first thing in the morning, this was not a particular point of contention and it was relieving to enjoy 'Soul Poison' so early.
Kalisia released a debut last year (that took fifteen years to make) that received such striking attention, nominated as one of the best debuts of last year by many. Cybion is essentially a concept album formed of one song (but divided into tracks on the CD) and it was impossible its entirety would fit into the half hour slot they had in the Rock Hard Tent. Nonetheless, the astral progressive metal melodies swept over the audience in a captivating fashion with growls providing a brutal undertone. The keyboards were particularly atmospheric and swamping, truly envisioning the sci-fi universe the plot of the CD takes place in. Plenty of effort was put into the album and the band appeared grateful to be playing Hellfest. I presume Kalisia live to be a rarity.
Kalisia setlist: Reception/Translation / Union/Construction / Declaration/Revolution / Division/Integration / Lost Soul / Activation/Production / Confusion/Resurrection / Realisation/Penetration / Disconnection/Comprehension / Salvation/Connection.
After a break, it was time for German drunkards Tankard to play on the second mainstage. Opening with 'The Morning After', Tankard's coarse brand of old school thrash metal was clearly popular with the observers. Frontman Gerre bounded around the stage at such a frequency that was rare for a man of his size (although, admittedly he had lost weight since my last encounter with him in September of last year. At this Hellfest show, he kept pulling his shirt up to reveal a shrunken stomach yet plenty of loose folds of skin...) and really suited the frantic pace of the music. With only 'Octane Warrior' and 'Stay Thirsty!' from their latest album Thirst, there was room for older favourites such as 'Chemical Invasion' and 'Zombie Attack'. Not to be seen as a band twenty years past their glory days, newer songs 'Rectifier' and 'Slipping From Reality' we poured on to the audience, meaning they ignored their nineties days ('Beermuda' felt missed). Closing with another staple '(Empty) Tankard', it felt like the entire audience were singing along "Wanna drink some fucking beer, wanna drink some whiskey!" over and over again and indeed even after the performance, large groups of people were still singing it, long after Tankard had left the stage. Brilliant.
Tankard's setlist: The Morning After / Zombie Attack / Stay Thirsty! / Chemical Invasion / Rectifier / Slipping From Reality / Octane Warriors / (Empty) Tankard.
Tankard would be a near-impossible act to follow but it was up to Y&T to do so. On Mainstage 1, the American hard rockers attempted this task. They were in good spirits and that emanated into their live show. However, it felt strange that they ignored some of their better known tracks in favour of others. I assumed 'Summertime Girls' was a staple but I suppose they had newer material to play. They did play 'Mean Streak' though but the set was lacking in something, lacking in the sing-along atmosphere that plenty of eighties hard rock acts captured. Perhaps they were swamped by Tankard's performance.
Swapping over to Mainstage 2 again, it was time for some classic NWoBHM in the form of Raven. Opening with 'Take Control' from their much loved All for One album, I was completely taken back by the freshness and power of vocalist John Gallagher. His falsetto was stunning, certainly mistakable for the voice of a twenty-something year old. He was clearly very proud of this feat and frequently stole the opportunity to show off many a time as he added in falsetto cries that were not on the original. Although they are not a widely known band, they successfully invited the crowd to sing along to some of their catchy choruses as they ripped through a slew of classic tracks including 'Break the Chain', 'All for One', 'Breaking You Down' and 'Live at the Inferno'. The trio were a fantastic afternoon treat and a prominent reminder that Britain's heavy metal was premier at some point in history.
Returning to the light-deprived Rock Hard Tent, Dutch classic death metallers Asphyx were also proving to the festival why they were still relevant. Vocalist Martin Van Drunen essentially had his audience in the palm of his hands from the get-go as the quartet sliced with vicious death metal and hammered down with their unique doom metal groove. From their latest full-length album Death...The Brutal Way, Asphyx displayed a sense of purpose in the modern metal scene with the title track and 'Eisenbahnmorser' particularly storming through the venue. 'M.S. Bismarck', 'Wasteland of Terror', 'Asphyx (Forgotten War)' provided a bounty of headbanging opportunities and an atmosphere of chaos. Of course, no Asphyx set would be complete without the stunning 'The Rack' and this received a rightfully thunderous applause. Asphyx certainly secured the title of one of the best acts of this year's installment of Hellfest.
Anvil would have to do plenty to top Asphyx's performance. On the second Main Stage, the Canadians had attracted a large audience, no doubt on the strength of their documentary. Nonetheless, their music was too stale and their stage presence was fairly plain. Playing songs from their latest album This is Thirteen, the three-piece sounded desperate with dull tracks that plodded along to no tasteful climax. I ended up leaving their set early because their heavy metal was doing absolutely nothing for me.
With a good number of people watching them in the Rock Hard Tent, Sadist from Italy were a very impressive band from a technical point of view. With the guitarist handling guitar and keyboard duties simultaneously. Their progressive death metal was intricate and intriguing, particularly with the in-your-face keyboards. The quartet were quite comfortable on stage and after this performance, further investigation into this band beckons.
Returning to Main Stage 2 for further extreme-tipped prog metal, Nevermore opened their set with the older 'Beyond Within' with their devoted fanbase singing along. Following this track, the Seattle band begin to unleash songs from their new album The Obsidian Conspiracy on to the audience, beginning with 'The Termination Proclamation' and later including 'Emptiness Unobstructed', 'Your Poison Throne' and the title track. These new tracks received a great ovation but, naturally, less so among the other classics hand-picked for the set. Warrel Dane poured his emotional sentiments into his vocals with guitar virtuoso Jeff Loomis providing backing vocals as best he could. 'The River Dragon Has Come' was a sing-along affair to the fans; 'Born' was an emotional spectrum that reigned supremely in the outdoor environment; 'The Heart Collector' saw the band showcase their softer side with just as much appreciation as the heavier 'Inside Four Walls'. The Americans were in good spirits and put on such a fantastic show with Dane seemingly interacting with the audience on an individual basis. Closing with the muscular 'Enemies of Reality' was a spectacular finish with an eruption of mainstream scorn - what Nevermore are best at really.
Nevermore setlist: Beyond Within / The Termination Proclamation / The River Dragon Has Come / Born / Emptiness Unobstructed / Your Poison Throne / Inside Four Walls / The Heart Collector / The Obsidian Conspiracy / Enemies of Reality.
I half-watched Slash on the first Main Stage. His music was fairly inoffensive with Velvet Revolver and Slash's Snakepit but when he arrived at the Guns 'n' Roses songs, I had to depart because they are musically terrible.
