tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7203664186546112602024-03-13T01:15:18.489+00:00Metal Musings from the Mind of Daru JerichoVarious mini-essays of personal interest concerning metal music in all its creative manifestations.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-34884381448441991602014-12-03T22:10:00.000+00:002014-12-03T22:16:50.627+00:00Seducer of Hearts - How Bölzer Rapidly Conquered the Underground<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Few bands in metal have snatched the mass attention of the underground metal faithful as rapidly as Swiss black/death adherents Bölzer last year following the release of debut EP 'Aura'. Formed in 2008, the two-piece's first musical output was demo 'Roman Acupuncture' released in 2012. Fast-forward two years and Bölzer have already played or are booked tosome of the world's premier metal events (Hellfest, Maryland Death Fest and Party San to name but a few), effortlessly making it to almost every extreme metaller's best releases of 2014 list without the backing of a major record label or even an album.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Bölzer was conceived in 2008 when vocalist and guitarist KzR returned from New Zealand to his native Switzerland and met drummer HzR. The two formed a formidable friendship and an energy that was not shared with the two or three bass players that they attempted to collaborate with at their start. The word 'bolzer' translates in German roughly as a striker in a game of football or an individual that hits something at force. However, in Swiss German, the male noun 'bölzer' is infrequently used formally and has a more violent connotation. KzR chose this word as his band's moniker as: "...it was ambiguous in that sense. I could apply it to a lot of lyrical themes and my philosophy in general." [1]</span><br /><br />
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Demo 'Roman Acupuncture' (its title "a bit of an avant-garde term for crucifixion", laughs KzR [2]) was the world's debut exposure to this Swiss act and created notable ripples in the subterranean metal scene. Despite having just two members, Bölzer's three song emission was gargantuan and defiant in sound, hybridising death metal violence with black metal's devouring thick atmospheres. Opening against anguished shrieks and shouts, the first song and title track propels its listener into a nightmarish soundscape, not to dissimilar to that of Antediluvian or Mitochondrion although nowhere near as suffocating or maniacal in approach. The death metal riffs are akin to Bolt Thrower's belligerent style and the black metal comparable to a more focused and caustic Blut aus Nord yet with a style that would become recognisably idiosyncratic. The lengthier 'Soul Eclipse' boasts dirty death metal rhythmic riffs and black metal's subtler sense of foreboding in the guitar work, while cymbals interestingly take precedence over the bass drum. Closing number 'Zeus - Seducer of Hearts' is the finest moment on 'Roman Acupuncture', unabashedly drawing on the lightning theme the band employ. Guitar leads are clean and memorable while the almost despairing clean shout emerges in their strongest form on this song among the rasped growls. The release ends abruptly, clocking in at fewer than fifteen minutes long.</span><br /><br />
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<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The following year would birth 'Aura', the first of two conceptual EPs, thematically concerning itself with male energies. Like its predecessor, Bölzer's sophomore effort was another three-pronged attack but significantly more sophisticated and multi-faceted than their demo. The guitar sound is crushingly thick, their black metal sentiments now more restless and peppered with an abrasive sludge approach. The pained clean wails return to punctuate the songs alongside the familiar rasps and guttural growls. HzR's drum work is explored more on this release and its organic sound compliments the muscular guitar tone. 'C.M.E.' is a torrent of battery counterbalanced with haunting music at a slower tempo, while 'Entranced by the Wolfshook' positions extremely heavy riffs interspersed by shrill guitar flourishes during its verses and 'The Great Unifier' explores hypnotic territories in its ten minute duration. In short, 'Aura' and its expansive riffs and relentless blastbeats yield an unforgettable listening experience that is content with tracing its own path, demanding repeated listens and rightfully forcing Bölzer into the underground metal world's consciousness and the subject of envious reviews.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Given the runaway success of 'Aura', 'Soma' released this year had titanic shoes to fill in regard to expectation. Mirroring 'Aura' and dealing with themes concentrating on female energy, 'Soma' is bisected into two tracks - 'Steppes' and 'Labyrinthian Graves'. The EP opens with KzR's raspy shouts and fresh (for the band) riffing that is heavy enough to feature in a brutal death metal song, isolated tremelo picking, spoken word narration and drumming centred on the rhythmic all surface in 'Steppes'. 'Labyrinthian Graves' is an introverted and cavernous number espousing a negative mood and takes its time unweaving its musical tapestry, more cerebral than the opening song. On both songs, the atmosphere remains consistently crushing or sinister throughout, acknowledging all of Bölzer's signature moves and steeped in an almost tangible atmosphere. 'Soma' is certainly less active than 'Aura', going for a cerebral and calculate approach rather than the dynamism of the first EP. The mood is direction is different but the Swiss two-piece remain as dynamic as ever and this release was still universally lauded.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br />2015 will see Bölzer release their first full-length album and KzR says of it: "The intention is to make a not very long full-length. For me a perfect album length is like 40 minutes. We’re not going to make an hour-long record. No way. It’ll be around the six or seven song mark. And there will be an exciting cover in there as well." [3] Given the pair's consolidation of mass approval in the metal scene and their impressive ability to redraw the the pre-conceived limitation of extreme metal, it is likely this album will appear in many best releases of 2015 lists.</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">[1] <a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1695074/qa-bolzer-on-psychedelic-drugs-st-anger-and-whats-up-with-those-swastika-tattoos/franchises/interview/">Stereogum interview, 2014</a><br />[2] <a href="http://noisey.vice.com/blog/bolzer-soma-stream-interview">Noisey interview, 2014</a><br />[3] <a href="http://newnoisemagazine.com/interview-bolzer-vocalist-guitarist-kzr/">New Noise Magazine interview, 2014</a></span></h4>
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Much like Dunn's 2005 feature length documentary <i>Metal: A Headbanger's</i> <i>Journey</i>, the response from the uninitiated was fairly positive, whereas metalheads were frustrated about the overwhelming amount of inaccurate information and Dunn's ignorance to bands' paramount contributions to their genres (for example, the progressive metal episode unbelievably failed to mention the first prog metal band Fates Warning or latter day successors Opeth). One of the biggest points of contention for metal fans was the absence of any extreme metal genre besides thrash metal. Dunn stated that VH1 were not interested in these genres and went on to crowd-funded a project for this episode. Enter <i>Extreme Metal: The Lost Episode.</i><br />
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The 50+ minute episode is certainly less offensive than other <i>Metal Evolution</i> instalments with fewer mistakes too, although saying France is not known for metal (despite pitching France's Hellfest as the backdrop for his documentary) is certainly a glaring one (Deathspell Omega, Alcest, Peste Noire, Mutiilation, Vlad Tepes, Belenos, Vokreist etc.). Positioning the narrative with Venom and Celtic Frost, Dunn goes on to interview a member or two from Napalm Death, Carcass, Death (although there is no mention of their seismic musical shift) Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, Enslaved and Gojira. The inclusion of the latter two feels nothing more than a sycophantic excuse for Dunn to get some of his favourite bands on camera. Why these two acts were chosen instead of the more influential Opeth is a real glare (possibly because Dunn wrongly considers Opeth goth metal ala his <i>Metal: A Headbanger's</i> <i>Journey </i>flow chart). It also seems astonishing that Possessed are not even name-dropped as the widely accepted first death metal band.<br />
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Opening with an appearance at Hellfest, an open air festival in France that covers all kinds of rock and metal music seems to foreshadow the haphazard approach that breathes through the remainder of the episode. Surely a festival that trades exclusively in extreme metal would have been more ideal with equally good interviewees (Party San Open Air, Neurotic Death Fest, NWN! Fest, Under the Black Sun, Hell's Pleasure etc.) but it seems unlikely that Dunn is even aware of festivals like this, much less has any experience at them. Close up shots of generic alternative subcultures at Hellfest is wrongly used to illustrate the physicality of a death or black metal fan.<br />
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The impression that Dunn gives is that death metal began to stagnate and Gojira are the saviours of the movement, which is ludicrous - particularly since the creation of technical death and progressive death metal are omitted from the documentary. It is understandable that all the subgenres of death metal and extreme metal cannot be listed due to time restraints but there would definitely be more film left if Dunn stopped referencing his feature length film, spending too much time on questions to bands/journalists that do not contribute to the core of the documentary (Cannibal Corpse's <i>Ace Venture</i> appearance comes to mind) and his idiosyncratic ego masturbation.<br />
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The conclusion drawn is incredibly thin and cuts the documentary off too abruptly. There is also a gargantuan contraction; Dunn states Enslaved and Gojira as two bands innovating in an otherwise largely stale extreme music scene but then he wraps the episode by saying that extreme metal is still highly creative.<br />
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Once again, Dunn proves his knowledge of the metal scene to be incredibly elementary (despite laughably describing himself a metal expert in the documentary). It appears he does not conduct any research before planning his episodes and thus delivers an episode that does not answer any interesting questions or even questions that have not been asked before. It feels as if Dunn considers himself the best metal authority in existence and nothing else can consolidate his knowledge. This was just another wasted opportunity, particularly considering the high quality production values.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-23634663936889778802013-12-10T01:14:00.000+00:002013-12-10T01:21:14.242+00:00The Viking Machine: The Never-Ending Success of Amon Amarth<i>Originally written for soundshock.com</i><br />
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<b>Amon Amarth’s star has been rising rapidly, dominating the melodic death metal circuit without arming their music with a metalcore approach as favoured by others, successfully conquering the picky American market and performing in India. With the release of their ninth album ‘Deceiver of the Gods’, it is clear these Swedes are in the pole position, understanding what their fans want and consistently delivering. Bassist Ted Lundström discusses what makes the Amon Amarth machine work after nearly ten albums of melodic death metal victory.</b><br />
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The strength of Amon Amarth lies in their adherence to a formula that works for them: heavy yet atmospheric metal paired with belligerent melodies and vocalist Johan Hegg idiosyncratically growling a colourful Viking narrative. New album ‘Deceiver of the Gods’ is as loyal to the signature as any other release. “It’s basically Amon Amarth; nobody is going to be surprised with the new album. It may be a bit more thrashy since we chose a different studio for this one. It’s just the follow up from the last album.”<br />
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Some consider metal most beloved Vikings to be repeating themselves and growing stale with a deficiency in variation and exploration. Striking the balance of retaining a signature sound while keeping the music fresh and interesting enough for the listener is in the consciousness of the band: “Of course you want to do something new; you don’t want to get stuck. At the same time, you want to keep your roots. So far, it’s worked out really well for us. We always manage somehow to create a new piece that we’re all happy with.” And the audience are obviously delighted with too if the large portions of the crowd singing along to the new tracks is anything to go by.<br />
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For many, the appeal of Amon Amarth is their fixation on Viking and Norse themes. The Swedes are very aware of this and like their music will cohere to what they know best, the lyrics will follow suit: “It’s a never-ending source of inspiration. I don’t think we’ll run out of ideas for stuff like that. Our fans would not like it if we would [stop singing about that] because we have been doing it for such a long time now so if we change and start to sing about something else, that would be weird. I guess we’ll somehow stay in the Northern mythology.”<br />
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‘Deceiver if the Gods’ focuses on Norse trickster god Loki, a compliment to Amon Amarth’s previous albums studying Thor, Odin and Surtur. “We just tried to find a character that is interesting enough to actually do an album about and Loki maybe came natural with the new ‘Thor’ movies and stuff. He’s more famous now because there is not too much about him in the mythology. People know about Odin and Thor of course because they’re famous guys. Now with the movies, he’s more out there so I guess that’s one of the reasons.” Marvel’s ‘Thor’ films may indeed help elevate Amon Amarth to new audiences but the mythology explored in the comics and films are not congruent to the actual source material. Nonetheless, this fails to detract from Lundström’s enjoyment: “Actually, I saw [Thor 2] last night. It was good, it was fun. Actually, I think it was better than the first one. I love the first one too but I guess they don’t need enough time to present the characters now when the first is already out. It goes straight into the story. It was a great movie.”<br />
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The ninth studio effort does not entirely ape previous Amon Amarth efforts; this is the first time the melodic death outfit have joined forces with famed English metal producer Andy Sneap. “He’s a good producer. We loved his work with other bands. That was a no brainer for us. We were looking for something new because we already did three albums with our previous producer Jens Bogren. Andy was first on our list of what we would like to work with and we asked him if he was interested. We had a little meeting with him on our previous English tour and we had a good talk. We had the same kind of ideas how to do it so it felt good. You don’t want to work with a producer who’s not interested in it. You want to have someone who says ”This is going to be cool.” It’s important. It makes it much easier. You’re always a bit nervous when you come to new studios. You don’t know what kind of routines Andy has and how the studio is set up but we had a very nice time. From the first day, we go along really well with him.”<br />