Eventually, Canada's Annihilator arrived on the second Main Stage and many were eagerly anticipating the older material, specifically 'Alison Hell'. Opening with 'The Box' from King of the Kill was a little surprise but not necessarily a particularly positive one. Jeff Waters and Dave Padden appeared quite austere on stage and it was interesting to see them both handle vocal duties. From their new album Annihilator, they were doing the fans a favour by only selecting two songs: 'Ambush' and the lengthy 'The Trend'. 'King of the Kill' and 'Set the World On Fire' may have appeased some but certainly myself. However, ears perked up when the undeniably thrash classic 'Fun Palace' from Never, Neverland made its arrival. When it came to the closing number, Waters cheekily said "I suppose we have to play 'Alison Hell' now..." which had the audience in roars of ovation. The song was totally stellar, destroying the rest of the set. The pair's vocals were a great replacement of Randy Rampage's, sounding identical at times. This is why Annihilator's earliest efforts should be loved.
Annihilator's setlist: The Box / Ambush / King of the Kill / Hell is a War / Set the World on Fire / The Fun Palace / The Trend / Alison Hell.
Twisted Sister were to continue the vein of heavy metal/hard rock on Main Stage 1 and they would do so in a fantastic fashion. Frontman Dee Snider demanded all eyes on him for the entire duration of the set. Opening with 'Come Out and Play', the party atmosphere was installed into the audience. There were plenty of sing-along opportunties, including 'Stay Hungry' and 'You Can't stop Rock 'n' Roll' but most importantly, 'We're Not Gonna Take It', which was elongated for the fan's amusement. It was quite surprising to hear Twisted Sister's most popular song come in the middle of their set but they had other plans. In a tribute to Dio, Snider announced the band would play the Rainbow song 'Long Live Rock 'n' Roll', which had the audience singing the tribute to the fallen metal superstar. The cover was performed excellently with a truly celebratory atmosphere. After the sinister 'Burn in Hell', the band vacated the stage only to return for an encore of 'I Wanna Rock' and 'S.M.F.'. All in all a fanastic set and Snider was a very likeable frontman who truly understood how a rock 'n' roll show should be executed.
Twisted Sister setlist: Come Out and Play / The Kids Are Back / Under the Blade / Stay Hungry / Captain Howdy / We're Not Gonna Take It / Shoot 'em Down / You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll / Long Live Rock 'n' Roll / The Price / Burn in Hell / I Wanna Rock / S.M.F.
According to Twisted Sister, Abbath from Immortal was watching their show. Next up on Main Stage 2, were these second wave black metal superstars. Opening with 'All Shall Fall' from the album of the same name, had people excited over seeing the band more than the music itself. Unfortunately, this mediocre comeback album populated the setlist strongly, with 'The Rise of Darkness', 'Hordes to War' and 'Norden on Fire'. The setlist on the whole was somewhat disappointing (possibly due to time restraints?) with nothing from the debut, no The Call of the Wintermoon', 'The Sun No Longer Rises', 'Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)' or 'At the Heart of Winter' - and these are just the popular, older Immortal tracks as opposed to my favourites. Nonetheless, the fans were overjoyed with 'Pure Holocaust', 'Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms' and 'Sons of Northern Darkness'. Abbath's fire-breathing was entertaining and you could literally feel the heat. Closing with 'One by One', I considered the show somewhat lacklustre (especially compared to last time I saw Immortal), I believe people were just happy to see the corpsepainted caricatures themselves.
Immortal's setlist: All Shall Fall / The Rise of Darkness / Sons of Northern Darkness / Hordes to War / Pure Holocaust / Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms / Norden on Fire / Withstand the Fall of Time / Damned in Black / Tyrants / One by One.
Still keeping in tune with the theatrical side of music, Alice Cooper on the first Main Stage put on a fabulous show. The legend commenced with an abridged version of 'School's Out', which set the mood perfectly. What followed next was a show consisting of Cooper's best known hits (except 'Bed of Nails') and a theatrical show that included Cooper being killed in a variety of ways, such as by guillotine, being hanged and injected by an over-sized syringe. The guillotine trick was particularly convincing as his head fell into the basket and later he would be dancing around with it. His outfits changed numerously, all flashy and demanding of attention. 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', 'I'm 18', 'Poison', 'Only Women Bleed', 'Billion Dollar Babies', and 'Elected' were particularly highlights to this glitzy show. During 'Dirty Diamonds', Cooper threw out plenty of silver necklaces into the audience, which were snapped up quickly. Vocally, he sounded on form and suitably dark and twisted. He put so much effort into the show that his age seemed irrelevant. Even those not familiar with most of the set would have certainly appreciated the theatrical entertainment that accompanied the music. After 'Elected', the band vacated the stage only to return with the full length version of 'School's Out', another remarkable performance. It is clear to see why Cooper is such a household name as his show was unforgettable and it was very fortunate that he had the opportunity to play Hellfest. Such a fantastic headliner.
Alice Cooper's setlist: School's Out (abridged) / No More Mr. Nice Guy / Under My Wheels / I'm 18 / Wicked Young Man / Ballad of Dwight Fry . Go to Hell / Guilty / Cold Ethyl / Poison / From the Inside / Nurse Rosetta / Be My Lover / Only Women Bleed / I Never Cry / Black Widow Jam / Vengeance is Mine / Dirty Diamonds / Billion Dollar Babies / Killer / I Love the Dead / Feed My Frankenstein / Elected / School's Out.
If Alice Cooper wasn't horrific enough, the next band would take horror to a more realistic edge. The temperature had dropped for Carcass on the second Main Stage - the final band of the night. After their intro, the English gore connoisseurs launched into a hybrid of 'Genital Grinder' and 'This Mortal Coil'. Vocalist and bassist Jeff Walker radiated confidence with his English sense of humour. He was indeed quite a likeable man. Having appeared at Hellfest two years previously, the grind stars wanted to do something a little different and so they performed the vast majority of their seminal Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious release, breaking up the set with two other classics: 'Buried Dreams' and 'Heartwork'. The music was dark and heavy with headbanging rhythms leaking all over the place. 'Corporal Jigsore Quandary', 'Incarnated Solvent Abuse' and 'Carneous Cacoffiny' unsheathed riffs that were worth salivating over. However, the montage of infected penises projected behind the band may have contradicted this. After the show, Carcass left the audience wanting more...and in some ways, they got a great shot of gore with an autopsy video being shown in its entirety. A very appropriate way to end a Carcass set and the second day of Hellfest.
Carcass' setlist: Genital Grinder/This Mortal Coil / Inpropagation / Corporal Jigsore Quandary / The Sanguine Article / Symposium of Sickness / Pedigree Butchery / Incarnated Solvent Abuse / Carneous Cacoffiny / Buried Dreams / Heartwork / Lavaging Expectorate of Lysergide Composition.
Day 3 - Yes, I was here but out of laziness and a sheer lack of desire, I cannot be bothered to write a review for it. It was fun and I managed to see KISS bisected with Bloodbath.
Friday 30 July 2010
Tuesday 25 May 2010
In-Depth Analysis: Joyless' Wisdom & Arrogance
Not quite what one would expect from a band called Joyless.
Depression and experimentalism are two attitudes common in (modern) black metal but what happens when they are taken to their absolute limit?
The short answer is that you leave black metal. Originally [1], black metal's primary motivation was hatred but in recent years suicidal black metal (also known as depressive black metal or DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal)) has leaped into good fortune with adherents of the subgenre. Bands including Shining, Lifelover and Xasthur have gained considerable recognition within black metal circles with their bleak attitude and self-destructive themes. It is not all positive though; many detractors think such misery is merely 'emo'.
Regardless of attitudes, Joyless are are interesting study in black metal becoming so depressive that they waive the metal component of their music. The earliest origins of Joyless can be traced back to 1991 with the conception of Forgotten Woods in Norway. Alongside Buruzm, Forgotten Woods are considered the pioneers of DSBM. Penning two full-length albums before they initially split up at the end of the '90s, they played emotive, black metal, drawing influences from rock genres. It sounds very organic and melancholy without resorting to the post-rock overload that many contemporary DSBM acts employ. Influences include Celtic Frost, Bathory and European thrash metal alongside The Velvet Underground and The Doors [2]. They reunited in 2007 and released Race of Cain, a raw and intolerant release with memorable melodies.
Joyless' birth was in 1996 with a line up composed entirely from the then defunct Forgotten Woods and their first release was the full-length Unlimited Hate. Some of the songs are old Forgotten Woods ones, recorded between 1994 and 1996. Like Forgotten Woods, the metal on this endeavour is atmospheric, despairing black metal with a good sense of emotion and hints towards more general rock music.
By 2000, the rock influence took over in time for Joyless to release their sophomore album Wisdom & Arrogance. This album strips Joyless of their black metal casing in favour of a depressive rock stance with a pop mentality. Although they pre-date Lifelover by almost a decade, this release can be described as Lifelover's bipolar younger sister. The most striking asset of the band which appears to divide listeners is the voice of new singer Ida Helleboe. Her voice sounds juvenile, nearly whiny and on the spectacular 'Transpire', she practically launches herself into a vocal tantrum. Theoretically, these vocals sounds challenging to endure but in reality, they compliment Joyless marvellously and sum up the attitude of the band succinctly. Her vocals are greatly varied but within the boundaries of pop music and inscribe accessibility on to the release. The spirit of teenage curiosity, angst and innocence is preserved flawlessly in her voice. The closing track, 'Room of Velvet Splendour', sees Olav Berland handle lead vocals and his deep, clean voice (no growls here) takes repeated listens to get used to, after hearing Helleboe throughout the release, but compliment the lengthy number perfectly. He sounds depressed but insightful. The vocal duet on 'Why Should I Cry?' is nothing short of sublime, with the different vocals bizarrely gelling seamlessly together.
The music is varied throughout the album and the entire release lacks unity, save for the introverted and/or sardonic lyrics. Sometimes the guitars play icy leads with the most subtle of guitar fuzz in the background (a hang-over from their black metal origins) as can be heard on 'Close to God' or 'Room of Velvet Splendour'; sometimes they bounce with a near-bluesy feel on the poignant 'Transpire'; sometimes they joust with post-rock such as on 'Stand'. The drums are usually simplistic but occasionally make a departure from this, promoting dynamic rhythms with a progressive flourish, 'Close to God' being a great indication.
Although the music is inherently depressing, the mood it harbours is not entirely melancholic at certain points: 'Divine' and 'Isn't It Nice' are edged with rich and decadent textures, much like The Velvet Underground while the aforementioned bouncing blues-cum-rockabilly guitar rhythms on 'Transpire' actually contradicts the frustrated vocals of Helleboe. 'The Nails' has no music; it is simply a recital of a striking and thoughtful poem by Helleboe in her thick Norwegian accent. In spite of these diversions, Wisdom & Arrogance is wholly miserable over all.
Lyrically, the band deals with poetic imagery, depressive/frustrated emotion, irony and inner struggles. The lyric for the entirety of 'Stand' are:
Happy be a face
Nobody understands.
Lyrically, the band deals with poetic imagery, depressive/frustrated emotion, irony and inner struggles. The lyric for the entirety of 'Stand' are:
Happy be a face
Nobody understands.
Happy be a face
Nobody understands.
No, stand.
Stand, stand.
Happy happy happy happy
Happy happy happy happy
Happy be a face
Nobody understands.
Happy be a face
Nobody understands.
The last note is higher than the pentultimate one, turning the statement into a question, interestingly. Less subtle are the teen angst lyrics of 'Transpire'. The opening lyrics are:
Hey, do you know where I am going? (I can hear something has happened)
I'm going angry
On you (I can feel it)
It didn't matter anyway (Something is wrong)
Fuck off (Look where are you)
And still you are signing my song along
And that is (Everything)
Fuck off (I'm going crazy)
Did you understand me? At all, at all, at all.
I'm going angry
On you (I can feel it)
It didn't matter anyway (Something is wrong)
Fuck off (Look where are you)
And still you are signing my song along
And that is (Everything)
Fuck off (I'm going crazy)
Did you understand me? At all, at all, at all.
These lines are straight-forward and totally imperfect, marking them all the more human and genuine. 'Why Should I Cry?' opens by taking a typically poetic image and ruins it:
The swans appear
And they sing the loveliest song I’ve ever heard
I gently caress
I believe I broke their necks
My eyes no tear shed.
And they sing the loveliest song I’ve ever heard
I gently caress
I believe I broke their necks
My eyes no tear shed.
My eyes no tear shed.
The chorus of the same song relinquishes any chance of hope:
I have reached the end (The End)
I've reached my earthly end. (The End)
And I do know that all I do is die
So why should I cry?
'Isn't It Nice?' has lyrics that would not be out of place on a modern DSBM band's album, expressing the disaffection of life and hatred of the world:
I am lost
And I feel so alone
But it really doesn't matter
There ain't a thing I can do.
Judgment day
Let me know when you are here
I want to see
The world go down
Drag me deeper down
I don't care
Down here there is nothing
Nothing but myself
and concludes with:
Point a gun at my head
Do you think I care?
Point it at yourself
And pull the trigger now.
Could you give me a reason to celebrate?