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Another new feature of the album is the appearance of legendary Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin, providing his doomy vocals on the track ‘Hel’ alongside Hegg’s barks. “We’ve been talking with him a couple of times before saying it would be cool to do something because we’re big fans of the old Candlemass albums. When we did this album, it turned out we had a song that would fit him because he has a special voice. We had the opportunity so we asked him to come over to England. He’s also an old friend of Andy’s. It was a nice couple of days when he came over and recorded. We had good times, it was fun.”<br />
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Naturally, touring with this album will be extensive as Amon Amarth seem to be constantly on the road. However, there are further plans for a music video. “We have one that’s hopefully coming out soon. It’s still in progress, ‘Father of the Wolf’. It’s been planned for a long time but a lot of stuff has to come together to make it happen. Our part is already done. They’re just putting everything together. It should be out soon.”<br />
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With tour dates frequently listing ticket availability for Amon Amarth shows as ‘sold out’, these Vikings harbour the conquering spirit of their ancestors, cultivating an enviable and loyal fanbase worldwide – particularly impressive concerning the Norse-centric nature of their lyricism. Amon Amarth t-shirts are among the most common at metal festivals worldwide and although their fame truly starting coming over the past five years, they have illustrated that persistence and not compromising is imperative for personal success.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-48002490099131092792013-12-10T01:04:00.003+00:002013-12-10T01:07:40.732+00:00A Glipse Through the Portal: Cynic's Paul Masvidal Offers Insight on Album Number Three<i>Originally written for Soundshock.com</i><br />
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<b>Florida progressive metallers Cynic have always happily inhabited a position outside the traditional metal box, refusing to remain comfortable occupying an area within the walls of habit or predictability. Next year sees the release of album number three ‘Kindly Bent to Free Us’ and given the nature of the opinion-dividing ‘Carbon-Based Anatomy’ EP, no one can say what path Cynic will forge this time. That is, no one except Cynic themselves. Soundshock were fortunate enough to catch up with Cynic frontman Paul Masvidal while he was out trekking on the Death (To All) tour.</b><br />
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“I’d say it’s a true trio record,” Masvidal states on his third full-length observation wearing the Cynic banner. “The previous one had more multi-faceted components with second guitar parts and the whole vocal thing but this feels like it’s drier, it’s more present. A lot of ‘Traced in Air’ for me was built around a lot of two part ideas so there was always this complex motion happening. This record has more of a direct riff; it’s a main idea. It’s propelled very much by the drum and bass. The guitars are playing a different role. The songs feel more realised and more melodic. It’s more of a celebration record to me. It’s a different head.” The aggression factor follows in the vein of ‘Carbon-Based Anatomy’ with no growls and the metal nature of the music notably depleted. “‘Traced in Air’ had them a little bit but it felt like the growls represented a certain kind of aggression whereas with this record, I thought it was represented musically and we didn’t need that through that instrument. It just wasn’t part of a vibe.”<br />
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The title ‘Kindly Bent to Free Us’ is a variation on a meditation trilogy of books ‘Kindly Bent to Ease Us’ by Buddhist teacher Longchenpa, remaining consistent with Cynic’s preoccupation of spirituality and the mind: “For me, it was just giving it my own twist. ‘Ease’, ‘free’ – they’re the same realm of an idea. It creates a larger scope and it’s a bigger, vaguer idea. It’s referencing the mind. It’s this thing that we can’t trust [laughs] that’s there for our benefit if we can actually get a hold of it. So there’s a little bit of that, actually a lot [laughs], in the record.” Also remaining loyal to Cynic’s themes is the album art, again by American painter Robert Vernosa. Masvidal is a long time fan of his work and something about Vernosa’s psychedelic imagery connects indescribably with the musician. “He’s just brilliant. He had a degree of precision where it looks like a computer generated image but it’s not, which is amazing.”<br />
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The new album art appears to be a hybrid between a tree, a brain and a mushroom cloud. “Obviously, he had all these ideas in mind of the brain because if you look at it, it has the pineal gland in the centre. The name of the original piece is ‘Atomic Blossom’. The most painful states of mind, like depression and suffering, are really juicy states. In some ways, they are like mushroom clouds, they’re very explosive. It’s about learning how to utilise them and steer them. Choosing album art is a precarious weird, mysterious process. I don’t know why I gravitate towards various things. A lot of the time, this stuff makes sense later and I get why I made that decision.”<br />
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The writing process differed to previous Cynic efforts in that Masvidal’s guitar work took a back seat in order to focus more of the attention on the rhythm section: “A lot of early Cynic stuff was rhythmically driven by the guitars and busy riffs, like 16th note pickings; that’s kind of what we were known for on ‘Focus’ and even ‘Traced in Air’. With this record, my thinking was to reduce that. For me, it’s a bold step to go. It’s stepping into a certain insecurity. Because it’s a real trio record, I thought there are moments where everybody comes up. It has that shape to it where there’s no one’s really featured. There’s just moments where everyone has their voice. It’s a drum and bass-centric record for sure. In some ways, I feel like my rhythm section guys are more prog rock than I am [laughs]. They’re the ones that do every Rush lick and every King Crimson song they’re were dissecting. I was too but I wasn’t perhaps as nerdy as they were about it. It’s a showcase of that kind of component for them. It’s all about trusting your gut and neither of us are really editing each other. I feel like we’re all in service of something and there’s a kind of instinct there that is innate.”<br />
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‘Kindly Bent to Free Us’ lyrically is the most personal album that Cynic have worked on. Masvidal elaborates on how this is not a straight-forward process for him: “In some ways for me, lyric writing is always about trying to get to the most naked and honest way possible. It’s really hard to do that. It’s hard to strip all the layers away and really find a way to say it without any embellishments or any pretension. I feel like this record gets closest to that in terms of touching something really honest. There are moments on other records where you get really close but it’s this thing that you’re reaching for. I don’t know if you ever arrive but it’s a process, a journey inward and outward [laughs].”<br />
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Not only do the lyrics deal with a personal touch but Masvidal states that each of Cynic’s releases have concentrated in the crushing beauty of death and the finality of life. “I feel like I’m always trying to reference some end of life perspective with everything. I think it’s trying to realise that life ends and that everyone you know will go away, including yourself at some point. There’s a preciousness to that that rips my heart open. It’s a beautiful fear because it’s the tragedy of living and it’s the heart of sadness. If I can remember that, then everything’s on track! Everything else is topical.”<br />
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This forthcoming album is undoubtedly one of the most highly-awaited in the metal sphere next year. Like all other Cynic releases, it will be praised as something daring and creative by some yet will probably dislodge some fan’s loyalties to the group. Either way, Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert have always musically challenged what has come before and although the new release is sure to stay true to the Cynic vessel, there will be a plethora of fresh ideas and atmospheres.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-34778903082783170492013-01-25T20:45:00.002+00:002013-01-25T20:45:53.692+00:00...of 2012This needs to be done, especially since I am back into metal properly again.<br />
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<b>Best Album</b><br />
Dying Fetus ~ 'Reign Supreme'<br />
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Fuck, Dying Fetus are on form again! After the mediocre (at least by Fetus' standards) 'Descend into Depravity', the Maryland techies scale back the brutal death metal riffs in favour of more orthodox US death metal guitar work. The slams are infinitely more pronounced due to this stage and the variation of track's identities works favourably. Technicality is still high on the list of priorities and the dual vocal assault of Sean Beasley and Jon Gallagher rhythmically compliment the music so sublimely that picking up the lyrics becomes a simple task. Nothing came close to reaching the summits of awesomeness this year. Gruesome!</div>
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<i>Honourable mentions: OSI ~ 'Fire Make Thunder'; Blutmond ~ 'The Revolution is Dead!'</i></div>
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<b>Best Song</b></div>
Dying Fetus ~ 'In the Trenches'<br />
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From the opening riff, you know this song is going to be intense. Surging through a variety of different tempos, Dying Fetus reveal that there are several ways to aurally assault a listener. Bass following guitar loyally, neck-breaking slams and colourful tech death spurts mark this one of the highlights of the albums. Catchy, vicious and triumphant.<br />
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<i>Honourable mentions: OSI ~ 'For Nothing'; Katatonia ~ 'Undo You'</i><br />
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<b>Biggest Disappointment</b><br />
Nile ~ 'At the Gates of Sethu'<br />
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Nile have always managed to find ways to infuse a new album with something they had not tried on previous efforts, or at least an expansion on an idea that was explored all too thinly on another release. 'At the Gates of Sethu' is album number seven and the Egyptologists have evidently ran out of new ideas, delivering a bog standard Nile release. Clean vocals is a new addition here but it fails to truly delivery anything particularly noticeable.<br />
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<i>(Dis)Honourable mentions: Sabaton ~ 'Carolus Rex'; Fozzy ~ 'Sin and Bones'</i><br />
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<b>Best Cover Art</b><br />
Sigh ~ In Somniphobia<br />
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Decadently grotesque, this colour piece speaks for itself. Truly eye-catching and defiant among contemporary metal album art today.</div>
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<i>Honourable mentions: Testament ~ 'Dark Roots of Earth'; Les Discrets ~ 'Ariettes Oubliees'</i></div>
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<b>Best Lyrics</b></div>
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Dying Fetus ~ 'From Womb to Waste'</div>
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These lyrics are repulsive but not because they're pure horror-themed gorefests but because they're real, addressing foetal termination and unlucky births in our society in a myriad of ways. Including drug-addled mothers, rape births, coat-hanger abortion, an obese mother unaware she was pregnant etc., Dying Fetus release a song that actually goes hand in hand with their band name. Some of the best lyrics they've penned since old bassist Jason Netherton expressed his rage at the world.</div>
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<i>Honourable mentions: OSI ~ 'For Nothing', Katatonia ~ 'Undo You'</i></div>
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<b>Best Live Show</b></div>
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Dangerous Toys, Shout it Out Loud Festival,<span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"> </span>Mulheim, 10th March</div>
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Dangerous Toys are a band that I only discovered a couple of years ago (despite being on a "To check out" of mine from 2005) but immediately fell in love with. It seems they only play a one off show in their home town of Texas each December. However, something magical happened when Quiet Riot dropped off the Shout it Out Loud Festival (co) headline slot. Oddly enough, relatively obscure Dangerous Toys filled in the gap. Naturally, I headed to Germany for the event. Singer Jason McMaster's (ex-Watchtower) vocals sounded considerably better than recent Texas shows and it was the one and only time I got a headrush from a gig, as I stood in the front row, destroying my voice to every song. Even McMaster himself congratulated me on knowing all the lyrics.</div>
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<i>Honourable mentions: Doro, Relentless Garage, London, 20th November; Immolation, Underworld, London, 29th September</i></div>
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<b>Best Festival</b></div>
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Party San Open Air 2012, Flugplatz, 9th - 11th August</div>
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The line up for Bloodstock was incredibly dull for me so I decided to finally go to Party San, which I have been considering for a few years but the BOA clash usually prevented me from doing so. With a stunning line up of premier extreme metal, it as difficult to find reasons not to attend - Both Thrower, Nile, Immolation, Arhgoat, Nifelheim, Skalmold, Cattle Decapitation, Gospel of the Horns just a few names worth watching. Sadly, Rompeprop pulled out (one day, I will see this band) but were replaced with goregrinders Rectal Smegma, which remained fun. The people at the festival were very friendly and adorable. Very few English there too, although I'm not surprised if that changes this year when people see the BOA line up is poor again. </div>
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<i>Honourable mentions: Shout it Out Loud Festival,<span style="background-color: white; color: #1b1b1b; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;"> </span>Mulheim, 10th March; Fimbul Festival 2012, Dettelbach, 14th - 15th September</i></div>
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<b>Best Discovery</b></div>
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Children of Technology</div>
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While I was on my metal hiatus, I noticed that crust has been getting particular attention in the metal scene. One such band in this genre is Children of Technology, a perfect blend of careless punk and trashy metal. Violent, dirty and catchy, <i>'It's Time to Face the Doomsday' </i>is a balls out, fist to the face of a release that takes no prisoner and is unforgettable. Unfortunately, most crust bands don't weigh up as strongly as these Italians but who cares?! Need another full-length soon, guys.</div>
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<i>Honourable mentions: Blutmond; D.R.I.</i></div>
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This year is setting itself up to be quite an interesting one for metal, most notably the new Carcass album. There's also the Neurotic Death Fest, which is showcasing my favourite old school death metal bands. Oh, and the new Immolation album is something to look forward to.</div>
Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-72888741576966563062012-10-25T23:00:00.002+01:002012-10-25T23:18:48.907+01:00Book Review: 'Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore' by Albert Mudrian<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In <i>Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore, </i>author Albert Mudrian aims to detail the birth, rise, near-downfall and revival of the death metal and grindcore scenes, beginning in Birmingham and venturing to Florida and Sweden among other places on the death metal map.<br />
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The book is competently written and full of ample black and white photographs and historic concert fliers with a foreword by the late John Peel. Bands including Napalm Death, Carcass, Death, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Repulsion and Possessed are discussed in microscopic detail with interviews and anecdotes that will raise a few eyebrows and shed light on complex relationships and situations.<br />
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However, despite the prominent focus on Earache Records bands and the aforementioned acts, other later death metal bands are merely name-dropped with no further investigation. The writing becomes flimsy and cursory after 1994 compared to the earlier years, for instance Death's eventual success after infusing progressive metal into their sound is largely ignored. The book would have additionally benefited further with the inclusion of the classic New York death/slam death metal scene, technical death metal, and modern (post-1994) grindcore bands - all paramount to the current death metal scene (although melodic death metal receives a few pages). Besides, it seems strange for a book concentrating on death metal and grindcore avoids examining goregrind - a hybrid between death metal and grindcore.<br />
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Nonetheless, this is a solid read for those new to the genre or veterans wanting to supplement pre-existing knowledge. Highly recommended reading that remains as interesting as the music it studies.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-52282084547056640482011-12-30T20:40:00.000+00:002011-12-30T20:43:39.971+00:00Cynic's 'Carbon-Based Anatomy' - For Those Who Know<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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No aliens to the metal world, Florida's Cynic adopted a new perspective on progressive extreme metal and remain a fundamental part of technical metal history. The heart of the band is Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert who were part of Death for the seminal <i>Human</i> recording. Cynic released the universally-lauded <i>Focus </i>before disbanding in 1994. However, like many thrash acts from the eighties and early nineties, a reunion dawned in 2006. <i>Traced in Air </i>was the debut's successor, with material strong enough to be considered superior to <i>Focus</i>. Last year, the American due released <i>Retraced</i>, an EP containing alternative take on songs from <i>Traced in Air</i>, reformulated to embody a very modern and emotive rock shape, albeit with as much thoughtfulness as their original takes. The final track was new number 'Wheels Within Wheels', which shared the same musical DNA as the other tracks. This year, Cynic polarised opinion with <i>Carbon-Based Anatomy</i>, a EP bearing all new material very different to what adherents were expecting.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ozrkLp2D50/Tv4gMVPcF7I/AAAAAAAAAzQ/yJa8ybu_-bM/s1600/Cynic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3ozrkLp2D50/Tv4gMVPcF7I/AAAAAAAAAzQ/yJa8ybu_-bM/s200/Cynic2.jpg" width="200" /></a><i>Carbon-Based Anatomy</i> is essentially three full-length songs conjoined by three embellishing interludes. The most striking comparison to their older works is the complete erosion of any metal elements. Once bequeathed with death and thrash metal teeth, Cynic's music has embodied an idiosyncratic progressive rock form. Astral soundscapes and off beat drumming remain but the signature vocal decoder has been substituted for a clean Steven Wilson-esque vocal effort from Masvidal, as heard on <i>Retraced</i>. The solos are less unorthodox than the <i>Focus </i>days but the release comes across as a personal one, more interested in depicting emotive flares rather than metal complexity. The lyrics certainly feel more personal. From 'Box Up My Bones':<br />
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<i>Haste to cure the old despair,</i><br />
<i>No antidote, still I repair.</i><br />
<i>Someone said that bird has no wings,</i><br />
<i>But I've seen it fly, I've seen it fly in dreams.</i><br />
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<i>On my way to love someone,</i><br />
<i>On my way to love the one.</i><br />
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The level of atmosphere has been dramatically increased; Masvidal explains that this is due to an appreciation of the ambient works of Brian Eno and Eno's vast and lonesome atmospheres are evoked on this release. Additionally, in truly being progressive, the introductory 'Amidst the Coals' is from an Amazonian tribe's Icaro - a song said to have had healing properties.<br />
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This release is a sign of Cynic's maturity and a testament to their desire to do what they wish rather than be directed by trends or what the fans expect. Masvidal states that his music references his life and is naturally going to become "more interesting, expansive and colourful." [1]. Some detractors consider <i>Carbon-Based Anatomy</i><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>to be closer to an Aeon Spoke record than a Cynic one, but Aeon Spoke are more folk inclined and devoid of the celestial musings prominent in Cynic's music, including this EP. It is fair to conclude that the negative attention that plagues <i>Carbon-Based Anatomy</i> is predominantly from metalheads wishing for Death-hangover, interested in Cynic because of the shared members and are frustrated Cynic have no metal tendencies any more [2]. Masvidal stated that even in the early years, Cynic attracted may who listened to jazz and were completely ignorant to metal [1]. New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratcliff believes Cynic's music to be better understood outside of a metal vessel. Perhaps this is true.<br />
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The vigour of 'Veil of Maya' may be absent but the tenderness of 'Textures' remains. Either way, Masvidal does not intend for Cynic to be a nostalgia act so those desperate for the old Cynic should stick to Obscura. Or listen to <i>Focus</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.metal-discovery.com/Interviews/cynic_interview_2011_pt1.htm">[1] Metal Discovery interview with Paul Masvidal, 2011.</a><br />
[2] A similar argument can be made for the split opinions on Opeth's <i>Heritage</i> album.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-68107294087991903172011-11-07T23:14:00.000+00:002012-10-25T23:20:42.882+01:00Life After Death: The Return to John Arch with Jim Matheos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em><span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">In 2003 John Arch, most notable for his work with US veterans Fates Warning, recorded his last release – an EP entitled ‘A Twist of Fate’. Until this year, Arch’s vocals have not been committed to record. Elena Francis has a word with Arch, as he discusses what it was like reuniting with guitarist Jim Matheos for an exciting project.</span></em></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">“It was Jim and I,” Arch reflects. “Although it has been a while, it has always been a comfortable working environment for me, so it was like two old friends [reuniting]. It wasn't until the studio when the drums were ready for</span></div>
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recording where I met Bobby [Jarzombek, drummer] and that was like having an old friend after 20 minutes.”</div>
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It's with a great sigh of relief that the former Fates Warning man reveals that it's back to business as usual following a dry spell that has seen his old band not put out a full-length since 2004. Mainman Jim Matheos’ original intention was to create the next Fates Warning release but because of the tight schedules of his band mates, it was impossible to make this a reality. Fortunately not all is lost. Prog metal fanatics worldwide have had some glory to bask in and it comes in the form of the dual effort of Arch/Matheos on 'Sympathetic Resistance’. </div>
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Arch was very comfortable with the line up for ‘Sympathetic Resistance’ and the outcome of his pairing with Matheos. Indeed, fans were very expectant to hear his return to music after a lengthy absence and their reaction was not disappointing. “It has been nothing short of amazing,” Arch says. “The best part is that fans both new and old seem to be connecting with the music. A big thank you to all the fans new and old – we went into this with no expectations, and certainly didn't expect this.”</div>
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The primary concern for those holding their breath for this release was the condition of Arch’s voice, after such a spell of inactivity. “My singing voice remained dormant for I believe, 8 years. So needless to say, that was for sure not a positive when it was time to start singing again. I had returned to life as usual after ‘A Twist of Fate’ enjoying my other passions such as riding and racing, mountain and road cycling, hiking and camping year round and of course making a living. If Jim had not placed that call to me, this would not have happened. The writing and the recording of the demos were happening as I was trying to build up my vocals. It was harder than I thought it was going to be this time. At first my pitch was off and I had virtually no vibrato. It was definitely a work in progress and now that I'm out of the studio and singing the songs all the way through, I know one thing for sure – I'll never learn.”</div>
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idiosyncrasies of later Fates Warning. With its crisp sound and dynamic compositions, the album boldly portrays equally spirited album art – the silhouette of a figure engulfed in flame. “The album cover is always another difficult venture and again we searched near and far,” Arch says. “Jim and I liked these images mostly because they were intense and almost alive, emitting an explosion of emotion. The photography is done using only exposure times and light which is fascinating in itself.” The decision behind the album’s title emanated from this same idea too, as Arch elaborates. “We searched high and low for a title for the album that would really incorporate the lyrical ideas with the intensity and movements of the music, and 'Sympathetic Resonance' worked nicely. It is a musical term by definition, but with a little imagination you can draw so many parallels to its meaning to the human emotions and how we resonate with each other through our anger, fear, empathy and so on.”</div>
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Given Fates Warning’s inception as an 80's American power metal outfit, Arch/Matheos have been penned to play the prestigious Keep it True festival in Germany. Arch’s reaction is highly positive. “I'm beside myself to be honest, but I think that is reasonable to feel that way being that I will be in the very public eye after decades of not performing songs that were difficult in my hay day. Having said that I'm trying to stay focused and rehearse as much as I can.” And of course their setlist will include classic Fates Warning numbers. Arch states that there are possibilities that the Arch/Matheos band may play live again and additionally the door is not necessarily shut on a sequel to ‘Sympathetic Resonance’. Given the amount of support they have secured with their debut, a sophomore effort appears to be universally desired by the prog metal community.</div>
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Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-21047462117794131882011-09-01T20:54:00.000+01:002011-11-29T21:21:11.285+00:00Back from Hell - Helstar's Heavy New Legacy<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><i>Texan classic thrash metallers Helstar
disbanded in the mid-nineties like countless other thrash acts but, like a
phoenix, rose again in 2007. The following year, the band released their
recorded comeback ‘King of Hell’, a surprisingly vicious update on the classic
Helstar sound. Two years later, the quintet struck back with ‘Glory of Chaos’.
Larry Barragan discusses the reactions Helstar have secured and what their
future plans are at their first UK show.</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">‘Glory of Chaos’ is a behemoth of a record,
with Halford-esque shrieks, thick modern metal riffage, and bloodthirsty
drumming, quite a far cry from Helstar’s classic ‘Remnants of War’ or
‘Nosferatu’ releases. Did this polarise the fanbase? “The first reaction was
like ‘Wow what the hell is that?’” Larry recalls animatedly. “And now everybody
just…they love it. They’re like “That’s the heaviest album you guys have made.”
It’s been pretty good. I haven’t had any real negative reactions from the fans.
We used a lot of James’ [Rivera, vocalist] voice on this one. A lot of people
didn’t realise he could do a lot of that stuff.” </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The ultra-heavy sound the band has adopted works and is a feature
signature to metal that Helstar were known for before their reunion. “I always
wanted to make ‘Glory of Chaos’ since…forever. I’ve always wanted to be heavy.
Different members of the band pull us in all different directions. I’m not
saying that’s a bad thing. We’ve never had that album where you listen to it
and you felt like you’ve been punched in the face and that’s what I wanted for
this album.” Plenty of reactivated classic acts stick to what they mastered and
became best at, perhaps slightly modernising their sound but certainly not
directly drawing influences from newer bands. Larry takes pride in stating that
Helstar are the opposite. “We’re all metal heads and we’ve never stopped
listening to metal. There’s all these influences from newer bands like Lamb of
God and Sacrifice. What we wrote, that’s the way it came out. If you go back
and listen to all the albums, we’ve never done part two of anything. It’s hard
to do. It’s hard to not repeat yourself.”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The new sound is also a fantastic way to introduce the new
generation of metal fans to Helstar, with a fresh sound as opposed to an
outdated, nostalgic one. “The fanbase has actually grown since we’ve reunited.
Last night, we played old songs and everyone was absolutely cool with it and
then we played ‘Alma Negra’ and the place went nuts. Every time we played one
of the new songs, I could tell there was different energy all of a sudden.” In
a world where bands are struggling to remain relevant or stand out in some
manner, Helstar have accomplished what they need to do with new music.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">With the surge in popularity with retro thrash and heavy metal bands
emulating a sound that was commonplace in the eighties, it seems like Helstar
are taking the intrepid route by introducing new sounds, rather than
capitalising on their classic metal status and potentially catapulting
themselves into the same sphere of attention as these newer acts. Larry
believes there is a strong difference between retro acts and those who were
actually there at the time. “I think they have the knowledge of it, I don’t
know if they have the feel that these bands like Helstar and some of the other
bands that have been around. Those guys – when they write an album, it has a
certain vibe and feel and you can tell these guys are gonna be around for a
while. When you listen to those [retro metal bands], it sounds polished and
everything but maybe they don’t quite get it. You gotta have your own identity.