Throughout the album, there are plenty of references to the colour blue and velvet, particularly velvet shining. The latter could be a reference to the Forgotten Woods song 'The Velvet Room' (which also mentions dying swans in its lyrics). The associations of the colour blue are quite obvious and Joyless have mentioned it poignantly a few times prior to the release of Arrogance & Wisdom; Unimited Hate debut had a song entitled 'Blå melankoli' (blue melancholy); the EP Blue in the Face, released 1999 [3] has 'Room of Velvet Splendour' and 'Room of Velvet Splendour pt. 2', divided by a track entitled 'Swansmile'.
This is actually a beautiful record that finds some comfort in defeatism and solace. The title sums the music up perfectly. Its amalgamation of personalities and its flaws work in its favour, mirroring the human psyche. The music is recorded impulsive emotion. It is a struggle to find a band as raw, emotive and unrefined as Joyless. They have not recorded an album since but 2009 was a busy year for the band with three different splits and a compilation. It seems impossible to imagine a follow up to Wisdom & Arrogance but it would be wonderful to see such a release.
---
[1] Referring to the second wave bands, not first wave.
[2] Mortem Zine interview with Forgotten Woods, 2007.
[3] But recorded in May 1996 and arranged in 1995.
[3] But recorded in May 1996 and arranged in 1995.
Saturday 10 April 2010
The Theatre Closes Down - 17 Years of Theatre of Tragedy
Originally written for soundshock.net.
2010 should be considered a dark year for melodic metal. Why? Because Norwegian goth-metal vanguards Theatre of Tragedy are calling it quits in October. Formed in 1993, Theatre of Tragedy are credited as the first known metal band to consistently utilise a soprano voice alongside a growling counterpart. Now, after seventeen years the curtain falls on Theatre of Tragedy as the line up struggles to operate the band in sync with their families and careers. Original drummer, Hein Frode Hansen and guitarist Vegard Thorsen discuss the band’s final output and a nostalgic look at all the band has accomplished.
It’s a warm afternoon in Camden and Hein Frode Hansen and Vegard Thorsen are sitting in a pub with grins on their faces. Not very “goth” but Theatre of Tragedy have never been a band to adhere so closely to convention. The London date of their farewell tour has dawned upon the capital. However, the tour has not been doing as well as the band anticipated. “I could lie to you and say we have full houses everywhere but not really.” Hein’s honesty vividly shines through. “It’s like 100, 150 [attendees]. I was thinking that people were thinking this could be the last chance to see [Theatre of Tragedy] but maybe they think it’ll be like a funeral. They’re not good.”
To mark the band’s retirement, a new EP titled ‘Addendum’ has been issued. It comes with a re-issue of the Norwegians’ final album ‘Forever is the World’, released last year. The finality of the album suggests that the band knew they were to call it quits before they began work on this album. Hanson confirms: “We knew it was going to be our last record when we recorded it so we did a lot of stuff on
the recording on purpose to make it like closure.” Indeed, it does sound like the swansong of a band, reflecting on its past, particularly with vocalist Raymond István Rohonyi utilising growls after a prolonged absence. Thorsen talks fondly of the remainder of the band’s shock: “Raymond decided “Fuck you all! I’m going to do something new which is old.” Hanson elaborates: “It really blew me away. I didn’t think he had it in him to do that kind of vocals so we were really surprised.”There are a lot of nods towards Theatre of Tragedy’s varied past on their curtain calling album. From their early days as a romantic yet overcast gothic metal band through their electronic flirtations right to their modern gothic rock sound. “There’s nothing really new on there but it’s sort of like a mixture between all of the stuff we’ve done throughout our career without being in the middle of the ‘90s. I think an album in 2009, without being nostalgic about it and copying ourselves – that was our idea. We didn’t really set out to do it. We have many really weird ways of writing records throughout our career...mostly bad, actually. But this time around we said “Screw it. Let’s just try everything. No rules, no bullshit.” We didn’t have any specific recipe for it,” Hansen details.
Thorsen observes: “When we were doing the ‘Storm’ album we were trying not to be really aggressive. We tried to be energetic and keep the pace up. It gets short of breath after a while so we try to let our songs live their own lives, try to come together somehow. The funny thing with the record is if you take single songs and listen to them, they’re so-so but if you take the entire album as a whole, it works a lot better.”
The title ‘Forever is the World’ isn’t as conspicuous in meaning as one might initially think. Hansen enlightens by stating: “We really have a hard time settling on what to call our records. We played around a bit and ‘Forever is the World’ was the least terrible choice. We were all a bit low. This is it, this is final. There was lots of doom and gloom but there is a glimmer of hope or something. It fits very well with the album. It doesn’t really make any sense. ‘Forever is the world’. It’s not. It’s poetic nonsense. It’s actually a...Biblical quote?” Thorsen knows the answer: “Only man ends but forever is the world.”
The good news for Theatre of Tragedy fans is that the band will certainly be continuing with musical endeavours, possibly collectively. “We have good chemistry, good references and we work well together. We probably won’t do concerts or doing stuff live and touring, but we’ll probably be doing stuff together,” Thorsen reports.
Of course, the musicians have racked up their fair share of fond and less attractive moments. Thorsen recounts a particularly vivid scene: “The first album I participated on, ‘Assembly’, when we stayed in a barn in the middle of the Finnish forests with no indoor plumbing...that was the worst. It was amazing fun but it was really gruelling from day to day. You couldn’t wash your hands; you had to go to the main building. You couldn’t go to the loo; you had to go to the main building. We had to be really quiet when recording vocals because it was just downstairs and the floorboards were really creaking.”
Hansen counteracts Thorsen with a positive experience: “I think Beirut was pretty good. Standing on stage in Beirut was unbelievable. Looking at the Mediterranean Sea on stage in the sun doing the sound check there, which was pretty amazing. We were the first band beside The Scorpions or something like that that played there. They just built a complete stage set up for us with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea. We were like “Beirut? Do we have any fans there?” We get on stage and there were like 2000 people there. It was really amazing.”
Theatre of Tragedy have accomplished a lot but not all they wanted to. Thorsen regrets the fact that they never toured Japan, or more touring generally. Hansen reflects: “Now we’re older and greyer and more exhausted so it’s a little bit why we’re breaking up as well. It’s really difficult to combine doing Theatre of Tragedy and giving it the attention it deserves. Theatre of Tragedy is like a life on its own, the way I see it, and it deserves everybody’s full attention. People are not able to do that. It would be disloyal to the fans [to] go four years for every record and do one tour every four years and it’s quite a lot of work.” Returning to the centrepiece as to why the split is inevitable, Thorsen elaborates: “I think if Theatre of Tragedy as a band was to continue we’d have to put more work into it. Do more touring, do more live shows but we can’t. We just don’t have time and resources to do it. It’s better and more respectful in a way to call it quits and leave it as it is. Have some fun before the end and also while we’re still friends.”
The band has known about this split since last May but could not officially state their intentions due to the relationship with their record label. “We couldn’t say “Give us all this money so we can make this record but really afterwards, we will break up.” So we had to keep everything quiet. Obviously, the record label isn’t too happy about it but...oh well,” Thorsen shrugs.
October 2nd 2010 in Stavanger will be the final performance for Theatre of Tragedy. They will be flying in their best light technician from Germany and will play a set representing all of their albums. Fortunately for those unable to book a flight for Norway, the show will be filmed for a DVD. At least the band acknowledges how important they have been in the metal world. “We were the first doing [growls and soprano vocals] 50/50. There were bands doing it before; Paradise Lost were doing it on the first record but they only had a guest singer. We were the first one to have a full time member of the band being a lead singer. It’s weird now because you’ve got all these bands. Back in the day when we started out, no English press would touch us with gloves. People hated every European band that did the gothic style. We were ridiculed so much from Kerrang and all the English press. It’s hilarious and now they’re all over the gothic scene. It’s a bit strange standing here 17 years down the road. I’m not going to claim responsibility for the whole scene. That would be a bit megalomaniac but at least I’ll say that you’ll find a Theatre of Tragedy CD in all these bands’ collections. Even Evanescence secretly has a Theatre of Tragedy CD stashed somewhere,” Hansen says with a smile. Theatre of Tragedy will be horrendously missed but at least they still have their integrity.
Wednesday 31 March 2010
Jonas Renske on Katatona and Bloodbath's Current Development
Originally written for Soundshock.
In recent history, Swedish progressive metallers Opeth have sky rocketed to the upper echelons of the metal world in terms of recognition and success; it seems surprising that fellow countrymen Katatonia never reached such pinnacles particularly with their later albums seeming more accessible (no growls and shorter songs) than the aforementioned. Now with their eight monolith of melancholy, ‘Night is the New Day’, it looks like Katatonia are ready to seize the vast levels of acknowledgement they never quite appropriated previously. Frontman, Jonas Renske discusses the components of this favourite album of many from last year and the return of highly acclaimed death metallers Bloodbath.
Despite having a title that people wouldn’t immediately associate with the newest Katatonia full-length, ‘Night is the New Day’ shimmers with Katatonia’s trademarks: concrete, urban textures, tides of remorse and a voraciously consuming hopelessness. “It’s not super different,” Renske remarks indifferently. “It’s just that every time we do a new album, we want to do better songs and experiment with sounds and textures and layers, always trying to do something even better than the last one. It’s still a Katatonia album.” Similarly to the rest of the band’s recorded observations, the album received laudations from all over. “I was super happy with the album when it was ready but the response has been overwhelming - great reviews but also the fans are very much into it. I couldn’t ask for more.” Their sold out London headlining show, with Long Distance Calling and Swallow the Sun as supports, is testament to this and according to Renske, the entire tour has been particularly fruitful. “It’s been more packed than we could have expected. Everybody’s really happy with it so far.”
Everybody is indeed happy with the record but some fans have found the name of the Swedes’ latest effort rebelling against the orthodox Katatonia titles. Perhaps it’s the ironic commentary that has never been prevailing in the band’s inventory that comes as a shock. “To me, it represents the kind of state that the world is in today. It’s kind of a dark place, economically and at least here in the Western world, people are obsessed with materialistic stuff, the rich and famous. I think it’s not good.” Additionally out of tune with Katatonia’s aesthetics is the first video off the album, ‘Day and Then the Shade’, a video that would be far more accommodating to the music of a group like Evanescence. The video frequently receives negative comments on Youtube in spite of director Lasse Hoille who has produced videos for Porcupine Tree and Opeth . “It was because we were in a hurry to deliver a video to the record label and we were on tour at the time and we didn’t have any time to come up with anything but Lasse – we met him in Copenhagen – was willing to do it without the band around. He’s a great photographer and he knows what to do with cameras. We just said go ahead and then we continued to take him up for the video. It’s a bit unusual for Katatonia but I think it works. There’s some beautiful scenery.”
Fortunately for the languishers, the band made another video for ’The Longest Year’, which has just been released as a single (from the eponymous EP). The video is much more representative of Katatonia’s soundscape and a compliment to the band. “We wanted to do something more in the style of Katatonia in this video because we had the time to get involved. I was discussing with Charlie (the guy who did this video) and he pretty much had the same kind of idea so he just went with it. Not really beautiful sceneries but the suburban houses. It’s a really beautiful place; they have all these statues. I think it goes well with the album cover.”
It’s not just the new album that Renkse has to worry about this year. His other band, Bloodbath, is returning to the live circuit and with a sizeable portion of the Katatonia line up appearing in Bloodbath, it’s a wonder how the bands manage to co-exist. “Bloodbath isn’t as busy as Katatonia now but we have agreed to do some festivals this summer and some of them, we are both playing with Katatonia and Bloodbath so it’s going to be a busy time. It’s fun to have the band coming to a live environment because we’ve only done three shows so far in the band’s whole career.”
Bloodbath’s visceral death metal is a far cry from Katatonia’s emotionally driven shoegaze. How does Renske’s attitude differ live between these two acts? “I think Bloodbath for me is more difficult. I play the bass instead of singing. The singing thing is more mental – I can do good gigs and bad gigs but with the bass you have to be technically correct all the time so I just think about it instead of feel. I think that’s a big difference.” In 2008, Bloodbath released their latest album ‘The Fathomless Misery’, their first album in four years. “I think it’s cool. It’s showcasing some different styles. Maybe it’s more extreme and up to date than the old school stuff that we did but I think every album will be different, depending on what we did last time.” Many musicians take short breaks from one band to focus on another. When returning to the band they put on hiatus, the sound remarkably changes, usually because of ‘maturity’ but Bloodbath sound as vicious and rabid as ever. “It’s always fun to do a Bloodbath song. It’s all about having fun. With Katatonia it’s different. It’s such an important thing, it’s more like philosophy. In Bloodbath, it’s churning out riffs and trying to make it make sense. “
Renske’s positive attitude runs contrary to the morose melodies of Katatonia and the destructive hymns of Bloodbath. How about a cheery Katatonia tune? Laughing, Renkse remarks: “No, because I hate happy music. It’s just not creatively challenging.” Some things never change.
In recent history, Swedish progressive metallers Opeth have sky rocketed to the upper echelons of the metal world in terms of recognition and success; it seems surprising that fellow countrymen Katatonia never reached such pinnacles particularly with their later albums seeming more accessible (no growls and shorter songs) than the aforementioned. Now with their eight monolith of melancholy, ‘Night is the New Day’, it looks like Katatonia are ready to seize the vast levels of acknowledgement they never quite appropriated previously. Frontman, Jonas Renske discusses the components of this favourite album of many from last year and the return of highly acclaimed death metallers Bloodbath.