That’s just my biased opinion I guess.”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">One of the prominent attributes as to why Helstar’s new found
heaviness is around can be attributed to new drummer Mikey Lewis. “On ‘Glory of
Chaos’, we’ve got Mikey in the band as our drummer and he understood us more
from a drum perspective than any one. I think the album sounds as heavy as it
does because of him. He made a huge change in us. It’s subtle, I don’t think
people realise when they listen to it – the drums are fucking heavy – they just
think ‘Wow, it sounds so heavy, it’s so fast.’ Actually he plays guitar too. He
wasn’t in the writing process but for the next one, for sure. He’s already said
‘I’ve got some parts. Let’s get together.’ Yeah, anything to make my job
easier.” </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">After this tour, Helstar plan on heading home to work on a new
release. “I’ve got parts here and there that I have on my laptop already but
not anything concrete. I’m sure Rob has a bunch of parts as well. Like I said,
Mikey has some guitar parts too so we’ll get together and start piecing
everything together.” As ‘Glory of Chaos’ was composed through emails and
recorded without the band rehearsing together, it could be that the follow up
album will be more thought out with more intricacies as Larry believes it could
be beneficial to write the album together. “I think everybody wants to get
together a little bit more and take some more time over the stuff. I like the
solos but I think if I had a little more time, I could have made the solos more
elaborate. But overall, I’m happy.”</span></div>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-53283294502562289242011-07-21T23:29:00.006+01:002011-07-21T23:37:50.315+01:00Why Kampfar Respect Women<div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;">Originally written for <a href="http://soundshock.com/">Soundshock.com</a></span></strong></div><strong><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<strong><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;">Since signing to Napalm Records for their 2006 release ‘Kvass’, Norway’s Kampfar have received a significant deal of attention worldwide. In the last two years, the black metallers have managed to play prestigious metal festivals such as Wacken and Hellfest and soon they will embark on their debut North American outing. But despite the peaks they have accumulated, frontman Dolk considers these past two years the most strenuous and draining of Kampfar’s career since their inception in 1994.</span></em></strong></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<a href="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/Kamp%20%282%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" hspace="3" src="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/Kamp%20%282%29.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; text-align: right;" vspace="3" /></span></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;">“When a band gets more interest, in a way, you have to make new decisions every single day and it starts to become more like a job. It feels at least sometimes that it’s not good to be in a band any more.” It has been two years since</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;"> Kampfar’s last comprehensive tour and Dolk is more than enthused to return to the road, delivering a stellar show to those in attendance. “I’m really happy to be playing again and I haven’t felt like that for the last two years. “ Drummer Ask submits the footnote: “We finally get the reward of the stress and the chaos.” This year marks the release of the Norwegians’ fifth album ‘Mare’, a mature release adding a bevy of variety to the black metallers’ catalogue. Naturally, Dolk is proud of the album but is more astounded by the attention the release has earned: “We sold as many albums of ‘Mare’ in the first five days as we did with our last album for two years. So it was like “Wow!”” Perhaps this impressive result can be partially attributed to Kampfar working with legendary metal producer Peter Tägtgren for the first time. “It was a natural choice. For me at least, it was very very important that he wanted to do this because we didn’t want to go into a studio because it’s a famous studio or it’s a famous guy doing the sounds. We wanted to take a new direction, of course, to create art. We needed someone who wanted to push the boundaries and limits to get with us. It was really important for me that he really wanted to do this album, not just “Yeah, I’ll do it,” but with passion. The last time I talked to Peter before we really decided to go that way, I asked him “Are you really up for this?” and he said “Fuck yeah!” The only thing we can say is in some ways it’s bad that we didn’t do this earlier.”</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/Kamp%20%283%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" hspace="3" src="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/Kamp%20%283%29.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; text-align: left;" vspace="3" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;">Ask highlights how important it was to have a producer who knew precisely what the band needed for their record and this kind of producer would have to be well-versed in all kinds of music as opposed to exclusively black metal. “We’ve always been a bit stubborn about keeping it a little on the low-fi. We’ve always taken thing away and this time we said “Fuck it, we’ll do everything. We’ll see what happens because if it doesn’t work you can always remove things.” So we choose to work with a producer who could do bigger productions and it’s very interesting how focused he is because we played Hellfest last year and he played there with Hypocrisy and the studio had been booked well in advance. We were watching Fear Factory play from the side of the stage because we both love the drummer and I’m talking to him and he’s well drunk. I’m explaining exactly what kind of sound I want for the studio and he remembered everything and had everything set up for that sound and he completely nailed it, exactly what I wanted. He thinks with a band. He doesn’t go in there and say “OK I’m going to give you my sound.” He says “I’m going to give you the sound that is best for you.”” Naturally, Kampfar will not consider anyone else when producing their next album.</span><br />
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</span></div><a href="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/Kamp%20%281%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" hspace="3" src="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/Kamp%20%281%29.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; text-align: right;" vspace="3" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;">‘Mare’ is something out of the ordinary for Kampfar and indeed black metal as a whole. The album is dedicated to all those women brave enough to subscribe to their own lifestyles and follow their own paths in life. This idea was inspired by the fate of women who were misunderstood by priests hundreds of years ago in Norway and were branded a witch and burnt. Ask sheds light on Kampfar’s only profound religious remark: “The thing is that to be a woman today and do what you want to do then maybe it’s a little harder than men but two hundred years ago, it was a lot worse. If you were a woman two hundred years ago and you said “No, I want to do my thing. I want to learn about what I want to learn,” [they set you on fire]. That’s our religious statement.”</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;">Kampfar’s fortunes have not come without misfortunate. Late last year, founding member Thomas decided to part ways with the band on good terms. Thomas’ guitar work is instantly recogniseable and signature to Kampfar, carving a unique identity for the band. “The reason his guitar playing is quite different to other guitars is because he’s actually playing piano on a guitar. He thinks in piano. There were never two guitarists so he always played two melodies at once, basically, two harmonies at once. He plays deceptively simple. He’s actually an incredibly skilled musician,” Ask notes. Dolk is highly optimistic about Kampfar’s future with one of the founding members now absent from the line up: “We’re gonna nail it, without Thomas or not. We’re still brothers. When I go back to Norway, we’re having a barbecue party and he’s invited. We’re really connected but we just had to stop work with this kind of music together. We ended the line there, really.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8; font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<strong style="color: #9fc5e8;"><em style="background-color: black;">Recently, black metal in the UK has truly developed a consistent scene with bands like Fen, A Forest of Stars and Wodensthrone acting as the vanguards of a new movement. However, before these bands, one of the most uttered names both at home and internationally in the UKBM scene was Bal-Sagoth. In the past few years, the fantasists have kept a low profile but why? Mainman Byron Roberts explains why he considers the band to be in semi-retirement.</em></strong></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">In 2006, Bal-Sagoth released their last studio effort, entitled ‘The Chthonic Chronicles’ on one of the biggest metal labels Nuclear Blast. The album was very well-received by the metal community and an international showcase of UK </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">black metal. “We haven't been writing any new material, because we have yet to decide whether to carry on for further albums. I think eventually you will see the other members of the band branching out into various other projects, as realistically Bal-Sagoth won't last forever. I suppose you could say that Bal-Sagoth is in a state of semi-retirement, which wouldn't actually be too far from the truth! So essentially, the band has just been playing a handful of shows per year since our last album "The Chthonic Chronicles" came out in 2006,” Roberts notes. “Over the last five years, we've played in countries such as Finland, Norway, the USA, Portugal, the Czech Republic, etc. It hasn't been a deliberate decision to avoid playing the UK, it's just that no suitable offers had really come in until recently.” </span></span></div>
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Given the bombastic and grand sound Bal-Sagoth exude on record, it can be incredibly difficult to replicate the music live. Opinions on Bal-Sagoth shows vary widely, dependent on the quality of the sound and the knowledge of the sound engineers at the time. “It's impossible to accurately recreate the multi-layered sound of the albums in the live environment. We just have to settle for getting it as close as is humanly possible within the overall confines of the live show. That's partially why I've never been satisfied with our gigs over the years. I personally don't think there's any need to play this stuff live. Every time we play a show it perhaps erodes a little bit of the magic this band has. I would hope that the energy of the live experience might go some way to make up for it, but there's only so much you can do. Quite honestly, our material is not designed or written to be performed accurately live. Bal-Sagoth has always been more about the album experience; sitting back with the stereo on, booklet in hand, with the listener getting lost within the sonic universe of our discography.”</div>
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Unlike many metal acts, Roberts admits that Bal-Sagoth’s strength is not in the live show. The prominence of the lyrics in the band substitute for this though; each album is a conceptual piece, concerning itself with fantasy and sci-fi worlds conceived by Roberts himself. “The whole concept for the band was essentially built around the lyrical content. I had many of the lyrics written and the albums planned our years before I even met the people who would eventually end up being in the band. I came up with the band concept around 1989, but back then, seemingly no one was interested in being part of a high concept metal band with fantasy and sci-fi lyrics. That was the height of the whole socio-political thrash and death metal band surge, and it just wasn't "cool" to want to start a band dealing with mythological and fantasy topics. It was a real problem finding people willing to give the idea a chance. Eventually a guy I knew called Mac introduced me to some people he had been jamming covers within their bedroom. They were looking to start a serious band too, and to cut a long story short, Jonny and Chris ultimately agreed to be part of the Bal-Sagoth project. Only then did the music start being composed.”</div>
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<a href="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/BalSagoth%20Feature%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><img alt="" border="0" height="205" src="http://www.soundshock.com/ArticleImage/BalSagoth%20Feature%202.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #9fc5e8;">With such dedication to the lyrics that are written over a period of years, it seems unusual that Roberts expresses these stories through music as opposed to a medium that would allow him to limitlessly narrate, such as a novel. “The reason I wanted to tell these stories via music was because of my love of black and death metal, and fantasy & sci-fi literature. Fusing those two loves seemed like a good idea at the time. The whole idea was that the band would be an extreme and symphonic musical project which would be underpinned by this elaborate lyrical universe. Originally, it was also driven by a desire to create the kind of music and lyrics that I myself would like to hear and read as a fan, because there wasn't much of that kind of stuff around back then. Pretty much everyone opposed the idea at some point, even people in the band itself, believe it or not! But eighteen years and six albums later, here we are.” Persistence is obviously the key for Byron. He states: “The other members aren't really reading enthusiasts, to be honest, and they certainly aren't big readers of fantasy, sci-fi or mythological books. I'm sure they eventually read the album booklets once they get copies of the CDs, but they generally don't take any great interest in the lyrical side of the band, and never have. And that's fine with me, because the lyrical side is exclusively my domain anyway.”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">With a power-struggle between the music and the lyrics, it is worth considering how the songs are written and which aforementioned aspect is the priority. “When we write albums, I'll give the composers an outline of the kind of stuff I need for each song. Sometimes it will be a very broad outline, merely mentioning the overall mood required for a piece. Other times, for the "flagship" songs, it will be a much more detailed outline listing the events of the story and so forth. A lot of the time Jonny just comes up with something unconnected to an outline and just submits it to me, and I then decide which lyrics are best suited to that particular composition. More often than not, the actual final lyrics are kept a secret from all the other members of the band until the mixing process is underway! So, ultimately, our way of writing songs is a mixture of collaboration and isolation, and that's the Bal-Sagoth method.” A method that is unlikely to change if Bal-Sagoth decide to continue with new material but for now, it’s all up in the air and all dedicated fanatics should catch the live shows because nothing is set in stone for these symphonic black metallers.</span></div>
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</span></span>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-41086441771839016442011-02-09T15:58:00.002+00:002011-02-09T16:00:51.793+00:00...of 2010I think this year's edition will be even less interesting than last year's predominantly because I rekindled a love of '80s hard rock, which completely dominated my listening habits (and is certainly to blame for a drought of posts here). There were countless albums I wanted to investigate but never found the time or desire to, more so than usual.<br />
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<b>Best Album</b><br />
Pain of Salvation ~ Road Salt One<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pain of Salvation win by default, really. This album is more conventional than previous full-length <i>Scarsick</i> but in a rock-orientated way, rather than a metal one. The focus is on emotion, with influences from throughout rock's history creating yet another creative album that evoked plentiful spins before it finally hit me. That and I wasn't really in much of a progressive mood at all this year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Honourable mentions: Alcest ~ </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Écailles de lune; Atheist ~ Jupiter</span></i></span></div><b><br />
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<b>Best EP</b><br />
Murder Construct ~ Murder Construct<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With members from Cattle Decapitation, Exhumed and Impaled, Murder Construct could be considered something of a super group. This EP may not actually be as amazing as I thought but I hadn't listened to grind in a while until I heard this and it punched my teeth in. Death metal-articulated grind passages positioned next to straight-forward death metal moments with that dark atmosphere Cattle Decapitation enjoy using nowadays. Has a few quirky moments. Repeated listens aplenty. I'm not sure I actually heard any other EPs this year, come to think of it...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Best Song</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pain of Salvation ~ 'Sisters'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If another band churned out a song like this (someone like Nightwish), it might ruin the nature of sounding too sickly-sweet. Pain of Salvation go there though and make it sound completely genuine and non-cliché, possibly due to Daniel's vocals. The fragility of this song and the colourful climax at the end mark it particularly from the remainder of the album. A very beautiful number.</div><br />
<i>Honourable mentions: Alcest ~ 'Solar Soul'; Pain of Salvation ~ 'Curiosity'</i><br />
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<b>Biggest Disappointment</b><br />
James LaBrie ~ Static Impulse<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh dear. Oh dear. From the mind of Mullmuzzler, the voice of Dream Theater hands us his interpretation of melodic death metal. Really. Compared to the grand <i>Elements of Persuasion</i>, this song features simpler instrumentation (in the melodic death metal vessel) and is entirely one-dimensional throughout. LaBrie's vocals are juxtaposed with Peter Wildoer, who I believe is from shitty Swedish melo death/thrash act Darkane, and his unbearable screams. It's an odd mix and they certainly do not compliment each other. LaBrie additionally tries to inject heaviness into his own vocals to measure up to the heavy riffs but the result isn't very convincing. Perhaps LaBrie should revive Winter Rose; the glam metal revival is fruitful in Sweden at the moment.</div><br />
<i>(Dis)Honourable mentions: Sabaton ~ Coat of Arms; Forbidden ~ Omega Wave</i><br />
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<b>Best Cover Art</b><br />
Death Angel ~ Relentless Retribution<br />
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</div>Sadly, I never got round to listening to the new Death Angel album but when they announced this as the album art, I was ecstatic and knew most bands would struggle to produce such an arresting image for their release this year. This realisation of the saying 'wolf in sheep's clothing' is so beautifully violet and evocative of Hell that it fits the name of a band dubbed Death Angel perfectly. I'm assuming it's painted, which recalls the classic metal album art of the '80s ~ truly epic scenarios captured with oils on canvas. However, it does look like the most prominent wolf has been based off Courage Wolf. Oh, the Internet.<br />
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<i>Honourable mentions: </i><i>Alcest ~ </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Écailles de lune; </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Atheist ~ Jupiter</span></i></span><br />
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<b>Best Newcomer</b><br />
Triptykon ~ Esparistera Daimones<br />
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Okay, so they may not be brand new but Tom G. Warrior's Triptykon definitely aren't Celtic Frost, as the photo proves. This full-length is dark and heavy doom metal and essentially a natural continuation from Celtic Frost's 2006 <i>Monotheist. </i>With a great diversity of track lengths, this debut full-length chronicles a journey through anguish. Warrior is clearly enjoying his freedom here.<br />
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<i>Honourable mention: Murder Construct</i><br />
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<b>Best Live Show</b><br />
Transatlantic, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, 21th May<br />
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Prog rock supergroup Transatlantic decided to immortalise their European tour by taping their London concert for a future DVD release. Despite having to endure the mutton-dressed-as-lamb Mike Portnoy crowd-surfing, I was fortunate enough to enjoy hearing all of <i>The Whirlwind</i> in its entirety, executed with excellent attention to detail. The band were down-to-earth and were fully behind the live show, particularly Neal Morse who had tears in his eyes during some of the performance. As a bonus, Pain of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlow was a session member. It did feel as if the audience were there for individual members as opposed to Transatlantic and they could have been more visually enthusiastic, otherwise I'm sure all will agree the show was superlative.<br />