Despite having a title that people wouldn’t immediately associate with the newest Katatonia full-length, ‘Night is the New Day’ shimmers with Katatonia’s trademarks: concrete, urban textures, tides of remorse and a voraciously consuming hopelessness. “It’s not super different,” Renske remarks indifferently. “It’s just that every time we do a new album, we want to do better songs and experiment with sounds and textures and layers, always trying to do something even better than the last one. It’s still a Katatonia album.” Similarly to the rest of the band’s recorded observations, the album received laudations from all over. “I was super happy with the album when it was ready but the response has been overwhelming - great reviews but also the fans are very much into it. I couldn’t ask for more.” Their sold out London headlining show, with Long Distance Calling and Swallow the Sun as supports, is testament to this and according to Renske, the entire tour has been particularly fruitful. “It’s been more packed than we could have expected. Everybody’s really happy with it so far.”
Everybody is indeed happy with the record but some fans have found the name of the Swedes’ latest effort rebelling against the orthodox Katatonia titles. Perhaps it’s the ironic commentary that has never been prevailing in the band’s inventory that comes as a shock. “To me, it represents the kind of state that the world is in today. It’s kind of a dark place, economically and at least here in the Western world, people are obsessed with materialistic stuff, the rich and famous. I think it’s not good.” Additionally out of tune with Katatonia’s aesthetics is the first video off the album, ‘Day and Then the Shade’, a video that would be far more accommodating to the music of a group like Evanescence. The video frequently receives negative comments on Youtube in spite of director Lasse Hoille who has produced videos for Porcupine Tree and Opeth . “It was because we were in a hurry to deliver a video to the record label and we were on tour at the time and we didn’t have any time to come up with anything but Lasse – we met him in Copenhagen – was willing to do it without the band around. He’s a great photographer and he knows what to do with cameras. We just said go ahead and then we continued to take him up for the video. It’s a bit unusual for Katatonia but I think it works. There’s some beautiful scenery.”
Fortunately for the languishers, the band made another video for ’The Longest Year’, which has just been released as a single (from the eponymous EP). The video is much more representative of Katatonia’s soundscape and a compliment to the band. “We wanted to do something more in the style of Katatonia in this video because we had the time to get involved. I was discussing with Charlie (the guy who did this video) and he pretty much had the same kind of idea so he just went with it. Not really beautiful sceneries but the suburban houses. It’s a really beautiful place; they have all these statues. I think it goes well with the album cover.”
It’s not just the new album that Renkse has to worry about this year. His other band, Bloodbath, is returning to the live circuit and with a sizeable portion of the Katatonia line up appearing in Bloodbath, it’s a wonder how the bands manage to co-exist. “Bloodbath isn’t as busy as Katatonia now but we have agreed to do some festivals this summer and some of them, we are both playing with Katatonia and Bloodbath so it’s going to be a busy time. It’s fun to have the band coming to a live environment because we’ve only done three shows so far in the band’s whole career.”Bloodbath’s visceral death metal is a far cry from Katatonia’s emotionally driven shoegaze. How does Renske’s attitude differ live between these two acts? “I think Bloodbath for me is more difficult. I play the bass instead of singing. The singing thing is more mental – I can do good gigs and bad gigs but with the bass you have to be technically correct all the time so I just think about it instead of feel. I think that’s a big difference.” In 2008, Bloodbath released their latest album ‘The Fathomless Misery’, their first album in four years. “I think it’s cool. It’s showcasing some different styles. Maybe it’s more extreme and up to date than the old school stuff that we did but I think every album will be different, depending on what we did last time.” Many musicians take short breaks from one band to focus on another. When returning to the band they put on hiatus, the sound remarkably changes, usually because of ‘maturity’ but Bloodbath sound as vicious and rabid as ever. “It’s always fun to do a Bloodbath song. It’s all about having fun. With Katatonia it’s different. It’s such an important thing, it’s more like philosophy. In Bloodbath, it’s churning out riffs and trying to make it make sense. “
Renske’s positive attitude runs contrary to the morose melodies of Katatonia and the destructive hymns of Bloodbath. How about a cheery Katatonia tune? Laughing, Renkse remarks: “No, because I hate happy music. It’s just not creatively challenging.” Some things never change.
Saturday 30 January 2010
The Evolution of Kampfar
Norway's Kampfar have a substantial fanbase now and have made festival appearances at premiere metal festivals such as Germany's Wacken, Party San, Norway's Inferno and after this year, Hellfest in France. With four full-length albums under their belt, Kampfar's journey from obscurity to their current position is a storied one.
Kampfar (which is an ancient Norse word for Odin or Wotan that warriors would cry before entering battles to heighten their performance [2]) was to be Dolk's continuation of his vision that Mock incited. In 1994, Dolk was seeing a girl whose brother was Thomas. Thomas originally played the piano and has a strong background in classical music. Dolk desperately needed a guitarist, having written the song 'Kampfar' on his bass and needing a guitarist to record it, and Thomas satisfied the position [3]. Dolk has stated that he has always attempted to distance Kampfar from the abundance of Norwegian black metal bands that were spawning at the time. The band designed a logo that did not immediately resonate the symetric, gothic type-face or illegibility of other black metal bands and they dropped the corpse-paint of Mock, "It was really a strange thing because people didn't understand the concept of black metal without corpse-paint." [3] Dolk evades labelling Kampfar black metal, which he considers relates to the Satanic; he opts to dub his band 'Norse pagan folklore metal'.
A demo restricted to 250 copies was released in 1995 on the respected Season of Mist, recorded between 1994-1995. In the same year, the pair's debut self-titled EP was recorded. Bearing the colourful image of a Norwegian landscape on its front cover, the release could be disregarded as black metal, considering the archetypal black and white covers of black metal bands in the mid-nineties. With Dolk handling vocal and drumming duties and Thomas covering guitars and bass, the EP is undeniably the foundation for Kampfar's modern sound, with thick organic atmospheres contrasted sharply with aggressive buzzing, both created by the guitar. The song 'Kampfar' clocks in at over nine minutes, beginning rather relaxed before launching itself into more violent passages akin to a more thoughtful early Bathory, escalating towards icy highlights and concluding with proud, warrior-esque clean vocals, similar to what Fenriz does with Storm whose sole album was released in the same year as this EP. 'Hymne' sounds distinctively Norse and with subtle clean vocals used sparsely for the intro: "Hymne til Odin", it is clear that this song pays homage to the Norse god Odin, often considered a clichéd theme in contemporary metal. The final track is 'Hjemkomsten' (which translates to 'The homecoming'). Laden with synths, 'Hjemkomsten' subtracts the black metal guitar, reducing the frosty atmosphere, and focuses on melody with a simple yet complimentive drum beat. The music evokes images of exploration, folklore and of course nature. This track displays Thomas' classical influences best and tottering over the two minute mark, the song retains the listener's interest throughout as well as underscoring that Kampfar are more than a simply a black metal act.
Unfortunately, events ground to a halt after 'Fra Underverdenen' when Thomas and Dolk went through personal issues that set Kampfar on a lengthy hiatus. These problems would have to be solved before the pair could return to making music together. During the years of inactivity, Dolk received several letters each week from fans questioning what happened to Kampfar. These served as an inspiration for Dolk to continue with Kampfar at some point. Three years later, the Norwegians reactivated Kampfar and were given two options: to continue the band as before or to get more members and expand into a live band. Previously, the band had received offers to perform live but always refused due to only being a two-piece [1]. However, they selected the latter option with ease and found suitable musicians in two years; Kampfar were now joined by drummer 1113 (who now lives in the Netherlands) and bassist Jon Kabber in 2003, the latter of whom Dolk met while doing session vocals for the black/death metal band Gruesome [2].
The new Kampfar line up
Kampfar joined the Austrian label Napalm Record's roster who Dolk has had intense links with since the mid-nineties. The label showed the most interest in the band, as opposed to money which suited Kampfar impeccably. In 2006, Kampfar's first two albums were re-released by their new record label who bought the rights for the full-lengths. The Napalm pressing of 'Fra Underverdenen' comes with the 'Norse' EP as an extra. Both of these albums had been sold out for almost five years so the re-release was a positive action from Napalm. The first pressing of 'Mellom Skogkeldde Aaser' sold over 6,000 copies, yet Thomas and Dolk received nothing [1]. It was sold to Century Media and Napalm original bought the rights from them and Kampfar are now benefiting richly. The self-titled mini-CD has not been re-released because Season of Mist refuse to sell it as it still sells so well.
Kampfar are currently working on new material and it is tricky to predict what kind of direction they will move in. Either way, expecting a disappointing release would most likely be a terrible mistake.
---
[1] Soundshock's Kampfar interview, 2009
[2] Sheol Magazine's Kampfar interview, 2007
[3] Heathen Harvest's Kampfar interview, 2009
[4] but the design and cover art is interestingly enough by Season of Mist
[5] Perhaps it should be noted that this album was released around a similar time that folk bands such as Ensiferum and Finntroll were being constructed.
[6] Living for Metal's Kampfar interview, 2009
Thursday 7 January 2010
The Best Metal Albums of the 2000s
Another decade is behind us and the amount of treasures metal offered us this decade is alarming. Metal is so articulated now, so easy to access, I wonder if it is at its peak of popularity currently. Anyhow, I present my favourite metal albums of the past decade (2000 - 2009 inclusive) in no particular order. I've only allowed one entry per band otherwise it'll be too taxing to compile such a list.
1. Dream Theater ~ Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence [2002]
Dream Theater's sixth studio effort is quite stunning. I've talked about this disc too much so I shall simply copy and paste my description of this release from my post entitled 'A Succinct Commentary on Dream Theater' Studio Albums' from 2008:
"Dream Theater accomplish another first with this release; this marks the first album composed of two discs. The second disc is one song - the title track, clocking in at a devastating 42:04 minutes long. The primary disc is sinister but not the kind identified in previous Dream Theater releases. The production makes it sound far more clinical and functional. All of these songs are lengthy in duration, appropriating the mega-long songs archetypal to progressive music. The moods of each vary greatly: 'Glass Prison' is tenacious and a harbinger of the future Dream Theater to come; 'Blind Faith' is uplifting whilst heavy with a nod to traditional heavy metal/hard rock inPetrucci's riffing during the chorus; 'Misunderstood' is a stormy piece, boasting more power without being as outwardly aggressive as the opener; 'The Great Debate' is defiant; 'I Disappear' is ghostly reserved and concludes the first disc perfectly. Dealing with various mental conditions, it is befitting of the title track (broken into eight tracks) to cycle through varying moods in grandiose fashion. LaBrie gives several touching vocal performances, namely 'Goodnight Kiss'. This album also sees the debut of Portnoy'sbacking vocals which inevitably lead to a contribution of crippling the progressive metal innovators but are capable of being ignored on this release. 'Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence' is a fantastically turbulent song, propelling its listeners through a barrage of emotional responses and unusual musical techniques, as featured on 'The Test That Stumped Them All'. Overall, this opus is one of Dream Theater's strongest due to its multi-dimensional magnitude."
2. Fozzy ~ Happenstance [2002]
Apparently 2002 was a great year for metal. This is the album that actually got me into metal, back in 2003. Fronted by WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, Fozzy's Happenstance was predominantly a cover album with four original songs thrown in. The covers were of '80s heavy metal bands and I believe they are better than the originals (with the exception of Motley Crue's 'Livewire' and possibly Priest's 'Freewheel Burning') because the updated and modern take makes the guitars sound sharper and the overall sound clearer. Jericho's vocals are ridiculously unconventional - gravelly with a tendency to shoot into vibrato zone. The four original songs are distinctly more modern and sound like they could be classed as melodic death metal without the death. Ultra melodic modern heavy metal, possibly. It's tedious to define but it sounds fantastic. 'End of Days' has a insistent and great riff that throws the song forth with an appreciative melody. 'With the Fire' emanates glory and 'Crucify Yourself' is beautifully dark. It is a shame they did not carry this sound on to their 2005 follow up All that Remains. Who knows, perhaps their new album that comes out later this month will see a return to this sound but I doubt it. Nonetheless, I still listen to Happenstance every other night when I'm at home.3. Subterranean Masquerade ~ Suspended Animation Dreams [2005]
Suspended Animation Dreams is the most ambitious album I have ever heard. Think maudlin of the Well just about to come down from an LSD trip. Employing clean vocals and growls (courtesy of November's Dooms' Paul Kuhr so you can expect a commendable effort) alongside the odd moment of female vocals, keyboards, trumpets, saxophones and mellotron...this album has nothing but effort compacted into it. Progressive avant-garde metal has never sounded so strong. Guitars range from nostalgic, fearful, painful, aggressive to lovelorn. They literally depict every emotion imaginable. Although it sounds crazy and erratic, it is a truly cohesive and emotive effort. There are not awkward fragmentation problems and nothing jars or sticks out unkindly. Each song is a miniature masterpiece with something different to offer. 'The Rock 'n' Roll Preacher' is immensely addictive which is a celebration considering the song clocks in over nine minutes long. There are so many layers to this observation that is demands countless repeated listens to appreciate the experimentation and creativity forming it. There are no instances of riff salad or guitar masturbation here, just infinite creativity. Also, Andy Winters contributed to this project so consider that a good seal of approval, alongside Travis Smith's suitably deranged artwork. I thought last year they were supposed to release the sophomore album In Pastille Colours but I guess it still needs to be worked on? They have high expectations to meet.