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<i>Honourable mentions: Fozzy, The Garage, London, 15th May; Therion, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, 31st October</i><br />
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<b>Best Festival</b><br />
Hellfest Open Air 2010, Clisson, 18th - 20th June<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last year, I said I'd probably be listing Hellfest as festival for the year yet again and I was right. This year was particularly exciting for me, seeing Freak Kitchen for the first time ever and enjoying a few of my other favourite bands like Kampfar, Urgehal and Sabaton. UDO, Raven and General Surgery are rare sights in London and it was fantastic seeing Twisted Sister, KISS and Alice Cooper without the hefty price tag that comes with seeing them in horrendously huge venues. Oh, and Bloodbath, Nile, Tankard and Asphyx all deserve mention. Ah, there were so many bands. This year's line up is only looking so-so. Having been for the past four years, I might skip Hellfest this year. I'm not sure I could drag anyone along to it either.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Honourable mentions: </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #99c9ff; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><i>Hard Rock Hell III, Prestatyn, 2th - 4th December; High Voltage, London, 24th - 25th July</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #99c9ff; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #99c9ff; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><b>Best Discovery</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #99c9ff; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Dangerous Toys</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #99c9ff; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpXY6lwCtTQ9lV7e48pprHM44_zExqffpzRzbOpxoEMK7sgR39PhSBsGnbUcmYRkFkOgHm4Vl4tRViYBkORI_jS6Xt5uzHskmuw65C4ZLapo-QnYfzF2Vqe5i-XQbRCGaEouc5_m26g/s1600/dt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpXY6lwCtTQ9lV7e48pprHM44_zExqffpzRzbOpxoEMK7sgR39PhSBsGnbUcmYRkFkOgHm4Vl4tRViYBkORI_jS6Xt5uzHskmuw65C4ZLapo-QnYfzF2Vqe5i-XQbRCGaEouc5_m26g/s320/dt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nope. No metal here. Dangerous Toys are the Forced Entry of the '80s hard rock scene. That is, criminally underrated, probably because they too arrived on the scene too late. Fusing hard rock with Southern rock (they are from Texas), they managed to crank out their addictive and infectious self-titled effort, which is flawless. The vocals of Jason McMaster are screeched admirably and the guitars are either creatively melodic or heavy in a Southern cowboy style unique to this quintet. The second album is less in-your-face with some adventuring into different song structures but the final two tracks are such effortless one-two punches. When the third album was released, it saw the band desperately trying to adapt to the nineties scene and the release, interestingly entitled <i>Pissed, </i>is more aggressive musically and lyrically with no sign of cowboy-ness. I haven't heard the fourth album and I don't want to any time soon because after that, there will be no unheard Dangerous Toys releases out there for me. Isn't it sad? The band still play the rare show but from what I can glean, they never leave Texas. If only they would come to Hard Rock Hell...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Honourable mentions: Enuff Z'nuff, Pretty Boy Floyd</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #99c9ff; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><br />
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Perhaps next year, I'll get into metal again. I did check out some old school death metal, actually, but maybe this year will be my reintroduction to modern metal. If I can stop listening to the '80s hard rock, the NWoBHM and the old school death metal. And the non-metal stuff I also indulge in now. I have no idea what metal releases are coming out this year. Dream Theater, I assume and...? I'm useless.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-17796284676295995542010-07-30T16:30:00.000+01:002011-02-09T14:44:32.218+00:00Hellfest Summer Open Air Review 2010This 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.<br />
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<b>Day 1 - Friday 18th </b><br />
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The day began with France's own <b>Gorod</b>, 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.<br />
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The next stop was <b>Ortagos</b> 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.<br />
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Returning to the second Mainstage, <b>Swallow the Sun</b>'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.<br />
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In the Rock Hard Tent, one of Norway's premier lesser known black metal acts <b>Urgehal</b> were about to commence spewing rabid blasphemy all over the festival. An austere performance, the band pumped out new songs from <i>Ikonoklast</i>, 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.<br />
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I watched a little of <b>Crowbar </b>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.<br />
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On the smallest stage of them all, the Terrorizer tent, <b>Sigh<i> </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">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.</span></b><br />
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<b>Necrophagist</b> were clearly comfortable exercising their technical prowess in front of the large multitude gathered at the Rock Hard Tent. Muha<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">mmed Sui</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">çmez 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.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">More black metal was presented in the Rock Hard Tent with Norwegian four-piece <b>Kampfar</b>. 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 <i>Heimgang</i> 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Kampfar's setlist: Vettekult / Inferno / Norse / Troll, Dod og Trolldom / Hymne / Vettekult / Ravenheart.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">With large banners at either side of the stage,<b> Secrets of the Moon</b>'s<b> </b>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 <i>Privilegivm</i>, 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">The Rock Hard Tent was fairly crowded with a congregation eager to witness <b>Ihsahn</b>'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 <i>After</i>, '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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Ihsahn's setlist: The Barren Lands / A Grave Inversed / Misanthrope / Scarab / Emancipation / Invocation / Called By Fire / Unhealer / Frozen Lakes on Mars.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">A gathering swarm at Mainstage 2 awaited <b>Hypocrisy</b>. Opening with 'Fractured Millennium' from their self-titled album, Peter T</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ä</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">gtgren 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 <i>A Taste of Extreme Divinity</i> 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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>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.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Having heard plenty about their latest album, <b>Watain </b>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 <i>Lawless Darkness</i> 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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Being their only European show, matters grew painful for <b>Godflesh </b>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Following Godflesh were another experimental, non-metal band: <b>Ulver </b>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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Concluding the night for me was <b>The Devil's Blood</b>, 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><b>Day 2 - Saturday 19</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">The second day began with death thrash metallers <b>Dew-Scented </b>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><b>Kalisia</b> 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. <i>Cybion</i> 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Kalisia setlist: Reception/Translation / Union/Construction / Declaration/Revolution / Division/Integration / Lost Soul / Activation/Production / Confusion/Resurrection / Realisation/Penetration / Disconnection/Comprehension / Salvation/Connection.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">After a break, it was time for German drunkards <b>Tankard</b> 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 <i>Thirst</i>, 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. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>Tankard's setlist: The Morning After / Zombie Attack / Stay Thirsty! / Chemical Invasion / Rectifier / Slipping From Reality / Octane Warriors / (Empty) Tankard.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Tankard would be a near-impossible act to follow but it was up to <b>Y&T</b> 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Swapping over to Mainstage 2 again, it was time for some classic NWoBHM in the form of <b>Raven</b>. Opening with 'Take Control' from their much loved <i>All for One </i>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Returning to the light-deprived Rock Hard Tent, Dutch classic death metallers <b>Asphyx </b>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 <i>Death...The Brutal Way</i>, 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><b>Anvil</b> 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 <i>This is Thirteen</i>, 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">With a good number of people watching them in the Rock Hard Tent, <b>Sadist </b>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Returning to Main Stage 2 for further extreme-tipped prog metal, <b>Nevermore</b> 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 <i>The Obsidian Conspiracy</i> 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>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></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">I half-watched <b>Slash</b> 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Eventually, Canada's <b>Annihilator</b> arrived on the second Main Stage and many were eagerly anticipating the older material, specifically 'Alison Hell'. Opening with 'The Box' from <i>King of the Kill</i> 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 <i>Annihilator</i>, 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 <i>Never, Neverland </i>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>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.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><b>Twisted Sister </b>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>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.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">According to Twisted Sister, Abbath from <b>Immortal </b>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>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.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Still keeping in tune with the theatrical side of music, <b>Alice Cooper </b>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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>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.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">If Alice Cooper wasn't horrific enough, the next band would take horror to a more realistic edge. The temperature had dropped for <b>Carcass </b>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 <i>Necroticism: Descanting the Insalubrious</i> 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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>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.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><b>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.</b></span><br />
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</i></span>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-80425405335394814062010-05-25T16:09:00.005+01:002011-11-29T21:19:18.808+00:00In-Depth Analysis: Joyless' Wisdom & Arrogance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUq0P5P1NyzINXDMadz3pXs7bwnig77k2HMB_CRswexKyth65thPlmj7LZWiia9XvXGdD2qlgAbTiFLFeKuu5p37Oeqvo9axyjEpZZFkL8_s133UpXyn5CIB6dLzh1jT4VykQE-QUFQ/s1600/Joyless1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisUq0P5P1NyzINXDMadz3pXs7bwnig77k2HMB_CRswexKyth65thPlmj7LZWiia9XvXGdD2qlgAbTiFLFeKuu5p37Oeqvo9axyjEpZZFkL8_s133UpXyn5CIB6dLzh1jT4VykQE-QUFQ/s320/Joyless1.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Not quite what one would expect from a band called Joyless.</span></div>
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Depression and experimentalism are two attitudes common in (modern) black metal but what happens when they are taken to their absolute limit? </div>
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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'. </div>
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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 <i>Race of Cain</i>, a raw and intolerant release with memorable melodies.</div>
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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 <i>Unlimited Hate</i>. 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.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkMQ7nPTA6B2LtEUEHozicskwgNbp0dP9tED4F6_tbhQ_wkE5YCLJXWNew5Y-CmlgZv0kieTQJcdMYuu13iWt-lBXyzvsNTo-9KixH-E3dLqJ-OqDxvaKcTXf6-e7vgxVi9fqgs4iMQ/s1600/Joyless3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkMQ7nPTA6B2LtEUEHozicskwgNbp0dP9tED4F6_tbhQ_wkE5YCLJXWNew5Y-CmlgZv0kieTQJcdMYuu13iWt-lBXyzvsNTo-9KixH-E3dLqJ-OqDxvaKcTXf6-e7vgxVi9fqgs4iMQ/s320/Joyless3.jpg" /></a>By 2000, the rock influence took over in time for Joyless to release their sophomore album <i>Wisdom & Arrogance</i>. 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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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, <i>Wisdom & Arrogance</i> is wholly miserable over all.<br />
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Lyrically, the band deals with poetic imagery, depressive/frustrated emotion, irony and inner struggles. The lyric for the entirety of 'Stand' are:<br />
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<i>Happy be a face</i><br />
<i>Nobody understands.</i></div>
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<i>Happy be a face</i></div>
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<i>Nobody understands.</i></div>
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<i>No, stand.</i></div>
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<i>Stand, stand.</i></div>
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<i>Happy happy happy happy</i></div>
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<i>Happy happy happy happy</i></div>
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<i>Happy be a face</i></div>
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<i>Nobody understands.</i></div>
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<i>Happy be a face</i></div>
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<i>Nobody understands.</i></div>
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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:</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, do you know where I am going? (I can hear something has happened)<br />
I'm going angry<br />
On you (I can feel it)<br />
It didn't matter anyway (Something is wrong)<br />
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Fuck off (Look where are you)<br />
And still you are signing my song along<br />
And that is (Everything)<br />
Fuck off (I'm going crazy)<br />
Did you understand me? At all, at all, at all. </span></i></div>
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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:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The swans appear<br />
And they sing the loveliest song I’ve ever heard<br />
I gently caress<br />
I believe I broke their necks<br />
My eyes no tear shed. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>My eyes no tear shed.</i></span></i></span></div>
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The chorus of the same song relinquishes any chance of hope:</div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I have reached the end (The End)<br />
I've reached my earthly end. (The End)<br />
And I do know that all I do is die<br />
So why should I cry?</span></i><br />
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'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:<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am lost<br />
And I feel so alone<br />
But it really doesn't matter<br />
There ain't a thing I can do.<br />
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Judgment day<br />
Let me know when you are here<br />
I want to see<br />
The world go down<br />
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Drag me deeper down<br />
I don't care<br />
Down here there is nothing<br />
Nothing but myself<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">and concludes with:</span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span>Point a gun at my head<br />
Do you think I care?<br />
Point it at yourself<br />
And pull the trigger now.<br />
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Could you give me a reason to celebrate?</span></i><br />
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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 <i>Arrogance & Wisdom</i>; <i>Unimited Hate</i> debut had a song entitled '<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Blå melankoli' (blue melancholy);<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"> the EP<i> Blue in the Face</i>, released 1999 [3] has 'Room of Velvet Splendour' and 'Room of Velvet Splendour pt. 2', divided by a track entitled 'Swansmile'. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;">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 <i>Wisdom & Arrogance</i> but it would be wonderful to see such a release.</span></span></span><br />
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[1] Referring to the second wave bands, not first wave.</div>
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[2] <a href="http://www.mortemzine.net/show.php?id=828">Mortem Zine interview with Forgotten Woods, 2007.</a><br />
[3] But recorded in May 1996 and arranged in 1995.</div>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-40053704517240707642010-04-10T17:40:00.003+01:002010-04-10T17:42:55.361+01:00The Theatre Closes Down - 17 Years of Theatre of Tragedy<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #969696; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Originally written for </i><a href="http://soundshock.net/"><i>soundshock.net</i></a><i>.</i></div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> <em>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.</em></div><div style="font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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.”</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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 <img align="right" alt="Vegard Thorsen (Guitar)" hspace="2" src="http://www.soundshock.co.uk/ArticleImage/Theatre%20of%20Tragedy%20%286%29.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" />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.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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.”<br />
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.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><img align="right" alt="" height="199" hspace="2" src="http://soundshock.co.uk/ArticleImage/Theatre%20of%20Tragedy%20%284%29.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" vspace="2" width="300" /><br />
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.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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.”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
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.</div>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-62243520871132844652010-03-31T16:01:00.005+01:002011-07-21T23:32:44.088+01:00Jonas Renske on Katatona and Bloodbath's Current Development<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Originally written for </span></span></span><a href="http://www.soundshock.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Soundshock</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span><br />
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</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #969696; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">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.</span></span></span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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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.”</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><img align="right" alt="" height="287" hspace="3" src="http://soundshock.co.uk/ArticleImage/katatonia%202.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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.”<br />
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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.”</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><img align="left" alt="" height="323" hspace="3" src="http://soundshock.co.uk/ArticleImage/katatonia%204.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="200" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">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.”<br />
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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. “<br />
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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.</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"> </span></span><strong><em><span style="color: silver;"><br />
</span></em></strong></span>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-48142901574624459412010-01-30T20:55:00.001+00:002010-01-30T21:13:54.736+00:00The Evolution of Kampfar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/83/l_5e194802fc3346fbb6c018ef0f0e336e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/83/l_5e194802fc3346fbb6c018ef0f0e336e.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/9/0/8/29088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/9/0/8/29088.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Kampfar originally began life as the black metal band Mock in 1992. The three piece from Gressvik released a demo entitled <i>Cold Winter</i> in 1994, a split with the German band Tumulus in 1995 and the EP <i>Vinterland</i> in the same year on the highly acclaimed (at least in underground circles) Hammerheart records. Musically, Mock sound like a primitive atmospheric black metal band ala early Burzum but less aggressive (although it does feature Dolk's recognisable, vicious rasps which sound unchanged compared to modern Kampfar) with more commendable drumming. 'Call the Eternal Winter' even has an eerie organ in it which divulges an element of gothic mystery to the music. Lyrically, the band avoided Satanic/anti-Christian cliches and opted for talking about freezing temperatures and Winter, much like Immortal. Mock actually became defunct in 1994 - the three band members were interested in pursuing radically different kinds of music (one member went on to join the EBM band Apoptygma Berzerk) [1] - before the EP was released and mainman Dolk (Norwegian for 'dagger'. His real name is Per-Joar which translates to 'mountain warrior' [2]) went on to conceive Kampfar. Fortunately, however, in 2007 Agonia Records re-released the tracks from the split and the EP in the compilation 'Mock', limited to 1000 copies.<br />
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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'.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p61z2enroU4/SxspkFRxM1I/AAAAAAAAHRI/WzfMFFBXvOo/s1600/Kampfar+-+Kampfar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p61z2enroU4/SxspkFRxM1I/AAAAAAAAHRI/WzfMFFBXvOo/s200/Kampfar+-+Kampfar.jpg" width="200" /></a>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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHEkq5nlQjxng0HXK5ppCtf2FDzkhyOCHBr1y4cyZ_gM32dFO2ADmpK5Vt6vwQGIJ-tM7Q8NchRbuq3fwz3CgZ0oqYnxRCA8vYoPCYNd0V0lLIJ8yh0A2n4904TB2OxiTXypUN41oEVHP/s1600/kampfar+-+mellom+skogkledde+%C3%A5ser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHEkq5nlQjxng0HXK5ppCtf2FDzkhyOCHBr1y4cyZ_gM32dFO2ADmpK5Vt6vwQGIJ-tM7Q8NchRbuq3fwz3CgZ0oqYnxRCA8vYoPCYNd0V0lLIJ8yh0A2n4904TB2OxiTXypUN41oEVHP/s200/kampfar+-+mellom+skogkledde+%C3%A5ser.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In 1997, Kampfar released their debut full-length album 'Mellom Skogkledde Aaser' (which translates along the lines to 'across wood-covered hills') on Malicious Records, recorded in X-ray Studio in September and October of 1996. All of the songs extend beyond six minutes and there is no confirmation of stagnation. Opening with piercing female screams, the album stings into 'Valdogg' with an incredible multi-dimensional guitar sound, previously unknown to Kampfar but destined to become their trademark, unique sound. Melody is married with the abrasive guitars as heard on the self-titled observation, forming what is now popularly described as pagan metal (Viking metal meets black metal). There is no overt use of keyboards or any component that can be classified as folk metal, which is certainly one of the many prominent strengths of this album [4]. The atmosphere is substantiated further with seething guitar rhythms and the melodies adorn it with the icy temperatures Kampfar usually employ, only they sound more accentuated. A cleaned up version of 'Hymne' makes an appearance on the album with a few additional seconds. The structures feel natural as opposed to forced or splintered. Even in modern times, this stands as one of the greatest contributions to black metal.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QGiSo4zjtwg/SVDxEOkSiCI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/rv4D9Qn06SY/s1600/K1998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QGiSo4zjtwg/SVDxEOkSiCI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/rv4D9Qn06SY/s200/K1998.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>The following year, the band released another EP named 'Norse' on Hammerheart Records. The title-track is noticeably more upbeat than anything captured on 'Mellom Skogkledde Aaser', having been written in a major key, making it significantly more accessible. Interestingly enough, although this song is less atmospheric in the traditional sense, it comes across more vividly. This is also Kampfar's first musical venture into the English language, although the other songs are in Norwegian. On the whole, the guitar leads have progressed greatly and the melodies are easier to pick out. 'Troll' is an inferior song to 'Norse' which is relentless in its progression, but 'Troll' is still earns repeated listens with its acoustic introduction and the addition of synths later on. Closing track<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> '</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Tæring' serves as an outro, coming across as fairly uplifting and closer to folk than the previous songs.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVVeulotm_Fd1EsI6z_UzIHD0i8S-1N5IfX2nKUIgET7ckJP8GpED2Oma2fmGogkZ4OdLxwpkr204p0TVKvmfsfvWyZHYAtmL5b5QTjggFrtp5XCMUGAI8sAxoApJWbmLKl95ZNY0nqM/s1600/Kampfar+-+Fra+Underverdenen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgVVeulotm_Fd1EsI6z_UzIHD0i8S-1N5IfX2nKUIgET7ckJP8GpED2Oma2fmGogkZ4OdLxwpkr204p0TVKvmfsfvWyZHYAtmL5b5QTjggFrtp5XCMUGAI8sAxoApJWbmLKl95ZNY0nqM/s200/Kampfar+-+Fra+Underverdenen.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">After the 'Norse' EP, Kampfar unleashed their sophomore album on the metal world. 'Fra Underverdenen' (which translates as 'from the undergrowth') was released in 1999, again on Hammerheart records. It picks up from the EP; 'Norse' is on the tracklisting. Kampfar experiment more on this album, moving at various tempos, drawing out their ductile guitar melodies into a bevy of alternative styles, all while ignoring the use of archetypal or tacky synths. The atmosphere is different - thick and suffocating at times yet unlike anything they band has previously committed to record. The inclusion of a digeridoo can be heard on 'Troll, D<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">ø</span>d Og Trolldom' and a cello on 'Svart Og Vondt' too which illustrates how far Kampfar have come in a such a brief amount of time. The Norwegians still attain their aggressive roots with 'Mørk Pest' juxtaposing visceral passages with melodic ones, typical of Viking metal but Kampfar are certainly one of the first to employ it so brazenly. This is a sublime example of Kampfar's innovation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">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].</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.friedhof-magazine.com/images/entrevistas/fotos/Kampfar3_211206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.friedhof-magazine.com/images/entrevistas/fotos/Kampfar3_211206.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The new Kampfar line up</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">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.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www4.slikomat.com/08/0719/b38-kampfa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www4.slikomat.com/08/0719/b38-kampfa.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">2006 also saw Kampfar's hotly anticipated return to the studio with 'Kvass' (translated as 'sharp') coming out and receiving universal praise. It was a difficult album to create, considering 1113 and Kabber had to adapt to Dolk and Thomas' personal style but eventually they did with optimum results. The release showcases crystal-clear production which compliments the music remarkably, illuminating all of its attributes. 'Ravenheart' is the token English song, conveying the spirit of Kampfar to non-Norwegian listeners and due to its English language, this track is frequently considered the best on the album. The album utilises impressive rhythms and the inclusion of trance-inducing and dreamy states shares common ground with other Viking metal bands. The trademark coupling of melody and abrasion is still present, marking this album Kampfar's. The album seems colder and moodier than 'Fra Underverdenen' but not completely; 'Gaman Av Drømmer' is in a major key and ends the album in an upbeat manner. This is the album that secured a brand new fanbase for Kampfar, their breakthrough album.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P9IlAKTqmA8/SNoJcFuDi6I/AAAAAAAAABk/0IODMYua9KI/s1600/Kampfar+-+Heimgang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P9IlAKTqmA8/SNoJcFuDi6I/AAAAAAAAABk/0IODMYua9KI/s200/Kampfar+-+Heimgang.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>'Kvass' was succeeded by 'Heimgang' in 2008. Recorded at Silvertone Studio, the same studio used for 'Kvass', Dolk wanted 'Heimgang' to be a return-to-roots album as he believes the band lost atmosphere over the years. The album is closer to analogue than digital and Dolk had the intention of making it sound more honest and genuine; the drums on 'Inferno' were recorded on the first take. With 1113 and Kabber more familiar with the workings of Dolk and Thomas, it was much easier to write this CD as a cohesive unit. Lyrically, the album deals with crossing over into the Underworld of Norse mythology, a topic that has fascinated Dolk since he was young. Some of the topics discussed occurred locally to Dolk; 'Antvort' is about a priest supported by the Norwegian state as someone spreading the word of God who dabbled with both the light and the dark. The priest originally lived very close to where Dolk lived, about 200 years ago [6]. Unlike the last two studio efforts, there are no English songs on this release, which secures Kampfar's integrity in terms of searching for commercial success. The album is consciously more stripped down and more of a straight-forward metal release.'Inferno' hits like a blazing hammer; 'Vettekult' illustrates maturity as the band's most emotive track; 'Vansinn' is Kampfar at their most refreshingly folk metal sounding with a particularly insistent rhythm while avoiding the clichéd monotony of bands such as Finntroll, Ensiferum and Korpiklaani. This is a very intensive release for Kampfar, pushing them to their limits in spite of their back-tracking to a more atmospheric sound.<br />
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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.<br />
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[1] <a href="http://www.soundshock.co.uk/index.php/feature-a-interviews/440-kampfar-interview">Soundshock's Kampfar interview, 2009</a><br />
[2] <a href="http://www.sheol-magazine.com/interviews/int_kampfar_en.htm">Sheol Magazine's Kampfar interview, 2007</a><br />
[3] <a href="http://www.heathenharvest.com/article.php?story=20090222200943806">Heathen Harvest's Kampfar interview, 2009</a><br />
[4] but the design and cover art is interestingly enough by Season of Mist<br />
[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.<br />
[6] <a href="http://www.livingformetal.com/interviews/int.aspx?intID=78">Living for Metal's Kampfar interview, 2009</a>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-80965750162791519492010-01-07T17:23:00.006+00:002010-01-12T00:42:15.412+00:00The Best Metal Albums of the 2000s<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://stream.cdandlp.net/osmoseproductions/images/ENSLAVEDbelow.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.metalkingdom.net/album/img/d1/8400.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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.</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. Dream Theater ~ Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence [2002]</span></span></b><br />
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<div><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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:</span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">"</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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 in</span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Petrucci's</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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. </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">LaBrie</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> gives several touching vocal performances, namely 'Goodnight Kiss'. This album also sees the debut of </span></span></span><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Portnoy's</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">backing 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."</span></span></span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. Fozzy ~ Happenstance [2002]</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
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</div><div><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006AGFH.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006AGFH.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Happenstance</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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</span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> All that Remains</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">. 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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Happenstance</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> every other night when I'm at home.</span></span></span></b><br />
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</div><div><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">3. Subterranean Masquerade ~ Suspended Animation Dreams [2005]</span></span></b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Suspended Animation Dreams</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Pastille Colours</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> but I guess it still needs to be worked on? They have high expectations to meet.</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">4. Katatonia ~ Viva Emptiness [2003]</span></span></b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-weight: normal;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/K/Katatonia/Viva%20emptiness/Viva%20emptiness.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 202px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></span></b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although not strictly 'metal', Katatonia's shoe-gaze classic </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Viva Emptiness</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tonight's Decision)</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">, 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.</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">5. Sabaton ~ Attero Dominatus [2006]</span></span></b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-weight: normal;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2iisUPhoDN04-mEITstyoFyA1By7te40CpWqCGiQY1BDBnB5Ye3CQIfB9_a9CXhHFblB2ur_UXeHxZToImE5rn0YmCN7W0l45FWezhYHmW4OYVOXYI_evJ3HfZaJ7SEFV93-Zp6pYxo/s320/SAD.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></span></b><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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:</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #99c9ff; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #99c9ff; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">"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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Attero Dominatus </span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Primo Victoria</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">, a third album like this would do Sabaton no more favours; they have exhausted this style."</span></span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">6. Kampfar ~ Kvass [2006]</span></span></b><br />
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</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/K/Kampfar/Kvass/Kvass.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/K/Kampfar/Kvass/Kvass.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 250px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></a><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kvass</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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 </span></span></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">'</span></span></span><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gaman av Drømmer' highlight this album as Kampfar's best since their debut. What a muscular return.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">7. Pain of Salvation ~ The Perfect Element [2000]</span></span></b></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.insideoutshop.de/images/1066_large.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.insideoutshop.de/images/1066_large.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a></span></b></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Perfect Element <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">is</span> </span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Awake</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">. In fact, this is essentially an inversion of </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Awake</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">. Where </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Awake</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">'s merits lie in genuine, unrestricted melancholy anger, </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">TPE</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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 <i>Awake</i> 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 Gildenl</span></span><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">ö</span></span></span><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">w'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.</span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">8. Enslaved ~ Below the Lights [2003]</span></span></b></span></span><br />
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</span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="color: white; font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: small; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; border-collapse: separate; color: #551a8b; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stream.cdandlp.net/osmoseproductions/images/ENSLAVEDbelow.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 250px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></span></b></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span><br />
</div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-collapse: separate; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enslaved's </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Below the Lights</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> is unbelievably underrated. It marks the album that pulled the band out of their unsuccessful experimentation phase. Muscular Viking metal passages are twinned with thoughtful progressive metal moments. The black metal elements are slimmed down but add a level of viciousness unattainable by the other aforementioned metal subgenres. It's a sublime release with picturesque imagery and beautiful exploration not frequently associated with black metal; the introduction to 'Queen of Night' is perfect. The clean vocals are very appropriate for the guitar tone and although they are indifferent to the growls, the album would suffer without them. Some may consider this Enslaved's selling-out moment but this release just encourages black metal bands to think beyond the confines of '90s black metal.</span></span></span></b></span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">9. Freak Kitchen ~ Organic [2005]</span></span></b></span><br />