4. Katatonia ~ Viva Emptiness [2003]
Although not strictly 'metal', Katatonia's shoe-gaze classic Viva Emptiness deserves a spot on this list. Coming a long way from their death/doom origins, Katatonia release a slab of sleek draconian misery. It is amazing how cold this release sounds without veering into isolating black metal riffage. It is a painful listen (though not as depressing as '99s Tonight's Decision), monochromatic and concrete-endorsed. It is so well composed and united in atmosphere that it seems like a concept album. The music is brutality honest, occasionally entering dreamscapes before being harshly confronted by a gritty reality check which wallows towards depression. Not a celebratory record but too often in life does one want to recede into negativity and this is the album to do it. There is an unconventional vein of romance in this album, best personified by songs like 'Evidence', 'Sleeper' and 'Omerta', which keeps the listener loyal to this release. It seems surprising that Katatonia never broke into the mainstream and over take Opeth in terms of popularity. Perhaps it is for the best.
5. Sabaton ~ Attero Dominatus [2006]
Sabaton are the kick up the proverbial backside that power metal needed to step up its game. I detailed Sabaton's studio attempts in a recent blog entry so again, I shall quote from that:
"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."
6. Kampfar ~ Kvass [2006]
Kvass was Kampfar's returning album. After a period of inactivity, they returned with this frost Viking offering. With hooking guitar melodies married with abrasive rhythm guitar, this album flirted with different atmospheres in the Viking/black metal style Kampfar are used to. One of Kampfar's greatest assets is their resistance to succumb to archetypal folk metal stylings to bolster their Viking imagery; this way they retain copious amounts of originality. The album is beautifully hypnotic and very Norwegian in sound. The trademark Kampfar guitar melodies are recognisable against any background and they sound enviably streamlined on this release. 'Ravenheart' is the song that appeals to their fanbase most (simply because of its English title, no doubt) but the war ravaged 'Til Siste Mann' and the melting sounds of 'Gaman av Drømmer' highlight this album as Kampfar's best since their debut. What a muscular return.
7. Pain of Salvation ~ The Perfect Element [2000]
The Perfect Element is one of the best metal albums ever, let alone this decade. As far as prog metal is concerned, it can go toe-to-toe with Dream Theater's mighty Awake. In fact, this is essentially an inversion of Awake. Where Awake's merits lie in genuine, unrestricted melancholy anger, TPE connects to the listener with relate-able rage-tinged sadness. The fixation is on the depressing rather than the angry. Both albums are studded with beauty, but it shines more on Awake because beauty compliments sorrow better than anger. This album is lucidly colourful and unashamedly inquisitive. The multitude of textures suits the variety of musical expressions. Daniel Gildenlöw's voice is stunningly versatile and could not be aped by anyone. Progressive metal compositions have never sounded so luscious with a focus on emotion rather than skill. Lyrically, there are manifestations of the human conditions that everyone will be able to relate to and it the level of accuracy this has been captured with is frightening, particularly since Pain of Salvation are a Swedish band. Despite being ten years old now, this album sounds like it was conceived yesterday.
8. Enslaved ~ Below the Lights [2003]
9. Freak Kitchen ~ Organic [2005]
It seems surprising that there aren't any other bands like Freak Kitchen (at least that I'm conscious of) but it could be due to their odd tuning, their musical wit and talent or the fact that people respect them. Generally considered playing a form of experimental hard rock, I will allow them in this list because they do have plenty of undeniably metal features and arrangements (not to mention an exclusive (prog) metal fanbase). Organic is the peak of their quirkiness (I'm currently excluding new album Land of the Freaks because I haven't given it a studious enough listen) and musical intelligence. Technicality is confined to the solos while the remainder of the song's body is built around unusual guitar employment. The solos have their own wacky sound that is the property of Mattias IA Eklundh exlusively. No one sounds like him. His vocals are perfect for a band like Freak Kitchen and on this album, bassist Christer Örtefors pitches in with vocal duties on 'Infidelity Ghost' with results to be applauded. The songs are outstandingly catchy and with the usual tongue-in-cheek lyrics, it is impossible not to fall in love with Organic. The only issue I have with Freak Kitchen is that for their experimental nature, they do not seem enthusiastic on experimenting with song structures a great deal. If it's not broken, don't fix it?10. Joyless ~ Wisdom & Arrogance [2000]
Although Wisdom & Arrogance is not strictly a metal album, I will allow its inclusion for Joyless used to play black metal. Their second album is a massive departure from the melancholic black metal of their debut Unlimited Hate. Wisdom & Arrogance is like Lifelover's bipolar younger sister. This opus is hard to describe but it falls somewhere along the blurred lines of misanthropic depressive pop rock. Indeed it sounds like black metal musicians purposefully creating something accessible just to frustrate people (yes, this could also be the next Shining album). The title of the album could not be more appropriate in that way. There is far too much to say about this Joyless effort. Possibly its most striking feature is vocalist Ida Helleboe who has a child-like juvenile voice. In theory it sounds irritating but in practice it is perfect for this band. Melancholy, beauty and angst are carried off perfectly. The juvenile essence of her vocals make it seem like Joyless feel entirely helpless, beyond suicide. It is moody and bipolar, like a teenager. It is the male vocals of Olav Berland that take some getting used to on the final song 'Room of Velvet Splendour' but after enough spins, the song becomes as addictive and as beautiful as the rest. Somewhat like the adult apologising to you for their teen's misbehaviour but you realise that the adult and child are very similar. It is difficult to word Joyless but I suspect I shall be comprehensively discussing them in a later blog post. This is not the place for it. Mind-blowing album, nonetheless.And the rest:
Another ten albums I thoroughly appreciated from this past decade are:
11. Lifelover ~ Erotik
12. Arcturus ~ The Sham Mirrors
13. Edguy ~ Hellfire Club
14. Opeth ~ Damnation
15. Putrid Pile ~ Pleasure in Suffering
16. Mystic Forest ~ Waltz in the Midst of Trees
17. Nevermore ~ This Godless Endeavour
18. Nunslaughter ~ Goat
19. Nile ~ Annihilation of the Wicked
20. Scythe ~ Decay
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