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</span></span></b></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.freakkitchen.com/albums/organic/organic_cover.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.freakkitchen.com/albums/organic/organic_cover.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 284px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 286px;" /></a><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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). </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Organic</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> is the peak of their quirkiness (I'm currently excluding new album </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Land of the Freaks</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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 </span></span><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Organic. </span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">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?</span></span></span></span></span></b></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">10. Joyless ~ Wisdom & Arrogance [2000]</span></span></b></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></b></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.metalkingdom.net/album/img/d1/8400.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metalkingdom.net/album/img/d1/8400.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wisdom & Arrogance</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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 </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unlimited Hate</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">. </span></span><i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wisdom & Arrogance</span></span></i><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"> 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.</span></span></span></b></span></span><br />
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</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the rest:</span></span></b></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another ten albums I thoroughly appreciated from this past decade are:</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">11. Lifelover ~ Erotik</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">12. Arcturus ~ The Sham Mirrors</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">13. Edguy ~ Hellfire Club</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">14. Opeth ~ Damnation</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">15. Putrid Pile ~ Pleasure in Suffering</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">16. Mystic Forest ~ Waltz in the Midst of Trees</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">17. Nevermore ~ This Godless Endeavour</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">18. Nunslaughter ~ Goat</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">19. Nile ~ Annihilation of the Wicked</span></span></span><br />
</div><div><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;">20. Scythe ~ Decay</span></span></span><br />
</div></span><br />
</div></div>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-57860536078296571582010-01-03T18:51:00.014+00:002010-01-12T00:36:32.515+00:00...of 2009<div style="text-align: left;">The end of 2009 has passed and my listening of new releases this year was worse than that of last year. Needless to say, this edition of 'best of' will be less wholesome than last years. I've altered some of the catergories to make it more economical.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Best Album</span><br />
</div><div>Dream Theater ~ Black Clouds and Silver Linings<br />
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</div><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.mikeportnoy.com/images/blackcloudssilverlinings.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 342px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 342px;" /><br />
</div>Dream Theater apologise to their fanbase for releasing the poor <em>Systematic Chaos</em> in '07 by releasing <em>Black Clouds and Silver Linings</em>. Darkness meets heaviness in a convincing display of profound emotion. Lengthy numbers full of adventure ('The Count of Tuscany'), prog rock styled nostalgia ('The Best of Times') and themed frustration ('The Shattered Fortress'). The erratic solos have been considerably turned down with a focus more on overall composition as opposed to individual passages. Unfortunately, Portony's poor vocal efforts are around but are much less dominant than on their previous full-length. The songs are intensely visual and despite the remarkable duration of this album, it all sails by too quickly. Dream Theater are back. For real.<br />
<br />
<div><span style="font-style: italic;">Honourable mentions: Porcupine Tree ~ The Incident; Putrid Pile ~ House of Dementia</span><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
</div><strong>Best EP<br />
</strong>Lifelover ~ Dekadens<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ring.cdandlp.com/osmoseproductions/photo_grande/113968986.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 280px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 280px;" /><br />
Sweden's finest DSBM band must be hard at work, with <em>Dekadens</em> following the recently released album <em>Konkurs</em>. Lifelover entreat the audience to a varied and uncomforable journey of solitude. From the sleek 'Luguber Framtid' to the dramatic 'Myspys' (with a rhythm that reminds me of Aura Noir for some reason) to the punchy 'Androider', this EP showcasing the band pushing their limitations further away. Can they ever disappoint?<br />
<br />
<em>Honourable mentions: Pain of Salvation ~ Linoleum; Victimizer ~ Ressurrected Abominations</em><br />
<br />
<strong>Best Song<br />
</strong>Dream Theater ~ 'A Nightmare to Remember'<br />
The opener from <em>Black Clouds and Silver Linings </em>is one of the best songs Dream Theater have penned in a while. The song opens strikingly heavy, with a tinged gothic edge before creeping into sinister territory, unfolding an adventure. The heavy passages are juxtaposed with a peaceful and medical one rich in textures and haze. There is a lot to praise in this songs (and unfortunately, Portnoy's vocals are hell bent on tainting the ending). The instruments support each other with no painful contradictions. Nothing is too distracting or over the top. LaBrie's vocals are beautifully versatile, underscoring this track as nothing short of magnificent.<br />
<br />
<em>Honourable mentions: Porcupine Tree ~ 'Time Flies'; Megadeth ~ 'This Day We Fight'</em><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><strong>Biggest Disappointment<br />
</strong>Queensryche ~ American Soldier</span></b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/img/cds/QueensrycheAmericanSoldier.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/img/cds/QueensrycheAmericanSoldier.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><br />
I probably enjoyed this album substantially more than everyone else but it is still disappointing by my standards. I like <i>Tribe </i>and <i>Operation Mindcrime II</i> but this album lacks the dynamic nature of the latter and the moving creativity of the former. Most people detract this album for its patriotic American concept, but I can look past that. It's the music that disappoints me. The ballad is terrible - Tate's daughter should NOT be on this album. She is distracting and not a particularly decent child singer. The rapping depletes the album further as does the tedious 'modern rock', heavy guitar riffage as can be heard during the chorus of 'If I were King' - what is otherwise a commendable and memorable rock song. I can deal with Queensryche not wanting to continue to uphold the metal banner but just be intelligent about the creative process. There are some gems in this album but it's covered in a fair amount of embarrassment to wade through. How this band have fallen from grace. I still retain my faith in them though, probably because they remain one of my favourites.<br />
<br />
<i>Honourable mentions: Dying Fetus ~ Descend into Depravity</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div><strong>Best Cover Art<br />
</strong>The 11th Hour ~ Burden of Grief<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.gothtronic.com/Goth/img_/Music1/sub/burden_of_grief_plaatje.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><br />
</div><div>Maybe I'm simply being lazy and can't be arsed to check out other album art this year but this cover is amazing (unlike the album...). In fact, it was so good I decided to sketch the crow with decent results. You know precisely what to expect from looking at the cover and that's what good album art does. Unusual yet moody tones, smoky atmospheres, a stone clock with the final number showing 23, branches in Autumn and the centre-piece - a painted crow looking rather sinister. The glowing light makes it look somewhat less melodramatic, although the over the top nature of the cover can not be disputed. Having said that, death/doom metal is hardly reserved. The detail on the crow is profound and a marvel to stare at. The effect of the individual features is a success. The realism is so great that the textures shine right through. Artist Mick Koopman should be very proud of this effort and the band were more than lucky to be able to work with him.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Honourable mentions: Pain of Salvation ~ Linoleum; Diablo Swing Orchestra ~ Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious</i><br />
</div><div><i><br />
</i><br />
</div><div><b>Best Lyrics </b><br />
</div><div>Porcupine Tree ~ 'Time Flies'<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Freak Kitchen probably would have stole this section but I can't find their lyrics online. Listening to them make me smile as they've updated their inventory with all the fashionable pop culture staples like Facebook, optical mice etc. But this behemoth of a track literally flies by because it's so astonishing. Lyrically, it's concerned with archetypal and personal prog nostalgia but the way their written adds a maudlin and cute quality to them. They just feel so personal and have some great metaphors like 'suburb of heaven'. Catchy stuff.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Honourable mentions: Megadeth ~ 'Endgame'; Katatonia ~ 'Forsaker'</i><br />
</div><div><i><br />
</i><br />
</div><div><b>Best Newcomer</b><br />
</div><div>Fleshgod Apocalypse ~ Oracles<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Think death metal-era Behemoth but with intricate spurts of technicality and classical interludes thrown in for good measure. Fleshgod Apocalypse are a remarkably talented trio, releasing their debut <i>Oracles</i> this year. Coupled with a compelling live show, this band is certainly worth keeping an eye on in the future. Hopefully a follow up explores more territories and doesn't stagnate the mediocre tech death scene.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Honourable mentions: Kalisia ~ Cybion; White Wizzard ~ High Speed GTO</i><br />
</div><div><i><br />
</i><br />
</div><div><b>Best Live Show</b><br />
</div><div>Kampfar, Underworld, London, 16th February<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jqPYmcNWwttJ2s2nqkU54Y1Ut0hRkAFz37xCAHJE0ZW3LQlwnF0NxJHnsYfqn1IA2DFNkCgsEQL6TvJzIIjGGbGc6qpUTGfoAULbkQea3tqnW1ZRO_sTHw_T16vQucA-xslF47U39Q/s1600-h/100_1513.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424047328039625074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jqPYmcNWwttJ2s2nqkU54Y1Ut0hRkAFz37xCAHJE0ZW3LQlwnF0NxJHnsYfqn1IA2DFNkCgsEQL6TvJzIIjGGbGc6qpUTGfoAULbkQea3tqnW1ZRO_sTHw_T16vQucA-xslF47U39Q/s200/100_1513.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 168px;" /></a><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>I was overtly thrilled when Kampfar anounced their UK debut show, an exclusive London date with coheadlining band Vreid and support from Iskald. Fortunately, Kampfar were last on and Dolk was a tremendous frontman, the audience never taking their eyes off him. His growls were intensive and enduring throughout. The setlist was beautifully varied, showcasing rarities and favourites from all of their albums. Opening with 'Vantro' as their intro tape they launched into a full-on attack with 'Inferno' and never laxed their iron grip. The encore was 'Bukkeferd' from their debut, which was surprising. Such a shame the audience did not react so enthusiastically and predictably 'Ravenheart' was the track greeted with the best ovation. People ruin the metal shows but without them, they cannot exist. Anyhow, these Norse pagans are lined up for Hellfest this year and I hope to be in attendance. I can imagine Dolk shining in an open air environment.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Honourable mentions: Putrid Pile, The Gaff, London, 1st July; Dream Theater, Manchester Apollo, Manchester, 9th October</i><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Best Festival</b><br />
</div><div>Hellfest Open Air 2008, Clisson, 19th ~ 21st June<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.nantesmonamour.com/partenariat/hellfest2009_2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 650px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 442px;" /><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>If I was to be calling this one based entirely on social factors, it would be awarded to Hard Rock Hell but based purely on line up and organisation, than France's premier metal festival reigns victorious again. Pulling out a line up that particularly excited the prog factor in me with Dream Theater, Queensryche and Pain of Salvation (all in one day) among others, I couldn't lose. Add in New York death metal favourites of mine Skinless and Immolation, along with bands who avoid London like Aura Noir and Manowar and this festival had me sold. I'd never see Motley Crue perform live because they are so poor but being one of my favourite bands and at the festival, I could watch them headlining without exclusively dropping a large sum of money to see them. I thought it would be impossible to top last year's line up, but I was indeed wrong. The festival itself ran smoothly despite the surge in numbers. Socially, it was hit-and-miss thanks to the conclusion of my two year relationship (avoid doing weekend long festivals with your ex and said ex's object of jealousy) but a great weekend of metal was not ruined by social politics. I talked to more people this year and yes, festivals surely due attract the mentally-touched metalheads in armies. The line up for 2010 so far looks stunning (Kampfar, Sabaton, Freak Kitchen, Urgehal and more) and has effectively confirmed my attendance. I suspect this time next year, I'll be listing Hellfest as festival of the year again.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Honourable mentions: Bloodstock Open Air, Catton Hall, 14 ~ 16th August; Hard Rock Hell III, Prestatyn, 4th - 5th December</i><br />
</div><div><i><br />
</i><br />
</div><div><b>Best Discovery</b><br />
</div><div>Forced Entry (US)<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424041055510133106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xeTrOHEmRGBO-TcApL77XOYIAkLNjruT2GsVMwv9gLogTKdrus9Xu-ITSP6zRS2vc3yJKZ6pTPfPMbWXBGhDfhZ4Q2q0pfeVN26gDDxP8ZN54QqLjMm8kLw0XGo9NQ2F3AXFq-sGIw/s200/Forced+Entry.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 184px;" /></span><br />
</div><div>This year I discovered plenty of new bands I'd never heard of before but the best of these were Seattle's Forced Entry, a thrash metal band who formed in 1985. I discovered them via <a href="http://metalinquisition.blogspot.com/">Metal Inquisition</a> at the start of last year and was interested in the idea of technical thrash metal. Their second album <i>As Above, So Below </i>from '91 is incredible. It's technical thrash metal without being progressive such as bands like Atheist, Cynic, Anacrusis etc. They have their own particular style with angular riffs, well-timed pinched harmonics, amazing audible bass lines and their own style of thrashy vocals. The lyrics were usually intelligent (especially for thrash metal) but the band never took themselves too seriously, penning such party tracks as 'How We Spent Our Summer Vacation' and 'We're Dicks'. Unfortunately they only released two albums and one EP before being overpowered by the grunge movement and were coerced into splitting up after a flood of issues out of their control. It seems a travesty that bands like Sacred Reich made it (sort of) whilst Forced Entry are condemned to complete thrash metal obscurity, despite doing something creative and intelligent. What's worse is the contemporary thrash metal revival, spearheaded by such trite and unoriginal bands like Evile and Municipal Waste who rehash old ideas from thrash metal's heyday and consider themselves mind-blowing. Forced Entry need to reunite and bring real innovative thrash metal to the world. I truly believe they are metal's most underrated band and I listen to all the metal subgenres profoundly. I pray they will reunite this year, as they once did in 2002. They rereleased <i>As Above, So Below</i> last year so you never know. They're so compelling that <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.themetalinquisition.com/.../20-year-old-british-girl-falls-in-love.html">I dedicated my Summer to them</a>. This band is proof that there is no justice in the world. They truly deserve to be making a living off their music.<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><i>Honourable mentions: Internal Bleeding; Joyless</i><br />
</div><div><b><br />
</b><br />
</div><div><b>~~~</b><br />
</div><div><b><br />
</b><br />
</div><div>And that's about it. 2009 was a decent year of metal but I never got round to acquiring all the releases I so desired. Last year was a particularly busy year and I just didn't have the time. Hopefully 2010 will be less hectic and I can satisfy my desires. Already planned for release this year are the new Sabaton, Scythe, Nevermore and Dream Evil. Hopefully the live scene will be just as good, if not superior.<br />
</div>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-23298940142451782442009-12-22T22:45:00.008+00:002009-12-22T23:55:44.006+00:00A Succinct Commentary on Sabaton's Studio Albums<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.sabaton.net/pics/2008_Sabaton3.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The world must prepare for Sabaton's nuclear attack on mundane power metal!</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>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.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Primo Victoria [2005]</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><img src="http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/S/Sabaton/Primo%20Victoria/Primo%20Victoria.jpg" /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Sabaton's official debut album <i>Primo Victoria</i>,<i> </i>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. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Attero Dominatus [2006]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><img src="http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/S/Sabaton/Attero%20Dominatus/Attero%20Dominatus.jpg" /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">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 <i>Attero Dominatus </i>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 <i>Primo Victoria</i>, a third album like this would do Sabaton no more favours; they have exhausted this style.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Metalizer [2007]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><img src="http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/S/Sabaton/Metalizer/Metalizer.jpg" /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sabaton's third album in three years, <i>Metalizer</i> 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 <i>Fist for Fight</i> in 2000. It was released on an obscure Italian record label, Underground Symphony. However, it is the second disc on <i>Metalizer.</i> The first disc is ostensibly re-recorded versions of songs from <i>Fist for Fight </i>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 <i>Metalizer</i> 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].</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Art of War [2008]</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><img src="http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/les%20goupes/S/Sabaton/The%20Art%20of%20War/The%20Art%20of%20War.jpg" /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sabaton retain their consistency in releasing albums each year and <i>The Art of War</i>, 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 <i>Primo/Attero </i>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.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">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...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">------------------------</div><div style="text-align: left;">[1] These were originally recorded approximately 1999/2000.</div><div style="text-align: left;">[2] They certainly played a few in 2007 on the tour for the album though.</div><div style="text-align: left;">[3] Frontman Joakim Broden used to handle keyboard duties and the band would hire a player on tour.</div>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-42834160151870959372009-12-14T18:06:00.003+00:002009-12-14T18:14:51.675+00:00Adagio in Black - Why and How Adagio Changed<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><em><strong><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Originally written for: </span><a href="http://www.soundshock.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.Soundshock.net</span></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">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.</span></span></strong></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br />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</span></span><img vspace="3" hspace="3" align="right" src="http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/soundshockuk/09/Untitled-5.jpg" alt="Stéphan Forté - Adagio" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />'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."<br /><br />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]."<br /><br />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."</span></span></span>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-854664096783007542009-11-11T16:13:00.009+00:002009-12-22T23:54:44.575+00:00How Svartsot Defy Folk/Viking Metal Conventions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.laut.de/bilder/wortlaut/artists/s/svartsot/defimage1.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 292px; height: 209px;" src="http://www.laut.de/bilder/wortlaut/artists/s/svartsot/defimage1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Svartsot have a lot of competition in getting recognised among the folk metal explosion they were spawned during.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>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 <i>Ravenes Saga.</i><div><br /></div><div>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</div><img src="http://images.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGCOVERS/music/cover200/drj100/j126/j12688h2qe1.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 178px; " /><div> 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 <i>Ravenes Saga</i> compared to most Viking metal releases is the absence of black metal, cleverly substituted by melodic death metal. </div><div><br /></div><div>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.</div><div><br /></div> <div>Svartsot are a musically 'serious' band but <i>Ravenes Saga</i> 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 <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Månegarm, without the black metal sentiments of course.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rock-rainbow.ch/therockrainbow/images/content/SVARTSOT%20foto.jpg"><img src="http://www.rock-rainbow.ch/therockrainbow/images/content/SVARTSOT%20foto.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 177px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:georgia;">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.</span><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">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.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">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.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">How Svartsot wish to follow up <i>Ravenes Saga</i> 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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span>Hans-Jørgen <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Martinus Hansen who only joined as a full-time member shortly after the exodus. They left </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 10px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 10px; line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">because of different opinions on how to run a band and how the music</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> 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.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 10px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 10px;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:medium;">----------------</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">[1] </span></span><a href="http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/showinterview.php?id=1957&lang=en"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lord of Metal interview, 2007</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> - the band's name is discussed.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">[2] </span></span><a href="http://www.svartsot.dk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">S</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://www.svartsot.dk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">vartsot.dk</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, 17/12/2008</span></span></span></span></span></div>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-55545921933543191112009-03-02T18:40:00.005+00:002009-03-02T20:04:10.828+00:00Lyrical Analysis: Testament - The Eagle Has Landed<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://themoviebar.net/blog3/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/test3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 430px; height: 331px;" src="http://themoviebar.net/blog3/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/test3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Testament looking anything from apprehensive to mournful.<br /></span></div><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Here are the lyrics presented in their entirety:<br /><br />"The sky began to fall, ripping open a path up to Heaven<br />Time slowed to a crawl - early morning September eleventh<br />Steel crumbling frames, the scales of justice are decimated<br />Hate ignites the flames, New York city incinerated<br />See the flames on the river, is this our judgement day?<br />Praying hands of a killer when evil flies our way<br />Our way<br /><br />The towers got hit, a steel bird with wings of destruction<br />As the building split, the skyline has been deconstructed<br />So many people killed, two thousand nine hundred and seventy four<br />Innocent blood spilled, extremist plotting a holy war<br />See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate<br />Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate<br />Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?<br />Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way<br />Flies our way<br /><br />We will pick up the pieces<br />We never cast the first stone<br />Through all the bereavement<br />We will rebuild our home<br /><br />The sky began to fall, ripping opening a path up to Heaven<br />Time slowed to a crawl - early morning September eleventh<br />See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate<br />Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate<br />Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?<br />Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way<br />Flies our way<!--ringtones and media links -->"<br /><br />The analysis is as follows:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The sky began to fall, ripping open a path up to Heaven</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Time slowed to a crawl - early morning, September eleventh"</span><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Steel crumbling frames, the scales of justice are decimated</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Hate ignites the flames, New York City incinerated"</span><br /><br />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:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"See the flames on the river, is this our judgement day?</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Praying hands of a killer when evil flies our way</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Our way"</span><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The towers got hit, a steel bird with wings of destruction</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">As the building split, the skyline has been deconstructed"</span><br /><br />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]:<br /><br /><b>de·con·struct</b> <script type="text/javascript"> var interfaceflash = new LEXICOFlashObject ( "http://cache.lexico.com/d/g/speaker.swf", "speaker", "17", "15", "<a href="\" target="\"><img src="\" border="\" /></a>", "6"); interfaceflash.addParam("loop", "false"); interfaceflash.addParam("quality", "high"); interfaceflash.addParam("menu", "false"); interfaceflash.addParam("salign", "t"); interfaceflash.addParam("FlashVars", "soundUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fcache.lexico.com%2Fdictionary%2Faudio%2Fahd4%2FD%2FD0079550.mp3"); interfaceflash.write(); </script><table><tbody><tr><td><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://cache.lexico.com/d/g/speaker.swf" id="speaker" quality="high" loop="false" menu="false" salign="t" flashvars="soundUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fcache.lexico.com%2Fdictionary%2Faudio%2Fahd4%2FD%2FD0079550.mp3" align="texttop" width="17" height="15"></embed><noscript></noscript> (dē'kən-strŭkt') <a title="Click for guide to symbols." onclick="ahdpop();return false;" href="http://dictionary.reference.com/help/ahd4/pronkey.html" class="pronkey">Pronunciation Key</a><br /><!--BOF_HEAD--> tr.v. <!--EOF_HEAD--> <!--BOF_SUBHEAD--> <b>de·con·struct·ed</b>, <b>de·con·struct·ing</b>, <b>de·con·structs</b><br /><!--EOF_SUBHEAD--> <!--BOF_DEF--> <ol type="1"><li>To break down into components; dismantle.</li><li>To write about or analyze [sic] (a literary text, for example), following the tenets of deconstruction.</li></ol></td></tr></tbody></table>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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.reviewbusters.net/images/music/testament_the_formation_of_damnation_cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://www.reviewbusters.net/images/music/testament_the_formation_of_damnation_cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The skyline at the bottom, which features what looks like an Ancient Greek temple, is a clear example of deconstruction.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"So many people killed, two thousand nine hundred and seventy four</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Innocent blood spilled, extremist plotting a holy war"</span><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate"</span><br /><br />'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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Flies our way"</span><br /><br />"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 <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> 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.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"We will pick up the pieces</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />We never cast the first stone</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Through all the bereavement</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We will rebuild our home"</span><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The sky began to fall, ripping opening a path up to Heaven</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Time slowed to a crawl - early morning September eleventh</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />See the flames on the river, terrorism sealed our fate</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Praying hands of a killer reciting a sermon of hate</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Will you please reconsider, is this our judgement day?</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Time to stand and deliver when evil flies our way</span> <!--ringtones and media links --><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Flies our way"</span><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.interia.pl/rozrywka/nimg/Joakim_Broden_Sabaton_1634936.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://img.interia.pl/rozrywka/nimg/Joakim_Broden_Sabaton_1634936.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">You are already forgiven, Joakim.</span><br /></div><br />----------<br /><br />[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/deconstructed (in regards to online matters and discussion, dictionary.com outweights the Oxford English dictionary).<br /><br />[2] With Kataklysm being 'The Ambassador of Pain' this seems an achievable goal for an American metal band.<br /><br />[3] or Sabaton's Joakim Broden.Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-46710755991169972182009-01-14T00:33:00.013+00:002010-05-22T03:22:55.117+01:00Agallochganic - How Agalloch Usurped the Metal World<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/0/5/305_photo.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/0/5/305_photo.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 249px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 376px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Agalloch are impressing metallers on an international scale.</span></div><br />
Since the 2006 release <span style="font-style: italic;">Ashes Against the Grain</span>, 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/128/1417337556ljm7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/128/1417337556ljm7.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 205px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 288px;" /></a>The band members of this Portland, Oregon based act place a substantial emphasis on their aesthetic. In an <a href="http://www.metal-rules.com/interviews/agalloch.htm">interview with Metal Rules</a>, 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/2/2/3/12238.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/2/2/3/12238.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 254px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 260px;" /></a><br />
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Unlike their lyrical theme, the music of the band has shifted considerably since their demo days. Agalloch's first release was their demo <span style="font-style: italic;">From Which of this Oak</span> and Anderson states in an <a href="http://www.metal-invader.com/interviews/Agalloch_2007_02_20/interview.php">interview with Metal Invader</a> <span style="font-size: 100%;">"</span><span style="font-size: 100%;">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 </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">black metal and folk meddling and </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">a quicker tempo. Of course the band's own ideas have been incorporated into the release sublimely.<br />
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</span><img alt="" src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/DARU/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.jpg" /><img alt="" src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/DARU/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-4.jpg" /><a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/5/0/1150.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/5/0/1150.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 189px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 378px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
The first album entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Pale Folklore</span> 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 <span style="font-style: italic;">From Which of this Oak</span>, 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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Always</span> 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.<br />
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</span><a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/5/1/1151.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/5/1/1151.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 275px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 275px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
Of all of Agalloch's non-album works, I feel <span style="font-style: italic;">Of Stone, Wind and Pillor</span> 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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Dance of December Souls</span> 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.<br />
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</span><a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/5/2/6/3526.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/3/5/2/6/3526.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">The Mantle</span> 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.<br />
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</span><a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/3/1/113100.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/1/3/1/113100.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 250px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Ashes Aganinst the Grain</span> 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.<br />
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</span><a href="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/8/0/3/180395.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.metal-archives.com/images/1/8/0/3/180395.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 249px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 250px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
With the limited release of <span style="font-style: italic;">The White</span>, 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 <span style="font-style: italic;">The White</span> reminds me of neofolk bands like Of The Wand And The Moon and of Green Carnation's <span style="font-style: italic;">Acoustic Verses</span>. 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.<br />
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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.</span><br />
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Obviously these weak points will not deter others. It seems like Agalloch are an inspiration to</span><a href="http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/194/1411resizedmn9.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/194/1411resizedmn9.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 350px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 237px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"> bands world wide. The fusion of post-rock in many of the younger suicidal black </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;">[1] <a href="http://www.earache.com/WickedWorld/interview/agalloch/agalloch.html">In an interview with Earache</a>, 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.</span><br />
</span>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-720366418654611260.post-19219389532485555372009-01-07T01:32:00.010+00:002009-01-14T04:38:09.858+00:00The Advantages and Disadvantages of Black MetalBlack 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://assets.mog.com/pictures/wikipedia/37129/Darkthrone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 391px; height: 343px;" src="http://assets.mog.com/pictures/wikipedia/37129/Darkthrone.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Darkthrone</span><br /><br /></span></div>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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Volcano </span>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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Nymphetamine</span>. 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.<br /><br />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 <span style="font-style: italic;">De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, </span>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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.metal-impact.com/modules/Interviews/images/shining_04-07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 444px;" src="http://www.metal-impact.com/modules/Interviews/images/shining_04-07.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Shining<br /><br /></span></div>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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">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.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://assets.mog.com/pictures/wikipedia/1503113/Enslavedband.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 409px; height: 269px;" src="http://assets.mog.com/pictures/wikipedia/1503113/Enslavedband.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Enslaved</span><br /><br /></div></div>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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Hammerheart</span>. 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Lucifer Rising </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Lords of Chaos</span> 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.<br /><br />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 <span style="font-style: italic;">Transylvanian Hunger</span> 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 <a href="http://www.norsksvartmetall.com/">www.norsksvartmetall.com</a> 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />-----<br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[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).<br /><br />[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.<br /><br />[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.<br /><br />[4] His second album </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >angL</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> features a guest vocal performance by Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth, one of the most well-known progressive metal bands.<br /><br />[5] <a href="http://www.norsksvartmetall.com/history.htm">http://www.norsksvartmetall.com/history.htm</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[6] Some examples:<br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Burzum: from black metal to ambient;<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Darkthrone: from raw black metal to black 'n' roll;<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Enslaved: from Viking/black metal to progressive/Viking/black metal;<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Emperor: from symphonic black metal to post-black metal;</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Mayhem: from raw black metal to post-black metal to black metal<br /></span></li></ul>Daru Jerichohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04607797705446483011noreply@blogger.com0